I was wondering if some of you experienced moms/dads could give me some tips on getting organized. Since HS is new with us I am trying to get a schedule figured out. I am trying to start with some math and LA/reading through the summer so it will be easier in the fall. I have actually wrote out the schedule but it seams something always comes up, distracts us, they argue, ect. I know a new routine is tough and takes a little getting used to. I guess I want this to flow so smooth but nothing has so far. One of the biggest distractions is my very busy and curious 2y/o. It never fails that she needs my attention in the middle of doing something with my other two so I say we will pick it up when the 2 y/o is napping but by then we are on to other things. Also I am getting like a lot of you..."but this is my summer vacation" . I want soooo badly for them to have a great experience this summer(and to prove to their father and grandmother this is the path we need follow) . I feel like the summer is slipping away already. They will be with their father the next two weeks and I know he will not work with them for he doesn't feel the same way I do about HS. Any tips would be appreciated.
If you're new to hs'ing, I would say you should let the kids have the summer vacation they're expecting. If you have to do school, do only about 15 to 30 minutes MAX to review language and math. But you do NOT want to confuse homeschooling with "schooling at home". Life will ALWAYS interrupt your hs'ing. That's the only thing you CAN plan on! Go ahead and find a schedule that will work for you, but know that you'll never be able to stick with it. AND THAT'S OK!!! And, for what it's worth, when I was in the classroom, I would diligently set up my lesson plans/schedule for the week in my Lesson Plan Book, and it would be open on my desk every Monday morning. But guess what. By 10:00 AM Monday, my schedule was ALREADY off! I could NEVER stick with it, because, just like at home, LIFE HAPPENS. Learn to go with it. Your new motto: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!
I agree with Jackie. Enjoy the summer. Enjoy each other. When my second child was two years old, my oldest was eight years old. The two-year-old was a bit of a distraction. We did not get as much homeschooling done. That is okay. Hopefully some other lessons were being taught to my eight-year-old like how to deal with interruptions. What I did--1. Gave my oldest some on-her-own stuff to do when we had interruptions. It is difficult to do that when you are in the middle of explaining something. 2. Had a special box of toys for the two-year-old. This box of toys only came out during school hours. 3. Let the two-year-old do stuff at the table with us. He loved scotch tape. I would buy boxes of scotch tape and let him at it. That occupied him for hours and hours. He also loved playing with pots and pans. There are a number of books on what to do with toddlers. Have have several of those books and used the suggestions. 4. I also expected the two-year-old to be quiet at times. First we worked on five minutes. Eventually we worked this up to 20 minutes or so. I didn't expect this too often during the day, only about once a day and not even every day. Good luck. This too shall pass.
Oh, and your 2yo MUST go down for a nap! That's something in stone. During this time, send your older children upstairs for a half-hour of in their room "silent reading" time. This is YOUR time! Use it to do whatever relaxes you. NO SCHOOL OR HOUSEWORK DURING THIS TIME!!! Set the timer, and the kids know they CANNOT come out, short of seeing flames shooting through the ceiling! (Exception: When my middle child was 6, she caming running downstairs, book in hand, yelling, "I KNOW WHAT THESE WORDS SAY!!!" The joy of that "Ah-ha! Moment" was MUCH more important than my "Mommy Time"!) As your little one gets away from naps, he can look at picture books or listen to books on CD for a half-hour.
Well the past several weeks I've had a lesson plan for each week, where I just write out things that I REALLY want to complete. When we get them done is up to us, but as long as those certain things are done throughout the week, I feel good about it. There's no set schedule. The only thing that is "set" is that once we sit down to do them, we are going to get as much as we can completed. So that the rest of the day is ours to do what we please. I try to make every moment a learning experience, even if we aren't sitting down to do actual work. Just get a general guideline in place, & let life happen. It'll be ok =)
The Well Planned Day has a homeschool high school planner that you can keep and use all through high school. I have seen this personally and it is awesome! You even keep your transcripts in it. Check it our by going to their website. They have a flip-book preview. Trust me, it is well worth the money! www.thewellplannedday.com Here is the High School Planner: http://www.wellplannedday.com/plannerswgh.html I am using the general one. I LOVE it!
