I feel like we hardly accomplished anything this year. DH was working out west from mid-June until the end of October. Usually we school year-round, but we took the summer off because he was gone, and then Sept/Oct was just useless because the kids were missing him and acting out a lot. I had switched my 9yo to SOS for Math and Language Arts (3rd grade), but after muddling through it for the past 6 months, I've decided that it sucks. Josh has always been really "math-minded" and picked up concepts quickly, but has really struggled with all the carrying/borrowing. Plus the annoyance of having to skip all the American measurements/money lessons and re-do them, seemed like such a waste of money spent on the curriculum. As for the Language Arts, it's so all over the place that I don't think he's retained much of it at all. Even though it's not technically the end of a school year for us, I'm seriously considering just scrapping everything, taking a couple of weeks off, and starting fresh. Has anyone ever done this before? I kind of feel like I've failed my kids a little bit this year with all the upheaval and crummy curriculum. I can't buy any new curriculum until the end of May, because dh has been out of work since he came home in late October. Money is really tight right now, but he gets an extra paycheque in May due to how the weeks fall. What I'd like to do, then, moving forward: Over the next 6 weeks: ds9: Focus on memorizing his addition/subtraction facts to 18, using math drills, flash cards and online games. Encourage lots of reading for pleasure. ds6: Finish up Kindergarten Hooked on Phonics. Once I have money to purchase new curriculum, we'll start fresh as though it's the beginning of the new school year: DS9: -Math Makes Sense, Grade 4 (public school textbook, borrowed from my local elementary). -Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 3. Technically redoing gr3 because I really don't feel he retained enough with SOS, plus it introduces cursive writing which we haven't done yet. Hopefully we'll be able to get through it over the summer, and start the Grade 4 level in the fall. -Continuing Rosetta Stone French -Continuing Mavis Beacon Typing -Continuing Provincial Unit Studies DS6: -Math Makes Sense, Grade 1 (text borrowed from local public school). -Leapfrog Phonics/Reading program -Handwriting Without Tears -Beginning Canadian Geography Both boys together (with more in-depth discussions with the 9yo): -Finishing up Apologia Astronomy -Starting Story of the World -or- Mystery of History Even though the only books I need to buy are for LLATL and SOTW, it's going to cost almost $120. Hopefully these will fit with us, I did a lot of research, looking at sample chapters, etc. I'm tired of wasting money on curriculum that just doesn't work for us, and we especially can't afford to be wasting money right now. It's a bad time of year anyhow, with having to pay for summer activity registrations. Does anyone else have these periods where you just feel so scattered and like you're just not on top of things? I've been perusing the Donna Young organizing printables and other similar stuff online, trying to come up with a plan for keeping more organized. I'm totally open to any ideas on that front!
I'm right there with you... Garrett is only half way through his math, he should be almost done, we did crap for history and science.. because I kept changing my mind all. year. long! The littles... well Reagan finally can spell his name (not write it, but hey spelling is something right?), knows his address and his alphabet and letter sounds... oh and he can count to 12 and love Magic School Bus videos. Rylee is starting to read, but really could be much further ahead, she has taught herself so much this year.. she can add and subtract, pretty much all of her own figuring out , she also loves Magic School Bus Videos, and has started asking to learn to write cursive.. so I'm trying to teach her. We are slowly having a restart to our year that ends VERY SOON.. no later than June 30th I'm trying to focus on science some. Working hard to plan out hour history for next year... and trying to find our focus on everything else. Mostly just trying to get the kids used to certain things needing to be done for school each day. I have next year pretty much planned, and am buying just a bit at a time towards what we need for it. I'm almost done buying for history, science I'm going to try to do mostly through library books along with the shelves of science topic books I have here. I'm still not sure what Garrett is doing for grammar next year.. I think maybe Easy Grammar along with his Caught Ya Grammar (which I don't really think he is learning from but likes) and keeping Writing Strands along with Narrations and Dictations from science and history. Rylee and Reagan are pretty much figured out completely.
This was a scattered year for me, too. My oldest began 9th grade, which threw me into a panic. The work has been a challenge for my dd so she is behind in almost everything. We struggled with a math textbook most of the year and just recently scrapped it and are using Key To Algebra. She dragged her feet though Apologia Science (not because it was boring, but it is a *little* over her head; it takes her a long time to get through the chapers and understand them). I really feel that she needs more time to get through 9th grade material, but she has her heart set on a local charter school in the fall so we *have* to get through this material. Middle son: is doing well overall. We did not focus too much on history and science, due to lack of time. I have 3 kids at various levels and this is the first year that its been a struggle for me to juggle it. He recently began piano lessons and would much rather practice than do any bookwork (!). Little one: age 6 is doing well overall. Is mostly getting tired of 'school' and wants to play all the time. Its been hard to get her to sit down and do any school so I am easing up on the bookwork and letting her do art projects, play in sand, ride bikes, etc. She's got plenty of time. So, yeah, not exactly where I'd like to be but I know its not the end of the world. I haven't begun to plan next year.
I'm here to learn from you guys about HS, I haven't started yet. So I'm not really qualified in that way to say anything, and I'll freely admit it. I'm a parent though, and a wife, so we have that in common. I just wanted to say, that in reading about HS, I saw something that your post made me think of. That not all years will feel like they went off perfectly right, not all days, or weeks. To try to let it roll right off you, like water on a duck. You're still doing what's best for your kids, and the good days will outnumber the not so good. The same book talked about time off too. To take it if you feel like you need it. Reset. It's one of the reasons we decided to home school? To create a schedule that is best for our families needs, which are always in flux.
Hi Angie, Unfortunately I don't really have any organizational tips; probably none that you haven't already read about on the Donna Y. site. But I do want to tell you that you are not alone AND that I do not for a minute believe that you have failed your children. You've probably accomplished more than you think. I am continually amazed at what children learn even when we don't feel that we are "teaching." My neighbor, homeschooled her children by the "unschooling method"* and I mean true un-schooling for half of elementary. They were outside most of the day while my kiddos were chanting Latin declensions, and working on the three R's, before they could go outside at noon. At any rate, by graduation, I can attest that her children did just fine! I do believe we've all had those periods where we feel scattered, and don't get as much accomplished as we had hoped. Some years really are just like that. My lovely dd will be repeating 10th grade this year because it was just one of those years for us. I was so busy preparing ds for graduation that other things went by the wayside. DD chemistry was one of them.....we only made it halfway through, along with her Geometry, and SOS French was frustrating. Her ballet schedule also intensified which took more time. And sadly we had a death in the family and it was necessary that I travel out of town several times. I do think that we could probably school all summer in order to get her back to speed so to speak, but in the whole scope of things, it just does not seem to be the best thing for her. So be kind to yourself, and don't feel guilty should you decide to take a break to help you re-focus. Faith2go *I do realize that the unschooling style does not mean that children are not being taught and hope that this does not offend anyone. That is not my intention.
