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SarahCD
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 3:27pm | IP Logged
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Hi. I have only been a member of this delightful forum for a few days, and already I am so inspired by all of your beautiful ideas and your zeal for home-educating your children!
I am brand new to homeschooling this year. I wrote briefly about our transition in the "introductions" area ... Anyway, I have to admit that we've had a pretty rocky start. It hasn't been horrible (well, some days have been), but it's been challenging. I have had to be more of a disciplinarian to my children than I had hoped, and with six children 9 and younger, well, it just feels chaotic and so loud in my home ~ HA! ~ and messy!
I am quickly learning that I desire a home life that is integrated ... I desire to cultivate a love and joy in learning and reading TOGETHER. However, I feel a bit of resistance in working toward this goal. In talking with my husband, I think ALL of us are very much in MAJOR transition! And that can be painful ... I am realizing it's not just homeschool but how it ALL works together—home educating, homemaking, discipline, working on a rhythm to our days, etc., etc. There is SO much that I want to do with my children! SO many good ideas and possibilities. And yet my hopes and dreams for family life do not always match up with reality. So, I have to find a way to balance the goals with the realities, still aiming for the goals but being OK with where we are at the moment. The hard part is that I know all of this. But it's hard to live it sometimes.
So, my questions. I know they are many. Would it be better if I gave them each their own topic?
+ Where should I begin in taking baby steps toward my goals? I have read about so many good ideas, I feel overwhelmed and have a difficult time picking just one (or two).
+ Do you think it might be a good idea to take a few weeks to really focus on discipline? Regarding the resistance (and some quarreling). I guess I desire more time all together, and they don't always have that same desire. That is one of my hopes in homeschooling, that it will bring us closer together. I think traditional school actually pulled us apart a bit, even our really good Catholic school ...
+ What is a "basket"? Is it really just a book basket, or is there more to it? And how many baskets do all of you have?! I love this idea ... How do they stay organized?
+ When you have children close in age, like I do, do you bring them all together for certain subjects? It seems like this is going to be necessary for me. But at what level do I focus? The middle one?
+ What about the littles? Right now, I am doing NOTHING. I don't see how I can! But I don't want to neglect them either. It's so hard, ALL of my children really need me A LOT at this point.
+ Lastly (I promise!), what about Advent? I love the Advent ideas I'm reading about. Do you scale back on your regular school subjects during this season? I'd love to do something more in depth, but I am barely fitting in everything now, I don't know how I could add more.
Gosh, I hope I am not overstepping my bounds here. I feel a bit anxious about figuring something out and moving in a direction where I don't feel so overwhelmed. Right now, with bringing this new experience into our family life, it just feels so chaotic and disorganized, and that is just not very peaceful.
Thank you, in advance, for any input you have. I really, really appreciate it.
God bless,
Sarah
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 3:32pm | IP Logged
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I feel for you Sarah....
My humble ideas (although I only had 4 nine and under at one time!!)
-Realise it is a transition time- it will not be 'perfect' (hey, it is never perfect)
-Read Aloud (if you and your kids enjoy this): Pick a book or a stack and read aloud bits of them as you can to all the kids (this can cover everything for all kids but the 3Rs)
-Have the 3Rs for the kids that are old enough, and as you have the energy to as you are starting out!
-Try not to read too much online- honestly, it can all look roses in others' homes
Try to enjoy your kids!! (I can apply this to myself today- I have two highschoolers and we took the whole afternoon to draw and paint Gollum in the boat in the cave- everyone needs a break and some fun in their day!!))
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 3:42pm | IP Logged
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A basket is a basket... and so much more 
I love all your questions, Sarah. You are starting on an amazing journey, and - as with any journey- there will be glitches. If there weren't , you wouldn't have any neat "remember when" stories to look back on fondly.
I tend to like square baskets to hold books. Right now I have a basket with picture book on France and all things French (we are studying France in geography), a basket for a Halloween/autumn topics and a basket for several old favorites plus several new books from the library. Each day at snack time, we pick one book from each basket to read. It's that simple.
During this transition time, I would suggest picking at least one great read-aloud to share with all your children. Everyone can sit in the living room around you while you read. Some of the kids might play with toys while you read; others might draw, etc. As long as they listen, it's OK.
I find that nothing brings the family together like a great read aloud. It gives little minds big ideas to think about. It gives you a wealth of favorite moments and "inside" jokes and phrases to share. Before the story you might have been drifting, but the story brings you all together with a common thread. it builds bounds.
Last year my family read the original "101 Dalmations" out loud (NOT any version by Disney). We loved it. That might be a good one considering the ages of your dc. Everyone can like a good dog story with a happy ending.
I am out of online time right now, but I will be praying for you 
__________________
Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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SallyT
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 4:11pm | IP Logged
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I sympathise -- we began homeschooling eight years ago, when our oldest was nine, and the transition from a school-centered life to a homeschooling life was a bumpy one, to say the least. At that time I had a fourth grader, a kindergartener, a one-year-old, and a new baby born in the middle of that year, so had children needing on me from all ends of the spectrum, besides which we were all trying to cope with a major transatlantic move none of us had really felt like making . . . In hindsight, I can't believe we actually took on homeschooling in the midst of all the rest of it, but I'm also very grateful to God that we did.
As you can probably surmise, we started homeschooling with a lot of emotional fallout from all our transitions, and this meant discipline problems and disorder on every level. Here's how I coped (to the best of my memory):
1. I worked on order.
I don't think I was consciously doing this, but it was kind of an obvious and necessary thing, since we'd just moved and uprooted our entire life. For the first few months, I concentrated really hard on things like having meals on the table at regular times, and having them be as graceful and peaceful as I could achieve. Dinner time, especially, was like a peg I could hang my whole day on -- we'd be together, the table would be set as nicely as I could manage, there would be something good to eat, and we would take time over it and be together. And because the kids were there, the older ones at least could help me cook, which was fun, educational, and a bonding experience.
And while I wasn't really stressing that much about daily housekeeping per se, I was trying to figure out "a place for everything and everything in its place," and systems for things like laundry. A lot of this was new-home stuff (in our case, new apartment with limited storage space), but even now I find it necessary to stop and just re-align and revamp things so that life can flow smoothly. I was also trying to habituate the kids to taking care of their home environment -- when they were out at school all day, a) things at home didn't get that much messier, and b)whatever mess there was, I cleaned up, because I was there and the mess-makers weren't. Sometimes I think kids, especially if they haven't been home all day since they were tiny, have to re-learn how to be good citizens of their own homes. And if older siblings haven't been with their youngers that intensively, those relationships also need time to gel -- and that can be hard, but ultimately it's so rewarding. My younger kids live to skype with their oldest sister, who's off at college this year -- they feel her absence terribly, in a way that I think they wouldn't if she hadn't been so very present to them all their lives.
2. So, the other really obvious thing I worked on was being together as a family all day. We did not do much formal school at all in the beginning, largely because my then-9yo was having none of it. What we did do was read aloud a lot (with interruptions from toddler and baby, and/or when they were asleep/nursing). We went to the library, to museums, to the zoo, everywhere I could think of to go with all the kids in tow. I can't remember what our daily routine was really like in those early months, but after trying to "do school" and having it totally bomb, I made just hanging out together and learning to enjoy each other's company a major priority. On the days when we accomplished that, the discipline problems magically disappeared -- not forever, but gradually good days began to outnumber bad ones.
3. Little ones. Hm. I really did virtually nothing with my younger kids for years, at least not in the sense of "something especially for the little kids." They listened in on a lot of read-alouds. They tagged along to a lot of music lessons and Scout events and play practices (getting involved in our children's community theatre was probably THE saving grace of our first year for my oldest child). What they got out of it was a lot of time with their older siblings which they otherwise would not have had, and the ability to listen to read-alouds not remotely meant for their age group! As they got older, I did set up play areas for them with little activities (little plastic animals, legos, art supplies, anything small and quiet that I could think of for imaginative play), and that helped to occupy them when I had to work with the olders.
On the other hand, I pushed my older kids really hard and as quickly as I could to work independently. My oldest is naturally like this anyway -- she didn't want me to teach her, so "school" for her quickly became a matter of finding resources to help her teach herself what she needed to know, or of being sure that activities that came her way covered necessary areas of learning. We did things like zoo camp for science, and some of the plays the kids were in covered things like history, not to mention reading and memorizing! So one way or another I really tried to outsource my older kids' learning, either by turning the responsibility over to them as much as possible, or by finding routes to the learning we needed that didn't entail my having actively to teach them, beyond reading aloud and looking at work they'd done (I have had the older ones also take responsibility for checking their own work and correcting it, as part of the learning process.)
I could think of more, and I could probably make all this make more sense and be more practical for you, but I'm out of time for now. Basically, just remember that this is a huge paradigm shift for everyone, but the aftershocks won't last forever. I'm still kind of amazed that my resistant nine-year-old of yesteryear is a happy college freshman today -- how the heck did that happen? (I know, I know: grace. That's how anything ever turns out all right . . . ).
Blessings to you at the start of your journey.
Sally
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Castle in the Sea
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jawgee
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 4:37pm | IP Logged
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This site and Simply Charlotte Mason have been the two sites I've turned to as we transitioned to homeschooling this year. I homeschooled my 6YO last year, but this year we pulled our 9YO out of the public school and brought him home, too.
Check out the free curriculum guide on Simply Charlotte Mason. It helped me sort out which subjects to teach together, how to do so, and what should be expected for each age group. Also, on the right-hand side of that website is a list of resources from that site - and many of them are free. I downloaded all of them and they were really helpful to me in organizing my thoughts and plans for our school year.
Hope that helps you some.
__________________
Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
The Catholic Cup on Facebook
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 7:35pm | IP Logged
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One concept that helped me in the beginning and that I revisit regularly is that of "pegs." I think that one or two people mentioned it above. In trying to find rhythms and new habits and all that, pegging is the most effective tool I've found.
Forgive me if this is obvious, but I realized when reading the other responses that it was not obvious to me when I was first starting out.
Basically, instead of trying to schedule your day by the clock, find habits you already have and use it as a peg to hang a new activity. Like Melinda's snack time and picture book. You may not always eat snack at exactly the same time, but you can use it as a peg for read alouds or chores or an opportunity to bring everyone together or send everyone off for a specific purpose.
Meals are the easiest to begin with because they're universal, lol. But I find this crucial when trying to establish a productive rhythm to our day, and it's the first thing I look at when chaos ensues and I need to revamp thing and build new habits.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 7:41pm | IP Logged
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Welcome, Sarah! Sorry I don't have any beauties of wisdom to give you because we've only been homeschooling for 2 years. I will say it was a very rocky start but things to get easier as you find your groove. It may not seem so in the midst of the moment but as you move along, looking back in 6 months, 1 year etc., you will start to see how far you've come. It's the looking ahead that I think is the most scary part.
Yes, a basket is a basket and I have a *LOT* of them. That's not saying I'm still very organized though. Again, work in progress. 
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Oct 14 2011 at 10:01pm | IP Logged
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Hi Sarah! 
I don't have the experience others have with regard to pulling your kids out of school, so I'm glad there are some wonderful ladies here to share insight on that aspect! I understand from my friends that it takes at least a full year to de-school though - so do be gentle on yourself there!
I'll take a stab at your questions!
SarahCD wrote:
| + Where should I begin in taking baby steps toward my goals? I have read about so many good ideas, I feel overwhelmed and have a difficult time picking just one (or two). |
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Hmmmm...well jumping into home education CAN be overwhelming. The number of resources available is TRULY A BLESSING! The fact that there are resources and vehicles (like blogs and this forum) for other home educating moms to share ideas, resources and experiences is wonderful! Sharing is a blessing! Guard your actions - there are wonderful ideas and resources being shared, simply guard how much you take on at once. I like to make lists...so I always invite others to make simple lists. Start a notebook and make some simple lists when you see a good idea. List the idea briefly and note where you read about it so you can revisit it later. At the end of this year, take a look at your lists...I bet you'll find that you naturally gravitated toward one or two ideas without even trying much to implement them...perhaps you'll choose to learn more about those things you naturally gravitate towards!
But I digress....where would I begin? With read alouds. So much can fall by the wayside without harming your children or being a detriment to home education!!! Start reading aloud and keep reading aloud!
SarahCD wrote:
| + Do you think it might be a good idea to take a few weeks to really focus on discipline? Regarding the resistance (and some quarreling). I guess I desire more time all together, and they don't always have that same desire. That is one of my hopes in homeschooling, that it will bring us closer together. I think traditional school actually pulled us apart a bit, even our really good Catholic school ... |
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You've made wise observations, Sarah. Yes, I do think would be good to work on habit development and discipline a bit. How much you pull back on lessons would be up to your comfort level, the amount of habit development you'd like to work on, and the number of kids! You might consider pulling back to your read alouds, and a brief religion lesson for a couple of weeks. Add in math games (because these not only build math skills, but they will foster a growing in relationship within your family!) and call it good enough!
As a side note, this pulling back to work on discipline issues isn't something you'll have to tackle just once.  I often notice something that has become a discipline issue with one of my children. Sometimes I just make a note of it, consider a plan, and work on that habit while we proceed with lessons...and if it's a biggie I may drop EVERYTHING to work on it! (By the way, sometimes I notice a discipline issue for myself to work on, too!)
SarahCD wrote:
| + What is a "basket"? Is it really just a book basket, or is there more to it? And how many baskets do all of you have?! I love this idea ... How do they stay organized? |
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 I suppose you could say that I am a fan of baskets! A basket is simply a container for a group of things....any group of things. Picture books. Manipulatives. Cards. Folders. You may use a basket, a bin, or a cardboard box that has been covered with pretty paper. It is ultimately simply a functional container. I  baskets. I find many of the baskets I use in our home and home learning spaces at thrift stores. In addition, I have become quite a fan of the functional, durable, attractive and quality made (in the USA) Peterboro baskets. (Note - the tent sale is always going on, and there are frequently coupons if you sign up for their newsletter)
How many baskets do I have? Too many to count. 
How do they stay organized? Keeping baskets that are *in use* organized is simply a matter of daily tidying. We spend 15 minutes each day on a quick tidy. If items have a place to land (like a basket or bin) it's easy to pick up and keep like things together. For periodic tidying and refreshing: at the end of each school term (every 11-12 weeks for us), I take a teacher's week in which I spend time refreshing lesson plans, shelves, tidying spaces, and refreshing baskets.
SarahCD wrote:
| + When you have children close in age, like I do, do you bring them all together for certain subjects? It seems like this is going to be necessary for me. But at what level do I focus? The middle one? |
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Yes. I do. And I do this even for larger age spreads than you have. As long as you use worthy and whole books, you don't need to worry about a particular level really. Here are subjects you can learn about together simply by reading aloud from worthy, living books:
** Religion picture books for growing more connected to the liturgical year. Make library lists monthly using our fantastic liturgical year planning threads. Right now, don't knock yourself out trying to do too much - just read! If something else comes naturally, or with ease, wonderful! But don't stress out trying to add in all the ideas you read about! (Back to being grateful for the sharing of so many ideas by so many generous women - and taking ideas which are doable and workable within your family circumstances and season! )
** Natural History - you can all walk outside, around your yard and gardens, once a week to observe nature right in your own backyard. You can read aloud one great book (at a time) that inspires you and the children to wonder and explore. And, if I might, I'd recommend a subscription to Nature Friend.
** Basic Latin prayers of the Church (as recommended by Pope Benedict XVI). Nothing overwhelming - we spend 5 minutes a day on this. That's it. 5 minutes.
** One good piece of literature to read aloud (and if this piece of literature comes from or centers around a period of history your 9 yo is studying, you've just knocked out two birds with one stone!! Efficient, huh?!  )
You could even be able to combine more subjects depending on abilities.
SarahCD wrote:
| + What about the littles? Right now, I am doing NOTHING. I don't see how I can! But I don't want to neglect them either. It's so hard, ALL of my children really need me A LOT at this point. |
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If you do nothing other than read to them, you will be doing just FINE! REALLY!!!! Work on getting some picture books in your home - through the library, or slowly work on your own home library (you would be amazed at how many fantastic picture books I've picked up for a quarter at my thrift store!!) You're looking for good picture books: these are generally characterized by quality writing, and lovely illustrations (and are not trendy or based on cartoon characters). Think of authors like Robert McCloskey, Tasha Tudor, Margaret Wise Brown and Virgina Lee Burton and you won't go wrong. Books about books can be helpful in finding lovely picture books.
SarahCD wrote:
| + Lastly (I promise!), what about Advent? I love the Advent ideas I'm reading about. Do you scale back on your regular school subjects during this season? I'd love to do something more in depth, but I am barely fitting in everything now, I don't know how I could add more. |
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We do to a large extent. My answer to this really seems to fluctuate and differ from year to year, I think. Some years, we really slow down all else and live out Advent in all its liturgical richness. Sometimes older (middle/high school age) children continue moving at a pretty regular pace here for part of Advent (since they are self-educators working independently), while the littles and I enjoy Advent offerings and the olders join in for some of their favorites. On the whole though, formal academics are at least curtailed somewhat, if not put aside altogether, so that we can really live out the beautiful season of preparation as a family!
SarahCD wrote:
| Gosh, I hope I am not overstepping my bounds here. |
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Not at all!
SarahCD wrote:
| I feel a bit anxious about figuring something out and moving in a direction where I don't feel so overwhelmed. Right now, with bringing this new experience into our family life, it just feels so chaotic and disorganized, and that is just not very peaceful. |
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These routines will take time to grow into, and as a family, you will grow into them together. You're very wise, Sarah! You've recognized your healthy limitations, and understand a need to be gentle and patient with yourself and your family as you grow into this vocation!
** Look to set some workable routines adding order to your days (As many others have mentioned, pegs are a great way to do this, and anytime I need to build a new habit of doing something I peg it to something else that works!!!!)
** Build good habits - these will aid your days like nothing else!!!!!!!!!!!!
** Incorporate inspiring ideas a little at a time! Give your family and yourself permission to translate ideas in ways that are intuitive for you and fit your unique family!
** Be flexible - it is a gift. This is a LIVING education and as such, it bends, breathes, evolves, grows, matures, and can sometimes present rock-hard challenges. You won't wake up one day and by golly have it all figured out. This is a humbling, rewarding, saint-making vocation and requires a certain flexibility and sense of humor to be able to live out. Don't take yourself too seriously, relax as you grow into your own shoes, and be flexible enough to bend a little.
I'm thrilled you're with us!
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Claire F
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Welcome! I am new as well, to homeschooling and to this forum.
My tiny piece of advice (for what it is, given my very limited experience) is to take in all the wonderful ideas, and then be ok with letting some go. I have to remind myself often that my homeschool is not going to be just like anyone else's homeschool. I might read about ideas that seem so lovely, but my home, my personality, my children's ages and personalities, all come into play and create our own unqiue culture, as it were. We can't replicate everything I see other people doing, nor should we.
So take what makes sense to you and run with it, and leave the rest. Some ideas you can come back to, and others may simply not be right for your family. And that's ok. We are like artists painting pictures - we might be painting the same subject, but our perspective, lighting, choice of colors and mediums will all be different, and thus our own beautiful expression.
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Claire
Mom to DS 12/04, DS 5/07, DD 8/09
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MaryM
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| Posted: Oct 15 2011 at 2:45am | IP Logged
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Claire F wrote:
| I have to remind myself often that my homeschool is not going to be just like anyone else's homeschool. I might read about ideas that seem so lovely, but my home, my personality, my children's ages and personalities, all come into play and create our own unqiue culture, as it were. We can't replicate everything I see other people doing, nor should we. |
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That is such sage advice - you talk like one with experience beyond your years. I would second this.
Welcome to both of you, Sarah and Claire!
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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JuliaT
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Welcome to the board, Sarah! Even though it may not feel like it, you sound like you are well on your way on this homeschooling journey. You have already figured out that it takes baby steps. This is a wise place to be.
Anything that I would say to you is a regurgitation of what others have said but I just wanted to reiterate the aspect of reading aloud. Read alouds have great healing power. Reading an enjoyable chapter book can bond the entire family together. My greatest homeschooling memory is when I had cancer a few years ago. My kids were shaken by this experience. I only had emotional strength to read. So read we did. We read many different books in the span of a day. The kids would all curl up on my bed and I would read. Reading brought us even closer together than we were before this experience. Reading aloud can heal hurting hearts.
If you need a place to start in knowing what books to get, Cay Gibson's "Picture Perfect Childhood" is the perfect starting point. It is a book of a gazillion picture book lists according to various topics. If you used these lists plus a chapter book, you will be all set.
For baskets, everyone does what works for them. I have three baskets, one for morning time books (we gather together first thing in the morning and read certain books every day to start our day,) one for history or science books relating to the topics that we are studying on for those subjects and then another basket for the books from Cay's lists.
I think it was Jen who suggested making a list of things you want to change. I second that suggestion. Using that list and incorporating a few important ones first, you will be well on your way to finding your rhythm.
Enjoy your time with your little people. Don't get caught up on what you think needs to be done and what isn't getting done. Just enjoy on 'being.' And if you have more questions, ask away. As you can see from this thread there are many wise women that come together on this board.
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Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3(14,13 & 11 yrs.old)
MusingsofaPrairieGirl
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SarahCD
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| Posted: Oct 18 2011 at 12:32pm | IP Logged
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WOW!
Thank you all SO much for your heartfelt responses to my initial post. I am humbled by your kindness in taking time to answer me. THANK YOU!!!
I know there is a way to quote various things that some of you said, but I can't quite figure that out, and I don't have a lot of time right now ... I will get the hang of it at some point.
In general, I found your advice to pull back on lessons a HUGE relief and blessing!  I met with an IRL friend over the weekend, and she also agreed. Discipline and family unity are my top priorities right now. It is not fun to have to focus on discipline. It personally feels like I have failed my children along the way, that I haven't been consistent with them, and that I have let things slide. I am trying not to be discouraged but I am ... And yet, I still have hope that we are called to be a holy, happy family—even if it's just an ounce or two of hope at this point, it remains. And so, my DH gave me Sunday afternoon to refocus, set new goals and plans, and just feel like I am organized (or starting to be) again! We are taking the week off, except for morning prayer and a bit of math, to change out fall clothing, make lists of cold-weather needs, and repurpose spaces. I am gathering my baskets, and once I started thinking about basket ideas, I can't stop thinking of more uses for them!! LOL! It's a work week, indeed, but I pray it will end with feeling ready to go with our simplified plan next week. Oh! And I decided to spend Advent focused on the meaning and messages of the season, so I have been gathering my ideas (in a notebook, thanks, Jen, for that tip) and am getting excited to switch it up a bit for a few weeks in Dec.
The read-aloud advice was music to my ears. It is something I have been wanting to do more of with my children for awhile now. But for some reason, we are not succeeding. It's as if I don't know how anymore! When I just had one or two children (and they were little), it was easy. As I've had more and they've gotten older, it's gotten more difficult.
Who do I read to? How do I read to all of them? Or don't I? What book would be interesting to all of them, if that is possible? Or should I have different books going with different kids? And, UGH!, who get's to sit next to Mom this time? (another discipline area ~ UGH!)
I feel like I am looking for a magic formula, which I know doesn't exist.
I also think that one of the hardest parts is time. Making the time for this, when the children are in a good spot and I'm not too tired! I loved the peg idea, which I hadn't really heard of before, and I'm going to try and peg read-alouds to something (and laundry to something else ~ Ha!) Baby steps, right?!
I have to remind myself over and over again that it is OK to NOT try and bite off every. little. thing that I want to change right now. That I can only focus on one or two things at a time. And that it is OK to tweak and revise if something isn't quite working. (Sometimes I'm an all-or-nothing-kind-of-gal!)
Well, this is longer than I expected. (Sorry!) Again, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I can already tell this is a beautiful, edifying place to be.
God bless,
Sarah
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ekbell
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| Posted: Oct 18 2011 at 12:58pm | IP Logged
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I generally choose my read-aloud books with specific children in mind and then organize them into two or three age groupings.
Sometimes we've had a 'couchtime' where I've read from all the books starting with the ones for the youngest and ending with the ones for the oldest. When doing this I call the youngest to me at the beginning and let them go when they lose interest, generally the older children come to listen to old favorites but if they don't I call them to attention when I get to the books chosen with them in mind.
Other times I've had separate read-aloud times for the younger and older children with the understanding that everyone is allowed to be there and listen in as long as they behave.
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mariB
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| Posted: Oct 21 2011 at 6:45am | IP Logged
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Dear Sarah,
Perhaps starting SIMPLE for the first year would be best! Here is an outline we followed in our earlier years.
-Gather for prayer(10-15 minutes) and memorizing catechism and reading about saints.
-Core subjects-Religion, Math, and Language Arts
-Choose a read aloud for the whole family to look forward to.
Make a list for your independent children on what they need to accomplish for the day on their own. (example-spelling ex., copywork, etc.)
While your older children are working on their own, work with the little ones.
When you are done teaching the little ones, have an older child play with a younger child while you work with the older kids. Set the timer for 30 min. Then it is the next older child's turn to play with the littles.
-Have a box full of toys for the little ones that only comes out during schooling. I bought special toys for my little ones like playmobile etc that were only allowed out during school.
-I made a special play area with a "tent" which was a blanket that came out during school for the little ones.
-Try to make each thing you teach as a group simple and fun. Don't worry about levels such as if the level of science is high enough for your older ones. They will be learning no matter what level you choose. I was learning new things from these "Lower" level subjects as an adult and I still am!
As you get into your routine, the chaos will lessen.
Praying for you. The first year always seems to be the toughest!
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marib-Mother to 22ds,21ds,18ds,15dd,11dd and wife to an amazing man for 23 years
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Mom21
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| Posted: Oct 21 2011 at 4:45pm | IP Logged
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One thing that came to mind is this . . . we pulled our son out of Catholic school last January. He was in the 4th grade. I read somewhere for every year your child is in school, it takes that many months to "de-program" him or her. So last year, I looked at January through May as transition time, get used to the homeschool lifestyle, see where he needed to be, etc. Don't be too hard on yourself or try to do too much too soon. Those first few months last year were hard but it laid a good foundation for where we are now.
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Pilgrim
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| Posted: Oct 21 2011 at 5:38pm | IP Logged
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One idea I've heard of for keeping Little Ones occupied is to have older children take turns doing things with them for a short shift while you then spend one-on-one time with the others. I'm hoping to implement his someday, but for now, they're all littles except one.
I second, third, and fourth the suggestion of read-alouds. Kids thrive on read-alouds. We really utilize our local library system, including interloan of books when allowed. We LOVE going to the library and coming home with a TON(we overflow a quite large laundry basket with books stacked as strategically as possible ) of books. Just having great books on hand with a great variety of subjects makes it so easy to pick up and read with your kids, and they learn SO much through those times.
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