| Author | |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: April 15 2005 at 3:08pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Hello all!
My name is Kristine and I'm 30 yrs. old, a former PS kindergarten and first grade teacher, wife to a wonderful farmer and mother of 4 (for now!) We are just beginning our hs journey. My oldest ds just turned 5 and we've been trying out a pre-packaged Kindergarten curriculum since August of last year (I didn't think I was rushing it...he's been reading since he was 3).
Ever since we had our baby in Nov. I've been feeling really overwhelmed by what we have been doing "in school" (the amount of work, always pushing my little guy to finish up, stressing over falling behind, feeling frustrated at the lack of time to just hold him and read to him, etc.) I also wanted to start attending daily mass, but because we live in the country it takes 30 min. to get to church each way and I couldn't find a way to "fit it in" with our schedule. I said a prayer and then began looking at the 4reallearning website because a friend mentioned it to me. I just finished Elizabeth's book and am so grateful! Thank you, Elizabeth, and thank you, God! For so many years (as a PS teacher) I felt I was a slave to the SOLs, standardized test prep, a curriculum designed by someone else, etc. I just didn't realize that what I was doing as a hs mom was to basically keep the same teaching methods, ideology, tools, etc. and just do them at home. It occurred to me that I am making myself a slave to them all over again! This is why I have been so unhappy (I think). I want to do all of the fun things parents should be able to do with their kids and educate them in the process...I think CM might just be the answer for us.
Although I've been reading the archives, I can't find some answers to a few questions I have. Could someone please direct me to where I can find the answers, or answer my questions directly?
Is it better to just keep a few notes on what you've done (i.e. the nature journal and narration notebooks) as opposed to designing lesson plans for each week?
Thank you so much for this forum and for allowing me to "deprogram" from PS teaching mode here!
Devoted to Our Mother Mary, & our intercessors, St. Anne and St. Isidore,
Kristine
mother of Luke Benjamin (5), Zachary John (3.5), Joshua Thomas (2), and Amy Josephine Anne (4 mos)
Back to Top
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JSchaaf
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 22 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 753
|
| Posted: April 15 2005 at 4:18pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
HI Kristine (although I'm confused about why your post came up under Elizabeth's name...) I'm Jennifer, mother of 3 girls, 5.5, 4.5 and 2.5 (when you're that young, that 1/2 yr makes a big difference!) I hate to tell people what to do but I have been in exactly your same situation... I only have a few minutes so here goes:
Take a deep breath and relax. Enjoy your new baby.Everything you are doing right now, in being a wife and mother, is part of your children's education. To be short and sweet-forget the lesson plans. And is any record keeping even required at this point by your state?? I am, by nature, a planner and detail person...so when I started "kindergarten" with my 2 oldest I planned the entire year-down to daily plans. That lasted about three days. Now, I keep a log. I love the Corebook from Tanglewood www.tanglewoodeducation.com (I think) it is very CM and pretty, yet official looking and satisfies my need to check off boxes and fill in squares. We do have math program we are working through (Horizons K) and we use MCP phonics for my workbook loving 5 yr old. What I found works best is instead of saying "We'll complete pages 5-10 this week" is to say "We'll have math 5 times this week" then even if we don't get to page 10 we still have made forward progress.
Ok, I have to run. The dog is trying to steal the toddlers pb&j. I look forward to other replies-probably much better written and with much more experience behind them!
Jennifer
I will pray for you as you attempt to fit in daily Mass. It was a matter of much discussion a few months ago-we are still struggling with it here. Maybe just try for once during the week-that you can tie in with another errand-the library, maybe? I know how hard Mass can be with little ones.
Jennifer
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: April 15 2005 at 5:02pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
It came up under my name because she had three questions tucked into her introduction and I broke them apart and posted them under three headings here. Just trying to keep things neat, tidy, and accessible for future reference. 
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JSchaaf
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 22 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 753
|
| Posted: April 15 2005 at 5:20pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Elizabeth-what a good moderator you are!
Jennifer
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Patty
Forum Pro
Joined: March 27 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 170
|
| Posted: April 15 2005 at 9:32pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hi Kristine,
Gosh, your oldest is only five! Take a break and enjoy your new baby and all your others. Read aloud and cuddle with all of them. That IS school. Do a bit of math with your 5yo if you feel you must, but keep it short! Keep lots of manipulatives and puzzles, etc., in an accessible place. Let them match socks, sort silverware into the appropriate places in the drawer, measure things, etc. You will find they will learn so much more from living books, an enriching environment, and time spent with you, than they ever could from a packaged curriculum. Let them collect bugs, wonder at toads, help in the garden, and observe the clouds. Play classical music or books on tape in the car. Write it all up in a journal and you will see how much you are doing.
I like Jennifer's idea of doing a subject a certain number of times per week, rather than deciding on a number of pages to do. That way, you can zoom ahead or slow down as needed.
They will be little only a very short while, with plenty of opportunity for more structure, whether a CM style or something else, later on.
This is our thirteenth year of homeschooling, and our oldest two are in college. Believe me, the time with your children will slip away like water through your hands.
Instead of determining to go to daily Mass, maybe just start going one weekday per week, and add another day as you feel you are able.
God bless you in your homeschooling!
Patty
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Leonie
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2831
|
| Posted: April 16 2005 at 7:55pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I think the anecdotal way of keeping records is especially good during the early years.
I often used a two page spread in my journal - on one side I wrote down things I thought we could do that week ( plans) and on the other side I kept the anecdotal records of what we did do.
Many times, when children are young, unexpected learning pops ups up - I remember one of mine, when six, telling me that 3 times 3 is 9, as we were making pikelets together and I was making them in three rows of three in the electric skillet.
My anecdotal homeschool journal meant I could jot that down for maths learning and thinking skills - unplanned but important!
Leonie in Sydney
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cathhomeschool
Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7303
|
| Posted: April 17 2005 at 6:50am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I think that the answer to the lesson planning question depends on the ages of your children and on your personality. I love to plan and schedule. When my older two were small, I kept a genearl chart w/ days and subjects listed. (Ex. For Religion, I had Catechism MWF, Saint story T, Chron. Bible reading R) I never wrote down number of pages to be covered or kept track of what we'd done (other than hardcopies of narrations, handwriting practice, etc). Now that they are older, I try to have a weekly plan printed out for them. It seems that we get more accomplished and are better at staying on task if they can check things off as they go. I don't plan far in advance, though -- only for the unit we are currently covering. I like Leonie's idea of a journal. I did that for a while, too, though not daily -- only "by unit."
As for Daily Mass, I think that it's wonderful that you want to start going. At times in our homeschooling life we've been able to attend Daily Mass every day, at other times we haven't even been able to go once a week, all depending on the ages and stages of my littles and on my energy level. Certainly, the more frequently we can go, the better, but (as others mentioned) don't get frustrated if you can't go as often as you'd like.
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: April 17 2005 at 6:32pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm an anecdotal record-keeper. I'm only hs'ing two this year (K & K4), but I know what I want to do, the basic idea, but I let it flow as it does....if I write down ahead of time I feel like "I have to get this done today" whether that will work with the kids/day/weather/biorythms, etc  So, I do have a basic plan, but with lots of other dieas running around my head too so that I can stop and try a new tactic.
If you do lesson plan -- make sure to do it in pencil -- we always change everything. That's why I'd rather write it down as we work and then I have a daily record of actual accomplishments with a book list of books read....
Hope this helps!
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Lesson plans or anecdotal record-keeping
