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Tina P.
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| Posted: Nov 15 2005 at 3:35am | IP Logged
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Do any of you ever feel like chucking what you have and starting over? Sometimes, that's the way I feel. You all have such wonderful ideas and I have a folder *full* of favorites from your site, but when am I ever going to be able to use them?
When do you decide, for example, to do a rainforest study? When the kids are interested (what if they never are?)? Or when your plans say you should?
My kids are interested only in certain things at certain times and as my eldest son is a *specializer* (meaning he locks onto one subject for an intense study of it for a loooooong time), we tend to follow his lead in whatever we study.
My girls seem to be more broad-minded. They can take in whatever I throw their way and show a mild interest. But if my boys aren't interested in something...whoa! they tell us in no uncertain terms. 
I also love the idea of lap books to keep all the learning together, get some writing in there and have a memory of what you've learned (instead of a workbook that the kids celebrate when you recycle it).  Having finished a lapbook, I suppose the kids are proud of the effort they put into it. I like the idea too of *one* family lapbook instead of each working on his own sometimes to mitigate mom's juggling act.
How do you decide what ideas, resources, materials to keep and what to discard? I'm overloaded now with books, websites, and ideas in my head. I think I need a vacation (we never *did* go to Garmisch; Cecilia's passport wasn't ready in time). I even have to turn off my mind to all the ideas because these thoughts frustrate me. I can't carry them out (I've seen the lapbooks and I still don't know how to make them). And I can't get out of my head how much more fun school might be if we used the ideas. 
And then I have more questions...like for instance how do you know what is appropriate (intelligence-wise) for your children to read? I read some of your posts and I feel like my kids are leagues behind. And I know that kids are not pitchers to be filled up but are supposed to learn to love learning (didn't you say something to this effect, Elizabeth?). I still don't know how to bring that concept to fruition either. My boys, in particular, would rather cram their schoolwork into the morning so they have all afternoon to play. My daughter likes to skate through the day doing as little schoolwork as possible. She'll change Celia's diaper before she'll sit down and give a good 15 minutes to any subject. 
I'm tired and I need desperately to have fun with my kids. Thank you for any input (as if I need *more* ideas  ).
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
Mary's Muse
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juliecinci
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| Posted: Nov 15 2005 at 8:41am | IP Logged
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Maybe stop thinking of subjects to get through and start thinking about spending time with your kids that *is* fun and meaningful.
What about playing board games for an entire morning followed by a great movie about the Civil War or WWII or whatever historical period you were wanting to "cover"?
What about reading aloud to them the books they can't yet read on their own? Or playing a book on tape at lunch every day? Or taking a long long walk in nature and having little conversations about whatever questions pop up as they walk (my best history and science times come on walks for some reason)? Sometimes I will read something that interests me and I start telling the story of what I know as we walk. They are *always* interested when it comes on a walk and comes from me. They are less interested when assigned to read about it in a book and then have to write a little narration.
Lapbooks are great if everyone wants to make them.
Right now, your kids might be suspicious of these ideas seeing them as "your school ideas" rather than as fun times to be together while learning.
To turn that around, let go of "schoolish" activities and do what they are interested in with them. Get on the floor and play the X box game, build the Legos, dress the dolls, make muffins and have tea, read good books, take naps and walks, rake leaves, read poetry, watch TV, eat ice cream, make a volcano out of baking soda and vinegar, play with a calculator, play cards, count stop signs on your next trip - guess how many there might be on the way to the store and then compare when you get there.... and so on.
Let life be the place you learn and let "subjects" move to the back seat. Kwim?
When things get like this around here (where motivation slacks and people seem tired of the routine), I ask the kids what they want to do today and we do it. (The zoo is often the first choice, followed by the art museum or playing games.)
Or I take everyone to Panera (bakery/coffee shop) and we do copywork while having chocolate milk. It works!
Hope some of these ideas help you get back to the fun of being home with your kids.
I like to say "joy is the best teacher." 
Julie
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Julie
Homeschooling five for fourteen years
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Nov 15 2005 at 4:07pm | IP Logged
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Question, Julie. Where is the best resource for books on tape (besides the library, which is not an option in my area)? I'm interested in doing this, because I am having a *horrible* time completing read alouds due to the ages of my children.
Loved your suggestions, btw.
Tina, I read your sig. line. You have a lot of children and a lot of littles! When I am on information overload (and yes, it happens to everyone) I put everything away. I try to concentrate on something else during the day. Then as soon as I can get a few hours alone (even if its at midnight), I pray and ask God to "just tell me what are the most important things to cover in the next few months." Once I took paper, pencil and a few educational books to adoration and determined to stay there until I had a basic plan. Then I went to a fast food restaurant and planned out the practicals after sitting in adoration for awhile. It was fun to eat alone!
The other thing that helps is to make a list "these are the things I really believe are important in my family." And I make a list of things that have just NEVER worked for us. Sometimes this is so enlightening I can immediately toss out 1/2 of the things I was considering. Sometimes the best ideas just won't work for my family, even though they sound fabulous. Recently, I wrote on my own list "unit studies never seem to work for us." Just writing it on paper was freeing for me. I don't know why they don't work for us because they seem to work for so many other families, but so be it. That's my family.
BTW, my kids all like to get their schoolwork done early and get out into the dirt asap, too. I don't fight it. I make it a goal because they are happier this way and if they are happy and learning, then I'm happy.
hope this helps!
~Books
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tovlo4801
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| Posted: Nov 15 2005 at 4:27pm | IP Logged
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Oh Tina, I can so relate! I love these forums and the wisdom there is to be shared here, but for whatever reason my personality makes them dangerous for me. I see this thing mentioned here would be wonderful and that and this and oh yeah this over here, too... Then once I've gathered all these wonderful things that will make school perfect for us, I proceed to push them down my kid's throats. OK, it's not that bad. 
But I have in the past felt that overload of wonderful ideas and a complete exhaustion in trying to think through how to implement it all. I just stopped trying this year. I'm so glad Julie posted because her philosophy has been huge in my turn-a-round. I still pop in here and I make note of things that are interesting, but I don't feel the need anymore to file them or keep them in my head to use later. I've just stepped back and am following where life leads us educationally. If something mentioned here happens to fit in with what we're doing at the time, GREAT! If not, I just let it go and forget it. When the time rolls around to learn some particular thing, some way or another we'll stumble across the best way for us to learn it at that time.
You may not be thinking the same way I tend to, but just on the chance you do, I wanted to offer that perspective. This has been the best year of homeschooling for us since we started!
God Bless.
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Natalia
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| Posted: Nov 15 2005 at 4:41pm | IP Logged
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Tina P. wrote:
| How do you decide what ideas, resources, materials to keep and what to discard? I'm overloaded now with books, websites, and ideas in my head. |
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I have been there frequently. Having access to forums like this is a blessing but I think it can also be a "curse". I find myself wanting to change directions frequently because I have come accross yet another excellent idea. I sometimes feel that I am obsessed with homeschooling. What has taken for me is to do some soul searching about what is important for me and to assess the needs and characteristics of my family, interests of the children, learning styles,etc. My children are my children and they styles and dynamics are different that somebody else's child. I also have to factor in the equation my personality and what I, as the teacher, feel comfortable with.
For example, I like unit studies but they feel to scattered for a person like me that likes to go from point A to point B. So I have decided that we would probably do a couple of unit studies a year. But I have found out that notebooking is great for us. We can keep a notebook going all the time and add all sort of things to it. It fits the bill for the kids ( creativity) and for me ( continuity and documentation of what we study).
To keep track of what I am doing and keep me centered I have found this chart. With it I can at a glance make sure I am covering the basics
Tina P. wrote:
| are supposed to learn to love learning I still don't know how to bring that concept to fruition either. |
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What do you think loving learning looks like? Is it to want to do school instead of playing? is it wanting to dig deeper in a subject? is it spending more time reading than playing? Sometime defining a concept for myself helps me to be at ease with what I am doing.
I have to go now. Hopefully this all makes sense,
Natalia
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Nov 16 2005 at 6:23am | IP Logged
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Tina, your post could have been written by me! I actually use a curriculum which I chose in order to have a backbone, and swore I wouldn't tweak it too much because it is in the tweaking that I tend to over-plan, over-spend, etc. Well, I didn't do a very good job of not tweaking and now we are all overwhelmed by what we "HAVE" to do. I just recently decided to head back to just the basics and it is quite freeing.
I mean, when I plan all sorts of stuff for the kids, even if I think they will be fun, it causes me to be grumpy because we're not getting everything done, and them to be grumpy in turn. I was just recently thinking about how, when I ease up a bit, my kids come up with their own educational things to do anyway. For instance, my 6th grader heads to his bedroom where he READS! Good literature too!  My daughter (1st grade) loves to draw and do other crafts and WRITE  letters to her friends! My 4 year old plays with legos. My 2 year old looks at his animal books forever and of course, takes a "mess up the house break" on occasion . All of these things are educational, but when I have made too many plans (as usual) the kids don't seem to have the time or energy to pursue these great things.
I do have to limit things like TV time and Nintendo type things for my kids though. If I don't they fill in their free time with those sorts of things instead of educational pursuits.
I just wanted to add that I have recently discovered Dover coloring books. All my kids, even the 6th grader, like these. I just bought some that I think would interest the kids and they do them on their free time. My ds has just decided to color the pages from the one I got for him about the history of soldiers (or something like that) and insert each page into his Book of Centuries behind the correct time period. I didn't ask him to do that, I wouldn't have even thought about putting something like that in his Book of Centuries. But, since he actually reads the captions on each page, and he is INTERESTED in it, he is learning quite a bit about not only the soldiers, but the time period as well. I don't mean to add one more thing to your list of things to do  , I guess I was just trying to give an example of what kids can come up with on their own when we relax a little.
Becky
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Willa
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| Posted: Nov 16 2005 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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Natalia,
That's a nice chart! Thanks for posting it!
Tina,
The only thing that I can add to what others have said is that my boys sound like yours. They have an instant reaction of suspicion to something that is "new" even if it is attractive in itself.
"Strewing" helps a bit -- leaving something lying around, or reading to them. Sometimes it flies and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't fly, it's usually because they are interested in something else just as good.
We used to go to the bookstore and let each child choose something, within reason. That often demonstrated and furthered an individual interest.
About reading level -- what worked for us is letting them read as they please. If they are firmly connected to picture books, well, that is not so bad. Picture books are a literary art form. If it's basic science books, well, I myself read a child's intro when I want to get familiar with a brand new subject. That is not so bad either.
We also have read-alouds, and spend some of the homeschool budget to build up a library of classic books so when they are bored they just *might* be willing to read one of those higher-level books.
Just having the books around seems to be an encouragement, over time. I know it's a bit different for you since you are abroad!
__________________
AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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cctabb
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| Posted: Nov 16 2005 at 5:25pm | IP Logged
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Tina,
Something you may want to consider is something I do. I, also, am always finding new ideas, methods, etc. But I know that I have already spent most of my budget for school this year and have cirriculum firmly in place for the year. I have to stick to it like glue because I am basically a lazy person.
So, I have a notebook in which I keep all the new ideas for review during the summer. Sometimes things that appealed to me in October aren't that appealing in July. The ideas that are left I incorporate them into the next year's lessons. Not only does this save money and time, it saves my sanity.
Charlene
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ALmom
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| Posted: Nov 16 2005 at 10:54pm | IP Logged
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I love all these ideas - and the chart!! I know we have been there too and I think that it took finally realizing that having a huge # of ideas stored somewhere in the back of my head is helpful for those times when something isn't working. It becomes an energy drainer and a source of stress for me and dc if I try to add something "really neat" to a school year that is basically working well. Sort of like one mom said - I have a simple set of lesson plans so I DON'T overschedule/ overassign dc. I am tempted to "add" all these things in and never figure out what to leave out, so we have settled into a reasonable routine. I have never done a lap book with dc - but they are beginning to keep some sort of notebook on their own. I make sure assigned stuff leaves plenty of time for "play" and have found that with books strewn around the house - play time becomes a real source of all those neat projects that are often included in unit studies. However, I never plan a unit study (in our house it results in a stressed out mom and totally uninterested dc). Instead, we happen to have a book - The Indian How Book that describes exactly how the American Indians did various things and after dc spent time reading about the American Indians in history textbook and some assigned reports (that I thought my dd wasn't really getting the point or the overview) about Indians from a CHC reading comprehension text, the dc were in the backyard playing - making bows and arrows, using stones to form arrowheads, trying to build a fire (on the driveway) with a fire bow, making various foods, went deer hunting with grandfather, plan to skin the first deer he catches, etc. I had nothing to do with any of this - except to bite my tongue about the mess (pottery attempts meant daily Alabama red clay everywhere). The reason I say this is because last year I wondered if my dc would ever choose to do anything that wasn't assigned - they finished schoolwork(and I was avoiding textbooks etc.) as fast as they could and spent most time outside doing nothing particularly related to "school" that I could tell. Well, I stressed about all the neat things everyone was doing that we just couldn't get together - we never got around to Latin, we read books, did Math and Religion and that was about all we managed for years and dc still were not writing. This year with an 8th grader, we just felt we had to get the 8th grader writing some sort of essay and the 5th grader at least answering some simple questions with complete sentences. I felt like such a deficient mom/teacher - but we decided to focus on writing in content area, began the year overscheduled, dropped a few things but insisted on certain essay type questions. These finally spurred dc on to all the other stuff I had felt so bad about never doing with them and it is stress free to me because my only role is having books around the house and not complaining too loudly about the mess. A variety of science experiment books and kits set 2nd grader on fire and he draws the older ones in (and unfortunately the 3 yo too so when they grow beans the toddler has the rest of the bag of bean soup soaking in water as his experiment with a bunch all over the floor). The 5th grader is into history and lots of the Emmanuel Books recommended American History books just being around were his springboard. The 8th grader has gotten into Indians and the only long book the high schooler ever really wanted to read was a reference on the lives of composers - but she brings music into our home. I guess what I am trying to say is that God knew I couldn't inspire dc myself as I am so taxed just trying to be wife and mom (and cope with other things) so He provided for us in the dc inspiring each other. I wish I could have seen this several years ago and then I would have relaxed, enjoyed and trusted more instead of my perpetual state of seeing all we were not accomplishing. I am trying(but am a very slow learner)to remember that we do our best (realizing the whole picture of family life) and trust God to provide for the rest.
For example, right now one dc is bogged down in Math. I know he needs to build more automaticity with multiplication facts - he knows the concept but timed drill is not hacking it - (if a week of flash cards for a few minutes a day had done it we wouldn't have done anything else) but I know it is getting old now and not really helping so now I know somewhere on the Math board there's a list of fun math games, etc. I'll go back to my stuff and look it up. If need be, I'll hunt the boards for something that will require the use of multiplication and make it meaningful. Then we'll go back to our lesson plans, resuming our MUS.
But if things are working well, I just browse and admire some of the neat things everyone is doing and remember not to think about it right now and have a general idea that there were lots of ideas on xyz.
There are some things that may seem better for dc, but I am unable to implement because of the unique dynamics/limitations of my family as a whole and myself as mentor. As different things change in this (my health improves, we finish vision therapy, etc.), we may be able to do more. In the meantime I try to realize that God will help us do what really needs to be done. Right now for us that has been more structure and schoolish looking stuff - but with light enough demands that there is still plenty of time for dc to pursue interests, etc. and God has provided in the playtime and a bunch of books we already had sitting on our shelves that had made me so sad because oldest dc never touched them and I couldn't quite figure out how to inspire any desire to do it (and to be honest every experiment I tried in these silly books was a flop - but the 2nd grader has done dozens of them 10 years later without a flop and with no help.)
Lots of hugs - and it really does happen with or without our stressing. We don't want to be lazy but in putting forth our realistic best, drawing on whatever help we need, etc. somehow God provides even when our own abilities are very limited.
By the way we have never done a unit study, lap book, and I am notoriously uninspired with creative learning ideas but our dc manage somehow anyways. Sometimes you really do have to look at your situation and realize that with toddlers and high schoolers, age gaps that do not lend themselves to lots of joint learning, several who cannot cut or write very well from vision stuff, a mom who has vision and low energy, etc. then we have to focus on a few things (I tend to set a really important to me goal for each dc and relax in the other areas more for the year - Ie this year we wanted ds(8) to do a little bit more writing to build eye-hand by answering ? in a workbook (encouraging complete sentences that begin with a capital and end with a period), ds(11) we wanted to begin to write very short paragraphs and see if he could organize thoughts in a coherent order (like writing a coherent letter beyond Dear --- Thank you for X. Love ---. We wanted our 8th grader to write developed essays in content areas and follow a schedule/discipline for completing some math and science and history. Our oldest goals are providing plenty of time for music practice and prayer life so that stressful academics do not become a block to her spiritual life (while still providing a reasonable 12th grade year - we have done this by lightening up on some subjects, providing coop classes becasue oral learning is easier for her (and hard for me to provide) and focusing on proving points in essays in theology and history. All our dc are huge readers so we are not terribly concerned here - they read something as long as we don't overschedule. But there was a year that our goal for one dc was just to pick up books and read and talk about them. I try to write a page of goals (observation on what is really needed, strengths and weaknesses, etc.more as an essay on my observations of the child with my main emphasis with this dc) at the beginning of the year and then file this with my curriculum plans, booklists, etc. When I am tempted to discouragement or adding/deleting something, I can refer back to this goal statement and see if we really need to change something or if perhaps we are just having a low moment. This has really helped me avoid the jumping from thing to thing without allowing enough time for anything to work. If dc is complaining about something that isn't in my major goals - or I realize that we are doing 3 different things which are all trying to achieve the same thing, then we may drop something to allow for more free exploration. If it is the only thing we are doing to achieve our major goal, I may insist on it a little longer - but get input about what dc does not think is working. We changed our 8th grader from doing the CHC middle school history to simply reading a text and answering questions to alleviate stress she was having - but I insisted that she do the essays in the CHC reading comprehension text because I saw that these had her doing some of the same stuff that was the goal of CHC history and made her write in content area which was my major goal for her(and provided for gaps in the Ann Carrol text). It is these essays along with enough background in the textbook that set her on her wings. I know it worked for us because dd is happy, she is learning and beginning to write some very well done essays that include independent research and we are all relaxed and secure. She is loving history. I also know that this approach would be a disaster for someone else - just as some of the ideas here were disasters for us (not because they weren't great ideas but because they just didn't fit Us at the time).
Hope this helps some.
Janet
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Karen E.
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| Posted: Nov 17 2005 at 10:33am | IP Logged
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Tina P. wrote:
I also love the idea of lap books to keep all the learning together, get some writing in there and have a memory of what you've learned (instead of a workbook that the kids celebrate when you recycle it). Having finished a lapbook, I suppose the kids are proud of the effort they put into it. I like the idea too of *one* family lapbook instead of each working on his own sometimes to mitigate mom's juggling act. |
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You've already received so many great suggestions that I thought I'd just throw in one little thought about lapbooks. So far, I have found that I'm much more enamored of them than my kids are. I love the cute little things you can do with them, the creative ways to store bits and pieces of info, etc. So, I've been the driving force behind the few lapbooks we've done, and the kids have indulged me.
If you'd like to try one, maybe do just that: you try one. Instead of enforcing "one more new thing" on the kids, just give it a try yourself (if you have the time and inclination ....) The one you make could serve several purposes -- it could be an example for the kids of what a lapbook might look like, it could be a creative outlet for you, it could (maybe, just maybe) light the fire under one or more of the kids to try their own lapbooks.
If, in trying just one, you find it's more work than help, or the kids all groan heartily when they see the manila folders come out, well, you won't be out much time and effort. Or, it could be a successful intro to a new project/record-keeping system.
Just some thoughts ....
__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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Tina P.
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| Posted: Nov 22 2005 at 5:00pm | IP Logged
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Thanks ladies. I feel better already. We are zooming toward Christmas and I am bound and determined to enjoy Advent and Christmas with my family rather than cracking a whip or jumping through hoops (both of which I've seemed to do too much lately).
__________________
Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
Mary's Muse
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: INFORMATION OVERLOAD!
