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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: July 20 2006 at 2:52pm | IP Logged
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I would like to make our school days more family based than they have been in the last few years. It seems out of desperation and because of lots and lots of toddler/baby noise, my oldest does a lot of his schoolwork in his bedroom and last spring my oldest dd started doing the same thing.
We are losing one of the reasons I started hsing...to be a family and learn as a family.
My children are 3-4 academic years apart. We can't all do the same read alouds (or can we? am I just not doing this right?). My oldest isn't too keen on listening in on picture books anymore. And if you are all in the same room, doing copywork or a unit study or something, aren't your 1-2 yr olds getting into the older children's books and papers and generally wreaking havoc while your 3 or 4 yr olds are begging for more glue and paper?
I'm going to be guiding a 7th grader, a 4th grader, a 1st grader, a 4 yr old and an 18 mo. old this fall.
How do you all do this? I feel like I am missing something, but I don't even know what it is...
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: July 20 2006 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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Books,
In my experience as the older children got older and I kept having little ones there were things about the dynamic of our homeschooling day that changed. My older kids really did need some quiet to work on their lessons and really I think it's only fair. I do understand wanting to keep things "family-centered" and we have done that as best we can with read alouds (though with varying ages that can be tricky) and prayer time as well as doing crafts and cooking together. BUT the sad truth is that as they grow they separate from you. It's small and it's subtle but it happens - and that's normal and right. That being said, there are still plenty of ways you can learn together as a family but it won't look the same as it has in the past and it may take more creativity from you and shifting your thinking to the new paradigm.
God bless!
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Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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ALmom
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| Posted: July 20 2006 at 6:06pm | IP Logged
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Books:
We are trying to do as much together as possible - but I would ditto what Michele said.
None of our dc are very close in age - the closest 2 are about 3 years apart and these 2 are the only ones I could ever combine together in a math or grammar text - but have to be careful about that for other reasons.
However, here are a few things that we have found to help. I try to plan the general topic to be the same for all. So for instance, if the oldest is doing Biology, then I focus on Life sciences for everyone else. That way we can do a lot of the experiments and hands on projects together or at least all have something to contribute to conversations around the dinner table on the same subjects. Also if the oldest is stuck on something - we generally have an easier explanation in one of the youngers books to help me explain whatever it is. Everyone can participate to some degree in the dissection, microscope views, preparing slides, seed planting, and nature walks. It cuts down on my time to find resources for deeper probing for those that want to dig more, etc. because I will have supplemental, living books for this at a ton of different levels and I have a built in resource in the other dc who are also studying this. I'm not trying to answer questions on chemistry, physical science and biology all in the same year. I can focus on one at a time (and I am a one at a time type person).
In History, the highschooler is studying Ancient History, so I'll have everyone doing at least the Bible History part of this. We will read about some of the same people - just different level books. We'll all be reading the Bible together. Again maps, timelines, projects, etc. can involve everyone to one degree or another. Again I'm not trying to round up things all over the spectrum but focusing my attention in one area - supplemental resources will be the same for all (or will utilize materials that the oldest is using). I don't have quite as much planning and research to do. Also going over it with youngers on an easier level, helps me answer questions in a more timely manner with the oldest (and sometimes they don't have to come to me cause they get their answers from a younger history fan). Some of the same books and movies are appropriate for more than one child - and hearing a picture book on the same time period is a sneaky way to remediate a weaker, older dc without putting them on the spot! I don't necessarily force them to sit and listen to it - but they do drift to it or I find the older reading it to the younger again later. (The secret - don't notice!  )
We still do read alouds together and there are a few books that are historical fiction that tend to hold all the ages. I do notice that from high school on, there is a natural and gradual moving apart. They may not be there for every project or read aloud (they have orchestra and co-op classes and duel enrollment classes and they have to juggle this with meeting high school graduation requirements and chores - but they are still engaged in the family conversations, admire the finished projects of their siblings, etc. They just don't have as much time to do the projects unless this is their particular style of learning. It isn't really fair to have them always patiently waiting for the 3yo to place his sticker on the chart or map before they can move on to other things that they must get done.
I also do try to utilize particular gifts of my oldest. Sometimes they now particpate more as the guide rather than the student participant. My musically talented dd, will help 8 yo with his piano practice or give a violin lesson to siblings. She doesn't mind this at all as it is her passion. She hates having to wait around while we glue and create - it doesn't help her learn at all and she'd rather be working on her paper to get it done and admire and ask about the finished project later (which gives her siblings a natural chance to narrate what they learned).
The learning as a family changes - but we really are still learning as a family even if the oldest is doing a lot of independent study. We are still learning as a family because we are all still talking and sharing what is going on!
We can still do some oral presentations with everyone participating.
I do know that sometimes the oldest have things that require them to have quiet, be on a tighter schedule, etc. and I have to be flexible with that. If I don't force the "togetherness" but keep the dc on the same general topics, there is still a lot of shared learning and a lot of things I tried to set up that flopped, suddenly happens more naturally! My 18 yo was focused on other things so she didn't participate much in projects - but she did ask about them, see them, become interested in some of it. My 14 yo is a creative type and she comes up with her own projects and will enlist the rest to join her. All this happens simply by getting them fired up on the same time period or same science and then watch them create. (But I am not a project or creative person - so I usually freeze at the thought of even planning something along these lines - and it still has happened rather naturally - once we got everyone studying the same general stuff.
I really identify with the practical necessity of somehow minimizing the teacher workload. I cannot work independently in different subjects with 6 different dc. No matter how organized, creative, wonderful and dedicated I become - it is humanly impossible. So I do have to look for ways to do things that reduce my time requirements while still keeping me involved with dc. I think each family does have to find that balance that just works for the dynamics of their own family. I do a combination of individual workbooks for all in grammar, math and some reading comp. (CHC style) I try to discuss religion concepts and go over writing and other things individually (daily with the youngest, once per week with the oldest) and we try to have more projects and fun school together as a family in history and science though I do have some written and reading assignments for each child according to their level. We always try to do some projects around the liturgical year together and of course prayer, etc.
I probably look more "schoolish" than a lot of folks but it is what seems to work for our family after a lot of trial and error. I need the workbooks in some ways like a classroom teacher because I have so many at so many different levels. I don't use the workbooks to teach the child - I use them to keep me informed of where they need help (I have never, ever in my life been able to focus on more than one thing at a time so this is a help for me - someone else might not need this at all). Then we do whatever we need to do to help the child learn the concept that he/she hasn't already picked up from life in our crazy, busy family.
I'm glad you asked this question as I'm looking forward to specifics of how people have done this with wide age ranges that involve older dc. I always love browsing for new ideas and there are plenty of creative folks here that give me some new things to try.
Janet
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: July 20 2006 at 6:40pm | IP Logged
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I've been thinking about your advice. Thank you for responding. I think I'm stressing out on many fronts with schooling these days. I feel like a new hs mom...maybe even worse than I did then because after all, how can one screw up Kindergarten! 
In considering your thoughts, I noticed that I tend to gravitate to plans and curriculums that are age graded (CHC, MA, SL etc). CHC even says in their FAQ at the beginning of their lp's that if the curriculum is gentle enough, one should be able to use age graded curriculum without a problem. Its not working for me, though.
And I keep thinking, "why can't we all do copywork together? Or Religion, for that matter?" There have to be at least a few subjects we can work on together?
And then I got to thinking that there are so many neat things on the MA web site that don't necessarily have to be used with only one grade. I was thinking those books like Sovietrek or 52 Days by Camel...why couldn't we *all* enjoy those ones (Michele...would they lend themselves to reading aloud)? The Library School Journal reviews had them covering grades 4th-9th, I think. I have such a hard time finding fictional read alouds for everyone...maybe nonfiction read alouds for all would work better, along with picture book read alouds for my littlest 2 and a fiction read aloud with my older 2?
I think I'm ok with ds going off to his room to complete a math assignment with some peace and quiet. Totally understandable. What I don't like is that he goes in there at 8:30 and only comes out to give me his assignment or to ask a question, and we don't really see him till lunchtime! 
I'm printing out suggestions and advice given here on this, and I'm so grateful for any help. Thank you.
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Topic: How do you school several at once?
