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*Lindsey*
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| Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 12:06pm | IP Logged
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Hi ladies,
I haven't been around much lately. I had to par down my internet time to get things straightened out with myself after all the miscarriages. Sometimes reading the amazing threads on here about feast day celebrations, elaborate homeschool projects, etc, made me feel inadequate when we were barely getting the basics done everyday.
I need some help, though. I am struggling to keep afloat this year with what we're doing. Short run down:
6th grade son & 4th grade daughter: Teaching Textbooks (only one PC so must take turns). Combining them with Bravewriter for english/spelling/composition. I am using the Arrow and a book each month. We are trying* to use RC history for history. We are doing science as a coop with some local homeschool friends. Doing religion together using the St. Joseph catechism.
1st grade twin girls: McRuffy Math, All about Reading, Handwriting without tears. We read some angel food books/bible stories. They have short attention spans and would much rather "do art" all day long. They are very very artistic. I feel like every day is a battle with them.
Kindergarten daughter: McRuffy Math, All about Reading (pre-reading level), Handwriting without Tears.
4 year old and almost 3 year boys: RUNNING AMOK!
Usually, I work with the 3 younger girls while the oldest two take turns doing their Teaching Textbooks. Then they sit around and wait or read or play while I finish up with the younger girls before we start on the combined subjects.
I am stretched thin and feel stressed about trying to get to everyone and help everyone. It doesn't work to have the older ones help the younger girls because it turns into a fight. I have tried.
*I say trying to use RC history because I have the syllabus and lesson plans and they overwhelm me. I really just want something I can open, read, and discuss. That's it.
__________________
Lindsey
Mama to DS (11), DD(9), twin dds(7), DD (5), DS (4), DS (3), and 5 angels in heaven.
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*Lindsey*
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| Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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I should add that I switched the big kids from tons of workbooks to the new stuff this year in hopes that it would be better, maybe more enjoyable. It's almost harder for ME though.
__________________
Lindsey
Mama to DS (11), DD(9), twin dds(7), DD (5), DS (4), DS (3), and 5 angels in heaven.
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JodieLyn
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Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 12:50pm | IP Logged
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For me it often works better to have everyone do subjects altogether first. And then do individual work. The older kids could entertain the toddlers while you work with the younger kids.. and they can take turns so that one does math and one does toddler duty and then they switch.
And yeah you may need to spend some time teaching the older kids how to deal with the toddlers so that you don't have too much conflict.
But for me this works better because I don't feel like I need to hold onto everyone as much.
And for your artists.. why not "do art" whenever you can.. introduce the idea of calligraphy and show them fancy works of art with words.. connect history to artists of the time.. it doesn't have to be all about art but you can show them a famous work of art about whatever you're learning and that might help them stay engaged. And of course, it makes a great carrot.. when you're done with xyz then you will get 30 minutes to work on art. 
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Mackfam
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Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 1:24pm | IP Logged
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Hi Lindsey! 
I'm a little stretched here, too, right now. Our house is under construction...while we live in it. Our entire downstairs bedroom, living areas and kitchen are turned upside down: we have a makeshift "camp* style kitchen in our family room, and the baby sleeps in a crib in the bathroom!  Anyway, I happened to have a few minutes break and construction has ceased for a bit so I wanted to sit down and visit with you!
First,  !!! You're doing great to recognize when you need to step back and adjust for your family. Miscarriages are difficult and a cross and it's right to give yourself time and be gentle on yourself there.
At first glance, your workload for the older 3 kids doesn't look too bad and you seem to be combining well (though it's always worth a look to see if you can combine more! I combine ALL of my kids, and have done so for years. One year I had from Kindergarten - 12th grade combining on several subjects). My suggestions are going to focus more on breaking this down a bit and to do that, I'd shift waaaaaay back with all 5 younger kids. In fact, I'd drop all formal schoolwork with all kids 7 and under for a time.
Goal 1 - Set your lesson plans and daily schedule so that your 11 and 9 year old can self-propel. This may take a couple of weeks with the three of you really working together to get a good plan in place. That doesn't mean you're working yourself out of the picture! You just want them to have their books in place so there isn't time-wasting hunting! And you want their lesson plans set so that they can look at them and know what they need to do and when to do it. It's easy to set them up to stagger computer time. And you want the lesson plans set so that you can glance at them and see where they are, what they've done, etc. You want to relieve some pressure there so that you can manage more and begin to teach them responsibility for their daily work.
Goal 2 - Habit Training - Once you have your 4th and 6th grader working fairly well, it's time to work on good habits with the younger 5. Start with some basic obedience training and role model some situations you're likely to encounter so the kids can actively work on things like:
obedience
tidying & neatness
kindness
good manners
not interrupting
playing quietly (including setting up some quiet things for each age)
This will take some time to set up some good routines and habits, so be patient with this. A great resource for this is Simply Charlotte Mason's Laying Down the Rails Habit Training books. I can't recommend it highly enough!
Good habit training doesn't yield fruit over night, but it WILL yield fruit! It's nearly impossible to home educate without some good habits in place to help you through the day. Without the help of good habits, you spend the majority of the day reacting to behavior rather than managing and stewarding your blessings.
In addition to this, I'd say Goal 2.5 would be to thoughtfully consider your home spaces - do you have some *safe* art choices for your art girls? How about toys and activities for the littles? Little people stuff down low and accessible and big kid books and stuff higher so you're setting everyone up for success. If you're dealing with clutter on top of all of this, then THAT moves straight to the head of the line into the position of GOAL #1!!! You can drown in clutter. It doesn't bring peace. If you look around your home and feel like you're choking on stuff, and you're constantly chasing little people to take *forbidden* items out of hands, then stop everything - clear your schedule - and spend 2 weeks doing a fast-paced declutter...which means you literally scoop stuff into bins and move them out of spaces, setting a goal of going through 1 bin/week after you get your home back in order. Plan on giving lots away. LOTS! Let the stuff go to another family rather than choke yours!
Goal 3 - Begin re-introducing the 7 yo twins to some formal work, especially with reading lessons. SLOWLY - SLOWLY add a few other subjects into the mix as you continue to manage the 4th/6th grader working independently, and the little kids practicing quiet work time.
Goal 4 - Long term goal...so this may not start until next school year - Begin working with the current kindergartner. TRUST ME!!!! It is better to invest the ENTIRE rest of the year in good habit training and simple reading aloud! It will yield so much fruit!
These aren't perfect ideas, Lindsey; it's a staggered approach that sort of helps in breaking down challenges that seem HUGE into more bitesize chunks. The key is that you have a finite amount of time and energy so you have to steward both and spend yourself wisely. Think of your challenges in different chunks, or different chapters. Tackle the easiest chapter first and then allow that to work more smoothly. This will double your effort as you work on the next chapter. Make sense?
And...as an aside...I don't think bringing workbooks back will help you. The things you talk about seem to call for strategies and a little creative time management more than a change in what you're doing. If your choices seem to be working fairly well most of the time, then I wouldn't add to your plate by making big changes there right now.
Alright - my break time is up! Time to go vacuum the insulation migrating across my floor, take a walk outdoors for some fresh air, and then get back to my own Term 2 lesson planning! Sending big Lindsey! If you have more questions, I'll do my best to pop back over and brainstorm more when I have time.
__________________
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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ekbell
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| Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 2:42pm | IP Logged
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When I started RChistory I stuck to the core readings until we had become accustomed to the format. We still pick and choose our non-core readings and notebook assignments rather then do all of them.
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setonmom
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| Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 2:59pm | IP Logged
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Back when my son was three years old, we noticed a dramatic improvement in his behavior when we started him in a structured homeschool program that included an outside walk. MAybe you could do something like this with your three and four year old boys. What I would suggest is taking them for an outside walk for 20 minutes every morning, then read them a story, then set them up with a snack while you work with the older kids. If they are not running around causing trouble you will be able to get so much more done with the older kids.
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Help with the chaos
