Homeschool Chat Part III

[Mama Who]

DS likes to get up early on the first day of school and sit at the front window in his jammies with a cup of cocoa watching the schoolers walk by. Then he goes back to bed for an hour.

 

[chris31997]

DS likes to get up early on the first day of school and sit at the front window in his jammies with a cup of cocoa watching the schoolers walk by. Then he goes back to bed for an hour.

Talk about rubbing it.

That is too funny

 

[graygables]

Talk about rubbing it.

That is too funny

I have a friend who has "Neener Neener Day" the first day of public school where they go do something super fun that schoolkids can't do. They've done waterparks, gone to the beach, movies, etc. Its pretty funny.

 

[DisneyDizzy]

DS likes to get up early on the first day of school and sit at the front window in his jammies with a cup of cocoa watching the schoolers walk by. Then he goes back to bed for an hour.

My husband takes the morning off work and we all sleep in. Then we go out to breakfast at son's choice. Usually IHOP. We have a "not back to school day." I'd love to lengthen it to the whole day and go do something really fun.

 

[chris31997]

I have a friend who has "Neener Neener Day" the first day of public school where they go do something super fun that schoolkids can't do. They've done waterparks, gone to the beach, movies, etc. Its pretty funny.

This year we are taking a page from your friend to extreme. We are moving and won't offically start school till late But hey, that is the joy of having school moving with you When we lived in DC we took Fridays off and went on field trips. I love the flexibility homeschooling gives us.

"Neener Neener Day" I gotta remember that Please thank your friend for me.

 

[AmandaRG]

We started today, and all made it through!

Any ideas for younger siblings that want to do EVERYTHING the older one does? She was very upset that she didn't get to do it all the same.

She will be going to MDO three days a week starting in Sept, so that should help some. We made it work but at times I wasn't sure.

 

[jacksmomma]

What's your favorite thing to not have to do this time of year?

Everyone's ideas sound great! I am so thankful that I am not running around buying supplies, bags, lunchboxes, etc. I will wait a few weeks until everything is on clearance to get the few things that we need.

I am thinking about the first day of school. I think we might make homemade ice cream to enjoy after dinner. I play on getting DS up and taking his picture as the bus goes by...that is going to be a stretch for us, the bus comes so early!

 

[chicagoshannon]

We started today too. Took us about 2 hours. We'll have some kinks to work out but hopefully we'll find our groove soon.

Not sure how tomorrow is going to go. DH worked from home today so he was able to entertain ds for a bit before he started work this morning.

 

[chris31997]

We started today, and all made it through!

Any ideas for younger siblings that want to do EVERYTHING the older one does? She was very upset that she didn't get to do it all the same.

She will be going to MDO three days a week starting in Sept, so that should help some. We made it work but at times I wasn't sure.

How about getting her own "school work" to do? It could be a simple as matching shapes, matching colors, sorting, counting, coloring, picking up workbooks at a local dollar store.

 

[AmandaRG]

How about getting her own "school work" to do? It could be a simple as matching shapes, matching colors, sorting, counting, coloring, picking up workbooks at a local dollar store.

I do have books, but she is wanting to do the work that the kindergartener is doing, even though it isn't quite something she can do. Maybe I can copy the sheets for her to play with?

 

[Pimama]

I do have books, but she is wanting to do the work that the kindergartener is doing, even though it isn't quite something she can do. Maybe I can copy the sheets for her to play with?

I'm thinking i will do this with my 3 and 5 year old. I won't feel guilty about copying the pages since I will probably be buying them again in a few years and she will mostly just be coloring on them. Who knows though, maybe she will gleen something in the process.

 

[Jessica14]

I have a friend who has "Neener Neener Day" the first day of public school where they go do something super fun that schoolkids can't do. They've done waterparks, gone to the beach, movies, etc. Its pretty funny.

I'm stealing this as well! I'm starting with my DD 8 and DS 6 on Aug. 22nd. Excited an nervous at the same time! I read this and said it was the perfect time to go see the Pompeii exibit in NYC that we have been wanting to see. We'll do a little reading before hand and then have a nice family day out!
Jessica

 

[bellebud]

I'm stealing this as well! I'm starting with my DD 8 and DS 6 on Aug. 22nd. Excited an nervous at the same time! I read this and said it was the perfect time to go see the Pompeii exibit in NYC that we have been wanting to see. We'll do a little reading before hand and then have a nice family day out!
Jessica

our hs group did a field trip there not too long ago. It was really, really great! My kids and I studied up a bit before we went, and it was very interesting to them to really see it.

have fun!!

 

[jacksmomma]

I am so excited! I designed my own HS planner with sections for EVERYTHING!...From contacts and book lists to planning sheets and calendars. DH took it to the print shop to be covered and spiral bound and I received it this afternoon. I am so excited to have everything all in one place. How sad that I am this excited to get started planning?!

 

[awoogala]

Hey there. I'll probably hover here a lot. We've Hs for most of my ds(8), schooling.. He "tried" school last year for 2nd, isn't happy about the thought of returning this year. My daughter "tried" K this year, also would like to hs again this year.
The school is good, nothing horrible. But my kids are a bit sad and lonely there. (and bored!) Of course, being the oddballs we are, they weren't exactly happy at home either- they are not joiners, and neither am I, so we found HS to be very lonely and isolating as well.
I'm still torn. I don't like them being isolated at home, but I don't like them being with groups of kids who ostracize them either. Unsure which is worse! So, while we decide, I'll be continuing to read and act like a homeschooler.

 

[chicagoshannon]

Hey there. I'll probably hover here a lot. We've Hs for most of my ds(8), schooling.. He "tried" school last year for 2nd, isn't happy about the thought of returning this year. My daughter "tried" K this year, also would like to hs again this year.
The school is good, nothing horrible. But my kids are a bit sad and lonely there. (and bored!) Of course, being the oddballs we are, they weren't exactly happy at home either- they are not joiners, and neither am I, so we found HS to be very lonely and isolating as well.
I'm still torn. I don't like them being isolated at home, but I don't like them being with groups of kids who ostracize them either. Unsure which is worse! So, while we decide, I'll be continuing to read and act like a homeschooler.

Is there any sort of coop you could join? By me we even have one that you could just have gym time and go on field trips.

 

[bellebud]

Hey there. I'll probably hover here a lot. We've Hs for most of my ds(8), schooling.. He "tried" school last year for 2nd, isn't happy about the thought of returning this year. My daughter "tried" K this year, also would like to hs again this year.
The school is good, nothing horrible. But my kids are a bit sad and lonely there. (and bored!) Of course, being the oddballs we are, they weren't exactly happy at home either- they are not joiners, and neither am I, so we found HS to be very lonely and isolating as well.
I'm still torn. I don't like them being isolated at home, but I don't like them being with groups of kids who ostracize them either. Unsure which is worse! So, while we decide, I'll be continuing to read and act like a homeschooler.

Lisa... this sounds like you're in a tough spot. First, I'd pick being at home over being w/ kids who ostracize each other.

You know, you don't have to be "joiners" to *get out there* into the world of homeschooling. I see you live in NJ... are you close to the city? I live right where NY/NJ/PA meet, and I'm on a few yahoo groups that stretch from where I live to the city. There are so many bulletin board type outings that happen in the city (meaning you're not a "member" of any one community), they just post "hey, we'll be at this museum at this time and day", and you guys would just go, to 'see' other homeschoolers, but again, not joining any one group.

You could also do all this on your own w/ your kids. Just get out there, to your local area (wherever you are). There are always some type of local museums in any small city area, even if they're tiny, they're usually just enough for little ones.

Do you do 'school at home?' That's kinda boring in itself. I see your kids are 2 grades apart, mine are too (girl/boy, 21 months apart). But we do a lot of our 'work' together, and it's certainly not 8 - 3, M - F. We mix it up, and have a lot of fun with it. We are also part of a very cohesive community that takes classes together once a week and has park day, does art fairs, science fairs, yearbook, 2 field trips a month, etc, and we have a full schedule. We're home about 1/2 the week, and out and about 1/2 the week. It's a perfect balance for us.

You have to find your families balance. You all shouldn't be lonely, even at home. Make things fun for your kids at home. You have each other. Some of our best times are when it's just our family doing something together. Do you have a small zoo anywhere near you? Pick an animal, study together at home (it's habits, what it eats, where it's from, etc), then go to the zoo to see "that" animal. Have your kids sit there, draw the animal if they like drawing, look for any behaviors that you learned about (monkeys grooming each other is always a good one!). Get an ice cream afterwards. Go home and together make a lapbook of monkeys, or do a little report together on them. Homeschooling shouldn't be isolating or lonely. You can still get out there, even if it's just the 3 of you. Even in your own backyard. Look up what birds are in your area, take a blanket and sit there, looking for those birds, or squirrels, chipmunks, bugs, etc. It's just takes a little thinking outside the 'school box' to have fun at home.

I recently discovered teachingwithmovies.com and love the site. It's about $12 a year and provides short lesson plans for movies - regular movies. We love it!

One thing I'm going to do this year (meant to do it last year, but you know how all well-laid plans go)... pick a country every month, and study that country all together sporadically throughout the month. Make a couple of meals together that are popular in that country. Find it on the globe. Draw the outline of the country. Look up on-line some pics of typical clothing, etc. What's the weather like compared to where you live? Find a movie or 2 that has something to do w/ that country. What kind of money do they use? Who are their neighboring countries? Our homeschool group does "around the world night" where each kids does this, but presents it one night for the group. You and your kids can slowly work on a 'presentation' of it all month. We use those big, tri-fold boards (Staples) to put our info on. You can slowly do that all month, then you take a pic of it w/ the kids.

Get a star chart, and go outside at night once a week or so, and see how the stars are moving in the sky.

Go to the mall, and do a 'people study'... keep track of how many people are wearing sandles vs sneakers/shoes. Do a chart on it together when you get home (math). Make these subjects fun and a family affair, and you shouldn't feel so "lonely" at home. Again, you have each other.

If the kids are missing 'friends', you have to work on that for their sake. Join maybe one class a week (gymnastics, karate, a book club, anything). Try, try again until you find something that clicks for each of them.

Hope I've given you even the tiniest bit of help.

 

[awoogala]

Lisa... this sounds like you're in a tough spot. First, I'd pick being at home over being w/ kids who ostracize each other.

You know, you don't have to be "joiners" to *get out there* into the world of homeschooling. You could also do all this on your own w/ your kids. Just get out there, to your local area (wherever you are). There are always some type of local museums in any small city area, even if they're tiny, they're usually just enough for little ones.

Do you do 'school at home?' That's kinda boring in itself. Get a star chart, and go outside at night once a week or so, and see how the stars are moving in the sky.


If the kids are missing 'friends', you have to work on that for their sake. Join maybe one class a week (gymnastics, karate, a book club, anything). Try, try again until you find something that clicks for each of them.

Hope I've given you even the tiniest bit of help.

thanks. Yes, we've joined groups, but the kids and I don't seem to mesh with too many people. I've tried to organize groups, but it doesn't "stick" for any length of time.
I am sure it's us and our personalities! I'm a bit of a flake, so I don't like to plan and stick to strict schedules, or commit to a lot of things. I've also had some major migraine issues, which leads us to miss stuff when it's happening.
The boy actually craves more structure, and would love for me to be super-organized and have a written daily schedule- I'm more of a "wing-it" girl, which has been an issue!
We have not found any classes except gymnastics that they like, and oh, boy- $65 a mth per kid is a bit steep right now. I may have to make it work, though!
I do like staying home a lot! Which is why at times I feel I'm not cut out for hs.. but I think that if we mesh hs, with spending more time playing with neighborhood kids he actually likes, I think we can make it work-
Now I've just got to reconvince the dh that it's a good idea!
We are already set up to go to Disney with a Homeschooling group this November, so i think I might be already there.

 

[adisneymama]

We started school yesterday! We survived but it was rough. First time schooling two kids at once and a baby to boot. Oh and did I mention new curriculum? Anyway, so far we are finding a better groove today. Good Luck to those that have started already as well. Here's to a great school year!

 

[bellebud]

The boy actually craves more structure, and would love for me to be super-organized and have a written daily schedule- I'm more of a "wing-it" girl, which has been an issue!
We are already set up to go to Disney with a Homeschooling group this November, so i think I might be already there.

Have you looked into 'workboxes' for structure for your ds? just google it, and you'll find tons of ideas. Not too hard for you to do, but lots of organization for him and a feeling of accomplishment.

that's awesome you're going to disney w/ a homeschool group!! have fun!!

as for you enjoying staying home... I'd then just enjoy your time home w/ the kids. Are they ok with this? there's nothing wrong w/ not being "joiners"... everyone has their different personalities and what feels 'right' to them.

What about the YMCA? cheaper classes or activities to do once in a while just to get out?

On another thread, someone wrote regarding a year they were home a whole lot, "a serving of friends on the side"... (I told her I was stealing that saying, because I think it's great). That sounds like all your kids need. Just a small serving. Don't worry about getting them out.

Hope it all works out well for you all