*** Homeschool List ***

[disneymom3]

Hey guys, just wanted to say that Tnkbell is back so go read her update on the budget board. I won't spoil the surprise......It's something like "17 day trip, family of 6 for $3100"

 

[disneymom3]

He's still having trouble with handwriting, and I don't have a purchased curriculum for him. We've been working in workbooks for writing. Today I had the thought about getting an aquadoodle for him to practice writing letters and numbers with. I thought maybe the "play/fun" aspect of this might really interest him and we might make some progress that way. We've tried drawing in shaving cream, but that's so messy.

Just for ideas--my mom who was a kind. teacher for a long time suggests all kinds of alternative writing activities for writing skills--"writing" letter in sand, sugar,rice or oatmeal in a cake pan, writing in shaving cream, writing with a stick in the sandbox. A few ideas of my own are making letter pancakes and I write the letters out and they cover them with round garage sale stickers going in the correct direction. (I put a green dot on where they need to start.)

 

[sweet maxine]

Thanks, disneymom3.

Today was kind of a bad day for us. I got really frustrated while trying to get him to write some of his letters/words. It took forever for him to finish one row, and I think I really lost my patience. I feel like I'm just not holding up well with this, and I wonder if he would be better off in school. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this...

 

[staci]

Thanks, disneymom3.

Today was kind of a bad day for us. I got really frustrated while trying to get him to write some of his letters/words. It took forever for him to finish one row, and I think I really lost my patience. I feel like I'm just not holding up well with this, and I wonder if he would be better off in school. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this...

You may have already tried this, but if not, this may help with your patience. Take a peice of paper, and write with your opposite hand. Unless you are a person who can use both hands well, this experience will help you understand his frustration, which may ease your frustration! Learning to write is not an easy process, and as adults it is hard to understand their perspective.

Also, have you tried 'fun' pencils, pens, etc? Maybe that would help pique his interest.

 

[Momof4girls]

We've all been there - we all doubt ourselves at some point, and question it sometimes. I, too, have one that really struggles with handwriting and shows no interest in it. But, that's the beauty of homeschooling - they don't *have* to do it today if they don't want to. They can try writing their letters in pudding on a big piece of paper - or with ketchup on their plates to dip fries in (or ranch dressing for carrotst). They can wait a year - and instead work on just recognizing all of the letters.

My almost 6 year old, we suspect, is somewhere in the ASDs (autism spectrum) and is definitely a late bloomer. She can barely write her name - but we're letting her do it in her own time. Forcing it just causes us both to get frustrated and, at times, reduces us to tears.

My other daughter is left handed and struggled for two years to form her ABCs, but now is a whiz and I can't get her to STOP writing on things!!! (she's 8 now)

Also, if they get frustrated at home and need additional help, it's not likely that they'll do any better in a school setting. When my oldest attended first grade last year, she was miserable - when she needed extra help on something the teacher was usually too busy tending to one of the other 19 children in her class (the teacher, by the way, was 21 - fresh out of college - and had NO experience in dealing with children...she was impatient, rude, and at times downright mean). If my daughter DID understand a subject, she couldn't move on by herself - she had to wait for everyone in the class to catch up. Which meant a lot of sitting quietly at a table - which is difficult for 6 and 7 year olds!

 

[TNKBELL]

Sweet Maxine.... There is no one better suited to teaching a child than someone who truley loves that child!!! Homeschooling is a sacrifice and it's not always peaches and cream but the rewards far outweigh the frustration. Of course, every family has to do what is best for them. I have just witnessed many hs teenagers from all sorts of different families and different learning styles and they all have one thing in common, they are all pleasant human beings who can carry on an intelligent conversation with an adult all while looking you in the eye and they are not embarrassed to show love in public like hugging thier mothers, fathers and siblings. This thought keeps me motivated! I wasn't one of these teenagers!!!
It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job!! Don't worry so much about his writing, my boys were a little slow at writing also, but that is not a reflection of what they have learned. I have read many hs books that say boys are slower when it comes to letter formation but they are learning anyway. Maybe as other posters have suggested, forget paper and pencils and just use sand and pudding and my Dks like to use a dry erase board also.

 

[Momof4girls]

I'm having such a bummer of a day!

I've lost the disney pins and lanyards. I can't find them anywhere - they were in a big bag on top of the entertainment center and now they're gone...and many were brand new/promotional ones that we can't get anymore.

I don't have the heart to tell the kids. DH has NO idea where he may have put them and doesn't remember seeing them - which means he, as notorious as he is for doing this, may have thrown them away!!!

 

[hsmamato2]

I have 2 ds's...one who at 12 doesn'y much like writing(dysgraphia) one who at 4 decided he wanted to print and write cursive...(now he's 6, he's bored with it...) the 12 year old is a great reader/speaker/speller/thinker- and when he needs to, he writes(prints,all uppercase,engineer style) I wish he could write more fluently, but then again, I wish I was as good at puzzle solving as he is! Each person has their own gifts,strengths, and weaknesses. It's a failing of our schools to think that we all have excel equally at everything! 1st ds didn't write anything till he was at least 8 or 9- then he started writing lists of things he wanted to do in WDW! But, on the other hand, he's an excellent artist, so he does have control, just in ways that are less definable by school standards. remember...no teacher, no matter how well paid, will ever have the same interest in your childs well being as you do!

 

[disneymom3]

Hey guys Had to go all the way to pg 3 to find this thing.

At this rate we aren't going to get our own board so we better get chattin'.

How are things going for everyone? We've been too darn busy which I realized today when I just completely ran out of patience with my kids in the store. Time to go home and regroup.

Big news, DS5 said today, "Hey mom. I know where my S-O-C is." That is supposed to be sock by the way! Anyway, I didn't even know he knew the sound of O. He then did his phonics lesson and is now walking around spelling three letter words with teh short A sound. By gosh I think he's got it. I have to sing that song from My Fair Lady!!

 

[horseshowmom]

I think a homeschool board is a great idea. My DD just graduated and is now in college, but I'm still interested (hope to eventually have grandchildren who are homeschooled - after she finishes pharmacy school though!).

 

[OceanAnnie]

Big news, DS5 said today, "Hey mom. I know where my S-O-C is." That is supposed to be sock by the way! Anyway, I didn't even know he knew the sound of O. He then did his phonics lesson and is now walking around spelling three letter words with teh short A sound. By gosh I think he's got it. I have to sing that song from My Fair Lady!!

Hi there!

That is big news! I'd be excited too! What phonics program are you using? I'm just starting to look into what's available.

 

[hsmamato2]

My 6 year old does a lot of invented spelling too, I try and get him to write it down, b/c I think it's so cute! He gets mad if he finds out that he didn't spell it right, he's a perfectionist... I want to keep his pages forever, cause I know in the blink of an eye, he'll be all grown up and spelling everything correctly! And speaking clearly, without any adorable "boston" accent, which I love to hear also...ahhh, motherhood, and hs'ing lets me be around to enjoy these things... We've never done any phonics curric., just seemed like both kids are interested in how words are put together b/c they enjoy books, stories, etc... let's keep this thread active!

 

[Eeyore's Girl]

I have 2 DD's ages 12 & 5. I have no fear that I'll scar my girls with hsing, my issue is that I want to make this experience as authentic as possible.

DD12 was in public school through fifth grade. This is our second year hsing. In my continued research, I'm finding we need to break out of the habit of simply having school at home (get rid of rigid schedules, long days, be more creative with studies, etc.). This seems a natural process with DD5, but I don't know how to do this with DD12. It's like both our minds are conditioned to do it the way we did it during all those years of public school. Although she enjoys hsing, she's still just going through the motions of what's expected of her. As for myself, I want to be more relaxed and focus more on "home" than "school", but I find myself pushing DD12 to get a particular amount of work done each day. She typically starts by 9am and finishes about 3pm, with a few small breaks and a full hour for lunch. This day seems long compared to other hsers, but how do we cover all the subjects (Language Arts, Math, Science, History, Bible) otherwise?

Some wisdom, especially from you veterans, would be so appreciated!

 

[hsmamato2]

It does seem like a lot of time on schoolwork, if your objective is less school and more home... that's way more time spent on academics than if she were in school!
1-You could try doing some activities and games where there's a lot of thinking and learning, and kind of phase out some of the schoolwork that's getting covered just by living.... like board games...Monopoly-Boggle-scattergories-scrabble-etc... ummmm...
2-instead of assigning books to read with reports due, you could try trips to the library, with all the time the kids want to explore and try out all the new books they want...that creates good readers, learning the language, gramar,phonics, come without effort, b/c they have to read it to understand, and if they understand, then they've"got it!"can be historical,mathematical,etc... they tend to pick a lot of things I wouldn't have guessed, they don't always finish each book, but they like to have a variety for bedtime reading,like Mom
3-listen to books on tape while driving- we always have a new one in the car from the library, a great way to get classics into kids without pain! and provokes a lot of discussion while driving all over the place-
these are just a few things that we do-homeschooling is a great way to spend time together, the ,learning always happens, but childhood disappears no matter what we spend our days doing...

 

[TNKBELL]

What is your DD12 interested in? Let her fully immerse herself in her interests and you can relate some of the subjects to that interest. Our family takes nature walks and we explore all the nooks and crannys and find different plants,trees,insects and animals and the Dks keep a nature journal, this makes a fun science activity.And don't forget to read living books to her, I know she can read,but reading books together as a family is a wonderful tradition. Life in and of itself is far more educational than anything found in a book, so don't forget to teach her life skills as well. Garage saling can be very educational when the Dks are given a budget and have to make a graph or chart on how thier 1.25 or whatever was spent, have her help plan the menus for meal time and let her cook and help budget for groceries and coupons. Maybe she already does these things? Maybe she would like to learn to sew or knit? I'm sure she could come up with some ideas as well. A lot of hs families I know, let the children of that age come up with thier own curriculum, with some guidance of course.
Are you involved with a local hs group that you could contact and find some girls her age to talk to?
One last thought, does your DD12 need to do all the subjects every single day? When I was in highschool, I had different classes on different days, maybe this would help decrease the load a little?

 

[disneymom3]

I think it would be helpful, Eeyore's girl if you gave us some examples of what her day consists of. That is a lot of academic time. I use My Father's World and really subscribe to their philosophy of afternoons free. DD is 9 so younger than your oldest, but she is usually done before lunch (with a 20 min or so break in between) so she has time to run out and play while I get lunch ready. Then they usually spend time outside after lunch too.

As for getting out of the routine, I have heard people having success with just totally not doing school for awhile and just seeing where their interests take them. Would it put your DD way behind to not do spelling, math and language arts for a few weeks? Or another idea is to give her total assignments for the week and let her pace herself. For instance, by Friday, you have to be done with Ch 6 in math, and have read such and such a book and written a report on it covering blah blah blah. Then she figures out when she is going to do that work.

Like, Tnkbell says maybe she doesn't need to do every subject everyday. Personally, I think a lot of language arts is a waste of time. Does one really need to know how to diagram a sentence? Can we write a report on an animal we are studying in science or a time period in history that can count as language arts, spelling, and social studies as well as history all at once?

Another way I like to "trick" DD into learning--this works with my boys at 4 and 5 too--is to get books from the library on the topic we are learning about. Right now, our library shelf is full of books about the Vikings and Norse Gods. Guess what we are learning in history? And guess what the book DD took to her room last night is on? When she was in 2nd grade we studied the revolutionary war and watched without fail Liberty's kids on PBS. I call it Stealth Homeschooling and I LOVE it!

 

[disneymom3]

Hi there!

That is big news! I'd be excited too! What phonics program are you using? I'm just starting to look into what's available.

Annie--I am not really using a specific phonics program. I just couldn't bring myself to spend upwards of $50 when DD learned to read by herself and I didn't know if that would happen with middle DS but I am pretty sure it is going to happen with youngest DS. So, I have been throwing together bits and pieces. We sing the song every letter has a sound from a Leap Frog CD for our short vowels, I use the picture letter cards from My Father's World and sing the alphabet song with the sounds instead of the letters (a a apple, b b butterfly) and we use a little workbook I got at Lakeshore Learning where you cut out the pictures that start with that letter and glue them on.

I think what he has gotten the most out of is the Explode the Code series. The first ones are Get Ready for the.....Get Set.....and Go for the Code (3 books) They cover the consonant sounds. We just started Go For the Code 1 and that starts with short A. The books are less than $8 each and he really enjoys the various activities. I love the introductory ones as they really focus on visual discrimination and introduce writing skills very gradually. The #1 book has a bit more writing than he is ready for, but we just skip that part.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thanks, Julie!

We have the Leap Frog alphabet (audio thing) for the refrigerator. It's interactive, playing a song about a letter and phonics when a letter is pressed in the center. It's cute and catchy.

I'll have to look into the "Code" series.

Thanks again!

 

[Eeyore's Girl]

Thanks so much hsmamato2, TNKBELL, and disneymom3! Your guidance/suggestions/questions helped to put a few things into perspective for me.

I think the curriculum we're using causes a lot of angst for us. We're using Switched on Schoolhouse (although we supplement with workbooks). The calendar feature seems like a great idea, but the pace of moving from one lesson to the next is a bit too fast for me. I like some time for review and practice before moving on to the next concept.

TNKBELL - I'm not sure what "living books" are. DD12 reads independently 30-40 minutes before bed every night. In addition, I am currently reading Where the Red Fern Grows aloud to her. We both are really enjoying this!

Her goal is to own a bakery one day. My first step in this direction is to have her take cake decorating classes at Michael's. She loves to help in the kitchen.

We are very much involved in a support group. She takes enrichment classes on Tuesdays. This had been a wonderful outlet for both of us. Currently the students take P.E. (I lead this class), Writing a Research Paper, Comparative Religion, Vocabulary Skills, Drama, and Art.

We, as a family, are working on sign language and Spanish. We're not on a regular schedule with either of these at the moment, we're mostly trying to get some exposure. I'm thinking we'll be working on these areas for quite some time, making these areas a slow, steady, (and hopefully) solid learning process.

Oh, she's also taken on an after-school babysitting job 2-3 days per week. What a perk - she would not be available for this if she were not a home schooler.

When I see all this in print, maybe we're not doing so bad after all. Maybe I just need to relax a bit.

One last thing - how do you feel about tests? With SOS, it seems there's always, always, always a test to prepare for. I get so tired of the idea of reviewing for yet another test. Rather than spend the time studying for a test, I'd much rather she use that time to dig a little deeper into the topic.
How much weight/time do you give tests?

Thanks so much for your help!!

 

[disneymom3]

I don't believe in tests. I know--I'm a rebel, what can I say. The reason for testing is to see if the child has learned the topic and what knowlegde has been retained. When I am sitting there at the table with my kids, I know if they are getting it or not. When we talk about the Celts in the car, I know what they have retained. So, I don't do tests. I may when they get older for topics like literature and history to prepare for college when they are going to need to be ready to compile knowledge, but for now I don't see the point.

Annie--you are welcome!! Happy to help!