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    Joined: Apr 2008
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    WEll we've had a productive day so far!!! I think b/c we had SUNSHINE yesterday and very warm temps which put everyone in a much better mood! And I got some sleep last night so I have a lot more patience! Keep your fingers crossed for the rest of the day. We're having a Happy Bday Darwin party w/ another HSer (DS's best friend) so that counts as science and social lol.

    Yes, kcab, you have a lot on your plate so try to relax. I have a friend who is the world's BEST HSer with a PG+ boy who is very cooperative. I look at what they get done and my jaw drops open. But I remind myself I have a toddler and a 5yr old and a DH who works 12-13hrs/day so completely different family dynamics. No two homeschools are exactly alike b/c the teacher and kids are all unique!

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    I've learned to compare our productivity to the schools, not to other HSers. It makes me feel better, since some HSers are way too organized for me! But I tend to look pretty good compared to a class of ND 2nd graders! LOL!

    I think comparing yourself to other HSers is just too crazy-making. Are you doing the best you can do? Are your kids learning? Are they happy and growing intellectually and as human beings? Are they keeping up with/exceeding what their agemates are doing? Are they making at least a year's worth of progress for a year's worth of work (and hopefully/probably more!)?

    Then you're doing fine. smile

    HSing is NOT a good time to let your perfectionism out to play. It reminds me of grad school: you CAN always do more, but that doesn't mean you HAVE TO do more.

    wink

    kcab: how about giving your DS fun games to play that require harder material. Let him choose: do this easy (boring) workbook or play this fun (challenging) game for school? Or are you doing that already?


    Kriston
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    Glad to see this thread taking a more realistic turn from the cookie-baking, fun, hands-on ideals I can't even attempt! At least more realistic for me. I constantly worry that we're not doing enough schoolwork, and then I think well, he's ahead of most of the third grade curriculum.

    Do you do language arts and math everyday? Writing, spelling, reading, vocabulary - how do you fit it all in and have time for other things? My biggest problem is time. I'm working and trying to HS and it's not so easy.

    I'd like to have some (note I did not say bake some) chocolate chip cookies!


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    Make Rice Krispie treats instead. They're faster and less work! Make 'em with Cocoa Krispies if you need a chocolate fix. smile

    This year, we have probably hit everything 4 days a week for 45 min. to 1 hour each day, rather than the 5 x 30 minutes that I had planned. <shrug> We get on a roll on something most days, and I've been going with it. It adds up to enough time and he's making progress, so I'm not too worried. My biggest concerns are writing--I think that if you don't practice every day, you can have trouble--and math. But he reads something every day, even if not every subject every day. And he does math and writing *nearly* every day, so I'm giving myself a pass.

    Some of figuring this stuff out, I think, is just trial and error. Does 4 days a week work for you? Then go with that. Does he forget/not learn enough stuff if you do that? Then maybe add an hour of work on Sat. and another hour on Sunday or something.

    In other words, if you see problems, then fiddle with the schedule. But if 4 days a week (or 3!) is enough to get done what needs to be done, then that's okay. Homeschooling may wind up looking very different for you than you thought it would. And that's okay as long as he's learning.

    As for spelling and vocab, we let that kind of stuff just come naturally out of his reading and writing. But vocab and spelling are strengths for him. He picks stuff up easily and has a natural interest in it. If these were weaknesses, I might approach them differently.

    FWIW...


    Kriston
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    I completely missed the part about cookies. No, cookies are so no part of hs but hey I make dinner from the scratch pretty much each night. I made lots of Christmas cookies and then some and as far as I came concerned I am still tired from that. LOL. The kids did help a lot though. December was our cookie month wink

    Kcab, it must be a huge adjustment. Different place, culture, not having all your things, missing your friends ... It's amazing that you even attempt to homeschool.

    I like the idea about comparing hs to school. About once a week I get to see a regular 1st grade homework. That's usually enough to get the message across wink We do math 4 times per week, I try to do LA 4 times per week. Try is the keyword here but I've been pretty good lately. Reading and piano almost every day and then whatever we (or I wink) feel like. Sometimes we do science every day, sometimes once a week but at the end it evens out.

    Fridays are DS6' days. He can do whatever he wants to as long as I consider it educational wink It may be more math but it may be something completely else. Tomorrow is a museum day. Yay!

    Life is pretty good here but I am already dreading September when I will have both of the boys home. We will figure it out. Hopefully.


    LMom
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    An aisle of chocolate... now that's an image to remember!

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    We don't formally study spelling either. My kids are good spellers (well, at least the first three are!) and it hasn't seemed necessary.

    I let the kids choose what language arts to do most days. DD 8 might select her word roots book and do two pages, or she might write a short story. Other times she does a grammar lesson or a poetry lesson. Reading happens all by itself, so I don't even have to think about it. Language arts is scheduled 3 X week.

    I do consider the physical act of writing as a separate subject, and assign either printing or cursive for about 15 minutes 3 times a week. We use handwriting without tears. Once a child has mastered decent cursive, they move on to typing.




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    Hey all, tongue was firmly implanted in cheek when I started this thread! Cabin fever hits hard here in February, this year especially. If it's not below zero, it's 50 and sloppy muddy, or a couple days ago the winds were so fierce it was close to that day in September when the remnants of hurricane Ike blew through Ohio.

    But I have enjoyed reading about others homeschooling.

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    Me, too, re: the cookies. Hate to cook/bake anyway.

    But fitting it all in is a struggle. Just hired a babysitter who can help with science and driving - maybe even baking, LOL. That will be a help.


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    Of course, OHG! smile But your joke turned out to be a good thread, I think. Conversation about cookies and homeschooling is always welcome as far as I'm concerned!

    And then there's the aisle of chocolate! Holy cannoli! That's not Europe, that's HEAVEN!

    grin


    Kriston
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