Sometimes getting in the play yard to keep the baby happy is the only way I can read aloud to every one else in peace.
"I have a question though. HOW do you plan all of your children’s assignments? Sunday nights are filled with filling out assignment sheets for everyone and heaven forbid if we are busy all weekend with other things! Is there a better way?"
Here's the massively overwhelming answer: I do it all at once over a weekend or two in the summer.
I hated the Sunday night thing- just what you've described- and so years ago my best friend and I asked for an overnighter to spend planning and thinking through our upcoming school year. We have students of similar ages and grades, so bouncing things off of each other is helpful. So is a little dark chocolate and a phone call to have lunch delivered.
When I say I do everything during the summer, I mean everything. I'll try to break it down step by step:
1. Make a list for each child of the subjects they will be studying during the upcoming school year. I typically do this in January, and the rest begins to flow from there. In years without babies, I can be totally ready to go by July, then relax the rest of the summer. This year? Nope.
2. List all curriculum you are planning to use, purchase, borrow, etc. Mark prices next to each item and begin to bargain shop. As with anything else, if you have a plan you can avoid spending too much for items you don't really need.
3. Go through each subject individually and make a spreadsheet or other type of lesson plan that works for you. For me, a good old Excel spreadsheet works for most subjects. Here's an example of our Mystery of History Year One spreadsheet:
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Be realistic with step number three. It is going to take up a lot of time, but what you plan in the summer means NO MORE SUNDAY NIGHT SCRAMBLING! Keep repeating that to yourself when you get bogged down.
4. Make a list of everything that needs to be photocopied. The list can be as detailed or as broad as you like. You can list "history coloring pages" or you can list actual books and pages- "Medieval Coats of Arms, p. 32"
5. Are you ready for this? Photocopy EVERYTHING for the ENTIRE year. Now. All at once. Make binders for each child and each subject with their already photocopied items, in order. For history, my kids' binders have tabs for each week and the pertinent items are all in order. Maps, coloring pages, word searches, biography pages, etc. are ready to go.
Ever told your kids, "Just a sec. I need to go copy this."? What happens when you turn your back or walk out of the room? That's right. Chaos! Now you've lost one to the bathroom, one to a drawing he "has" to finish, and two to an argument. But when the photocopies are ready to go, so are your students.
6. Make a "Mom List". I keep mine on my clipboard so I can just glance at it and remember what each child needs to accomplish daily:
16-year-old: Constitutional Law, Math, Science, French, Rhetoric, Lit and Composition, CLEPS
14-year-old: Math, Science, Latin, Logic, Theory, Italic, Copywork, Guitar
♥
If this seems totally overwhelming to you, just say to yourself, "Kendra has six students this year". :) You can do it!
Right off the bat this week I think I should tell you that I have my BA in Music (Voice) and I have absolutely no artistic ability other than walking around art museums.
This means two things:
1. Although I have high standards for music curricula in our home, I'm not very good at implementing them. I think I just live music with my kids, and the formal let's-sit-down-and-talk-about-music teaching of it goes by the wayside.
2. I am the opposite with art curricula. I have used quite a few things with varying degrees of success, and I think I've given my kids an appreciation of a wide variety of art in a more formal way than I have with music. The older ones can recognize historical context, several notable artists, and important art works to a level at which I think is appropriate.
Those two caveats in place, let's talk about music curriculum:
Purchase compilations of classical works and listen to them. Read the liner notes and tell your children, "This is Bach". As you become familiar with each piece, you will soon find yourselves able to recall pieces as you hear them in the store, on the radio, or in movies and commercials.
A fun series to familiarize yourself with individual works are the books by Anna Harwell Calenza, such as The Farewell Symphony, The Heroic Symphony, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. The books are nicely illustrated, each telling the story behind the piece and each containing a CD of the piece as well. Very nice.
If you want to familiarize yourselves with classical composers, you can check out any number of Mike Venezia's books in the series Getting to Know the Worlds Greatest Composers. The books are written on a kindergarten- 3rd grade level, and cover the greats: Mozart (my favorite), Bach, Beethoven, and many more. I don't think these books are the ultimate resource, but they seem to be the best that's available at the present time. Many libraries carry them, so check there first if you're not sure you want to invest in them all.
When I was in college studying music, I had the driest, most uninteresting music history teacher humanly possible. What a pity. Now that I am past that part of my education, I have discovered that music history is indeed exciting and interesting, for art and music truly are a reflection of what is going on in our culture at any given time. Just to make sure we're on the same page, I'm talking about the history of Western Music; Eastern, indigenous, and tribal music is quite another subject altogether.
My favorite stand-alone resource for music history is a series of books by David W. Barber, the first of which is called Bach, Beethoven, and the Boys. These are extremely light-hearted books needing some editing as appropriate for the ages you're teaching. Great for Circle Time, great for a fun summer read-aloud. I realize they aren't the Norton Anthology, but they are memorable.
Do you have a child who is interested in taking voice lessons, but you're either not prepared to incur the cost (voice lessons can definitely be a luxury item) or don't know where to turn? I highly recommend Singing for the Stars by vocal coach extraordinaire, Seth Riggs. My personal interest is vocal physiology, with a particular emphasis on good vocal technique. Mr. Riggs teaches healthy singing, and he does so across the genre spectrum: everything from pop like Michael Jackson to the demands of opera.
As for music theory, most music students will be given a workbook to use by their instrumental teacher. If your child is learning at home, however, and you are looking for a straightforward approach to theory, I'd recommend the Theory Time series.
And now for art...
Years ago we participated in a lovely little once-a-month co-op in which a mom used the Meet the Masters curriculum. It has been a long time and my memory regarding specifics is fuzzy, but I know I loved it. In a nutshell, the program highlights one artist at a time from the point of view of the artist. The students are introduced to several of the artist's works, then have the opportunity to try their hand at a work in the style of each particular masterpiece. If you're interested, you can read all about their downloadable curriculum on the Meet the Masters FAQ page.
We've also really loved Discovering Great Artists, which also teaches a bit about each artist and their style, then presents a project in the style of the artist. These are accessible projects, things that can be achieved even by an art-impaired mom like me.
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My question is about obedience and training. I have a four-year-old daughter whom I admit I have not been very consistent with in training for obedience and cheerful attitude.
Could you elaborate a bit on the discipline or consequences that you and your family use? Also how you have tailored that to each child's personality, issues, etc. (My daughter sounds much like your youngest girl, very energetic, strong-willed)
-Kathy
Kathy-
I've made so many parenting mistakes, I often get weepy and wish I could go back and fix things. I take great comfort in the truth that "love covers a multitude of sins".
There are two great truths that have shaped my mothering, however, although I am nowhere near arrival on either of these. The first is compassion and tenderness. I don't mean sappiness and molly-coddling, but I do mean that we as mothers need to remember that it's not easy being a clueless little kid trying to make sense of the world.
The second is to never, never, never, never let a child win at the thing you are trying to eliminate from their lives. If it's whining, then tell the child, "I'm sorry, but whining will get you nothing" and then stick to it.
Just this week I've been trying to transition Mighty Joe from bottle to cup and he was MAD. I didn't make a big deal about it initially, but by dinnertime I was concerned about his fluid intake. I said, "Little man, you are not going to win. You are going to have to get used to this cup whether you like it or not". I held that sippy cup in his mouth as he cried and wailed and made it very clear he was not happy about it. I spoke gently to him and just kept at it for at least 10 minutes. Mighty Joe screaming, mom smiling and holding the cup in his open mouth. Guess what? He finally clamped down on that cup and lo and behold, liquid came out! Suddenly the crying stopped and he sucked voraciously until that cup was emptied.
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New Sippy Cup User
The strong-willed ones tend to live their young lives going from battle to battle with us. But the quiet and compliant ones concern me more; those are the ones I have to probe and prod to find out what's really brewing in their hearts and minds. Balance the firmness with the compassionate, tender, fun-loving, joyful side of mothering, and leave the rest to God. Truly, love does cover a multitude of sins.I would love to know what your advice would be for getting back on the homeschool wagon. I have five children and my oldest two are pretty self sufficient. But I really feel as though I’ve let down my youngest three. Ages six, four, and two. My 10-year-old really could use more direction as well.
I’m feeling so bad about my failures that I’m having a hard time figuring out where to start.
Thanks!
-Rain
Dear Rain-
What is keeping you from really digging in with your younger kids? Sometimes if we assess what the main roadblocks are, we can eliminate them from our end before we even set about getting the kids involved.
In the past, several things have derailed me: pregnancy/morning sickness, burn-out, over-busyness, unrealistic expectations, and laziness. You may have entirely different reasons, but as I go through each one of these, perhaps you'll read something that strikes a chord.
Pregnancy/Morning Sickness- The most difficult thing for me to remember when I am in the throes of nausea and fatigue is that it will not last the entire nine months. If we've fallen off the wagon during my morning sickness, well then we can get right back on when I am feeling better.
Burn-Out- If you are experiencing burn-out, then you need to take a good, hard look at what you are trying to accomplish in a day. This topic is a post in itself, but start by making a list of your top three non-negotiable activities and assess whether everything else you're trying to do is really essential.
Over-Busyness- Ditto.
Unrealistic Expectations- Are your expectations meeting the reality that God has given you? If I expect a child who really doesn't "get" math to be at a certain level or in a particular book, then my expectations are not the same as my reality. That's not to say we don't set goals or try to reach higher standards. But it does mean we keep our eyes on God and our ears open to what He wants for our families, not what the state says is "normal" for a grade level or not what we were doing when we were in school, etc. Every child and family is unique, and the beauty of homeschooling is that we can grow at a suitable pace rather than making everyone conform to "one size fits all".
Laziness- I cannot improve upon what the book of Proverbs has to say about Laziness. Begin there and ask God to speak to you through His Word.
I'm sorry if I haven't touched upon any of the reasons you are struggling to get back at it. If you have anything else to add, please comment and I'll try to help you troubleshoot some more.
Oh. And like Nike says, Just Do It. Purpose to get back on the wagon.
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My question: What do you do with a three-year-old and a one-year-old all day? Is it even worth planning things to do? Sometimes I plan crafts, games, activities and it takes for ever to get it all gathered only to have them interested for five minutes. Is this season just about surviving? Or is there a way to make the REALLY LONG DAYS go by any quicker at all?
I have a lot of help, family that lives close by, a husband that works from home, and a housekeeper once a week. My girls sleep 12 hours a night and take a two hour nap every day. With all that I’m still at a loss with what to do with them! Usually all my bright creative ideas are gone by 8:30 am…and I won’t even bring up the long afternoons. What does a mother do when she’s not homeschooling, when nothing has to be done, and she’s faced with two very energetic children who have the attention span of 5 minutes?
-Jackie
I remember feeling this way. I remember feeling like I was just. killing. time.
Now, however, I don't own my time. The pace is so frenetic out of necessity that my attention span is about the same as a gnat's, I eat on the fly or while feeding the baby or reading aloud, I help one with grammar while I oversee the math of another, and I spend any free time I have planning menus, shopping lists, school projects, and a million other lists that have to be made in order for anything to be done smoothly. If there is a major project to be done (right now I'm painting our office cabinetry), it has to wait until after 8 p.m. and it pushes anything else aside (like exercising). In this season, there is no time to kill.
Because my view is what it is, I look back on life with two little ones and think of a hundred things I wish I'd done:
♥ memorize more Scripture, both myself and with them
♥ organize my recipes into a system that works long term
♥ learn to garden and grow most of our summer produce
♥ keep up-to-date files of our photos
♥ learn to cook ethnic cuisines we like
♥ read the classics I haven't read
♥ sew simple clothing items in sizes they'll wear down the road
♥ can
♥ take nature walks and let them really take it all in
♥ teach them to swim
♥ learn Latin
♥ brush up my Spanish and French
♥ play the piano daily
♥ take courses from The Teaching Company
♥ study theology
♥ make all our Christmas gifts
♥ write letters of encouragement
When I survey the list above, I see that many of these things can be done with little ones:
♥ memorize more Scripture- make index cards for memorizing and charts to track progress. Liberally give stickers for each verse memorized.
♥ learn to garden and grow most of our summer produce- give them their own small patch of the garden (or pots on the patio) and let them toss some sunflower seeds in the dirt. I am always amazed at the fact that the little ones can neglect sunflower seeds all summer long but in the end, their production is better than mine.
♥ learn to cook ethnic cuisines we like- let them help you roll up burritos or pat out the dough for Indian naan.
♥ read the classics I haven't read- aloud to them, preferably while they are captive, such as in a high chair or bathtub. They don't have to understand all the nuances of Jane Austen, but they will be enriched by the language and your voice, and you will have accomplished something.
♥ take nature walks and let them really take it all in- find a lovely park, beach, or foothill setting and pack a picnic. Have no expectations. Just take their little shoes off and let them explore. Bonus: our nature days tend to make the little ones take longer naps.
♥ teach them to swim- my favorite place to take my little ones is to the beach. It's a giant sandbox and a natural babysitter.
♥ learn Latin- you may want them to study Latin in your homeschool. Now is your opportunity to become familiar with its grammar and you can teach them the Latin alphabet while you're at it.
♥ play the piano daily- and let them dance around you in joy!
♥ make all our Christmas gifts- so many ideas out there. Start here.
♥ write letters of encouragement- together you can bless so many people, from shut-ins to missionaries abroad to children in need.
It's late and I know that if my mind were fresher (and less distracted!), I could come up with many more ideas for you. I hope this list has given you ideas of your own. Anyone else have ideas to share?
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