Who is the problem?

Hard to admit but true.  If school ain't happening it's mama's fault.  If I don't have it together, of course my kids are going to quietly slink off and find something else to do.  They are children.

This weekend I planned school for the week and today I attempted to stick to the plan.  Result? 

• 7yo - whining.  
• 11yo wailing and gnashing of teeth.  
• 14yo - rebelled by ignoring most of the list and played RuneScape instead of doing school work.

 The 14yo almost sent me over the edge into an emotional rant.  This is my child who is compliant for the most part.  In other words, she learned long ago to fly under the radar which has allowed her to do what she wants.  I bit my tongue and put myself in time out.  

I feel calmer and ready to jump in the trenches again tomorrow.  I expect more whining, wailing, gnashing of teeth, and rebellious attitudes.  And if I get better behavior?  I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Curriculum Slave?

It can be easy to become a slave to curriculum.  For example I really like Rod & Staff, so I chose to use their Bible Nurture and Reader Series (BNRS) to teach my beginning reader.  I like the mix of phonics, sight words, and Bible stories.  But..., it moves too fast for my kids.  My 7yo was taking about 45 minutes per workbook (one for phonics, one for reading comprehension/skills) with me sitting beside her.  When we finished, my brain felt like it had been sent through a blender.  After one of these torture sessions, I wondered why I was making us endure this?  Why was I trying to force her into a mold rather than individualizing the instruction to her needs?


I'm a rule follower and I struggled with the realization that one of my favorite curricula wasn't going to work for us.  Wait.  I started thinking, "Is BNRS good? Yes.  Do I need to use the materials step-by-step as laid out in the teacher's notes? No.  There is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater." 

We have continued to use the phonics and the sightword flashcards that accompany the stories found in the BNRS Readers.  We have hit the pause button in regards to the workbooks while solidifying her knowledge of phonics with Progressive Phonics readers (free online) and ABeka's Handbook for Reading (phonics textbook).

Learning to read can be fruitful without being frustrating if, as her teacher, I remember to go at her pace.  She'll get there.

The Year My Mother Read to Me

I got really discouraged last week. I feel like I'm failing my kids in so many ways. There isn't enough of me to go around and honestly I'm naturally a slacker. I began to question why I'm homeschooling in the first place. Scary. I am still in the process of pondering what my priorities should be.

I have come upon a theme/focus for this year...The Year My Mother Read to Me. I plan to read aloud to my kids every day from books that I consider to be classics. The 3R's will be next in line with writing being the more important of those three for the 11yo and 14yo. Next, I plan to shore up their weaknesses...whatever their specific needs are. And last, I will strive to find time for Latin, grammar, science, etc.

It's a real plus that my children like to be read to. They seem to view it as a treat. I was a little worried this week when I chose to read them a retelling of Don Quixote. I wasn't sure they would find it interesting after all of the Alex Rider and Percy Jackson and the Olympians we've been reading recently. Guess what? They begged me to continue reading each time I suggested that we find a stopping place. It felt good. It felt right.

What about Alex Rider and Percy Jackson? They'll still be around. Who can give up fast paced adventure stories...and cute boys? c:

LCC?

We aren't getting to Tapestry of Grace. I believe it is an awesome program, but 14yo dd is struggling to get the basics done each day (Algebra l, First Form Latin, Analytical Grammar, and BJU Biology). I don't know how we can add more to her plate. So, I'm considering going back to LCC (Latin Centered Curriculum) recommendations. Latin, math, and composition. Of course there is more to it than that but if we can get the core subjects done, I'll feel like I've given the girls what they need.

School

Being honest - I am looking forward to Wednesday. What is Wednesday? The first day of public school. 11yo and 7yo are very social and therefore have a hard time focusing on their school work when they know that their friends are available to play with. Of course, 14yo will have to adjust to having her sisters in the house again. Can't keep everyone happy.

TOG isn't happening. I'm not sure why. I guess I want to do it all but realize there isn't enough time. I'm not giving up, I just need to find an approach/schedule that works for us.

Love, love, love the CM Organizer! Don't get me wrong, I've always enjoyed paper planners. Let's face it though, even the best laid plans are usually derailed within the first few days. I don't have to worry about that anymore. And, I don't have to erase and rewrite. I love the idea of entering resource information once instead of entering it week after week. Take the tour and see if it will make your homeschool day easier.

Girly Math

Who needs counting bears when you can
use bottles of nail polish instead?

Summer

Summer and the living is easy...for the kids that is. No school has taken place this week due to attending a family reunion. Probably not much will happen next week either. There's a doctor's appointment, a baby shower, and a birthday. Oh well, such is life.

Working in a Coal Mine

Well I been workin in a coal mine

Goin down down down
Workin in a coal mine
Whew about to slip down
Five oclock in the mornin
Im up before the sun
When my work day is over
Im too tired for havin fun
Lord I am so tired
How long can this go on?

I read an organizing post that suggested making files for every week of Tapestry of Grace filled with ALL of the papers and assignment sheets for each child. I decided to do the same not realizing how much time would be involved and how my "must finish this" tendency would take over. I'm tired of the project, but I will not rest until it is done. I will probably be happy I did this when Christmas rolls around and I don't have time for planning and copying papers.

Here are the results thus far...
(click on pictures)

Files are numbered.
Only one file for the entire student body per week.


A sampling of pages already filed in week four.



Finally! A use for my Desk Apprentice.

The June Push

This week is our last opportunity to accomplish school in June...and maybe even July for that matter. The family reunion, church girls camp, and a new grandson will be the focus in July.

Goals for this week:
Math - daily for all
Latin vocab - 13yo and 11yo
Biology - reading, study for Chapter 1 test
Tapestry of Grace - 13yo finishes any reading, discusses with mom, time line; younger girls read, work on geography/maps, start Unit 1 lap book

edit (Thurs.): Such high hopes but it isn't going to happen. 13yo is sick and 11yo is staying with married sister for the week. It has become a planning week.

Too Relaxed?

I don't know what happened, but I have been VERY relaxed about school (specifically TOG and Biology) the past few days. 13yo is way ahead of me in all of her reading. I tell myself every evening to bring out the books and read. Doesn't happen. I'll see what I can get done this weekend.

13yo finished a Garlic Press pre-algebra workbook this week, so I think we're ready to give Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 another try. TT along with Key to Algebra will hopefully be a winning combination. I've found the Key to Series to be very helpful and I really like their online component - Key to Tracker.

11yo started Rod & Staff Math 5 this week. The first lessons are review which have been very easy for her. She's been relieved (she doesn't love school). We've continued reading about Ancient Egypt though we didn't get as far as I would have liked to this week.

I found some cool Egyptian photos to use for my computer's wallpaper at National Geographic. I love the one with a couple of camels in front of pyramids.

As usual 7yo is getting the short end of the stick. We did math a few times this week and she dawdled even though her friends were waiting to play with her. We haven't done any reading. It's so easy to let her run off and play.