But I do not love our schedule. And I do not love the way all the lessons are written.
I like our curriculum. However, this beginning-of-the-year review is killing us! Sweetheart is bored by a lot of it and even though I think review is good---too much is not. So, last night I talked to my husband and did some thinking about how much of the curriculum to follow and how much common sense I can use and what I can skip. I've got to finish thinking through all that today.
And then there were the tears from Sweetheart yesterday as she told me she missed doing fun stuff. "What do you mean 'fun'?" I asked her. It turns out she wants to do some of the preschool things that Little Bit gets to do while she suffers through boring review. OK, time to re-think a few things. I don't think it's the preschool stuff that really appeals to her as much as her lessons are NOT appealing to her. Sigh. Time to quit going to bed saying, "The lesson plans are already written for me for the whole year." Instead it's time to brush off my teacher's hat and customize those babies to appeal to her.
AND, it turns out that Little Bit could care less about all the cute little activities I made for her to pull of the shelf and be entertained and educated with while I work with her sister. The Montessori-type stuff is not appealing to her AT ALL. (Except the big tub of rice--that was a hit!) Come to think of it, she is just far too relational to be happy with that kind of stuff for long. So, I found a great preschool curriculum online and I'm trying to re-write our schedule where we can spend 30 or 45 minutes on preschool lessons each morning, with Sweetheart involved too. And now that I've decided to chunk some of the lesson plans...there should be time.
Yes, morale is low around here among the short people.
So, we're are covering the basics around here today...reading, math, phonics, hide-n-seek, etc. while Mommy tries to revamp our schedule to work better. Now that I'm all experienced at this homeschool thing.
Yeah.
We'll start up again on Monday, after I pray and think, and work on making this whole school thing even more wonderful. Because it's going to be. We REALLY love being together. We just need a little work to make it all better.
I would really love to hear how you work out your homeschool logistics. I have a toddler and I am planning to homeschool her when she gets older. I just got turned on to the idea of home school about a year ago and since our, older kids are already in middle school, my husband thought they should stay in school. He's probably right, but I want to start out our youngest at home from the start. Blessings to you and I hope things get better.
ReplyDeleteLove the picture!!
ReplyDeleteBeen there with the whole "lessons not written right". Because, especially with Abeka, the lessons are written for complete classes, so there's lots of seatwork and they review sooooo much!
I love Abeka, but I have to make it work for us. We use what works and ditch what doesn't. If that means skipping some of that never-ending review, so be it.
That's what is so great about homeschooling. You know exactly how fast or slow you need to go and can adjust your speed accordingly.
cute pic Brenda. It's fun to see your face and not just your hand...tee hee.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing my scheduling this weekend too. We are starting on Monday.
They look young. Very young.
ReplyDeleteHmmmmmm. How to say this right?
Someday, years from now...say, 5 years from now...you are going to wonder why you spent so much mental energy on all this.
I notice that, ironically, the moms who struggle the most with homeschooling are the ones who are degreed to do the job in an institutionalized setting. I think I've mentioned that before.
Sounds like you're on the right track, though, when you talk about "tailoring" to appeal to your child. The Lord bless you with His wonderful wisdom in your noble pursuit!
Oh, yes! And the picture? Fun to see your face--I envisioned you with very dark, slightly wavy long hair. How weird is that?
Oh, GB! I KNOW that's why I'm stuggling!
ReplyDeleteThank you for saying they are young. I mean, I know Little Bit is--I'm not at all worried about doing anything "schoolish" with her. It's just the 8 year old that I'm concerned about. I don't know why. It's just such a drastic change from public/private school which we have dealt with for 3 years. How can I switch and understand? I want to.
And the hair? I would SO love to have any ANY wave to my hair! :)
Thanks for the comment!
Good luck to you with working out your homeschooling issues. From my experience in tutoring, there were many times when I had to give up the straighforward approach to teach the kids something, and work towards our goals in more subtle ways. Creativity works. :)
ReplyDeleteGosh, but isn't that the beauty of homeschooling that we are drawn to? That it is so flexible, that you CAN take some time to step back and revamp what isn't working and make it work specifically for your children? And, that because you are only teaching two children, "school" will take so much less time each day, that it will be easier to "catch up" from taking some time off. Remember the freedom we have in homeschooling....
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with GB. I think my professional training is a bit of a hinderance for my homeschooling pursuits. Until I get around the fact that I don't have to teach a classroom full of kids-- just two, I think I will still have a bit of desire to follow the public school way. Praise be to God that I am letting that go.
I am also grateful for GB's comment. I haven't even started "school" this year... but my kids are so young, and I KNOW I will look back and think how I worried about nothing. But, I worry that way. Definitely an area to give to the Lord. :)
P.S. LOVE the picture! Your girls are so sweet! And, it's nice to *meet* you. :)
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