Wednesday, August 19, 2009

6,12,18,24,30,36,42,48,54,60,66,72

We are so trying to get our homeschool organized, and I am slowly but surely getting used to having all 5 of them home every single day. I am the type of person who has a hard time just flying by the seat of my pants. I need to have everything organized. I need to know what's going on all the time. Call it OCD. Call it a character flaw. I call it a necessity.

So the make up of the homeschool kids are this: 5 kids between the ages of 6 and 12, and they are all on different learning levels. There are certain things they can do by themselves, but I have found that if I leave too much to their own doing, it either doesn't get done at all (Jack) or gets done totally wrong (Josh). Justine is a new reader, and still needs so much of my time. And so even though I have homeschooled for years, I am still figuring out how to do it with 5 kids without feeling like I am leaving anything out. Or leaving anyone out. Or losing my freaking mind.

We have made a huge, very complicated spreadsheet split into 30 minute and hour long increments to include our new phonetic zoo spelling computer program, individual time, homework time, grammar, history, science, computer fun, reading etc. etc. etc.

I am organizing the educational computer games. I am working on getting things for Justine to be able to do while I'm working with the other kids. I am making file folder games for everyone. I am organizing flashcards and sight words. We are memorizing the countries of South and Central America. We are memorizing poems and bible verses.

I am tired.

This was our recess today.

I call it "jumping on the trampoline in the rain."

I totally planned it this way.

Cause that's just how good of an organizer and homeschool planner I am.



And we ended the break with a little yoga, meditation, and namaste.

Aren't they adorable?

So I let recess go on a little longer than planned just because sometimes you just have to choose between having deliciously happy kids and kids who know their 6's multiplication tables....

There's always tomorrow.

6,12,18,24,30,36,42,48,54,60,66,72...

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4 comments:

Melissa said...

Love it! We also do the schedule like you were talking about. I ended up doing it out of necessity because there was too much freedom going on at times and complete chaos was happening when I was trying to work with one of the kids who wasn't having free time. :-) I got the idea from a book. I don't remember the name of it, but it was from a family who homeschools. Glad to know I'm not the only crazy OCD (not that you're crazy hahaha) around here LOL.

Laurel said...

Sounds like our homeschooling will be similar this year. I will homeschooling 5 kids between 7-13, plus a 16 year old.

I am decided to use Sonlight this year, for the first time. I am going to do a World History program with the 7, 8, 9 year olds, and a different World History program with the almost 11 and almost 13 year old. So, we will all be studying the same time periods and places, using different texts and books. The 16 year old will be doing U.S. History this year, and I think I can get my dh to be his "teacher".

I will be using the Sonlight Language Arts, Bible, and Science curriculums, also (which can be taught with both group settings). Then, each child will just have their individual math programs.

Something totally NEW for us ... after 19 years of homeschooling. I'm looking forward to it.

mama of 13

MommyBrec said...

TOTALLY LOVED this blog post!!!!! I loved to hear what you are doing for homeschool but I ESPECIALLY LOVED your recess! LOL! :D You have such a happy family! :)

Brec
manygrandadventures.blogspot.com
sixteensmallstones.blogspot.com
16smallstones.com

Sandee said...

I cannot even imagine how it is done. Hacen't I read that you work as well outside your home. A nurse I think? Or am I nuts?