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Frustrated..... - Page 2

post #21 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by moominmamma View Post
Still, that doesn't mean she's lazy not to. It means that the task is meaningless to her, or that it's overwhelming, or that her active curious mind has moved on to other stuff and she's tired of the stupid puzzle, or that keeping a tidy living space has not yet been internalized as a value for her, or that she is getting some secondary gain out of being in a power struggle with you over the task.
My thoughts as well, but you said it better than I would have.
post #22 of 23
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaoticzenmom View Post
You're near me and I suspect you go to the same PP program we just left. One of the reasons we left the resource center is because I did end up feeling like I was missing out on "my" life while we were there. I liked the classes that they took, but sitting in the toddler room while they're out learning...it all felt kind of pointless. That and my driving there, taking classes, driving home, cleaning and whatever we had time for at home. It led to burnout big-time. What I did was to wean myself off of the PP place. I joined a local group and started looking for resources that were not associated with the program. I found soo much stuff. Something about it feels more "real." The parents are more interested in each other, we go and do things all together. It feels more like something we're doing "together" instead of me being on the side-lines wondering where I fit into my day. I didn't realize how stressed out I was until I turned in the paperwork to pull my kids out. I felt like I was floating on air!


Good luck.
Lisa
actually for our situation the PPP has been a blessing! dd1 really enjoys her class and all the kids are so nice! When its warm enough I just sit in my car and read. Inside the building is LOUD, crowded and smells odd! Next yr dd1 wants to take 3 class.... that means ME hanging around for 4 hours! AHHH, I'll go crazy, but it is what she wants to do. We have 4 PPPs in our area so most all of the hser who want to do classes, join. Otherwise the independent hser vary from ultra religious to ultra unschooling and I have yet to hear of one that we would fit into, and NO I don't have the energy to start one right now.

Its true, I am a bit burnt out. But as a PP said, hser shouldn't turn to ps when times get rough. Hopefully by the end of the summer I will have a few things worked out.
post #23 of 23
I don't see the issues you're describing as school/homeschool issues, so I don't see sending her to public school as solving these problems. They all sound like very normal age-appropriate challenges, so don't trip about your hs-ing plan. It sounds like she's doing pretty good on the home learning front. You already have some really good suggestions on changing the dynamic that's creating the stress between the two of you.

I just wanted to add that I definitely would not have art materials out for free access that my 6yo dd could not clean up by herself. That's not to say that she always cleans up the art materials (I am looking right now at a stamp set that has been on the coffee table for well over 24hrs), but that I would go CRAZY if she could pull out at any time materials that she's incapable of cleaning up. And we are a very pro-art family. She does get to work in more "grown up" or professional media, but that is something that I pull out occasionally and we use together or with a little more oversight than the daily art materials.

So for your own peace of mind, if I were you, I would definitely switch to paint pens or other water-based stuff that she has (and can handle) the responsibility of putting away when done.

A system that works for us: dd has a plastic three-drawer storage dresser, just the small cheap kind. Top drawer is Drawing materials with markers, pencils, crayons, stamps, stickers, etc in their own smaller boxes, all stuff that is easy to get out and put back. I let her use Sharpies or brush and India ink, but those are in MY art stuff which she (pretty much) knows to ask for (and usually gets); 2nd drawer is Modeling with pipe cleaners, modeling clay, beeswax, etc. Same deal here. 3rd drawer is Painting and she has the cake things of watercolors, paint pens, some cheap water-based "craft" paint she was gifted, sponges and brushes and cups--all stuff that she is capable of easily wiping up herself--acrylics, oils, and tube watercolors are in "my" (or the "professional") art chest, and it's not like I won't share these with her, but they're not stuff she can just get out whenever she wants 'coz it's not as convenient for any of us, you know? Other art/craft (like fibers) are in baskets or other units around the house, but nothing is "free access" that she can't handle on her own.

Anyways, my point is I hope you get some ideas on setting it up for her to where she can "do it herself" and please, please, for your sanity, swap out the oils as once-in-a-while stuff so you're not putting more energy into her art than she is! Perhaps think about doing some Montessori-style "presentations" on cleaning up the art materials that are always available and repeating the presentations until they are very natural to her. The cleaning up part is just as valuable a part of the process as the act of creating the art!

I hope you're getting some ideas on how to resolve the issues while continuing to homeschool!
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