*I* need to relax

[mama_kass]

As our first year homeschooling I'm driving myself crazy. I want my son to have the BEST education. I want him to really LEARN. I'm finding myself getting frustrated. Watching the clock to see how many hours we've spent. Not letting my son play because we haven't done enough in a day. Holding him to A LOT of hours each day. Not taking days off. Considering a day wasted if we didn't accomplish at least 6 subjects. Looking at things like computer time as a waste.

Even still, he says he loves hs and that I'm not being too hard on him. He's really sweet.

I had a picture of a more relaxed hs. I'm failing miserably. I want to relax. I want our hs life to be joyful. Please tell me this is a normal process. If it's not please give me some advice on how to relax.

[meowee]

BTDT!

Here's my advice:

1) Don't knock the computer. Some educational computer games are excellent. Among some good ones are Zoombinis, Mia Math, Reader Rabbit, Liberty's Kids, Thinkin' Science ZAP, etc. If you want more suggestions just ask, and give me a subject. Switched on Schoolhouse is not bad, either. Very few bells and whistles, and lots of content. You might want to check it out.

2) At his age (8, right?) you should "require" writing, reading, and math. Don't worry about the other stuff. Do science projects as often as you can tolerate it, and encourage him to do free reading. Keep the TV off until 3 PM at least if not later.

3) Download Homeschool Tracker. It's free, and you can keep track of everything he does and reads. You'll be amazed at how impressive it looks. It will help calm you down. (There is a post with the link further down in this forum.)

4) You might be interested in the Robinson Curriculum. You don't have to buy the curriculum to follow the method. Basically the guy who created it feels that Reading, Writing, and Math are what you should do in the early years, and that everything else is a distracting waste. Read some of the articles:

www.robinsoncurriculum.com

hope this helps.

[laralou]

It is a normal process. Many if not most homeschool moms go through this. I think you will find your rhythm and find what works for you over time. I wish I could give you better advice, but honestly I go through this at the beginning of the year every year we have homeschooled.

[daylily]

I'm going through a touch of this myself. Dd (age 8) insists she's learning more at home than she did last year at public school, despite my worries.

I've read (and several people have also told me the same thing) that in two hours, a homeschooler can accomplish what a public school class does in six hours.

I don't think it's necessary to cover six subjects *every* day. Isn't it common for homeschoolers to use Friday as a day off for errands and library visits? I've found that dd & ds are working so quickly that on Fridays we can skip spelling, grammar, writing and math.

Use time wisely. We often do a "working lunch"--my kids have to sit still to eat lunch, so why not use that time to teach them something? Lunchtime is now the time that I read to them about either history or science. Dd often reads from the book I've assigned to her while she's in bed--either before getting up in the morning or before going to sleep. It still counts as school work if she's in bed! Using time like this allows more free time for playing.

[littlest birds]

It's easy to get caught up like this. But it helps to reframe what learning is. For instance, I think playing is part of learning--moving one's body freely, getting outdoors.... Children don't do enough of that at school. Natural play builds a child's ability to imagine the world and all that is in it and fit himself into that world. It lets him sort out what he sees and learns and internalize it. Many children actually cannot process what they've learned academically without having large-motor movement time.

Certainly, no need to "do" six subjects a day. That means it's all broken up anyhow. And just a few hours a day can easily keep you doing more than the ps--they spend much of their time just keeping order, getting from place to place, etc. There's a lot of wasted time there.

The fact that children learn isn't something teachers or parents create. It is a drive within the child that comes naturally if we manage to recognize many forms of learning in the whole child. Schools often shut out a lot of this learning and shortchange our children in the process because they only recognize/emphasize/reward growth in few areas of measurable academics. Homeschoolers need not imitate that.

I hope you manage to relax and still hold onto enough orgganized, constructive activities so you both feel right about this. It's tough to get this sorted out, and it's gradual. Definitely a normal process.

[Wilhemina]

[Monda]

Just wanted to give a little support from one new HSing mom to another. This is my first year with both my boys at home ( the are 9 and 12). Some days I feel like I need to do more with them, esp if my husband is asking how much "work" they did today. (I think he is afraid I will let them turn into mush brains or something LOL). Anyway, I focus on Math, Reading, and some writting (I lean towards naration for my younger son).

Most book I have read state that a 3-5th grade child should be able to complete plenty of work in 2 1/2 hours. By that, they did not mean to rush them, just to realize that 2 1/2 hours is enough time for a child that age to finish the same work they would do in PS.

Then again, we all have reasons for pulling our kids out of PS so it may not be best to try to model that broken set up.

I second the recomendation for the HomeSchool Tracker. When my kids practice their spelling words I have them do it in cursive. In that short 10 min they have done spelling and handwriting for the day! It really relaxes me to see all that written out.

[littlest birds]

We liked copying poetry--think through it and it's spelling, grammar, literature, handwriting, and reading... Dd sometimes even ended up reading what she had written to us or sibs out loud, and quite expressively, too. And this was definitely relaxed. I like to present and engage my children with material of artistic beauty--what has more natural positive appeal than that?

[APMomof3]

We are new to hsing this year and having the same problem. We were doing all work and no play. That is why I decided to make October craft month at our house. LOL We weren't doing any arts and crafts and that is NOT what I wanted.

Good luck to us both!!!

[mama_kass]

Thank you all for posting. I'm so glad to hear that it is not just me that is having this problem! I appreciate all the hugs and support. You mamas are always the best! Thanks also for all the advice.

BTW meowee,
I have another window popped up with the Robinson Approach. I'm going to read through it. I love to learn about new approaches. I've been reading on this stuff for years and this is the first I have heard of this one. Thanks for the intro.

deeporgarten~ Beautifully said.