[BoGiBoBo]

My ds is currently in 6th grade in a private school. Dd just turned 5. I plan on homeschooling both of them next year and am nervous about mingling their lessons. Is it even possible? I thought I would be able to go with a more unit study approach, but either way it seems like I will be talking about things too easy for my older or too hard for my younger.

Anyone else have a big age gap? What have you found that works? I would like to try and avoid teaching 2 kids totally different things.

 

[saintmom]

We have a huge age gap between children.Three are left at home now,15,12,5
We don't do everything together.I try to have the youngest playing or doing something when I need to help the older ones.
I always liked http://www.commonsensepress.com/grea...ce/default.htm Dinah Zike is a genius IMHO.These books worked well for hands on multiple age activities.Being the curriculum junkie that I am I also supplemented with library and other textbooks.
If you can figure out your rhythm and routine a difference in ages is an asset and not a handicap.It does keep you on your toes!

 

[Shianne]

My boys are 19, 11 and 4 and while we are not terribly strict now, at one point we were when we belonged to a charter school.
It wasn't terribly difficult since by the time the other was starting, the older was independently working on most things. With the youngest, most of their work can be done in a short amount of time or in spurts depending on their attention span and how much work you want them to do.
With my 4 year old, its mostly reading and play. Science consists of looking at bugs under a magnifying glass, picking up things on nature walks, making co-polymers and non-newtonian substances. We also do a lot of arts and crafts. My older one participates as well in these things and experiments on his own. He builds off of things that I do with the youngest. He pretty much has free rein over what he learns, but has been wanting to do book work lately. But again since he is able to act independently, I only help him when he needs it and at that time I am able to get my youngest to do something on his own as well.

 

[zjande]

My 17 yr old has graduated & I am only hsing my 10 yr old. I too stress about this very topic because I also have a 3 yr old, a 1 yr old and one in the belly. I just can't imagine how I will hschool my oldest AND my youngers as they reach school age. I spend so much one on one time with my 10 yr old. I picture myself in 2 yrs or so trying to work with my then 5 yr old, and pre-k crafts with my toddler, AND school my then 12 yr old & it makes me freak out!

: I don't think it will be possible to mix any of their subjects... except maybe some crafts....

:

I swear, the only thing I comfort myself with is thinking about all those large families out there who's blogs I've looked at that homeschool. There are plenty of moms of 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 etc. out there homeschooling ALL of them (my own aunt hschooled 9 of her kids) so if they can do that then I can school a handful at a time, right???

Anyway, I'm sure not helpful in the slightest am I.

 

[Dakota's Mom]

I am only homeschooling my six year old. My daughter is homeschooling her three. My oldest is going to be 40 this year. So I have not had to deal with trying to teach more than one at a time. But I do understand large age span in kids.

Kathi