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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
I've been trying the past week but I'm having a hard time with it. I'm not really a patient person and neither is dd.

I'm also not very organized, though I'm trying to get that way.

Do you think if I keep with it that it will get easier?
 

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Keep up with it, it does get easier over time, you learn about each others styles, it is an onward journey together. I have to say it is not always easy but it is always worth it.

I think how when my kids are grown I had the chance to be with them FULL TIME and watch them grow.

As for patience that can be hard. If you are feeling maxed out, maybe re-evaluate where you can pull back to ease the load a bit. And our children learn so much role modelling from us....

I find when I am losing it (often due to fatigue) It really does help to just stop what I am doing and to take some slow long, deep breaths, keep doing this till you feel calm. Even my 2 yr old copies that!!!

Hang on in there, your dd adores you and you have the chance to help her shine xxxxxxxxxxx
 

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This year is the first year I've been able to be organized and I've been at it a couple of years. The thing is, you have to learn that it's okay to teach in a way that isn't "conventional". Make it interesting, get colorful books, get audio tapes, make it a game. It doesn't have to be tedious.

April
intuitive medium
 

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Just curious, how old are your kids? I have found that a more unschool approach works for us in the early years. (My oldest is 7)
I think so many of us ambitious types that want to homeschool sometimes feel like we want to do it all. So many fun books, games textbooks, approaches etc. Then when the 5 or 6 year old isn't loving it it can be disappointing. Maybe do some research on different learning styles, and tailor your school to fit that.
 

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hugs momma!

it will get better....or your standards will become "lower" LOL

i bet they are learning more than you think.

call it a week long break or a teacher's institute and start fresh tomorrow....maybe not with whole new lesson plans or big ideas, but with the best attitude about yourslef.

who knows them better or cares about them more than you do?

will a teacher with 35 students have MORE patience?

go easy on yourself
 

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Quote:

Originally Posted by mamao'two
I've been trying the past week but I'm having a hard time with it. I'm not really a patient person and neither is dd.

I'm also not very organized, though I'm trying to get that way.

Do you think if I keep with it that it will get easier?
Can you elaborate some on what parts you're having a hard time with? It's difficult to say if it'll get easier or not without knowing what, exactly you're "keeping with" kwim? Maybe it will get easier with time, or maybe you'll need to change what you're doing.
 

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Don't have to be organized.
and IMO it sounds like your trying to hard if both of you are loosing your cool.

Just roll with the punches, that why we all homeschooling is to go with the flow of our lives and the personalties in the family and to allow the child learn as it suits their personalty
 

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To answer questions, she's 4. So what we've typically been doing takes less than an hour and is sometimes broken up during the day.

We read some together (we do a thing where I read one word and she reads one, taking turns), we have a simple history book that she really likes so we read in there and sometimes copy what they are doing (for example we did some weaving and made a tiny little piece of cloth, we made a clay bowl, etc), sometimes we read out of a kids poetry book, and she likes worksheets so we do those.

Yesterday was just a bad day and so we just stopped and I figured we'd pick it back up today.
 

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You don't have to be that organized or scheduled at first. Just go with the flow. If she's having a bad day, don't do anything sit-down and instead do something more active or take a field trip or go for a picnic.


What I about to say applies for older kids, like at least age 5. At her age I would just encourage unschooling or maybe some sit down play sessions with colors or counting or whatever. But use blocks or toys, not formal workbooks.

My first year I bought the K set from Calvertschool.org and it was a good way to start. I soon learned what my dd's learning style was, what she did and did not respond to, etc. I started to become more confident. About halfway through the year I had the courage to throw out the lesson plans and about half the books that were just not working for her. I kept some of the good material and we finished the year out.

Then I read The Well-Trained Mind which is kinda like choose your own adventure. She has guidelines for each grade level and a list of educational materials and where to buy them. You can pick from several differnent math or reading or whatever curriculums and put together a homeschool package that works better for your chlid and your personality. This has been working so well for us but I don't follow her schedule at all. We just do our own thing. When she's ready for the next handwriting book I order the next one. So what if she's ahead in one area and more typical in another?

We homeschool anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours per day. It just depends on the day, our moods, where we are with the material. She's plugging right along even without the formal structure and organization. She's learning a lot and we are relaxed and having fun. In my opinion, creating a strict schedule sets you and her both up for disappointment and a sense of failure.

You can also start with unschooling, which is probably what you have been doing all along with her and just didn't know it.
 

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Girl I am the QUEEN of disorganization! Patience with my kids is something I have to work on as well. We live in a small apartment where me and dh are both ft student and we have 2 girls we homeschool, we are a mess, but HAPPY!!!

We have learned (and it takes time to figure all this out) that we are very laid back homeschoolers, we have no real schedual (except me and dh school and work) and just take it a day at a time.

Your going to have bad days, really bad days, good days, and great days with homeschooling because it's just part of life and in life we have good and bad days right?

And it gets easier the older your kids get....a lot easier. My oldest is 8 now and it is a breeze compared to my 4 year old. My 4 year old has been asking to "build letters" so I write her name and she likes to try to make the letters herself, that is the extent of our homeschooling...lol. Well we do read books when she brings me one, mainly she just plays all day, that is fine with me.

Yoru going to have days when you want to throw in the towel, that is normal. Homeschooling is just part of life, sometimes in life you want to just throw in the towel ya know?
 
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