It’s the last week for the Virtual Curriculum Fair. I’ve not participated as much I wanted to, but life kind of has a way of getting in the way. Appropriately enough, the topic this week is “Nuts and Bolts”. Since I love to organize and plan, I don’t think it’s a topic I can skip!
A couple of years ago I wrote this article on Teaching Multiple Ages. My basic point was that when teaching multiple students you have to find a balance between subjects that you teach to multiple students at once, subjects that your student works on independently, and subjects that require one-on-one instruction. As the number of children increases, the amount of time that you can spend on individualized instruction decreases. There are only so many hours in the day.
I’ve found that as my children have grown, I’ve become much more of a facilitator than a teacher. I am still providing assignment sheets for my older children (13 and 11), but they have begun to rearrange their assignments to balance their workload. We’re using more video instruction too. I hope next year to enroll my oldest in an on-line class.WIth my older children working more on their own, I have more time to spend teaching my third and fourth children. I have to spend one-on-one time with my middle son (9) because of various learning issues that he has. I need to spend more one-on-one time with younger daughter (5). Thankfully she likes working on the computer. She also receives some help from her oldest brother and sister.
I wanted to be one of those families that cuddle together on the couch and read and discuss. But we’re just not. I have finally accepted it (mostly). My children are so different and even those that are close in age have such varied interests, that it makes learning together in a formal way awkward. We are learning all the time though and we go on field trips and vacations together of course. And maybe there’s hope for the younger 2…
Is your homeschool different than you originally pictured it? How?
Be sure to visit these other great blogs to see ideas for organizing your homeschool and your home.
Weekly Homeschooling Schedule by Julie @ HighHill Homeschool
Virtual Curriculum Fair: Week 5: The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all
Together by Leah @ The Courtney Six Homeschool
Our Schedule’s Working! by Eunora @ All Things NoriLynn
Homeschooling: How do I do it all? by Debbie @ Debbie’s Digest
Virtual Curriculum Fair— Wrap-up Angie @ Petra School
Virtual Curriculum Fair: 5 Ways to Use an iPad in Your Homeschool by Pam @ Everyday Snapshots
A Peek Into Our School Day by Melissa @ Grace Christian Homeschool
A Day in the Life… by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun
Homeschool and Life: How we get it done by Jen @ Forever, For Always, No Matter What
Homeschooling at My House by Jessica @ Modest Mama
Getting a Grip on Things by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Making Home School a part of LIFE by Cindy @ For One Another
Now Where’s That Pencil Again? by Beth @ Ozark Ramblings
Something About Homeschooling I Really Didn’t See Coming by Letha @justpitchingmytent
Curriculum,Kids, and a Frazzled Homeschool Mama leads to Controlled Chaos! by Laura O from AK @ Day by Day in Our World
Staying on Top of Everything by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning
By Kristen H.
I still have daydreams about cuddling on the sofa and learning together, too. We do have some read alouds together, field trips, nature walks, and such, but my children are of such different temperaments! Pluse a couple are extremely sensitive to stimuli (one can’t stand to hear another hum and the other’s got to hum!), and there’s a 4 year age gap between the oldest and the next oldest. If I’m not careful, I don’t expect enough of the oldest and expect may too much of the next child. And then there are learning differences…no it’s not what I expected. But then real life often is as I expected it to be. ;0)
Thank you for contributing to the Virtual Curriculum Fair.
Our time reading on the sofa together is a favorite memory.
I’m following you on gfc from the Crew.
Do drop in.
Laura Lane