I am a schedules person. We do this at this time, we do that at that time. We must have worksheets and tangible, see-able proof that we have been working today. MUST, MUST, MUST. It ain't working.
Ian is a very hands-on kid. He likes to build, he likes to play, he likes to color, he likes to run. I've been getting frustrated because he doesn't want to stop playing with his math blocks. I've been allowing him to play for a few minutes, and then telling him it's time to get on with our lesson. This hasn't been working. He gets annoyed at me, and then refuses to do anything because he just wants to play. I get annoyed because we are supposed to be schooling, and he won't cooperate. Obviously not a very productive situation.
So today we tried something a little new. It was basically a "back-off, Mom" day where he got to choose what we were going to do, when. We still got to everything, but I let him have a lot more play time and I followed his lead. We generally start our day with our Bible Story, with some kind of book and craft. I have a fun Adam and Eve book that also has a DVD with the story and games on it for this week. I was excited to try it out, and so was Ian, but he was MORE excited to move onto Lesson 11 in math. So that's what we did. We threw out the schedule and we started with math. We built with the blocks, we took our time, and when he was acting "done" I just asked that he finish the last two problems on the sheet we were working on and we would move on. It seemed to work...no meltdowns!
After our Bible Story, he decided he needed a break. So we took that time for recess. He was allowed to pick a game on the computer and play for a little bit. When he was done, we made the letter "D" with the play-doh we made for science last week and worked on handwriting. We were going to play a matching game, but it became clear quickly that he didn't want to. I didn't get frustrated, I accepted it, and we finished for the day.
We didn't get everything done that I had hoped to, but it's okay. He learned and he played and we stopped before either of us were in breakdown mode. I hope I can continue with this more relaxed approach. It's not "me" but the point of homeschooling is to tailor it to "him". I need to keep that thought at the forefront of my mind otherwise, what are we doing this for?
We may cut our school week down to three days depending on how the next couple of days go. Right now we do Monday-Thursday and Science on Friday. We may do a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday schedule keeping Science on Friday (he has no idea we are doing school during Science-time...seriously, he looks for bugs and makes play-doh!). The last couple of weeks have been difficult, with him being *DONE* by Thursday, which of course gets me agitated because we don't get anything accomplished. So we'll try one more week with the four days and the new laid-back approach, and if we are still having problems we will try the other schedule next week. This year is going to be full of trial and error.
Hahaha! We're the opposite in every way here. I'm a veeeeerrrrry laid back mom and I'm trying my best to get into a routine--I can't even bring myself to call it a schedule! And Daniel just "gets" reading and writing, but it's like pulling teeth to get him to pay any attention to the math lesson. He likes to play with the manipulatives--the abacus and balance are his favorites. But the second I start "teaching" him anything, his eyes glaze over. I'm hoping it's just because the first few lessons are so boring in and of themselves... Hopefully I didn't just waste a bunch of money on a math curriculum that doesn't work for us. We're going to reevaluate at the end of this week, and if it's still like pulling teeth, we'll pause and try again next "semester".
ReplyDeleteBut what's the same about us, is that WE are the learners here! I have been learning so much about Daniel and his learning style and his needs through this process. I'm glad we decided to start this year--even if we don't get much formal education done--so I'm better prepared for next year when it really starts to matter.
Yes, I agree! Thank goodness for kindergarten...this "practice" year is a necessity. I think I worry more about getting things checked off because we don't know yet if I will continue homeschooling next year--I need/want him to be inline with or surpassing his peers.. We're doing a lot of researching and thinking and just don't know what to do yet. Thankfully this is only week 3 and we have plenty of time to figure it out. Thankfully Hazenn is completely supportive of whatever I want to do, but then of course that puts pressure on me to make the decision (yuck!).
ReplyDeleteAnd Ian is the opposite...I think he would do math all day if I let him. Reading and writing is a nightmare, though...he just doesn't care. He doesn't know all his letters yet, and he seriously has no desire to figure them out. I'm trying to find more "fun" ways to do it. The play-doh worked for about two seconds, but then he was mashing it up and making balls. Sigh.
Daniel knows most of his letters, but he still doesn't know all of them either. Look into "Teach a Child to Read with Children's Books". It's not a curriculum, per se, but a method. We're using it very loosely (I don't have the book, just what I've gleaned from the internet about it) and it's making the lessons even more fun.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about reading is that developmentally a LOT of children aren't ready at 5. Waldorf schools don't even start teaching reading until 7! You may have to go the creative approach to reading/phonics instead of the formal approach for now. Check this out: http://www.pedagonet.com/quickies/qki114.htm.
Its frustrating to have bought a curriculum that you're not going to end up using. I'm determined that we'll use the math program I just paid a pretty penny for... I just hope its sooner rather than later. Though I suppose if Reid or the next baby uses it, it will still be worth the money. =/