Need some input/suggestions

[NicoleLop]

We're on unit 7 of LHFHG and have had a rough couple weeks. For me, from a teaching perspective, I love the ease of HOD. My daughter (5 y/o) is getting bored and losing interest though, and each day is progressively harder. This is tough for me to deal with because she is usually very agreeable and not so non-compliant. Both my husband and my parents seem to think it's because we do the same thing every day. Now I'm starting to doubt what we're doing and am wondering if I should supplement with unit studies and other things to make it more fun and less predictable. I guess I'm just looking for ideas on how to get us back on track.

[tnahid]

Just wondering what your schedule looks like? It may be a scheduling issue? Just a thought.

I also think there will be a bit of getting tired of whatever curriculum you choose, because kids just tend to settle in and become bored or lazy after a while. What about throwing in some field trips or days to the park? I like to change things up by going to sit outside on a blanket or to the park and do our lessons out there. It is so pretty out and winter is coming so soon! They won't be able to go out as much then.

Just some thoughts for you.

Blessings,
Tina

[jenntracy]

It always seemed like it was enough for my son.It seems to be enough for my daughter currently. We do extra science here and there or other things that interest us.
They like the routine of knowing what subjects they will be doing. Maybe you could just "extend" some of the lessons with extra fun books or project.
I think doing a unit study might be too much if it is really involved.
We did some lapbooks for "science" when learning about animals and that was a fun hands on thing. Tried to correlate an animal from a book we were reading or just any my son wanted. My daughter likes pigs so we are doing pigs currently.
Feel free to PM if you want some specific authors we enjoy using for science. Don't want to overstep my bounds here on the board.
And be careful of others input. You are the teacher and see what your child is having difficulty with or what she really is enjoying.

Jenn

[NicoleLop]

We actually do an outing of some kind almost daily- art class, gymnastics, co-op, and a weekly park day with our homeschool group. It's still a bit too hot and humid to be outdoors right now though (I'm in FL). I guess I just feel like we're stuck in a rut but I'm not sure how to get out of it.

[Carrie]

NicoleLop,

I'm wondering if your daughter may just not ready for the academic rigor of LHFHG? Is it possible that she is tuning out on the readings and not really comprehending them?

Another thing to check is whether you are doing all of the activities in the guide each day? If so, I'm not sure how a child could be bored, as LHFHG rotates many of the activities daily so that it isn't the same every day. If you aren't getting a chance to do the hands-on follow-ups each day, and instead are pretty much just reading and discussing, it will make a big difference in how engaged your child is in the lessons.

A few other others to check that make a difference in a child's reaction to school are the 3 R's. With that in mind, what are you doing for phonics, handwriting, and math? How is she doing with the way you are approaching those areas? Does she seem to struggle with any of them? How well is her work done in each of these areas and how long do your sessions last for phonics, math, and handwriting? Are you getting a chance to do the hands-on lessons for the math?

Last, from over 20 years of teaching kiddos both in the classroom and at home, I will say that often boredom is a sign of one of the following:
1. ...that a child is incorrectly placed in the wrong guide
2. ...that a child feels he/she can get of the work being asked of him/her by stating that he/she is bored and acting bored
3. ...is a sign that the guide isn't really being used to its fullest and has instead become a reading schedule with a bit of follow-up here and there

As you ponder what I've mentioned, hopefully you'll find the answers you're seeking. We've been through LHFHG with two different kiddos now, and my boys loved school and begged for more. Since it takes only 90 minutes a day and the subjects rotate every 10-15 minutes, we never had enough time to be bored with any one activity.

Blessings,
Carrie

[NicoleLop]

Yes, we're doing all activities in the guide as it's written (with the exception of the math book we chose) and my daughter places perfectly into LHFHG. She's reading well so I think moving to LHTH would be too much of a step back for her....however I know that she's not bored to the point of needing to move to the next guide, as that would definitely be too rigorous. She did wonderfully the first month or so. Everything was keeping her attention and she especially loved Reddy Fox. The problem started initially with math and now it's starting to seep into all subjects. I just don't seem to have her full attention anymore. I had picked up Horizons K math long before discovering HOD so I thought we'd keep with that since we already had it. However, I do think it's starting to move a bit fast for her. Could it be that her frustration with that one subject would discourage her all around and affect everything else? I am strongly considering switching over to Singapore Earlybird Math at this point.

[Carrie]

Nicole,

Sometimes frustration in one area can seep over into other areas, depending on how deep the frustration runs (for both you and your little honey) and how much time the math sessions are taking. We allot about 15 minutes for math through Singapore and find the hands-on lessons to be very enjoyable. Horizons is a solid math program, it just has quite a bit of workbook along with it. Depending on how much this frustrates your little sweetie, it is possible that the amount of writing and the length of the lessons could be wearing her out for the rest of her subjects. At age 5, kiddos wear out or frustrate easily, especially with anything requiring writing!

It also could be that she needs some breaks in her school day as her phonics and math are getting more rigorous and those lessons take more brain power. So, it would be good to have a few breaks to refresh her and hold her attention again. This happens in the public school setting too, as the new wears off and the work settles in to get harder and longer.

For us, with LHFHG, we typically spread the boxes on the right side of the plans out, doing two of the boxes first thing in the morning and two of the boxes right after lunch. We did the Fine Motor Skills box and Math box first thing in the morning. Then, my little guy had a 30 minute break. Then, mid-morning we did the left side of LHFHG in one 30 minute sitting. Then, we had a recess break and lunch. After lunch, we did the last two boxes on the right side of the plans (phonics and storytime). When I didn't have a toddler or a baby, we sometimes read the Storytime at lunch while the kiddos were eating and then did the follow-up.

Anyway, just a few thoughts I had that may be of help as you ponder.

Blessings,
Carrie

[NicoleLop]

Thanks Carrie, that makes a lot of sense. The work is quite a bit more challenging (esp. math) than it was a month ago....so maybe trying to fit all of our school day in at one time has become too strenuous for her and she's just shutting down. I'm going to try to spread it out a bit more like you suggested.

[my3sons]

I have one ds who needed to start his day with play. He had 45 minutes of free play time, and then he knew it was time to do our school together. He also needed to do half of LHFHG, take a break and RUN - get some wiggles out for 30 minutes, and then do the other half. He LOVED school then, with just those few scheduling changes! He is just my busy boy. I think this may help your dd too. She's only 5 yo, and doing school for 1 1/2 hours is an adjustment for dc when they are used to just having free time pretty much all day Also, "boredom" often means "I don't feel like working". We actually don't allow that word to be spoken in our house, as we view "boredom" as a choice, and a poor one at that. LHFHG is just downright fun from start to finish! Believe me, school doesn't get much more fun than that. I think with a little scheduling change, dd will be easing into doing school very well soon!

In Christ,
Julie