Distractions

[shera]

I'm working my ds through Preparing and dd through Beyond. It is taking us forever. I think they are placed correctly. I have asked my ds if the work is too hard or if he doesn't understand something. He says he understands things for the most part, occasionally he may not understand something. We have cut Preparing to half speed because I was figuring it was a training thing. For ex. even though you don't have to copy the questions for the science, you do need to write in complete sentences. It is still taking 4 hours to do a half day. I will go over the assignment and send him to work on it then work with my dd. When I go to check on him, he has barely started. Even if he stays where I can see him, he will get distracted with what I am doing with dd. (The reverse is also true dd will get distracted by what ds is doing.) Generally speaking the oral stuff, science, history and storytime go quick it is anything involving writing for either one of my two that slows us down. With dd we can get through the left side of the page in 30 minutes then the right will take 2 hours at least sometimes a lot more. With ds school is taking all day when cut to half speed it is still taking 4 hours and on top of this I have a 2 yr old. So how do I train them to focus on the work and not get distracted. They will get distracted by absolutely nothing.

Thanks

[my3sons]

I think you have done some good reflecting here and come to a good conclusion in that dc are needing to learn to manage their time well and work to complete tasks in a more timely fashion. We have had to work on this with our dc too. It helps my dc to set the timer. I use the amount of time suggested for each box and set the timer for them as a training tool. We use the timer for only the first month of school or so, and then only as needed after that. I got an old fashioned kitchen timer for each of my older dc, and have it setting near them as they work, so they can see their own timer counting down. That visual reminder is very helpful. Here are the alloted times for each of the boxes of the programs you are using:

Here are the times we used for PHFHG...
Left side of plans...
Reading about History: 15 minutes
Research/Geog./Timeline: 20 minutes
Independent History Box: 20-25 minutes
History Project box: 20 minutes
Storytime: 20 minutes
1 hour 40 minutes

Right side of plans...
Math: 20-30 minutes
DITHOR: 30 minutes (3 x a week); Creative Writing: 20-30 minutes (1 x a week)
Dictation: 5 minutes (3 x a week)
Grammar: 15 minutes
Bible Study: 15 minutes
Science: 20- 30 minutes
Poetry: 5 minutes
2 hours 10 minutes

For Beyond, here are the suggested times:
Reading About History Box: 10 min.
Poetry and Rhymes: 5-10 min.
Bible Study and Music: 10 min.
Rotating Bottom Left Box (Artistic Expression, History Activity/Timeline, Geography, Science twice weekly): 15-20 min.

Language Arts Box: 15 min. (spelling/grammar)
Reading: 15 min. if doing the Emerging Readers and 20-25 min. if doing DITHR 2/3
Math: 15-20 min.
Storytime: 15-20 min.

There are some dc that need more help in learning attention to task. I have one of these, and if I leave him unattended and come back expecting him to have completed a task, it is often not done. So, I keep him near me. I check on him more often, and I use the timer. I am cheerful, more like an encouraging cheerleader than a timer wielding master, but I do help him be conscious of the passing of time (i.e. Half of your time is gone now, so you should be half done, how's it looking? Are you going to finish? Keep going hon', you can do it! ). Maybe I'll be able to have my sons work on their own at desks in their rooms someday or in rooms far away from, but that day hasn't come yet. I tried this with less than stellar results. Even my oldest ds (who is super responsible and a total task completer) did not do well with work on his own in his room. Maybe when they're older. For now, it helps for each of them to be working at a table separately, and I go between them. It also works well for each of them to take a turn playing with our toddler, as that gives me teaching time alone with each of them. Giving each of them a typed out order of the boxes to work through and a schedule helps them too, especially as they get older, and then the schedule becomes a routine and we really get through our day smoothly. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie