Doing different guides, and sharing in the fun
Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 1:29 pm
I posted this in response to a question awhile ago, but I wanted to share it separately here as well, as this has been a great way for our family to celebrate together each child's work they do in their separate guides. 
As dc doing separate HOD guides often want to do each other's guides as well as their own, but then don't enjoy their school day going doubly long, this is a way to respond to that in a positive way that encourages them celebrating each other's work without doing the work of multiple guides themselves. 
HOD is so much fun, that everyone wants to do it all! However, it is not so fun when the school day goes way too long because of it, or when older dc constantly upstage younger dc because they're just better at most things. Maintaining that balance is important. I don't mind the "5 minute fun", and certain things lend themselves well to that. For example, if someone bakes something for a history project, everyone gets to eat it and compliment the cook. Or if it's someone's turn to share a poem with someone, we can all take 5 minutes to sit on the couch, listen to the reader, and clap at the end. However, no one else takes a turn at the microphone then, as it was that child's turn to shine. Or if the little guy's guide called for a re-enactment of the Red Sea parting and the Israelites crossing, etc., then I can quickly assign everyone a part, give them 2 minutes to throw on some type of costume, and we can take 5 minutes to act it out. However, if something takes more than 5 minutes, or if it is clearly an assignment for just that child to enjoy doing on their level and enjoy sharing as their special thing, then we go solo. So, overall, most of the day each child is enjoying their own guide and joining in only now and then for a 5 minute thing that gears itself toward celebrating together with the others. Everyone loves showing off their things to each other around lunch time, and I love that they each did their own thing they were able to do well. For example, even though my olders would have enjoyed doing my little guy's LHFHG's art project, it is far better that just my little guy did it because then he gets to show his project off to his older brothers without thinking his work was "less" because they'd stopped and done his LHFHG project too. Likewise, there is just a lot more interest there as they share with one another, as they didn't all do each other's things. Having dc do the things in their own guides separately keeps their things special, and it cuts down on the comparing. And, we all like having finished on time so we have time for things other than school the rest of the day. 
Here are a few pics of 5 minute fun things we've done together...
LHTH activity of making music and marching to it...
LHTH activity of flying...
LHTH Bible activity re-enacting The Last Supper...
LHTH Bible story re-enacted...
Bigger Hearts testing of the planes lift, drag, etc....
Bigger Hearts Gold Rush...
Bigger Hearts, sinking the Philadelphia (only Riley built the boat, and Wyatt only helped with the "bombing" )...
Drawn into the Heart of Reading re-enactment of battle for kickoff...
Bigger Hearts re-enactment of history story...
Bigger Hearts science, find the camouflaged bug...
RTR, playing history game made from history project...
RTR, eating history project as Wyatt reads about the history event from notebook (but only Wyatt did the baking)...
RTR, going on the Crusades, Wyatt set it all up, and the rest of the dc joined in only on the activity part, Wyatt directed it all...
Poetry Reading...
I think it is important to know at what point in an activity to have everyone join in. Usually, we try to join in at the culmination of something. For example, if it is a cooking project, the one child whose guide the project is in is responsible for the cooking, and the other dc are not involved at that point. However, when it is time to eat the treat, everyone is part of that. If it is a science project, the child whose guide the experiment is in sets it all up, and maybe will demonstrate the outcome quickly for the rest, and the rest are observers or assistants. If it is a poetry reading or sharing orally type of project, only the child who is to share does so, and the role of everyone else is to be the encouraging audience (i.e. the rest of the dc don't then jump up and read poems too, as it was the other child's turn to "shine"). If it was a re-enactment, the child whose guide it is in leads that, and gets first pick at which role to play, and the rest of the dc are the subordinates.
In this way, dc do separate guides and are getting the most out of their learning, while still having learning moments together. I wanted to post pictures of this and try to explain it as I've had people ask me how my dc are learning together if they are in separate guides. They are doing things together, but not all doing each other's guides, as that would be too much to do in a day, and yet they are sharing through 5 minute fun type activities, and then at meal times as they proudly show their work to one another and hang it on the fridge or set it on the counter to tell dad about when he gets home. This is just one way of sharing, of course, and not everyone does it this way, but we've found each child really shines in his guide this way, and yet they are all enjoying hearing about and participating in bits and pieces of each other's learning as well. HTH as you decide how you'd like to approach this in your home!
In Christ,
Julie
As dc doing separate HOD guides often want to do each other's guides as well as their own, but then don't enjoy their school day going doubly long, this is a way to respond to that in a positive way that encourages them celebrating each other's work without doing the work of multiple guides themselves. HOD is so much fun, that everyone wants to do it all! However, it is not so fun when the school day goes way too long because of it, or when older dc constantly upstage younger dc because they're just better at most things. Maintaining that balance is important. I don't mind the "5 minute fun", and certain things lend themselves well to that. For example, if someone bakes something for a history project, everyone gets to eat it and compliment the cook.
Or if it's someone's turn to share a poem with someone, we can all take 5 minutes to sit on the couch, listen to the reader, and clap at the end. However, no one else takes a turn at the microphone then, as it was that child's turn to shine. Or if the little guy's guide called for a re-enactment of the Red Sea parting and the Israelites crossing, etc., then I can quickly assign everyone a part, give them 2 minutes to throw on some type of costume, and we can take 5 minutes to act it out. However, if something takes more than 5 minutes, or if it is clearly an assignment for just that child to enjoy doing on their level and enjoy sharing as their special thing, then we go solo. So, overall, most of the day each child is enjoying their own guide and joining in only now and then for a 5 minute thing that gears itself toward celebrating together with the others. Everyone loves showing off their things to each other around lunch time, and I love that they each did their own thing they were able to do well. For example, even though my olders would have enjoyed doing my little guy's LHFHG's art project, it is far better that just my little guy did it because then he gets to show his project off to his older brothers without thinking his work was "less" because they'd stopped and done his LHFHG project too. Likewise, there is just a lot more interest there as they share with one another, as they didn't all do each other's things. Having dc do the things in their own guides separately keeps their things special, and it cuts down on the comparing. And, we all like having finished on time so we have time for things other than school the rest of the day. Here are a few pics of 5 minute fun things we've done together...
LHTH activity of making music and marching to it...
LHTH activity of flying...
LHTH Bible activity re-enacting The Last Supper...
LHTH Bible story re-enacted...
Bigger Hearts testing of the planes lift, drag, etc....
Bigger Hearts Gold Rush...
Bigger Hearts, sinking the Philadelphia (only Riley built the boat, and Wyatt only helped with the "bombing" )...
Drawn into the Heart of Reading re-enactment of battle for kickoff...
Bigger Hearts re-enactment of history story...
Bigger Hearts science, find the camouflaged bug...
RTR, playing history game made from history project...
RTR, eating history project as Wyatt reads about the history event from notebook (but only Wyatt did the baking)...
RTR, going on the Crusades, Wyatt set it all up, and the rest of the dc joined in only on the activity part, Wyatt directed it all...
Poetry Reading...
I think it is important to know at what point in an activity to have everyone join in. Usually, we try to join in at the culmination of something. For example, if it is a cooking project, the one child whose guide the project is in is responsible for the cooking, and the other dc are not involved at that point. However, when it is time to eat the treat, everyone is part of that. If it is a science project, the child whose guide the experiment is in sets it all up, and maybe will demonstrate the outcome quickly for the rest, and the rest are observers or assistants. If it is a poetry reading or sharing orally type of project, only the child who is to share does so, and the role of everyone else is to be the encouraging audience (i.e. the rest of the dc don't then jump up and read poems too, as it was the other child's turn to "shine"). If it was a re-enactment, the child whose guide it is in leads that, and gets first pick at which role to play, and the rest of the dc are the subordinates.
In this way, dc do separate guides and are getting the most out of their learning, while still having learning moments together. I wanted to post pictures of this and try to explain it as I've had people ask me how my dc are learning together if they are in separate guides. They are doing things together, but not all doing each other's guides, as that would be too much to do in a day, and yet they are sharing through 5 minute fun type activities, and then at meal times as they proudly show their work to one another and hang it on the fridge or set it on the counter to tell dad about when he gets home. This is just one way of sharing, of course, and not everyone does it this way, but we've found each child really shines in his guide this way, and yet they are all enjoying hearing about and participating in bits and pieces of each other's learning as well. HTH as you decide how you'd like to approach this in your home!
In Christ,
Julie
