Help needed!!!

[busybee4]

Okay, so we're on our 6th week of school and we''ve just had "one of those days!" My dd was so not wanting anything to do with school today and of course that makes all kinds of thoughts run through my mind..."I'm not making this exciting enough," or "Maybe she's too young to be doing this" or "Ugh, can't we just send them to school Lord?!"

I know that we all probably have those days (or at least that's what I keep trying to console myself with! ) but it's gotten me a little discourage today!! We've a baby number 4 coming in 7 weeks and so I won't even let myself think of taking time off so that I'll be able to have some down time after the birth but time off does seem a little nice!! Not really sure what to do? How to motivate when dd gets tired and whiney about everything!!

Also, she's having difficulty with spelling. She's caught on to reading but it's still slow and she needs prompting so I'm not surprised that her spelling needs help but, well, let me give you an example of what she's doing: kepe for keep/cum for come/kic for kick. We are using A Beka phonics with her because that's what we used last year and I didn't think that she could handle switching curriculum and I think that it's been the best decision, however I'm just not sure how to address or teach her the right way to spell those words. And let me tell you, when she can't figure out a word the tears come on and ugh, it just makes things harder for all of us!!! This is some of what we dealt with today and I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed and incapable right now. Maybe it's the hormones or maybe it's just a part of being a homeschooler. I don't know?!!

Just if any of you out there know how to address the spelling problems PLEASE let me know! I want to be able to help her but don't know how right now.

Okay, so thanks for listening...or well reading and hope to hear from somebody soon!!

[inHistiming]

Are you using Beyond...? I know you have your own spelling program with Abeka, but you may want to give the spelling methods found in Beyond...a try. My dd had a lot of trouble with spelling, and using Carrie's spelling methods has helped boost her confidence and increase her enjoyment of the subject. She was actually disappointed today when she found out there was no dictation (by her to me) in Bigger...as there is in Beyond.. on day 3. You could also go online and find some free spelling word lists...often there are games included.

[Carrie]

Krissy,

We all have days like you are describing when the kiddos are whining and are having a tough time getting down to the business of schooling. All of us know from our own childhood days that not all of life is skipping through the tulips! One thing I always check when my kiddos are like that is our routine. I often find if I have become lax with our schedule (and the kiddos aren't sure what's coming next)... they balk at doing school (because it's an interruption to their play time rather than the goal of the day). So, if you get a chance to think on that, you may find some answers!

Also, do you have the "Little Hearts..." guide or the "Beyond..." guide? If you have "Beyond...", I would stop the ABeka spelling and do the spelling in "Beyond...". Visualizing the word spelled correctly is of key importance here. Your child should also do the copywork in "Beyond..." as that is HUGE help with seeing words spelled correctly. You can still continue with the ABeka phonics if desired, just stop the spelling portion.

If you have the "Little Hearts..." guide, then you'd want to wait to begin formal spelling lessons until "Beyond...", so I would stop the spelling portion until your little honey reaches "Beyond...". It is hard to undo the habit of spelling words incorrectly once kiddos get started on it!

If you get a chance to pop back in and give us a little more information about how old your little one is and which programs she's using, we could advise you even better.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Christy in Texas]

If she's just now catching on to reading slowly, then I'd back off on spelling for a while. How old is she? My girls will be six in October and we are staring Little Hearts in September. One thing I've learned from homeschooling is that you don't have to rush things. The more you rush, or push, the longer it takes to get it. Maybe you need to put spelling on the back burner for a while. Try it again in a few weeks/ or MONTHS! You can do it!!

[busybee4]

I'm sorry, I should have been clearer!!!

My dd turned 6 back in January and so I began her this year in Beyond just for the spelling and math and she'sin Little Hearts for everything else with her younger sister (which we enjoy although she struggles with spelling some of the sight words she NEVER complains about Carries little games!!! )

I only use A Beka for their phonics but sometimes as part of the phonics portion they call for the kids to spell some words in order to get ready for their phonics test. It's at those times that we encounter words that she can read but can't spell. It's, mainly with sight words (which I expect) and two vowel words. She can't seem to remember when a word (such as keep) has both vowels next to each other or one in the middle and one at the end (such as cake). I've not really considered dropping her spelling because she's doing okay with the spelling in Beyond. We do all of the lists on the left.

I haven't begun her on the copy work yet because she's always balked at writing a whole lot so I thought that I'd start that in the middle of the year. Or should I just make her do it? I don't want to be too easy but I don't want to be too tough either. I'm trying to figure out this teaching at her pace type thing!

But maybe like someone suggested I should back off a little bit I just hadn't considered it cause I thought she was ready for the spelling. And I have a hard time dropping things. Which has worked to our detriment at times...

And Carrie I do believe that you are right!! The kiddos hate to stop playing just to do schoolwork. I try to make it fun and keep the day flowing so that it's not something that we drag on all day long but some days dd is just not into it. Today for instance we began at 8:30 with her reading and spelling. She then had a break while I worked with my younger daughter on RME. After that we did our "Table work" which was penmanship and thinking skills. I then gave them a 30 min "recess" and we played store together. Once that was over I did math w/dd while my other two played. She enjoys the math activities by the way!! Then it was little dd's turn at math while dd had another short break. We finished with her phonics and were done by 11:30. (We always do the history and Bible verses at breakfast because I enjoy starting out the day with the Bible!! And science/art expression we fit in anytime because it's always an enjoyment..although today I didn't get to do it with them cause I didn't have any shaving cream or extra toothpaste for the art. We're on lesson 6/3 of Little Hearts)

We don't always run that way but maybe I should just set it in stone so that they know what to expect. I'm not anything near a "rigid scheduled" type person. I'm more of a routine I guess, I know what needs to be done and I get it done just not in the same order everyday. But maybe the set schedule would help her to know when we do what.

Well, I hope that clears things up a little more. I thank you so much for responding to my pleas!!! And please let me know if you have any more advice!!! Be harsh, be sweet, be whatever just help!

[Carrie]

busybee4,

Thanks so much for the clarification! That really helps!

From what you've shared, I'm thinking I'd just continue on with the spelling lists in Beyond as you've been doing. As far as ABeka phonics goes, is there any way to do it without the written portion or to at least lessen the written portion? As long as your sweet daughter is able to read the words (which is the goal of phonics), being able to spell them correctly in writing and recall them, most likely won't come along until later.

I am not as familiar with ABeka phonics to know how integral the written portion is to the lessons, but I would for sure drop the written words "test" you mentioned with your ABeka phonics which at this point is just creating a visual imprint of the incorrectly spelled words. My boys would struggle with that too!

As far as your schedule goes, I've found that my boys do better when we do things in a similar order every day. Even if you don't start at the same time every day, having the same order helps maintain that consistency.

When I schedule a 30 minute chunk of time to work with my kiddos on the left side of "Little Hearts.." or "Beyond...", I may move the order of the boxes around within that 30 minutes chunk of time, but I do follow the same overall order for the rest of the day.

Anyway, your schedule you shared sounded very good! You may just be bogging down in the written portion of your daughter's day, which is very common at this age level.

I'm sure more moms will chime in with their advice.

Blessings,
Carrie