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Okay I am almost positive this has been posted before ,but I can't remember what others had said. So sorry about asking this question again! I am just wondering how long it takes you to do school with your kiddos? I am doing BLHFHG with a 9 and 7 year old. We start at 7:30, stop at about 9 for a quick snack and then are done by 10 sometimes even before that. We do everything that is suggested (just about some days we skip this or that). So it usually takes us about two hours to do school. I love it and so do the kids but sometimes I just feel pressure from the outside world that I am not doing enough. It doesn't help that my kids are behind in some skills. We did do ps for awhile this year and that is what they said, my son does have a LD in reading and writing so I knew he was behind anyways, but my dd is behind also. For reading we only do The Reading Lessons for about 10-15 min. with each kid and that is our reading for now. Is that enough? Sometimes I just feel that maybe I am not spending enough time doing offical school work. WE do other things through out the day and it really is amazing how sometimes it ties right into what we did in school. Just wanted your thoughts about this thanks so much.

Sheila

ds 9 doing BLHFHG
dd 7 doing BLHFHG
ds 5 doing pre-school stuff
ds 3 doing pre-school stuff
ds 1 tagging along
one angel 7-08
one on the way due April

Hi!
It usually takes us about 4 1/2 hours give or take. My 11dd & 8dd are doing Preparing. We get done earlier when things run smooth & we have no distractions or interruptions....think almost 2 yr old! Sometimes my older dd11 will take longer with her math or if they have a writing assignment in LA. If I see that they are behind in some skills which is true for my dc. My 11dd is doing 4th grade math & just starting to write script. So,I always have her doing something extra when we have the time. Maybe you might want to do something like that. Take an hour & focus on the areas that they are lacking in & give them some extra work. Just an idea.
Hope that helps some......


Blessings,

Sheila,

I am doing Beyond with my 7 year old and a Beyond/Bigger combo. with my 9 year old. Our time investment sounds the same as yours - maybe less! Although I "think" my 9 year old could be doing a little more on one hand, on the other he's doing what he needs to do. When he completes reading through the emerging readers we'll begin DITHOR. And THEN I think he'll be right where he needs to be. I do keep flipping though the next guide to see if I should enhance his work, somehow. But I'm going to resist the temptation and encourage him to move through the emerging readers, so we can add in DITHOR. I also, would like to add in more of our own nature study and the current pace with HOD will allow that.

Just some thoughts.

Beyond... takes about 2.5 hours to complete. It sounds like you are right on track with the pace of the program. I know it can seem strange to finish in such a short amount of time, but you do have to remember that the one-on-one you get at home does not happen at school. With 25-30 kids in a classroom, there is a LOT of re-direction and time wasted for group bathroom breaks, snack-time, etc...At home we can easily incorporate these things into our day without it taking away too much from our schooling. I also want to encourage you to really think about how your kids are 'behind'. Are you questioning where your dd is just because the school said she is behind? Where do you think she should be? The beauty of homeschooling, and a major reason many of us start this journey, is because we have the freedom to teach our kids at their level. We don't have to keep up with the public school system. My dd is doing great work with Bigger...for her 3rd grade year, but she is still 'behind' in reading and spelling...that is just her particular struggle. So we just work on that at her pace, trying to improve her skills in both as best we can. I do see improvement, and she has finally begun reading short chapter books on her own for her enjoyment. That's a HUGE step for her! As for your ds...you said he has LD's. I would just take the time to work with him on his issues as you see fit. If there are extra topics you want to cover, or things you really want to add then you certainly have the time to do so. But it is okay to do BLHFHG as is...my daughter loved it. My son, who is 2 years older, also sat in (by his own choice) on her story time and history readings quite often and he really enjoyed it too. Your dc are going to learn....try not to compare them to what the school system expects, but instead evaluate whether they are meeting your goals for them and if they are doing their own personal best. Hope that helps some. I'm sure others will come along with their opinions as well.

Sheila,

I agree that it can sometimes feel like whatever you're doing is not enough. All homeschool moms feel that way sometimes. It's just like Christians comparing their walk with the Lord to other Christian's ... you can always find those who seem further "ahead" in their walk, and it can make you feel like less in comparison. It can even steal your joy if you let it.

I try to remind myself that homeschooling is a journey, not a race. I try to see each of my kiddos as individuals, with God-given strengths and weaknesses. While it would be easy to put all kiddos who are the same age in the same curriculum, it would not be very individualized or realistic. All kiddos are not the same and each has special gifts and needs. So, at HOD, we want an education that is tailor-made for your child's needs and gifts. Take heart in knowing that you are giving your kiddos a solid education that takes their personal needs into account. Just because something is going well, doesn't mean it's not good! It gets hard soon enough!

Blessings,
Carrie

We are doing Bigger with 8 y.o. and LHFHG[modified] for my 6 y.o.

In August/September, it took us from about 8:45AM-3:30PM to get it all done.
In January, we start about 9 AM and am done for the day by about 1:45PM.

The same lunch and chore and brain-breaks were included at both times.
We COULD be done by lunch now if we pushed. And once in a while we do [if I have to work, let's say]. But I prefer to let them up and play and interact with their sisters and let me have moments with their sisters, too!

Don't sweat that you are getting it done early. If you WANTED to add something fun that you originally thought you wouldn't have time for in September, by all means do it. But don't do it b/c you feel like you need more school. ♥

I am only doing just one guide now and it's Little Hands with my 4 and 5 year olds. I can get it done in about two hours. My 9 year old is doing other stuff and it's a total of about 4 hours.

We are doing Beyond and usually start 8-8:30ish and finish around 12 or so. We spend longer on math because dd NEEDs extra so we are doing lots of work with manipulative's and math games trying to get our facts in there. We are also doing more readers than listed because I feel we need more practise. DD is also very artsy so our projects can turn a little elaborate. Our salt dough canoe we made on Monday has turned into canoes, Indians, snakes, horses, birds and some animals I'm not sure of! She also wants a cardboard so she can paint a river, grass and add some rocks. She also wants to put clothes on the Indians...who knows where the fun will lead and that's OK because we love that kind of stuff and HOD allows us time to do these things without feeling burned out!!!!!