heartofdakota.com

I have a 7 year old doing Beyond with Saxon math. I plan to work my 10 yr old through Bigger using the History ( with extras) , Poetry, copy work, dictation, Story time, Science ( with extras ), and using the Spelling method but a different list . I also plan to move her through Bigger quicker and start Preparing in Aug....I think! We are on week 2 of Beyond and day 3 of Bigger. We school year round so I think this is possible.

We have just kinda winged it the last two days trying to get a feel for things. After almost 4 years we have abandoned the math program we were doing and have started Saxon math. I am having to work closely with my 10 yr old because she is not use to the terminology or some of the skills that they are doing so math is taking us longer than usual.

Trying to keep everyone separate when everyone needs my attention is taking up quite a bit of time. I know that this will change for my oldest ( I hope!), as I am working her towards doing most things independently as she likes to have a list and be in charge of getting her work done.

As I type that last sentence I feel another therapy charge coming on because I realize that I am MISSING doing history, science, and read aloud together. I had always combined them together for those things, but that was not what was best for my younger dd. I KNOW that she is doing better being separated ... I'm just the one who isn't .

I feel scattered and pulled in all directions and I am wondering how to approach this. I'm am sure after a week or two I will see how things will fit together more smoothly. So I thought I would ask "How do you handle teaching two programs at your house"?

Blessings,
Sharon

I can't help but since I will be in the same spot next yearI'm curious as to what others will say.

I'll try to answer this. I am not doing Beyond but I am doing extras and an extra, extra with a Bible study. But this is just one way that works for me others may have ways that are better for you.

If you look at it you have several different kind of time.
-You are reading time
-They are reading time
-You are teaching how they need to do it time
-They are doing it time
-Then I have one that I'm not sure you are doing, which is you all are doing it together even though we are doing two separate programs time.

If I had no extras I would just do a bit of the big kids read aloud we have and the do it together stuff until I get them to independent work. At that time I do the other program together time until I get them independent and go back to the other group. Eventually your day is done before you know it. You just have to break up independent that has a little instruction from together time that requires all of you, and flip flop those times between groups. I think we could easily be done with both LHFG and BHFHG in no more than 4 1/2 (or really less but I am required by law that it be that long) hours that way. But we have some extras, so our day is a little longer than that by choice.

Here is what I do in reality.

We start our day with Big kid Bible. This is extra and it is a good bit of time. I have separated it between Bible and Character. I think it adds now a good 1hr to my day. Little kids can listen to this but they get their own mini version that I do with them separately later in the day on their level. Then I knock out all the together stuff we have except the reading aloud in story time, history, and science. I have though, done any extras except the extension pack read aloud. I explain to them what they need to do in LA and Math. They drill each other on math facts without me and they come to show me the first three problems or sometimes I will say do these particular problems and come show me. They must come show me. I can't chase them down so I have them trained to do that and actually they like to show me now. That keeps them from doing something way off base on their own.

While the big kids are doing all that I do everything in LHFG with my little kids plus the extra Bible we do together except LA which I do one on one separate. Usually I can get that done and they take turns playing on the computer with the CD. Then we sneak math in while I work with the other kids. Then we come together for the rest of the big kids read alouds. The little kids listen or go play.

I juggle between do together (Bible for big kids, Extra read aloud books, Extension pack read aloud, Character, Spanish) and they need independent time with some instruction. We work in kind of a pack. We have so much time for each thing if someone wastes their time then they have to do it on their own after school. It usually works out well. The independent time is preceded by instruction with me. They know what books to bring me when they are ready. I let them know what comes next. And they all have to come to me to show me the first few problems or the beginning of the project they are doing. That way you do not get a whole page full of wrong answers. So for Math I ask them to do three in each section and show it to me before they finish for example. I usually give them a set time to do it sort of depending on how things are running that day.

If I had no extras I would just do a bit of the big kids read aloud we have to do it together stuff until I get them to independent work and at that time I do the other program together time until I get them independent and go back to the other group.

Hope that makes sense.

OK sorry about that first version. Hopefully it makes more sense now. I need an extra dose of coffee today I had one keeping me up all night last night.

well, i just started, but so far we've done one in the morning and one in the afternoon...my older one does MUCH better to do all his work in the mornings, so that's when i do Beyond

they both take about 2 hours to do everything...i use Math-U-See, and that takes 15-30 mins depending on how many pages we do or if it's a new lesson

so far, that's working for us

water2wine I had to when I read your day. It sounds like mine now!!! Thanks for taking the time to post. I think I may combine story time and we will go over the section in Beyond and then let the little one go and then older dd and I can go through the Bigger story time section together. I asked her today and she said she missed doing the reading together.

hippiechyck I might have to try your idea about doing one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I might give that a try next week.

Thanks so much ladies!!!

Blessings,
Sharon

Sharon,

It takes a little while to hit your groove and find what works for you. But, I'll give you a few ideas of things we've done in the past and are doing now.

If you still want some together time (which we do like and enjoy at our house too), then the Hymns from "Bigger...", the Storytime, and the Poetry work well to do together. I always did the together time at lunch and right after lunch because we were all together to eat anyway.

We sing our hymn before lunch, then some years I read aloud the Storytime part while they eat, and some years I do it after they eat. It's also very easy to do the poems as read-alouds during together time too. You could do the one from "Beyond..." and then the one from "Bigger..." back-to-back in short order. Eveyone can benefit from reading wonderful poetry.

For Storytime, if you wish to do it together, you can just do the lessons from "Beyond..." or "Bigger..." instead of doing both. Your kiddos will still get a great literature study component by doing either set of Storytime lessons. You could read-aloud one Biography from the Beyond choices and then one from Bigger... to use some selections from both guides.

For the rest of our day, I alternate my time with my kiddos in short spurts by dividing up the plans. Short spurts work better for me, so I can be available after a short time for whoever needs me and also so the kiddos are able to focus better. For example, I do the Reading about history box, the Bible Study box, and the bottom left activity box from "Bigger..." in one chunk with my one kiddo, while my other kiddos are working independently (computer, assigned reading, written narration, copywork, handwriting, books on tape, spelling, etc.).

Then, I'll teach the left side of "Little Hearts..." in one 30 min. chunk with my 5 year old, while my child doing "Bigger..." and my 6th grader work on something more independent. I try to make this a time where no one interrupts my time with my 5 year old.

Then, I'll check in with my 6th grader and go over what he needs, and start back with my kiddo in "Bigger..." again, helping him with Preparing to Build English: 2 and dictation.

Then, I work my way through my other kiddos doing the right side of "Little Hearts..." with my 5 year old and then presenting what's needed to my 6th grader. We do "Drawn into the Heart..." in a separate segment in the morning, and usually do the science box after lunch, so I'm available to oversee if needed.

I try to group my formal teaching time in the morning so that I can just go from child to child, with our together time at lunch, and then subjects after lunch that really just require me to oversee but not really present. Then, I can really tell myself that my hard work is in the morning, and I'm just facilitating after lunch.

I hope this is not overwhelming, because I really just want to show you that you can group the boxes in the plans as you wish to make them work for you. You can also style your day to keep the together time you enjoy, so you don't lose that.

I know other moms use two or more of our programs too, so maybe they'll chime in here with their day!

Blessings,
Carrie

Hi Sharon! I am doing LHFHG and BiggerHFHG, along with DITHOR right now. I did post a very loose version of our schedule earlier in the year, as well as a more detailed version later. I'll just link you to those posts here:

http://www.heartofdakota.com/board/view ... highlight=

http://www.heartofdakota.com/board/view ... highlight=

These are both very good scheduling type threads. My posts are the my3sons ones. As you'll see, I also do many of the things Carrie mentioned her children do together, all together with my children now too. I LOVE doing Bigger's... Storytime box together every day, and the children do too. They get a juice box and a snack, and we cuddle up all together on the couch under fuzzy blankets. We do this right after I've put 10 mo. old ds to nap. When my 10 mo. old is napping, we get a ton done. When he's awake the children do some of their more independent things.

I still strive for time for each of them with just me, which I tell them I just love to be with each of you for a moment too. Then, I also strive for happy together time. Even independent activities can seem like together time when we're all together at the table, or wherever. For example, when they each have art type things to do in their separate guides, we do those art type things together at the table, and I just enjoy my coffee and keep "volleying" my help between them.

We do this with writing activities too, and I have them both writing their different things at the same time, usually then I've moved on to my wheat thins for a treat, and they are enjoying their hot cocoa with marshmallows. (We love snacks, both in beverage and food form - can you tell?). Anyway, I just wanted to show that I think it's possible to have a "together" feeling while doing separate things. Hope some of that helps! By the way, we have now moved into doing all of LHFHG rather than just 1/2 at a time, so our schedule is slightly different than the older one I previously posted. All in all though, it's pretty much the same.

You'll see natural ways to be more together, and the other ladies gave you some great ideas already. I think you have good placements for your children, and that will always win out to happy success in given time! So glad you posted - this is always such an act of balancing we do as moms - but no matter how you balance it, the scale always tips to your side as spending more time with your children (and in turn them with each other), than they ever would in public school. So, keep up the great work!

Thank you everyone!!

The last two days of the week went much smoother! My Beyond girl was finished well before noon and my Bigger girl only needed to do Science, bible and story time after lunch!! We even worked in a craft project of an Indian pony so the girls were thrilled. They love hands on activities. I felt more organized and in charge instead of being pulled in all directions!!

Hope everyone has a blessed next week!

Sharon

Sharon,

That is great news! Thanks so much for sharing. My first few days of a new program are always hectic, as I am waiting for the kids to see the routine of things and be able to continue on without waiting on me for everything.

My kiddos love hands-on anything too. Our programs do a good job of making sure I incorporate that into my day. It sounds like you do a good job of being creative on your own too.

Blessings,
Carrie