Trying to make Beyond work-going crazy!

[happyWImom]

I am so stressed right now, with regards to school!!

My 2 dc are great. They are very bright, and super willing to learn. The problem is me.

I have soooo much other curriculum-bits & pieces, here and there-that it's complicating everything. I do have both dc doing the main portions of Beyond together, which is working out fine. Ds (6) is doing the spelling lists, and Dd is doing Queen's Spelling Through Copywork. Again, all good. Math is fine also, we are combining Singapore & Saxon. My big problem is the whole Language Arts/Writing/Grammar stuff. I have Abeka 2 phonics, spelling, and LA for Dd, plus I have Queen's Lang Lessons for the Very Young, plus I have WWE and First Language Lessons! And I also have CLE Reading 2 for her.

Ds I have R&S Phonics and CLE Reading, and Queen's Lang. Lessons for Little Ones 3. He's not quite as bad as Dd.

Now the LA stuff is hard, because they are all (especially Queen's and the Well Trained Mind stuff) really great, and go along with the whole CM philosophy. And I hate to completely drop any type of phonics, because I'm afraid we'll miss something. And, I like the CLE reader, and wanted Dd to do the workbook because she sometimes needs the whole "following directions/retention" help.

So, PLEASE, PLEASE help me out. I am so crabby because I feel like I'm not getting everything in, and I'm taking it out on everyone.

Thanks,
Tammi

[MomtoJGJE]

Am I reading right that you are doing a ton of different spelling/LA/grammar with both your dd and ds? What is the reasoning behind that for you? They may all be great programs, but are they not all teaching basic grammar/spelling/LA?

If you are going crazy, why don't you stop all the extra for a while and just focus on the basics, then add in one at a time if you feel that you need more. That just seems like an awful lot for a 7 and 6yo.

[happyWImom]

What ARE the basics? I'm not sure.

I don't want to overwhelm them, but when I look at other programs I feel like I'm not sure what I need. I was thinking about WP LA 2, and it has Wordly Wise 2, Spellwell, Adventures in Phonics 2, Success with Grammar, and their guide, that has more activities. And they are supposed to be CM based, right?

I just don't want to leave anything out.

[water2wine]

I completely understand where you are coming from on wanting to hit it all. I am the queen of more is more but I am looking at what you have and it really does look like too much for LA. If you can't thin down then at least try to rotate what you use when so they are not getting it all at once. I am not quite sure how to tell you what to keep and what to drop becasue it seems you really want to keep it all so I would say at the very least slow it all down and do not try to do it all on the same day. I think though you would be better off to thin things down. There comes a point where throwing more at them really does not make them learn more. Now I know saying those words they will be thrown back at me some day, hahaha! But I know they are true. I am really focusing on doing less better and seeing that they actually learn more that way. Also realizing that you can't really have it all at least not all at once. And also realizing having it all at once is not always better anyway. I myself do rotate two LA programs with my kids. We do one unit of one program and one unit of the other then rotate again. That works for us. Maybe you can find something like that for your family that will work.

[MomtoJGJE]

Sorry, by the basics I was meaning just what was in the manual or a variation thereof (one spelling program on the days it has you doing spelling, one LA program the days it has you doing LA/grammar, etc.) Don't do EXTRA. They are still quite little and have many years to go before they are done. You don't want to bog them down and make them hate to do school.

[juliekay]

[quote=If you are going crazy, why don't you stop all the extra for a while and just focus on the basics, then add in one at a time if you feel that you need more. That just seems like an awful lot for a 7 and 6yo.[/quote]

Great advice! I so agree! AND as a former WP user let me assure you that their LA as well as other programs have great books that look so fun and are fun BUT it is impossible to do it all! If you're frustrated now. You'll definitely be frustrated with that choice. They MAY have it set up in such a way that you're supposed to "let go" what doesn't suit you, but I couldn't do that because I felt like I wasn't doing something that I should have been!

Since you have Beyond right in front of you. Start with your boxes. Substitute your Lang. Lessons for the R&S time; whatever you use for handwriting for the cursive time; substitute the Queen Spelling for the dictation/spelling time - but use only 1, etc.

Honestly, I find that well-spoken grammar leads to well-written grammar. Your Queen Lang. Lessons takes this approach, but do yourself a favor ( and your kiddos ) and drop as much as possible. Keep it simple and even if you don't use all the HOD resources - follow the boxes and add your own and stop there - for a while. You'll be surprised how simplifying their day by creating habits and consistency will indeed create a learned child.

[blessedmomof4]

Ds (6) is doing the spelling lists, and Dd is doing Queen's Spelling Through Copywork. Again, all good. Math is fine also, we are combining Singapore & Saxon. My big problem is the whole Language Arts/Writing/Grammar stuff. I have Abeka 2 phonics, spelling, and LA for Dd, plus I have Queen's Lang Lessons for the Very Young, plus I have WWE and First Language Lessons! And I also have CLE Reading 2 for her.

Ds I have R&S Phonics and CLE Reading, and Queen's Lang. Lessons for Little Ones 3. He's not quite as bad as Dd.

Hi,
I've definitely been there, putting together all the wonderful things I've found because they are all great, and wearing myself and my kids out in the process. I used to homeschool all my 4 kids, so imagine the mayhem...
Anyway, just some suggestions for you, and they are only that it seems like you only need to have for each of the children one solid reading program.
Are your children still learning to read? Keep one phonics program that you like. OR
Are they emerging readers-dome with basic phonics? Try the Emerging Readers set. OR
Are they independent readers? Keep one basic reading curriculum you like.
As for the rest of the language arts, meaning grammar and writing,they are both covered very well in the Basics portion of your lessons in Beyond.

From the HOD website, the "Learning The Basics" part of the program focuses on language arts and math. It includes the areas listed below: Copywork, Spelling Practice, Basic Grammar, Skills, Introduction to Capitalization and Punctuation, Reading Choices Narration, Storytime Genre Studies, Guided Literature Discussions ,Story Element Lessons, Godly Character Lessons, Math Exploration
which is all achieved in a gentle, Charlotte Mason way, and all laid out for you to take a minimum of time.

I hope that helps you think about things. Whatever you decide, you still know your children best, and you are a great mom who cares so much to want the very best for your children, not wanting them to miss out on any good thing!

[happyWImom]

All of you ladies who took the time to respond-Thank You!

I think I am starting to calm down now.

I am going to put all my stuff in a pile and weed through it. I know I have too much. I also know that I want them to be relaxed & enjoy school-which is why I picked HOD! I think I'm going to incorporate some of the stuff I love, like the stuff from Queen's, and maybe WWE, but I think I will either lock the other stuff up, or throw it out.

One final question (if anyone is still listening-if not, I'll do a separate post tomorrow), does anyone here use the upper levels of Explode the Code? Both dc can read pretty well, but I have ETC 4-7 on my shelf (I know, I know) and was wondering if it is helpful.

[water2wine]

My only experience with explode the code on the upper level is with a special needs child and for her we really did not find it helpful at all for her but she is reading delayed. My two little ones that learned to read using TRL and the emerging reader set really did not need anything extra. My Beyond girls read up a storm and spell about as well as they read. They have done copywork in Beyond and spelling in Beyond. I do have them read their emerging readers aloud to me and that is a huge help. Reading aloud to me has been huge with all my kids.

That is about all the experience I have on that. I know others will know more but just wanted to offer our experience.

[Tmisek]

Hi Tammi...my name is Tammy, too!

I think your plan of purging some of the things sounds good! We are also doing Beyond this year. We are only doing it as written, plus DITHOR, and our year has gone so smooth (so far). I think you should add to it ONLY if you are ALL enjoying the extras, because it really is enough on its own...so anything that is stressing you, I wouldn't hesitate to set it aside. Next year in Bigger, grammar instruction is scheduled every day so I know we will get to it eventually!

I don't have too much other advice as we haven't used Explode the Code, but just wanted to encourage you that the program as written really is enough...and any extras are, well, extra.

Praying for joy to return to your homeschool!

[funkmomma71]

I must concur with the other ladies and what you have come to, purge!! Beyond is plenty, for most children! For my dd I have only added Natural Speller, that is because she is blowing through the spelling lists and I needed ideas for making spelling a little bit, and I mean little bit, more challenging. I still use the lists in Beyond, but we are doing more with them. At this tender young age more work is just more work!

As for whether you need more phonics, I would listen carefully during your dc reading time for any gaps they may have and teach those concepts as needed. The gaps your dc may have all depends on which phonics program you have used and what was included in your initial reading instruction.

Overall, relax, your children do NOT have to learn everything right now, there will plenty of years to teach them everything they need to know. So many program look great, and some may be, but they are not all needed. Pick what works, stick with it, and resist the urge to pile on the work, no matter how good it looks.

Blessing!!

[my3sons]

I too agree, purge, purge, away! Too much is overwhelming, and it is not the CM style of teaching. The "too much" is interfering with you enjoying homeschooling, and believe me, when we as moms are not enjoying homeschooling, it is a small step away from our dc not enjoying homeschooling. CM's whole philosophy was to use a few carefully chosen excellent living resources and go through them in small bites to fully savor them. If anyone had the "less is more" philosophy and truly did it justice, it would be CM. I've read a lot of CM, and the harried, tense atmosphere of homeschooling does not match up with CM's style of homeschooling at all. If anything, she was just the opposite - often speaking of discussing books fondly around a fireplace with a group of dc taking turns sharing their thoughts in a relaxed manner, usually in the form of oral narration, but always with the air of enjoyment. I have to remind myself of this when I am tense and overdoing it with my dc in the day to day. I so much long for that picture of CM style homeschooling in my day, and when I dropped the extras I was adding to HOD, I found it.

Beyond is more than enough for your dc. I would do what Juliekay suggested and pull out your Beyond manual. This is going to be hard... oooooooh... hang with me here! Only allow yourself ONE thing for each box. If you are subbing something in, sub in only ONE thing - one spelling, one reading, one copywork, one grammar (I would just do the Day 5 grammar lesson in Beyond myself). I personally would encourage you to give the Beyond manual a fair trial run in these areas and just do what is scheduled there for a few months. I think you would find all of Carrie's extensive research on CM shines through and is already planned and at your fingertips, just waiting for you to enjoy. Whatever you decide, lock away or give away the extras, pretty please! I sense a burnout ahead otherwise, and that's tough to rebound from and often ends up with us parents wearing out and contemplating putting our dc in ps. I want for you to ENJOY your homeschooling, and I've done Beyond twice now - it is very enjoyable and covers every possible skill needed for that age completely. Don't cheat yourself or your dc out of the joy of that by listening to that little voice in your head whispering you always need more! From someone who used to be that way, come on over to the other side of homeschooling, and relax and enjoy the fruits!

In Christ,
Julie

[happyWImom]

I think I was letting my whole public school ideas interfere with what we were doing. And, judging our schedule by other's also.

But, I do realize now that I should go by what I truly believe is right, and what God wants for us. I know He doesn't want me to be a stressed out, raving mom & teacher! And that is what I was becoming. I was trying to "conform".

My dc are both very creative, always writing little stories, and making up actvity books for the whole family. (Like the ones in Highlights mags & Puzzlebuzz). They are getting the LA concepts just by me reading and their reading. I don't need to keep adding stuff in that just wastes our time and stresses us out.

So, I am trusing Carrie and what she's done here, and trusting myself. Yeah!