Adding to my list of things I've learned: As they get older, it gets more expensive. LOTS more expensive. That's just a tip that has really nothing to do with this blog post.
Another tip: it's a lot easier to combine a 4th grader and a 7th grader than it is to combine a 5th grader and an 8th grader. At least that's how it's appearing.
The combining thing was good while it lasted, but after trying to figure out how to make it work for next year, I have basically given up. The girls will use two separate curricula next year. We love Heart of Dakota and will still be using it - actually using it for all three kids. I was planning to still combine the oldest and middle one and just kind of drag the middle one along with the expectation that it was okay if she was dragged along because she would be repeating it when she was in junior high.
That is/was a great plan, but when I think about adding in the little one next year and what that's going to require of me, do I really want the battle of dragging a child through a curriculum that is too old for her? Really? Exactly who will benefit from that? None of the options I came up with really worked - like, having the student notebook half filled out would bother me (yeah, I know ... it is what it is) although it would be better for her to do less writing, etc.
Then again though, I wanted her to do (redo) the Creation to Christ curriculum in 7th grade, and she'll be in 5th next year. So, a year off if we went down a level (which I suspect will be perfect for her).
FINALLY ... in hashing it out with a friend, I came to a solution. She will drop down a level, but we're going to half-pace it to spread it over two years. She'll still be doing Bob Jones reading, English, and something I haven't decided yet for spelling, so she'll still get a full day's worth of schoolwork and, I think, a complete school year. There is a lot of reading in the Heart of Dakota (Preparing) curriculum, and she loves to read, so that will work well too.
WHEW for solutions. Now if I can find a math plan for the little one and a spelling plan for the middle one, I'll have it all figured out. At least until I change it again. ;)
6 comments:
I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one that "changes it up." I've twice now thought I had things planned for next year, and twice now I've changed it. Not completely, albeit, but changed it nonetheless.
I only have one, though. I think I'd prefer to stick hot pokers in my eyes than to have to figure out how to homeschool three different ages...
Have you looked into All About Spelling? It's pretty awesome.
Stopping by from the HHH.
what's up with planning NOW??? it's not august yet! oh yeah, maybe that's contributing to my extreme stress........maybe i need to learn more from you, my sweet type a friend!
I got almost giddy in relation to the "more expensive" thing. Florida has virtual school available to public,private, and homeschoolers... for FREE!! It's gonna help with a couple of those courses that I'm not sure I can teach (foreign language, anyone?) and will keep the mostly-independent-learning thing we have going on with Ben. You can choose to do one course or a whole curricula... totally flex. Can you say WHEW!!! Glad it's coming together for y'all, too. Now... let's talk about more important plans happening in Fall, 2012! ;P
As I've said before - planning. My thing.
Implementing? A little less. ;)
JEALOUS of the virtual school. Thing is, we could probably get by with spending less, but I REALLY like the curriculum we have, and the girls seem to like it as well. (Who would EVER have thought that a reading based curriculum would have worked for my "I HATE TO READ" oldest? That would be the same child who spends a significant portion of time reading books now. Amazing.)
Fall 2012 ... yeah ... totally planning for that. Seriously. Have the spreadsheet already in progress. LOL!!
Oh yes!!! It DOES get more expensive!!! :/ Felt that last year, and see it worsening this year!!! My child will be a fffffffffreshman! OH, LORD!!! HELP ME!!!!!
Thank God for a co-op that does Apologia science! And thank the Lord for video subjects!!! ..but again $$$.
Life is an adventure, is it not?
Good luck planning...I am not doing it on paper yet, but definitely using brain cells on the subject now.
I totally agree about it getting more expensive the older that they get. The planning gets harder. The grouping gets harder. The attitudes get harder. It all gets harder!!!
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