Diaper Swappers

Kiliki · 01-31-2013, 01:42 PM

Like you, this is our first year, and we took a WAY TOO LONG break in Dec/Jan. When we started back up - mid January, we clicked much better and things are going even better than they were before (and I thought they were going pretty well prior to our break!)

So almost the exact same story as you have.

I am not sure how or why, but suddenly my ODD is not bothered when I say "Hey let's do a math lesson." or "Hey, pick out a book to read to me, ok?"

Yesterday, she did 2 science lessons (I combined them into one), one math lesson, and one lang arts lesson. All with NO COMPLAINT, and much enthusiasm. I was very surprised! I had to actually stop and say, "This is enough for today. We don't need to do too much."

I felt so productive!!

Then recently, she has started saying things like, "Mom, you know who is my bestest BEST friend ever??!.... YOU!.... because you are my teacher and you help me learn."

I realize this will not last forever. I am certain it will get harder somehow. But for now, I am really loving it, and feeling like "Yea, I got the hang of this!!"

Art mama · 01-31-2013, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiliki

Like you, this is our first year, and we took a WAY TOO LONG break in Dec/Jan. When we started back up - mid January, we clicked much better and things are going even better than they were before (and I thought they were going pretty well prior to our break!)

So almost the exact same story as you have.

I am not sure how or why, but suddenly my ODD is not bothered when I say "Hey let's do a math lesson." or "Hey, pick out a book to read to me, ok?"

Yesterday, she did 2 science lessons (I combined them into one), one math lesson, and one lang arts lesson. All with NO COMPLAINT, and much enthusiasm. I was very surprised! I had to actually stop and say, "This is enough for today. We don't need to do too much."

I felt so productive!!

Then recently, she has started saying things like, "Mom, you know who is my bestest BEST friend ever??!.... YOU!.... because you are my teacher and you help me learn."

I realize this will not last forever. I am certain it will get harder somehow. But for now, I am really loving it, and feeling like "Yea, I got the hang of this!!"

Awe I love this! Me on the other hand had my dd tell me she kinda wanted to go back to school because she missed her friends

Kiliki · 01-31-2013, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art mama

Awe I love this! Me on the other hand had my dd tell me she kinda wanted to go back to school because she missed her friends

LOL I almost fell over. I am fairly sure I got tears in my eyes.

She has never been to public school. She just turned 6 a few days ago.

I KNOW this won't last. I am sure of it.

But for now I am totally soaking it all up!

I think it also helps that at least once or twice a week, we GO somewhere. We met a homeschooling group in our area and have been doing things with them.. Last week we went to the zoo. This week we went to McDonald's for lunch today and they played in the play area.

It helps that the kids have regular friends of all ages that they see on a semi-regular basis.

And this is in addition to them going to our religious meetings 2-3 times a week, and the friends they have there, and then all the stuff we do with DH as a family (yesterday we went to the mall play area)....

I think the extra activities really go a long way. It's good for them to see that different kids can be taught in different ways. some go to public schools, some to private schools, and some - "just like you!" - are taught at home by their parents. None are right or wrong, and they can all be awesome.

Or at least, that's how I try to sell it.... lol

Art mama · 01-31-2013, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiliki

LOL I almost fell over. I am fairly sure I got tears in my eyes.

She has never been to public school. She just turned 6 a few days ago.

I KNOW this won't last. I am sure of it.

But for now I am totally soaking it all up!

I think it also helps that at least once or twice a week, we GO somewhere. We met a homeschooling group in our area and have been doing things with them.. Last week we went to the zoo. This week we went to McDonald's for lunch today and they played in the play area.

It helps that the kids have regular friends of all ages that they see on a semi-regular basis.

And this is in addition to them going to our religious meetings 2-3 times a week, and the friends they have there, and then all the stuff we do with DH as a family (yesterday we went to the mall play area)....

I think the extra activities really go a long way. It's good for them to see that different kids can be taught in different ways. some go to public schools, some to private schools, and some - "just like you!" - are taught at home by their parents. None are right or wrong, and they can all be awesome.

Or at least, that's how I try to sell it.... lol

I actually find myself trying harder to keep her relationships going with her friends from when she was in school. We haven't found a he school group that we click with yet. It would be nice to have other homeschool friends too.

mama_to_DJM · 01-31-2013, 11:34 PM

This is my 4th year... I still feel like I'm not very good at it! The kids are doing very well, our days are just a lot more chaotic than I feel like they should be. It's not like things just get easier every year- things change! My 1st year of homeschooling, my younger two kids still took naps. Not anymore! Then in year 3 my middle child started homeschooling, which added more scheduling challenges. Really no two years have been the same!

ktmelody · 02-01-2013, 12:14 AM

Took us a year to get a groove going.

This is our 6th year. We have 5 in "school" and 2 that are too young. But my 3 year old goes to special ed preschool at the local school 4 days a week.

We have a set routine for school and I test my kids twice a year to make sure they are on track.

We took a nice long cmas break and will take 2 weeks in the spring. We also just had two weeks off because my 14 year old was hit by a car. It sidtracked us a bit but we have to just bite the bullet and get on track with so many kids to teach.

It takes a while to see what works for you as a family. It gets easier and easier as time goes and and you find what your kids thrive at and enjoy.

Kiliki · 02-01-2013, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktmelody

Took us a year to get a groove going.

This is our 6th year. We have 5 in "school" and 2 that are too young. But my 3 year old goes to special ed preschool at the local school 4 days a week.

We have a set routine for school and I test my kids twice a year to make sure they are on track.

We took a nice long cmas break and will take 2 weeks in the spring. We also just had two weeks off because my 14 year old was hit by a car. It sidtracked us a bit but we have to just bite the bullet and get on track with so many kids to teach.

It takes a while to see what works for you as a family. It gets easier and easier as time goes and and you find what your kids thrive at and enjoy.

This sounds pretty interesting. Mind sharing a bit more?

How do you test them?

Sorry to thread-jack.

ktmelody · 02-01-2013, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiliki

This sounds pretty interesting. Mind sharing a bit more?

How do you test them?

Sorry to thread-jack.

Yup.

I use this

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.or...earn-math/?c=1

And this

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.or...n-reading/?c=1

They also have other assessments there as well but these were easy to use.

Texasmom · 02-02-2013, 01:50 PM

I have only been homeschooling a month the first few weeks were tough but now I have a routine and I'm loving it. Im so glad I decided to pull my kids out of public school.

SarasynFox · 02-05-2013, 04:57 PM

You know, I think getting good at it really depends on what kind of technique you use. Different kinds of homeschooling take different skill sets. I feel like for the first two years I was kind of dabbling. We did a little Waldorf. We did a little Montessori. Finally we settled on unschooling. I think in time we might adapt a kind of Montessori and Waldorf mix for my littlest along with unschooling.

I think the truth is you don't necessarily get "good" at homeschooling, but you certainly do get good at recognizing the needs of your family, recognizing styles and techniques that work for you, and getting the skills, morals, etc you value conveyed to your children in a way they can understand. I think the more you dabble between homeschooling styles, the harder it is to really get good and comfortable with any of them. However, you certainly do get good at knowing your kids, their challenges, and how to help them!

There are still days where I sit back and think, "What am I doing? I can't possibly be giving my kids a proper education because I totally suck at this!" Then my daughter comes out with some random, highly intelligent comment about Monsanto and the food industry (which is really a big interest of hers right now) or about Picasso, and I'm suddenly feeling much better. My son (though with REALLY inappropriate timing) tells everyone at the dinner table that we're eating the makings of poop and then has to tell everyone exactly how their food becomes poop. He's almost 6, so I cut him a break on that, but he knows a good deal about the human body, more than most kids his age know, which I think is great. It really shows me that I'm really on the right track, even though I doubt myself at times.

01-31-2013, 01:42 PM	#11
Kiliki Registered Users Formerly: kr*y Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 8,530 Ratings: 281 Feedback:** 100%	Re: How long did it take you to get "good" at this? Like you, this is our first year, and we took a WAY TOO LONG break in Dec/Jan. When we started back up - mid January, we clicked much better and things are going even better than they were before (and I thought they were going pretty well prior to our break!) So almost the exact same story as you have. I am not sure how or why, but suddenly my ODD is not bothered when I say "Hey let's do a math lesson." or "Hey, pick out a book to read to me, ok?" Yesterday, she did 2 science lessons (I combined them into one), one math lesson, and one lang arts lesson. All with NO COMPLAINT, and much enthusiasm. I was very surprised! I had to actually stop and say, "This is enough for today. We don't need to do too much." I felt so productive!! Then recently, she has started saying things like, "Mom, you know who is my bestest BEST friend ever??!.... YOU!.... because you are my teacher and you help me learn." I realize this will not last forever. I am certain it will get harder somehow. But for now, I am really loving it, and feeling like "Yea, I got the hang of this!!" __________________ Boy's NB - 3mos clothes * S/M Peanut Shell $15ppd * 12 mo girl clothes * 18-24 mo girl clothes * 2T-4T girl's clothes * Homebirth Supplies $25ppd

01-31-2013, 11:34 PM	#15
mama_to_DJM Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 1,348 Ratings: 1 Feedback: 100%	Re: How long did it take you to get "good" at this? This is my 4th year... I still feel like I'm not very good at it! The kids are doing very well, our days are just a lot more chaotic than I feel like they should be. It's not like things just get easier every year- things change! My 1st year of homeschooling, my younger two kids still took naps. Not anymore! Then in year 3 my middle child started homeschooling, which added more scheduling challenges. Really no two years have been the same! __________________ Busy homeschooling mama to my 3 little munchkins (grades 1 & 3, and a 4 year old) My cooking blog- http://michellesnewrecipes.blogspot.com/

02-01-2013, 12:14 AM	#16
ktmelody Super Moderator "We're all mad here." Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Vegas BABY! Posts: 18,262 Ratings: 617 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Took us a year to get a groove going. This is our 6th year. We have 5 in "school" and 2 that are too young. But my 3 year old goes to special ed preschool at the local school 4 days a week. We have a set routine for school and I test my kids twice a year to make sure they are on track. We took a nice long cmas break and will take 2 weeks in the spring. We also just had two weeks off because my 14 year old was hit by a car. It sidtracked us a bit but we have to just bite the bullet and get on track with so many kids to teach. It takes a while to see what works for you as a family. It gets easier and easier as time goes and and you find what your kids thrive at and enjoy. __________________ Katie, mom to Olivia (97), Veda (98), Franky (2004), Wendy (2005), JoHannah (2007), Thea (2009) and NEW baby Sunny Ella 12/6/2011

02-02-2013, 01:50 PM	#19
Texasmom Registered Users Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 146 Ratings: 1 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: How long did it take you to get "good" at this? I have only been homeschooling a month the first few weeks were tough but now I have a routine and I'm loving it. Im so glad I decided to pull my kids out of public school. __________________ Homeschooling non vaxing mom to 4 Rachel 14 Kimberly 11 Chloe 8 Nathaniel 6

02-05-2013, 04:57 PM	#20
SarasynFox Registered Users Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: North Central Texas Posts: 143 Ratings: 3 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: How long did it take you to get "good" at this? You know, I think getting good at it really depends on what kind of technique you use. Different kinds of homeschooling take different skill sets. I feel like for the first two years I was kind of dabbling. We did a little Waldorf. We did a little Montessori. Finally we settled on unschooling. I think in time we might adapt a kind of Montessori and Waldorf mix for my littlest along with unschooling. I think the truth is you don't necessarily get "good" at homeschooling, but you certainly do get good at recognizing the needs of your family, recognizing styles and techniques that work for you, and getting the skills, morals, etc you value conveyed to your children in a way they can understand. I think the more you dabble between homeschooling styles, the harder it is to really get good and comfortable with any of them. However, you certainly do get good at knowing your kids, their challenges, and how to help them! There are still days where I sit back and think, "What am I doing? I can't possibly be giving my kids a proper education because I totally suck at this!" Then my daughter comes out with some random, highly intelligent comment about Monsanto and the food industry (which is really a big interest of hers right now) or about Picasso, and I'm suddenly feeling much better. My son (though with REALLY inappropriate timing) tells everyone at the dinner table that we're eating the makings of poop and then has to tell everyone exactly how their food becomes poop. He's almost 6, so I cut him a break on that, but he knows a good deal about the human body, more than most kids his age know, which I think is great. It really shows me that I'm really on the right track, even though I doubt myself at times.