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A peak inside this crazy house as we homeschool and embrace the joys and trials of our 2 boys and 2 girls.
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Beginner Homeschooling Advice
When I first began looking into homeschooling (when my oldest was just a little guy) I kept seeing one piece of advice over and over again. Don't start too early. Just give them time to be kids. I, of course, thought that's great advice...for other people, but he's ready to start now. What I really meant was that I had invested so much time and energy into researching, I was ready to start.
Now, I have a barely seven year old 2nd grader who is struggling. He's smart...reading on grade level...understands his math concepts...but he just wasn't ready. He really struggles with writing. He still writes a large portion of his letters and numbers backwards. Doing his math turns into a 1 to 2 hour ordeal...every single day.
Thankfully, I've realized my mistake. We're taking some time off from his math curriculum and concentrating on math facts and drills that he never fully learned. Letting him go at his own pace, instead of feeling like he has to finish the second grade book by the end of the year...whether he's ready to or not.
Hopefully, the other kids will benefit from the lessons I'm learning with Caleb...my guinea pig. I already am pushing Josiah much less in his Kindergarten year. We are using Sonlight's LA with him...but I'm not making him write all the dictations and copywork. He's just not ready. He is working on learning to write his letters, and is doing a great job with it! There is no need to push his writing skills at this point!
So, if you are just beginning on your homeschooling journey, please heed the advice! There is no reason to push them to do things before they are ready. Only you will know when they are truly ready...but make sure you look at things honestly, not through your own excitement. The only thing you gain by starting too early is frustration for all involved! |
Posted: 4:25 PM, Sep. 23, 2007 |
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| Great advice! Too bad for our oldest kids that they have to bear so much of our experiment, eh? |
Posted by SmallWorld at 8:16 PM, Sep. 23, 2007 |
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Too true
My oldest daughter,
www.homeschoolblogger.com/mommatolittleones, is now 28 and homeschooling her 4 and claims to this day she and her next brother were the guinea pigs! And she is right. I have been homeschooling for 25 years and each year I do something different as our children change and so do we.
Laurie |
Posted by laurie59 at 8:32 AM, Oct. 18, 2007 |
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