Wonder if I can pull it off? 3 day/week year around school...

[This Busy Mom]

We've been homeschooling almost 2 full years now. I think I have everyone's strength/weaknesses figured out... including mine.

School 5 days in one week is too much for ME (I've figured out some of my anger issues stem from my ADD issues and disorganization, too...) and my dd with ADD issues. Next fall is going to be no better with a toddler and a newborn thrown in the mix, too. I know I'll be stressed out if I don't figure out something. There's a chance I may have to find a part time job on top of all this (dh is starting his own business but not as fast as I think it shoudl be happening ;) ).

So... yesterday it came to me. If we just stay on a 3 day week all year around... it should work out. I haven't sat down and tried to schedule around it, but I'm not a big scheduler anyways... we get stuff done when we get it done. This should be fun :P :shifty .

This would help out everyone but my oldest who needs constant, steady routine. He's actually a year behind where he should be... he went to ps for a year and a half and I put him back a grade just so he wouldn't have trouble (we had just lost my 3rd little one to cancer). I don't think he's being challenged enough, so he can work ahead in the main subjects that he does pretty much independently anyways. That would put him in about 7th grade *gasp* in the fall of 2007 and he'll be 12 then (late summer b-day).

:think :think

[Singingmom]

That sounds like it could work! How many days would that give you in a year? Sunlight has a 4 day a week plan, and it's not meant for year round.

[This Busy Mom]

3 days a week is actually 156 days. :nak

[Singingmom]

Are there any requirements in your state for how many days you complete in year? In VA we had to do 180, but NC doesn't specify. Your oldest would be doing more than that, anyway.

[This Busy Mom]

I think it's 900 hrs. Six hours a day 3 days a week is 936... and I don't really think that's an issue if we are getting through what I planned, anyways.

[2TMama]

Anything that is a potential sanity-saver sounds great :tu

Let us know how it ends up working for you!

[lovemychildren]

This sounds new to me.. that you must do a certain amount of home/unschooling with your children in hours or days? How can you measure time if the teachings are in different time frames during the day? Hm, should that be adiff thread?

Anyway I like the idea of them learning all year, I bet it could work :)

[This Busy Mom]

I don't unschool... but... yes, there are a certain number of hours per year that you have to "say" you are going to school your kids in Ohio and it's on the notification form (at least I think so... I didn't pull it out and look at it). It's not something I worry about at all, but most curriculums are designed around so many days/hours per year so it's easier to plan ahead (I'm not a big plan aheader, but I like to know how long/how many weeks something should be taking for us to complete).

[Sara]

Christa,

I hope this works out well for you. I think it sounds like a good plan! We are planning to start school early (probably in June) so that we can school 4 days a week and extra take time off during the holidays. I want to get ahead early on so that we don't feel behind later (although that will likely still happen, anyway!). :grin

[illinoismommy]

I think in my state the rule is 180 days, so that wouldn't work for us..... its a good idea except-- what about vacations?? That doesn't leave much wiggle room.... thats my only thought. What about 3 days a week and 4 days a week every other-- that would get you a lot more days and time for vacation? Just an idea! :O

[This Busy Mom]

Well, what's nice about just working all the time at a slow pace is that if we have time off for vacations/holidays... we can make it up pretty easily at a faster pace ;) . Dealing with my dd and her ADD issues (and mine... :shifty) has been making me :crazy . What kills me is that she can do the work... and quickly at times... especially if her friends are standing outside waiting for her, but she gets so distracted during the day that it takes her forever to finish anything and she has a very low frustration tolerance.

We've been talking about it a lot this week and she told me in kindergarten she got "yelled at" a lot for getting out of her seat and not keeping focused on her work. I know it's going to be worse with another baby in the house (our toddler distracts her a LOT as it is). I'm so tired of telling her already to get back to work, and asking her, "WHAT are you doing????" to which she replies, "Oh, yeah!! I forgot :doh "

I'm trying to work around how to help her (and me because I'm fried at the end of the day trying to do my things and keep her on task). Medication for her would be the next step otherwise, and I don't know if that's the direction I want her to go. I think it's a hereditary thing and I don't know if we can work around it without some intervention. Since looking into it, though, it explains a lot of things about her and me (and my mom, lol).

[michellesaved]

It sounds GREAT.

We do 4 days with LOTS of days off, and need to go through the summer 2 days a week. We are finishing 3rd grade and are on a relaxed schedule. I think the point about not having any weeks off needs to be carefully considered. With the new baby you might just need to be more flexable with you rigid schedule. Are you the type to get stressed because now you are behind "again", maintaining a structure within a flexable framework might give you more freedom, to... be sick, enjoy a snow day, visit a sick relative.

Keep praying, I love this time of year, the wheels start turning and we get all kinds of ideas, but we must remember to ask the Lord if this one will work and be quiet enough to wait for an answer.

Michelle

[This Busy Mom]

Well, I don't think any type of schedule should be "rigid". Right now, dh is tring to talk me into going on a mini vacation... we probably won't go (too much $$) but any time something like that would happen... like taking time off after the baby's born... it would be easy to make it up.

Right now, I'm just really not sure what to do. DD is not cooperating at all about getting school work done. We've been going on a LOT of field trips this spring because I know I won't be able to fit so much in after the next little one's born and I thought that would help, but it isn't (we had an absolute blast today... and getting some things caught up afterwards that she didn't finish yesterday was difficult). We're in a neighborhood with lots of kids, and she's upset because they are done with public school, but she's not (she's not seeing all the other stuff we do). I needed to reel in how much free time she has been hanging out with the neighbor kids anyways (serious permissiveness going on with the neighbor kids and it's reflecting in her attitude and some of the language she's been picking up :( ). and I think it's just going to be a hard transition phase for her... she's extremely social so I need to be more organized and set up more play dates for her.

We've already been on a 4-day schedule because 5 days a week is just too much for her (and mom, too :shifty ).

My ds is another story... or else I'd be ready to hang it up and feel like a huge failure at this :cry

[michellesaved]

Don't get frustrated, You are not a failure, even if DS decides to challenge all the rules.

There are so many days I wish my "only" was in PS, then I would only have to deal with his attitude and behavior for 5 hours a day instead of 12, but what good would that do? I'd be happier?, maybe. DS would be struggling to stay focused in school so he'd have trips to the "office", he doesn't like any pencil work so they would hold him back because "he won't do his work", well he can do his work as long as it is verbal. Sometimes I think this is more my school than his, but then he has a moment or two and I know we are getting through and God is working in his heart and this is the right path, even if it seems all UP HILL now.

Keep up the GREAT work,
Michelle
:grouphug