Cheryl asked some really good questions:
<<Do you have specific time scheduled for presentations and observing the dc? What do the older dc do during this? How do you keep the younger dc quiet and busy while the olders are doing their work? >>
I have to preface my answer by saying what I do now is not what I did when most of the children in the house were under school age. Right now, we do have a scheduled seat work time in the mornings. The older children take turns playing with Brendan for half hr intervals so the rest of us can work together. I rotate through the other children getting them started on independent work and listening to them read or drilling math facts, checking work, etc. Aidan and Kieran also work on their manipulatives and games - usually at the kitchen island which is too high for Brendan to reach. The table is just asking for trouble! <g>
When my oldest began homeschooling we had a baby and 3yo in the mix. I didn't attempt to do a set school time during the day though we did do lots of library story hours, walks, art work, manips, and so on. Allen would give the babies a bath after dinner and Colin and I would do any concentrated learning like phonics and math then. It was plenty of time for a very young student. Later we added his brothers' nap time. By the time those times weren't enough we had kids old enough to start taking turns with the current baby.
So my big thought? Get lots of self instructional materials for starters. If a good chunk of your curriculum requires interpretation by the teacher there is a problem. It is the curriculum's problem however - not your family's! Ditch it if you plan to continue to grow your family. Be flexible on when things happen. There are often lulls through the day when littles wear out, take naps, or lay low for a span. Tuck learning into those times rather than trying to squeeze your toddlers into a pre-set academic schedule.
As to the Grace and Courtesy presentations - I tend to unschool these <g>. Can we unschool Montessori? I guess I do. While we are getting cleaned up in the bathroom I might say "hey, do you remember how we open and shut the cabinet door?" (insert demo) When we getting ready to run errands I might say, "How do we behave in the store?" Some time before expecting guests you can role play things like welcoming and sharing toys.
We also like to occasionally bring up 'dilemmas'. For instance a sub had told me the children in my co-op preschool room were beginning to get a bit rowdy. When I returned to class we started with our story as usual, then before going to the trays we talked about the room rules (one material at a time, one child per material, taking turns) they all rattled off the rules. Then I asked them to consider possible situations like, "What if you REALLY want the game a friend is playing?" "What if they are taking a LONG time to finish?" After thinking through how they would handle these scenarios they all did remarkably well at handling them when they occurred.
Drilling these things works well at home too. They get a charge out of practicing it seems and remembering the appropriate way to do things. Aidan came up to me Friday morning and said,"Every time you ask me a question today I am going to say 'Yes, mom!'" A delightful prospect <g>
Observations? All the time. The kids are kinda hard to miss. ; ) Seriously though, a notebook helps if you have a lot going on. You can make notes to yourself as little problems arise like 'work on please and thank you' 'need to practice looking adults in the eye' 'towels on the floor - work on how to hang them this wk'. I try not to 'go off' the first time I notice problems but use that as a springboard for demos and discussion in the coming days.
I will say it helps tremendously to catch them remembering the right way to do a thing and to comment about it. A simple "Wow you are really careful shutting the cupboard door," or "You shook Mr Jones hand when he introduced himself, that was really brave!" really makes their day and encourages them to practice what they learned.
Hope that helps, Cheryl!
Thank you so much,Kim. It does help to hear how and when an experienced mom does things. Unschooling the grace & courtesy presentations would definitely be more my style. I already do the talking about rules when we go out to restaurants, Mass, etc. Your 'dilemma' is a good idea too.
Posted by: Cheryl | October 15, 2006 at 06:49 PM