Pep Rally: Fitting it ALL in!

http://ldshomeschoolinginca.org/curric.html

Will this material require a lot of preparation or teaching time on my part?

One of the biggest worries that new homeschoolers have is how they will "fit it all in." They imagine themselves trying to do what public schools do in each grade times 4 or 5 children. If you did that with several children you would go crazy. One of my children loves to tell people that I didn't teach her anything and she's almost right. I spent very little time teaching lessons. We read books, we watched educational shows, we went on field trips and did certain science or art activities together and the children did their seat work on their own.

Children want Mom's attention and they deserve some of it every day. But they must also learn that Mom has her own job to do and they must respect that by learning to work independently. Look for materials that your children can use on their own or with a little direction from you, especially as they get older. By about 10 my children were all working completely independently. I gave them assignments and they showed me the work when they were finished. If you notice a lot of lesson plans in a book, it will probably take a lot of time to teach.

If you have one or two children, you might not mind buying a whole different curriculum for each child, especially if they are far apart in age like some of mine were. But if you have several children, you will save money and valuable time teaching them out of the same material. If you are trying to do 3 or 4 or 5 different grade levels at once, you will go crazy. There's nothing magical about what a child must learn in each grade, especially when it comes to history and science. Combine topics as much as you can and you will all be a lot happier. Look for books that will be interesting to all ages and can be used again and again.

What about gaps?

You love your children and want what's best for them. You want them to learn everything they will need for the rest of their lives. New homeschoolers are almost always afraid of forgetting something important or getting behind or of having "gaps" in their child's education. Many turn to the state or professionals for guidance because of this fear.

There's no need to worry that your children will have "gaps" in their learning. I can guarantee you that they will.

Maybe you seen the TV show, Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Sometimes I'm just sure they've chosen the most illiterate person they can find and maybe that is the case. But on the other hand, I also know that most people will not remember everything they learned in school. The reason these people lose is because they have forgotten a lot of "important" information.

Your children will be the same. They will not remember everything you teach them and there will always be "gaps." The important thing is whether they know how to find the information they need when they need it.

Do your best, follow the spirit and create experiences you will remember forever.