One question I hear from families often is "How do you home educate students in multiple ages/grades?" Currently I am home educating students in grades 11, 10, 7, 5, 2, and preschool. I am going to be honest, it is not something I always feel I do well, but I have been at it for 11 years and am improving. In this post I am going to share a few ideas that have been helpful for me.
1. I work to make my students as independent as possible at their level. I am always trying to move forward in this area. With little ones it is stepping away for a second to put things away while they continue working, with older ones it is checking work after they have completed it so I am no longer sitting next to them. Taking steps each day to foster independence is my goal.
2. I try to schedule our days and think in terms of blocks of time. For instance, if one student is on the computer and and another one is working independently then I can work directly with a third. Sometimes I will say we have 20 minutes we need to make it count. Here is a post where I talk about homeschooling with preschoolers and here I share scheduling with high schoolers. Both posts share more of my schedule.
3. I have found having a system for older kids to check in with you on what they have completed is key. It is easy to miss something with your student. In this post I talk about my notebook. It continues to work well with my high school and junior high students. I feel I have a better grasp of where each student is in their work.
4. I look for computer programs or online classes that allow a student to learn successfully. We have had good luck using the Homeschool Buyers Co-op for products. SHOP AT THE CO-OP on award-winning Curriculum and Supplements & Save up to 93%. Thinkwell has been helpful, as well as Veritas Press Self-Paced Courses, and Quarter Mile Math.
5. Lastly, I also try to remember that one of my goals in home education is to help my kids become independent adults who love learning. Having to share mom and try to figure things out on their own helps to achieve that goal.
I would love to hear any ideas you have. I also found this post by Renee at Great Peace Academy. She has compiled many helpful ideas and blog posts on how to home educate multiple students. The post has excellent resources.
Thanks,
Kelly Wright. . . First off, I want to start by saying how awesome you are for homeschooling all of your children. I have 2 children I homeschool and I know how hectic it can get with just two! So you rock!! :) My son is in the 6th grade and my daughter is in the 1st grade. We keep a strict schedule, we start at 8:00 a.m. and usually finish between 2 and 3:00. I work with my son in the morning, and when it is time to do work with my daughter he is on his own to get his work done. I have a Folder system where I type up a list of assignments that he has to do everyday. So on Monday, he'll open up the Monday folder and get out his typed assignments and he checks them off as he goes. It is his job to get all the books and supplies he needs and finish the assignments for the day. He is a very independent worker, and I'm proud at how well he works on his own. Then after he is finished he turns in all of his work to be graded and if by chance, he did not get all of the assignments done then they just carry on to the next day. ( I have permission to post this. It first appeared on the Ohio Homeschool Assessment Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/ohiohomeschool/posts/1819979234992337)
ReplyDeleteGreat post Becky! Amazing Mom!
ReplyDelete"Lastly, I also try to remember that one of my goals in home education is to help my kids become independent adults who love learning."
That's what we strive for and you've shared some great advice and insight to help get there.
Thank you so much Michelle! I appreciate it. You do a such a great job supporting your student's interests. It has been a privilege to watch them become adults.
ReplyDeleteBecky