Changing my approach

[CleoQc]

Ok, so I'm just writing this to claim the first post in the forum...

That said, I truly am changing my approach with my son, age 10, working at grade 6 or 7 in most subjects.

In the morning, he's got to do math and French (first language). That usually takes all morning till lunch, because we start late.
In the afternoon, he's got to do one of the following:
English (second language)
Latin
Greek
Science (Exploring God's Creation)
Science (Electronics)

Then he's free to work on anything educational till 3PM, sometimes 3h30 if we really got a late start in the day... My only requirements are that it be educational, and that he leaves traces of his work. (Narration, drawings, etc..)

You know what? It's working. He LOVES this. And my output-impaired son is finally giving me stuff. Today, he discovered how to create puzzles (crossword, crisscross, etc..) with puzzlemaker. He's been making puzzles for every sphere of his schooling. Latin, French conjugation, geometry.

In the meantime, my daughter (age 7 - she the "math impaired" - not really, but compared to her brother....) is happily working on tangrams. :)

[A.J. at J.A.]

That's so awesome! Isn't it great when we try something new that actually works!?! I'm still in the searching stage to iron out some of our frustrations.

:)
Angela

[JennW in SoCal]

Output-impaired! LOL, Cleo. My 16yo is still output-impaired, unless it involves a camera or camcorder. Or MySpace. *sigh*

But good for you in finding a balance between required schooling and, if you don't' mind me calling it this, unschooling.

And, I am posting a reply in part to reach my 10th post, so I too can be a larvae!! How lame is that?!!!

[JennW in SoCal]

Hang on, it still says "just visiting"! Ignore me while I make one last post before re-entering the real world...

[KAR1200]

Sounds great!!

I don't remember now if I posted this before, but we've been doing something a little similar. I give DS the framework of how much time he needs to spend on everything, and a menu of options. He gets to pick anything on that menu. So for math he has a good half dozen choices and whichever he's in the mood for is fine with me, but it's got to be an hour's worth. He likes having the choice and I like knowing that he got a solid block done! :)

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

I have had the same thoughts on my mind with my 10 year old. I am going to a strict schedule and incentives. He came up with the idea himself tonight-so your post is inspiring me to get going!

[freethinkermom]

Maybe we should call this the Menu Method :) I do something similar with DS10. He used to prefer a very structured day, but want me to keep up with his speed. I cannot do it. He goes through work so fast (with mastery) that I cannot possibley keep up. Finally we have a good system where I schedule time blocks for him (1 hour of science, 1 hour of math, 15 minutes geography, etc.) and we have set criteria for what kind of output he must show for each subject every week. I make the official choice of what program he uses for each subject and give him a reading list he must complete for every subject except science, but he chooses what work is done everyday. For science I require two entries of at least one full page in his notebook each week and one hour of study each day. They can be an outline, essay, or lab report. He chooses the topics and resources and makes any lab requests. We have tried formal science programs, but found them all lacking in depth.

[KAR1200]

Maybe we should call this the Menu Method :)
Yep! That's almost precisely what I do with DS, and that's exactly what I call it!! LOL

[chai]

Is 10 the magical age? I tried this approach with my dd when she was 8, but it didn't work for us. Right now, I need to strap her to a chair and hover over her shoulder to make sure that she does any work at all! I've not been much fun lately.

LOL, I'm going to keep posting until I get to Larvae stage too! I've got some pride!:D

[threetreasurs]

My daughter is enjoying ALEKS this year mostly because the program gives a choice of topics to pick from each day. For some reason, just that little bit of choice makes all the difference to her. She always balked at programs laid out in the typical linear fashion. Go figure?!