# Help!



## Wiscontessa (Jun 10, 2003)

Did I take on too much? How do you keep them on task & motivated? I have a 10 yo boy and 7 yo girl. It's a fight with him everyday. Please share your secrets.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Well, what are his interests? Can you incorperate them into the subject(s)?
Im assuming you are homeschooling?
With daughter, I found that math was an especially rough subject mainly because I am very math challenged. We were using a program I thought was pretty good till she started bogging down in it. (not to flame you here..I personally got really irritated and it spilled over into her attitude)
Instead of making her sit down for X amount of time to finish the whole page I started requiring her do only half at a time. 
When I finally figured out this particular program wasnt right for her we switched. But it took some time....I had to look at the big picture as far as my attitude, if she was just being how do I say; copping her own tude or was the particular book really not up her alley...I had to look at her in the respect of is this a character weakness, can she really do the work, what can I change to help her?
Do you have rewards built into your day? Your week? This was one of my downfalls and I had to learn to do.
One problem we ran into was piano lessons. DD somewhat gifted there.Teacher was having her do too many new pieces per week. Talk with piano teacher solved that.
Then there were some of the emotions of a pre teen. Practising became dead & rote.
"Put some emotion into it, music is not just a bunch of notes." She caught onto it.
Sorry I have no secrets, But the beauty of homeschooling is having the freedom to tweak as you need to.
And pretty much except for math, you can start just about anywhere in a text book and jump around. Use your creativity!:happy:


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## noname (Dec 31, 2004)

All kids bog down once in awhile, especially in the subjects they don't particularly like, but if you are fighting with your son every day then I'd consider whether what you're using is a good fit for him. Many children, especially boys, don't do well with the sit-at-the-table-and-fill-in-the-blanks approach.


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## midwsthomestead (Nov 8, 2005)

I think it's also key to remember not to take on or assign too much stuff--homeschoolers don't have to have a full out 'school day', that's a big part of the beauty of homeschooling, ya know?

I'd make the list of 'stuff' very short, especially to start out with--whether you're new to this or just 'in a rut' so to speak. If you're into homeschooling by subjects, do just one a day or keep the 'lesson time' short n sweet for awhile. Have hands on experiments, games and crafts for variety and fun in learning. On music lesson or grocery days, don't have a list of assignments to complete. Those kinds of things.

Once you shake up the routine a bit, I'd wager things will look up.

~~Hang in there!


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

We have been reduced to removing priviledges until the school work is done. (read computer games) DS is allowed 1 hour in the mornings. He has an assigned hour to play games. If his work/chores are not done by the time that hour arrives, it takes away from HIS computer time. 

Here are somethings I have learned about my DS's learning and what works for us. You might find something that rings a bell for you.

I try to not leave DS with too much to do on his own since he enjoys conversation. I also often let him teach me.

I try really hard to find curriculum that he can enjoy also. (Saxon Math - I love it, he doesn't) Shorter exercises work well for us. It is defeating for my DS to look at a whole page of math problems at one time - especially in black and white.

We eliminate as much seat work as possible by having him run in place while repeating spelling words and often do the longer math assignments orally or on a chalk board. 

I read books with him - he reads a page then I do. He doesn't like stories so we look for non-fiction books on subjects that he enjoys or I want to introduce him to. 

I let him draw pictures to illustrate his math problems. We use a dry erase board. 

If we are learning about sharks - we do a playdough model of a shark. 

It is a lot of work to get an active boy to sit and do school work. It make it harder for both of you to have DD there that easily sits and gets it done. Try to find out the method of learning that he likes best and use it to your advantage. My DS likes to get his hands on things. What does your DS enjoy? We might be able to share a few ideas to get him out of a school work slump.

Good luck!


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

This is where a regular schedule and routine is INVALUABLE. My boys would resist doing their bookwork until we started with a regular timetable of expectations -- but this worked well with our classical approach to homeschooling -- I can see how it might be a bit more difficult if you do child-led learning.

Regular routine and clear expectations are what saved us -- maybe they can help you, too


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## RockyGlen (Jan 19, 2007)

I am a very schedule oriented person, and my children are very visual. Here is some of what we do:

1. We have a schedule hanging on the wall. When it is time to move on, we move on and if the subject is not completed it gets set aside instead of put away and then it is finished during THEIR time, not mine. The exception would be if they truly do not understand something and are struggling with it - then it would carry over to the next day or next time slot. Only dawdling or acting up takes away their free time. (see titus2.com for the Managers of Their Homes schedule system we use if you are interested).

2. Each child (under 12) has a pocket chart with a red, green, and yellow tag in it. They start the day with green. If they dawdle or misbehave they go to yellow (caution) level. Another and they get to red. In the evening they are allowed 30 minutes if they ended the day green, or 10 minutes for yellow, of their choice of television, computer time, or wii game. No exceptions and they do not get those things any other way unless we watch a family movie together (or it is for school). Another benefit of this is that my husband is in and out all day and can see at a glance who might need a pep talk or some encouragement or accountability. My handicapped child gets two green tags (dark and light) and 3 yellow tags (again visually different so he knows where he is) - that makes it doable for him to get to the end of a day with green or yellow and he really only loses tags right now for hitting, throwing temper tantrums, or outright refusal to do what I ask him to.

3. The second tier of the pocket chart is for chores or personal tasks that are often forgotten (like my daughter cleaning her retainer). When they complete a chore or task, they move that card to the back of the pocket. Very visual, they don't forget anything, and I can tell at a glance what they claim is done so I can check it and what still needs to be done. (chores not checked or schoolwork not checked quickly become work not done)

4. Do my part to make the day easy for them! Everything has a place and they know where that place is so there's no frustrating 14 minute search for pencils or a book. I keep the noise level down, maybe even putting on some calming or non-distracting music. I turn off the phone ringer during school, and have seats available for each childs needs (one can NOT sit by a window or he daydreams). Mostly they are at the kitchen table and I am working in the kitchen. I do have a bowl of pretzels or plate of apple slices on the table because it is hard to concentrate when mom is baking and it smells so good. I try to make it a pleasant environment for them.

The last thing is make it interesting! Every subject, every day, is not going to be great. Life is like that, you know? But we do tons of hands-on stuff, we have variety in the way subjects are done (one on the computer, one on television, one in a group, etc.) No one wants to work in a button factory doing the same thing all day every day. Even office work has a bit of variety - why should we not provide our children with the same thing. My boys also needed a break between subjects - which I fill with activity. In nice weather I might say, "time to switch, go run around the house as fast as you can." Or, "5 minute hide and seek - I'm it!" It does not take long, but it does get them ready to focus again.

Stick with it - it will get better. I have also always heard (in 15 years of home schooling) that it takes 1 month to deprogram them for every year of public school they were in. If true, it might take your son 5 months to get in the groove.


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## reese (Jul 6, 2004)

What exactly are you doing? Details help with trouble shooting. 

People tend to focus in spurts and that time would differ on many factors like interest, energy, comprehension, and personal style. 

If there is resistance, there won't be any learning done anyway. Step back and find out what the real issue is. Is it bored, disinterest, too much time for the age/individual expected to spend on subject, style of information input, or what? 

Were your children previously schooled? I'm assuming you are homeschooling now. That puts another wrench in the case. 

Reese


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## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

Wiscontessa said:


> Did I take on too much?


Maybe. Not by homeschooling, but trying to tackle too many things at once. I am trying to scale back for my 11th grade daughter this year. She and I both feel overwhelmed by too many assignments in too many subjects. I talked to another homeschooling mom yesterday and we both are trying to keep things manageable this year. Example, writing assignments as part of literature, without a separate grammar and writing curriculum.

Callieslamb, the idea of a _specific_ hour for game time is brilliant! One of my math teachers would have called that an "elegant solution", solves the problem in a simple, yet complete way. :clap:

BlueberryChick


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