The activities are driving me NUTS!

[Early Bird]

Today is our buisest day of the week, but STILL!

1:45-2:15 -- music reading lesson
2:15 -2:45 - violin lesson
3-3:30 - speech therapy
3:30-4:30 - library 'Battle of the Books' cookie chat

This week, we also have piano lesson, and another speech therapy. [No scouts this week!]

How do you manage school + ACTIVITES ???

[Missy]

it's hard but i have to limit the amount of stuff we sign up for, and for when we do sign up, i just do one activity a day, Hard to say no, but i just couldnt do it anymore.

[canadian gardener]

When I homeschooled, one activity per kid. eg music or dance lessons.

One "family homeschool" event per month ie field trips was all I could handle and even then that felt like too much.

Getting ready to go just gibbled the day. And giddy kids after the homeschool roller rink experience meant no more school that day.

ROFL Strawberry knows. We had GIANT roller rink days. There were tons of kids, we filled the rink. They were giddy and so were the mums.

One of those a month was almost TOO MUCH!

seriously, I'd be considering that everything you are doing today is school, and leave it at that, and do more academic stuff on the other days.

[homesteadmamma]

I've limited our kids to one activity outside the home too. For now it is music lessons. Those are on 2 different days for personal reasons. They also have music clubs, however those are once a month and go along with the music lessons.

I remember when I use to have to do speech, OT, PT, and all the appointments to see specialists. It was nuts to say the least.

[QuilterMom]

We don't do much either. I belong to a homeschool e-list for homeschoolers in our county only. They get together for field trips (you sign up only for the ones you want to attend) and we buy tickets as a group to productions at the local performing arts center (again, you sign up only for the ones you want to attend). Other than that the only thing we are doing is Awana on Wednesday evenings.

[Early Bird]

On the days when I can lump activities together, we get quite a bit done! I'm actually pretty lucky this year to have so much all in one afternoon.

It's the days when we have scouts at noon, for example, that we get nothing else done.

But, on the bright side, while the kids are in the library 'cookie chat,' I can log on to the Village!

[hollyhill]

Things have become busier for us as the children get older. Music is a big part of our childrens lives. They have been enrolled in a music academy since they were 5/6 years old. The great thing about that is when Dh lost his job they helped us with burseries and gardening jobs for me to help pay tuition. My children have also won small scholarships. The other plus (or minus depending on your view) is, there are many free music activities which supplement their lessons.
So my week looks like this.

Mon. eve- Orchestra
Tues.- 5:00- 6:30 Private music lessons and Violin performance classes.
Weds.- 4:45- 5:30 Fiddling for youngest Dd, Composing for the older two.
- 6:30- 8:00 Judo for Ds
- 7:00- 9:00 First Aid Cadets for Dd
Turs.- 1:30-3:30 cubs, scouts
-7:30-9:00 choir for all of us
Fri.- drama- 9:00 -12:30 for Dd
Youngest Dd- goes to gym for gymnastics
Sat.- German classes- 9:00-12:00
Sun. eve.- Swimming (family) and lessons.
Oh, and Dd rides nextdoor but I don't think about that because i don't have to drive her.

Alot of stuff, but I consider it all "school". I weigh each activity VERY carefully for educational value and this determines if we continue the activities. or not. We also do a lot of school and reading while waiting for activities to begin or end.

The problem I run into is "playdates". My children want to invite friends over or go to friends homes. We live far from everyone and I am not willing to drive ONE child all the way there and leave them for 2 hours and then drive all the way back to get them. Ds gets especially upset about this. He has one friend in particular who will phone him up at the last mintue and ask him to come over. Sometimes it works out and I drive Ds over on the way to somewhere else. But most of the time we are busy or it just doesn't work out and then Ds is in a funk and misserable! It is hard to be productive when miserable! That happened today again! Ds is all happy and doing great and then at 2pm phone invite comes from friend. I told Ds I couldn't drive him because I had to have dinner ready and served by 5:00 tonight for orchestra. That didn't allow enough time to drive him. I suggested friend come here. That didn't work out either. So now my happy son is broody and miserable and being impatient with his Ds. I sure wish his friend didn't phone ,today.

[Early Bird]

Whoa, Nellie! Holllyhill, that has got to be the most complicated activity schedule I've read yet! How many children do you have?

Yikes! At least the only evening activity for us is one child's scouts!

[hollyhill]

I have 3 children.
Dd- 14
Ds-11
Dd- 8

How many children do you have and what are their ages?
We started off with music lessons for each of them when they were 6. Before that they weren't in ANY activities not even swimming. They chose their instruments. They have surprised us with how much they enjoy playing and practicing. They absolutely love to perform (a bunch of hams) and have been playing solos, duets and trios at Christmas and Rehersals since their first songs. My eldest regularily performs as the pianist at our church and has been paid for her services. Music only became more complicated last year. Up until then they had music one morning a week and all their lessons were at the same time. But then the two youngest became proficient enough to be invited to play in the groups. Ds joined the orchestra and played in a trio. Youngest Dd joined the Fiddling group and eldest was being asked to accompany other violinists. They had worked so hard to get to this point where their skills are being utilized that it is hard to say no. They are in performances about once a month and also play in rest homes as a ministry on a regular basis. They have pulled their instruments out on the streets and busked for the Sally-ann, too.
They then each chose one "PE" type of activity when they were about 7 or 8 years old.

It wasn't until last year after a long period of pleading that I gave in to scouts. I just didn't expect them to get so "involved". They are gung ho to get their chief scout award and my eldest is also going to start working on her Duke of Edindurgh award.

Choir and swimming are family activities (Dh and I were members of the choir before the children were). I swim for exercise too.

We are up and at it by 9:00 and they complete their "school" work by noon. My 14 year old needs all that time, Ds is usually finished by 11 and youngest by 10. They do music practice after that. They read throughout the day and sometimes far too late at night. Activities are after school and evening hours. I try to bunch the activities. Dropping off one child here and another there.. Or while one child is in an activity the others will be listening to me read out loud or we will all be reading our own things.
For instance at the music school the child who is waiting is either reading, doing music homework or listening to me read outloud. It is really fun to look up from a captivating book that I am reading to the children and see everyone in the foyer coming to sit by us to listen .
Also, it is different when your children are younger, you have to be with them in many of their classes. I am beyond that. If my children are in lessons or classes. I go for a walk, bring along my own reading, do math puzzles (my weakness), etc. It is my time. So I don't begrudge it.
I just don't have as much time for homemaking activities as I would like during the week, so I do more baking and such on the weekends.

[Early Bird]

Mine are 9 and 11.

A lot of their lessons are short, so, I take a book or some knitting along.

I'd love to know how you work the seatwork schedule. Do you all go into one room together? Or do you take each child individually? I've been doing the individual breakdown, but I find that the child who's not doing seatwork gets distracted from what she SHOULD be doing!

(i.e. "You read 2 chapters of 'Henry Reed' while I do math with your sister.")

I get all kinds of creative excuses!

[Valerie in WA]

Chiming in a little late here:

This year, our only activity is gymnastics from 430-6pm on Mondays.

Last year, we had that (except their classes didn't overlap, so it was 345-6pm), plus the girls had church choir on Thursdays from 545-645, and we had bible study together Wednesday morning from 9-11. The bible study required the older dd and I to both do homework, plus I directed (and had to prepare for) music. It was way too much.

Our single activity this year doesn't seem like much, but then I remember last year and I'm content to not add anything. Gymnastics sessions run for about 12 weeks, so they are free to take a break for a different activity if they like - we might do ice skating this winter.

Next school year, they will be old enough for our local co-op. It's on Mondays, during the day. There they can take academic classes, art classes and/or music instruction. I haven't yet decided if we'll participate, but I think we'd like to take advantage of the music. I can only teach them piano or guitar. It'd be nice if they could learn a wind or string instrument.

Early bird, my dc are younger than yours, but I haven't had much luck with separate seatwork either. Usually the one just watches while I work with the other - or I could let that one play on the computer.

[hollyhill]

I can't expect my 8 yr.old to work on her own so I don'T ask her to. However she sometimes surprises me and does work on her own "like a big kid".
My 14 yr old is completely self directed. She selected the curriculum she would use (from what I had available). She does math 2 days a week for about 2 hours at a time. Science one day for about 3 hours. History & literature (writing) one day for about 3 hours. German twice a week. She likes to do LONG chunks of time on one subject rather than one hour chunks several times a week. I don't have to do anything with her except help with the occaisional problem and provide materials.

My 11 yr.old does his work on his own but I have to assign the work. So I just get him set up and then he is on his own unless he has a question or I am teaching a new concept.

All are independent in their music practice. I have no music background and they are so far beyond my comprehension. Dh might help them once every 2-3 wks if if can.

So I have far less to do now than I did 3 years ago. It is getting very easy.
I help my youngest, I read outloud to anyone who wants to listen but it is really for my Ds, who can read on his own far less than my Dds. He is prone to eyestrain because he is VI.

I did not start expecting my children to be independent until about Gr.5. Before that age they get distracted and waste time. I also let them "work" only for as long as they can concentrate. Then their concentration ability gradually increased for the years.

[hollyhill]

Oh, I forgot to add. They all work in seperate rooms. Otherwise my talking to one distracts the others.