I have a son who just turned 8 and is in 2nd grade and a daughter that just turned 5 and is unofficially doing K work:) She loves to do school, asks to do it and he complains all the time, struggles with reading, etc. I feel like I need to start out with him and his language/reading b/c it's a trouble spot and if we don't it often gets left until the next day. The problem I'm having now is that I'm getting tired in the early afternoons b/c of being pregnant and often I just get done with him and I need to rest, but she's almost begging for me to work with her. I'm having trouble getting up early in the morning, I'm sleeping from abuot 10-8, getting up and trying to be started between 9-9:30. I've thought of having him doing study dog or something similiar and doing her reading made easy first. That's another issue, whenever I sit down to work with her especially with reading he wants to be right there involved. Also, b/c of his reading problems there isn't much he can do independent so it's hard to have him work on something while I work with her. I'd love any thoughts or suggestions.
thanks

When my oldest had just turned 5 (last spring), we were using R&S preschool stuff and MCP Math K. It was pretty independent for him. Maybe you could get something similar for your dd, so she could work independently and be "doing school" while you are working with ds. It wouldn't have to be specifically those books... just something less challenging for her. Then next year during the school year it can be more "her turn" after you have a groundwork laid with your oldest.

I am thinking it is a good idea to work with your ds in the morning when you are fresh and he is fresh. Then if you want to do more with dd in the afternoon, that would be the time for it. If not, if you are tired, well, she is really not of K age till fall anyway.

With my 7 year old I have had to read pretty much everything to him since he's been schooling. My 4 year old is doing K-1 grade work, so we have to schedule tightly. We all sit at the same table and I'll read his directions to him, then he'll do that while I do a few things with her and vice versa. Whenever she's doing independent work I use that time to do intensive work with him.

We use Developmental Math, Miquon Math, the Cuisenaire letter book, Explode the Code, OPGTTR, and Handwriting Without Tears for her. All but the OPGTTR is fairly independent once I read her the directions for each page.

One suggestion, if he's wanting to listen in on her reading lesson, I would let him. If that's the area he's having trouble in, listening in can be very helpful. Not to mention sibling rivalry can be used to his advantage here. If he sees his little sister catching up to him in reading, it may motivate him more.

:big hug: I am thinking it is a good idea to work with your ds in the morning when you are fresh and he is fresh. Then if you want to do more with dd in the afternoon, that would be the time for it. If not, if you are tired, well, she is really not of K age till fall anyway.

:agreed:

Are they any workbooks you can give to her? Do you have read alouds where both can just sit and listen? I'm not a pro, like some mamas here. :bow:

I also am getting tired in the afternoon, and I recently dropped out of a sign language class. (It started at 1pm.) I simply couldn't do it AND be a peaceful mama, kwim? I also didn't sign them up for swim class at 1pm, or bowling at 1pm...:eyes:

I hope you aren't running around too much. That helps with the fatigue, imo. :big hug:

my suggestions:
get started right after breakfast. lay out the books for the day the night before. maybe do a read aloud with both children while they are having breakfast. (you have both of them as a captive audience! :lol:)
then give dd several workbook pages to do. coloring, cutting/pasting, mazes, matching activities, etc. encourage her to do these herself (with a whole lotta praise!) while you work with ds on his trouble spots. get him through as much as he can handle. then give them a break; have them reconvene and your ds can work on some pages independently or on the computer (spelling time or whatever) or if he has handwriting, LA or math review pages he can work on (the math worksheet site has some great reveiw sheets you can make for him) while you work with your dd 1:1 on what she needs. another break and then reconvene on the sofa or outside (wherever is comfy) and work on reading together. you read a page, she takes a page, he takes a page (or whatever works for ya'll). since he struggles with reading, and she seems eager to learn, you may well be able to work with it as a whole. maybe starting "over" with ds will be good review as your dd begins to learn the fundamentals (it will help your ds but have him look at it as helping you teach your dd -- so he doesn't view it as going backward ;)).
school as a whole at this level doesn't have to take more than a couple of hours. we start immediately after breakfast and always in our pj's :lol: - we're always done by 10 or 11 at the latest. combining them on as much as possible will help cut out time, and giving them some independent work to do while you work separately on a few key areas will increase their self confidence and enable them to learn to do problem solving on their own.
hang in there - schooling while pg is never easy. :hug:

I'm currently schooling a 4th grader, a kindergartner, plus watching my own 3 year old and another 3 1/2 year old; all while also pregnant! I have found that getting right down to work is detrimental to our schoolwork. I am up at 7am and showered. We are all dressed, beds made, rooms cleaned, etc. and downstairs for breakfast by 8am. We start school no later than 9 am and typically finish by lunch time. (Sometimes we save history or science activities to do during the afternoon when the two little ones take a nap).