I’ve also found a few things that keep my 2nd grader motivated. There’s a company called ‘Critical Thinking’ @ www.criticalthinking.com. We have ordered the ‘Language Smarts’ books & Hope loves them. They have a lot of ‘puzzles’ that need ’solving’, that help her w/ her grammar. She usually does 7-10 pages a day & would do more if I didn’t insist we move on to her math & reading. They seem to challenge her. Amy, if you added 1 or 2 of these, they might help challenge Maili. As Hope works them, she’s getting in some reading also & really analyzing the problems & trying to come up w/ solutions. The company has a variety of workbooks/software available for math, science, language, & spelling.
We also have trouble keeping Hope on track. I can totally relate, Amy how some days she’ll be done in an hour or so, other days we’re at it all day..agh!
Hope (my 2nd grader) is also motivated earlier in the morning (which is a constant struggle for me, but we’re getting there :-), and by small ‘incentives’…like 15 mins of ‘craft time’ or when she finishes a certain subject, I’ll read her ‘American girl’ book to her (which she could read a lot on her own but she enjoys me reading to her still…it’s a sweet time for us, since she’s strong-willed & it’s a time I’m not fussing at her for anything). She also loves computer games. We’ve invested in a little bit of software (math, reading, etc) since our dial-up internet is too slow to play online games & she’ll sometimes play computer games after she finishes her work. (which I love because she’s still getting some academics in, but enjoying it). She also loves to just open up the ‘paint’ tool on our computer & see what she can draw with it.

Mostly, I just love the opportunity to be with them all day (most of the time I can’t imagine life any other way. I know it will be more of a challenge on the field, but living out away from town has forced us to pull out of a lot activites (except church of course), so we’re not used to a busy activities lifestyle too much anymore. It’s neat to see God preparing us for the mission field (although we were unaware of what He was doing for us at the time we moved). Sorry about rambling. I hope this is encouraging to someone.

Thanks to the dads who posted (Larry & Steve). It’s such a beautiful thing to see the dads involved. I love it when my husband takes over (although he worked 7-6 & doesn’t get the chance to often). He is looking forward to being more involved in the homeschooling on the field. Praise God!! One of his favorite sites is http://www.familymanweb.com/. It’s by a homeschool Dad who is incredibly supportive of his wife/family. We heard him last year at the Florida Homeschool Convention in Orlando. Allen was/is very encouraged by him. Hopefully it’ll be encouraging to other dads in the AMU family! HAPPY HOMESCHOOLING!!!

Jonathan is highly motivated to finish by 12:30. Taking advantage of that motivation, we get to bed early, get up early, start early and I make sure I am on top of my game, so he is not waiting for me. In other words, homeschool is my main priority in the mornings. This might not work for everyone, but it is what works for us.

I agree with not giving way to, “I’m bored.” School is work. It is a child’s job. If they find self motivation in doing school, they will find self motivation to do the hard things that come their way when they are an adult. I’m not saying we, as parents, shouldn’t try to make education as positive as possible. However, I also think it is a mistake to make entertainment its priority.

homeschooling….hmmmmmm. i may not be your best candidate. lol. jk. mom cover your ears - no, i think homeschooling CAN be great. if you have really dedicated, prayerful, educated parents who see it as a priority for educating their children and not an extended holiday or an excuse for children not get along with other children or under other authorities. in other words, just to spoil them more rotten than they already are. i’m speaking from what i have seen as bad examples for homeschooling. i think it would be a great idea on the mission field which i assume is what we are speaking of as long as the children are getting a lot of time with other kids and the local culture outside of the house. personally, i would like to homeschool my kids in the early years and then let them ago around middle or high school.

Linnea, yes, I have seen Sonlight…overall…I am happy with my current curriculum…it is a matter of motivation…us not taking ALL day to finish. There are just some things so far she has done on her own. I don’t know…maybe…she should do them with me. All I know is it is frustrating…b/c somedays she can finish by 11-12…other days she drags her feet until 4-5 pm.

And Kathy, she is in 3rd grade.

Thanks Sheila for the info.

I’ve homeschooled our son Jonathan since kindergarten. He is in grade 5 now. We have used a lot of A Beka books. They are good and a little more challenging. What grade is your girl in?

First of all, for Amy…I love(d) homeschooling my three daughters. They were each very different and I wish I knew then what I have know now about working with different styles of learning, different love languages, etc. My youngest daughter was a sophomore in high school when we came to Helene. I praise the Lord that she was very self-motivated. Giving choices about schoolwork according to their interests seems to help and letting them help me plan their study(ies). It sounds like your “positives” are your key with that particular child. The child’s motivation is such a key to their responsiveness. Oh, one other thing, their granddaddy never let them say they were bored. He always told them that boredom was something they did to themselves. There’s lots of advice out there about homeschooling, but every child is so unique.

Amy, I homeschooled my kids in MX. Have you seen the Sunlight curriculum? I thought it was great with a lot of reading. Kathy also homeschools Jonathan in Cofradia and he is very bright, super smart in math especially.