Dear Parent,

Thank you for your question!

It sounds as though you already know your children's strengths and needs, which is an important step in the homeschooling process.

For your 13 year old, I think you will find CHC's materials helpful, in the respect that they are not overwhelming or be too much for your daughter in her day-to-day assignments. Staying on task is difficult for any student, no matter the age, so I wouldn't worry about it. This is something that will improve over time, and with encouragement. I can tell that you are sensitive to her needs, which will help keep her from becoming overwhelmed.

With the nine, seven and five year old, my suggestion is that if they are bored, move them up a grade level, and begin with next year's curriculum. Instead of juggling several different grades, you could consider putting some of the children in a few of the same subjects. They wouldn't be in the same grade through all the curriculum, but you could combine, for instance, science and social studies lessons into one.

For your 11 year old, here are some suggestions that I can give. Her Stanford scores indicate that she does seem to struggle with abstract thinking. Math is a very abstract subject, as is comprehension, and the concept of consequences. Abstract thinking is something that comes with time. However, there are many activities and ways in which you can encourage the development of thinking abstractly. With the math, my suggestion is that you provide multiple hands-on materials. Anything such as manipulatives, charts, graphs, posters, visual aids and other similar materials will help your daughter see the concrete and associate it with the abstract.

Her listening skills should improve with time. It is normal for any given child, no matter how bright, to have problems with listening skills. However, there are ways in which you can encourage her listening skills. For instance, when giving her directions, it is important that she sees them, as well as hears them. Having her write the directions down, will help her remember them longer. Also, encouraging her to repeat the directions will also help.

I think it is very encouraging that your daughter is at level with her language art skills. If she were behind in every area, then I would worry about her overall development. If she is doing well with her word study skills, reading vocabulary and spelling, that is a good sign. It shows that she has the necessary skills it takes to read. Now, she needs to work on thinking about what she is reading.

One thing that might have effected her learning was being removed from school in the middle of the year. The transition can be difficult for any student, and it usually in some way disrupts the learning process. I think right now it is necessary for you and she to take a step back, and first create a relaxing learning environment. I would focus on her abilities, and what she is capable of doing, and praising her success.

I also would highly encourage you to create a schedule for your school week. This schedule can help you plan how much time you have to give to teaching, and how much material you have to actually cover. Because your thirteen year old is fairly independent, you can focus much of your time on teaching your eleven year old daughter and your younger ones. Also, your thirteen year old could help the younger ones in their schooling. Because your five year old is very bright, she can be learning many things along side of the two older ones.

I hope that this helps. Remember amidst the busy schooldays to have fun with your children!

God bless you and your family!

Laura Nicholson