5 children - two unhappy could home education help?

[Aubrianna]

I have 5 children ages 9,7,5,3 and 2. The older two are having issues which seem to be based around school, the 9 year old gets anxiety problems and struggles socially and the 7 year old has had a terrible time trying to read and write, despite all the tests under the sun (I have to say the school have been fab - no complaints) there is no explanation as to why his reading age is 4. He just doesn't seem to be picking it up at all l, he learns well in the time we have at home but at school he just seems to sit and stare, he needs constant input to actually learn it seems!.

The younger three are currently fine, although for a few months they have bed in full time childcare as DH and I run a company and I have been going into the office - this is no problem to change however.

Really I am wondering if in these circumstances home education is an option and could help, in terms of me being home full time it would be fine, but my major concern is giving them all the attention they need, also it sounds stupid but dealing with the bickering!!! The older two are constantly moody and arguing!

We do spend weekends trying to help especially with the 7 year olds reading but he is far more interested in gardening etc (we grow a lot of our food) so I also worry about just totally failing them altogether!

The other thing is I worry about is actually getting in trouble for not taking them to school! I imagine social services turning up and whipping them away from me because I have taken the out of school - I'm probably being dramatic but has anyone had any problems like this ? ? I should add we are a normal family and never see anyone let alone social services so I am not hiding any horrific info here

Oh finally I love the idea of Unschooling for ds (7) as I think he would benefit from some of the things I have read BUT older dd craves structure and routine (it eases her anxiety) so is I totally insane to try and mix the two...

Mixing up unschooling and a bit of structure is probably what a lot of hE'ers do! I wouldn't worry too much about how that would pan out because you can work it out as you go along & identify the children's needs.
Bickering........you might find they are more relaxed, less tired and stressed when they are HE and that might ease any bickering. No promises though!
As for you getting in trouble, you won't as long as you de-register them properly.
A question I would ask yourself though is what if all your children wanted to be HE? Could you manage that? I think it often happens that when some come out of school, others ask to follow suit. Just something to consider.....!
Definitely sounds like your 7 year old would benefit from HE:)

I think it sounds like a very good idea and would work quite well.
You have flexibility in your work and I have often felt that had all 3 of ours been H.ed at the same time I'd have managed.

We only have the one, but from what I gather it can work well with more as they have each other as company for a start.
I have found mixing both approaches works fine for dd, some things she benefits from being less structured, but Maths and English I tend to structure more, otherwise she would try and dodge these subjects.

In terms of taking them out of school, there is no reason for you to see anybody official if you choose not to. In fact we don't as we run a business mainly from home and could do without the visits. I supply answers to their questions on an annual basis and they leave us alone.

Is your dh able to help as well? I do the majority of the work, finding resources, ferrying around, supporting learning etc. However dh is often around if I have had enough, which I would imagine would be beneficial with you having 5 dc. I don't mean its essential btw, but may make it less daunting an option if you know you have support.

There is no rush for your 7 year old to read, my dd was like this and it was a constant battle when she was at school. I took an autonomous approach to reading and writing and left her for months, not doing anything but keeping a diary. She is 10 now, loves reading and writing for pleasure and is beyond her schooled peers.
When its important to them they will seek it out.

Gardening sounds brilliant and there is so much you can learn through this, like science, art, maths etc.

I think you will manage fine, and good luck to you.
Personally, we haven't looked back and my only regret is I didn't know about it when our older dc were school age.

a big vote here for using it as an opportunity to help your children develop relationships that don't rely on you refereeing. Don't judge, don't intervene, just keep everyone physically safe and let them argue it out. It is astonishing how much better mine get on - more thoughtful, better at negotiating, less territorial - since I stopped being the peacemaker