CleoQC - Going large, deep, or fast.

[Pegasus]

I was intrigued by your post in the "Is this fair" topic about going large, deep, or fast and wanted to explore it further. DD11 just gobbled up information and materials and raced ahead. Now, however, just as you described, she's at a point where she is using materials and textbooks that just aren't fun anymore. She used to LOVE history and LOVE science and now, due to the materials we are using (more advanced textbooks) she is not happy with either. If the material is easy for her, she is bored, but the more advanced material is denser text and just not fun.

 

So, what now? I like the idea of going large, letting her experience things outside of textbooks and schoolwork, even setting some of the academics aside for a while and letting her interest re-kindle as she matures a bit. Maybe go back to checking out stacks of library books on various topics and just have them available. This used to work so well when she was younger but I've become way too focused on making "progress" with formal curriculum and textbooks.

 

Thank you for giving me lots to think about.

Pegasus

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

You're welcome ... I think ;-)

 

It would seem we're at a similar point :cheers2:

DS10 is getting bored with math. HIM? Bored with math? Yes, showing your steps is tedious, and I can see he doesn't have the maturity yet. He can't give me the output I need for algebra, even though he's happy with the learning part.

 

Some kids can take to major acceleration, others can't. Even though my son demanded it, he's now reached a point where it's no longer the best approach for him. So I'm hoping to get him some real life situations where he can discover for himself some math. I don't know yet what I will do, but it will involve wood, and building stuff! :lol:

 

For a child who used to love history, I'd contact the http://www.sca.org/ or the LEGIO http://www.larp.com/legioxx/groups.html depending on her period interests. This is way more than just costuming. It's recreating an old way of life. And she'll learn some serious sewing skills! LOL

[EKS]

There can be walls along the way. And going wider or deeper rather than ahead can be the best solution. Sometimes going sideways is a reasonable solution too.

 

We went sideways (or maybe it was backwards, I don't know) for a while this year in math with my 11 yo. He had finished half the algebra book last year but when we started with it again in the beginning of this year he just wasn't able to deal with the organization/writing aspect of it. So we took a break, did some prealgebra for several months and then did the first half of the algebra book again but fast. It's amazing how much better he is getting it this time around (and he was getting it pretty well before with >90% on tests mostly). Some of it is familiarity with the topic but a lot of it is increased maturity.

[Donna]

My boys are 10 and 12 now but we have done these things during their various rotations in history and science (we are now on the 2nd rotation of medieval and earth science).

 

History:

-Read literature of the period

-Had meals from the period- developed menu, shopped for food (discussing the differences between how we get our food and they would have gotten theirs.

-made costumes and discussed dress of various types of people

-diaramas of villages or castles

-discussed weaponry, made clay models of weapons, deeper into wars and fighting (they're boys and this was their favorite).

-watched Discovery or History channel specials (through Netflix it's easy to get them)

-visited museums and living museums, amazingly King Tut just happened to be in town last year and it worked out well

-attended war reenactments

 

 

Science:

-dissected various animals and discussed how systems become more and more complex

-grew plants and subjected them to various experiments (lack/too much water, fertilizer or not, acid rain, lack of sunlight, etc...)

-raised a garden

-dissected plants and flowers

-subjected their bodies to various conditions/levels of exercise then looked at breathing rate, respiratory rate, heart rate...compared to normal activity and discussed optimal conditions for calorie burning, etc...

-dissected a cow heart to compare to human

-chemistry kit experiments, built molecule models...I love the small book called Elements from Rainbow Resources that looks at the Periodic Table like a kitchen cupboard...great activities

-physics experiments built simple machines and discussed work

-magnet experiments

-collected rocks (and bought some rock collections) to discuss classification and properties

-looked at various things through telescope, learned some stars and identified in the night sky

-built a volcano

-I have also gotten activity books for different topics with crossword puzzles, word searches, experiments, etc...just to give them more variety than just the text

 

 

 

Hopefully you can get some ideas from some of that. My kids learn so much more when it is hands-on plus it is more fun!!!

 

Good Luck!

[Nan in Mass]

I have 3 boys, the oldest of whom just turned 21. They are just brightish, not brilliant, and they aren't academic-minded, so we've opted to go large rather than accelerate (although sometimes they've wound up being accelerated a bit). These are some of the things they've done over the years (not all of them did all of them of course):

 

-More foreign languages (French, Arabic, and Japanese with Japanese for Young People, the French library and tons of children's books immersion-style then a French tutor, or Pimsleur)

-Chess (How to Beat Your Dad at Chess is a good starting place, along with a good chess computer program to practise with)

-Stacks of library books

-Tanagrams

-Ham radio license (lots of science and a bit of algebra and government here)

-Boating license (have to have one to drive a motorboat without an adult before 16yo)

-Lifeguard course and job

-Coaching course and job

-Robotix

-Drawing (Draw Squad is a great place to start)

-Sight singing

-Musical instruments (recorder with me (great for history - play medieval songs), then piano lessons followed by guitar for our family)

-Painting (Painting for the Artistically Undiscovered is fun, and so is Paint Yourself Happy)

-Dover colouring books

-The Boy's Handibook (think I got the name right)

-Woodworking

-Drafting

-Typing

-Learn to sail, kayak, and row

-Go ponding

-Certify a vernal pool (tons of science here)

-Get a telescope and learn to use it

-Get woodcarving tools and a book

-Peacewalking

-Travel

-Period costumes, etc.

-Fill out consciencious objector papers

-Political activist projects (there is a great book on this for children that has small, child-doable projects that can change your community, like starting a recycling program or writing a letter to your congressman)

-Pets

-Wildlife rehabilitation (lots of science)

-Engine repair

-Traxis remote control cars

-Kites

-Cooking

-A garden

-Dungeons and Dragons

-Models (some of these are fun for history)

-Mapping/tracking hurricanes

-Navigation

-Orienteering

-Knot-tying (look at Ashley's Book of Knots - lots of history here)

-Audio books (an easy way for children to absorb classics since they often will listen over and over again)

-Bird songs (Peterson makes a nice tutorial)

-Nature guides and learn all the plants and animals around

-Weather predicting

-Nature journals

 

And here are some that we've always wanted to find time for:

 

-Write a novel (get a library book or use Write the Novel Way (title?) for writing for awhile)

-Write some articles and try to get them published

-Fencing and horseback riding lessons (good for young knights, always wished we had the time for this)

-Dance (we do contra sometimes and it is just like an Austen novel or that description in A Christmas Carol, and there are other historical groups, medieval and morris and various ethinic ones that would be good for history)

-Historical reenactment groups (absolutely fantastic for learning history)

-A small business

-Rockets

 

Some of these have been more educational than others, and some are obviously more suitable for older ones than younger ones, but sometimes I think my children have learned more from these projects than their school books.

 

-Nan