kmacnchs
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Posts posted by kmacnchs
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So dd loves to learn, she will be going to preschool in the fall to make some friends and have some fun and learn in a different environment. What I was thinking though is doing a fun unit study approach to different world cultures and incorporate it into all subjects. Like take china and lean about what other kids do in china, what china is like, what animals live in china, and do some Chinese cooking at home. It would be a no pressure style thing and only work on phonics and numbers separately. Would you do something like this for/with your preschoolers?
I did this with my 3 & 2yos last year. Their grandfather lives in Ecuador and friends of ours live in Russia so they could already point those out on the globe. They were really interested in learning about other countries. They memorized all of the continents as they year went by. What I did was look at K-12 History (the first 1/2) and went from there. I think the succession was Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Antarctica, and then they finished the 2nd half of the year w/American History. They suggested 2-3 books/continent but what I did was just google books about a certain continent - there are wonderful suggestions - and then I checked out whichever ones were at my library (normally about 20 books/continent). We would spend as long as we liked on each continent depending on interest - would find it on a globe, read a book about it daily, look at videos online about animals that live there, etc. It was great! My kids got a little bored w/American History so we basically just did the continent study.
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I have a very good friend IRL who has purchased a complete K-12 curriculum that she intends to use for all five of her dc. If it doesn't fit, too bad. She sticks with it and makes her dc do so also. While I couldn't do that, in a huge way I envy her approach! She doesn't stay up late pouring over curriculum catalogs or message boards. She doesn't buy and sell. She doesn't have to figure out how to teach something new each year. ALL that time she would be doing these things, she is instead spending time with her family, cooking nice meals, cleaning house, reading, serving others, exercising, etc..
When I questioned her about how she manages to make ONE curriculum fit each different dc, she replied that she and her dh researched, decided and have just stuck with it. Adding in that if her dc were IN school, their desires and learning styles, etc. wouldn't be catered to. Hmm. Is it working for her? Yes, for the most part. I see her dc give her a hard time, but that time she spends addressing whatever issues is still way less time I spend shopping/hopping.
I use to think she was so...rigid. Now I think she may be just plain smart.:confused:
ETA-My friend has been at this for a long time as her oldest is 13....
Thoughts?
I have a friend who does the same thing. She has 4 and her oldest is 14. In her opinion, there are many good curricula. She picked one and she stuck with it. There is no need to jump around for the next or better thing when her kids are doing fine with what they have. I say good for her! She is also of the opinion that curricula is less important than the teacher - if she does her job, many curricula could fit the bill...
Mine are young so I am still looking for the right fit but I hope to be able to find it soon and stick with it. Like you said, saves time, energy, stress, and money!
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we saw it last night - it was cute...not sure what else to say about an animated film...
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I like the idea of the schedule, but I'm afraid the principle of roomtime wouldn't work because all three girls share the same room. :tongue_smilie: <sigh> Someday we'll be in a bigger place! Once dd3 and dd 9mos are able to play together more, things will ease up, I think. Then they could play in their room while I work with dd6.
Thanks for your suggestion!
Mama Anna
Our girls share a room as well. You can put the playpen in an isolated place in the house (not necessarily a room by itself or maybe in your room). Then your 3yo could play in her room and your 6yo could be with you.
Playing together is great and that happens most of the day but playing alone is good for them (imo) AND it guarantees no distractions (no arguments when you're playing by yourself (hopefully :lol:)
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After breakfast, mine have a 45min/1hr roomtime (play alone in their room) while I get the house cleaned, shower, and chill. In the fall, I am planning on doing teacher-intensive stuff w/dd1 while the younger two have roomtime so she will not be so distracted with her younger sibs around later. I really think this would work for you.
However, I have heard that if children are not used to playing by themselves, it takes a bit to get used to. So you may want to start this summer. Start off w/20-30 min and work up to 45min-1hr. My children LOVE it (some more than others - some are more anti-social than others:D)
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Please Help! :) What are all these acronyms for!!!
Thanks!
Trish
MEP - Mathematics Enhancement Program
Out of England (? I think?) Everyone raves about how great it is and it's free! Just google it :)
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If the teen was responsible AND didn't have a boyfriend and you knew there would be no parties - 16/17?
I was left alone for a couple of days when I was 17 and that led to BAD stuff w/bf...I was EXTREMELY responsible (NEVER in trouble), no parties, no smoking, nothing.
But being left alone with a teenage boy that you love...I don't care how much you trust your teen, they will not be able to trust themselves if they are alone in a house w/their bf/gf...btdt
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The problem is that she seems to be both a perfectionist and somewhat... unwilling to work, which is a difficult combination.
yup
I've tried giving her easier math to build her confidence and strengthen her arithmetic skills, but she tells me it's boring. I've tried giving her harder math to give her challenge, but she tells me she's bad at it.
I did the SAME THING!
So... any suggestions for how to approach this learning style? Advice? Commiseration?
Mainly commiseration here...I am still going through morning sickness so school is 1 day a week or nothing and just about everyday she says, "It's good we did not do school today" It just breaks my heart :confused: She still reads to me everyday (science books, literature, etc.) - what she means is "I'm glad we did not do math today."
The thing is, reading was a struggle when she was learning as well (b/c she is such a perfectionist) but once she learned, she was over that hump and now she LOVES reading. She will never be over the math *hump* b/c she will never be "done" learning math...will this always be a struggle? (we are only finishing 1st grade) This is not a retoracle - I am really wondering if anyone has btdt...
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:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:
Snapping comes with a newborn...I have learned to not be so hard on myself b/c it has happened w/every single one. :glare:
Do school during baby's morning nap(s). The good news is K and 1st only really NEED Reading and Math which should be doable. Just do those until you feel you are ready to tackle more - the baby is on a better schedule.
Oh, and read read-alouds while you nurse!
You can do it! And if you need to start the school year "late", your children will not suffer!
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Some frugal things: MEP, OPGTR, LIBRARY, buying second hand. I also was blessed for awhile to have some friends whose kids are 3+ years ahead of mine so they passed down SOTW to me and some Abeka and Saxon. They have since moved but I stick to my 1st 4 frugal musts! :)
HWT was also cheap - I made the cardboard curves & lines and I only buy the Kindergarten book off of Amazon. After that, we use FLL for handwriting practice. Lots of WTM suggestions are great for being frugal. OPG, FLL, their science program for grammar stage (mainly use library books)...that's all I got :)
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Thou shall not covet, thou shall not covet...
:iagree::iagree::iagree: :glare: :D happy for you!
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My son is 5 and is terrified of learning to swim. We tried swimming lessons in the spring, but he just clung to the side of the pool and refused to participate. We are trying again (I put him in the class for 3-4 year olds because there is parent involvement and it's a gentler introduction.) Most days he refuses to do anything and spends most of the time screaming and crying so loud that I'm surprised we haven't been asked to leave. (It's disrupting classes on the other side of an outdoor Olympic-size pool.)
What can I do? Ds lacks courage in many areas, and I feel like it's important that he learn to overcome it. I also feel it's a safety issue when kids don't know how to swim. I don't know how to provide a more gentle approach. Do I need to get tough? Or would that make the panic even worse? Help!
My dd was the same way. We got tough in that she needed to trust whomever she was with that that person would not let her fall/drown, etc.
We also go to the lake A LOT so we spent a whole summer teaching her to trust her life jacket. Once she was able to trust her life jacket and swim that way, swimming the "real" way was easier for her...just a thought.
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I thought my family was fairly typical for our eating habits but yesterday I had two separate incidents that made me wonder if we are abnormal.
First, I was at our friend's house getting a spare key because the kids and I will be staying with them for 3-5 days as DH finishes our flooring project. One thing that struck me as interesting was when she asked about snacks for the kids. We really don't have snacks in the house. I've found that when I have them in the house, my kids fill up on junk food between meals. If they are healthy snacks, they don't touch them. So, I just don't stock my kitchen with snacks. She made a few suggestions and all I could say was that I that we don't usually eat that but I think my kids would like them. I wonder if she thinks I starve my kids because, apparently, hers snack all the time. LOL
Do most kids snack? We just eat our three basic meals. Occasionally, my kids will eat a granola bar or Annie's bunnies but it isn't typical.
Then we ran into an old friend that we haven't seen in 5 years. He was resorting to Costco's food court for dinner while his wife was out of town so we invited him over the next night (last night). I made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, canned corn, and frozen peas. I had water, juice, and milk available for drinks. When he arrived and saw dinner, he said we didn't have to go all out on dinner just for him. He seemed to think I went through a lot of trouble to make this elaborate meal and I tried to reassure him that it wasn't a big deal; this was pretty standard fare. He mentioned a couple of times that they usually eat simple meals at home. Um...I was worried that the meal I chose was going to be too simple for a guest. So, if what I made wasn't a simple meal, what is?
no snacking here! (glad I'm not the only weird one...)
That sounds kinda elaborate to me but not outrageously so...My typical meal is a meat (grilled or baked, b/c it doesn't take much time) and two veggies (sauted, again to take little time). I do not do a lot of prep. work so mashed pots are not typical. Others are probably right though, he prob. was thinking that homemade was outrageous! :)
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Most churches don't have savings or if they do it is for super emergencies like natural disaster.
I know I am SUPER late in this thread but I guess my church is (praise the Lord) different. We have a building fund (we meet in an elementary school right now) in which $$ is saved for whenever we find land. We will NOT go into debt if we ever do build a church building. Nor will we have a special fund raiser for the building fund. We do not give to the building fund. We have a budget (incl. supplies, rent, salaries, and funds - missionary, building, etc) and everyone's offerings are "spent" in those areas.
We also disagree with having yard sales, etc. "selling your junk for Jesus" to raise $$. We are a different church but I like it (obviously). I certainly do not get (nor agree) with churches going into debt to build bigger and "better" things...just my 2c...
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My dh quit his job in Dec. I felt he was being pretty prideful for the situation he was quitting over but I trust my dh and in general, he is wise beyond his years. I told my mom that I thought he was maybe taking the situation too far but my mom said, "you don't know what it's like to deal with a boss like that day after day. This was probably the straw that broke the camel's back" - she told me about a similar situation that she was in and how horrible it was - it helped me to understand and support him even more.
Everyone's situation is different though. If you really had some reservations and thought your dh did not know about them, I would present them to him gently but *I* would still support him fully and try not to advise him unless it was asked.
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Age-appropriate Bible, notepad, and pencil. We do not allow a bunch of toys or food. However our 2yo (VERY BUSY) is a slow eater so I let her finish her snack (as a church, we have snack & fellowship in between Sunday School and church) at the beginning of church. Other than that, they are to stand and sing when it is singing time and stop what they are doing when it is praying time - this makes it choppy enough to make it bearable for them. During the sermon, when 2yo gets bored, sometimes I will give her my Bible to leaf through and if she is doing well, sitting in daddy's lap is always a treat.
Since it is something to get used to, I recommend practicing at home. Everyday after lunch, I had mine sit on the floor with their hands in their laps for an allotted time. This was practice. If they could do it for "x" amt. of time w/nothing, then they would last longer during church with some things to help occupy themselves.
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When he gets home, I do all of my talking to him while we eat and play w/the kids. They are young enough that if we are swinging them on the swings, they are happy and we can still talk - only dd1 wants to carry on a conversation and that's not much, she just turned 4.
When the kids go to bed, he works at job #2 until midnight. I go to sleep by myself the VAST majority of the nights :( I wish this was different. We spend 30min-1hr in the mornings before he gets the kids up and leaves for work.
So yes and no - we certainly don't spend every minute together but I am weird in that I just like for him to be home - just like to be in his presence - weird, I know...:D
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I think that setting it up as a "first" or already determined priority is something that I will always view as unhealthy. I think it's a false (and possibly damaging) dichotomy. "Marriage first" and "children first" aren't the issue. Triage is done by whose needs are the greatest in the moment - determined by urgency, age, developmental readiness, etc.
That's why I said marriage first "overall". Obviously I am going to feed, etc. my children - not going to ignore them when daddy gets home...It's hard to explain my mentality, I guess b/c it is more of an emotion...hmmm...
Maybe I make it a priority to spend time w/my hubby/do whatever he wants, etc. b/c there is so little time (he has 1 full time & 2 pt jobs) - no need to make it a priority to spend more time w/my kids b/c I do that everyday anyway!
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Really?I personally believe both extremes are unhealthy. The scripted, mandated "couch time" instituted by some parenting advocates, the "marriage came first" and "your spouse will be there after your kids so you'd better nuture the marriage MY way" stuff is icky.
I hear what you are saying but I do think that I need to put my dh first when he is home. I put the kids first the whole day so when he is home, I try to be very in tuned to his needs...I know this makes me sound like a bad mamma but I do think our marriage needs to come first in the big picture. If I am not close/in tuned/whatever w/my dh, it reflects on how I interact with my kids and on my attitude in general.
Healthy families have a lot of time together, healthy marriages have some no-kid alone time and healthy marriages and families have some time and space away, too.
I agree with that. That is specifically why I could never be on board with the attachment parenting stuff. SO NOT KNOCKING IT - just saying, it's not for us. We don't have any family we trust to keep our kids so our built in no-kid alone time is naps (mamma recharge time) and at night (they go to sleep at 8pm IN THEIR OWN ROOMS AND BEDS). Whenever friends tell me their kids sleep in their rooms/beds I want to scream, "When do you have sex!?!?!" (I don't of course :lol:) For us, having that place and time for us is important - not necessarily going out for dinner & a movie...
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I like NOT spending $$ personally :D and go with Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and check out ALL of the SL books from the library - they are just read-alouds - not anything your ds would be reading on his own. For books for him to read on his own, I check out bob books from my library as well but if your library does not have them available, I would say they are a good investment (look on craigslist and amazon).
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My dh and I have 3 ages 4 & under. Since they go to bed at 8pm and are still young enough that we can talk over their heads many times, we have not felt the need to have a "date night". We just went on our first date night a couple of months ago (our 10 yr anniversary of being together) and that was mainly b/c there was A LOT going on in our lives (maritally speaking) and we needed a night to talk serious talk w/o kiddos.
I could see how the need for a date night could change as ours get older (go to bed later and can't talk about stuff in front of them) but right now, there is no need!
I have a friend that has her kids on such a flexible schedule that they do not take naps anymore (they are 1 & 3) and they all sleep in the same bed/room at night so she and her hubby have MANY date nights. I feel that b/c our bed is for us alone and my kids take many long naps during the day, we kinda have built-in "kid-free" times during the day & night so we don't feel the need to get away from our kids and just have adult conversation...
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The oldest child - 12 - does much of her work independently. However, most of the kiddos are in bed by 8. If we haven't gotten to one of our "together subjects" during the day, we snuggle on the couch and catch up after all the youngers are in bed.
That is SUCH a good idea! I'll have to remember that one!
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As always, it depends on the student and teacher. I had NO CLUE how to teach writing so I very much enjoy the teacher's manual. Also, in the teacher's manual is a template for the blocks you can buy - I used the template and made the curves and lines out of cardboard boxes I had. The student workbook is a must, of course. Because mine learn young, the slate really helps us, along with all of the pre-workbook activities (ideas I got from the TM).
So, for us, slate, TM, and student workbook (all off of amazon, really cheap). For others, just the student workbook. If you think yours is ready to go straight into writing, just get the workbook. If you feel you need to do some pre-writing learning, get the TM, make your own "blocks" and get a slate...
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I am definitely an OPG fan for many reasons. Really, I don't get why a reading program needs to be fun/entertaining. You learn the skill, you practice the skill. Once you have the skill down pat and you can use it (reading), THAT's where the fun comes in! Personally, I see nothing wrong with that...
I also am a penny pincher so I don't see me ever doing anything other than OPG - mainly b/c I have already spent the $$ and b/c it was SOO cheap I don't think I could bring myself to spend money on something else. I have saved $$ in the teaching reading dept. and spent it on math manipulatives for Saxon (though now I've found MEP through y'all and I may never go back - again, it works AND it's cheap!)
As long as it works, I am ALL FOR THE CHEAP!!:D
Biblioplan- Oldest 1st grade- ? re: read-alouds
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
1. you can do more difficult read-alouds while the youngers are taking a nap. My 1st grader rests 30 min after her younger sibs. She reads to me and I read to her during this time.
2. your youngers will learn to sit still and listen soon enough with enough practice. My 2yo sat still and (tried to) listen while I read the Jungle Book (the real one by Kipling, not by Disney) aloud to them last year.