8Arrows4theLord
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Posts posted by 8Arrows4theLord
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The history part was good, not as in depth as you would get from Sonlight, but it wasn't bad. We didn't like the literature section. It was basically a read this book and enjoy it type of program. They have revised it since we used it, so hopefully the literature section has some structure to it now. Co. Aytch really grossed my Dd out.
If you are just looking for an Am. Lit course you could look into IEW's Am. Lit.. We haven't used it, but it seems to have a good reading list.
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We enjoyed Apologia Biology. Notgrass Am History is pretty good too. I supplemented both when we got to topics we really liked and wanted more information. :001_smile:
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You may want to consider using Art Reed's DVDs for better explanations when you get to Advanced Math. My daughter has really enjoyed them. He also splits the book over 2 yrs. so the lessons aren't as overwhelming.
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Thanks for some tips. I've had 3 weeks now with my class. I started a song time (with motions) as a transition, which seems to be working well, and have been keeping to a schedule. The one child still is literally running into the walls and making laps around the table during class though. I'd like to figure out some ideas for the Bible story time. That's when the running starts. The child is ok during the rest of the class, because they are doing things. But I don't know how to change the story time. I found a story book with good pictures, but am at a loss on what else to do. The child is also off the meds for the summer.
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I am teaching a 1-2 gr. Sunday school class and have 2 ADHD children in the class. I have very little experience with this specific issue. I hope to be able to help these children enjoy the class. Does anyone have some great tried and true tips on how to work with children with this difficulty? Any and all advice will be very welcome.
Thanks!!
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I have used Barton also with mine. It is a great program and flexible. If your child can't handle the 1/2 hour or x number of sections, you simply stop and pick up there the next day. The biggest thing I found that really makes a difference is consistency. Have reading/phonics/ Barton time (what ever you call it) every day. When we were in the most difficult parts we did a little 7 days a week. Later we took Sundays off.
My 13yr old is now working at a good 5th-6th gr level. My 9 1/2 yr old is reading at a late 1st gr.- beginning 2nd gr level.
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Here are some things that have worked for us over the years.
We've used medium sized plastic dishpans or baskets that could slide under the seats in our van. They had handles so they could be carried by the older kids. We put our textbooks in there as well as any notebooks/ binders and pencil cases filled with all the needed supplies. Note- skip the glue and get washable everything. Oh- and crayons melt when left in the car on a hot day at the state park, but it does make for a very interesting conversation about melting points and why things melt!
Backpacks work better some days when we needed to get in and out of the car at several doctors offices, but they don't hold as much as the baskets.
We had lapboards with pencil pouches in them for a long time. We also bring along a blanket for sitting on the ground.
For curriculum we've used Saxon math without too many issue in the car- they are bulky though. Sonlight type books for history and reading have been great because we could just grab the readers we needed and not need another textbook.
Putting things in binders has really worked well. I've photo copied textbook pages and put them in our binders to lighten the load. Copies of grammar worksheets, math worksheets, and book studies also go well in binders. Putting copies and worksheets in order by day or by subject with notebook paper made it easier for the kids to keep on track.
We also brought along lots of tapes. Yes, we are older homeschoolers with a very dated van! :laugh: Thankfully now you can get just about anything now on a Kindle, tablet, or CD/MP3's. Some we liked were- Bible stories/ songs/ verses (we loved the Mr. Henry tapes and the old Your Story Hr. tapes!), Biographies/ history stories, unabridged children's books on tape, Adventures in Odyssey, Spanish songs, classical music, and Classical Kids composer stories. All were great to use in the car to keep the kids happy but still learning on a long drive.
I agree with the above statements:Try to cut down on the textbooks where you can. R&S Preschool is very portable, fun and covers quite a bit.
Cover as many topics as you can through your travels- skip the textbooks- find some good books at the library to learn about where you are going,or what you are doing. Using nature guides and nature notebooks to help identify things on hikes could easily cover your science. Some libraries allow you to get a visitors card to check out books. This is handy if you will be camping/ visiting one place for awhile.
Hope you have a great school year and safe travels!
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In reply to 2_girls_mommy:
Rod & Staff is one of those really nice companies to buy from. They usually keep the older versions in stock for a long while. You probably don't have to worry about needing to buy the new version. They understand small private church schools and homeschools can't just up and purchase the newest version for their students whenever new versions come out. Often if you call, they will help you find what you are looking for. Everyone I've talked to there was very polite and helpful.
As for the original question:
I have not seen R&S's new program, but I'm sure they updated it for good reasons. They only update when there is a genuine need. Again if you have questions give the company a call. I'm sure they can help you out.
It is nice to hear the sight words will be reduced though. I've used R&S with my older children up through 4th grade. The Bible stories are nice. My children didn't start them till they were reading, so the sight words never caused a problem. The reading workbooks were a bit much, but the phonics books are very well done. We tried another phonics program this yr. w/ my current 1st grader, but I'm switching back (old version) next yr. for both her (2nd) and her sister (1st).
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I agree Art Reed does a very good job. The DVDs are worth the price.
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I think they need to know the secular points of science as older students, but be sure to fully explain your family's views of the topic. For example- the young earth. If she is going to go into science, she will need to know the other point of view. There is a lot of secular material on the AP tests that needs to be learned to pass the test, not learned as true facts. Most importantly, she will need to know why she believes (back it up with facts and Bible truths) and how to defend her views if needed.
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You could use R&S for your older child. Just do half the work and skip the writing lessons. It is very repetitive and 1/2 would be sufficient to keep up their skills. We tried Easy Grammar and didn't like the lack of teaching and review. Hope you find something that works.
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Patty Joanna- I agree if nursing doesn't work or you can't- no one should make you feel bad about it. It is a personal choice. That is one reason I wrote this post- I was getting lots of negative comments. I needed advice and encouragement. Sometimes it just doesn't work out no matter how hard you try or want it to. My 1st was only nursed for a very short time. I was young and had no clue how to even change diapers back then! :laugh: My 7th had to take formula at 1 week old because of a very strong medicine I had to be on to treat a sudden severe medical condition. (I cried, so painful- physically and emotionally) We try do the best we can for our kids. We love them and that's what matters!
You ladies are really great! Thanks for the encouragement from the 2nd pg. and for some chuckles. Still like the bandaids, but yes, I could see my little one would doing the same "fix it" trick! :laugh: OOH, that would hurt.
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I haven't read through all the replies yet, but thank you to all of you who are answering. You have been so encouraging! It is wonderful to see so many moms nursing, even for a little while! I hope there are some other moms who will be encouraged by all the replies also.
I don't really want to wean her yet, but I also am not sure how long we'll keep going. I was glad for the positive comments here.
I like the bandaid idea, I will keep that in mind if she doesn't self wean and I want to stop later.
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The Janet and Geoff Benge books are Christian biographies of both famous people (aka presidents, scientists, inventors, authors) and missionaries (geography unit study?). They are well-written and interesting. Another series that a fourth grader might enjoy would be the Dave and Neta Jackson historical fiction series. A child (often fictional, but many times the character is based on an "unknown" child from history) interacts with famous people throughout the book. Generally, the books focus on one major event in the famous person's life (the Gettysburg Address for Abraham Lincoln, etc.). They are a very accurate historical fiction series, and if any event in the book did not actually happen, that event is mentioned in the historical notes in the back of the book. Also, if fictional events are added, a reason for the addition is often provided. This helps answer the "What's real, and why do they add stuff that isn't real" question. FYI, both series make excellent read-alouds, so if the reading level looks a little intimidating, that's always an option.
For art, Linnea in Monet's Garden by Christina Bjork is a favorite. It's a children's book, but the reading level is higher than your average picture book. It incorporates Monet's most well-known paintings into a sweet story and teaches quite a lot of biographical info without becoming dry and boring.
As for poetry, check out children's anthologies from your library. Tie in art class by having him illustrate a poem; there are also anthologies available that show a painting and a poem inspired by the artwork. The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems is a good book for this type of study. Another option might be Jan Greenburg's anthologies. They contain a lot of good modern artwork with a variety of poetry styles, although not all the poems may be appropriate for elementary kids. You will want to preview that one before giving it to him.
Have you considered a music appreciation class? This is an easy one that can tie into just about any other unit study. Listen to music from the time period you're studying, draw the "picture" that the music makes in your mind, or narrate a story that the music makes you think of. Music that tells a story, such as Peter and the Wolf, Tchaikoskvy's Swan Lake or Nutcracker, Grieg's Peer Gynt, and Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, are some good ones to start with if you're interested in that approach. If you're interested in studying the orchestra, Those Amazing Musical Instruments teaches about each type of instrument in an orchestra with photos and an accompanying CD, so you can hear the difference between instruments.
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If she is sensitive, I would avoid them. She may get nightmares. We didn't let our older girls read those till they were at least 14 and had read quite a few other mature books.
Lori D. has some great books listed.
My 11 yr old also likes:
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library- Chris Grabenstein & its sequel- Mr.Lemoncello's Library Olympics
Not mysteries, but exciting-
The Narnia series- C.S. Lewis
The Found series- M. Haddix
*The Haddix books are a bit more intense and should be previewed.
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I was wondering how long is too long to nurse your baby? Our last sweet baby has been our best "nurser". She is now 2 1/2 yrs. old and still hasn't completely made the break. I have never had to forcefully wean any of my babies, and I really didn't want to force her. I have been told it could cause emotional problems. :confused1:
So basically I am looking for some opinions from all you lovely ladies who have had nursing babies. How long did you nurse, how did you wean, did you have one that just wouldn't give up?
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We waited until our son was reading with out having to sound out every word before starting grammar with him.
We just finished FLL 1. It was very repetitive and simple, perfect for him (now 9 yrs. old). We did lessons orally and skipped the writing extras at the end of the lessons until he was able to do them. We made picture pages using magazine cut outs, stickers, and slips of paper that I wrote information on- to help him remember major lessons such as nouns, verbs, ect.. We made photo copies of the poems, cut them out with fancy scissors, glued them on colored paper, and then he had a ball decorating the pages with stickers and paint dabbers! He said making those pages was his favorite part of school! :laugh: He also enjoys the songs on the Cd, although my older ones are getting tired of hearing the pronoun song.
I agree that you may want to just postpone the grammar and just focus on the reading skills for now. Extra work may cause more frustration.
We have just started Lv. 2 with our 9 yr. old, so I can't say if lv. 2 will work as well.
As my own question- what is Dancing Bears? We used Barton, is it like that?
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My 9 yr. son doesn't enjoy worksheets, but he enjoys drawing narration pictures for history, Bible, science, and reading lessons. Then I often write on the back what he wants to tell about his picture. He is slowly writing more, but it is a struggle for him to get his words on paper. He usually has nice handwriting so that hasn't been an issue for him, but he often omits words, mixes up his word order, and struggles with spelling even basic words when writing sentences. He seems to enjoy 1st LL.- we just finished level 1. It is very repetitive and slowly works on basic grammar. We just enjoyed the poems by decorating a construction paper page with a copy of the poem glued on it. We made the same type of pages for the grammar lessons- cut out pictures of people, places and things for nouns and glued them on paper, ect. Then he can look back at them to remember. He also is doing ok with the 1st book of WWE. It takes him a few tries to do the copy work correctly, but I feel it is helping him to practice getting all the words in the right order. We are using Sonlight A for most of his lessons, which is more laid back and a little like CM, with 1st/ 2nd gr. early readers. I think it has helped him to feel successful and hasn't required too much for him to handle each day. He loves the read alouds too! Don't know if any of that can help. Hope you can find a good fit! :001_smile:
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My oldest is using Adv. math with the Art Reed DVD's. She was able to do a whole lesson for the first little bit, but it quickly got to be overwhelming, taking 2+ hrs. to complete a whole lesson. She is now doing as Art Reed suggests, doing odds one day and evens the next. You could slow it down even more if you really needed to, but the 1/2 lesson per day is a good speed. She will be working through the summer in order to avoid the loss of skills that often occurs over a long summer break. She really likes the Art Reed DVDs, and we highly recommend buying them. Even if your child is very math oriented or has had very few problems in Saxon Alg. 1 & 2, they may still have some problems with this book. It is a difficult math text, but well done.
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Biographies of famous scientists would be my first thought. Adult level, not kid ones. My DD has found several really good ones at the library.
Books about New discoveries/ technology or how things work may be useful too.
As for history- what time period are you planning to study?
There are lots of good nonfiction books for all time periods. My DD is finishing Modern World History and Modern Lit. She read a book recommended by a friend called, Fly Boys by James Bradley. It is a true story about WW2.
Often if you look in your public library you can find some good books. Don't over look magazines for good non fiction. Titles such as Popular Science, National Geographic, and Astronomy magazines are well done.
One last thought is to look at your public television listings for well done documentaries that will fit into your studies. Ken Burns and Nova have quite a number of topics that are excellent.
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Is it possible- yes. Is it the best option? That depends on the family's situation and the student. Aside from piano lessons and Rosetta Stone language, we have not been able to outsource any subjects. (1 yr. left of HS) There are several we wish could have been an option to do at a local college or with someone else. If you have the means and resources it could be helpful. Having some outside classes may also be helpful to get them prepared for taking college classes.
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Go to Sonlight. com and run off some of the placement tests. I suggest Saxon, but there are several to choose from. Avoid Teaching Text Books. They run behind the other home school curriculum. Saxon has a DVD program by Art Reed to go with them to help instruct. They are very good. Good luck on your 1st year home schooling!
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We haven't used the TT elementary levels but have used the Pre-Alg. - Alg. 2 levels. We have also used Saxon 1- Pre- Alg. and Adv. Math. We switched, because Saxon was so difficult in Alg 1. BAD choice. TT was not as rigorous as Saxon. In our opinion we found TTs, if used on grade level as they suggest, do not prepare a child well for the PSAT or the SAT tests. The child also gets to be dependent on the hints and the second chances given by the program. I would not suggest TT to a family serious about sending their child to college. My DD is finding all she didn't cover in TT, as she is working through the Saxon Adv. Math book.
On a positive note- TT's automatic grading is really nice, especially if you have several children to keep track of. It also would let a child who is a little behind work on grade level and feel successful. So it has a place.
Saxon is difficult and some kids do not like it very much (mine included! :001_smile: ), but it is a good program. Art Reed's DVDs are great for the older grades to help instruct. Too bad he didn't make any to help out the 54-65 books. Our least favorite part of Saxon are the investigations. Saxon does do an excellent job preparing a child for the major tests, and the material is covered well.
Hope you can find a good program that will fit your family.
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Would you have time after school to work through just the spelling part of the Barton books? The spelling rules have helped not only my kids but myself as well! I made a booklet with all the rules in it, so they can look back at them if they get stuck.
AP English Literature
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Has your daughter done a formal writing course? Sonlight's writing tends to lean a bit more towards the creative writing side than essays and well organized research papers.
We have used Sonlight, and I have to agree that the LA sections are weak. We decided not to continue Sonlight for our DD.