[Is Rightstart Maths worth it?]

I've started with level B with ds6 and am on transition lessons with dd8 who will start at level c or d. However, with a preschooler and baby I'm finding its taking so much of my time. And is it me or do you have to read the instructions to the games a few times before getting it?

 

I'm also using FLL and WWE so all quite teacher intensive programmes. I don't mind If it means getting the three 'r's right. I've bought the whole elementary maths package and am reluctant letting it go so soon. It is suiting my bouncy boy but dd8 could be ok with an independent programme but she gets jealous when she sees me spending time with ds doing maths! I've also used Galore Park and she cried when I told her to do a page while I was doing something with the preschooler.

 

Any advice appreciated!

 

Tia

 

Hang in there! I'm very thrilled with the math education my kids are getting through RightStart. It is time consuming, but I feel very worth it. I also use FLL and WWE so I'm right there with you.

 

WWE can usually be done with both kids at the same time, even if they are in different levels. For example, start one kid on his copywork, and while he's working, do narration with the other. Or, dictate a sentence to one, then do narration with the other. I don't know about the other volumes, but WWE 1 and 2 can be used very easily at the same time.

[Share your "celebrity" experience...]

DH and I once flew business class with Garrison Keillor and his wife. We don't see many other celebs here in the Midwest. :D

 

My husband and I are friends with Garrison Keillor's nephew. We went to high school and college with him and my husband was in his wedding. I "stood in" for Garrison Keillor's mother at the wedding rehearsal b/c she was too tired and frail to walk down the aisle just so the usher could practice seating the grandmothers at the right time! :-)

[Disney again - food ???s]

 

Tangierine Cafe in Morroco....love the Shawarma and their hummus and Tabouleh!

:iagree: We ate there in October and it was fabulous!

 

The Cantina in Mexico is hit and miss....but love their churros (oops, that goes in snacks!)

:iagree: We weren't impressed with our meal in Mexico...should have gone back to Morroco!

[Ways to make my nieces comfortable during an extended stay at my house]

As many of you know, my baby niece is having heart surgery soon. Her three older sisters will be staying with us for a couple of weeks while my brother and his wife are away with the baby.

 

What are some ways I can help them feel comfortable and settled here at my house?

 

It's going to be a big adjustment for all of us! My three boys are 9, 7, and 5 and my nieces are 8, 6, and 2.

[When you have a death in the family, what did people bring that helped?]

My uncle died this past weekend and some of the more unique things people brought were a large bag of assorted breath mints and several large coolers of ice.

 

Also, one person made a huge breakfast casserole for us the day of the funeral. It was really nice to have a good breakfast in our stomachs on such a long and stressful day.

 

And I second the idea of disposable dishes. Those large foil pans are great for casseroles--easy to pop in the freezer for a later date.

[Prayer request for my 12 week old niece]

New update about Ruby:

 

The doctors did genetic testing to determine whether or not the heart condition is caused by a chromosomal deletion. The test results show that Ruby has DiGeorge syndrome. This was very sad news as DiGeorge syndrome has lots of other life-long challenges besides the most immediate concern with her heart.

 

She's having trouble getting off the ventilator, so it looks like heart surgery is going to be sooner rather than later. We'd rather it be later to give her a chance to regain some of the strength she's lost over the past 2 1/2 weeks, though.

 

She is also having blood in her diapers and the doctors are being very aggressive is determining the cause. One very serious possibility is that she has necrotizing enterocolitis. Please pray that the blood is just irritation from her ventilator.

 

Thanks,

Robin

Praying for Ruby

[anybody been to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC?]

I've never stayed there, but I've been to the Spa. It was absolutely amazing.

 

Everyone I know who has stayed there loves it. Have fun!

[Spelling frustration!!! (part vent, part question)]

I recommend looking into Reading Reflex. I love how they teach kids to segment a word into sounds. It has helped my struggling reader greatly, but I really think it would help a struggling speller too.

[Help! My DD Dislikes Ordinary Parents Guide To Teaching Reading]

My daughter dislikes the Ordinary Parents' Guide when I make her read it from the book. She gets distracted and frustrated by the parents' script. She (and now my son) much prefers it when I put the words on a white board or another sheet of paper.

 

HTH

:iagree: Or use the magnetic board and letter tiles that Peace Hill Press sells with OPG.

[WWE and a dysgraphic child--struggles with putting thoughts to paper]

Great!! What all do you need to purchase. I find the items on the website confusing.

 

There is a hard back, and workbook, and then some student pages. THANKS!!!

 

Two options:

 

1. Get the hard back book if you want to use your own selections for copywork and dictation.

 

2. Get the workbook if you want to have copywork and dictation already selected for you. The workbook includes one set of student pages. You need an extra set of student pages if you are going to do WWE with both students.

 

 

HTH!

[Name a curriculum you use & love that you think is underappreciated]

We're well past teaching to read now, but I've got to say Reading Reflex.

 

:iagree:

[SOTW but with more cohesion?]

For littles in the grammar stage, I think it is more important to become familiar with the people and stories rather than seeing it as one big story. The connections come together more in the logic stage. I like to think of the grammar stage as laying a foundation for knowledge and learning whereas in the logic stage you start to build on the foundation and create a structure.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Putting it all together and seeing the big picture are logic stage activities and SOTW is an elementary program. SOTW is all about becoming familiar with history.

[Prayer request for my 12 week old niece]

Ruby is progressing nicely. She seems to be slowly recovering from her pneumonia and may be off the ventilator by Monday. Surgery is planned for the middle-end of February. Thanks for your continuing prayers.

 

Facebook group Praying for Ruby

[Help name my baby]

what about Jericho?

[Help name my baby]

I like Seth so much that I used it for my third son. It isn't a common name--I've only run across a handful of Seth's.

 

I also like Josiah. Rare, but not weird.

[Prayer request for my 12 week old niece]

Praying here.

 

Thanks, Christina.

[Prayer request for my 12 week old niece]

My 12 week old niece, Ruby, is in PICU with RSV/pneumonia. While there, the doctors discovered a rare congenital heart defect called Truncus Arteriosus. Right now the doctors are waiting for her to get over the RSV so that she can be transported to MUSC for heart surgery.

 

We've set up a facebook group called Praying for Ruby to encourage my brother and sister-in-law with prayers and thoughts and to keep everyone updated on Ruby's progress.

 

Thanks for your thoughts and well wishes.

[need answer quickly! Cooking pork loin]

Thanks, ladies! It turned our wonderfully!

[need answer quickly! Cooking pork loin]

My husband bought a pork loin already in a string casing. Do I leave it on, or do I take it off?

[Need help for a friend... what can she do to help relieve dc's very dry skin?]

Do you know why they have dry skin? I ask because there's not a one size fits all answer. My boys have ichthyosis and much of the advice here would not be helpful for them.

[Prof. Grant Horner's Bible Reading System?]

Yes, it's a great plan! I've been following it since the spring, and blogged about it several times (some of my observations while reading the different lists each day).

 

Would you share your blog address? I'd love to read what you've written. I've been looking for someone who's been reading this way for a while and would love to read your thoughts.

[Memorizing VP cards in a year!]

We are part of a CC group so we memorize them. For the first few years, we just followed along with the CC guide and learned eight each week for 20 weeks. We would practice them in six week sections, dropping the oldest section each week when we added a new section. We were familiar with it, but we couldn't say it from beginning to end.

 

This year, though, my oldest wants to be a memory master so we've been working on learning the whole thing. I typed up the entire timeline on one sheet of paper and read through the whole thing every single day. While I'm reading it, the boys whisper along with me and do the motions that our group came up with. (I have them whisper b/c I want them to hear it correctly and I don't want to have to shout over them!) We then work on the newest section starting with the last card of the last week and going to the first card of the next week. (This helps them keep the sections in order. Before I started doing it this way, they could say each eight card section, but would sometimes get stuck and not remember which one came next!) Finally, I have them recite everything they've learned so far.

 

It sounds like a lot, but since they're so familiar with the timeline, it really takes less than 10 minutes a day.

[Thomas Jefferson biography]

Anyone? There are so many biographies out there that I don't know which one to buy.

[If you are looking for a great snowflake craft]

Thanks for sharing! I made one today and it is now hanging over our dining room table.

 

The biggest problem I had was figuring out how to get the ends to join together in the middle. I think what I came up with works, but I don't think it's how your daughter did hers. :001_smile:

[Your Facebook friends philosophy]

I almost chose #2 Pick & choose -- ignore those I don't want to accept -- but still open to many friends. However, I would have to change it to ignore and block those I don't want to accept. I don't like getting multiple requests or hurting anyone's feelings.