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crl

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Everything posted by crl

  1. I know that it is usually not advised to repeat a manual with a child, but I have a unique situation that I need help with. My DD is struggling to get through Preparing this year. She is doing it, but we are doing all of it together. There is just no way she could do the independent work all alone. She is on the very young side of the manual (8 yr old, 3rd grade, struggling dyslexic reader). We use our own math program and DH is a science guy, so he often supplements with more science. Next school year I will have a 1st grader, a 4th grader and a newborn who needs open heart surgery (out of state) within the first day of life. If looking at the chart, she places in Bigger for some items and Preparing for some items. Due to her dyslexia, her reading skills are slowly improving and she has been able to finish the emerging readers this year. And writing is tough for her since she still transposes letters and struggles with getting her thoughts (which are well beyond her writing capabilities) onto paper. I know she won't be able to handle the work required in CTC and we have already finished through unit 25 in Preparing together. Could I just use Bigger with extensions for a base and then add math and LA at her level as a filler year until she is ready for CTC? Or is there something you can recommend that is easy on the teacher prep that I could use?
  2. Any updates on your progress or other thoughts on materials to use? I am considering using this with my 4th grader next year, but I need to do all the leg work now because our little one due this summer will be requiring heart surgery and frequent check-ups. Would this curriculum still be doable in our situation?
  3. Math-U-See is about the only thing that has been a consisten,t day-in, day-out staple in our house from Primer through Gamma. We have used SOTW in some way for 3 years now and HOD tweaked to death for 4 years.
  4. Expedition Earth looks great, but does anyone know if it will be enough for a 4th grader?
  5. I actually have MFW ECC as a possibility on our list, but there are so many mixed reviews out there that I'm having a hard time figuring out if it would work for us. If I knew I had time to spend with DD doing it, I'm sure she'd love it, but I'm afraid that we may get in the bare bones rut and then it would be boring reading and filling out worksheets.
  6. I am unsure if I'll be able to combine my 2 kids in anything. DD is 8 going on 9 in May. She is doing mostly 3rd grade work now, so it'll 4th grade in the fall. And DS just turned 6 and is definitely a K level now (not reading yet), so maybe 1st or ending K in the fall. I know that in LA and Math they will be separate but is there any way to combine them for other things next year? We are adding a newborn with heart issues to our family this summer. We already know that she'll need open heart surgery and a few weeks in the hospital. So I need something that is easy for the teacher to open and use without tons of prep time that maybe Dad can do on our bad days. Or would it be easier to keep them separate due to the age/ability gap? We are a Christian family with young earth creation views. Any and all suggestions are welcome.
  7. I'll echo the thought that you should let him be 4. I don't believe CC is meant for pre-K. In general, boys tend to lag behind girls in school readiness. (I understand there are exceptions to every rule.) You can continue to teach him things through games and play, but memorizing things that have no meaning for him doesn't sound like fun. Imagine yourself being made to memorize random strings of numbers or phrases. At that age, my DS was learning some basic Bible verses or truths that applied to him in his life. So while a little memorization may be good for young kids, you need to make it meaningful for him rather than just random information that he can't use.
  8. My kids love using Alphabet Island from Eagles Wings. I've never seen anyone else use this program, but my kids ask for it.
  9. We had thought about using Galloping the Globe, but I wanted something with a little more guidance. So we are planning to use Expedition Earth as seen here. We like the looks of this better for our family since my kids love animals and she has a free animal study to go with her program.
  10. My friends who have been reporting for a few years now just usually do a field trip to a historical place here in PA and have been able to call that PA and US history. Normally they'll do a short mini-unit to learn about the place they are going to visit. So far, that's worked for them.
  11. If money is tight, you might to consider using progressivephonics.com which is a free phonics program. My kids enjoy that and starfall.com which is also a free phonics fun website. My kids are both using Math-U-See and really like it. While it seems like each book only covers one skill, it does include some other things. Like this year in Beta, we are covering multiple digit addition and subtraction including regrouping. But we've also learned money, telling time down to the minute, tally marks, intro to fractions, perimeter of shapes and are now reviewing ordinal numbers using days of the week and months of the year.
  12. :bigear: I hope you get some great responses.
  13. Thanks for the help. I did check the guidelines and small wheeled luggage and crates are allowed. I'm leaning toward some sort of bag or luggage. I already have the luggage, and if I had to buy a bag, I know I'd use it for more than just convention time. One poster said they liked not having the zipper, yet I was thinking just the opposite. I would be afraid of things falling out (or in for that matter).
  14. We are planning to attend our first state convention soon and are looking for the best way to carry out items each day. Is a rolling crate my best option or should I be looking into more of an upright rolling bag or piece of luggage? Thanks! crate: http://www.officemax.com/catalog/sku.jsp?productId=prod3290552&history=y3wqwxn4|prodPage~15^freeText~folding+cart^paramValue~true^refine~1^region~1^param~return_skus^return_skus~Y upright bag: http://www.amazon.com/Olympia-Rolling-Printed-Shopper-Tote/dp/B002I9Z6G4/ref=pd_cp_e_0 luggage: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Travelers-Club-Luggage-19-quot-2-Section-Rolling-Carry-On/13330625
  15. English from the Roots Up might get her started. The author mentions that she used it with her second grade class. Though I don't know any more than that about the book.
  16. I do let my DD have some say in the choices I make. Basically, I will have two options that are acceptable for use, then I'll ask a few questions to let her voice her opinion. Like last year, I asked if she liked the FLL or Rod and Staff grammar better. After doing a week of each, she liked Rod and Staff. (Which surprised me since I thought she'd like FLL better.) So if this is what you're looking to do, I don't see a problem with asking for the child's opinion on parent approved material.
  17. We lean toward a CM style and would love any help we can get.
  18. You're not alone. I can't seem to make up my mind each year. There is just too many choices.
  19. This was my DD too. She was having a hard time with the constant switching of the spiral programs. MUS lets her really learn the information before moving on. I also like the the kids can move through at their own pace. I know the DVDs are to be used by the parents, but my DD likes Mr. Demme so we usually watch it together, pausing when needed and then going over it together. My son loves that the blocks remind him of Legos. So he's willing to "play" with his math. While my DD doesn't use the blocks, it's nice to have them in case we need a more visual view of the problem.
  20. Very funny! I got a similar one at Walmart a few years ago. Now I saw Target had a version in the back to school section this year.
  21. My DD age 7 loves them. (So does DH.) My DS age 4 thinks that most of them are boring. He's more of a Patch the Pirate kid for now.
  22. The kids have a subscription to Clubhouse Jr. by Focus on the Family. They also enjoy the pictures in the National Geographic we've been getting (not sure how). :confused:
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