Jump to content

Menu

sahm99

Members
  • Posts

    441
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by sahm99

  1. I am planning on using Jacob's Algebra I in the fall (ds12). Unfortunately, experience has taught us that at times ds is better not left alone with the corrections for math exercises (I just ripped out the corrections in the back of the Saxon Algebra 1/2 text:crying:). Will I be able to do the same with the Jacob's book, or are the results integrated into the text? Or, maybe (wishful thinking;)...) there is a separate solutions manual? Thank you!
  2. I went through Hyperemesis, which almost cost me my life. Things went VERY wrong... I ended up so traumatized (as did dh) that we refused the PICC line. Looking back, we made a huge mistake. My veins were so "used" by my 34th week that I needed to be induced (by that time I was routinely receiving IVs in my feet, after 5+ attempts to find a vein...!). The PICC would probaby have facilitated a more stable (and longer!) pregnancy. All the best to you!
  3. I know, I still owe a justification for calling modern Germany a "moral country", but in the meantime couldn't resist commenting the above.;) Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh, all spoken in different areas. "Swiss" as a language does not exist. The pronounciation can be VERY particular...but essentially you are still dealing with the "real thing" (now, don't let a Swiss read this:lol:).
  4. I'm happy to write more - I'll get back to you tonight! I, myself, have done a long voyage in the way I see Germany (my grand-pa is a post WWII US-soldier, my other grand-parents came of age in the midst of Nazi Germany, my parents grew up in a country trying to re-invent itself, and me, I have been but a visitor for the last 30 years...).:)
  5. Yes, that does sound prejudiced! My husband is French, and I left Germany (for Italy) when I was 6. I have since lived in very different parts of the world, and am confident that my view on Germany is far from being sugar-coated. Germany today, more than ever, is a vibrating, colorful, tolerant and, yes, very moral country. I do not have the time now, to get seriously started on "French morals"...but you might want to dig a bit (a lot!) deeper into French (and German) culture, than comparing the number of easily accessible p*rn titles...
  6. I am German. I would not have studied German if it wasn't my mother tongue. I don't think it is a "nice/beautiful" language (Italian, French,...), and I don't think German is a particularly "useful" language... ...BUT, I am really, really happy that German is my mother tongue, as it is a very complex language, and if mastered to perfection allows for an incredible level of precision. German has a very high level of grammar, combined with a rich vocabulary (not to the extend of English, but well beyond the Romance languages). For an English native speaker, German comes very close to the modern equivalent of Latin, imo. I will not try to sell you on the great books written in German...you have these in French just the same... Most importantly, I would not attempt to force-feed a language to a teen - particularly is said teen seems to have well established preferences... My advice is to lean back and have your daughter prove herself right!
  7. Yes, I agree, around here evaluations are done through participation in a class.
  8. Thank you for your replies - I share your opinion! At our kids' club they can come to practice between 4 and 7 times (6 for the girls) per week. All three kids would love to go to every single of these offered trainings, which would then pretty much exclude any other physical activity. Alternatively, I could put a limit on the number of swim trainings to leave a day or two for ballet and/or judo... (just like I did this year) The coach is fine with any decision we take - obviously he shares the kids' view of "the more the better".:tongue_smilie:
  9. Our older three (12/10/8) are involved in competitive swimming. Ds is good (improving remarkably as time passes), the girls are very, very, very good (at the top in our "smallish country";)). If it was for them, they would be in the pool every day. I have always insisted on them doing other activities, besides swimming, but we are coming to a point where I am wondering how much longer to keep going... They will all keep up their instrument, that is non-negotionable. But I am wondering about ballet (for the girls, once a week) and judo (all three, once to twice a week). I find it regrettable, to "specialize" at their age, and am not sure if I feel comfortable having their whole free time revolve around one activity. On the other hand, that is exactly what they enjoy... They do like judo and dance, but if given a choice, they would rather opt for more time in the water. How, and when, do you decide to jump in both feet into an activity or hobby for your child, to the point of almost exclusivity? My kids are dreaming of the 2020 Olympics...while I want to make sure we keep an equilibrium...:tongue_smilie: Btw, for the time being the girls are training 4 times 2+ hours. Ds is training 5 times 2+ hours. We will soon need to make a decision about next year...
  10. Our girls (together with the neighbor girl) were waiting for the bus today, when a guy sitting on a bench at the stop pulled out his p... and started m...ing.:eek: The girls left, but instead of calling me immediately, just went to the next bus stop to catch a ride there instead. They literally "spilled the news" hours later, between pizza and strawberries: "Can you imagine the crazy guy we saw today...?!?" I called the police immediately and am relieved that they took this seriously - showed up instantly, four of them. We pressed charges against unknown, so the girls will be further questioned, shown photos, etc. over the next days. What a pain!! I am so relieved that my girls were well prepared to deal with a situation like this! They seem amused by all the attention more than anything...:tongue_smilie:
  11. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!!!:party::party::party:
  12. You should post that question on the bilingual forum - you might get more feedback from there. From what I understand (and hope, as I'll be in your shoes in a couple of years!) European universities are mostly inerested in the APs, the high-school diploma being more of a standard "cross it off requirement".
  13. ...one cannot homeschool through the IB...and I am not really interested in the A levels, as we are not British, and wouldn't have a particular reason to do these rather than APs... At this point I want to keep as many doors as possible open, which includes selective European universities and the US, too. I have been to the Oxford, etc. site, and am generally confident about our course of study. The only thing I am still wondering about, are the details of how to best use 7th and 8th grade to prepare for an early science AP (9th, 10th at the latest), and possibly a second (third?:tongue_smilie:) science AP after that...
  14. I am one of those, who wouldn't worry. You have excluded physical reasons, and your son seems to develop "normally" in other areas. For what it's worth, our pediatrician (very experienced!) told me that she typically observes (very) late talking with kids having two or more older siblings. These little ones seem to evolve just fine with minimal verbal communication in their sibling group, and basically lack incentives to make an effort... Our second dd was non-verbal until 2.5 (she literally made two different grunting sounds until then - which her brother and sister then translated for her). She was fully "caught up" in less than 6 weeks, once she decided that talking was actually an interesting activity to get involved in. Our toddler is 2 and a half now and uses words, ...but is certainly not the impressively verbal proud-momma-kid on the block, either...actually, according to his older siblings, his verbal skills are an embarassement to the whole family...:lol: I guess I won't have a choice, but to sit it out...again.:D
  15. Thank you Joan! ...I can imagine this being the case for Physics, maybe Chemistry. Do you believe it applies equally to Biology? (with Biology AP in 9th beeing a disadvantage) As for the Humanities...I am a bit less concerned, as ds is literally obsessed with anything relating to history - if it was for him, he would get started with APs tomorrow.:lol: We will need to make a much more conscious effort for science (in general, and as far as potential APs are concerned).
  16. Our dog is friendly, kid-loving, great! ...and I trust her to be the best dog ever... Never, ever would I leave her alone with a baby!! I am sure all those accidents happen in households where the adults were confident that nothing could ever happen... Confidence and animals are a poor mix, if fragile children are involved!
  17. Thanks again, Deb! So, would you suggest to rather do the General-/Pysical Science combo for 7th and 8th, instead of the two Apologia Biology books? I am worried that ds will be overwhelmed with AP Biology, without the Apologia Biology prep...:confused:
  18. ...I know, I know, it's publicity... but oh, so touching! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP4L-rImoCU
  19. Thank you Deb! It is reassuring to hear about your daughter! Her science/AP progression is my ideal...;) My impression concerning difficulty of the 3 APs is the same - that Biology, while a huge undertaking, is the one most easily accessible for the younger crowd (9th/10th grade). I don't intend to use Apologia for AP prep, but rather as a gentle intro into the subject before the actual AP class (during these next two years...) What did your daughter do for 7th and 8th grade? Thank you for your help!
  20. Thank you Angie! ...do you think Apologia Chemistry, for example, would be a sufficient introduction and preparation for AP Biology? Ds could then later pick up Chemistry with a "deeper" program. From what I have seen (through the samples available) Apologia seems like a very gentle, easily accessible introduction into the different HS sciences. Does that assessment sound right?
  21. Ds is starting 7th grade this fall. Science instruction was (intentionally) unstructured until now. He just recently started doing workshops with the local STEM university. He is signed up for a year long math class starting in September, in that same institution. He is working his way through AoPS Pre-Algebra now, and is signed up for an Algebra online-class in the fall (using Jacobs). I, myself, followed the typical European track of Biology/Chemistry/Physics from 5th to 10th every year, and, while not passionate about these subjects, was a successful student. The last two years of my schooling I spent at an IB school and took Biology at the higher level (7). I am at a loss about where to get started with ds! AP exams will need to play a huge role when planning his Science sequence, as these are the decisive factors for admission into European universities. We need many APs (5+), by the end of his Junior year. I would like two of these to be Science APs, but at least one is a necessity. I am tempted to focus on Biology first, to get this one essential AP "out of the way", and then let ds loose to dig deeper into either Chemistry or Physics. Given the intensity and the sheer mass of information that needs to be mastered for AP Biology, I am considering shooting for 9th grade, as he will have a quite heavy year in 10th (AP Latin & History and other exams, as well). In this scenario, he could then go on to Chemistry or Physics... Ds would like to do an Apologia Biology class online. While I have issues with the YE approach and the integration of religious content into science curricula (Apologia), I am confident we can deal with this (we did in the the past, while glancing over BJU...) He could then do Apologia Advanced Biology (online) in 8th and AP Biology with PA Homeschoolers /Campbell for 9th. I would simultaneously slowly work my way through an introductory Chemistry text with him (7th and 8th). Alternatively, we could do one year in each science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) starting in 7th, and then do Biology AP in 10th...but for the reasons stated above I am hesitant. Yet another possibility, we could do a "classical" 7th/8th grade sequence (Life-/Earth Science) and jump directly into AP afterwards... In either case, I am not sure at all about how best "to use" these next two years, which in any case are very important... I don't want Science to take over our homeschool, as there are other areas I would rather focus on in 7th and 8th (Math, English, French, Latin...FREE TIME!!!)... Otoh, I think we need to use these years to prepare for the "after" (slow and steady...). Please, inspire me!:) Thank you for your help!!!
  22. I am just now starting to look into the TC videos...and am more than excited! Before going overboard and regretting next week, I would like to know a bit more about how the sales work.;) How long will the items now at -70% stay on that price? How "dynamic" are the sales in general? Thank you for filling me in on the secrets of the smart TC-buyer...
  23. You seem to be the only one talking about "intelligent people"... others speak about "educated people". This is not the same. I would go further, saying that there seems to be amazingly little correlation... Growing up in any culture without a firm knowledge of its past doesn't make you less intelligent, it makes you poorly educated. As far as your "successful" is concerned...if it means becoming rich in the US...you are probably right. About languages: Living in the 21st century, with access to education, without learning a modern foreign language, is a failure in my book. I guess we don't have the same ideals for our kids.
  24. I went to one from '90-'92 (Italy). My brother went to the Singapore one from '03-'05. ...and I will do all I can to prepare my kids to attend, too... What exactly would you want to know? (Apart of this being the most incredible schools in the world...;)) Let me know...
×
×
  • Create New...