Jeeeez-on-toast, what is with all you folks who wash stuff before putting it in? What is the point of having the d/w if you are going to hand wash first? Sure I have to clean the gunge out of the bottom from time to time, and yes, sometimes a few things don't get completely clean, but it's way easier to rewash one or two items than to hand wash every darn thing! And Sanitizing? My idea of sanitized is not letting the dog lick the clean things :huh: The only thing that annoys me is that our d/w is supposed to fit an entire 12 piece dinner setting. Possibly this would indeed be the case if we had matching stuff, but since we buy everything secondhand and nothing quite matches, most things have to be stacked only on every second position. Some of our spoons have to be stacked three places apart because they all angle differently. Um. I can't believe I'm even discussing this. Probably there is something dreadfully urgent I should be doing right now but that I am subconsciously avoiding... Oh and first time my Ms. 6 stacked it, she put every glass and mug right way up.

Hey whereabouts in Aus are you? We're in the deep south of Tassie. (Feel free to message me if you don't want the cyber stalkers to know your whereabouts.) My lot actually liked SOTW1 better than 2 or 3. We never made it to 4, and this year I'm planning to start again at the very beginning (cause two of the kids have forgotten most of what they learned last time).

The use of word families is a very commonly used technique. What problems are you thinking it could create? I am finding it useful in combination with spelling rules (and of course spelling learning by incidental language acquisition), especially for my 9yo who has had so much phonics drill that she is now too reliant on phonics. Today her mistakes included considrashon (consideration) and nashanul (national); I think this is telling me we need to practice '-ation' words. I have told her before that tion says 'shn', and that the tion ending lengthens the a sound, but she is a visual-oriented child so a word family is more likely to 'stick' than just a rule. (The only issue we've ever had was with kids brainstorming up other words that sound like they could have the same spelling pattern but in fact do not, but kids will make phonetic errors whatever approach you take.) ETA: another thing you might consider adding to the mix is an etymological approach. Many 'disobedient' words' spellings can easily be explained by their origins. For example, tell your children that combination ch says 'sh' in words of French origin (eg champagne, quiche, chandelier) and 'k' in Greek root words (eg anchor, echo, character). Even my 6yo can understand this, and the more explanations they have the less they feel as though spelling is chaotic and random!

Probably I'm missing something here (it's been a long day) but I'd say it's obvious that some people view math as a means to an end while others (fewer) view math as an end in itself. And of course some kids might be both 'thinkers' and 'problem solvers'. Your last line is confusing to me. It sounds as though you're suggesting that lack of interest in problem solving might indicate someone isn't a Real Mathematician. I would have thought that, if anything, it would be the opposite: the person who simply loves thinking about math would be considered the 'more mathematical'. That's how it would be, I think, in any other field, for example a person who makes pictures to express her ideas about the world (true artist) vs a person who makes pictures for advertising ('less artisty artist' AKA graphic designer). Or a person who drives cars in order to win the F1 championship (a driver) vs a person who drives in order to cart the kids here, there and everywhere (a mom!).

Our puppy has been so good for the kids. It does amazing things for their mood and confidence to have a furry friend who always loves them in an uncomplicated and relatively undemanding way. It's also helped the ASD kids with understanding nonverbal communication (from humans as well as canines), which has been an unexpected benefit.

:lol:

I'd let her tag along with SOTW, but possibly that's just me being lazy :closedeyes: She might not take everything in, but SOTW is written so there isn't really anything unsuitable for younger kids to hear. Obviously some of the books, movies etc relating to the topics wouldn't be appropriate, but that would be the case whatever core you choose. Have you had a look at CHOW? Or even Odyssey? I thought from your previous thread that your elder girls weren't keen on SOTW?

Yep, that's what I meant to say (I think I might have had some kid-related interruptions while posting, so sorry if it didn't sound warm and inviting!)

We did that a few years ago except with chocolate cookie dough. The kids really enjoyed it.

Wow, looks good.

I shouldn't put this here because it's not actually a minor thing, it's a huge gripe, but THE FACT THAT MY KIDS LEARNED TO USE @#*$% GREENGROCERS' APOSTROPHES AT SCHOOL! :cursing:

There is now a Social Group for Moms of Kids on the Spectrum.

People who present arguments that have been rehashed for years and years but think they have come up with something new ("Hey did you know that vaccines were originally made from cowpox pustules?! Ewww!"). People who compete to out-problem you every time. ("Oh, you've had a bit of a cold? Well I have double pneumonia for the 3rd time this year, I really should be in hospital, but I never complain...") People who don't listen, no matter how many times you answer their questions. ("How are the kids going at school. Ooooh, that's right, they don't go to school". Yeah. I did mention that the last 6 times we spoke.) People who pretend to sympathize while boasting. ("Gosh, how frustrating that your 11yo can't write a proper sentence. I know what that's like. I feel the same way when my 7yo only comes second in the essay competition.") People who assume I am illiterate and uninformed (I will probably smack the next person who explains Baumrind's Goldilocks theory of parenting styles and implies that my child would behave better if only I were sufficiently 'authoritative'. I have read her work. I have also read probably hundreds more books and articles on child development, psychology and parenting than you have. My child didn't become autistic because I was too permissive or too authoritarian. Or because of the cowpox pustules.)

Wow, I'm surprised that people still write checks! I haven't had a check book for years - it's all auto direct debit, BPay, Paypal or credit card. We have different accounts for different things and keep track of spending in each area by checking the balances online. We have a formula for dividing incoming payments among the various 'buckets' (percentage-based because our income is different each month) so it's pretty easy to make sure that all is as it should be.

I would have plenty of discussions around food choices, and more importantly about friendship (and the fact that real friends don't make the relationship conditional on stuff like diet). But I'd try not to make a big deal over the child refusing pork. At that age it's more than likely that he'll forget all about haram foods and move onto something else pretty soon. If you actually know the Muslim kid's parents, though, you might tactfully inform them of his inappropriate comments at school; most parents would want to address that with their child (although I have met a few parents who are actually proud of their kids being rude).

Depends on the situation. Options include: Go 'deeper' on the subject, or a part of the subject, according to interest. Incorporate more fun elements you might not normally have time for. Do a special project that is related to the subject. Or, of course, plow on into the next level. Another option which I don't use would be to take a break from the subject in question and do a short 'subject' that you have been wanting to do but haven't yet found time for.

That is great that your husband can help though. In our Girl Guides system, every activity requires a woman helper to assist the leader. My husband used to help out a bit (he was never on his own with any girls) but he isn't allowed to any more. I can understand why they have this rule, but all the same it seems a bit ridiculous to turn away half of the potential assistants when they are so short of help.

I couldn't manage without the library, so yes, if the one we had were inadequate I would pay for a better option. And $65 per year isn't all that much if you're going to use it regularly. $1.25 per week, so if you borrow a dozen books per week that's only about 10c per book.

Another thing which I see a lot (although I don't know whether it applies over there) is that moms who don't work outside the home tend to get targeted / pressured to perform volunteer roles. It seems that most people see home educating as more or less equivalent to 'not working' and will therefore expect things of us which they would not expect of mothers who are in paid work.

That is a great strategy as long as you don't open the boxes. ;)

Ps, I loved your thread title. I keep imagining a sort of swat team that descends on your home shouting "Toy Control! All uncontrolled toys come out with your hands up!" and then carts them off.

I think it's very worthwhile, in fact almost essential, to have an area where stuff the bigger kids are working on is safe from the little girls. I wouldn't hesitate to rehome 75% of the toys if that's what it takes to create the space in a set-up that will work. It's not fair for older kids to be always limited by their younger siblings.

I love the Nana Method :)

I think good correct penmanship comes under the heading of Very Nice to Have but Not a Hill to Die On. 'Correct' cursive strokes were invented when writing was done with an old-fashioned pen and ink bottle, so children could learn to make smooth movements and avoid inkblots on their work. Kids nowadays are doing most of their 'writing' on computers by the time they are in high school, so the only time they would need to write large amounts of legible text would be in exam essays (and who knows how soon even that will move to typing answers online). My husband got through college fine with absolutely atrocious writing and half his letters formed 'incorrectly', as do many other successful people. Gone are the days when "a good hand" was considered part of one's character, and employers would request handwritten job applications! Since your children are still quite young, I'd certainly encourage you to make a concerted effort to 'fix' the penmanship. But if it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world.

Not sure what you are doing, but you seriously need to delegate! You shouldn't be spending more than 50-100% of the meeting time on your preparation - ie, if the Girl Scouts meet for 2 hours, your prep should be and hour to 2 hours at the absolute maximum, which would be 30-60 minutes per week (plus however many once-a-year big events you have, which again should preferably be done by a team/committee). If there is more stuff to do than that, either enlist more official helpers, or put all the other parents on a roster to do some of the work. I know you said that nobody else can do it as well as you, but surely there are people who can do it reasonably well? Or be taught to do it reasonably well? Because right now you are compromising on your role as parent and teacher to your daughter, and there isn't anyone who can replace you in that role. Maybe you need to work on your perfectionism issue and be more open to other people doing things the way they want to do them. Not trying to be rude, but it's not rocket science and while you may well be more skilled at the role than anyone else, that doesn't mean you need to control every single thing. You might even be scaring off perfectly capable potential helpers with your attitude.