pehp
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Posts posted by pehp
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My son is 8, tall and slim. Tonight he ate three bowls of red lentil soup, several ounces of turkey, and what seemed like half a bag of black bean chips. And two brownies. Some mornings he has half a dozen buckwheat pancakes and several eggs.
It Has Begun.
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I don't think you can go wrong with at least trying Miquon. It is cheap and effective. If you dislike it, you can move on and there is no harm done.
I will say that I start Miquon in first grade, so you will need to be sensitive to readiness. (For my daughter I am doing K math with Singapore and we will do Miquon once she is about 6). HTH!
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Finally listened to this and I am with you on being ready to move on but cherishing my little one.
In the last couple of years I've really dived into prioritizing myself and it has felt like getting in touch with an old friend.
I feel like a bit of a freak at times though- maybe due to my different than normal interests or the fact that I tend to get passionate, very passionate about things. I'm coming to accept that more. It is an amazing thing to think that yes, you can still have hopes and dreams at any age, just keep plugging away. I'm beyond thankful to have such a supportive husband who doesn't blink at my craziness and brags about his circus wife. He is starting to work on his own interests too, it is just as hard for dads- in a way more so as I have more time - although less time to myself. Some things I do just for fun but a lot of them I see as enriching my life and the life of my family. The real hard part is starting to think about what you want to do- I remember posting threads on here about that but Julie is right to keep it broad because it is so individual. I was just thinking today there are any number of things we could do which would be well and good but how nice to be at a place to say- this is for me and no I'm not interested in that without feeling guilt about not doing it all.
Just my tiny tip: freewriting can help with that. Through it (morning pages, a la Julia Cameron, which I do NOT do everyday--I take them medicinally, as it were) I was able to determine WHAT, exactly, I wanted to do. Because it was a struggle to figure that out for a while! They helped hone my focus. I also feel comfortable switching back and forth between my passions, depending on the season, schedule, and so on. Everyone is different, but I found it useful!
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I find it interesting that our society looks so much at the external measures of success (Ivy League, accomplished musicians, the fact that they are modest/polite) to determine whether the parenting approach "worked"--it just plays into that paradigm fully, which is that the measure of success is always judged by traits or factors that can be observed externally (and thus superficially). When, in fact, the internal landscape can be decimated, even if someone appears successful and well-adjusted.
So I am not particularly convinced by the article, by Chua's parenting methods, or by the girls' "success."
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My sister has a black belt in Kempo Karate and they used weapons. I don't recall her ever doing a competition; she just progressed from belt to belt, and then had to attend the international conference to qualify for her black belt.
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I can answer this from the outside looking in: my sister converted to Catholicism last Easter. We were baptized Episcopal (me) and Lutheran (her) and grew up in a Presbyterian church. She rejected Reformed theology in college, where she majored in theology at a Lutheran school. But it took another half-dozen years before she gave Catholicism the time of day!
Maybe we just have a very open-minded family, but when we got wind that my sister was going through RCIA classes, we were all happy and supportive. (We are a family of WASPs from waaaaay back...I had not even met a Catholic until I went to college.) She did not pound anyone over the head with all the things she now believed were true, and that probably helped insofar as my father/stepmother were concerned. I had been reading about Catholicism off and on for several years, and had grown fond of it in many ways, and so I was happy for her. We have attended Mass together twice (she lives in a different city). I asked questions and she answered my questions--in a mutually respectful manner. She was really nervous at first about telling us The News, but we all knew it was coming down the pike and she and I had had many fruitful late-night discussions about trans-substantiation, Mary, and the saints.
So, from my own perspective, part of it was that I was prepared (I'd been reading about Catholicism before knowing she was interested in it?!!)...part of it was that she was willing to answer questions in a conversational, exploratory way (rather than a defensive way)...and part of it was probably just that our family is open-minded and we cling more to Jesus than to some interpretation of "theology"--so we never saw her conversion as a threat.
Perhaps there's something there that is useful to you! God bless you on your journey!
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We do a morning basket with all of us. Then my son breaks off to his room for a few minutes for his own reading (his choice of books I approve) while I read some "just for her" books w/ my 5 year old. (Although he migrates in to be with us again if he ever hears E.B. White......:))
That's all. I am pretty laid-back about his independent reading; he reads so much on his own already that I don't really need to "enforce" this as a part of "school"--it is just convenient for him to do some reading while I'm reading to his sister.
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In my mind, oral narration is composition. So my son, who is third grade, engages in composition by orally narrating from books on a daily basis. Then there's the physical aspect: copywork. (we do not do dictation yet because neither of us are ready.)
I think from reading your description that a year of copywork would be beneficial....my own attitude is that it's better to start a little later than a little earlier.
I do expect certain output, though: in January our normal copywork moves aside and we write thank-you notes for Christmas gifts. My son seems to be able to generate some pretty good little sentences when describing what he has done w/ his Christmas goodies.
He has also been writing short stories about a hermit who lives in the woods. They are beyond charming. This is not part of school in any way--he just likes to get up in the morning and write, and it's all his own volition. No paragraphs, no parents correcting anything, and fabulous plots full of adventure. And mis-spelled words. :)
All that's to say is: I think it's safe to follow her lead. If she's reading good books and narrating from them, and doing copywork, and your instinct is to hold off....follow your instinct. Sounds like she's doing great. :)
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In celebration of Mozart's bday, we are going to do some Mozart fun stuff tomorrow. Alas, the 80s film Amadeus is out (ha) but has anyone seen "The Genius of Mozart" by the BBC? I am wondering how appropriate it is for children. A cursory internet search has been no help.
Thanks!
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I may be biased b/c I am an attorney, so homeschool laws do not freak me out. I don't really see HSLDA as providing much personal protection; I think they are more like a blanket lobbying and advocacy group, and that's alright and has its place. They may help individual homeschoolers w/ legal issues, but they are not obligated to do so. I have a friend who needed their services but after years of paying them, she was declined b/c she was divorced, and they cited a conflict of interest (since her husband used to also be a member/pay the dues as a family with her). HSLDA is not incorrect in their analysis of that situation, to my way of thinking, but it was a disappointment to this lady.
I guess I'd just figure out why you'd want to join, and go from there. I know nothing about their college counseling services, so perhaps that would be useful!
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I typically try to get in the most basic of basics before they get into serious play, but have been known to let the playtime ride for a while if they are really engaged. I believe play is the work of a child, in some ways, and it's healthy and good. At these ages (mine are 8 & 5) it doesn't hurt us to have flexibility w/ our academic work....my children still have a morning chore regimen that never changes.
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I noticed this around Christmastime. Around November I actually contacted them with a huge gripe b/c something I needed was a day late, and they gave me a credit. I'm going to pay attention this year and if it continues I will gripe again. Ordering Monday and getting an order on Friday is in NO WAY "two day shipping."
On the other hand, a gift I ordered on a Tues afternoon before Christmas was delivered to my MIL the NEXT MORNING! So, who knows.
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Explode the Code workbooks, my own very laid back phonics instruction, Singapore's Essential math plus c-rods and playing with numbers, and reading many books.
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My son is 8. He has earned money outside our home for pet sitting and flower watering for our neighbors. His biggest cash has been made by selling his artwork. He has several hundred dollars so far and is contemplating using it to start an egg business. We shall see.😉
We pay him a small weekly allowance and also pay for help....mostly in the garden and flower beds in summer. Sometimes if I need a mental health break I will pay him a few dollars to 'babysit' his sister while I hide in my bedroom!
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Ugh. I know I've asked before.
But what do your kids eat for breakfast?
Requirements:
Not cereal
Can be made by them in the morning
No prep by me
Not oatmeal
Sigh. I get so annoyed by this one. :p :lol:
Hmm, this is tough. Yogurt topped with granola/nuts? Smoothies? Toast with nut butter or melted cheese? Those are the first things that come to mind. Also if you made pizzas in advance and cut them into smaller pieces and froze them...I see nothing wrong w/ pizza for breakfast (like, bread + cheese + veggies).
My own kids eat, on low-prep mornings, either scrambled eggs w/ cheese or plain Greek yogurt w/ nuts. (We're a gluten-free group here.) Once a week I bake a pan of baked oatmeal and they have that (w/ toppings--peanut butter, yogurt). And once a week I'll mix up a batch of waffle or pancake batter and just make as much as they want to eat each morning. I do prepare their food every morning, though. If I couldn't I'd have to teach the 8 year old to scramble eggs!
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I went from feeling all excited about the plans I am pulling together, to feeling sick to my stomach with the feeling of incompetence after seeing whatever others are planning. :laugh:
So far (for the older three) I'm thinking ...
Sonlight Cores B & G
Math Mammoth, Life of Fred, Zaccaro
First Language Lessons 1&2 (continuing for 1 child), R&S grammar 3 and 5.
Writing With Ease (continuing), oldest might begin WWS at some point in the year
Spelling Power for all
Visual Latin for oldest
I guess I will be adding something for Logic, and I still have no idea what I want to do for science (but that appears to be a perpetual state).
The youngest will continue learning to read and write, and enjoying stories, informal math, and games.
Go back and read my post! You will feel better!!!! ;) (It's just math and reading....and yeah, I'll force some copywork down some throats too....)
Sometimes I think if you've found your rest and peace in your own plan, the best thing to do is ignore everything else!!
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I think by that definition I have been a purist until this year. We started Miquon in first grade. In second I wondered if we needed a different approach and tried R&S for a little while (along WITH the Miquon). A month or two of that was enough to show me that Miquon was enough for us.
This year, just the past month or so, I'm starting to add in a little Singapore, more for familiarity with that program as I look to the future, not b/c I need to supplement Miquon or replace it. I just know it will end, and we'll need something else, so I'm experimenting w/ Singapore.
One thing we do is a little Calculadders (just a sheet of math drill) a couple days a week. I keep this very low-key and sometimes I skip it entirely.
Unlike previous posters, I have not sailed through the program. We definitely take our sweet time. We may do only HALF a page on some days. Some days I skip it (homeschooling heresy there, but that's what it is). My son is not super-inclined to math, and needs a lot of gentle encouragement, and I've found that going slowly and making sure he totally grasps the concepts is more helpful for us. I do think some children could move at a faster pace. Just not my son!
My daughter just turned 5 and I've already bought ALL her Miquon books so we will certainly be doing it again with her.
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Miquon and I have been through it together (love first, then I was confused b/c my son seemed to hate it, now we are back together again and totally committed....)--here are my suggestions (and the above suggestions are great!) on the way we use it....I work my way sequentially through the books, just b/c it makes sense to me. Sometimes I skip a page if I don't like it. We always tear the page out of the book. I look at the Lab Annotations for that page if I'm puzzled by the lab sheet we're using. And here's the clincher that has been a deal breaker or maker for us: I don't just give the sheet to my child. A playful, exploratory child might take the c-rods and run with it, but my child doesn't like that (when I tried it that way my son loathed it!). So we sit together with the rods and sheet and discuss it. Sometimes it doesn't need much discussion and he goes for it. Sometimes we play with the concepts together. Sometimes I am more didactic. I don't try to schedule it simply because we might spend one day on one sheet, if the concept is more elusive for my son, and on another day we might roll through several pages. I try to observe his pace.
I have to say I think my son's conceptual understanding is rock-solid. He does NOT recall math facts very well yet (we're doing some Calculadders to help with that--he likes C'ladders and thinks the worksheets are fun). But conceptually he GETS IT. He can visualize math. And it's not boring (we tried R&S for a while in second grade as I was attempting to brush him up on facts, but it was boring--effective, I am sure, but neither of us liked it much and I did a lot of skipping b/c the repetition seemed excessive to me).
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I hope you feel better soon!!
I've been pondering this subject deeply! My son will be 9 and "fourth grade" and my daughter will be kindergarten-age. I'm going to be a little unorthodox during the 2016-17 year because I think I'm going to only use Miquon/Singapore for math and then for everything else read through our personal library. We have SO many amazing books (many inherited from my great-great aunt or grandmother, some from my own childhood, or passed along from my in-laws)--from poetry to art to science (these are newer books!) to Shakespeare (my grandfather's copy of Tales from Shakespeare!) to the My Book House collection to all sorts of fiction books (both older and newer) that it seems wrong for me to ignore them. We DO read them now, but I don't center my curriculum-planning around them. So I think it's going to be "read the home library year" plus math, and we'll continue to outsource art and piano lessons + do our weekly science class (those are for my son; daughter is only doing gymnastics so far). Of course I'll throw in copywork, narrations, and a little spelling, but no curricula for any of that.
It's a rather exciting prospect--kind of liberating. We'll see how it goes!
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My dentist drives a Lexus and has a vacation house in Florida, so I sigh every time he suggests something (he can't stand the fact that I've still got my wisdom teeth! he is amazed that my teeth are so white just from Crest Whitestrips and not his 'trays'!), but we do the sealants (only on my son so far, as I think my daughter is too young), though our insurance doesn't cover it. I appreciate the preventative approach, I guess, esp. b/c we seem to have groove-y (ha) teeth (I have always been somewhat cavity-prone). Plus, he has been my dentist since I was about 12 years old and in spite of his luxury vehicles I do trust him. He did a lot of free dental work for my mother when she was alive and didn't have dental insurance, and has done free things for me before such as removing my amalgam fillings and replacing them--totally free, simply b/c he didn't want me to have mercury in my teeth. Plus, he engages in a lot of good-natured back and forth with me over things like x-rays and isn't ever tyrannical about anything. So, I go with the sealants.
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I don't watch TV, don't answer the phone most of the time (unless it's my husband, father, sister), don't wait until my house is perfect to do something creative, don't stay up until 2 am anymore (!), don't engage in a lot of spontaneous social activities, and don't leave the house every day (am careful w/ my errands, in other words). I also don't organize my children's days--I leave that up to them (in terms of what they'll do w/ their free time). And I don't feel guilty about taking a day off!
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We do stock up (tonight I stocked up on the leafy greens, almond milk, avocados, chocolate and perrier--you know, survivalist foods) because if we get two feet of snow, we are snowed in for several days. We live in a rural area off of a secondary road that *might* get plowed on Saturday. Our own road/driveway are hilly gravel and private (so, no state-supported snow plows here), and a neighbor will plow them...eventually. (He'll sometimes plow the lane before the secondary road is plowed!) In any case, a few years ago we were snowed in for a couple of weeks due to snow + ice + more snow and the temps never getting above freezing. *That* was unusual! It was the ice layers that made it impossible to get out.
If I lived in walking distance of a store I'd probably barely even think about the groceries.
As for things like snow shovels--no, we never buy new ones!
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My girls are currently doing a states study. I made up a general worksheet with questions to explore for each state. The front side has things like state bird, state abbreviation, a map of the state where they need to put a star for the capital, a spot for them to sketch and color the state flag, etc. I go through that side with them together. The back has open-ended questions: what's something interesting that happened in this state, what would be something interesting to see or do in this state, who are some famous people from this state, and what's something else you learned. For that side, I give each of them a library book and they decide what answers they want to put down. It was pretty simple to set up; I just made up the general format and then found outline maps for each state, so that's the only thing to change each time. Oh, they also have a US outline map and they get to color in each state as we get to it.
Anyway, I figured I would share what I'm doing in case you want to do something similar, tweaked for the things you want to emphasize.
Thanks--I like this!!--this is probably what I'd end up doing, if I ended up doing anything formal-ish. Actually I may have my husband do it--b/c he came up with the idea, and he'd do a better job at something like this than I would! It would be nice to have a simple, homemade book that we can reference later. (Says the woman who never keeps anything. Hmm.)
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Well, you could put up a map of the U.S. on a wall near where you eat or otherwise gather. :-) You might be amazed at the discussions that take place because someone is staring at the map while eating his Cheerios. :-)
When there's a reference to any state on TV (the news, a movie, anything will do), put a map tack in that state.
Read the Little House books and find the places where Laura lived. Ditto other books such as The Island of the Blue Dolphins, or Mr. Revere and I, or The Black Stallion--any book that takes place anywhere in the U.S. Ditto movies.
Naturally, you'd plan your next vacation on that map, or look for the grandparents' home, or the place where you grew up.
If you want something that looks more Official, you might like the Audio Memory songs.
I feel good b/c this is stuff we already do! He's actually quite well-versed on geography in general (the midwest is a little hazy, because...it's the midwest...) ---he has gained a fair amount of general knowledge from the maps we already have + his geopuzzles + our own travels) simply as a result of this...b/c it's basically how we school/learn. I like to keep things low-key like this. That's why I'm dreaming of a Material World-ish states book....shoot, I may have to just write it myself!! :)
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After using Miquon exclusively, I switched to _______________?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
I will choose between Singapore and Beast, or maybe blend the two.