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Calli

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  1. We really loved the Birds course. Not only do children learn the physical aspects of a bird (feathers, beaks, etc.) but they also learn to identify them by their colors, behaviors, and sounds. There are fewer questions to answer and it is a shorter study. I think you could spread it out by possibly studying the birds one week and then taking another week to identify that bird in nature, or something similar. When we went through that study, we also practiced drawing the birds. Both are excellent but Mammals is definitely a longer study than Birds.
  2. I would think you are correct about this. The time period being essential and that Alcott was an American author. The style alone lends itself to educational value even if the story isn't a favorite. The moralizing is somewhat uncomfortable but it does make you start to think about how it may have been interpreted during that time compared to today. I think the exposure to different authors from different places around the world and different time periods, perspectives, etc. cause a person (a student) to question and to think and to connect dots. This is an underlying beauty of classical education. We have read many books that we didn't like even though they were on a recommended list. While we may never read them again I can usually see how they contributed to the overall education of my kids.
  3. We have done several online classes with MPOA including Latin and the NLE prep class. A lot of your success will depend on how independent your child is. I wouldn't say that there are, "fun review games," but there was recitation at the beginning of the class. The kids take turns answering on the mic or in the chat box then the lesson would begin. Quizzes are required each week and are times. There are usually 2 attempts. They are all online. The main difference to me between the DVD and the online class is having the ability to ask questions all the time to the teacher. There is a forum for the kids to stay in communication with the teacher. It is easy to ask for help if needed. HTH. ETA: We never had to turn in assignments from the book for any Latin class. That is your responsibility to keep up with (or your child's). The class grade was made up of participation, quizzes, and tests as I recall. Other classes (not Latin) did have assignments that had to be turned in.
  4. All of my boys LOVED Little Women and read the entire series (on their own desire once they got started). One thing that sparked some interest for mine was the Little Men series that is available to watch on Amazon Prime. I dont typically let them watch a show or movie before reading the book but this really was just the intro they needed (although the tv series is different from the book). We enjoyed talking about the differences when the book series was finished. I think the Prime series is based on Jo's boys. Most 13 year old boys can find humor in Dan. 🙂 ETA: I think it is typical for boys that age to scoff at having to read what seems like a, "girl book." In my own experience my boys loved the books but needed me to tell them they had to, "read it for school." Then they could blame it on mom, even though they loved the book (same with Anne). They get to read so many boyish books that I found it to be good for them.
  5. Does anyone have experience using this program? I see it is recommended for 6th graders to 8th graders. Can a 6th and 9th grader use it? There are so many science options we are trying to narrow it down and this one we are unfamiliar with. Thoughts?
  6. I'm not sure if this fits the bill or not but the Classical Latin School Association is hosting a free webinar this coming week on Socratic questioning and Mimetic instruction. It looks interesting. https://classicallatin.org/upcoming-webinars/
  7. I know this was intended for the other poster and I am also curious as to her response to see how it compares to my own impression. I just wanted to jump in and say that we did also try CAP Fable/Narrative. It was very enjoyable for all of my children. I had thought that I wanted to switch to it and shelve MP. We are currently in Chreia/Maxim with MP having completed ATFF thru Narrative. The biggest differences from what I could tell is that CAP is a lot more fill in the blank style to where MP is a lot more actual writing. I can only speak to the Fable/Narrative with CAP because we didn't go further than that with them. The classical composition program with MP is a lot deeper and richer. That being said, all of my kids did enjoy CAP very much. This could be because it was easy. While CC is not necessarily hard, it does challenge the mind. With the CC program, your children's imagination could be the spice that you are looking for! Asking them to come up with a phrase that vividly describes the stars and sky, or giving human characteristics to an inanimate object within their story, etc. All of these things allow for a lot of creativity. I get what you are saying about MP being dry though. I wonder if there is another subject or extra curricular where you could add that, "spice?"
  8. Hello, If you follow MP generally, then I think you will be just fine with Fable. I agree with the above poster that it is not nearly as scary as it seems. Each lesson in Fable lasts for two weeks and the student is working on the same skills all year except with a different Fable each week. They are never expected to do anything on their own as the entire system is built upon the idea of modeling excellent writing. You can most definitely teach it! On the ATFF note, unless MP has changed their schedule in the last couple of years, they only plan the first 7 lessons. These lessons include key word outlining. So the student goes sentence for sentence and picks out the best three words for each sentence and writes those down on the provided outline. Afterwards they practice telling the story back using only their outline. As they progress they begin to try to find new interesting words to replace words that might be repeated often in a story. For example, instead of saying, "said," each time a character speaks, they will replace that with, "exclaimed," or, "replied," or, "cried out." They can be as creative as they like! The skills build from there but I have found that the child usually really enjoys the story and finding new ways to tell it. This carries over into Fable in that students will again find synonyms for certain words (this is all clearly laid out for you in the lesson). They will also be outlining, though not on their own. Then they will retell the story using their synonyms to replace the original sentences and also including an interesting sentence to make the story more vivid in the readers mind. They never have to make up a story and write it on their own. The student always has a model to work from. You can go into Fable without ATFF but it is a delightful and slow introduction to the entire process. HTH!
  9. I've had all the allergy testing and tried just about everything. There is something getting to me all year long. During heavier allergy seasons, I usually take the max amount of nasal steroid sprays (this is the best if you have nasal allergies and congestion). I also usually take Zyrtec, but am taking Claritin right now for the persistent post nasal drip caused by the allergies. It seems to have a better effect (for me). Of course, changing your filters, washing your sheets, and taking a shower before bed or after being outside are all helpful too! Hope you find some relief!
  10. I have had something very similar to what you describe, this the past two months. I assumed it was a horrendous cold and/or possibly bronchitis. Same symptoms as you listed. Heading to the doctor is of course your best bet. That being said, I did my fair share of google research too and finally came up with post nasal drip as a residual effect of the cold. I did experience episodes of shortness of breath, then it got better. Finally, (remembering what a doctor had told me years ago), I started on a Claritin routine and Astelin along with a nasal steroid. I can breathe now and the coughing has dramatically improved. Also, acid reflux can coincide with the post nasal drip and cause some pretty annoying interference's with daily life. This can also cause your voice to be off. I would have gone to the doctor this time around, however, a few years ago I had the exact same thing. I did go to the doctor then and they checked my oxygen levels and had me do a scan of my lungs. It came back that the doctor said I was definitely not getting enough oxygen (shortness of breath) and that it was a virus. He gave me a short term inhaler and I went on my way. Sure enough, it passed. If you're really worried though, I would definitely go to the doctor. A short term inhaler might help you get through the day... if you aren't getting enough oxygen you will feel tired. And... you definitely want to rule out pneumonia if you think there is a chance of that. I hope you find some answers! It probably is directly related to the severe cold that you had (and are probably still trying to completely get over).
  11. Logic of English is excellent. If you are looking for a cheaper, yet still excellent option, Memoria Press Classical Phonics is it. It is just a simple book with lists of words that you read (you can get accompanying workbooks and readers to go with it). The phonics rules are listed at the bottom of the page and you do not move on until the child masters the words / rules. Simple and straightforward but works! Great tool!
  12. We do our read alouds during lunch or breakfast so he's busy eating. Audible and Librivox help so you can eat too!
  13. I feel err.. smell your pain. We have had dogs for years. My thoughts are: 1. worms 2. food. The food brand you are feeding might not be the issue but it might be flavor/ingredient. For example, my dogs can only eat venison. If they eat lamb (same brand) they will stink us out with flatulence! It may be a trial and error for a few weeks with the food but I would definitely rule out worms!!!
  14. I have a cat that also used to throw up after each meal. It gets old. We ended up switching to wet canned food only diet. It can be a pain, but research really shows that cats should technically only eat wet food (it is closer in nature to what they would eat in the wild). Dry food is by far more convenient though. This particular cat also had a tendency to sneeze a lot. After a few weeks of making the switch, she stopped sneezing and she doesn't throw up anymore. We made this switch about 2 years ago so I know that it has stood the test of time. I assume the diet made the big difference because nothing else changed. Most wet cat foods have a higher percentage of water content and cats need that and the protein.. desperately. Especially male cats. Also, the wet food may seem more expensive, but our vet bills have decreased because we don't have to go anymore except for the yearly check-ups. That alone saves hundreds so it is worth it to us to buy the wet food. I would avoid friskies, but other than that the brand hasn't seemed to matter. It is just the wet food. We have used Rachel Ray, Fancy Feast, and Blue. If you can swing it, the most economical cat food that also meets a really high healthy criteria is Blue Indoor Limited Ingredient, any flavors are fine, but the fish flavors should be used sparingly. So, based on our experience, I would tell you to switch to an all wet food diet for a few weeks and see if you can see a difference. If not, there's always the veterinarian! HTH!
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