Wow! I've been away from the board for a few days and had no idea that the discussion had taken off! Thanks to everyone who responded! I have much to think over during Christmas break!:D

Yes, I've noticed the same thing about my dd--that she goes "around the world" to work a simple problem sometimes. I like the idea of focusing on the strategy that the child prefers, helping him or her to refine it and make it more efficient.

Thanks for this hint!

Thanks, ladies. I've tried this approach--maybe I need to do more of it.

Boscopup--thanks! The thing with RS is they learn specific strategies which they will hopefully use in solving the problems. She is a good math-y thinker, so I do think it's more of an articulation problem than anything. Any hints, anyone?

My 7.5 year old daughter is in Right Start C. We have used RS since kindergarten and really love the curriculum. DD seems to really grasp the concepts very well and generally enjoys her math lessons. HOWEVER, when she is asked to explain how she arrived at an answer (i.e. what strategy she used), she has an immediate melt down. I feel like this is an important exercise--sort of a meta cognitive approach--so I don't want to throw it out, but I need help in helping her deal with her frustration. Any btdt advice? Please?

Mine's up.

Finally finished ours.

Finally finished ours!

My 2nd grade dd keeps a math journal as a part of RightStart level C, but I am interested read these other ideas. I'm subscribing to this thread!

I don't review on Amazon, but my blog is half book review blog, half homeschooling blog. I mainly read kids' books. :D (Linked below, if you're interested.)

Finally got mine up!

We're reading My Brother, the Robot by Bonny Becker right now. She is an author I'm supposed to interview for my blog.

:lurk5:

Finally got ours done!

I have nothing to add except that sometimes we just have to bake cookies. :tongue_smilie: I'm pretty hard-core when it comes to getting through our list/lesson plans, so when I allow myself to relax and do something fun with my girls, it ALWAYS makes the day better. Oh, and doing art helps, too. (Something about painting really calms me down.) I mainly just wanted to say that I'm subscribing to this thread so I can go back and re-read it when I have one of those days. :willy_nilly:

May I suggest also utilizing audiobooks--not as a replacement, but as something you can count on when your own read-alouds time falls through the cracks. Plus, it's a great way to get some intellectual stimulation while also accomplishing something mindless (like cleaning, etc.) I host a weekly meme on my blog called Read Aloud Thursday in which bloggers share their read-alouds of the week. It's a great place to go for inspiration! :D

Here are some Christmas books we've enjoyed over the years. All of these are links to my reviews on my blog: lots of picture books (my girls were 3 & 4 when we read these) Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree Santa Mouse Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Polar Express summary Christmas post with lots of links (why didn't I remember this one to begin with?) Jan Brett picture books St. Nicholas Day books various books by Madeleine L'Engle, Nikki Grimes, and Pearl S. Buck Christmas around the World: Mexico Christmas around the World: Russia I'm subscribing to this thread for future reference! Thanks, everyone!

I've been reviewing our holiday read alouds (and other read alouds!) on my blog for a few years. Here are my Thanksgiving posts: Thanksgiving Wish, Molly's Pilgrim, and informational book Outlaw Thanksgiving, Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, and others Squanto, Kate Waters' photojournalistic books, lots of picture books The First Thanksgiving by Lena Barksdale I'll be checking out the other suggestions! :D

We had a hard week but we made it! :D

We're taking a week off every six weeks or so, and our next scheduled week off is Thanksgiving week!:thumbup1:

We're currently reading Winona's Pony Cart by Maud Hart Lovelace. I host a link up on my blog each week called Read Aloud Thursday for bloggers to link up posts (reviews, lists, whatever) of their read-alouds. Anyone is welcome to join in!

Mine's up. We did a lot of art this week. Link in siggy.:001_smile:

I posted a photo-heavy week-in-review of our two week vacation break. We spent one week at Walt Disney World! Now it's back to the ol' grindstone. :crying:

My FIAR posts are here. :D