annegables
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Posts posted by annegables
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19 hours ago, goldenecho said:
Since you've been through SOTW several times, maybe something looking at original sources and learning how to use and interpret them and think about history through them? There's a free resource I know that does that. It's aimed at Middle School and High School, but it might be worth looking into for your kiddo if you think he can handle it. With all that historical background, this just might be a way to think critically about history...
http://www.marionbrady.com/If that seems a bit much, maybe let him go to the library and pick out a book on a historical topic that interests him.
Or, if you want something more hands on, maybe try a curriculum that combines history and science, like the Science through History curriculum by Jay Wile (Christian curriculum), or the Story of Science (a secular curriculum).The bolded is my fly in the ointment. This is how I normally operate, but our libraries are open for picking up hold only, and given the state of things where I live, this isnt changing any time soon. Thanks for the Marion Brady link- the website looks interesting.
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@Lori D. Thank you! What a wealth of resources and this was what I was looking for!
I just bought Builders of the Old World. I now remember why I took a hiatus from the forum. To save money😂
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We did not. He did all the regular problems and some of the challenge, but certainly not all of them. He would have mutinied. My son is very bright in math, but every problem would have killed his love for math. He enjoys math, but it isnt his passion. And he got more than enough out of the work he did do. He went on to do AoPS algebra and geometry just fine.
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declutter. Also, we rent an under 1000sqft space for 5 of us with no other storage space, so I get you. I have figured out how to get bookshelves in the weirdest spaces. All you need is a 1ft by 2.5 ft space near a wall. Behind doors, in closets, behind end tables, etc. Where there is a will, there is a relative...
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Thanks! I dont care about the time period. But it is something I want him to be able to read on his own, and he reads decidedly at grade level. Are there any books like Our Young Folks Josephus or Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls (primary source, but simplified for children) for the medieval time period?
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I was reading in another thread an some posters mentioned not certain if their sons would like Heidi, etc. Here has been my experience. I have 3 sons, all of whom are very "snips and snails and puppy dog tails".
We listened to Heidi on a road trip and they really got into it. This was after listening to Rick Riordan's Greek Gods and Heros, so it was a VERY different audiobook.
We listened to Anne of Green Gables on stories.audible done by Rachel McAdams and they enjoyed it, but found her flowery speeches a bit much.
My youngest has repeatedly listened to all of Little House on the Prairie and loves it.
I know I am forgetting some "girl" books that we have done, but my encouragement would be to get the audiobook from the library or on audible and listen to it on a road trip when your kids are a captive audience. I never once assign gender to books and let my kids think these are perfectly wonderful books to listen to, which they are. The main thing my kids had to adjust to was the pace and content of the action. The books forced them to find pleasure in the prosaic bits of life. But I think there is immense value in our sons knowing these stories, these types of stories, and this type of writing. I think that LM Montgomery is a good lead-in to Jane Austen and her intense focus on the commonplace.
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I am in need of history ideas for my rising 5th grader. So far, 95% of our history has been auditory and I am wanting to do something book-based. We have listened to all the SOTW audio too many times to count. We have done different podcasts (History of Byzantium, etc), Great Courses (Roman stuff), Liberty Kids, loads of field trips, etc. We do lots of history read alouds like Plutarch, Josephus, and Caesar's commentaries. He has read all of Horrible Histories. My concern is not really about what he learns, but that I want him to get more practice in reading history books and, well, doing something with them.
I have been thinking of just having him slowly re-read Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls and doing one-level outlines. Does anyone have any other ideas? I love the format of Plutarch with shorter, interesting stories, and am wondering if there are other books/resources like this that I am unaware of.
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would swimming in a chlorinated pool work? I swear, chlorinated pools are amazing for clearing up random skin issues. I am not suggesting for open, weeping wounds or anything, but acne, random bumps on skin, eczema, cracked callouses, etc, all helped by pools for us.
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2 minutes ago, Ellie said:
Lent isn't only about giving up something; it's also about doing something more, such as works of mercy, reading more scripture or praying for people you don't usually remember to pray for, stuff like that.
This is why I am wanting to give up (mostly) the internet. I cheaply offer my time up to the god of the internet, the god who promises so much and leaves my soul feeling smaller. The god who demands so little of me.
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15 minutes ago, Pen said:
I should probably fast internet. Or at least significantly limit.
I think this is what I am going to do. I want to do it. Or severely restrict, like 10min a day to do all the mandatory email stuff. if you see me on here, it is because I decided to do candy instead.
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@Nan in Mass, I have just finished reading this thread:
And you expressed concern about the non-traditional trajectory that your youngest DS was on at the time of the thread in 2010. I dont know if you updated on him anywhere else, but I was wondering how it all played out? What would you still encourage homeschool moms to focus on? What all shifted itself out in the end for you?
I have thoroughly appreciated all of your past wisdom.
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9 hours ago, Gil said:
I have given her a copy of my Homeschool Commandments.
Care to share here? Inquiring minds want to know.
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6 hours ago, CAJinBE said:
She might be in the phase where she is afraid that she is ruining her kids lives forever by taking them out of school. Maybe she is a perfectionist. Just try to listen. She will eventually find her own way.
Have her kids been in the public school up until now? Because if what @CAJinBE said applies, then it sounds like the local school has already not done its job, so she does not need to worry about ruining her kids.
What can be so hard is knowing and believing that education is a marathon, not a sprint. I had to remediate reading in my son after I pulled him out at the end of first grade. It took 2 long years to undo the damage done (thanks for nothing, whole language!) and I had to have the long view in mind when spending 20min a day on phonics. I had to take to heart your advice:
9 hours ago, Gil said:I have given her my opinion on some curriculum and I keep telling her the same thing over and over again--do little and do it often. Do a max of 3hours of focused academics every day--(even weekends)--and just wait. Give the kids a chance. Give yourself a chance. Give homeschooling a chance and in the meantime stay off of homeschool related YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, forums, Facebook, blogs and every search-result link that is in anyway related to homeschooling.
Same goes with math. If the child doesn't have LDs, then it is doable to get him up to speed with a year or two.
I remember that weight of responsibility I felt after I pulled my oldest out halfway through 2nd grade. This decision is not for the faint-of-heart and it sounds like she is fully experiencing that. The super annoying part is asking for loads of help but not taking it.
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54 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:
Thank you all! She now has some numbers for local resources, who can help with legal issues. The concern with calling police first is this is backwoods georgia - the kind of place where it would not be unheard of for domestic violence to be swept under the rug. Hence wanting to speak to someone local who was trained and experienced to walk her through this, which we found for her it seems.
And yes, I did look up churches near by that I thought could help as well, and if all else fails will call my parish and ask if they can contact people up there for her. I know they do that sort of thing. Again, I worry about accidentally steering her to the type that would counsel her to just pray and love him more, but via their websites, denominations, etc I hopefully found some that would be able to offer legit help.
And I'll be deleting all this shortly. But she asked for us to reach out for help, and knows I'm spreading a broad net via homeschool forums.
To be clear, Jonesboro isn't so much backwoods, as it is not remote and rural. It is poor and about 20min from the Atlanta airport. The rest of what you said I agree with:).
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3 hours ago, Calizzy said:
We aren't in California, we are in the mid west. We have friends who have done summer school and really liked it- said it was more project based learning. But that was elementary and odd would be in middle school- not sure if it would make a difference. They kids are in classes, not just free play in the gym. And even if it was horrible and they hated it the benefit would be they would more appreciate homeschool!
They do already know how to swim. Every summer we get a membership to the local outdoor pool, so without swim team they will still swim for fun a couple of times a week. Swim team just adds the community and competition.
My kids are open to either idea.
Sorry about the assumption. I erroneously read your screenname as CA Lizzy. It sounds like your summer school option is much better than ours😁.
18 minutes ago, SanDiegoMom in VA said:Is it driving for two hours or a short drive and staying for two hours? And what will the younger kids be doing? Will they be able to free swim or will you have to entertain them? If it's the latter I would definitely lean towards the school instead.
Is there a park or something nearby for you and the younger kids? If there is nothing for them to do, then summer school sounds better. What do your kids want to do?
We do math and reading year-round, but I think my kids (same ages as yours) would seriously resent it if I put them in a 6-hr a day school program in the summer so that I could have a break from them for 6 hours. Is there any option between these two extremes? Like riding their bikes around the neighborhood for an hour a day and finding friends? Or walking to a nearby park and playing there?
This gets into one of my beefs with parenting in modern society (not at all directed at OP). There is so little opportunity for our kids to just go play with other kids without the parents (mostly the mom) being the event planner and cruise ship director. You understandably want a mental break from parenting for a few hours a day in the summer. This is not a big ask. This is something that parents throughout all time have expected of their 9 and 11 year-old kids. To fend for themselves for a few hours without needing an adult. But instead, the way modern society is built, we get pigeonholed into a situation where the options are 6-hour-a-day summer school, or driving and staying for 2 hours of swim. My mother would have laughed at this dilemma and said, "I just sent you to play outside and you stayed there all day."
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Have you talked to any parents who have done summer school? I assume you live in CA. I have witnessed CA free summer school programs at our local school. These are provided as childcare for dual-income families. I think our district provides them because we have enough kids that qualify for free or reduced lunch.
These programs always sound like fun. Minecraft theme! Dance musical party theme! Learn to Code! Shopkins Extravaganza! Throw in whatever educational buzzword theme! STEM Camp! I understand that the majority of the families who participate have no choice. This is their best childcare option, and I am thankful that they have options. That being said, our district's summer program is my version of hell, I dont care how wonderfully it is marketed. It is barely controlled chaos, with well over 100 kids in a cafeteria for half the day. They can go into classrooms for a "fun learning experience" and also have outside activity on the playground.
It is just like school, but with even more pointless "learning" involved. The amount of noise is enough to make you want to stab your ears. The chaos would make all but the most ardent of extroverts want to curl up in a corner. I truly dont know how some of these kids cope with it.
Also, not to put too fine a point on it, your kids will learn something, all right. They will learn lots of things. It just might not be the stuff you want them to learn...
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2 hours ago, parent said:
Where are you buying this?
I ended up buying them on Ebay, but if I ever want to buy more owl pellets, I would probably get the 1 gal bag on pelletlab.com. I dont want to admit how much time I spent pricing owl pellets.
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Do you live near a skatepark? My kids who love activity just love going to the skatepark, and it is usually not crowded M-F.
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1 hour ago, Kit said:
Light bulbs are pinging on all over the place. Thank you, and Regentrude as well for explaining all this. Just wait until we get to the challenge questions 🤣🤣🤣
it seems you had a great education, in maths at any rate. I am nearly 60, and semi retired. I thought learning maths would be a nice little hobby, 😉
If it makes you feel any better, I have an engineering degree, and I still have to say things in words to have it make sense. For instance, if I want to multiply 7*9 and I think, I will just multiply 7*10 and then subtract...9? or is it 7? I forget. Let's see. I have Ten groups of seven apples in each group, but I really just want nine groups of seven apples, so I need to subtract one group of seven apples to go from ten groups to nine groups. Now I get it. This was a relatively straightforward problem, but the idea stands with more challenging problems. Talking to yourself about apples is a legit way to think about numbers😜
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1 minute ago, regentrude said:
thanks, fixed it!
I didn't want to be nitpicky, but I thought that was a rather crucial 1😜
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4 hours ago, regentrude said:
Look carefully at the number and notice the recurring 123:
123,123 = 123,000 + 123 =123*(1000+1)=123*1,001. So 123,123 /1000 = 123.
I think you dropped a 1 here at the end. It should be 123,123/1001 = 123
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43 minutes ago, SusanC said:
Owl pellets aren't poop. They are more like puke! Does that help? 😂
The nice thing is that every one is a guaranteed winner - they all have a skeleton. It is the parts of their food that couldn't be processed in their guts, so it gets regurgitated to make room for the next meal. Talk about the potential for disordered eating! I don't know the answer to your question exactly, but it stands to reason that larger pellets will at least have bones from a (slightly) larger prey. When we did owl pellets the internet gave us a nice set of likely skeleton diagrams that the kids taped skeleton pieces on to as part of identifying them.Oh, I I had no idea (obviously😁)! That does really answer my question. I never even considered that it wasn't poop.
Thank you! I was planning on buying at least 10, because I have 3 kids and I am sure they will want to do this several times.
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My kid is super into bones of all kinds so I am going to order some owl pellets for him to go to town on.
My question is this: do the larger pellets contain more interesting stuff in them? I assume this is the case, that the bigger the pellet, the more bones there are inside. But then I got to thinking that maybe the owl has a larger poop because it contains more...poop... to help move the indigestibles along. If the bigger pellets contain more bones, than the larger size is completely worth it, because the cost per volume is lower for the larger pellets. But I dont want to pay extra for, ehem, turds.
And thus ends the weirdest thought process I have ever committed to writing.
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Also, Chegg dot com has worked solutions for most problems in the book. I ordered ISBN # 0-13-165710-0 because it has the solutions. Another Foerster's edition is on that site as well. It appears as though some solutions are free, but to access others, you need to subscribe to the site, which is $15/month. Ugh. I have no idea which are the free problems.
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Favorite Nonfiction series?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Not totally a series, but there are 5 of these books by DK Publishing: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Earth-Atlas-World-Before/dp/1465458646/ref=sr_1_1?crid=33DB7FZ05SEMD&dchild=1&keywords=where+on+earth+atlas&qid=1595480379&sprefix=where+on+ear%2Caps%2C418&sr=8-1
They are wonderful maps with great ways of visually representing all kinds of data. We own all 5 and my kids read them for pleasure. These books are packed with interesting info!