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JaLeSherman

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Everything posted by JaLeSherman

  1. I did Elemental Science Biology for Grammar with my kids. It doesn't have to be writing heavy. What I did with it was print the animals off onto sticker paper, made posters with Carnivores, Herbivores, and Omnivores, and let them categorize each animal based off what they read from either the encyclopedia or what we happened to have borrowed from the library that week. I also purchased coloring pages for my younger ones who follow along, and lapbooks for the children it was intended for, since the books have significantly less writing. I will say the lapbooks you get from their website are cute and fun. My older kids (now 4th and 6th grade) are still doing it for their final year in Elemental Science Grammar series and enjoy looking through their old lapbooks and reminiscing about different experiments, so it definitely has sticking value and review without you doing the work. Just a confession that we never did to REAL Odyssey as we had wanted, my kids always enjoyed Elemental Science that we tried first and I saw no reason to switch personally, so I can't really provide a compare and contrast for you. Hope this helps with your decision making.
  2. We liked Elemental Science. Fairly open and go, along with an encyclopedia the course recommends for reading, plus an experiment a week(out of a Janice VanCleave book). My girls enjoyed it last year and have been enjoying Astronomy and Earth Science for the year thus far. It is "neutral" so nothing about intelligent design ... nothing about evolution either. It's just open for you to make work for you.
  3. 100% here. I hate reading out loud in general, I don't mind doing it for little kids who can't read yet though. But once you can read, here's you a book, Mama has her own book, let's grab a blanket, warm drink, and read quietly together. I can't even listen to audiobooks, they drive me bonkers! Just hearing it spoken out loud messes with me in general. I like to read a couple of paragraphs, pause, reflect, then repeat. I'd constantly have to pause and restart an audio book every few paragraphs and that's just too much work. Subjects that just haven't been successful here: Nature Study of anything. Gym Learning an instrument
  4. And to address you OP --- no. I don't think taking away guns is going to help with this. This is a cultural, societal problem, something that can only be eradicated with time, education, open hearts, and a desire to want to change. Look at how Ronald Reagan passed gun laws in California, it was only because he was threatened by Black Panthers having weapons. We make laws against guns, especially in the realm of seizing them, is going to disproportionately target minority groups like Blacks, Jews, Muslims, etc.
  5. I'm going to echo SeaConquest here, though we are not a Jewish family. (So I do not know much of the Synagogue attack, and my prayers and heart cries for your pain) and people love their bubbles and hate to explore outside of it. And if you don't fall in line with that bubble you are immediately not part of the community. Civility exists as long as you fall into the right crowds, at least by appearance if nothing else. People's words in person, on Facebook, even in passing can be extremely cruel and harsh, especially if you are in an area that doesn't see much diversity. And it seems unfortunate to say, the last four years has really heightened this to new levels that I'm scared for my children. And people from the top down don't address. It's a "both sides" issue, though it's one side carrying the bodies to a six foot hole in the ground. And we are just a minority race here, not even a minority religion or orientation or ability.
  6. This is the first year I didn't go the GHC in Cincinnati (I live 20 minutes away from the Convention Center) and I usually buy all my curriculum then. I love to browse through all the books and games, find things that I never considered to bring home with my girls, and get some roasted almonds! But being on bed rest with this pregnancy I couldn't go to take advantage of 20% off sales or free shipping. I'm pretty sad about it, as usually it's a great time for me to refuel the tank with fresh ideas. I don't listen to any of the speakers, I ask homeschool parents all around me. Though last time I went I got to meet with Jay Wile at the "Science in the ..." booth and it was awesome. He was patient with my daughter's excitement in telling him about some the experiments she did and her thanking him for memories. My husband has a love/hate relationship with going. He likes to go and see new stuff, but he hates the bombardment of Selling Christianity. We are Christians here, but it's like folks are trying to make money out of the religion instead of living it. He also loves roasted almonds. 😉
  7. We had debated between AAR and LOE here and ultimately went with LOE because (1) I was taught whole language and really did needed my hand held navigating phonics (2) It tells me where my mouth should be for most of the sounds, and as someone who is partly deaf and on occasion verbally destroy whatever word I want to say, this helped (3) It was an all-in-one program. I didn't have to hunt down other studies for at least a couple of years! My daughter fell in love with LOE. We split it up as A&B for Kindergarten, C for first grade, D for second grade however she had plans of her own and is going to finish D easily by the end of first grade. The games, phonogram work, spelling, comprehension tests, really made her into an amazing reader, and an amazing speller (and helped my spelling!) They have readers that come with the program and they are certainly just not enough in my opinion. We used the additional readers list and started a rotation (repeating the books over as she passed each lesson) to help build fluency and practice. Otherwise, the program is amazing and I'm looking forward to starting again with my second child come fall. https://www.logicofenglish.com/foundations/book-suggestions (List of Additional Readers that I highly suggest.)
  8. I absolutely love the Kirkland Pacs. I didn't have to use rinse aid until I moved to a different part of town, but I think it is because the water is harder out here. Either way, not complaining about that since Costco either has the Rinse Aid as a BOGO offer or discounts it down to $4 a bottle which lasts about 2-3 months here. But we also do anywhere from 3-4 loads of dishes a day. I don't do much in scrubbing before throwing it in the dishwasher. On the rare occasion it hasn't cleaned it effectively, I just let it run again with the next batch of dishes. Always plenty to do!
  9. I'd have to agree with smarson here. I don't remember exactly where it got more challenging in C but I found myself splitting the lessons into two because of how long it took. We are almost finished with D and we still have them split into two. I think if we did an actual entire lesson in a day it would take us a little over an hour in D because there are reading books attached to it among everything, which I feel is too much for a first grader. I will say, since separating the spelling and reading from the grammar and phonics study, she has became a much more efficient speller.
  10. We eat breakfast together every day, and even when my husband is at work, the children and I eat dinner together. Lunch is a free-for-all lol. Days my husband is off, we eat breakfast and dinners together, with sometimes lunch being together, sometimes not. But when I was kid, when we did have food in the house, I don't recall a single family meal. Even on holidays, people grabbed a plate and then just went elsewhere. My husband's family didn't really eat together either. When they did on holidays, it was strange on how none of them talked and just ate. I always thought there was chatter with meals. Now that I have my family meals, I realize it varies, because my children love to chat my ear off, taking turns in-between eating. Does make me wonder if this will change when they become teenagers.
  11. I think my second child will be starting Kindergarten this year ... we'll have to see. I am hesitant, because she's ready in a sense of sitting down, sitting still, her hand to eye coordination (from coloring and counting) is fantastic, but something feels off. Like she's not 100% ready. But we shall see. September is a long way away, so she may be ready by then! If so, this is the plan. Phonics: Logic of English A. MAYBE B, if she progresses fast. No pressure, no one to impress if she gets there or not. Math: Singapore Essentials A and B. Same guidelines as Phonics. Science: Elemental Science: Intro to Science. My soon-to-be second grader was very happy to repeat this course and then do second grade science, so science will be non-stop this year. But my girls are so happy about it I can't help but be enthused with them! Bible: Coloring pages while listening to big sister read passages. Builds fluency for the second-grader, teaches listening skills for my Kindergartener and gets me off the hook of at least one read aloud. History: Tagging along with big sister and participating in whatever project is going on. Adventures in America, followed by Story of the World 2. She loves hands on and art, so I expect she'll join for just about all of it. Health: Horizons K --- basic introductions she may remember from her big sister's health course, but the course is meant to be fun so she can have her own "Health Train" to be proud of. (Alternating with History) Geography: DK Pre-K and K. Art: (Fridays only, stress reliever for the weekend) "The Way They See It." I don't think either have the coordination to proceed to Book 2 of Artistic Pursuits (we did Book 1 this year) so I think it'll be fun to redo the Kindergarten art for both of them. Neither complained when I asked about repeating it --- they want to play with the smelly markers again. 😉 It sounds like a lot but her actual subjects will be no more than, at best, an hour of work a day. The rest will be just a lot art and craft projects to build listening skills, hand-to-eye coordination, art skills, and just fun to do while listening to music and talking.
  12. I don't have a review of it yet -- but we went through homeschooltestingservices.com to use a Stanford Achievement Test. We haven't received it yet or used it but it was affordable, and up to date. According to the directions, she takes it, I seal it up and send it back for it to be graded. Untimed test (a big plus here) but she has 2 weeks to get it done once we receive it. Figured I'd throw that option out there.
  13. We got about the same amount back as we usually do, but I adjusted our with holdings in February of 2018 when the notice was put out about the surprise that may await most people at the end of the year. We're very low income, so I didn't want to get in trouble for the extra $20 every two weeks we got. I don't trust Politicians, especially rich politicians to look out for me, and I know anything they 'give' back to me, they'll want back, plus more (interest, fees, fines, etc) But then this goes back to the point up above, why do we prefer a lump sum back versus breaking even? Well --- we do live paycheck to paycheck for now. While my husband picks up overtime everywhere he can find it -- as well as additional training that he travels for to make his skills worth more, this is how we live. Even owing $300-$500 would easily devastate us. If we had owed this year, along with my power steering pump going out and my husband needing a crown, I don't know what we'd do. And I imagine for many of us low on the totem pole of finances, it's our reality. I hate to think of what some of my peers may be going through if they end up owing .... The only thing that's irritating this year is that just a couple days ago, especially with the Government shutting on and off, we got a 'missing' form that we hadn't expected. (Local government claims they credited us $14 that we need to claim as income, but then said in the same form that they never sent us the check and sent it to another city, yet we still owe taxes on it) and the amending form is still not available. I've never been so nervous about the IRS busting down our door. 😂
  14. I said yes but it is a very measured yes. We've only done a couple of lapbooks. One was for addition facts to help them stick. She liked having a tab say 2+7 and then 'quizzing' herself. The other ones have been for Science only so far. It's been great in helping her review simple terms and definitions. (Like a skull protects the brain, nothing too egregious, she's only 6) But as far to the extent I've seen some people do them? No. Once we finish our human body study and lapbook, I plan on having her use it to start building very basic public speaking skills, with pictures and a simple sentence here and there to keep her on track. Nothing serious or graded. Just exposure. I like it, but I couldn't see doing more than two or three per year. But that's just us.
  15. Still working on figuring things out here ... 1st grade was a bunch of surprises where she accelerated in some subjects, slowed down in others, and when my husband looked through the curriculum and her strengths/weaknesses, he offered some great suggestions so this will more than likely get adjusted. But so far ... Math: Singapore Standards 1b & 2a. Right now fact memorization is a struggle despite her knowing the concepts and the ability to figure out answers just fine. So we'll keep moving forward and just review 0-20 facts from the 1a series. Language Arts: It was supposed to be Logic of English D. She is blowing through it like it's a joke. We were going to do ELTL a but my husband thinks it won't stick as much, and prefers a different layout for our children. Grammar: First Language Lessons 2 (Do FLL1 over the summer to get used to the program), Writing: Writing With Ease 1, possibly 2 if she blows through it. Spelling: Spelling Workout B. I really struggled between Rod and Staff Spelling and Spelling Workout but elected to let her pick just this one subject. Reading: Reading will be done with Scott Foresman Reading Street 2, but additional literature will come from other subjects and interests. Health: Horizons Health 2. Still wants to be a Pediatrician when she grows up, so we will continue this course. Geography: 180 Days of Geography 2. Social Studies: 180 Days of Social Studies 2. Bible: For now, Calvary Curriculum with Read and Share Bible Stories. I don't get it, it is super easy, way below her abilities, yet it helps with remembering Bible stories and verses. I'm still trying to figure out how that is working. That means I'll need to figure out what to do next year. Far as I see, it's only a one-year thing and then repeats. Eventually we'll need to go more in depth. History: Story of the World 2, eventually. We've combined Mystery of History along with Story of the World 1 last year and still have about 20 chapters to do. We're going slowly and doing a lot of projects. We have learned that Mystery of History isn't a hit here, but we'll finish out this year. Science: Elemental Science: Earth Science and Astronomy for the Grammar Stage. I'm not sure when we'll hit this, since we are going to do Intro to Science with my rising Kindergartner, but it will be immediately following. Art: (Friday Only) Artistic Pursuits 2 after redoing The Way They See It with her younger sisters(K and toddler). Like Intro to Science, she doesn't mind reviewing it because of how enjoyable the year before was. It looks like a butt ton of work, but with the exception of Math and any project/craft days she's doing, she blows through each subject within 10-15 minutes. I also imagine from here on out, History, Science, and Art will just be a continuous blend with all of the kids, no matter the age with variations of jumping back and forth between the highest grade and youngest grade. But we'll see, there's still two more behind my Kindergartner. Still learning this on the fly too. Also, almost all of these are open and go -- and with a baby coming late April/early May, then being forced into moving in June, then DH traveling for additional training on his job later in the year, it'll help with not needing to prep so much. And I think with the step back in many subjects to help the Kindergartner join in the fold, it'll ease some of the stresses of the 2nd grader and make school more fun which will (hopefully) set a good precedence for the year for my two girls. We'll see.
  16. I am trying to figure out what to do once we finish Logic of English Foundations D, (pretty certain it'll be either ELTL, or maybe a mix of FLL/WWE) in the next six months when she finishes. My daughter will just shy of 6.5 years when she finishes, and is pretty intuitive like yours when it comes to English. Anyway, I am posting to say, if you can afford it I'd definitely do D. We're about halfway through it (I split the chapters in 2). It much more grammar, spelling, and reading intense with increasing challenges in reading. There are pop-up games to make sure phonograms are remembered, but overall D is a lot more yet rewarding work. It's also a good start on preparing yourself if you do go into ELTL or go FLL/WWE route, or even another route (LLATL? MCT? So many options!) We also do not plan on going into Essentials. I have looked it over and it seems a little too heavy for this family. Not that I don't think my daughter can handle it -- she can, but she needs more reading, and I'll have a Kindergartener when she starts it, as well as a two year old and newborn, so I'm just not interested. Anyway, good luck to you! Edited due to poor grammar
  17. Just a shout out warning to those making homemade detergent (powder) ... if you do so with Fels Naptha or Zote as the base ... it can build up soap scum in your washer and eventually have that scum build into a tube that leaks and destroys your motor. And, if your luck is like mine, GE will then inform you that using homemade detergent violates the extended warranty and now all that money you saved is now buying a new washer. *sigh* I know people that haven't had issue, but I seem to run on a good run of bad luck so if you're like me, just avoid it. Things I do do that are homemade -- most of the meals here are from scratch. It's so much cheaper to buy basic ingredients in bulk from Costco and just mix what I need together, be it bread, soup, flavoring, side dishes, desserts, you name it. I used to make clothes for my children from discounted fabrics at the fabric store (and buy up elastic when they did their annual 60-75% off sales) but since Hancock's went out of business out here and moving into a tiny apartment, I just don't have space for it anymore. I used to do homemade deodorant, but my husband put his foot down on it because it wouldn't last all day and since he works 10-12 hour days, he needs to not stink. 😂😂😂 We also do our very best to avoid plastic bags. We use the collapsible crates for Costco. We recycle. Cloth diaper. Make our own baby food. Just little stuff like that.
  18. So far I have kept LOE and Artistic Pursuits. Both are insanely expensive yet deeply loved here. Plus my kids are all close in age, so when they look over each other's shoulders and get excited for that work coming to them, I am definitely keeping it. I think SOTW will be kept,but we will see. We're only in Ancients anyway, but so far it looks insanely popular with my children. As far as science books, it's the only thing I struggle with. Science is constantly changing and updating, so even with my four very close in age, I don't want to use outdated information between the eldest and youngest. It's not like phonics instructions or math where things are (for the most part) pretty consistent. Even History is still finding clues about the past to have a clearer picture or corrected information, thus my hesitation on SOTW. So in your shoes, I'd keep things that are not likely to change, and discard those that more than likely will.
  19. We start off with review and light dipping in this past week before heading in full force on Monday. But I also have younger kids, so it's more of the training back up to handle studying more than anything. Plus for us, January is one of the trickier months. Coming off a high from Christmas, then a birthday following in a couple of weeks is a bit harder. But that's why we school year round, so January isn't as pressing.
  20. ^^^This right here. I described earlier how hard I started working at 15 because as a child I grew up in the depths of poverty, and was desperate to escape. I have a fond memory of the Food Store driving up to our home, bringing turkey, sides, and leaving us excited for Thanksgiving since just minutes before we were trying to split a loaf of bread between the four of us at the time, and half a pound of sliced turkey meat. I didn't want that for my future and did go to college, graduate from full time at school while working two jobs, so that way my children would never know what it was like to grow up without food or have clothes that didn't fit. While we are a delicate balance above that, I am miffed that we didn't escape the poverty circle. I thought we worked hard enough, I thought more education would help. And that's where I, and so many of my peers, are so very frustrated.
  21. Despite the verbosity of this article, and the strange structure, one thing is right; We work so hard, harder than we can possibly handle sometimes to the point of tears, and we get NO WHERE it seems. I'm 31, my husband is 35. Before I stay at home to raise children, I worked no less than two full time jobs, and have been working that way since I dropped out of school at 15 to support and raise my little brothers so they could eat and have clothes. My husband always works, and constantly stays on call, and is always available to go in or travel, even when on vacation (when he does take them) --- and he is no where near Ph.D status. It's absolutely exhausting to see him work so hard, and continue living in poverty. And we have no debt beyond student loans! Yet live in constant fear of just one illness/medical issue robbing us of our very, very delicate balance. And that constant, constant stress does have it where little things slide. But I think it has so much to do with socio-economic status versus generational.
  22. Heyyyy, that's going to be me in a few months, only my kids are slightly younger than yours with 2 years apart for them all. 1st grade, PreK, 1.5 year old, and I'll have a newborn here in a few months. I can tell you what we do for now, but I do recognize I'm only advising with only having 3 kids versus 4 yet. We follow more a structure versus schedule like so many others. With a toddler running around and pregnancy being exhausting, sometimes we don't start when we should, and other times if the toddler is more cooperative than usual, we start earlier. Give yourself grace and realize you may not hit everything like you'd want and on those days, prepare ahead of time by address which subjects matter most to you. I drop Health, Geography, and History on harder than usual days and keep Math, Language Arts, and Science. We decided Science made the 'needed' list as it is a blend of math and language arts so it's reinforcement but it's easily the favorite subject here -- so fun reinforcement. We also don't have a separate room for homeschooling --- we live in 850 sq ft 2 bedroom apartment. We have a corner 4 tier rack area dedicated to holding tons of readers (Bob, Level 1 & 2, and various other books that are school only to make them special), art supplies, and science supplies. We do everything on the table, and with the couch only literally only a few feet away, we do all our reading there. We keep the toddler distracted by either turning on Preschool Prep, setting up a few toys for her, or we just let her sit in her chair, and "color" and participate as much as she can. She does best with a dose of Preschool Prep and finishing up by joining us for some craft or art at the end of school. You'll find the groove for your 3 year old. She may be like my PreKer (who is about 3.5) and just enjoy color matching colors in her aBeka 2 year old-3 year old 'Numbers' book, using the desire to be like big brother/sister to just include. And then be blown away when you hear the 3 year old retain a lot more than expected LOL.
  23. Thank you very much, this looks like this is exactly what I wanted! I actually like that the first two levels are gentle, to allow time to adjust from Logic of English style to ELTL/RLTL. Appreciate it Home Again!
  24. Thank you all! I am deeply impressed by the ELTL/RLTL, I absolutely LOVE how reading intense it is. My only question is will it give me an idea of how to go about teaching the lesson? I struggled very hard with Language Arts in school, so I'm wanting to make sure my struggles (and admittedly, some intimidation) don't come out and I can sort of follow someone else's guide. It doesn't necessarily have to be scripted, but given a guided direction.
  25. Two I'd like to add, that's more of a deep thinker than a challenge reading is "Maniac MaGee", "Bud, not Buddy" definitely come to the top of my mind. They have deep thought provoking things happen to the main characters that it gets you wondering.The other three everyone else hit.
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