duckens
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Posts posted by duckens
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My brother took a class in high school to rebuild a lawn mower. Everyone had to bring an old lawn mower to class.
1) Are there any Adult Ed classes that would fit the bill? Something you could take as a parent/child?
2) How about a bicycle maintenance class?
3) What can you find on YouTube or online blogs for basic or small engine repair? I just know that Loverboy has fixed several things around the house with help from youtube.
For example, this (not an endorsement; just what came up with a google search):http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Repair-a-Lawn-Mower-Engine./
4) What does your library have under the heading of "small engine repair"? Is there something you could find on Amazon and request through inter-library loan? -
Cafdog says:
So, I believe trying a variety of sports and active hobbies when kids are young will help them pick an activity they love over time.
This. :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: So true.
And some stuff will stick; and some stuff won't. You can't predict that until they try it.
One of our family's mantras is, "It is good to try new things."
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My dds are 7 and 3.
For the ages they are, I put them in sports. I wouldn't expect children that age to say they liked or didn't like a sport without trying it.
As teams or classes, we have done swimming, gymnastics, zumba for kids, t-ball, dance, tennis, golf, martial arts, and organized "gym time" with university students studying to be gym teachers.
As a family, we have done hiking, geocaching, biking, canoeing, and playing in the yard (croquet, bocce, throwing a ball around, etc).
Some have been hits, and some have been misses, but my expectation is that each girl gives it "a fair try" equivalent to the duration of the season or class.
I come from a long line of short, round, German women. My hope is that by the time each of my girls reaches age 18, she will have at least one healthy activity that she does regularly, and a long list of athletic activities with which she is comfortable. If someone knocks on her dorm room door inviting her to play tennis, I'd like her to say, "Just a minute; I'll get my racquet!" If someone plans an outing to the lake, she will have the skills to attempt waterskiing. If there is a golf outing for work, she will know the difference between a driver and a putter.
She doesn't have to be the star of the team; she doesn't have to adore the sport; but it can be handy to have a basic knowledge of the sport. -
Welcome, Aurora!
1) We homeschool, but each of my children is doing or has done two years in preschool. It gives them an opportunity to be without mom and develop age-appropriate friendships.
2) Whether the Aurora chooses to homeschool or not, it is nice to know it is an option on the table. Even if she lived in the U.S. in a community with wonderful schools, there is always the one odd year where:
--your child has a teacher that is not a good fit--there may be bullying issues or a group of friends who are not a good influence on your child
--the style or philosophy of how a certain class is taught is not working for your child (like "the new math" or "the presence or absence of evolution in science" or "the scope and sequence of" a subject.
Knowing in the back of your mind that homeschooling is a choice helps you evaluate whether to tough it out in the local schools through the system, and when to cut your losses and educate from home for a period of time. -
I like Saxon K for that age.
--There is no writing. There is no student workbook. There are optional worksheets at the very back of the TM.
--Lots of manipulatives.
--You are not committed to Saxon if you do this. Many people use Saxon K with their little one, then transition to a different math program for K5 or 1st grade.
--One lesson/week. In theory, you repeat the lesson a second time in the week for extra practice for your child.
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We have not used LOE yet. It is on our list for next year.
I wanted to point out the Scratch and Dent shelf at LOE. Prices are reduced quite a bit.-
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1) If there is a local university, crash the "Japanese Student Club" or whatever they have. What's the worst they will do to you?
2) I've been warmly received by the local Chinese students (strangers) as I accost them on the street. I ask if they speak Chinese; then I use my limited Chinese skills to tell them that I have 3 cats, and one of them is fat. :) No one has run screaming away from me yet. They are patient and helpful to assist me to fix my pronunciation.
3 )I've had good experiences with My Language Exchange to find conversational language practice.
Other details:
--Everyone with whom I interact speaks much better English than I speak Chinese.
--A membership is free, so you can sign up and explore the website, but to actually contact someone, you need to pay a modest fee.
--My partners are on the other side of the world, so they are on opposite time schedules as I am. The bad news is that I need to wake early in the morning if I want to talk with my guys; the good news is that I can converse with them before the kids and I start our day. It doesn't interrupt family or teaching time. However, you can look for a partner in your same country (U.S.?) or time zone for ANY language.
--You can request a partner of a specific gender or age. -
I got this in my email a few days ago:
Logic of English Scratch and Dent shelf.
30-60% off
My kids would probably do more damage within the first week than any damage arriving from the scratch and dent shelf.
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We have.
I am hoping that my children will grow up to know how to use GPS AND know how to read a paper map. I also want my children to know that there is more to the world than Iowa. We love Iowa, but not everyone lives as we do, and we need to know that.
1) We are doing this set of workbooks. There are 4 in the series. They are short.
Map Skills2) Between K and 1, we read the states series from our local library, one book at a time. I made a book for her to record the state flower, bird, capital, etc. We used a U.S. sticker map. an app on the nook, and a U.S. puzzle.
3) Now we are doing world studies (when we have time). We are using:--Top Secret Adventures, which is expensive, but dd loves!!! You can get a deal through Homeschool Buyer's Coop or Educents. I can't remember which. It is good for how irregularly we get to it because it is unit studies.
--Map of the World by Siddhartha Singa Totally worth the modest cost. It's a thrill to see your 2nd grader draw Australia, and New Zealand, and Tasmania, and New Guinea. And identify them all.
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Sorry! Double Post!!!
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We used Saxon K. As a PP said, there are no work sheets, but optional ones at the back of the TM if your child grows into them by the end of the year. Lots and lots of manipulatives.
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I don't have a book for you, but I would beware of your child's desire to draw at a higher level than is developmentally likely.
Most young children draw draw draw draw draw. And then, most young people stop drawing around 2nd or 3rd grade because they can't draw on a level they want to. They are tired of drawing stick figures, and they have had no instruction to draw anything else. They have nothing to replace the stick figures with, so they stop drawing. Our public school art programs emphasize an amorphous "be creative" over "learn how to draw, and here is some instruction."Some kids teach themselves how to draw, in the same way that some kids teach themselves to read or can do early math effortlessly: it just makes sense to them. The rest of us need instruction.
I would really hate for you daughter to lose her enthusiasm for drawing by falling into this category of loving and wanting to draw, but lacking instruction when and how she needs it.--Drawing is a good skill to have in the workplace, because our culture is so visually inclined. Even those in the sciences use drawing skills to create models of what they are working on.
--Drawing is good for the brain. It uses the right side of the brain, which taps into creativity to be applied to solving other problems.
--Drawing is a relatively cheap lifelong hobby. A pencil and some paper will work for most situations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Now, the advice part:
If you want to encourage this in your dd (and I assume you do, because you posted about it):
1)Read the introduction and beginning chapters of the following books. If your library doesn't have them, they can order them for you from Inter-Library Loan.
a) Drawing with Children by Mona Brookesb ) Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
They all discuss some level of the psychology of learning to draw.
2) Drawing Books: These books teach step-by-step drawing that even a 4yo can do. The library should have at least a few of them.b )Usborne drawing books
--I Can Draw Animals3) I believe it is less what you are drawing and more about HOW you are learning to draw.
Our experience:
a) I purchased two big sketch books from Hobby Lobby. One for dd, the other for myself. (I am NOT a draw-er!!!!)b )We are currently working through Usborne's "What Shall I Draw?" (See above).
c) Using vocabulary and philosophies learned from the drawing instruction books in Advice #1 section, I walk dd through the drawing.
d) *****We each draw the item THREE times, using a separate piece of paper in our sketch books each time. *****
This allows for:
--it's okay if it's not perfect. You will draw it two more times.
--Practice is good for improving your drawings, and to remember how to draw the item in the future.
--Creativity: Draw an owl on a perch, an owl with babies, and a flying owl. Draw a wizard under the stars, a wizard conjuring a serpent from a cauldron, and a wizard with an owl in the background. Draw a clown, a pair of clowns, and a pyramid of six clowns.
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When to supplement?
1) When your dc is simply not learning the material. Rather than tossing out the baby with the bath water, we supplement. Sometimes learning something in a different context makes a difference.
Example: Dd was not learning "blends" (cr, gr, gl, pl, pr, sl, sm, sn, etc) from Saxon Phonics 1. For whatever reason, we were weeks beyond the blends lessons, and it had not "clicked" for dd.
Solution: I printed off worksheets from a supplement book that I had. The worksheets were not enough, so I printed them in color and made a daily game out of them. We played blends games for weeks until she could read and understand the words.
2) When the curriculum doesn't cover what you want it to cover.
Example: Last year's Biology curriculum didn't cover--the scientific organization of life (Kingdoms, Phylum, Class, etc)
--in depth information about some of the phylum
--as much human body information as I would have wished.
Solution:
--discussed the organization of life several times on our own.
--read library books and watched youtube videos on each phylum.
--used My Body, plus other resources to "flesh out" what I wanted her to know by the end of first grade.
--played a skeleton game online to learn all the major bones of the body.
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You don't have to answer any of the following questions in this forum. The answers are simply for you.
The question of whether to supplement or whether to simply use a different curriculum is an issue of scale. Are there one or two things that you will be supplementing, or would it be every single lesson?
And how much free time do you have? Are you homeschooling an only? Or do you have 3 children under the age of 5 (besides the one you are homeschooling)? Some parents can do this; I know that I cannot.
If you want to go with a Christian curriculum, have you looked at A Beka? I HAVE USED IT, and IMO, it is far superior to the Saxon Phonics we are currently using. I use several things that I learned through the A Beka curriculum that I use now while teaching the Saxon. The workbooks are colorful and beautiful. The TM is clear and straightforward. The lessons are in a good order and teach well. Their spelling program is the best I've seen around for beginning spellers, especially for the price.(We chose to go with Saxon because we are a freethinking household, and there are a few subtle cultural things in the curriculum that get me bent out of shape. Most people probably wouldn't even notice them).
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1) A Picture Book of __[insert person's name]__ by David Adler. Several are displayed on the right side of the page.
Level: They can be read aloud to K-1 kids, read with 2nd graders, and probably read independently by 3rd-4th graders.
Advantages: Easy to read and well-paced. Your library probably has several of these, and Amazon has even more!
Disadvantages: Most of them are Americans, so most wouldn't apply until 3rd or 4th grade if you want to correspond with your history program.
Duckens review: This is my "go-to" series when we want to explore someone beyond what our curriculum introduces.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level: They can be read aloud to K-1 kids, read with 2nd graders, and probably read independently by 3rd-4th graders.
Advantages: Dd7 loves these for the intermittent cartoons created by Venezia that add to traditional text and pictures. Your library probably has several of these, and Amazon has even more! Rainbow Resource also carries these, and they can be purchased as a set. However, I just throw an extra one on each of my Rainbow orders to gradually grow our collection.
Disadvantages: Limited to the 4 content areas listed above (artists,composers, presidents, and scientists & composers).
Duckens review: Every 10th day of piano, we do "music enrichment" by reading about composers and listen to their music on youtube. This is easily dd7's favorite series to read.
We also have read several of the the artist's series as "art enrichment" whenever we put up a new art card (from Usborne's art cards). I was STUNNED when dd7 spontaneously identified several artists' works that appeared in a cartoon movie she was watching.
Because these books are so specialized, I have difficulty in connecting them to world events for dd7. She knows of these people, but I doubt she could associate them with the appropriate century, decade, or country.
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3) Lives of the _______________________ by Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt
Level: Fewer pictures, so read aloud to or with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Advantages: Several important figures in each book. Your library most likely has a few of these.
Disadvantages; for older children. A struggle for my K-1 to sit through.
Duckens review: We have only used the Art and Music books for Art and Music enrichment. They go deeper than the Venezia series. I would like to purchase the others in the series for my household.
Author Kathleen Krull is also involved with the "Who Was " series that has also been mentioned. We tried reading one last year (first grade) but it was a little old for the interest level we had last year. (The subject was also a baseball player, so it may have not been a good fit for a 6yo girl).
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The last family for which I nannied had barn kittens. Both the parents were vets.
One of the chores for the youngest daughters (ages 4 and 7) was to visit the kittens in the barn twice a day and handle them. (Mama cat was a friendly cat; they just wanted to make sure that the kittens were well socialized).
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Loverboy sets up the shaver, and I do his hair. (He cut his own hair for years before we met). Yeah, we've forgotten to put the comb on before. :lol:
The worst part was that it was January in Iowa....not really the time that you want it cut super short. -
Gaillardia shares:
I tried to get my dd13 to say "soul cakes for the dead" but she kept forgetting, so Trick or Treat was her greeting as she went door to door.
Yes, 13.
I'm so glad that you let her still TOT. We really only get a decade or so of them dressing up.
What You Need to Know About 6-Foot Trick-or-Treaters
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We went to a church Trunk or Treat last year, as we usually do.
For many years, I have splurged on glow necklaces for each of the 150 children expected. They can get candy from others, and I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!!!, so I budget for this annual expense. I also hope a glow necklace makes them a little safer running around in the dark.
I was so disappointed last year when several children came around a second time asking for a second necklace when I knew there were still children arriving that had not yet received a first necklace. The evidence was hanging from their neck, and I knew them because they are peers of my older daughter. I knew I had seen them within the past hour. I have never seen this in any of the past years we have passed out necklaces.
Once around. And parents, please keep an eye on your kids. This behavior is not impressive to we heathens.
This year, we took candy. -
I read Tom Sawyer for a class in 5th grade. I remember what a challenge it was because I grew up with parents that had VERY good grammar, and I had very little exposure to hearing people speak in the same dialect as Tom and Huck.
I am a fan of Cliffs Notes. I became a fan by reading "The Turn of the Screw" for a Lit class with a Lit professor who was no help at all. I had read the story twice. It didn't make a lot of sense to me. I asked her questions for clarification because I knew the next class would have a quiz. She refused to answer any questions, which is her right....but then it is my right to seek out alternative sources of information. The Cliffs Notes saved my sanity and gave me a support as I read through dozens of other classics for free reading in the years that followed.
Most Cliffs Notes have a "summary" section, then an "analysis" section. You could read the summary before or after a specific passage, just to make sure that you (your daughter) are on the right track. The analysis is read after the section to give a steady diet of literary terms. The author's biography often gives historic background or perspective to the novel.
Breaking the reading into bites of 1-3 chapters for Cliffs can make it bearable.
---------------------------------------------------------------If we are still homeschooling in 5th grade, we will transition to reading Newbery Award Winners for our lit.
By 9th grade, I hope to transition to "classics" and use Cliffs Notes as our spine.
For Shakespeare, we will use Folger versions. Folger has the text on the right page and translated phrases on the left. There are synapses at the beginning of each Act and each Scene. At the end of the book, favorite phrases are listed. It's the only way I could survive pure Shakespeare.
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Penguin says:
Love, love, love the grant idea. Thank, duckens. I will use it for Child #3.
Child #2 is a psych major. Yes, he plans to go to grad school. But there is no guarantee he will get in. I am OK with that.
We are hoping that it will be the middle ground between not helping our children at all (which is what my parents did), and a blank check being written (which is what Loverboy's family did for a part of his education.)
On an unrelated note:
I also plan a clause for my daughters: If you want my blessing for getting married, you will have some sort of education before you get married. This may be a 4-year degree. It may be a nursing degree or certificate program from the local Community College. But SOME SORT of education completed before getting married.
I am also much more willing to pay for an education than for a wedding. I think that if we get our kids through a 4-year degree, they will be able to pay for their own wedding. If they want a big wedding with a $3K dress, that's up to them. If they want to go to City Hall, that's up to them. There is no guarantee my daughters will fall in love, but we can do everything in our power to help them earn a 4-year degree within a few years of graduating from high school. I'd much rather invest in higher education than a party.
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Eagle says:
duckens, on 28 Oct 2014 - 08:51 AM, said:
Currently dd7 wants to be a Paleontologist. This is a competitive field, and it requires a certain amount of luck.
Have you seen the Dinosaur Paleobiology coursera MOOC from UofA? You might want to take it and have dd tag along. It's free if you do it for non-credit: http://uofa.ualberta...courses/dino101
UofA also offers a degree program of Bachelor of Science with major in Paleontology.
THANKS!!!!!
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Anecdotal story:
I had one employer who shared with me that when he wanted to change majors in college, his parents told him,"There's no future in that!!!" But he changed from Math to Physics anyway, and today he is a Physics professor at an Ivy League school. And (at the time I worked for him), he had the biggest project at CERN. And he had a Nobel Prize (and was one of the youngest to ever win one in his field). Not bad for an 8yo boy who would run away from school.
I guess you never know.
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I would move heaven and earth to help my child with an interest. Some may not happen because of our limited financial resources, but that won't stop me from trying.
Currently dd7 wants to be a Paleontologist. This is a competitive field, and it requires a certain amount of luck.
Here's our plan:
1) Find opportunities to explore the field.
Finding fossils is a narrow field. Geology is the "sister field" of Paleontology, so we are exploring that with
--geode hunting trips, and Loverboy has purchased a second-hand geode cracker that dd7 uses.--fossil digging field trips
--rock polishing
--a variety of geology curriculum, as well as "dinosaur" curriculum.
The OP could expose her child to animation software and challenge her to make steadily more challenging videos.
--Scratch is the only animation software I've used. It's usually for younger children, but it is a place to start.--We have Anime Studio Pro on the shelf, but have not gotten to it yet.
--List of Animation software, but expensive!!!
--Post online and ask for others' experiencing with programming software. Get the good, the bad, and the ugly.Start with a one minute video of a cat walking, then running, then walking, then running.
Move up to a five minute video, possibly of an Aesop's fable.
Write and animate your own video.
Post them all on YouTube for comments and support.
2) Identify support skills
--For dd, this means
--Learning Chinese (because a lot of Paleontology is occurring in China at this time.--Writing: for grants
--Designing and carrying out experiments of all sorts
--Geology, because geology is the sister science of Paleontology
--Camping, hiking, and other outdoors skills. The fossils are not usually up the road from the local Hotel Intercontinental.
--GPS: to identify exact date and location of a fossil find
--Computers: so much of paleontology is mapping or computer models.For the OP:
--Writing, Writing, Writing fiction that is very active. I had one boss that had the opportunity to READ the script of Raiders of the Lost Ark before it came out. (She worked in publishing in NYC). She didn't think anything of it, but had free tickets to the premiere through work. She and her date were BLOWN AWAY because that movie is so visual in its action.
Don't wait for someone else to give you a project. Write your own. Think of the number of Hollywood stars that got their start by writing their own stuff: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sylvester Stallone, Mike White (who wrote School of Rock, and was the nerdy friend), Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Kevin Smith, and Tyler Perry.--Computers: programming and use of ALL sorts on all types of software (not just animation). Become an Excel pro, and make graphs. Use Powerpoint, and put animation into it. Program minecraft.
3) Find mentors
For dd:
--I've befriended the local Geology department head. He says he wants to meet my daughter. While there, we will ask,When do you know you wanted to be a geologist?
How did you get from there to here? (education, internships, mentors, projects, special skills)
What helped you the most?
What do you think young people (children) can do now to give them a good start in Geology?
What opportunities for deeper Geology learning are available for children dd's age, and in the years to come?
What pitfalls should young Geologists/Paleontologist avoid?
What were the most valuable experiences on your journey? Which were the most useless? Which were the most challenging?
For OP:
Find animators and ask similar questions.
4) Practical experience.
--The day I met the high schooler who worked in the DNA Sequencing Lab at our local university was the day I realized how much I needed to advocate for my (non-existent at the time) children. I would have loved that job. I wouldn't have to commute. It probably paid better than I was being paid. It was a good field with a good future. And I was jealous.
"How did you get this job?"
"My dad told the department head that I needed a job, so he got me a job here." :w00t:
I know that there are moral reasons for parents to not help their children this much, but the upside is too great. I will be that parent who asks for a job for her teen.
--In college, get thee to thy advisor's office, and ask for a job in their research.
It gives practical experience in the field of study.
You meet professionals and get exposed to new ideas.
You are surrounded by grad students, which puts one on a path for grad school.5) College expenses.
First, stay the %&$@ away from "for profit" colleges. They lie about ties to Disney; they cost more than public education; their degrees are not worth as much as a bricks-and-mortar school, and their credits do not transfer.We are saving for our daughters' college expenses. However, we are a science family, so if our daughters want access to that money, they will have to write a GRANT.
--What are you planning to study?
--Why do you think you can be successful at this major? (List past situations of practical and applicable experiences and training).
--Where?
--What will be the cost (tuition, fees, books)?
--What will be extra expenses (housing, transportation, computer, extra class expenses beyond what is listed above)?
--What is your intended plan for course study (classes listed by semester)?
--What enrichment activities will support this goal (clubs, teams, school year employment, summer internship employment, volunteering)?
--What will you do with this degree?
--How much money will you earn with this degree? What evidence do you have for that?
--How hard are you willing to work for this degree? Are you willing to stay home and work on a Saturday night when your friends are out partying? What is your level of passion?
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I believe that parents CAN make a difference in how siblings get along as adults. They don't have to like one another, but they DO need to be polite to one another.
As the adult in the situation, address any occasions of impoliteness, harshness, unkindness, manipulation or outright cruelty, intended or accidental.
There is a theory that, "It is best if they work it out themselves."
Well, yeah, it is. But I would not expect children to work it out themselves if:1) One or more of the children are too young in their normal developmental maturity to do this in a fair manner.
2) One child (usually the older child) is much more adept at abuse and manipulation than the other.
3) The child being abused believes they deserve to be treated this way because you (the adult) have never interceded and told them that the situation is unfair.
4) The children have never seen a "working it out" dynamic because the adult has never modeled it for them by helping both sides to work through the situation. This must be modeled for them many, many, many, many, many times.
I am not close with my parents or my siblings. It took me years to realize that I really don't want to be close to my childhood bullies, and I don't want to be close to a parent that told me it was my fault when my brother would be extremely violent toward me. I tried for decades, but not enough has changed.
I am hoping for a better ending for my girls. I don't know if I have ANY of the skills to be the parent they need me to be when it come to this subject. -
Reflections said:
It just doesn't seem right yet to tell him to stop. If I was frustrated about it or he was nursing 3, 4 , 8 times a day I might feel different (I know I would) about weaning. So one nursing, at night - even with a baby - just doesn't bother me and seems uber important to him.
And it's okay for you to change your mind later if YOU become really, really unhappy continuing to nurse your older, or trying to balance the two. Mama needs to be happy, too.
Having Loverboy as a supportive partner in tandem nursing and extended nursing was important, too. Sometimes he would make teasing comments, but ultimately he acknowledged that it was my body and my decision. I also knew that at any time, I could decide to wean one or both of the girls, and Loverboy would willingly go purchase formula, or support me in any other way he could.
**Disclaimer: Loverboy always preferred that I breastfed our girls, but he also always acknowledged that it was my body, my commitment, and my decision. **
I always considered it confusing for my little people to be told, "I'm so glad that you are drinking healthy breastmilk! Now you must stop and never have it again!"
Birding and other nature book/apps rec. wanted
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
We live in Iowa, so this is my favorite one:
1) Birds of Iowa Field Guide There should be one for your state.
I like this one because:
--it focuses on the most common birds in MY area
--it doesn't give me too many birds to confuse me (for my beginner stage)
--it gives me the best way to identify the bird
Example: Eastern Kingbird: Rarely confused with other birds. Medium sided bird, smaller than American Robin. Look for the white band along the end of the tail to identify.
--it gives me behavioral habits to identify a bird:
"A common bird of open fields and prairies. Perceived as having an attitude,acting unafraid of other birds and chasing the larger ones. Bold behavior gave rise to it s common name, King. Perches on tall branches, watching for insects. After flying out to catch them, returns to the same perch, a technique called hawking. Males and females return to mating grounds and will defend a territory together."
2) Beginning Birdwatcher Book with 48 stickers for your dc.
3) Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books (Birds) or Wildflowers
4) Identiflyer because you often hear a bird before you see it.
5) Northwoods keychain field guides. We have used the one for trees and the one for wildflowers.