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Servant4Christ

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Everything posted by Servant4Christ

  1. I almost asked (but deleted it) whether the child was newly 5 or closer to 6 because those months in between age 5 and 6 make a big difference in when my boys are ready.
  2. I've never used any of those programs just because the amount of color was way too distracting for my boys. Rod & Staff and Phonics Pathways are both great programs depending on your preference.
  3. I'm gearing up for teaching first grade again. I don't know if I should make a felt board (easy enough) or just use our base ten set.
  4. I had and gave these away because they were just too busy and full of color. Simple worked best for keeping Oldest focused on the task at hand. Not sure with the youngers yet, but I have a feeling they will be similar in this area.
  5. What's your favorite size math facts flashcards? 3x5 or 4x6? I have both sizes in blank index cards.
  6. I'm trying to do something soooo simple that I literally can't make or even beg my computer or phone to do it. It's just a simple worksheet with 4 flowers that need to be the same size. I could do this in a couple of minutes 20 years ago without a problem. Technology is now micromanaging every.single.feature?! On to plan B, I guess.
  7. I'm not a big flashcards person, but for learning to read and math facts, they are great. I have index cards, but that's a LOT of cards to write.
  8. I thought you were saying I didn't EdPo. I did. I understood the "haven't tried them" part. I found a short video on MP's YouTube that shows some of their flashcards. None were math, but the video showed the quality, which is what I was after. Wow, MP uses a TON of flashcards!
  9. I DID EdPo. It's right at the top of the post. Says EdPo. I'll stop, though. Booyah.
  10. EdPo: Have any of you used/seen/held Memoria Press flashcards for math? The dimensions look good (not as huge as R&S). I want to know if they are good quality, but cannot seem to find any reviews or pictures of these IRL anywhere. I want sturdy and non see-through. Otherwise, I'm hand writing a bazillion math flashcards over the summer along with vocabulary word and phrase cards.
  11. Rod and Staff, hands down. We've used CLE's learn to read (along with every single other subject they offer) all the way through fourth grade before switching to R&S. I loved CLE learn to read, but did not like their language arts. In R&S English, the student has to write on notebook paper. This means the student has to really think about how to draw the correct skeleton for each diagram. CLE gives a blank skeleton and my oldest figured out how to just plug in words without understanding why they went where. To my surprise, I've learned that I actually like having Spelling separate from English. We've used R&S English and Spelling grades 3-7, Reading grades 5-7, and plan to use grade 8 in all three next year along with starting one of my youngers in R&S grade 1 reading/phonics and another in R&S ABC series.
  12. This looks like so much fun! I think I've read about this one before. Wow, there were 5 finishers this year!
  13. I still haven't figured out what race or who is racing, but the excitement is contagious. Happy she made it, whoever she is!
  14. I do not know how to react. I'm sad you aren't feeling well, but glad the ibuprofen is giving you some relief.
  15. I just ordered a LOT of nice quality blank index cards to make math flashcards because R&S's are waaaay too big. I hope I chose the right thickness: 17pt/130lb/325gsm. I also ordered a cool looking 100s board that comes with some transparent colored tiles to help with skip counting. I like this idea better than dry erase markers on laminated 100s boards. I'm thinking about making a felt board for grade 1 math. I'm sure I could use other manipulatives like our base ten set, but a felt board is simple enough to make and I think the youngers will have fun with it for more than just math.
  16. We're in the last half of grade 7 and the protractor and compass are getting a workout!
  17. I plan on using the reading and phonics workbooks and the readers, but I am not getting the additional practice pages, worksheets, or blacklines after an in-depth conversation with the publisher. Less working parts. As for teaching, seatwork, then teaching some more: I'm thinking this will work well for me while cycling between all 3 kids next year. I'll get the phonics cards and see what happens.
  18. I'd love to read it. Especially if it's a book about the many many adventures in the life of Slachie.
  19. Did you use the phonics cards or is there enough drill already built into the workbooks? I know some components (in R&S math, too) are more useful in a class setting and not needed as much in a homeschool setting, but I'm not sure if this is one of those instances.
  20. CLE put my oldest in tears regularly in elementary. He aced all his end of unit tests but had no idea why he was doing what he was doing. He just memorized the steps without ever "getting" it. He hated the lack of practice of the new concept because the next day that concept would be in the review section and if he didn't understand it the first time, he certainly didn't the next day.... And this would have a sortof snowball effect. He's the type who needs mastery plus review. He needs solid explanations and step by step directions up front with an occasional visual, but that's it. Then it's just reminders through daily mixed reviews. R&S gives us exactly that so we plan to use it through the 8th grade text and then move on to Foerster.
  21. I ordered stuff. Lots of stuff. Curriculum stuff galore but very simple to implement so I don't lose my mind next year. So glad that part is over. Svengo.
  22. Believe it or not, R&S. The workbooks that go with the readers go over more than just comprehension. They go over devices, techniques, poetry rhyme and rhythm.... I am truly amazed at all it entails for such an unassuming, plain looking workbook and reader. Though they don't go into a LOT of genres, I pull in some other genres (books from outside sources) that use the same literary elements, devices, or techniques that are being taught. It's easy to do because there are only 60 lessons per workbork/school year. We split every lesson into two days, which still leaves plenty of room in the schedule.
  23. I skipped a year and a half, I think, of formal reading curriculum with my oldest. He loved that time because he read over 50 literature books (he's my child who loves to read) that corresponded with his history and science. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting the additional skills and practice at things that are covered in a formal reading curriculum such as simple literary devices that are slowly introduced along with ever progressing vocabulary and comprehension skills and research techniques. Another thing I noticed was that my son got very focused on one or two favored genres. So, we found another reading curriculum and have been using it ever since. It's short and sweet and makes him think. His reading curriculum exposes him to genres and subjects he wouldn't choose on his own and that more times than not actually surprise or interest him. Not all reading curriculum integrates phonics. Ours is mostly comprehension and literary devices and techniques along with poetry across multiple writing styles and genres. The Spelling curriculum we use (R&S) sometimes reminds the student of the phonics/spelling rules and adds in roots, prefixes, and suffixes as you go.
  24. I am rereading this post almost 3 years later and thought I'd give an update for anyone who's looking into this program in the future. Oldest has used R&S Reading grades 5 and 6. He is currently using their grade 7 and will be using their grade 8 next year. We will not be using R&S Reading for grade 9. In grades 5-8, there are some Anabaptist stories, but they don't rub me the wrong way like some of the CLE stories did at a much younger age/grade level. With the R&S stories, it is much easier for my children to identify where our interpretation of the scriptures differ from the Anabaptists and why. We have had many wonderful discussions and Bible studies where we look at scripture and discuss how different denominations interpret the same verses. This also leads into lessons on reading all verses in context of the surrounding story and lining it up with the correct time period in history. I will be using R&S BNRS grade 1 for Middle this Fall with the intent of continuing the series through grade 4 (and then on to the upper grades 5-8). Middle has completed the ABC and most of the GHI series and what I've discovered is that a lot of this will be repeated in grade 1. So for Youngest, my plan is to use the ABC workbooks only (not the GHI series) in preschool and then start BNRS grade 1 at half pace over the span of both kinder and grade 1 like @2_girls_mommy.
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