AHASRADA
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Posts posted by AHASRADA
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Yes! I actually heard the first episode in the car a few weeks ago, but only discovered it was part of a new show while searching for new podcasts. I listened to all 9 over Thanksgiving, and am waiting for the right bit of quiet time to listen to #10.
I keep hoping it will end with them proving his innocence, but either way, the show has really undermined my confidence in the justice system. The assertion that investigators come up with a theory and then look for and gather evidence that supports it and ignore the rest was flabbergasting. So much for innocent until proven guilty.
It's an excellent show and I'm so thrilled they will be recording another season.
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I'm using his new preschool math this year, first time using McRuffy (heard about it on these boards), and am very impressed. Dd and I both enjoy math time, it is very easy to adapt to the individual child, and it's fun! Just the ingenious wipe-off reusable workbook is worth it's weight in gold.
It's nice to hear more positive stories about the curriculum and it's author. BTW, we had a similar experience with the author of LoF back when it was fairly new. We called him with a question and chatted for quite some time. I can't imagine he is still able to do this now that the curriculum has become so expansive and popular.
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I used the SL book lists from their catalog with ds for cores 3, 4 and 5. We especially enjoyed some of the core 5 "3rd culture kid" selections. I never bought a core because I didn't want to have to work around the bible stuff. I was so psyched about Bookshark and was tentatively planning to use it for at least K-2,...then the emails started coming :( Not a smart marketing strategy to tell a Muslim homescbooler that you're going to use proceeds from her purchases to try to convert her brothers in faith.
Sooo, I'm likely back to following the book list and picking up MBtP in grade 2-3 as planned. I have also really enjoyed my selections from Timberdoodle, and I now see that they offer secular options (assuming they aren't funding similar activities). Both programs offer more hands-on activities than SL/BkSk anyway :)
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I am assuming this is a PhD student. Absolutely contact his supervisor. We went the same route for testing, and had an excellent experience. They broke the testing into several (6-8?) sessions of an hour or two, and went over every detail thoroughly, because their work was being scrutinized and signed off on by their professor. If you aren't satisfied with his handling of the testing, contact someone in charge.
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I have wish lists on my Amazon account that no one else has access to. I also keep a list of gift ideas and purchases made in my organization / to-do list app on my tablet. No one else uses my tablet, and even if they did, they wouldn't be digging around in my to-do lists :)
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Definitely look into Teaching Textbooks. It is spiral, topics introduced in small chunks and with built-in repetition. The lessons are presented on CD-ROM, with both an auditory and visual component. This means the student can work independently and only come to you with questions.
There is a workbook with all the lessons written out in case you are away from the computer or need to quickly glance back at a lesson, and it has all the problems, space to work them out, and an answer key. But, the computer-based aspect is the best because, not only does it present the lesson orally and visually at the same time, the student enters her answers to the problems on the screen, and the program automatically grades them! Then, if she gets a problem wrong, she can choose to watch a step-by-step walk through of how the problem should have been done correctly.
TT is truly a lifesaver for dyslexics and their teachers, because the audiovisual aspect removes the reading barrier from math instruction, and it frees the teacher from having to read the lessons aloud to the student to reach the same goal.
This will become more and more important as she gets older, wants and needs more independence, and yet higher level math texts can be so unwieldy with lots of tiny print and complicated words. TT goes all the way through pre-calculus.
They have placement tests and sample lessons on their website.
Good luck!
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We have chicken once a week, on Friday. We may have chicken sausage cut up in a pasta dish a couple of times a month. We might have ground beef twice a week, not because it's that much cheaper, but because it's easier to stretch by putting small amounts in several dishes. When we have chicken, it is in whole pieces, 1-2 pieces per person, so it adds up. Otherwise, we have veggie pizza, a bean-based soup or Mexican dish, meatless pasta and fish a couple of times a month.
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I only had 1 wrong, the gov't spending one, which I expected to answer "national defense", but that wasn't a choice. The debt is so high and SS payments so meager, I was sure it was the debt.
I actually can't stand watching or following the news. I want to know what's going on in the world, but prefer to spend the majority of my free time learning about human interest stories, etc.
My solution is to listen to NPR's "Here and Now" every day while doing dishes and cooking dinner. It gives me the general run-down on the news of the day, with first-person accounts of those directly involved or affected, helping to connect the headlines to real people.
I spend the rest of the day with On Point, Ted Radio Hour, This American Life, A Way With Words, etc.
So, interested in what is going on in people's lives around the world, but definitely not a news junkie. And I got 11/12 right. Hmm.
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DH rarely remembers, I never forget. But, that's just him. He forgets his own birthday, the kids' ages, etc. so it's nothing personal. I remember all such trivial details; that's how we complement each other.
We actually have fun waiting to see how long it takes him to figure out it's a special occasion. So much easier to surprise someone who doesn't even remember he's supposed to be expecting anything :).
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DH works from home, we homeschool, I do tutoring in our home, so we are all here, all the time. However, despite being under the same roof 24/7 (or perhaps because of it) we have very little "quality time". Each of us is working on our own projects, often in front of screens, in our own corners all day.
Since there is no official end to the work week, we just keep doing the next thing most of the time. We have to make a conscious plan for family time if it is going to happen. DH and I do a date night once a month or so, and the kids watch a show or movie with him one or two nights a week.
Togetherness does not necessarily equal quality time. You have to create it.
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If I were in your shoes, it's dh who would bear the brunt of my frustration. This is his family, he apparently knows how they are, how they would react, manipulate and gossip. He knows, much better than they, what a burden hosting was on you and the extent to which you've grown to hate it.
What was he thinking even broaching the subject with these people of you possibly hosting before discussing it with you?
In this instance, from the details you've supplied, it sounds like mil was just acting on the info she was given (dh would like to host), and when you set her straight, she offered to hold the holiday at a restaurant, which is perfectly reasonable and would remove the burden from everyone.
If my dh wanted control over the food so badly (which I can't imagine, mine basically only boils eggs), he would be welcomed to cook, clean up the kitchen and transport it to the holiday venue (aka not my house!).
You've btdt, are tired of it, and its OK to change the way the holiday looks for your family. For 20 years, sil and I have taken turns holding huge holiday gatherings. Once a year, every year, I hosted an all-day open house with family and friends. I also used to do huge family birthday parties when the kids were little. That was a nice season, but seasons change. The kids have low-key birthdays with their friends, and we spend most of the day on holidays with our own immediate family, meeting relatives at a buffet and coming back to our place for dessert. This year, dh suggested it was time to put an end to the open house. It was fun, but thoroughly exhausting. Instead, we invited two of dh's friends for brunch who were alone on the holiday, and spent the rest of the day enjoying ourselves as a family.
Maintain the traditions that the mean the most to your family, and let the rest go.
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I would say, wherever the dad traditionally stands, mom should be on the other (remaining) side. Sounds simple, but what do I know?
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It's funny, but I rarely ever read fiction, unless assigned for a book discussion group, etc. I prefer educational, self-help and biographies.
I just realized my TV viewing habits mirror my reading habits. I will very rarely watch part of a drama if dh is watching and I'm in the room, but personally I choose documentaries, real-life dramas and personal growth shows. I primarily watch TLC and HGTV, sometimes OWN.
Hoarders
Cake Boss
Sister Wives
Honey Boo Boo (yeah, I know)
Pawn Stars
American Pickers (and Canadian Pickers)
Holmes Inspection, etc.
Income Property
Leave it to Bryan
Extreme Makeover: both the Home Edition re-runs and the Weight Loss Edition
Oprah's Master Class
Our America with Lisa Ling
Super Size vs. Super Skinny (UK)
random documentaries
I absolutely cannot stand any sort of competition shows, so I don't watch any of those.
I only watch maybe 4 shows per week, so I'm selective :)
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I was in 7th grade when the Challenger exploded, so I definitely remember that. In 3rd grade, they rolled a TV into class so we could watch the 1st shuttle launch. I was student teaching during OJ.
My latest "feel old" moment was when I did the math and realized my 20th COLLEGE reunion will be in June! I totally missed my high school 20th; it just flew by and I didn't realize it had been that long (I did attend my 15th).
Oh yes, and when my students talk about something happening "back in the 1900s", meaning the 20th century, as if it was ancient times (they were almost all born in 2000 or after).
Fortunately for my kids, dh has a ton of cassette tapes and the kids have boxes of Disney video cassettes that they still watch, so they aren't clueless about "classic" technology.
DS is a senior and doesn't really remember 9/11. He was 4.
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You've got me thinking...when I first read the title, injury never crossed my mind. As the mom of a tall, strapping teenage son, I have insisted he carry ID ever since the day he was stopped by police for not walking his bike through an intersection. He was unaware of the rules, since that was his first time crossing a 6-lane road. When he told them he was only 14 or 15 at the time, they let him go, but it would have been nice to have ID to prove his age and that he lived in the neighborhood.
People unfortunately tend to expect the worst from teens in public, particularly males. Especially in an area unfriendly and/or unfamiliar with homeschooling, I wouldn't want our family scruitinizes because our child was inadvertently in the wrong place at the wrong time without ID.
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I have had both, some houses with laundry near the bedrooms, and others with basement laundry. It really doesn't make that much difference. I actually prefer having a reason to go up and down flights of stairs carrying heavy loads. It's best to work as much "functional fitness" into the day as possible.
It sounds like you are considering this option, not only to have your desk, but for many other reasons, such as asthetics, keeping laundry out of the main traffic area, etc. I would therefore go with the basement laundry, but with a viable main floor option, either for resale or disability. You could even go so far as to have the hook ups installed in the alternate location to make the move easier if/when it becomes desirable.
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5 people here, 2 storey house, laundry in basement. I have 3 tall baskets with handles: whites (including towels), mediums and darks. Our master bedroom has the most space on the second floor, so the baskets reside at the foot of our bed (they could have gone in the hall, but that's filled with bookcases:). The bathroom is right outside our door, so as each person showers, they throw their clothes in the appropriate basket. When a basket is full, I bring it down, wash, dry, fold and place the clean piles in each room. Everyone puts away his/her own clothes.
If you want to keep hampers in each child's room and continue to sort colors, I would have sorting baskets somewhere in the house to keep sorted piles off the floor.
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When I read the title, I was thinking you were referring to Amazon Streaming, which I had been wanting to rant about, but hasn't gotten around to it.
I got a 30 day free trial of Prime when I was ordering a ton of stuff for my dd's birthday. I had no issues with the shipping time. However, my major incentive for Prime was not the shipping, but the streaming. I was so psyched to have access to all the Amazon programming on my mobile devices while on the treadmill, etc., with the quick shipping as a bonus.
I had a rude awakening when I got home to Canada and found Amazon streaming won't work AT ALL outside the US. Not different or limited programming, nothing. There was no warning about this and I was really peeved. I now use Netflix, which works on both sides of the border, albeit with varied content.
I just thought, for a company with branches in multiple countries (including Canada) and who prides themselves on the fact that you can download Kindle books from anywhere in the world, at least some parts of their Streaming programming would be available elsewhere. Nope. Big disappointment. No more Prime for me.
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I graduated in 1990. PE was required yearly 1-8, but thankfully only 1 1/2 years in high school. We did all those horrible Presidential Fitness tests, etc. in middle school, but not high school. Our classes were always co-ed, but no uniforms (although we did have to change into shorts or track pants). There were showers, but no one ever used them and weren't required. Just changing in front of my peers was traumatic enough. Reading the other responses, I guess it certainly could have been worse.
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I absolutely hated PE, all through school. It inspired fear and dread, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am not athletically inclined, but the main element that made gym class horrible was the competitiveness. We never had the luxury of girls-only classes, and the boys screamed, cussed, pounded the ball against the wall, etc. when unskilled girls like me cost them a point. It was intimidating and humiliating.
In high school, we had a brief reprieve, and I wish all our PE classes had been run like that. During freshman year, we spent 1/4 of the year in "health" class, which was separate for boys and girls. During the 1/4 when the boys had health, we girls did aerobics videos, badminton, more individual sports where we we weren't causing an entire team to lose.
Students who participated in varsity sports were exempt from PE in the higher grades, so the only ones left in class were we "losers". At this point the the teachers finally got some sense and let us practice lifestyle activities that we might possibly keep up long-term: bowling, ping pong, golf, and walking the track. If all my years of gym class had been like that, I might possibly have established healthy fitness habits before age 40.
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My family has been very happy with American School. I have a few old posts about it, if you care to search. You can also PM me with any specific questions.
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The distance schools I have experience with and can recommend are:
Oak Meadow
Keystone High School
American School
Oak Meadow uses printed texts only, but work can be submitted online. American offers both printed and online courses and they can be mixed and matched. Keystone's main program is exclusively online, although they do offer printed courses but those have to be sent through the mail.
I haven't used them, but I know a lot of actors use Laurel Springs. It's quite pricey, though.
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My dd doesn't turn 4 until the end of Nov., so she wouldn't be eligible for K until 2016. But, my ds also has a Nov. birthday, and I made the mistake of holding off on formal instruction to keep him aligned with ps grade level, even though he was ready. It would have been nice to have that flex year when he got to HS.
So, since little dd has known her letters since she was 18 months, knows her colors, shapes and can count to 30, I figured there was no point in putting off academics any longer.
Our K4 plan:
Wee Folk Art nature studies
All About Reading Pre-Reading level
Get Ready, Set, Go for the Code
Big Skills for Little Hands Alphabet Book
McRuffy Pre-K Color Math
Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2
Things People Do
A Life Like Mine
Draw and Learn Places
Build a Town Sticker Book
Building Thinking Skills
Developing the Early Learner (books 1&2)
French
Arabic alphabet
Lots of read alouds, including:
Usborne Stories from Around the World
World Treasury of Children's Literature
Stories for 4 Year Olds
Also, independent work to keep her busy while I work with my high schoolers:
tracing, cutting, mazes, dot-to-dots, playdoh, blocks, educational apps
It'll be a busy year, but I'm excited to be working with an eager student again (teens can be less cooperative than preschoolers, believe me).
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Glove compartment. Which is weird, since I've never seen anyone put gloves in there. It should be the "car manual, insurance & registration and whatever else will fit in there compartment."
Letter recognition... Would you be concerned?
in The Learning Challenges Board
Posted
It may be that he's just not interested in letters, they're not exciting or intriguing for him. Many kids, especially boys, take to reading at an older age. I would, however, keep a close eye on his progress in this area, just in case he does turn out to be dyslexic.
My dd didn't catch on to reading in K, so I set it aside for a while and went back to it later. Even in 1st, she couldn't remember the phonics rules we had already covered from day to day. In 2nd, we worked through easy readers together, and she had to sound out "cat" every time she saw it, even in the same paragraph. I finally came across a list of dyslexia symptoms on Susan Barton's website which fit her exactly. We used an OG reading program, and she finally began to make progress.
I wish I would have looked into the possibility of an LD when she was 6 instead of 8-9. Everyone's assertion that she just needed more time and I should wait was actually detrimental.
Sounds like you have a very smart and curious guy who may just catch on to reading a bit later, he's still very young. Just keep these issues in the back of your mind and if he exhibits signs of dyslexia when he's six, please look into it.