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5LittleMonkeys

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Everything posted by 5LittleMonkeys

  1. I know this is an older thread but I'd love to know what you ended up thinking of these kits. Considering them for a couple different grade levels.
  2. These look great based on what I can see. Do you know anyone that has used them?
  3. I've got quite a few things I could add but not a lot of time so I'll sum it up by saying that things here were more enjoyable when I stopped being so uptight about sticking with a classical method for everyone...I was trying to give them the education I wish I'd had, not the education they needed. I'll add one more thing real quick. I relaxed....I mean really relaxed. My goals are now LONG term...what do they need to be able to do or know by then end of elementary, the end of middle, and the end of highschool - never by the end of the year. :)
  4. I'm not looking for anything rigorous but I need something completely planned out. If it came with all the materials for the hands on activities I would be in heaven. I CAN pull all this together myself...I've done it before...but right now I need simplicity.
  5. My best advice would be to treat his little power struggle in a very non-emotional, matter of fact way. The more emotion you show - the more "show" you give them - the longer they will continue. You need to adopt the "If you want to be miserable and sit in your room staring at the wall go ahead but you aren't going to make me miserable too...I've got things to do and fun to have. :) " attitude.
  6. Hmm, I would not sit down at the end of the day to do phonics with a child that had been stubborn enough to put it off all day long. I do teach my children that school is important but I also teach them that my time is valuable and that I do not sit around waiting all day long for them to be "ready" to do school. I would have handled it the same way...you loose your privileges until you earn them back by being consistently cooperative. Without knowing your dc it's hard to know whether it's the program or if he's just testing his limits. I'd allow him a few days to earn his electronics back and to re-establish cooperativeness before I'd jump ship on your program. I don't know...maybe I'm just a mean mother but even if a child dislikes a program I'm using (which I'm always very sensitive to and am willing to work out with the child if I feel we've given every effort to make my preferred program work) I still expect obedience.
  7. Thank you - that explanation helps tremendously. It's the BCM that I do need. :)
  8. Okay....now I'm confused. I just found Lial's Pre-Algebra as well. Can BCM be used as Pre-Algebra (that was my understanding), or should I be looking at the Pre-Algebra?
  9. I found value in it after I basically just took the student resource notebook and taught from it. I used it successfully in a co-op to get reluctant writers to write and to help build confidence...but I was never legalistic about the checklists. We used them mostly as a list for remembering the stylistic techniques that we could add in to our writing. I did especially like the list of sentence openers. I also found some use using it the same way for my own children for about a year. I can't imagine using it year after year though. It really can be torturous for creative, willing writers, and if you add a rigid teacher who isn't willing to adapt the program to suit the student it can do more harm than good. I'm sorry that it isn't a good fit for your children. I hope you're able to help them get something out of it other than a dislike for writing. :(
  10. Really glad to have bumped into this thread. Dd11 is a few lessons away from finishing MM6A and it has become drudgery to get her through it. She's always been a bit pokey with math because she always wanted to have a conversation about every problem and verbalize her thought process, but now I'm doing good to get her through 1 page in 45 minutes. Not because it's hard but because she just drags and dawdles because it's become mind numbing ... the conversation and verbalization have stopped. (Never thought I'd miss that. LOL!) I'd considered looking for something else but kept putting it off ... felt almost like I was cheating on MM because we've used it from the beginning. :lol: This thread has inspired me to look at some other options...perhaps not to replace completely, but to add in order to try to get that spark back that she used to have when we'd do math. I'm in no hurry for her to get to Algebra yet so we've got some time to play.
  11. My ds8 does this too! He verbalizes his thought process when he's working through math problems so when he first started doing this I would hear him saying the wrong number (I didn't catch on that it was just the next 10 or the previous 10) and I would jump in and try to correct him. He'd say, "Mom, trust me...I've got this." LOL! It took me a couple days to realize he'd worked out this strategy.
  12. If you mean writing as in penmanship - yes. If you mean it as in composition - no. I believe 100% in the effectiveness of straight copywork - that is, taking a passage that someone else has composed and copying it -as a tool for learning about punctuation, grammar, usage, structure, style, vocabulary, and spelling. I also think it's effective as a way to polish penmanship skills. To put copywork into the realm of composition, the dc would need to be narrating to you as you write their words, you help them edit, and then they copy that. I personally would not be comfortable using only straight copywork with a 4th or 5th grader. I think that by then, barring any LDs, they should be composing their own written work.
  13. I'm so sorry. I've been there. You and she can come through this pretty quickly barring any LDs...and even then just keep moving forward at her pace. :) When I pulled dd15 out of ps 4th grade I found that she was actually at a 2nd grade level in math. Things here are exacerbated by her dyscalculia but we used MUS to remediate as well. We did take a break from it for about a year to try TT, which didn't advance her in skill but did help tremendously for her self esteem (spending a year getting all the answers right will do that for you), but are back with MUS now. You're a wonderful mother for doing what is best for her! :grouphug:
  14. I had to go back and look to see if we were still doing what I'd listed in this thread. LOL! We are! That's a major accomplishment. :) The only thing I added that I didn't list was Essentials in Writing. Ds8 can complete his core subjects (math, phonics\reading, LA) in about 1.5 hours. Then we usually complete some variation of Lit, science, history, geography each day in another 1.5 hours. That's it for subjects that we do formally or semi-formally. He will do more learning throughout the day with educational games, model building, documentaries, library books, science exploration, etc. for anywhere from another 2 to 5 hours depending on his mood or what we've got going on for the day.
  15. I think you need to differentiate between the physical aspect of writing and the mental aspect of composition. Don't let the physical hinder the move forward in skill of the mental aspect of it. I would separate the two for awhile. Continue to work on writing endurance with a penmanship book (if he's not doing cursive yet you might consider it since many children find cursive easier on the hand), or copywork specifically for training him to write longer and longer sentences. Then, continue on with teaching him composition verbally, on a white board, and with you acting as a scribe. I would also start him on a typing program so that as his composition matures he will have the typing skills to keep up with it. My 3rd grader isn't what I would classify as resistant to writing but his hand will get tired after several sentences so he will often try to give me very short choppy sentences for his composition work. If I offer to write the sentences down and tell him that he only has to write one or two of them (the copywork I use to help him build up endurance) then he will give me a lovely paragraph. :) Edited to add: Just saw your post about typing not being an option. Keep in mind that eventually he will need this skill just to be able to keep up with the sheer volume of writing assignments he'll have in highschool and college if that's in his future.
  16. I don't believe you have to add in a schedule of extra topics in order to create an atmosphere of learning in your home. As you said, they often feel contrived and end up being just another thing you and\or the dc feel you have to get done in the day, especially if there isn't a real interest there. That mentality is not conducive to learning. I understand the need to schedule even those things you do love (nature walks, geography and poetry until things become natural parts of your day since you've been on survival mode for so long, but I think you need to remain mindful of them becoming a chore. I don't know if this is the case with all dc, but my own tend to differentiate between the things they learn during "school" and things they learn in their less structured or free time. Those things that were learned during more informal times of exposure and exploration have been the passions and long time interests of my children. I do tend to keep our formal schoolwork focused around the three Rs, then we have those intermediate content areas that I try to keep interest led but somewhat scheduled (history, geography, and science...and I'm speaking mostly for my younger dc here), and then there is just the learning that occurs during the normal course of our life. Many, many times our content areas spill over into this area since history\geography is a passion for dh and science is a big interest for me. So, the more I coalesce my thoughts about this the more I believe, that in my own home, an atmosphere of learning is fostered mostly by natural exposure during the course of life to many topics, keeping that exposure informal and relaxed, and when you see a spark, fostering it, but following the child's lead in how deeply or intensely they want to go with it. The underlying thread that binds is the parent. I have to influence by example. I have to be inquisitive and curious, experiment and create, and read and discuss. I think I do a fairly good job of having an atmosphere of learning by always pursuing knowledge (reading, documentaries, lectures), discussing, trying new things, and pursuing my own hobbies or interests. Sometimes a dc will get interested and want to get involved and sometimes they won't. Recently, dd11 saw me watching and taking notes on dd16's astronomy lectures (it's a huge area of interest for me as well and I want to be able to have meaningful conversations with her about her lessons), and wanted to watch and discuss too. She wouldn't have willingly asked to watch highschool lectures unless she saw my own interest in them. All of a sudden now I have another budding astronomer on my hands though! It sparked something in her and we've been on a week long binge of everything to do with astronomy. But it's all been informal and on our own time. I asked ds8 if he wanted to watch Cosmos last night....nope...no interest, so why schedule it into my already busy school day. He will get exposed during the course of his own science curricula and later on when he's a little older might sit in on a discussion or lecture and have a spark ignite too. I never make it mandatory that they get involved in what I'm doing...I do offer but never push. My dc have learned so many things just through their exposure to myself or dh doing them or learning about them. Model making, art, cooking, baking, sewing, crocheting, gardening, dog training, military history, gun history, horse riding, electronics, spectral analysis, evolution, religion, mythology, politics, government, economics, genetics, botany....oh good grief, I could go on and on. Sometimes there is a lingering interest sometimes not. It's nice when an interest is strong enough that you're able to integrate it into formal schoolwork, especially for highschool, but I never want learning, especially about an interest, to become a chore so I always leave it up to the dc. (For example dd16 was more than happy to do astronomy for a science credit but wasn't willing to do piano lessons for a music credit because she felt that the work required would take the joy out of playing the piano for her.) Of coarse there are some areas that you want your child to learn about that you don't want to leave to chance. Most times we homeschoolers choose art, and music; sometimes poetry if we don't integrate that into our LA. My solution has been to have those extras as background noise in our home and nurture only those areas that my children show an interest or propensity towards. I've found that this cuts down on these topics becoming a chore for those who aren't interested beyond a basic exposure - including myself. I love art and am always messing about with charcoal, acrylic, pastels...and have art books lying about, pictures of famous art, books on artists, etc., so my children becoming exposed to that is just a given. Some have shown an extreme interest and passion for art while others can't stand to draw a stick figure. The ones who want to do art are given free reign over the art supplies, art books, documentaries on art, child guided art programs, art classes, and so on. This is part of what they love to do in their free time. It's not scheduled so it doesn't become a chore. Those who don't like it were exposed, show absolutely no interest and move on. Music isn't as big a part of our lives because I don't play an instrument, but I do enjoy listening to different genres of music and in doing so have discussed with my dc the various types of music I listen to, it's origins, artists and so on...except country music...my children know nothing about country music. :p I also make sure to have musical instruments available for anyone who wants to pick one up and see if it creates a spark. Early on my oldest showed an interest and so I facilitate her learning more to the point that she was satisfied. She learned to play the piano very quickly by ear...she can listen to anything once or twice and then be able to work it out on the piano fairly quickly. Her interest leaned toward video game and movie soundtracks and so we explored that for awhile. She doesn't want lessons, and that's fine with me...it's not my interest, it's hers, and she can do what she wants with it. My second oldest just recently asked for and started guitar lessons, so we'll see where that leads. I don't push because once I do it stops becoming something enjoyable and becomes a chore. I tried doing informal (as in I didn't schedule them they were just impromptu afternoon or weekend things I would do when the mood struck me) poetry teas with my dc at various times since I like any excuse to sit down for a proper tea, but there just was no interest there at all for any of us. I enjoy the exposure to poetry that we get in LA but sitting down and reading it to the blank stares of my dc feels like a chore so I don't do it. They learn enough about poetry for them to know a few authors and the basics of structure. If any of them ever show a greater interest then we'll pursue it. My situation is, of coarse, specific to my family, and it may even change depending on what's going on in our lives. A few years ago I didn't have the time or energy to pursue as much of my own learning so my dc weren't doing as much learning outside of their formal academics either. As my older dc become much more independent I have more time to pursue learning so my younger dc will probably end up being exposed to even more and end up learning even more outside of our formal 3 Rs. Also, I think it has to do with the child. You could set up the most amazing environment for learning with art supplies, musical instruments, living books, movies, documentaries, science paraphernalia, field trips, guest lecturers, biographies, poetry books, ....and yes, the child would be exposed and gain a basic academic base of knowledge, but if there is no interest there then there just isn't and to schedule and force learning about a subject (poetry and country music in my case) is just counter-intuitive. I feel like I've rambled and blurred the lines of exposure and creating an atmosphere of learning - although I do think that they are interrelated. In a nutshell - an atmosphere of learning needs to be natural, relaxed, and modeled.
  17. If we lived closer I'd send over my laundress and dish-washer. :)
  18. That's 6 hours per child. You should be on overtime the rest of the week. Oh, wait....we don't get paid do we? :001_rolleyes:
  19. Let's just say that my last big decision for each day (even the days that go well) is whether to have chocolate syrup on my chocolate ice cream or just skip the ice cream and put a baby bottle nipple straight on the syrup bottle. :tongue_smilie:
  20. Well, today we went to the zoo with dh... BUT....I have 5 dc and on average I wear my teacher hat for about 9 hours a day, Monday through Friday if I include my own dc, the PreK child I babysit and do PreK stuff with, the art class I teach, the literature group I lead, and the 4th grader that I tutor for 4 hours twice a week. If you include academic things I do on the weekend then it would probably add another 4 hours or so. Some days I notice every. single. minute, while others aren't nearly as bad and the time flies by. Edited to add: All those commitments kind of creept up on me one at a time, but now that I've typed it out and see it all in one sentence I realize it looks like I'm a nut job for taking on so much! Luckily, the tutoring is about to get cut in half and I only have 4 more art classes to teach. I think I'll let the 11yo take over the PreK stuff too...she wants to do it anyway. :)
  21. These are really, really good. I was going to fit them into the younger's science but they've already watched half of them this afternoon! :) I love when I can find resources that completely grab my dc's attention from anything else they're doing.
  22. Yes it does. I am Christian and it annoyed me. From scripture in the lesson to names from the Bible and books from the Bible being in the spelling lists...it was more than I could ignore or overlook.
  23. Okay - coming back with some input from my parents\teachers. Of those I spoke with the consensus was that if they were going to get formally evaluated and critiqued by the other parents they wouldn't teach. They don't get paid to teach and they spend a lot of their limited time and money to make their classes enjoyable and worth while for the children...if they had to worry about people nitpicking about their teaching style, whether they weren't rigorous enough, too rigorous, if they allowed the children too much freedom in expressing themselves, or not enough, yadda, yadda, it wouldn't be worth it to them. They added that they not only wouldn't teach but wouldn't want to be part of a co-op that was that formal. (We are all very honest and open, and we normally just discuss openly issues that arise.) They much prefer our system of parents coming directly to them with individual concerns, and then coming to me for arbitration if they aren't able to resolve an issue. I do informally monitor classrooms and on rare occasions have made suggestions to teachers to help them better manage certain students or to better teach a concept to a group of students who I know have a certain learning style. That takes time and effort on my part to know each of my parents and know each of our students though, and I know some co-ops might be too large for one person to be able to be that involved on such a personal level. If you could give more detail about your co-op then we'd be able to help you figure out a system of making sure your classes are functioning well.
  24. Those iPoe apps are AWESOME! with their creepy music playing and the little interactive things you can do on the different pages. So, I'm totally outing myself here as a mom who soooooo does not shield my dc from creepy, scary stuff. Ds8 thinks cutting that body up with his finger is hilarious. And yes, of coarse we've had the discussion about the difference between cutting up a pretend body versus the difficulty and mess of cutting up a real body....oh, we talked about it being morally wrong as well. ;) And now I'm going to leave before I get totally flamed for exposing my impressionable young children to the horrors of Poe. (dd5 likes those apps too :leaving: )
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