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Heather R

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Posts posted by Heather R

    Help Me Set Boundaries with the Neighbor Girl

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I actually had to explain to a young guest once that "at my house, we have a rule that kids listen to instructions from adults, unless they are dangerous". Explicitly stating it like that seemed to help him "obey" my other household rules... he still pushes the boundaries a bit but has more or less become a pleasant guest. :)

    • Like 2

    Math Spine with RS supplement

    in PreK and K

    Posted

    How comfortable are you with the Right Start methods yourself?  I'm unclear if you have taught it before or if this is your first time through. If you really want a formal math curiculum, then I think Math Mammoth 1 could be a suitable spine.  Mari. a uses a similar approach to math, though with less explicit instruction about when and how to use the manipulatives, so you'd have to know when to add them in.  Either way, it is an inexpensive, thorough math program.  Just be warned it contains WAY too many problems for some students.  You have to be comfortable assigning only some of the problems or you risk wearing your child out with repetition! (I learned this the hard way!)

     

    Or, if I may be so bold, consider teaching yourself the RS methods, and then casually teaching them to your child while you play as many of the games from the RS manual as possible.  Hindsight being what it is, this is the approach I would have taken with myself...  As many math games and "mom instruction" as possible throughout kindy and the first part of 1st, moving to RS B/C for the end of 1st and 2nd, and then starting Beast Academy in 3rd.  Most kids don't need 3 solid years of addition and subtraction, and Beast does such a good job with multiplication and division (all topic, really!), that I would take a more relaxed approach in K-2...  Just some thoughts from someone who has also started with RS.

     

    Heather

    • Like 2

    Troubled over psychiatrist recommendations

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    I wish I could use Davidson Young Scholars program.   We are Americans but living in Canada on a work visa.  The Davidson website says we must be residing in the US.   The minute we move back to US,  I will be applying!   :))

     

    Finding resources in the post secondary institutions here in Alberta is also very difficult.  I can only dream of dual enrollment.  

     

    Homefree3, what part of Alberta are you in?  I am in Edmonton, and while my daughter is "only" moderately gifted, I might be able brainstorm some resources.  :)  

    Heather

    • Like 1

    Tips for moving while homeschooling?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    So, I'm sure there are lots of posts on this already, but I'm not having any luck finding them.  Links would be appreciated!  

     

    We are preparing to list our home for sale, with hopes of moving to a different neighborhood in the same city later this spring.   I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how to get everything "staged" for listing and maintaining a super clean home while homeschooling.  I know that lots of people have done this before me, so I hoped you could share your best tips and tricks.  Everything from time-management and scheduling to quick routines to get the house ready for a showing.  Anything you can think of to make packing, moving, home selling, etc easier.  The last time we moved, we were childless and everything we owned fit in one load in a moving truck.  Now we have 3000 sq. ft of stuff and 3 kids!  I'm overwhelmed before I've even started!

     

    Thanks!

    • Like 1

    Confidence shaken; not sure we can/should continue homeschool

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I totally relate; our homeschool efforts are so far from the grand vision I had when I commenced this journey!  We, too, have had one challenge after another, some unpredictable, others completely of our own choosing (like adopting a 6 year old boy from Ethiopia 2 years ago).  My son is also "behind" his peers in reading and writing, and would not do well in school as a result of this.  We did recently start our other son in school, both so he could get the help and peer interaction he needed, and also to lower my "load" at home so I can focus more on the two homeschoolers during the day.  As well, we have been seeking help for the various mental health issues that have cropped up among various members of the household, which is helpful, but also adds appointments that upset the homeschooling routine.

     

    I think you are on the right track; work to reduce your load, while also renewing your focus on the truly important issues at hand.  I will be following this thread for advice. :)

    Heather

     

    P.S.  I wondered when reading your post if you were Canadian, and smiled to myself when I read that you are.  Something in your writing style gives it away. ;)

    • Like 3

    Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare--do you know of a reading/study guide for this?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I searched my documents and found this:  (Sorry, I don't have a source)...

     

    Calico Captive Reading Guide

    Suggested Activities and Questions: 

    1. Using a blank map, locate all the different places mentioned in the book. 

    2. Write an outline of the plot. 

    3. Compare the experience of being captured by Native Americans experienced by Mariam with the experience of characters in other books (e.g., True Son in "The Light in the Forest.") 

    4. Write short biographies of each of the main characters. 

    5. Why doesn't Miriam know how to swim?

    6. What were the differences between Pierre's and Miriam's feelings about Native Americans? What do you think caused these differences? 

    7. What do you think happens to the characters of this novel after the end of the book?

    Suggested Vocabulary: 

    banter
    barbarian
    boisterous
    calico
    coiffure
    emboldened
    fracas
    genteel
    haughty
    idolatrous
    lintel
    menace
    mortification
    palisade
    parole
    plight
    poach
    porridge
    squalor
    stout
    swagger
    vermilion
    wampum

    • Like 1

    Neuropsychological testing back on both boys

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    Brandy, I'm so glad you got some helpful answers and correct diagnoses.  Do you mind telling me where/with whom you did your testing, as I believe we are in the same general geographic area.  I am not UNhappy with the assessments we have had done so far, but I haven't gotten as much interpretive help as I was hoping.  Anyway, feel free to PM if you don't want to share here. :)

    Heather

    • Like 1

    Audiobook recommendations for ESL 8 year old with low comprehension?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Thanks everyone. I am mainly looking for chapter books (over 1 hour), as he likes to listen while he plays Lego and other similar things, and also because otherwise he is running back to me to have me download another title after 15 minutes, lol. Momling makes a good point about not worrying too much about the quality of the literature.

    I will check out the titles you have suggested. Especially the Thorton Burgess books... He likes animals, and other DS 8 enjoyed those around age 4, which is about this DS's functional level...

    Audiobook recommendations for ESL 8 year old with low comprehension?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions of book titles for my 8 year old to listen to.  He was adopted 1.5 years ago from Ethiopia, so his English language skills are still developing.  He loves listening to audiobooks but I have trouble finding "quality" books that he actually comprehends and that hold his attention.

     

    He has listened to every Beverly Cleary book repeatedly, and seems to understand most of those.  I consider them decent quality kids literature.  Recently he went on an A to Z Mysteries binge, which I am less thrilled about.  But when I look at our library's online catalog (which is huge), I have a hard time narrowing it down to books he will like and that I consider quality.  A lot of the language in the "classics" (and by that I mean Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, Beatrix Potter, etc) is too complex for him to understand, and the stories are slow enough that it loses his attention.  

     

    As well, due to his past history, I am trying to avoid anything with themes related to adoption, orphans, abandonment etc., in audiobook format, as I am not listening with him to help him process.  So this leaves out things like the Boxcar Children, Stuart Little, James and the Giant Peach etc.

     

    So in short, I am looking for "exciting" books with a low comprehension level, but that still have decent writing and plots, and don't contain any content that will promote whining, name-calling, or other such misbehaviors.  Any ideas?

    S/O of Sorts: Would you work if you didn't need to do so?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Honestly, no, I wouldn't work if we didn't "need" me to. I look at my mom, who has been "retired" since 45, and I would love to have her lifestyle. She gardens, works out, helps her adult kids however she can (babysitting, help with home projects like painting or landscaping etc), is in a photography club, a book club, a Pilates class etc. She and my dad travel 3-5 times a year and the freedom and flexibility they have is awesome. However, if she had a well-paying career, maybe she could have worked from 45-55 and now they could both be retired? As it is, my dad will work another 5 years at least.

     

    For me, I will I my be 45 when my youngest graduates. I would like to get my masters defer when they are in high school and then work for 15-20 years until DH and I can both retire together.

    • Like 1

    Hobbies for an 11yo girl

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    My daughter enjoys computer coding and doing science projects from decent quality kits. Yesterday she extracted DNA from an onion. Lol. And then was very disappointed our microscope was not adequate to actually see the DNA strands. Lol

    She also writes stories, plays playmobil, goes for bike rides, etc. This summer she wants to learn stop motion animation.

    s/o Are Tampons Really that Popular?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I used almost exclusively tampons from the time I started menstruating until I was about 30, then I discovered cups and now prefer those. I'll use a tampon if I'm caught unprepared at work without my cup or when traveling (can't rinse out my cup in rest stops!), but it's pretty much just the Diva cup with an occasional Instead cup these days. 

     

    Pads just do NOT work for me. I've tried and tried, but they bunch up, shift around, and even when wearing the big ones with huge wings I still manage to somehow get blood everywhere except for on the actual pad!

     There, Wabi Sabi saved me typing up my reply.  I was an exclusive tampon user until I got my cup.

    Warning: Counterfeit Barton Systems on eBay

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    I bit the bullet and bought Level 1 and 2 of Barton on eBay.  Unfortunately, I found out that the Level 1 set is a counterfeit and as such, does not gain me access to the tutor support, etc.  Of course, I will be sending it back and buying again, either new, or from a verified seller.  Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone a head's up and hopefully save somebody the frustration!

    Heather

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