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Colleen in SEVA

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Everything posted by Colleen in SEVA

  1. Another vote for Rainbow Science. You will buy it, buy a gallon of water, and not have to worry about it. My oldest son is using it now (he is also an avid reader), and when I saw how light the reading was in the textbook I almost returned it. I am very glad I didn't, as my son lists it as his favorite science he's ever done. The author does put a Christian slant on some topics, but I discussed it with my son before starting, and he's able to convert the statements into something that aligns with his own beliefs. For example -- when he read "Man was created to be inquisitive," my DS substituted "Man has evolved to be inquisitive" and then added a blurb about man's inquisitive nature leading to tools, farming, etc. I know it is argued that using a science text by a Christian author will lead to things being left out, but at this point my bigger concern is that science needs to actually get done every day (along with the other 6 subjects times 5 boys), which it is with Rainbow. If my DS doesn't learn about the details of evolution in his science textbook, he is more than making up for it on the weekends watching marathons of Ancient Aliens. ;) ;) Rainbow Science is NOT very in depth or mind blowing. However -- my goal for this year for my oldest is to give him a framework to organize all of the random science he has done up to this point to prepare him for an in-depth study in high school. From what I have read (including from Kathy in Richmond, which carries a lot of weight in my mind), Rainbow Science does that. I will also add that it is large-family-friendly. The instructor guide includes the highlights of each section, along with discussion questions and answers. You don't have to read the text (though each section only takes 5 minutes to read). It is expensive for the initial purchase, but much of it can be reused with younger siblings. I would hesitate to buy it used, since there could potentially be pieces missing and the BIGGEST selling feature of this program is the 100% complete experiment kit (it even includes a Sharpie to label things with!). I will keep your family in my thoughts as you focus on your husband's health. I have a coffee mug that says Cancer Sucks, and that is pretty much all I have to say about that.
  2. Is anyone familiar with this: http://www.amazon.com/U-S-History-Through-Childrens-Literature/dp/1563084406/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
  3. Other than those listed below, what would work for boys in 3rd, 2nd, K? I'm looking for a low-prep-time way to cover cultural AND physical geography, ideally with read alouds, movie suggestions, a couple of hands-on activities, and not too tricky to secularize. We will already be doing Visualize World Geography with a co-op class. I've looked at: - Winter Promise Children Around the World - Sonlight Intro to World Cultures - MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures - Trail Guide to World Geography
  4. I'm tossing around ideas for history for my middle guys (if you want to read the long version it is here ), and one idea is to do a LIGHT one year overview of American history stories before returning to ancients next year with my boys who are in 3rd, 2nd, Kindy who have not had formal history yet. I want it to include modern US history as well (many for kids do not). Sonlight 3+4 (I think it is D+E now?) is too heavy and too old to use as intended, but I do own all of the readers & read alouds for both cores. Elemental History is too light and too young. What are the other options? I don't necessarily need anything formal, I'd be fine with a mom-created spreadsheet coordinating read alouds, The American Story, and some movies to watch -- perhaps even a couple of hands on boyish activities. I *could* do something myself, but I *know* someone out there has something awesome already created! :)
  5. ... bumping for more opinions ... I have to make a decision in the next 18 hours as we start on Monday. One factor I didn't realize until later -- I dread the thought of teaching Ancients again. We spent 2 years on it with my oldest, and have listened to the CDs multiple times. I think *I* am more excited about SOTW 3 & 4, so perhaps *I* could do those with DS1. :)
  6. I don't know the answer to your question, but I wanted to point out that LL8 is on sale right now for 20% off. This is ONLY for the curriculum though, not for the sets that include the books.
  7. I have 5 boys, conveniently spaced apart such that clothing has always moved from one dresser down to the next (except socks and underwear, for which each boy gets his own brand new, different brand to make sorting easier). EXCEPT now I have some boys wearing the same size shirts. I have a great system for after laundry is dry -- I have a shelving unit next to the dryer. When the load is finished, I fold each item and place it onto that boy's shelf, then at a later time that boy carries his stack and neatly places it into the proper drawer. EXCEPT most of the time we just leave them on the shelf, and the shelf overflows onto the floor, creating a big mess of randomness that makes me grumpy. Currently, each of my boys has his own dresser with all of his clothes folded in it (I do not buy clothing for them that has to be hung up, ironed, or dry cleaned). EXCEPT my boys usually wear whatever is on top, even if it is lined pants and a sweatshirt in July (not joking - this happened today as we were leaving for swim lessons). I'm thinking a good solution to this problem is to just have a family closet (like the Duggars, or the Shupes at http://www.largefamiliesonpurpose.com) for the kids' clothes (DH and I have a walk in closet that is larger than the laundry room, so our clothes would still go up there). So, if you have a family closet, how exactly does it work? I assume you still have some sort of drawer system for undies/socks, but do you have shelves or hangers for the rest? Does each kid just *know* how to find his size clothing? Do you rotate for the seasons? Do your kids still have dressers that they use for other purposes? And a related question... how many of each type of clothing do you recommend? Obviously it depends on how often laundry is done, I realize. Thanks in advance for any info and/or pictures you are willing to share! :) :)
  8. I've been thinking about your post, but didn't reply because anything I could think of to add was specific to my family (ages, house layout, etc). However, I just read a blog post that made me think of this conversation! :) http://www.largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2012/07/large-family-matters-parenting-young.html
  9. You need this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Harry-Potter-Curriculum/lm/RAI88SMUR3HB8/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_2_rsrsrs0
  10. Yes it is secular. Yes you need the Teacher Packet and Student Textbook. No, you do not need the Student Workbook if you are not using the writing portion (this contains the writing assignments ONLY, the grammar is fully contained in the Student Textbook).
  11. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives Many things I read online stated that results have not been consistent as to whether BCP increases risk for breast cancer or not. However -- the fact that SOME studies show that it DOES should matter. I usually just assume the studies that showed otherwise were funded by the pharmaceutical company who makes the BCP.
  12. I don't have a daughter, but as a breast cancer survivor I would not encourage a young woman to take BCP for ANY reason. I did not have one single risk factor for breast cancer (no family history, never smoked, don't use tanning beds, nursed 5 kids, etc.), but I did take BCP while in college. Breast cancer is directly related to the hormones that are messed with by BCP. There *ARE* negative health side effects from artificial hormones, many of which take years to show up.
  13. Yes, this summarizes why I am having DS1 do the writing portion of Hake 6. Most of the early assignments are very short (combine 2 sentences into 1 better sentence, etc.). The middle of the year they are writing one PART of an essay (just the introductory paragraph, or just the conclusion), and by the end of the year they write full 5 paragraph essays. They are not exciting or even very useful writing topics, but there aren't a lot of assignments and it will give him a chance to practice the things he is learning in his other writing instruction. If you follow the given schedule and use the grammar, the tests, AND the writing, it works out to 4 lessons per week for 36 weeks. Hake would not be a good writing program on its own, IMO. However -- my DS is also doing other writing things this year (a science fiction writing class, the writing portion of Lightning Lit, IEW SICCB, and next summer Essay Voyage -- this is a very writing-heavy year for him!). My opinion (shared by many) is that WWS is FAR superior to the writing portion of Hake. My DS will do WWS next year, but he needs more physical writing practice before he jumps into it (tried WWS his past semester, he wasn't ready yet).
  14. The people who moved into the house 3 doors down from me this weekend are from Seattle. :)
  15. Just my humble opinion... but I think there are already many possibilities for the options given in the poll. Sure, none of them are perfect, but there are several spines to choose from. What I would like to see, that I don't believe exists, is a logic stage history program that is organized geographically. I would like to spend an entire semester in one area of the world, focusing on the history, the literature, how the peoples of that area have changed over the centuries, and what it is like to live there today (the religions, the economy, the food, the priorities). This would be a 3 year program, with the world divided up into 6 general areas. This would be geared for the logic stage, AFTER a kid has already been exposed to a chronological study of history and BEFORE high school. I have a spreadsheet that someone posted many years ago that lists the SOTW chapters by region, so those could be re-read during the study. It would be written to the student, research focused, and would have a weekly list of suggested rabbit trails to choose from. -OR- Something that would layer over SOTW that would make it more suitable for older students. Most homeschoolers are teaching many grades and trying to teach history all together. I know the encyclopedia page numbers are listed in the AG, but I would love something with a little more hand holding on how to make it more challenging for middle & high school ages, ideally written directly to the student. While I love the idea of Tapestry of Grace, it just isn't a good fit for many families.
  16. I would love to :bigear: to the conversation, even though I don't have anything helpful to add. I do not tie DS1's reading to history, because he hated it when I tried. He *LOVES* history, and he *LOVES* reading, but trying Sonlight Core 6 (the one that uses SOTW) a couple of years ago was a mistake. He didn't like having the schedule (he completed the entire week's readers and read alouds by Monday afternoon every single week), he didn't like having to read the books in a certain order, and he didn't like many of the books. This really surprised me, because Sonlight seemed like such an obvious choice for a kid who loves history and reading!
  17. :bigear: Thank you to everyone who has replied. My oldest has a late August birthday, and we are debating which grade to file for this year (figuring it will be easier to change now, before high school). You've all given us additional things to ponder.
  18. I did this, and I do it with my older boys. My freshman year of high school I went to a school that had 6 classes per day. The sequence at that school was to take Algebra 2 / Trig before Geometry, but I didn't get a good grade. I took Geometry my sophomore year, but in September we moved to another state that had 8 classes per day and students there took Geometry BEFORE Algebra 2 / Trig. Since I had to add classes, I chose to take Algebra 2 / Trig as an elective (concurrently with Geometry). I had both classes every day, but the 8th class I added was a study hall so I usually finished the homework for both classes during that. I ended up getting an A the second time through Algebra 2 / Trig, and did very well in Geometry as well. Both times through Algebra 2 / Trig were on my transcript. With my kids, I do something similar. They have their main math in which they are learning things for the first time, but they also have a second math that I use one level lower that acts as review & reinforcement (different combos for different kids).
  19. Yes! They love that show. And they learn random physics from Sons of Guns and MythBusters.
  20. Jacey -- I'm sorry I missed you in my list at the bottom! I know of 7 of us who have 5 boys (or more!), but the last 2 names escape me at the moment. You are one of the posters I search for recent posts of, because our boys are so similar in ages! :) You guys have made a good point about free reading. We have many books (some of which DS2 & DS3 have read) about more modern people (Washington, Lincoln, Einstein, Hawking, etc). They have seen the Liberty's Kids series several times. They learn random history on Pawn Stars (:blush:). Just because we do ancients doesn't mean they won't learn about other historical time periods through other means.
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