abrightmom
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Posts posted by abrightmom
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:lurk5: I'm curious about this too. I was JUST looking at WA this week . . . :bigear:
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Absolutely worth it! I've found that my boys love to go back to those books over and over again. Each core has been well worth the money we've spent!
Now, it's my youngest sons turn with those early cores and he loves the books. For some reason the boys loved to hear the same books read and re-read over and over and over again!
Oh, but for that age, you don't really need an IG. Just enjoy the books!
We love and have loved all of the P3/4 and P4/5 books. We bought the P 4/5 books when they were called Pre-K. Many of them are falling apart/taped up due to being pored over, read, thumbed through, taken outside, taken in the car, taken to bed, etc. My kids have LOVED these books. We tend to NOT use the IG (that's just me :001_smile:) but the book choices are fantastic!
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That's exactly the problem. We have had discussions about this here before, and I hope some of the people who posted before chime in. Many find, and SWB describes well, that a child who learns to read and quits phonics mid-way will end up with a "fourth grade slump." They get out to a high grade reading level really early, but then can't move forward, even a few years later. They will not have the skills necessary to move on to the next level of reading, as the words become longer and more difficult.
This happened to my dd. She learned to read with just a bit of phonics instruction, she was gifted, and she was reading all the time, so I quit phonics. But then she struggled later, both with reading longer words and with spelling. We ended up going back and working through phonics again, but at a time when she needed to be moving on to other things. You hear, "they can always learn it later if they need it" from homeschoolers, but it is better to learn anything younger, because there is more and more to learn as they get older. :001_smile:
There is a lot more to phonics than most people think. If you don't go up through second grade or finish a program you never get to it: multi-syllabic words, etc. You don't have to hold him back wtih phonics. If your dc knows something, go through it quickly and move on. Use the curriculum the way you need it. But my advice is to get through the end of the program.
:iagree::iagree::iagree: My DS7 just started reading one day at 3 or 4 years old . . . I don't know how it happened. I didn't do much with him in the way of phonics. Initially I assumed he didn't need phonics because he was reading so well! Then, several months ago I decided to take him through The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading (straightforward, incremental, thorough, no gimmicks, easy to implement) just to check on those skills. Lo and behold, he hit a wall with those multi-syllable words and I realized that he definitely had phonics gaps. Before that I just assumed he was handling harder words in his books but he is a sharp kid. What he was doing was using the context to guess the word or just skipping over the word (he had the gist of the story anyway!). We have had to really work slowly through the end of OPGTR. We are now moving to the Phonics Road with all of the kids and I plan to give every one of my children a strong, thorough spelling and phonics foundation regardless of their skill level or how easily they begin to read. AAS would also be fantastic and would cement that phonics foundation for your son. Let him work through it at his speed. :001_smile:
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I am starting PR 1 with my boys. I want to get my DS7 (going into 2nd) started so we can move to PR2 sometime in his 2nd grade year. I have watched the DVDs twice. I am slow . . . because I'm not actually sure what I am supposed to DO. I am skipping the penmanship portion because he can already write all of his letters. I took millions of notes . . .
Here are my thoughts:
1. Watch the DVDs one more time, fast forwarding through the irrelevant portions. I'm sure it is all there and I am suffering from my awful ADD tendencies here . . . sigh.
2. Write my notes more neatly and near relevant areas in my notebook (or type them on the laptop while watching so I can print a tidy copy to refer to)
3. Then ?????
WHY is it not OBVIOUS to me what I am supposed to do? Do I start by simply teaching the phonograms? How do you remember what you are supposed to write on the board or say to the kiddo? Do you watch the DVD with your child and then teach as you watch? Maybe I need to do that until I find my groove.
Thanks. :001_smile:
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IMHO geography can be a blast! We use the maps correlated to Story of the World. My boys like those a lot! Veritas Press history has a map coordinated with each year of history study. We'll use Greece and Rome this year. They are fantastic and the map matches the time period (i.e. shows ancient Egypt as it was then versus where Egypt's borders are today).
We completed Evan-Moor's Beginning Geography. Here: http://www.evan-moor.com/Title.aspx?CurriculumID=7&ClassID=158&SeriesID=206&TitleID=727&EmcID=2847 I think it's ideal for a sharp K'er or a first grader (it was a little over my K'ers head but he's a bit slower than his brother who would have handled it fine in K). They continue the series with Daily Geography keyed to grade levels.
We are moving on to Legends and Leagues this year (Here: http://veritaspress.com/products.asp?dept=1010 ) in tandem with Audio Memory Geography Songs (Here: http://veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=050025). I plan to use L&L just one day a week and to use the Audio Memory Geography Songs the other days. We will also do any map work corresponding to history lessons (these are pretty fun with SOTW and the wall map we make for the Greece & Rome study with Veritas).
We used Sonlight this past year and my kids really liked the markable map (I found it tedious to unfold every day but once it was on the floor we had a good time with it :001_smile:). We'd find and label the places we read about in our books. Honestly, it was an easy to do geography and they learned with it.
GeoPuzzles and GeoCards are another FUN way to practice geography. You can start the puzzles in Pre-K and K. You can also assign the puzzles to older kids. I have a friend who assigned her middle elementary aged girls certain puzzles, requiring them to be completed a certain number of times during the quarter or semester. I like that idea! Here's a link: http://www.timberdoodle.com/SearchResults.asp?mfg=Geotoys
There are more fun ways to enjoy geography and fold it in to your studies without taking up much time at all! Knowledge Quest Maps and GeoMatters (I think) are two sites to look at as well.
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We all love RS here, but that doesn't mean I enjoy teaching it. In fact, I don't, and I have kids in two different levels, so I am doing two lessons a day. I do, however, love what my kids are learning and how much they love math. That's enough to keep me motivated to use the program.
I agree with Heather's suggestion of teaching RS first thing every day.
Tara
:iagree: I would actually use the word "hate" when it comes to teaching Right Start (oh how I've longed to sell it or throw it out the front door or burn it) . . . but my kids are doing so well with it! We have had numerous light bulb moments (and that includes me). I am committed to seeing it through Level B (we are slow because I was a slacker with it) and then re-evaluating. I have 4 children!! Two are in RS now and one is a tag-a-long learner (and a crawling baby). Anyhow, Right Start is so well done and I see my boys thriving with it. For now, I am going to stay the course because even though I hate teaching it I want the results for my kids. Playing math is far superior to throwing a workbook at them!!!!
ETA: We do use Math Mammoth as well. I would say that Math Mammoth is my spine and I teach Right Start as often as possible. This way math does get done daily even if I am side lined. Sometimes I can teach RS to just one kiddo, sometimes two. But with MM my oldest can work on Math even if I'm not 100% available.
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That is so cool!
:party:
:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: So glad my oldest is only 7 :D.
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:lurk5: I'm bumping this up in hopes of hearing from Tina about using PR skills across the curriculum. Does this become intuitive with time and experience?
Can't wait to get into Level Two!!! :001_smile:
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Another thing that helped when my son was your son's age -- I took a handful of Unifix cubes (Legos) and snapped them together into a chain. I explained that this represents our school day. With them all snapped together, our school days is "this" long. Or you can put huge gaps in between each one -- explain that the gaps are the delays, meltdowns, complaining, refusals, even pleasant breaks, whatever -- and our school day becomes "this" long.
:001_smile: I'm using this idea! Brilliant.
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:bigear: This intrigues me!! I'm listening in and curious about the pros/cons to this!!
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Well, thank you. :blush: I hope my follow-up lives up to your expectations but it's pretty cut and dry.
For our first two years of American history, we're not using a curriculum (I bought WP AS1 but was not happy with it). I pick living books (lots of bios) and we're reading them as sort of a chronological unit study. I pull books from every curriculum out there (favorites are VP, AO, Sonlight). We do mapwork and a timeline using Homeschool in the Woods maps and figures. I use WWE and choose my passages and copywork from our history books. We do lots of hands-on activities and recipes and the kids like to pretend play the themes we're reading about. I have to say one of my favorite parts of our history study is the music. I try to play music appropriate to the era every day and it's so much fun. I'm planning for our second year right now and I'm having way too much fun with the music!
For our first round of world history, we will use SOTW basically the same way we do American. However, the majority of our supplementary reading will focus on the rest of the world. I have considered (and not ruled out) buying TOG to use for the two world history rotations but I'm a little disappointed (for my particular needs) by the heavy emphasis on American history. I guess when you're trying to fit it all into three cycles, it's hard not to make that the focus.
For our second round of American history, we will use Hakim's History of US. I will probably buy the junior high/high school guides for this and, of course, supplement with additional reading. I would also really like to do a concurrent or summer study of comparative history texts (William Bennett vs. Howard Zinn). :boxing_smiley: Should be a rollicking good time. :lol: We won't have to flesh it out, just enjoy the rumble and learn about point of view.
Our second round of world history is pretty far away so we'll see what the options are then. Right now, I'm leaning toward using SWB's series, heavily supplemented with VP selections.
I will keep the kids together for everything but math and language. My oldest is exactly 3 years and 3 months older than my youngest (they are each about 19 months apart) so I think this will work well for us. It will look different to everyone in the end though. DD will end up having a free history year when she's a senior and this cycle is over. We'll fill that with government or a whirlwind study of something, I guess. For ds4, the cycle will actually be the opposite of this (four years of world, 2 years of American, 4 years of world, 2 years of American with a free year at the end also. That is the dirty little secret of the four year cycle anyway. Unless your kids are spaced a perfect 4 years apart or unless you want to keep them separate for history (:willy_nilly:), not everyone can have the prized perfect set of three four year history cycles. It's not worth the stress, that's for sure!
I'm doing a lot of self-evaluation as we close in on the end of our first year but history is one subject I feel very good about. :001_smile:
Thank-you so much for sharing!! It is food for thought and my brain will chew on this idea tonight (and tomorrow and Saturday and . . . :D).
I did discover that "dirty little secret" when I wrote out my master plan. It only works out "perfectly" for one kiddo (unless there are twins :) ) . . . sigh.
I have to come to a place of decision soon . . . :D There is a school year to plan and it's nearly June!!!
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You know what cracks me up? On one of SWB's conference mp3s, she made some comments about how so many homeschool moms seek her approval at conferences, how they approach her and ask for her opinion of a plan that they have painstakingly considered and put down on paper. She talked about how we all know ourselves and what we and our kids want and need and yet so many of us need approval from an expert. She basically said to trust yourself.
I kind of think I took that as a dare. :tongue_smilie: Four year cycle. Eh. I don't need an expert opinion. :lol:
I am deviating from the four year cycle and feel 100% fabulous about it. I own almost everything PHP puts out and adore WTM and SWB but I am a big girl and I can decide against a four year history cycle if I want to. :D
We're doing...
2 years of American history
4 years of world history
2 years of American history
4 years of world history
This schedule means that I don't have to rush through the fun parts of American history. We can immerse ourselves in the details. When we do world history, we can really do world history, without feeling like we're shortchanging America. I'm very happy with this.
This is one of my FAVORITE posts EVER!! :hurray: And I really love your plan . . . really. Now I want to KNOW what curricula you will use to pull this off and what your kiddo dynamics look like. PLEASE share . . . pretty please?! :D
I just listened to this PHP conference mp3 (on Monday night :001_smile:)!! Thanks for reminding me about what she said.
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Okay for some reason it really bothers me that the workbook is a teachers manual and worksheets in one. It's very awkward to open the book and lay each page flat for copying, and I don't want to tear out the the workbook pages because then the manual part would not have a back cover. :glare:
FWIW, I'm using this with 2 kids right now, so 2 copies of each page, and I plan to use it for 3 more kiddos later on.
So what does everyone else do?
Well, my method is a huge pain in the beginning but I like it better later :D. I actually don't like the line sizes in WWE (at least in WWE 1). They are HUGE . . . too big for my boys. So I took the time to choose the copy work sentences and put them into a Word document. I put a check box next to each one. Then I printed handwriting paper from the Zaner Bloser website that was more to my liking size wise. So far it has worked out beautifully. He can fit 3 to 4 days of copywork on one sheet of paper this way. I do own the pdf file (download from PHP) and was able to copy/paste the copy work. I didn't have to type it all out. :001_smile:
It is cheap ($9.50) to order the downloadable pdf for WWE. Here's a link for WWE2 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/student-pages-2-for-writing-with-ease-pdf.html This way you just open up the file and print what you want. This preserves your workbook and allows you to print as many copies as you'd like :D. If you're happy with the line size then this is the way to go.
I'm tired . . . I'm sure there was a more succinct way to say all that!! :001_smile:
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I don't do cyclical history at all. To give you an idea of how not cyclical it is, here is what we did last yr and what we are getting ready to start:
5th grade--American history: Civil War to modern times....
6th grade--history via Further Up and Further In
8th grade--American history: bizarre and obscure topics rarely studied in school (for example, he spent 3 weeks just on pirates and their impact on the formation of our society)
9th grade--World cultures/geography
10th grade--20th century world history
11th grade--American history
We do not rush through history. We savor it! There is nothing that *has* to be learned by a certain time. There are never any pre-reqs. We study and enjoy!
Wisdom borne of experience . . . I long for this! :001_smile:
HOW does one pull off a schedule like this? I suppose that because they are all logic/rhetoric stage ages there is more independence in their studies? I cannot imagine organizing and overseeing all of those different time periods.
What do you do/will you do with your youngers who need more Mom interaction/teaching/read aloud time?
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(Whispering) Even Susan didn't follow Susan's plan to a T. She extended some of their history while she was writing SOTW, so that her kids could use it. Really. :coolgleamA:
:D For some reason it feels WRONG to know this . . . hee hee. That is super duper cool to know!
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This isn't easy to do! :001_smile:But to answer your question, yes, occasionally I'll feel rushed. And then I'll stop and tell myself to stop being such a stick in the mud and slow down and enjoy that period no matter how it changes my schedule.
:001_wub: and :eek: with these programs . . . have spent a lot of time here in recent weeks. I am more scared of Omni (for the junior high years) than TOG.But once I get to Jr. High and High School we are graduating to TOG or Omnibus, and will do the recommended history rotations.Oh, and also, I think I remember someone here wisely pointing out that History is a survey subject, and not an area of study that is meant to be mastered at this point. Realizing that helped me to relax a bit.Your blog is a treat and I was inspired in reading it because your plan is my plan . . .sort of (I had VP going in there too but have wavered on that). :D The difference is that I'm a year "behind" as my oldest is going to be in 2nd. My *good* plan is in jeopardy . . .
I have hesitated to plunge ahead with MOH because it is written for that logic stage . . . I am concerned that MOH 1 would be fine but MOH 2 and beyond might be too much of a stretch. Thoughts?
I do see how Omni would cycle for Jr. High and High School (2 3-year rotations) but how will you handle TOG if you go there? In an ideal world you will have six years :D. PLEASE share.
I need to PM you because I could ask you questions all day . . .:D
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:lurk5::bigear:
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I do feel that way, so I've basically slowed it down to a longer cyle. Instead of 4 TOG units, I try to complete 3 every year. There are places we can speed up or slow down, but I find if I move faster, our retention isn't as high, so I prefer to take it easy. It's working well as we can get in depth, take our time, and enjoy the process. Enjoy the process! That's as important as the process itself, at least to me, at this juncture.:001_smile:
This sounds like the way I operate and want to operate within the study of history! So, it takes you 5 years to cycle through? Can you still meet high school requirements doing it this way?
On the other hand, you'd get three chances to study it, digging a little deeper each time....Yes, I have considered this too . . . but it leaves no wiggle room. I have felt boxed in by this framework.
Six years on SOTW was a better fit for us.:001_smile:
This sounds like me. . . I do fear breaking the rules though. I sit, stumped, and ponder the "box" and how I might get out of the box without getting into trouble. :DI think it was ok for the younger grades since it gives them a grasp on the timeline. Now that we're in the middle grades I am taking a lot more time and digging deeper. I require them to do more so I will take a much time as we need. I never was one to follow the 'rules' that closely. :)
:001_smile:As long as we cover it once in the younger years and once in High School I will be ok.I think I have the courage to NOT follow SWB's plan to a "T" which, admittedly, is hard. I will doubt and waver along the way . . . but I think the plan I have is a *good* plan. Thanks for sharing your experiences and view points . . . I just needed a little affirmation that I'm not the only one who might veer a little from the WTM path (just a little, mind you:D).
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I just noticed these for sale on the Peace Hill Press website. Has anyone downloaded one before? I was just wonder if I bought it, if I'd be able to have them on my kid's computer, and also still be able to download it to my daughter's iPod? Or is it a one-time use thing?
Sorry, I'm a little out of my element with this kind of stuff. :001_smile:
We purchased SOTW 1 and downloaded it to iTunes. Then, from there, it can be played, burned to a cd, or put on an mp3 player (iPod). :) PHP gives you up to five downloads just in case you lose it or mess it up.
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. . . or do you find the "3 4-year cycles" to be a good fit?
:bigear:
I can't seem to see my way past this idea that we'd be flying by the seat of our pants . . . and possibly short changing American History along the way.:confused:
Anyone slow it down and/or cycle through a little differently? I'd like to slow it down but I lack experience. Perhaps this is unnecessary. . . and I'm just caught up in worry and fear!
My history curricula choices (those that I like) include SOTW, MOH (I prefer this to SOTW for it's distinct Biblical focus/Christian world view but SOTW is loved by my kids and fantastic to read aloud) and Beautiful Feet for Early American history with early elementary students. I've set aside TOG, VP and Sonlight for now (they have all been big contenders though).
If anyone reads this and answers then THANKS! Big sigh. :001_smile:
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:confused: I asked Dr Cotter this question at a conference last year, and she said to play the games when the manual said to play them. That's what we do, and it has been widely successful.
My two oldest dc learned their facts to 10 after playing Go to the Dump a few times. I have found the games to be very efficient and effective. We truly don't play any extra games.
:D Well, THAT is a relief!! I'm glad to hear it because 20+ games a week is just nuts IMHO . . . who has time for that?! Although, sometimes in the manual it just gives a generic directive, "Play games with the remaining time." or something to that effect. I suppose it leaves the number of games up to the parent/teacher.
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One other teensy tinsy thing about those math games . . . in theory they are awesome. But in reality, the intended goal (learning of math facts) is not always met because the children FIGHT over who is winning, losing, or whatever!! :glare: I end up refereeing a spat and character training trumps math learning.
:001_smile: This doesn't happen every time we play but with one of my dear children it is a difficult hill to climb for him. It is HARD for me to buckle down to play with him when I know that if I beat him he's going to flip out. Ahhhhh, the joys of parenting and home schooling all mixed up together!!
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After one game of each, my son knew the multiples of nine (which was the objective). This morning he rattled them off to me before he went off to kindergarten.
We had the same experiences with the other games. We played "Go to the Dump" twice and he knew the pairs that make 10 (and he still does).
:drool5: I wish my kids were that *quick*!!! I am going out on a limb here but I think your dear boy is a QUICK STUDY. If playing Go to the Dump twice cemented the pairs that make 10 (my boys do love this game!) then that is amazing. We have played numerous times over the months and we're not even close to that result! Your boy has a quick mind in this way . . . takes after his Dad perhaps?! I don't think that the majority of children learn these concepts that quickly. It requires many many games. On the RS yahoo group someone shared that the expectation with RS is to play more than 20 games a week (I can't remember the exact number). That is a lot for a family with multiple children each needing individual attention/tutoring in a variety of life skills/subject areas (not to mention having babies and toddlers wreaking havoc). The 20+ games a week standard is INSANE for my family. At some point I think my boys will be able to play the games together and we will get closer to that number. But that can't happen yet. So, I have to have a few ways to help my boy review addition and subtraction when I can't play games with him. He really likes the Flashmaster and sees it as fun. No harm no foul!!
if you make learning fun, it is more effective, more efficient, reduces anxiety, and makes the subject one that is associated with good-feelings. Too many children hate (or are frightened by math).:iagree::iagree::iagree: Bill, you are like a magnetic force keeping us in line with our views on math. Sometimes I am pulled to the opposite, "traditional math" side, and your views pull me back and help me to remain balanced. When I feel like throwing a workbook at my child and saying "Do your math!" I remember all that I've gleaned in reading these threads. It IS rewarding to lay on the floor and play math with them! Yes, I did write "Play Math" because that is often what we do. They LOVE it and their eyes never glaze over. :D
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You could get all 4 volumes and then for each school year, determine your own start and stopping points in each volume. Would that help you?
:iagree: Good counsel!! :001_smile:
Charlotte Mason forum-come post!
in K-8 Curriculum Board
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I'll definitely poke around over there and check in on occasion! I love CM and we are blending WTM/Christian classical with CM. Oooooh how I love them both! :D Thanks for sharing.