m0mmaBuck
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Posts posted by m0mmaBuck
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Have you tried backing off from the literature for more science / tech type books? Science (dinosaurs, rockets, whaterver)? Or maybe more recent literature that he can relate to?
He does have some tolerance (not love, but tolerance) for nonfiction books. He went through a spurt of wanted to read everything he could find about big cats. However, he told me he was tired of animals (and thankfully today was our last day of that unit of study) so I am giving him a break from animals for a while.
I do think that nonfiction books are where it is at for him. I try to pick up a few NF books that might interest him whenever I go to the library. Since he also like Star Wars and that type of science fiction, I am hoping books on space or rockets or whatnot will be 'tolerable.'
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I will definitely be looking for the suggested books at the library today. I love the variety of suggestions. Hopefully something will spark him. And I didn't mean to offend anyone with the twaddle comment. Honestly I'd let him read nothing but cereal boxes if they were something he enjoyed.
He does probably have more screen time than he should. I will work to decrease this.
When we read his mind wanders. He cannot answer simple questions about what we have read, let alone narrate from them, without significant prompting. For example, he enjoys SOTW but I have to make a point of frequently pausing and checking to make sure he is following along by asking leading questions about the subject or else his mind wanders. I let him do the coloring page while I read but many times he is so focused on "getting the coloring right" that he doesn't hear what I read. It's OK, we just review it again, but I don't want to beat a dead horse and suck the fun out of history (which he enjoys).
I guess if he is hearing things without really knowing he is hearing them... What I mean is, if he is gleaning some type of information even on an almost subliminal level, it's still better than being bored to death at PS.
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Thanks to all who responded. I pulled DS out of PS at Christmas time. I am not sure this is a 'permanent' decision for us (HS'ing) so I feel pressured to make sure he is at least at grade level if not higher in case we return him to public or private school. However, I probably need to ease up so he learns to enjoy reading/learning.
He doesn't care to read or be read to. He doesn't have any issues with reading. He just doesn't like it. And when I read to him he doesn't pay attention. Perhaps I need to keep trying to find things that interest him, twaddle or not.
Thank you again.
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He doesn't like to read. He doesn't like to be read to. He will begrudgingly read what he needs to for his schoolwork. He will tolerate SOTW and the additional reading although he whines about it whether we do it as independent reading, I read-you read, or readalouds. I've tried "The Odyssey" and "Black Ships Before Troy" and several of the other adventure type books recommended by SOTW AG. I've tried Aesops fables and the Greek myths and fairy tales and poetry... I've tried Classics for Children and various other suggestions I've seen on these boards and in the WTM and SOTW. I even tried "The Lightning Thief" given it's tie-ins to Greek mythology.
Do I just keep plugging along, forcing him to listen and narrate and do copywork and so on? Is there any way to 'make' him like this stuff? Personally I find it extremely interesting (as does my 4yo DD) but the child who is actually supposed to be working at this level does not.
Thanks for any thoughts.
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Have a look at this link :
It's from the Classical Christian Education site, but the list is extensive, so you can pick and choose. A lot of the books for earlier years are very "Americo-centric" (in fact I couldn't even get some here) but there are also some great suggestions. Thanks for the reminder - I need to go through the list myself again :D
Thanks for that link. I am struggling to find things that interest DS8, either from a read alone or read aloud perspective. Books are not his thing. I hope something on this list will interest him.
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My husband sews ours on (mine, DS, and his own). We taught DSS when he was a Webelo (felt he was old enough to safely sew by hand or with the machine) so he does his own.
My husband is the Cubmaster and if a parent 'demanded' the kids be shown how to sew them on, that parent would be running a class for the Pack. Remember, all parents are Akela.
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Not positive we will be HS'ing but if we are:
History: Finish SOTW2 and start SOTW3 w/ AG
Math: Finish CLE3 and start/finish CLE4
Science: Finish CLE3 and then follow WTM recommendations
LA: undecided. We have yet to find what works.
Continue with piano lessons, AWANAS and Cub Scouts. Probably put in additional geography, social studies, foreign language... Perhaps a formal art program?
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Ds just turned 7 can read at about a high second grade level. But he doesn't enjoy it much during school time, and would never read outside of school time. Absolutely NO desire. His school time is VERY light (about 1 1/2 hours of one on one time), so it's not that he's doing too much. And his reading during school time is maybe half an easy reader book, and five pages from The Beginner's Bible. This is easy for him, and we spread it out and separate the two readings by math. He does a little ETC, WWE (takes him about 7 minutes!), and some picture book readalouds for sci and history. The rest of his day is playing.
He'd rather play Legos and wouldn't pick up a book if it jumped in his hand!
He will listen fine to readalouds or books on CD, but it's so weird because older dd was born with a book in her hand and was reading at 4. It helped her spelling and everything else so much!
He has no learning issues; is very bright. I don't care about his reading level, etc., or pushing him. I just would love to see him ENJOY reading more. I love it myself, and would like to cultivate that love in him. I'm sure it can be done, just not sure how!
Sounds just like my 8 yo. I've found that he enjoys science and will read books about animals of interest (i.e. big cats, savannah and Arctic/Antarctic animals) and enjoy them. Of course I have to hand them to him and tell him to read them, but he comes out of his room spouting interesting facts from the books. He also enjoys books about the weather, space, and certain historical figures (for example King Tut, Leonidis, Cyrus, and Abraham Lincoln). He doesn't care to read fiction unless it is from one of the many Star Wars series available.
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My son turned 8 earlier this month. He loves math (would do 2-4 complete CLE lessons/day if I let him), science, history, geography, social studies.....
HATES language arts. HATES them all. Grammar, writing, spelling, even reading if it's not about science or history or Bakugans or Star Wars.... So I try to mix it up. Some days we do phonics flashcards. Some days we do AAS. Somedays we watch Schoolhouse Rocks. Somedays the CLE LA workbooks come out.
The point is... One lesson of CLE Math is a lot of math daily for a kid who doesn't like math. If you do the flashcards and the speed drills and the full lesson.... for a squirmy kid who doesn't like math... That could feel endless. Maybe do either flash cards or speed drills but not both for each lesson. Go through the lesson and pick a few problems from each review section for him to do. If he gets them right, don't make him do the rest in those review sections. If there are things you know he knows... skip them.
Or make a day 'flashcard day' and don't worry about a lesson... Just do various flashcards. Sometimes we do "Flashcard Friday" and spend 10-15 minutes doing addition, subtraction, multiplication, time and money flashcards but no seatwork.
Find math games you can play instead of doing formal math every day.... Yahtzee, War, and Sleeping Queens are a few of our favorites. Monopoly and Payday also require math. There are plenty more out there.
Even if you get behind on the lessons/light units... You are the teacher and one of the benefits of homeschooling is setting your own pace, schedule and curriculum. So what if you don't complete a particular level during a given school year? You can make it up later. You can even play catch up during the breaks if you need to for whatever reason.
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I'm new but we've found a few things that don't work:
A Beka's LA's: The reading comprehension stories DS found boring and therefore was disinterested while reading and his comprehension suffered. The rest of the workbook was OK but nothing we would repeat.
AAS: I like the idea... The tactile nature of learning, the mastery, etc... But it's not working for DS. He thinks the tiles are babyish and doesn't like to write on the whiteboard. He would rather work his way through a workbook which is why I tested him and ordered CLE LA today. He enjoys their math and science so why not try their LA.
FLL: Too scripted and he isn't retaining much. Honestly he retains more about the parts of speech from watching/singing Schoolhouse Rocks. Hopefully the CLE LA will fill in the gaps.
WWE: We have not really wrapped our heads around either. He hates to write so I find it more constructive to do copywork, dictation, or journaling from our history, science, social studies or free reading.
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I've found some good deals at the warehouse sale and online but you have to sift through a lot of 'junk' and deal with a lot of crazies. Fortunately I have a friend that works at the warehouse and she can get the same discount any day of the year!
I do buy 'fluff' books (i.e. Disney, Star Wars, etc) to use in place of cards for birthday gifts. They are cheaper than cards and the kids seem to enjoy them.
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We use Shurley (1-6) I didn't like 7 so I switched to CLE for my oldest and I may alternate years of Shurley with CLE for my youngest in 2nd, SE is confusing for her, being a VSL may have something to do with it. Surprisingly, she loved the first couple of LU from CLE, even though it takes longer, go figure. I bought the CLE diagramming books for my oldest. She had no problem , it takes you through each step, then she went right into CLE LA. I'll try to link it here.
I'm considering starting CLE LA with my 2nd grader who struggles (IMO, not in the PS's opinion, lol) with spelling and grammar. Currently the LA portion of our curriculum is the most frustrating and time consuming (AAS, FLL, WWE) and we just can't take it anymore! I am going to have him do the placement test but I'm pretty sure we will end up starting in the 100-level. Do you think I would need the diagramming books too? Or do the 100-level LU cover enough diagramming that he will have a chance to catch on?
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OK, so I read through everyone's responses and truly appreciate them all. I am going to try to address everything that was posted but if I miss someone please forgive me. You are probably going to learn more about me and the family than you cared to so I apologize.
Like I said before, I do need to make quiet time work, I just have to figure out how. I agree that the behavior issue with DD is a big problem that feeds negativity into the situation and I know we as parents need to figure out a way to nip it in the bud. My son's behavioral issues (primarily playing 'dumb' to try to get out of work and crying when he is frustrated) stem from situations he encountered in PS so sending him back into that environment would only serve to reinforce them.
I can have DSS run some of the errands (daily errands for the business like picking up the mail at the POB and making any deposits at the bank). He could take the kids to the park on nice days since he gets home from school at 2 p.m. He does have chores that he often chooses not to do and I end up picking up the slack there (ie vacuuming the living room, cleaning the bathroom, loading dishwasher and doing dishes after dinner to name a few) and sI spoke with my husband and him about how important it is that he does what he is expected to make things work for everyone around here. We also spoke about the fact that I cannot push him through his Eagle, through his senior project, through graduation... I told him that if he does not have the desire to succeed in these areas I cannot help him achieve them. He has frustrated his dad to the point that Dad is no longer willing to help and I am the child's last hope for adult supervision and advice in these areas. However, that is a somewhat separate issue from the original.
The now 8 yo has chores such as cleaning his room, taking out the garbage, putting his clothes away, and setting/clearing the table after meals. The 3 yo has to help clean her room and put her clothes away. I can re-evaluate their chores and add more.
DH is overscheduled between work, Boy Scouts, Venture Scouts, and Cub Scouts and is not pleasant when asked to give more to the household/family so that is not an option. We are looking forward to May when DSS turns 18 and will no longer be a Boy Scout youth. That means that not only are Tuesday nights free again but also that DH will no longer feel obligated to the Troop and the Council as a trainer for several of the required youth and adult courses.
The time we spend in school allows for Math, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Science and History daily. We also throw in music, geography, art, religion, health, PE, and other topics as mandated by the state at least once/wk. Our actual school time in that 9a-2p session is around 4 hrs once you take out breaks and lunch. Even when I try to combine subjects (for example reading of a science-related book followed by copywork/dictation from the same book) it still seems to take the same length of time. I am hopeful that as we continue on we will become more efficient.
We hit the library once/wk, the children's museum once/wk, and then various other 'after school' activites that also qualify as school hours for the state. I can't skip the library because the books I request are only held for a week and then reshelved but the children's museum could be once/month... I could send DSS to the park with the kids to get some alone time or to run to the library and store without the kids.
The little kids are in bed at 8 pm but the teenager then sees it as his time with us until he goes to bed at 10 pm. Since I get up at 5:15 a.m. to head to the gym, I'm usually only up for another 30-45 minutes and then my husband stays up for another hour to get his alone time. I love going to the gym so that is one thing, my only guaranteed self-serving 'me time,' that I refuse to give up. Dinner is at 5:00 so we can eat as a family and clean up without anyone having to rush out the door for activities.
Cub Scouts and AWANAS are the only times the kids are scheduled to be around other children their age. If it weren't for those activities, they would probably go for weeks without ever seeing a child outside of each other.
I can drop helping with Venture Crew and Boy Scouts. I could probably quit doing the per diem work although it makes me happy to use my degree, even if it's just for just a few patients each month. I don't plan to be the Family Fun Chair for the Cubs next year but if DH is still the Cubmaster it won't matter, I'll still end up doing/planning things to support him. I've already dropped MOMS Club because leaving the house for scheduled events has become a hassle.
As for priorities, I have to help my husband with the business or it will go under and take our lives with it. I have to exercise or I will go crazy. I have to be there for my kids (which includes hs'ing, Cub Scouts, and helping DSS with his life plan). The rest I can push off on someone else if life requires it.
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Thank you for the suggestions.
My typical school day goes as follows: I go to the gym from 5:30-7:30 getting home in time to see DSS off to PS and wake DH for work. Showers, breakfast, free play until 9:00 when we start school. We typically do school from 9 a.m. -2 p.m. with 1/2 hr break for lunch and some 10-15 min breaks as needed for DS to work his wiggles out between subjects. During that time I am also answering the phone and doing household tasks as able... but honestly DS doesn't get much done if I'm not literally sitting on him so not much household stuff gets done. By 2:00 we are usually done and jump in the car to run errands as needed (business and home) or head to the library, the children's museum, a park, etc.... or I do book work for home or business while the kids play. 5:00 is dinner time. At least 3 nights/week we have Scout obligations (Tuesday is Boy Scouts for DSS, Thurs is Ventures, and Friday is Cubs) and Wednesday is AWANAS for DS and DD. Even if I don't go to BSA or Ventures, DH goes with DSS so I'm still stuck... alone... with the kids... again...
Last week was a really rough week and today DH and DSS have Den Chief training (DH is teaching and DSS is taking the class). That's a fairly typical weekend occurance (DH and DSS will have an obligation that leaves me with the kids yet another day).
So the quiet time sounds wonderful but I'm not sure how I would get it. And discipline with DD... yes, it is an issue and I just haven't found what works with her. DS wears his heart on his sleeve and this is one of the reasons he pouts, bursts into tears, and such... and one of the reasons we pulled him from PS.
Anyway, I am taking in your advice and trying to figure what I can do to make this work without making me insane.
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My kids... are driving me... absolutely insane... to the point where now I am now turning into the crazy, yelling sitcom mom.... It used to be that my husband was the short-tempered nut, now we both are....
I used to get a break from them. I would sent them to school or daycare and go to work... Some days I even had time to catch lunch with a friend or my husband on occasion without having to referee. I had an occasion thought or idea that I could see through to fruition. I had moments without the noise, noise, noise.... Constant fighting, constant "I need...", constant pulling and tugging and needing and wanting and screaming and fighting and just pure agony for me.
I am an introvert, and even when it comes to my own family, I need time to myself to recharge. All this togetherness is killing me. Honestly I'm starting to think I should have never gotten married because it resulted in an instant family and then additions to the family which has put me where I am now... never, ever, ever left alone.
I pulled DS out of PS at Christmas b/c he was having issues... He is ahead in math and reading but PS's answer was reading time alone in a corner or more of the same worksheets vs. a challenge so he was causing trouble. He loves Science and History but the school doesn't cover those until 3rd grade. He has trouble in spelling but they don't do spelling in school... it's all homework. So... we thought 1-on-1 focusing on strengths and weaknesses would be best for him... and it is... but it's not working for me. Of course this is only our 2nd month... but how long is this adjustment to constantly being around each other going to take?
I run our business (answer phones, run the errands, do the books), run our home (all meals, errands, bills, cooking, laundry, etc.), am the Family Fun Coordinator for our Cub Scout pack of 30 boys, do per diem work in a few friends' clinics, am the Committee Chair for DSS's Venture Crew... I'm trying to help DSS earn his Eagle Scout, complete his senior project, graduate from HS, and perhaps come up with an obtainable future goal... And then there is homeschooling.... 24/7 I am at the whim of a group of people who don't ever think I do enough for them.
And then the fighting starts... and the screaming... and the whining... (from the 3 and 8 yo) and the "I hate you" (from the 3 yo)... and the constant criticism of how I don't do enough or don't do it right or quickly enough (from the 3 yo).... Then the 8 yo starts pouting and crying ...
And then I get mad, yell at them, and send them to their rooms crying. Which is where they are now. And it's a sunny Saturday and I don't want to leave the house because I have to take them with me and I know they are going to embarrass me somehow so it's easier to stay home.
And the thought of another week of being stuck home alone with them is making me sick to my stomach.
So if you made it this far... what do I do? Do I just suck it up and keep trying hs'ing thinking that it has to get easier at some point... or do I give up and send him back to PS and her back to daycare and me back to work?
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"ETA, we are required to test here in Minnesota but we don't have to turn in the results to anyone, it is just for the teacher's information."
Tha's how WA is.
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Most days we start with the 3 R's at the kitchen table so that we make sure we get them covered. Some days I can tell he needs a change so I will let him do Science (his new favorite) first, or even an art project, just to let him 'have fun' before we hit the 3 R's.
Fridays are his choice as far as order. Today we started with penmanship, moved into reading comprehension and then geography. Right now he's doing math and we still have spelling, writing, history and science.
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We are with the group that have saving for our retirement as a priority right now. I am also a firm believer that kids who have to pay their own way are often more diligent students.
Each of our kids has a 50K life insurance policy with an investment tied to it. It can be cashed in at 18 (to help with college) or rolled over to continue the policy (particularly if the child has a reason they are uninsurable at that point). The investment portion is tied to the stock market of course, but the surrender value will be equal or greater to what we put into it so worst case scenario is that we/they get out of it what we put into it.
We encourage our kids to do well in school, to look for ways to make/save money, to set themselves up for scholarships when appropriate. DH is retired from the Army and we fully encourage ROTC scholarships and/or GI bills as viable options for our kids.
DSS17 should graduate this year... I say should b/c his grades are right on the borderline, he can't fail anything and graduate, he hasn't started on his senior project or portfolio, he hasn't taken the ACT/SAT, he has no idea what he wants to be when he grows up, he has little to no motivation, and his mother passing away last month has magnified his teenage butthead behavior by 1000000%. We have tried to get him to take classes that will get him college credit (either via the vocational tech. high school or through Running Start at the Community College) but he refuses. That said, if he does graduate we have told him he can live here for up to 2 more years if he is attending the Community College a mile down the road. Our contribution is free room and board. He has to come up with the tuition ($2-3K/yr depending on credits, books, lab fees, etc). We looked at a chart for average housing expenses for college students in our town and they estimate $6-8K/yr so he is getting the better end of the stick there. We plan to offer the same deal to our younger kids.
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At 5'5" and 130 lbs, spent the first 6 mos of every pregnancy vomitting so I initially lost weight 15-20 lbs and then ended up somewhere near my starting weight at delivery. The docs never said a thing. But if someone called me a "fatty," I'd be out of there!
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My husband dislikes the word "poop." Makes him crazy. For my mother-in-law, it's "snot." Me? I don't like so-called words that aren't really words: irregardless, strategory, musicality... to name a few.
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Our boxer is great with the kids but every boxer we have ever had has been a spaz. High. High. High. Energy. A puppy forever if you know what I mean.
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I just pulled my 2nd grader out of PS at Christmas. I started w/ SOTW1 b/c it made sense to start from the beginning. However, when we get through SOTW1 I plan to do a brief overview of American History (in line with What Your First Grader Needs to Know and What Your Second Grader Needs to Know) so that people like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln aren't foreign to him. I'm not sure if he will be returning to PS in the Fall and if he does I want him to recognize important events and people in Am. History.
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I'd love to know too... I'm in Oly.
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I'm a planner. I have a list that we get through each day and week... If we miss something on Tuesday we make it up by Friday. As for the year, if we get through the curriculum before the year is through, we move forward into the next level.
How often do you leave the house alone?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I answered "Daily" because I leave almost every morning from about 5:30-7:30 a.m. to go to they gym. I also go to a Zumba class on Monday and Thursday nights sans children. I can also schedule other time away daily if need be (appointments, shopping, sanity runs) since I have a 17yo who is home from school by 2 p.m. on most days and my husband is self-employed.