Every single new page in Miquon is a challenge for one of my kids. This is my "pleaser", so she is really trying, but she just is not a mathy kid. Generally, our pattern is for me to give a short explanation, she tries & fails miserably, I actually teach in detail, I make up 14 more worksheets similarly to the one she couldn't do at first, she finally gets it, and we move on. I sort of feel like I am teaching her the procedure to get through that page, so I'm not sure it's really doing what is intended. Would I be better off just letting her try, giving her a few hints, and moving on instead of really teaching it thoroughly until she gets it? (So using Miquon just for exposure, assuming that RightStart will cover all this more explicitly later?) I don't want to leave Miquon. The other 3 kids love it and totally get it. So diehard Miquon folks, what do you think? Keep going with the current way? Suggestions for changes?

AWESOME post!!! Thanks for the ideas!!!

Posted by someone else on another forum I frequent: My therapist (child psychologist of gifted children) said she looks at her child(ren) and says: I don't like the words you used; the tone with which you used them and the look on your face." She said to be very specific about what is not tolerable about "sassiness' and gives them clear boundaries about what they need to work on. She gives them an example of how they could have made their point without being rude. Then they go on with their day. If the rudeness continues, she starts taking privileges.

Ditto. We have phenomenal local public schools. We are taking each year as it comes, but if I had a crystal ball, I would expect them to be home through middle school, then I would put them in public for high school so they'd have a little exposure while still under my roof. I have absolutely NO intentions of allowing them within 10 miles of middle school - way too much social drama! :) So if they do go to public school, it will be for upper elementary &/or high school.

SWM said it perfectly. If it would not be an acceptable way to treat your boss in the workplace, it's not an acceptable way to treat your mom. I wouldn't ignore it. I wouldn't be ugly back. I think the right approach would be to kindly, gently, but firmly tell her that it is not OK to treat to you in such a disrespectful manner. Make sure she knows that you aren't just talking about the words coming out of her mouth, but the eye rolling, sighing, etc. Any sort of tone or sassiness. None of that is OK. How many times a day do I tell my kids that they are to "do your best, with a smile"? I would go to: "You must do your math. I am willing to help you as much as you need, as long as you have a good attitude and are trying your best. Now, would you like to work on it together, or do you need a few minutes by yourself?" (Sitting at the table doing nothing fun...)

I don't love teaching it, but I love what my kids are getting out of it, if that makes sense.

Don't stress yet. I have 4 close in age kids, 2 of whom have some speech issues. Those two are reading, and the other 2 aren't! :)

CC starts back on Tuesday, and I like to give my kids some background about each item of memory work before class. I am trying not to hyperventilate, as I just realized that the science topic for the semester is chemistry. UGH! Chemistry was the bane of my existence in high school. Can somebody explain atomic numbers in a way that I can make understandable for my preschool/kindergartners?

What really worked for 2 of mine was sounding out one word, then re-reading the sentence to that point and adding that word, then sounding out the next word and re-reading. MMM-AAAA-TTT Mat SSSS-AAAA-TTT Mat sat OOOO-NNNNN Mat sat on SSSSS-AAAA-MMM. Mat sat on Sam. If only this method would work for kiddos #3 & #4....

RightStart A - totally scripted - you can't get a better foundation, and it is impossible to screw it up as they tell you EXACTLY what to say and do. In my prior lifetime I was a CPA, with an undergrad from Tulane in economics and a masters from Clemson in accounting, and I truly have learned from this program. Miquon Orange - the first few pages are really weird - if you can get past those, the program is amazing! MEP Reception - completely different - I'm not sure I'd feel confident using it alone, but it is a great supplement as far as *thinking*. Read Liping Ma and do a search on CLE before making the decision to use that program.

There is a book called "Tray Tasks" that is phenominal!

Note too that this is YOUR loop! You can customize it! I have science & geography twice in my loop, but I only have art appreciation once, b/c I want to get to science & geo twice as often. Know what I mean? Make it yours!

I am not sure if this is the "right" way to do it, but I have divided our subjects into 2 sections - things I want to do every day (the 4 Rs - religion, reading, handwriting, & math), and the other subjects which I consider less essential. We do the essentials daily, then start on our loop list at the place where we left off last. We work through the list until we are out of time/patience, then quit for the day. The next day, we do the essentials, and then pick up where we left off previously on our loop schedule. I would consider the skills (reading, 'riting, & 'rithmetic) + religion to be the essentials and the content subjects to be the ones that go on a loop. I think foreign languages & musical instruments go on the skills list as well.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/frequently-asked-questions?___store=default My child is using The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading. At what lesson number do I begin a spelling program, a penmanship program, and First Language Lessons Levels 1 and 2 (the grammar and writing program)? Jessie advises teaching reading, writing, and spelling separately from one another, as they are three separate skills. You don’t want to slow a child’s reading progress just because her fine motor skills are not yet fully developed. And a child always does better spelling words he can easily read and recognize. Reading instruction can begin before spelling and penmanship. Most four- and five-year-olds can learn to read. There is no set lesson in The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading at which the child should begin her spelling and penmanship instruction. Generally, the child should be about half-way through the lessons (around Lesson 115). At that point the child can read words with the most common patterns for short-and long-vowel sounds. The words in her spelling and penmanship program will therefore be familiar to her. You need to be more precise when deciding to start First Language Lessons, since the child is asked to do copywork exercises. The Ordinary Parent's Guide is structured so that the child applies most phonetic rules to single-syllable words (Lessons 1-177). Lesson 178 and following in The Ordinary Parent’s Guide are all multi-syllable words—these lessons reinforce the patterns taught earlier. A few new phonetic patterns are introduced in multi-syllable words, but those patterns are not as common as the patterns taught in earlier lessons. Once the child has completed Lesson 181 in The Ordinary Parent’s Guide, he knows how to read most phonetic patterns, how to sound out the parts of multi-syllable words, and he has been introduced to the schwa sound. He is fully capable of doing copywork. First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind (Levels 1 and 2) is mostly oral work, although copywork exercises begin in Lesson 42 (and dictation exercises begin later). So by the time the child reaches Lesson 42 in FLL, he should be on or past Lesson 182 in OPG. If you are looking for a lesson by lesson comparison (and you do the same number of grammar and reading lessons per week), you can start FLL when the child in on Lesson 140 in OPG. Following this suggestion assumes that the child has been practicing penmanship enough to copy names, words, and short sentences. If she can't do the copywork at the end of Lesson 42 (and subsequent lessons where she copies short words and sentences), delay beginning First Language Lessons until her penmanship skills prepare her for this.

I have in my notes to start FLL after OPGTR Lesson 140, and to start WWE after OPGTR Lesson 140 IF: - age 7 minimum - basic handwriting is solidified - solidly in 1st grade

Gotcha - makes sense. So would you go back and forth then, ITBS on even numbered years and Stanford on odds, or something like that?

Why would you switch? I had assumed that I would pick one, and use the same one every year so I could compare from year to year to see progress. Is that not the way I should think about it? Is one better for younger years and the other older? THANKS!

Depends on the subject. For most, I know that it takes x number of pages to finish by the end of the year, so I took that number of pages, divided by the number of remaining weeks, and then I know what we need to get done each time. So during the week, I know I need to do pages 42-48, and I know I have 2-3 sessions to get that done in, and depending on how busy our day is, how kids' attention spans are, etc., is how far we make it through those pages during each of the 2-3 sessions. You could just as easily break it up based on chapters or lessons. (27 lessons left and 18 weeks means you need to do 1.5 lessons per week, so if you expect to get through your loop 2-3 times, you need to get 1/2 to 3/4 of a lesson done each time). Then you think about your kids' attention spans, how much time you have, etc. If you think it is easy to get one whole lesson done each time, you either bank on finishing that subject before the end of the school year, or you start coming up supplemental stuff to deepen each lesson. If you think you need to get 1.5 lessons done per week and are struggling to get 1 whole lesson done, you either assume it's OK not to finish by your designated time, or you start cutting stuff to get it done. Bear in mind that my kids are just 6, so I may not be the best one to be giving advice! I go a lot more by attention spans and how much they seem to be getting than by page number - if something needs to be pushed out, so be it. And if I cut some history or science, at this age, it really isn't a big deal! I'm sure I wouldn't be quite so liberal in slashing if I had older kids!

I researched this thoroughly at one point, but for some reason this is all have in my notes: "Beginning in 3rd grade, give Iowa Test of Basic Skills; Stanford & CAT are distant 2nd & 3rd options." Sorry I don't have reasons cited.

Ideally, I would have the whole semester planned by subject, and would just go until time/attention spans were exhausted or we got to a logical stopping point, and pick up there next time we got to that subject. In actuality, I know we get through the whole loop 2 to 3 times per week, and I know how much has to be done in a semester, and I am usually barely a week ahead as far as planning!

It is my understanding that the text was not changed at all, but the maps & illustrations were improved, and the font was changed.

The way I read the law, yes, but when I went up to do so at the district office, they wouldn't let me - said it wasn't necessary. I made them put a piece of paper in my kids' files (they had been in spec ed public preschool) saying that I had attempted to file the paperwork to opt out and was denied. If you aren't in the system, probaby don't need to. Figure out what 3rd option group you are using, and ask them.

Don't do ANYTHING registration-wise until the year that your child is 6 on Sept 1. Before that you don't have to. Registration is really just submitting a small amount of paperwork and paying a fee. There is NO reason to do that before you are required to! You are a true homeschooler (whether you register or not) when you are teaching your child at home. Don't let excitement about being "official" drag you into wasting time on paperwork before you have to. When you NEED to register, Option 3 is by far the most common (and easiest) way to do so.

Are you doing the whole program, or just the workbook? We have had much better luck when we did the whole thing - wooden pieces, slate, magnetic board, etc. We are going through the preschool program for the FOURTH time. Yep, FOURTH. That's what it has taken. I can't imagine it would be that way for typical children, though, mine have some learning challenges. I truly feel like this is a fantastic program and we wouldn't be doing nearly as well if we had chosen anything else. I did buy StartWrite recently, and have been adding to the workbook. We focus on one workbook letter each week, and then on the other days we review with worksheets I make in StartWrite using an HWOT font. We review all the letters previously taught. SW allows you to print the first letter of each line with numbered arrows showing strokes. This review of every single letter every single day seems to be finally helping my kids to retain.

THANKS!