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loftmama

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Everything posted by loftmama

  1. loftmama
    Plum Crazy, wow! I love that accordian timeline! Hmmmm.... I'm going to ponder that as a definite possibility! If somebody sells these ready made, let me know! (In a vertical 3-ring binder version, of course, for add-ins.) Tracy, I didn't see the samples. Going to look for them now. I think I may have a lot of printing ahead of me. Time for a new printer! :)
  2. loftmama
    Tracey, the paid one is beautiful but how would you insert hand-written book reviews pertaining to that era? A biography? Scientific discoveries, etc?
  3. loftmama
    I guess I'm trying to figure out a way to tab the timeline instead of tabbing the sections. I have a huge, 10-foot newsprint timeline but it is a pain to get to so it's not used frequently enough, imo. It was while reading TWTM section on creating a history notebook where she divides it up into sections like Famous Men/Women, Scientific Discoveries, Maps, etc, that the thought occurred to me why not just divide by centuries instead and include everything in that century. I don't know. I haven't seen this done anywhere and I might be making it more complicated than it needs to be. I just starting wondering what if their history notebook could be something they add to during each stage and included some sort of timeline in it. Lol. Starting school tomorrow and still trying to figure this one out.
  4. loftmama
    Tracy, thanks! The vertical option must be new. I hadn't seen that before. Twigs, wow, I hadn't thought of adding a century or decade page behind a millennia page. That's a great idea! Thank you! I'm not sure what you mean by 10 sections, though...
  5. loftmama
    bump :)
  6. loftmama
    I've been trying to figure out how to organize one big, fat binder to hold all things historical: timeline, maps, book reviews, scientific discoveries, etc. We have a timeline on the wall but I want something they can each hold and carry with them. I've seen some lovely examples online but they are bound so you cannot add pages of maps and book reviews in between each section. My thought is this: 2" 3-ring binder divided by tabs into 4 main sections ala TWTM. Within those sections, I think some cardstock timeline would be great for them to either draw on or cut & paste pictures. I haven't figured out how long each section should be. I guess the Ancients could be a thousand years per page; the Middle Ages could be a hundred; etc. This way they could insert book reviews, scientific discoveries, maps and maybe a clear pocket page for miscellaneous papers. But I'm having trouble visualizing it and I seem to be over-thinking it. I'm worried I'll spend lots of time and my divisions will be all wrong. For the record, we studied Ancients last year, so beginning next week I want to go back and re-organize their History (which took up about 1/4 of a binder with all subjects) and prep for the Middle Ages. I just wish I could see some examples or find out if there's a company that already sells something like this to take the guesswork out for me. My idea is that for my Grammar stage kiddo, he can add to this collection as he goes through the other stages and for my Logic kiddo, well, he can have a pretty good start which he can add to more thoroughly during the Rhetoric stage. Anybody here make something like this? Thanks!
  7. loftmama
    I'm a little behind but just wanted to find out if they rescheduled the fair. The posters look awesome!
  8. loftmama
    :( Hope it gets rescheduled soon! And hope you're all okay. It's weird to think about snowstorms in sunny North America right now.
  9. loftmama
    :)
  10. loftmama
    Just found this thread. Great for making a list of summer books.
  11. loftmama
    I clearly remember my high school typing class and figured I'd teach my guys about the same time. So I answered 7-8, thinking this was early. :lol: As in so many things, I am behind the curve! :)
  12. loftmama
    Wow!
  13. loftmama
    Wow, Ruth, this is amazing work by both your kiddos! I just love following along. What a doozy! Your kids will definitely remember their science and the scientific method this way - much better than from a textbook! I have been thinking all week about how hard it is to find the right question and about how much that applies to other subjects, relationships, life, etc. I may be extrapolating too much but your son's hunt for the right question has been in my mind as I write to a homeschool high school graduate. I am so looking forward to pictures. And all I can think about when you ask for the suggestions are 2 silly things: a game we play called, "Red Light, Green Light" and for some odd reason, the children's book, "Go, Dog, Go." :rolleyes:
  14. loftmama
    Whoah, you guys went way beyond Pre-Algebra while I was at the zoo all day yesterday! :lol: I am fascinated by all of it, of course, not just the necessity of Pre-Algebra (to which the answer is, "It depends.") but also to the sequencing of math as this is ultimately what I have in mind. I cannot contribute to the advanced math discussions yet but I do want to respond to regentrude's comment about developmental readiness. Imo, I do think Algebra can be introduced early with fun and games which can then contribute to confidence when delving into the more complex math later. Both my sons thought it was fun to solve the mystery of x at a young age and look for "clues" in the problem. Once they understood the concept of adding and subtracting, it just seemed so natural to add x and y to our games. When their friends came over, they had fun playing "x and y" with the other kids. Thanks for the great links to math texts. There are some out there that look like they teach "Pre-Algebra" in a fun way which my 9yo might like although, for now, I'll just make up problems for him until he's ready for Alg 1. I mainly don't understand why Algebra has to be such a big deal and not taught till later. When I opened my first Algebra book in 9th grade, it was revelatory. It was like my whole world was explained, as if I had been starving for it. The teacher eventually stopped teaching and just put me at the chalkboard. That is to say there is way to teach math that just makes sense and there are ways to teach math that just ruin it.
  15. loftmama
    Pen, I came across an article yesterday which you may find interesting. Overall it contrasts education in China with education in the U.S. The gist is that the Chinese envy the US's ability to create entrepreneurial thinkers while the US envies the Chinese for their scores. I know it's not what you're asking but within the article, it addresses how much time students spend studying altogether: Peter Gray, Psychology Today eta: Fixed link. Thank you, Soror.
  16. loftmama
    TexasMama, I'm curious what book you will use for your 5th grader. I'm starting Algebra "games" with my 9yo - just fun ways to play with numbers that I make up. There is a lot of variance around the state, not to mention around the country!
  17. loftmama
    Thanks for chiming in, Lanny. I just read something about Texas dropping Algebra 2 as a requirement for graduation and didn't know about the EOC tests although I guess we're waiting to see if Perry passes it. I'm pretty sure Algebra 1 is a 9th grade course where I live.
  18. loftmama
    Wow, 8th grade is the norm for Algebra in CA! Well, I guess my 12yo is right on track for average then. I'm glad he's not being tracked! I guess I'll just quit sweating it, then, and move him from SM 76 to Alg 1. If I didn't like Algebra so much, I might be worried about the big jump. But I love it and know I can teach it. (I tutored high school Alg and College Alg.) And I am completely confident in his math skills, so leap we will. Thanks! Now I wonder when students in Texas take Algebra...
  19. loftmama
    Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences with PreAlgebra. Regentrude, I appreciate you chiming in, too. Arcadia, thank you for those links! I wouldn't entertain *skipping* anything lightly. I don't want to rush him if he'll miss something essential but I also don't know why he can't just go straight to Alg 1 like we did back in the old days. I will spend more time examining the differences between SM Alg 1/2 and SM Alg 1 as soon as I get the Alg 1 book from my friend. I can't find a table of contents online for Alg 1. Do any of you know of a link with that listed? I clicked with Algebra in school and have been playing Algebra games with him since he was 8 or so. So I think he is just as ready for Alg 1 as he is for Alg 1/2 - especially if there's more Geometry in it, which is what he really loves. But I definitely don't want to push him if he's not ready. I'd rather he get there at his own pace loving it than push him before he's ready and resent it. I just don't want to hold him back unnecessarily. Thanks!
  20. loftmama
    This may sound silly, but I've been thinking lately about my own public school math education and I don't recall ever taking a pre-algebra class nor does my husband. I went to a school with about 25 people in my grade and only one math option. During my 8th grade year we moved to a school with about 80 in my grade and more than one math option. I went into regular math but in order to be on a college track, I had to take both Alg I and Geometry my 9th grade year. I had never had anything other than 8th grade math. So I'm just wondering, is Pre-Algebra a new thing? Is there something wrong with going straight into Algebra? We didn't have "gifted" or "AP" although I suspect there was "tracking." I did ask a friend today what the difference was between Saxon Math Algebra 1/2 and Algebra I and she mentioned that Alg I has Geometry in it. Still, I don't understand why a kid has to take Pre-Algebra. Any thoughts on this from you experienced homeschool parents? Thanks!
  21. loftmama
    Oh my, 3 days later, my head is spinning I've learned so much. So glad to find this. I'm pretty sure Evolution got about 5 minutes in all of my high school education. Thanks! (Although I still don't think I understand it all.)
  22. loftmama
    Interesting, we do "block" scheduling, and we double up on our History lessons, so History is about 1/2 day 2x week. Science has been lacking but I hope to change that this fall with the 1 or 2 half-days. I agree all that switching in one day has not been good for mine. It reminds me when I taught school and we were just getting deeply into a subject when the bell would ring. I have also found that 3 seems to be the limit to number of subjects my guys can handle in a day, not counting music. It started off as Pick 3 and has evolved to being 3 every day. Sometimes this means a little Sat morning "homework" but they much prefer that over a 4th subject in a day. Anyway, just wanted to say, huh, hadn't thought of every other week. The language thing... I can't really imagine how that works, how they retain it... Curiouser and curiouser...
  23. loftmama
    Thank you! [deleted material] I hate being paranoid but I feel like I, increasingly, wait till my kids aren't near to do a search. Hate that. Love the PBS site. Signed up for it. Thanks! For future reference: Top Documentaries Documentary Storm Documentary Tube all had just the Nova doco I was looking for. WatchKnowLearn - had great educational viddies I think my kids would like. NeoK12 - didn't spend any time here yet but will bookmark Unfortunately, internet is still not available in the part of the country where I live. I will miss Netflix but I won't go back unless they allow pre-set parameters for general searches as Amazon does.
  24. loftmama
    Is there a source other than Netflix to get DVDs for school? (deleted)
  25. loftmama
    Ruth, can we copy your 9yo's project this fall? It sounds PERFECT for my 9yo/Chemistry. I read some of it aloud and he asked if he could go pick some violets right now! I suggested that he start picking whatever flowers he wants to experiment with and we will preserve them. I have a dehydrator we can use to dry them before grinding (what I do for herbs). We make sauerkraut here, too, and he really likes kitchen gadgets and is pretty comfortable making food in the kitchen (especially guacamole!) He hates writing, too, but loves color. (What I mean is I can usually get him to "do" art if I tell him to forget about an outline and just use colors for shaping what he wants.) So I really, really love this project. I wonder if your son would be interested in documenting it (or even better, dictating/recording how-to instructions) with pictures or something that he could send. (My 12yo got a little jealous, btw.) :)
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