I really think it will depend on whether you wish your children to learn math conceptually or not. Most of us did not learn math conceptually so it's hard for us to wrap our minds around the different way of learning it. I know I had several "a-ha!" moments while I was reading Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma. I literally understood, for the first time, what "borrowing" really was and, more importantly, the whys of the operation - not just the hows. I highly recommend this book. Oops, more to say, but duty calls...

Well, my son does a sheet of daily math drill which I make up and that takes anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes (depending on the prevailing attitudes). But, to answer your question, yes, it doesn't take him that long to finish up the workbook excercises. I also bought CWP and Intensive Practice and intersperse those during the unit. Sometimes, he does the workbook exercises and a page or so (whatever seems like a good stopping point - might just be 5 problems) of one of the other books. CWP is wonderful at teaching students how to *read* the problem, *extract* the appropriate information, and then *solve* the problem. I had huge problems with word problems when I was in school; so, I'm glad my kids will have this experience. IP takes the material taught/practiced in the textbook/workbook and applies that knowledge in different and harder ways. This way you *know* if your child conceptually understands what has been taught.

I do just this, especially during the HOT, SWELTERING summer months -- you know April through October (I'm in Central TX myself). We spend the morning outdoors in the garden, running around, generally getting good and *tired*. Then lunch, then mandatory nap/quiet time (depending on ages). While the youngers nap, I work with the 5 yo (who then goes down for a nap) and the 7 yo. While 5yo is doing her work, 7 yo is on the couch either reading or, I don't know, counting dust bunnies. The point is he's quiet. Occasionally, he'll fall asleep in which case I do a (very quiet) happy dance and lay down myself somewhere. We then do his work when he wakes up. Having 4 young kids and trying to accomplish anything resembling yearly goals is one reason we school year round taking breaks when we need/want. The other big reason is that brains tend to atrophy when we take too much time off -- and I'm most definately including myself in this list. :D

Oh, hon, my kiddos are almost exactly yours' ages (except my third child is 3 and my baby is 21 mos -- well, OK, maybe "exactly" really isn't accurate :tongue_smilie:). My youngest gave up his morning nap right around 12-13 months. And, like your 1yo, he's always teethed in groups of 3 or 4 and it has made life absolutely miserable. His 2 yo molars are currently coming in right now -- all 4 of them. UGH!! The other thing, erm person, who's made (my) life absolutely miserable is, you'll never guess, my ds7. I think you have 2 different issues whose synergy is sometimes overwhelming. As far as 1 yo, 2 of mine (including current baby) increased their afternoon naps & went to bed earlier when those morning naps went the way of the do-do bird (coincidentally, the 2 were my boys). My girls, well, apparently they didn't believe in sleeping. And, there's nothing wrong with an MDO if your sanity is on the line. I don't have one convienent in my area. Ds7 -- well, hmmm, um, erm...yeah. <ahem> I feel your pain and frustration. Just remember, he's 7...he does that...and this too shall pass. And not finishing every subject you have scheduled will not hurt him in the long run. There are days (like yesterday) where he's finished his math. Or his cursive practice. Or his Latin. Note the *or* not *and*. So, yes, I think you can successfully homeschool with your crew. But successful might look a wee bit different in this season than what you planned. My secret? Well, chocolate, wine (not necessarily during school time), time-outs (for me). Not very helpful, huh? Just wanted you to know that I completely empathize with you.

Has your son read Issac's Storm? I don't know the name of the author. I have not read it yet; but my dad highly recommended it. Also, KUT had a radio special on the 100th anniversary of the storm entitled No Voice Can Tell It. It was a compilation of decades of interviews of survivors of the hurricane. Very interesting and moving. Their website (kut.org) might have it archived somewhere. As far as the game, you *know* that if a Longhorn home football game is postponed, someone, somewhere must think this storm could be bad in the Austin area (not Carla bad, of course, but 60 mph winds are nothing to sneeze at -- we have a policy that we will not respond in winds greater than 50 mph except in life-threatening situations).

I'm expecting to work. Dh has already taken off work on Saturday in case I'm called in to man an extra truck. Whoo-Hoo. What's interesting about Ike is that it is following a very similar path to the 1900 storm which ravished Galveston and Hurricane Carla in, um, 1962(?). My parents remember standing outside Gregory Gym on the UT campus waiting to register for classes. I guess UT learned its lesson as the Arkansas game has already been postponed.

Yeah, I'm pretty much tired of tip-toeing through the tulips, so to speak. Because of where I live and my profession, many people assume I'm of a particular political/ideological persuasion. I'm not. Nor am I of the other mainstream political/ideological persuasion. I very proudly refuse to catagorize myself (well, I will on occasion give myself a political label, but as most people I come into contact with IRL don't understand what I mean, the effect is the same as no label). I can't stand the castigation people of one political/ideological stance have for people of the other political/ideological stance and vise versa. It's...not helpful. Nor can I stand the refusal to accept less than savory information about one's particular choice(s). I would love to be able to have thoughtful discussion this political season, but the prerequisite is that one first must think, preferably before one opens one's mouth. Alas, I fear I'll just breathe deeply and spend lots of time in my happy place...

Abbeyeje said pretty much everything I thought of. My eldest (7yo son) also has problems with seeing his younger siblings playing, especially his 5 yo sister finishing her work "way" before he does. I explain, ad nauseum it seems to me, that he did the same amount of work when he was 5 that she's doing now. And I heartily agree with abbeyeje on the Latin. My son loves Latin, but there is no way he'd consent to doing it alone. I might think about seeing which areas you could meet your son half-way, so to speak. He'll feel better about having you listen to him (I know you're listening to him; this way, he'll know it. Make sense? I'm not criticizing you in any way. It's that whole perception thing.) and you'll feel better about him doing what you think *must* be finished. I hope this comes across better that it "sounds" when I write it. Good Luck!

My 2nd grader does math drill sheets most days of the week, but I don't time him. He currently does 40 problems of addition or 40 problems of subtraction. I'd say that on average he completes this inside 3-4 minutes (assuming, of course, that he hasn't confused math drill work with drama ;)). I print off a sheet of math problems using, um, Basic Math Worksheet Factory (?). Something like that (sorry, I'm at work and can't recall the exact name right now). There's a portion you can buy; but, I use the free bit (it's online). I love that it's customizable and you print off a different sheet every time - IOW your child can't simply memorize the answers. Although I think knowing basic math facts *is* important; I don't necessarily think being able to work a certain number of problems in a given time is a necessary. Of course, I live in a state where I don't have to test or anything; so, I'm not worried if my 2nd grader can't meet that standard. If you choose to go the worksheet route, I'd start very easy and gradually work your way up to whatever standard you wish your child to reach. I wouldn't worry about timing your dd right now unless she's one of those kids who thrive on timed drills. My goals are fluency and confidence - I figure the speed will increase as the other two goals improve. Good Luck.

to enjoy the last of the halycon days of summer while you still can. There'll be plenty of time to "catch up" (what ever *that* might mean) when the weather turns bad. Have a grand time!!

Well, that isn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be. Chips on the ol' ivories wouldn't be that big a deal for me. And ten years since a tuning (assuming the piano has been in a somewhat stable environment - temp and humidity speaking) isn't that long, considering. Of course, you know your financial situation best. Still, at least getting a couple of estimates and comparing them to the cost of a new(er) piano might be worthwhile. Good luck with everything! And remember, many a piano student practices on an electronic keyboard whilst his parents save up for a piano. I'm jest sayin', ya know.;)

:confused: I'm a little confused about the "...new student needs to learn on perfect pitch" bit. I was a music major (voice) and am here to assure you that NONE of the pianos in the practice rooms were tuned perfectly. Ever. The only time pianos were specially and perfectly tuned was for a big piano recital/concert (especially when a *big-wig* pianist was scheduled to play -- and, ooh, this reminds me of a great story I heard while at university about John Cage and his prepared piano pieces). <ahem> I digress...sorry. I currently have one of the few Steinway baby grands/player pianos ever produced (ca 1920). It's not perfectly tuned; but, right now, it suffices. I'm not sure where you live. However, the very best person for you is one who specializes in antique pianos. And, if you're very lucky, you'll live in/near a major university town where someone in the department of music will know of someone who can help you. This is not cheap (it also wasn't horrendously expensive, but can be, I suppose, depending on the state of your piano). Don't just base your decision on one person's dubious advice. It could be that the guts of your piano need to be completely replaced in which case it might make financial sense to get a new(er) piano or keyboard. Young students don't need to learn on "perfect pitch" instruments. Even if one of your girls played piano and one girl played guitar - the guitarist would tune her instrument to the piano when they played together. It's done all the time and rarely is the piano in "perfect pitch". If I can answer any other questions, let me know. I may not know the answer, but am still friends with several of my fellow music majors and can probably get you an answer within a couple of days.

Drat! Guess I'm not a *real* homeschool mom. :D Actually, I currently have most of the kids' books, supplies, etc scattered in two rooms - the den and on the bar of the butler's pantry. Needless to say it's not working all that well. OTOH, dh is building a wall shelving unit I designed which will hold all the school books, supplies, library books (as we are constantly misplacing those things), in short, almost everything to do with our school. I can't wait until it's finished.

:iagree::iagree: (and just for good measure) :iagree: Mama Lynx said everything I wanted to and much better than I could.

Oh, hon, you're not a bad mum at all!! I don't remember how old you said your school-aged kid(s) is/are; but, it can take several years before you figure out your child's main learning style. Plus, even though you want to teach to his strengths, you also want to help him learn in different ways as this will only enhance his ability to learn and retain material. I certainly understand about the lack of sleep and young kiddos. I have 2 I'm teaching and 2 todders.:willy_nilly: Spend some time reading on the different learning styles and eventually something will *click* with you regarding your child. And remember, we're all in this together. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are some wonderful people here who are very generous of their knowledge and experience. You're a good mum for wanting to help your child be the best s/he can.

I hadn't even heard of Napier's bones before today. My eldest isn't quite there yet; but, he's close and, oooh, the possibilities are opening up before my eyes. Thanks!

I currently use both programs -- RightStart with dd5 (we're finishing up Level A right now) and Singapore with ds7. I love both programs because they both teach conceptually - IOW, not the math equivalent of "fill-in-the-blank". You seem to know RightStart pretty well as you're using this with your 9 yo, right? I'll ramble on a bit about Singapore, if you don't mind. :D I use the text, workbook, Intensive Practice, and CWP with him. (I also use the Extra Practice book, but only when he's at his sitter's. It's at the same level of difficulty as the WB.) Let's see, workbook follows the text and the problems gradually become more difficult (or at least different looking) as they progress from pictorial representations to straight equations. Intensive Practice book is just what it sounds like - more of the same type of problems as were introduced in the textbook, but on a slightly more difficult level. The problems also get slightly harder as the student is asked to apply the new concept in different ways. Challenging Word Problems (CWP) is, you'll never guess this, a book of work problems. Again, they become progressively harder throughout the unit and the student applies the concept in ways he hasn't seen before. Each of these books complements the others and ensures the student truly understands the concept being taught. Now, you don't certainly don't have to have all these books and many just do the workbook and CWP. I use all the books, but not all in one day, of course. :) The one thing about RightStart is that there isn't (at least in Level A) additional books to build on and expand what has been learned. Some people will use RightStart and CWP to make sure their kids learn different ways of working problems. Hope this helps a bit.

Well, I'm using 2 different programs for my 2 eldest kiddos: RightStart for dd5 and Singapore for ds7. I love both of these programs because they teach conceptually. I've found that my 2 not only understand *how* to work the problems, but (more importantly) understand the theory behind the math. Prime examples are the concepts of "borrowing" and "carrying". Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma is great at really explaining the difference between being able to plug in numbers and really understanding the *whys* of the problem - which, of course, helps in the ability to plug in numbers. This book isn't necessarily a how-to book. But it does really explain these 2 particular concepts. I've found with mine that the ability to solidly know various "math facts" and the ability to understand and apply the math concepts are two different processes. I have my kids (especially my 7 yo) work a math drill sheet a day. These are *easy* and they're meant to be so: +1's, -1's, +2's, -2's, etc. My 5yo currently only has 10 problems on her drill sheet. My 7 yo does a page of 30 to 40 problems (sometimes more than 1 page per day). However, I slowly built up to this level of work. He didn't ever really *get* that he was doing this work until one day he said, "Hey, Mama! I can't do 40 problems!!" [insert melodramatic music here] Mama replied, "Sweet boy, you've been doing 40 problems for a week now. Now please sit down." [insert bright smile here] Abbeyej had a great post on the old boards about just this concept (Thank you!); unfortunately, my computer skills fall far short of being able to link it. Just know that whichever program you choose, math drill work and learning new concepts aren't tied together. Don't feel you need to hold your dd back in math just because she doesn't know her subtraction facts yet. Good Luck in your choosing.

I agree with what other posters have written. $15/hr sounds like a great rate, especially since you know up front that she "only" has a keyboard. (This isn't a negative in my book. I practiced with my keyboard at university when I couldn't get a practice room.) Given your girls' ages and their lack of experience, 30 minutes per lesson per girl is more than adequate. No serious teacher would expect a young, inexperienced student to sit for lessons for an hour. Just for comparison, I'm teaching my older two piano. Ds7's lessons last 10-15 minutes each twice a week (one lesson is actual playing and one is music theory) and he practices between 5 & 10 minutes per day. He does exhibit some natural musical gifts (singing especially -- the boy has perfect pitch, drat him:tongue_smilie:). Dd5's lessons last 10 minutes each (same schedule as ds) and she practices about 5 minutes per day. If the teacher is willing to teach both girls for 1 hour (at 30 minutes each) that sounds great to me.

No, I don't tend to be a single issue voter. As Peek said, there are many things about both candidates I dislike. I'll probably write in Ron Paul as well, though I don't necessarily agree with all his positions either. I don't ever ascribe to myself any single ideology or political persuasion -- *I* find them way too limiting. I guess I take as much information as I can gather about every candidate I might vote for and send it through a kind of mental rubric. This election?? <shrugs> All I can say is it's gonna be a long season. And I dearly wish McCain of 2008 were more like McCain of 2000.

Hmmm...if I might be so bold...I'm of two minds about this. First, anyone who would try and lord anything over dh would have to go through me first. The only reason I see for you not pursuing this new interest is that this man has had bad business dealings with your dh (and seems to be giving off weird vibes). As far as the whole gossip/perception twist, I simply don't pay that any mind. However, I'm coming from a different point of view. My partner at work is male (and I've mainly had male partners in my career). What this means is that I live 1/3 of my life with him. We spend 24 hours together - eat, work, share the triumphs and tragedies of our job, and sometimes sleep together (in the truck on long stand-bys, in case you're wondering:tongue_smilie:). My dh is in no way threatened by this unique relationship (and it is a relationship - in some ways I spend more continuous time with my partner than I do with my husband). However, I go home to my husband and kids. My dh knows I love him and isn't concerned with either my working relationship or about what others might think. I don't really have any advice about how you could help your dh deal with you being around a bunch of guys without him. I can, however, completely understand his concern about your teacher given his past relationship with him. Is there no one else you can ask to help you? Is there a gun club nearby? They usually have pistols you can rent and people to coach you. As for you - I think it is a process of becoming more and more comfortable both with who you are (and all the experiences you bring to the table) and with being with the men. I happen to believe that it is entirely possible to get past the man/woman thang. At least that's been my experience. I'm quite sure my partner does not "see" me as a woman (even though I've had 2 babies while we've been partners). In fact, he and my firefighters often call me Mom. :001_huh: I'm not sure if I've offered anything remotely helpful to you. Sorry. I just wanted to reassure you that you certainly can pursue this new interest regardless of the possible thoughts of others.

I think that would be just what the country needs! And I am not being sarcastic. I loved reading her rules/dictats. Years ago, my system revamped its policy & procedures manual. My contribution? Policy #1: Be an adult Policy #2: Do your *&^% job Policy #3: When in doubt, see Policy #1 Needless to say, it was not adopted.

Teaching Company courses...lots of 'em, in almost every subject area Nice sized history wall maps. Internet access from home - Macbook (is that the laptop? that's what I want) - All-In-One print center Oh, and enough room to stow all this stuff, in addition to all the books, etc I already own.

*snorts...gasps...spews hot fudge sundae over the County's computer....partner wonders aloud if I have finally and officially left the land of the sane...* Hi, my name is Brehon and I hate most school related crafts. I'm also a complete failure at said crafts.

And, not to muddy the waters too much for you :D, "classical education" can be subdivided into traditional classical and neo-classical. It's the neo-classical strand which uses history cycles (WTM is an excellent example). I haven't used either of your examples. From what I gather SL is more literature based; although, I think many moms & dads do schedule SL in a type of history rotation. I think you'll find many here who use and like both of these programs. I might *gently* suggest not worrying about history right now. If you concentrate on the 3 R's next year (talking about your eldest dd), you'll have accomplished a lot. Assuming no heretofore undx'd learning problems, you can then begin your history studies the next year with whichever program you believe will suit your family the best. Read, read, read, take a deep breath, grab a cuppa to soothe your sore vocal folds, and read some more to your girls. At your girls' ages you have plenty of time. And have fun researching, exploring, learning all you can/want about all the different strands of home education! Have Fun!