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aCountingHouse

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Everything posted by aCountingHouse

  1. Our eldest is in year 8 this year and this is his second year with an IPAD. Some 'rules' we have at home include: No T's in the bedrooms (that is technology, tablets, tv, telephone). All technology to be in study or living areas so I can see what they are doing. No games to be downloaded onto the IPAD. It is for school use only. Anyway ours has limited space so he needs to keep it all for his schoolwork. Must ask us if he wants to download anything onto the IPAD. All technology to be turned off half an hour before bedtime, reading before bedtime. No facetime and socialising using the IPAD. This is easier as he is a boy..... Password so younger ones cannot jeopardise school documents. So far, so good. With our eldest daughter in year 6 next year and getting a school IPAD, we will constantly need to reinforce these rules.
  2. You sound very wise. I think your solutions are appropriate. I am currently reading Parenting Teenagers with Love and Logic, and they pretty much endorse the same thing. If you get a chance, read this book, it will make your strategy clearer. I have a soon to be 12 year old, and am wanting to make sure I am the best I can be to allow my children to make mistakes and learn responsibility, all the while keeping our relationship strong through the teenage years.
  3. You sound very wise. I think your solutions are appropriate. I am currently reading Parenting Teenagers with Love and Logic, and they pretty much endorse the same thing. If you get a chance, read this book, it will make your strategy clearer. I have a soon to be 12 year old, and am wanting to make sure I am the best I can be to allow my children to make mistakes and learn responsibility, all the while keeping our relationship strong.
  4. I remember when my son (now 11) was in kindergarten, and whilst I was driving to school one morning he said "mum, I don't think I need to go to school anymore because I think I know everything already!" I smiled to myself and said to him, "Oh, it may seem like that at first because you are so smart, but every year I learnt more and more, and even now I don't know everything - I am still learning. Just be pleased with yourself on how much you already know." It seemed to have worked. He loves school and knows he is learning all the time. However, I do go to work, so I have also said to my other children in the past as well that mummy and daddy have jobs to go to each day, and it is their job to go to school. They seem glad to know that I am not having fun at home without them!
  5. In my heart too, I would love to homeschool. Then I think about my strengths and weaknesses (good at planning, not so consistent with follow-through) :glare:, and more importantly I think about what my children need. School seems to be a better match for them and me. They are all involved in numerous clubs, programmes and extra-curricular activities, which I know I could not provide if I was homeschooling. I don't have to be concerned with 'socialisation' as that is what they go to school for! ;) I don't have to schedule social activities, so every afternoon when they come home it is family time. I look at my children's education as a partnership between myself and the school, and this has taken the burden off me. I now get to be my childrens cheerleader, in that I can encourage them. I get to leave interesting educational materials and games around to inspire them to learn. They enjoy school, and they enjoy coming home to relax, and just be themselves. I know that I have not failed as a homeschooler, because homeschooling has equipped me to be a better person. I now create an interesting learning environment at home, and can recognise the learning opportunity in almost everything they do. I know how they learn best, and I know where I can access great homeschool material to support or improve their learning. Recognise that you have done your best, and enjoy this chapter of your life and your children's lives.
  6. You are not old-fashioned....just respectful. I ran a conference last month where I was speaking for 3 full days, and I was appalled that delegates were texting, reading emails and using ipads. I ended up asking them to not use these things, and thankfully they stopped using them. However, it was unbelievable that I even had to ask. :confused:
  7. You are not old-fashioned....just respectful. I ran a conference last month where I was speaking for 3 full days, and I was appalled that delegates were texting, reading emails and using ipads. I ended up asking them to not use these things, and thankfully they did. However, it was unbelievable that I even had to ask. :confused:
  8. Thanks Mrs Mungo. I obviously don't spell that word often enough! :glare: Ok, I'm weird......got it. :D
  9. Thanks ladies. So maybe I'm only a little wierd. Maybe when I grow up I'll appreciate fiction more! ;) I always jokingly say that fiction is so unnecessary to me because my life is so interesting as it is! (Maybe though I just have a short attention span.....)
  10. I enjoy reading non-fiction books about - Parenting Homeschooling (of course) Business Personal Development Style Decorating Fitness Healthy Eating Great minds My best friend prefers to read fiction. She thinks I am totally wierd. Perhaps she likes books that are entertaining, and I like books that inform. Obviously books are something we don't discuss a lot, but we do discuss ideas....... Anyway, am I wierd? Are there others out there the same?
  11. Since the previous posters gave great responses re: subject areas for afterschooling, I will discuss transitioning. Focus on your daughter enjoying school. Ensure you have a good relationship with her teacher - a respectful relationship because you appreciate what she does. Your daughter will pick up on the fact that you have a mutually respectful relationship. I think it is important for the child and teacher to 'get along' as well. This makes being in the classroom pleasant for her. (That sounded wierd, I hope I made a little sense?) See if she can make connections with one or two special friends. Perhaps you can provide a playdate for her to get to know her friends better. (It's surprising how little time they get to socialise at school!) Obviously talk about her day after school, and get her to highlight subjects and moments that she enjoyed. Her wanting to be at school can make learning more enjoyable for her. Yes, school is about academics, but it is much more than that too.
  12. As I mentioned previously, my kids are old enough to carry their own books, so that increases our borrowing capacity hugely. Even then, I still find myself laden with a bag that is filled to the brim. I have honestly thought about getting one of those bag-trolleys on wheels that I can drag behind me. I am sure I could fit 50 books just for me in there!
  13. I am glad Avery and yourself are happy now. I think once you have homeschooled, you have it in your blood, and afterschooling is a natural consequence. Well, it was for us anyway. Welcome to the afterschooling board.
  14. This is the exact same system that works for me! I never have clothes lying around waiting to be 'done'. I don't have any benchspace in my laundry - it is very small. So I had the doors taken off my cupboards and the baskets are now easy to access. I have the nice wicker look baskets too so they look nice as well. I not only have baskets for each member of the family (six of us), but also for towels, bed linen and teatowels.
  15. :bigear: Yes, I can relate. My 4 year old will start 5 day school next year (January in Australia), and he still can't get by without his 1 1/2 - 2 hour sleep a day. He asks me to go to bed when he is tired, and then goes straight to sleep! Perhaps I'll just have to start 'weaning' him off it in the later part of this year.
  16. Jen, thanks for the reminder. I will do that! The kids can typically borrow the same type of books so this will really stretch them, and make them more well rounded! ;)
  17. Caedmyn, Just think, as your littlies get older, you can get more cards, and then more books (4x20=80!), and because they'll be bigger they can help you carry all of the books! It's quite a sight seeing my bigger kids all lugging around bags to carry their books in.
  18. Nart, our system isn't perfect, but we have one area where the library books are kept (shelves) and one area where the dvd's are kept (under tv). When I had fewer and smaller children, I just had a big basket in the loungeroom where they were all kept. As I said, our system isn't perfect as books are taken to all other rooms to read.......but what a problem to have. ;) Every week on library day we have a library book hunt around the house to collect them all and bag them all ready to take back. I too will be happy to hear if anyone has a better system.
  19. This is a spinoff from a thread on the general board about how many books you get out of the library each time, how many you have on hold etc. Just curious to see if us afterschoolers are similar? I'll start. We have 5 cards - myself and four kids. We can borrow a maximum of 20 per card for 3 weeks at a time. We can put 10 on hold for each card. We visit the library every week, and tend to get out 60+ books, audiobooks, magazines, dvd's each time. We take forever at checkout, (I feel sorry for those waiting behind us), and we walk out with bags absolutely full. I don't think I've ever seen anyone get more than us. Obviously I have a family of readers. We love our library.
  20. Yes, you are right. I edited my post as soon as I realised. In my house we are dr who crazy, so as well as the cookie jar, we have the mini lego tardis and heaps of characters as well. (My brain is mush at the moment....maybe I shouldn't be on this forum!)
  21. My home is tidy, but not spotless. ie. smudges on walls, activities left around. I tend to feel comfortable only inviting around people who I think would not judge me or my home. Consequently, my friends always say our house is comfortable and cosy. ;)
  22. My son has this! I got it for him for christmas. We don't put cookies in it though! He has it as an ornament in his room. I also got him the mini lego tardis - the doors open, and inside it looks like the inside of the tardis (cardboard picture.) I also got him the lego mini figures of the doctor, amy pond, weeping angel, daleks and cybermen so they could play with it all together.
  23. HI Kiwimummy. My children go to Miami State Primary School. PM if you would like to know more.:)
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