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momto2Cs

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  1. I guess this is a spin-off question but I am struggling with how to afford the extra-curriculars. It seems like a lot just to pay for flag football every year, and that is under $200 for both of mine.  We don't do piano lessons outside the home yet because of cost, and I would love to join the Y but we don't have the money. Unfortunately I don't think we will qualify for financial aid.

     

    So for all of you posting that you are spending over $3K per year on stuff--do you work to pay for that, or is it all coming out of your dh's income? I have thought about a part time job to pay for things, but then that means I will have less time to drive kids around, etc. 

     

    Dh and I both work, just to get by. I also sew crafts at home and get paid per piece to pay for extracurriculars, plus I tutor two kids, each once a week, which helps a little.

     

  2. $125 a month dues for fencing classes (ds)

    $45 monthly in roller derby dues (dd)

     

    Of course, there is also equipment. Dd's skates cost $110, and that was with a hefty discount. I need to buy her new pads, probably about $80. Ds needs a bunch of fencing gear since he wants to start going to competitions... fencing pants, new shoes (he goes through a pair every 2-3 months), 2 epees, electric bodycords, etc.

     

    We also take advantage of free events at the library, though there have been fewer intriguing ones lately. We have a regional parks pass ($70/year) that allows us free parking at a large number of parks, and a free night of camping each year. We go out to the river in the summer for swimming. Our budget is very limited, so we have to be very selective about paid activities, and we try to take advantage of free ones when possible!

  3. We're wrapping up 8th grade as well.  We've been full unschooling for about 2 months now and my stress level has gone way down, lol.  We're currently in the process of making tentative plans and schedules for the summer and for unschooling high school.  

     

    I'm always SO torn between schooling and unschooling my kids. Wish I could just make up my mind!

     

    • Like 5
  4. In my group if you consider yourself a homeschooler, so do we. Our purpose as a group is to offer encouragment/support to families who have their kids at home for educational purposes, regardless of government's involvement.

     

    Our group is the same way. Everyone is included, as they need support too. We even have families that are considering homeschooling that either have kids in school already, or aren't old enough to start.

     

    :iagree:  Our homeschool group includes any family who is, has been, or will be homeschooling, whether independently (the majority), or through an ISP, or charter. I've always liked that it is all inclusive, as I think all homeschoolers, regardless of the how-they-do-it bit, should be supportive of each other.

    • Like 3
  5. Hijacking for a minute.

     

    Coriolanus.  ANyone study it? I had never heard of it before but the troupe that does shakespeare in the park in the summer is doing As you like it and Coriolanus.  So thinking that instead of much ado (or in addition to) we would do those 2 for the remainder of this school year and then go see them live in July.  If you have studied this one before, what ages would you think? teens and up or do you think my 11 year old would be okay with it?

     

    I studied Coriolanus in a college Shakespeare course. It is pretty dense, very political. Here's the SparkNotes summary:

     

    In ancient Rome, in the aftermath of a famine, the common people, or plebeians, demand the right to set their own price for the city's grain supply. In response to their protests, the ruling aristocracy, or patricians, grant the plebeians five representatives, or tribunes--a decision that provokes the ire of the proud patrician soldier Caius Martius, who has nothing but contempt for the lower classes. At this time, war breaks out with a neighboring Italian tribe, the Volscians, who are led by Martius' great rival, Tullus Aufidius. In the campaign that follows, the Volscians are defeated, and the Rome takes the Italian city of Corioles, thanks to the heroism of Martius. In recognition of his great deeds, he is granted the name Coriolanus.

     

    Upon his return to Rome, Coriolanus is given a hero's welcome, and the Senate offers to make him consul. In order to gain this office, however, he must go out and plead for the votes of the plebeians, a task that he undertakes reluctantly. At first, the common people agree to give him their votes, but they later reverse their decision at the prodding of two clever tribunes, Brutus and Sicinius, who consider Coriolanus an enemy of the people. This drives the proud Coriolanus into a fury, and he speaks out intemperately against the very idea of popular rule; Brutus and Sicinius, seizing on his words, declare him a traitor to the Roman state and drive him into exile.

     

    Desiring revenge against Rome, Coriolanus goes to his Volscian enemy, Aufidius, in the city of Antium, and makes peace with him. Aufidius is planning a new campaign against the Romans, and he welcomes Coriolanus's assistance, although he soon feels himself to be falling into his new ally's shadow. Their army proceeds to march on Rome, throwing the city into a panic--Rome's armies are helpless to stop the advance, and soon Aufidius and Coriolanus are encamped outside the city walls. Two of his oldest friends come pleading for mercy, but Coriolanus refuses to hear him. However, when his mother, Volumnia, to whom he is devoted, begs him to make peace, he relents, and the Romans hail Volumnia the savior of the city. Meanwhile, Coriolanus and the Volscians return to Antium, where the residents hail Coriolanus as a hero. Aufidius, feeling slighted, declares that Coriolanus's failure to take Rome amounts to treachery; in the ensuing argument, some of Aufidius' men assassinate Coriolanus.

    • Like 1
  6. They are both totally awesome - my kids like both.  I like Twelfth Night a bit better, because it has one of Shakespeare's greatest female leads, a strong woman, as opposed to the women in Midsummer which are mostly bickering over men or being tricked into sleeping with donkeys.  There is also a movie version that it a bit less risque than the modern Midsummer movie version, which sounds like it might matter to you.

     

    They are both great! I've always thought Midsummer was a great first Shakespeare, but I actually like the message of Twelfth Night better.

     

    Did you know (you probably do) that Twelth Night is the play being performed by Shakespeare in the Cannery this year?

    • Like 1
  7. How fantastic that she has made such amazing progress in her reading! Kudos to both of you :)

     

    Dyslexics usually have as much (if not more) difficulty with spelling as with reading, so that's perfectly normal. It sounds like a good time to start doing some work in that area. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Spelling Workout, however. For a dyslexic, you really need an explicit, step-by-step approach designed for struggling readers/spellers.

     

    I would look into All About Spelling, Apples and Pears and Sequential Spelling. I believe AAS has placement tests, I'm not sure about the others. Be prepared that her spelling level may still be several grade levels below her current reading level. If she is at a point to work with multi-syllable words (grade 4 and up), you could try Megawords.

     

    HTH!

     

    Yes, her spelling is definitely a few grade levels below her reading at this point, so I am prepared to "backtrack".

     

    I would also advise you to go a different route than Spelling Workout. Apples &Pears (I know, weird name, but excellent program) has a great track record with dyslexics. It will require one-on-one for each lesson, but it is open and go with no prep time required.

     

    Since you both recommended it, I will definitely check out Apples & Pears.

     

    As someone whose kid went all the way through Spelling Workout at grade level, I would find a spelling program that is geared towards dyslexic kids. Spelling Workout was fine for my intuitive speller, but my worried, insecure speller is doing much better with Rod and Staff. SW just provides so little instruction. It is a lot of rote copying. I just feel like a dyslexic kid has fairly specific needs with a spelling program.

     

    If you really think SW is the best program to meet your kids specific needs, I am taking a blind guess, but maybe 3rd or fourth grade and then work forward. You absolutely do not need the teacher's book because it is just a filled in workbook.

     

     

    Oh..and look at samples of SW, maybe at Rainbow? Because it might switch to cursive in the spelling book, but I can't remember.  I know R&S does in 4th grade because my 4th grader has a difficult time with it and he grumbled quite a lot at the beginning of the year.

     

    And a big congratulations to both of you on the big strides! 

     

    I think level C is where it switches, but has both print and cursive side-by-side.

     

    Question for you, is the spelling from Rod & Staff explicitly religious?

  8. My dyslexic dd has only really made huge progress in reading this year, going from about a 2nd grade reading level to just about on grade level (6th). Since we were so focused on reading, we did not focus a lot on spelling, and it turns out she has terrible spelling... very phonetic approach that is not working well. I am looking for something simple and straightforward, and like the looks of Spelling Workout, but I have no idea where to place her!

     

    Any advice? I don't mind starting her fairly low in the sequence and working though it more quickly if that works for her.

     

     

  9. Go for a walk out in nature

     


     


     

    Plant something

     

    Read a good [picture] book -- some of our old favorites include:

     








     

    And, not a picture book, but a handy one all the same: The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth

     


     


     

    Have a picnic at the park, or by candlelight at home

     

    Ride a bike instead of driving

    • Like 1
  10. What are your summer plans? Do you continue academics over summer, but maybe lighter or different? What fun activities do you do?

     

    Our plans include:

    ds finishing Conceptual Physics (at his request, because "why should (he) limit his learning to a school year?")

    some field trips related to our current study of California history, and some for fun

    listening to Ian McKellean reading Fagles' translation of The Odyssey, and reading The Glorious Adventure by Richard Halliburton

    Dd (my slooow reader) has pledged to read Gone Away Lake and Return to Gone Away over the summer break

    lots of swimming, fun with friends, lazy mornings, some camping if dh can get the time off from work....

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