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redsnapper

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Everything posted by redsnapper

  1. Hey, all, I'm piecing together my science stuff for the year and I've gotten to "Erosion". My kids are in 6th and 4th. Any suggestions on the best resources? I don't want an entire text book, but perhaps small units, ebooks, lapbooks, etc.? I would also love to do a comparison on the erosion topic between the evolution vs. divine design view points, to see both sides. Any one have info on that? Thanks! Melissa
  2. I want to do the Learn to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with my 4yo. Do the lessons have to be daily, back to back, or can we do two lessons per week? Or three per week? Just trying to get a handle on how many days a week we need to be doing this to make it work. Thanks! Melissa
  3. I noticed that each you ladies who responded are from Virginia. Does Summit or Dr. Meyers have a big presence/support out there, or do you just to be from the same area? Just curious.... Do you happen to know, I heard tidbits of how this program can help a YA figure out a direction in life. Not necessarily a specific job, but an area of focus. Have you heard anything about that?
  4. Just went to a hs conference and totally missed Dr. Jeff Meyers talks. But a friend told me it was just what I was looking for for my 19yo niece. Anybody know much about Summitt ministries or something similar? Thanks, Melissa
  5. I have one in 6th and one in 4th this year. Our dd4 is SOOOO preschool ready I want to begin doing so formally with her this year, too. We're already reading through "Teaching Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons". Doing simple School Zone worksheets for tracing, letters, numbers, etc. She is my artsy kid, so I need to add in Art each week. Is that enough for preschool? Or should I add in some more stuff...? Anybody have creative ideas for me to incorporate? Thanks! Melissa
  6. Kelly, Maybe that is your sign that it's time to shake things up? Consider really changing things up, either how you present your subject material, re-style your school space, or some other new, fun way to do school, at least for the first week of school... Just an idea. Good luck! Melissa
  7. Astrid, et al, Thank you for you posts. I appreciate your watching out for innocent animals against people who would abuse/neglect them. You have made me research more on what a puppy mill actually is and to consider these breeders against that definition. It makes me a wiser "shopper"... =). Otherwise I might be too naive and not look into the practices of a breeder. So again, thank you for reminding us. =) That being said, let's leave the puppy mill debate for another forum please. It's not going to be solved right here, and I'd rather that be on a separate thread so that only those interested in discussing the topic need to be involved. Sound good? ************************* To everyone who responded, After reading all these responses, and after discussing with my dh, we agree that Breeder B has too big of an operation for us to be comfortable with. Along side all the other pros to Brdr A, we are choosing that route. She only has a few breeding dogs, we've seen her home where she does everything, met the dogs in her home, seen how all her operation is "out in the open" that anyone can see (that she does nothing in secret shows trustworthiness and that she has nothing to hide), we've discussed the contract, etc. and we feel very comfortable that she is doing everything possible to ensure the health, happiness and well being of her dogs. I'll try to remember about posting a picture for those interested next month when we get her. =) -Melissa
  8. Yes, thanks Laura... Ladies, these are not puppy mills by my definition at all. Isn't a puppy mill a place with tons of animals crammed in, breeding on trip of breeding to push out as many money making puppies as possible, without regard to genetically and inferring. These breeders pay very close attention to avoid inbreeding. The guardian homes allow the dogs to live in family homes and not be kennel dogs. This allows the breeder to safely use multiple dogs for breeding while allowing the dogs a happy life with a family. And the breeder pays for all vet costs associated with breeding and testing etc. We only pay the usual vet stuff like shots, check ups, flea and tick, etc. Just like we would for any puppy.
  9. Both breeders have the female checked by a vet and watch them very closely for how they bounce back after a litter. If they are healthy, they'll breed again next heat. The vets say that's a natural thing for dogs so go ahead as long as the dog can handle it. If not, wait a heat in between. Both ladies were very concerned about the females health as the dog is an investment and a living creature. I felt safe that they were well looking after their dogs.
  10. We're getting a labroodle! (lab/poodle mix) The multigeneration kind, that's supposed to be the best for allergies. Our dilemma is we contacted two breeders to join their guardian home programs. Meaning we would take one of their breeding animals as sort of a "legal guardian" until she's had 4 litters, then the dog officially becomes ours. It costs less than a quarter of the price, plus we get to be a part of the breeding process (FUN for this homeschool family!). We expected to go on waiting lists. Surprise! Both breeders need someone now (within the next few weeks at any rate) and we're first on both lists. Now, how to choose? Breeder A: - lives 20 mins away - our families clicked very well - they really like us - program runs well, breeder in business for 3 years? - offer to keep the dog for free when we go on vacations - home is in the direction we generally head for vacations, so it's "on the way" - like to have doggy playdates & doodle romps (big playdate for previous litters) - pup will come to us with 3 weeks "head start" puppy training - breeder will pay for additional training class - will let us learn from her about dog breeding - CON: the puppy she wants for us is a new pup she's getting from an AMAZING breeder/trainer in FL, who looks awesome, but we can't meet the pup ahead of time. Though we can always say no once we meet the pup, if we don't like her. Plus, the FL breeder posts tons of pictures and videos (esp. during puppy training) so we can see the puppy all along the journey. Breeder B: - lives 50 mins away - very nice lady who runs a great program, breeder in business 12 years. She is who mentored Breeder A. - price to get the dog is $200 less than Breeder A - has two puppies on hand she wants to home, which we got to meet. Wonderful Sweet puppies! We like one very very much. - CON: As I said, the lady is nice, but we're just business partners and you can tell it will remain at that distance. (which is okay, but it's fun to become friends with people you work with; but her business is so large she currently has over 30 guardian homes and can't be chummy with everybody) - CON: we'd be fully responsible for most all puppy training costs - Pro: but we got to meet the puppies to decide which we like best. So, considering all this, we fully believe we really can't go wrong with the dogs. We do love one from Brdr B, but I don't see working with her as much of a positive experience as with Brdr A (though it's only 4 years out of 15+, and both look doable). And though Brdr B is $200 less initially, Brdr A is paying for her pup to come puppy trained and for a whole class that we'd do with the pup ourselves (may be worth it's weight in gold!) Grrr... Help me think this through? -Melissa
  11. Can anyone give me some ideas for teaching simple machines? Dd11 and ds9. Fun ideas for sure, but also guide books or lesson plan sites. Cannot afford the Lego Simple Machine stuff... :-( Thanks bunches!
  12. We've only memorized one: Give me liberty speech by Patrick Henry. My kids had so much fun with it!
  13. We've only been homeschooling for 2 years but this will be my 2nd year of teaching 4th grade. I am sticking with Singapore Math (4A). My ds likes the program and is doing well in it. For science we like God's Design science and I think we will focus on life science with some physics thrown in for my little engineer. For history we are doing SOTW4. It's a light yet broad program that teaches but doesn't overwhelm. For LA, this was my challenge to plan. DS is behind on writing so I need to bump him ahead in this area. I decided to try out SWB's stuff this time around: FLL4, WWE4. We'll see how that turns out. I'm not very optimistic anymore after two years of disappointing LA programs for both kids. Hope you find what you're lookiñg for.
  14. 2nd year homeschooling of our kids after pulling them from ps. This year was much easier than our first year, whew! Hits: -loved SOTW3, it was simple enough to be enjoyable. Allowing us to go further if we wanted or keep it simple when needed. Will be doing SOTW4 in the Fall. -Discovered Math-U-See for my visual dd10 who'd been struggling with math. She loves it and loves having a video to watch for the lesson. Plus it focuses on one area of math so she can "get" it. Misses: -CQLA Level A: really wanted to like this one. For $100 I should have liked it, but I just didn't. Things seemed monotonous, out of synch, editting errors, things were confusing, resources referred to that were never listed anywhere. The layout was dryer than anything I've ever seen. No changes in font style beyond bolded headings, everything in boxes or straight text, nothing to liven it up at all, though perfect for someone highly destractable I guess. I dropped the writing piece half what through the year.
  15. I think it goes back to, are they doing anything illegal? Whether or not you agree morally with the situation, even though it goes against the social customs of our country, it fits with other cultures. So even though it's not what we as Americans like to see, it doesn't mean it's a dangerous situation. If there is nothing against the law in that household, there is nothing you can do other than basically harrass them, cause hurt, make them feel looked down upon, stir up resentment between neighbors, and probably make things worse. If you are a praying person, I'd say pray first and foremost. Then be a good neighbor. Always keep a watchful eye out for any problems at their house. But don't be a critical, judgemental person so that you always have a place to speak into their lives.
  16. Don't forget that some people don't send out a Flat Stanley but a "Flat Johnny" or what ever your child's name is. So for example, with my niece, Kasey, sent me a "Flat Kasey" to adventure with. The doll was the same basic design, but with hair added and she was colored with my niece's coloring, brown hair and eyes, etc. It made the adventure her own instead of just an extension of Stanley's. FWIW, Melissa
  17. First, I'd see if you can determine the number of events/people you want on the finished timeline. That's an easy calculation to determine space per event. Or You might try breaking your timeline into sections. Do one 1ft section at a time, leaving 1" between each event. Then add another section when you get there. Another thing I did was to break out the Rev War. That became a separate timeline down our hallway. It was a wrap-up project for my dd10. I found a timeline in a book, highlighted pertinant dates, drew the timeline and diagonal event lines, and let dd10 go to work adding the dates in her best handwriting. Then had her decorate the title of the timeline in patriotic theme. Voila! Only the war date was on the master timeline.
  18. Next year for my ds9, I'm doing http://www.studiesweekly.com/results.php?state=AK&grade=4. It's a weekly "newspaper" you give the child once a week. It's got little articles about the state history, activities, games, etc. For me, state history is good stuff, but not vital. I want exposure, but not a lot of focus away from other things. So this simply newspaper is my way of covering the bases. Then on top of that, we're doing SOTW 4 which will also cover some parts, plus I may assign a book or 2 for reading. Simple is my motto!
  19. From a mom of a spontaneous son, here's my advice. They do need structure, or they'll never learn to stick with something. However, they're spontaneous by nature so work with that. Be a little flexible. Decide what has to be structured, but like someone said earlier, keep lessons short, even as he gets older. When possible, allow room for sudden inspiration or creativity. For examply, for my sponaneous kid, we've had him in piano for 2yrs because he's a natural at music. But the structure is killing his creativity. At the same time, learning all the skills would allow him to flourish in creativity, but getting him there is hard. Then I was advised to remember he's only 9. If he dabbles in piano, then guitar, then drums, then back to piano, etc., it'll keep his interest in music and keep him learning. When he's older, if music is really meant for him, he'll decide what he wants to stick with and then it'll be HIS decision and at that point I can rope him in. If he's a natural at music and I force him to stay in one discipline, it can kill his love of music. If I allow him to try out different instruments, all the while learning to read & music theory, behold! At the end of the time he'll have learned many skills that'll allow him to choose his own focus. Wow, that was rambling, but I hope that makes sense. I'm trying to make sure I add structure to my son's life in all areas, while allowing him to be the spontaneous, muse-inspired kids he was born as. Hope that helps... -Melissa
  20. A local charter school here pays for extracurricular activities, including riding lessons. The vendors for activities have to be checked out before receiving approval to be a school vendor. That's one level of being "checked out". But also the earlier posts about quality and safety are very important. We were lucky enough to find a place that had the safety element, the facility was simple but well maintained, and the teachers were on the ball with tailoring a lesson to the age and lack of skill of my daughter. It seems like if they have lots of strict rules, then they're "anal" about safety and that's a good thing when it comes to my children.
  21. My dd10 is the one around here who needs outdoor labor, I mean she loves it and if she doesn't get it she gets grumpy, LOL! I found that she can be a "barn rat" at her riding stables. They'll let her come early or stay late or come on an off day to work around the stables with whatever needs to be done: mucking stalls, webbing, watering plants, etc. She doesn't get paid but she loves to be around the horses. I hope one day she'll prove her worth and they'll trade lessons for her work hours! One can always hope anyway =)
  22. My dh is a "words of affirmation" guy, so I try to find some Father's Day contests to enter via the internet which you could do from bed rest likely), usually requiring a short essay describing your hubby. You can use quotes from kids of any ages in it. Then regardless of winning or not, you can print out the entry and have the kids mount it to a pretty "frame" (aka construction paper "matting" with stickers, glitter, stamps, etc.)
  23. I agree. If you think the situation could be harmful to the children in terms of sexually, physically, etc. then it's a safety issue. If you just think it's weird, there's nothing legally to be done, and sticking your nose in it can come across as critical rather than helpful and cause hurt instead of improvement ;). You need to decide if something really is WRONG or if it's just your "preference". It may be that "loving your neighbor" will allow you to have more impact on their lives than by intervening...
  24. My dd4 is in the pre-reading stage. This summer we've started going through "100 Easy Lessons" for learning to read. Which means I want to have some fun pre-K activities for her to do this summer and into the next school year. What are your favorite pre-K ideas? :bigear: I'm thinking things like crafts, projects, book projects (like reading The Cat in the Hat and doing an art project to go along, etc.), and more! Since I'll have a 4tha and 6th grader I can't spend too much time focused on pre-K, but I want to do some things now that she's ready for it. So hit me with your best! ~ Melissa :bigear:
  25. My son had pencil holding issues that he's just now coming out of at the end of 3rd grade. He likes HWT but I don't see that it's doing much for him, he just doesn't like change so we stick with it. What I love to do is use http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/. You can use words or sentences or passages from things your son DOES like and make your own writing worksheets. That could be the name of his favorite movies plus their taglines, slogans from his favorite toys, quotes from his favorite movies or shows, passages from books you've read or jokes. You just go to the site, select the handwriting style you want, enter your words, and print. Then he copies something that is interesting or meaningful to him.
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