I am part of a skype co-op group for BFSU2. The group has been the only reason that science gets done in our household, and my kids love meeting up with their online science firends. But, our group has run into a problem: two of the four families are no longer homeschooling. So we are looking for another family (kids age 10 -14) to join us. Here is the setup: The moms get together to decide which lessons we will cover for the next few weeks and who will lead each discussion. We typically do one lesson every 2 weeks. Over the next 2 weeks, each family individually covers the BFSU lesson. On the designated day, we all get together via skype and discuss what we learned. We have covered the following topics: A-11,12,13 C-8, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13 A, 14, 14A D-9, 10, 11, 12 We have yet to cover anything from the B thread because none of us owned a microscope. If you are interested in joining us, email me at lydia (dot) gordon (at) gmail (dot) com.

I am not familiar with Kickstarter, but I want the game. I can't fund the project right now. Can I buy the game board later? Is that the point of kickstarter- to fund a project so that the creators can produce and then sell the game to anyone interested? Or do only people that have backed the project get the game?

I watched a TED talk about becoming fluent in s language 6 months. It wasn't the best presentation, but it was insightful. Here are the highlights: 1. Focus on language content that is relevant to you. (For example, my kids don't care about the weather, so I don't teach words about weather. THey are interested in scriptures in French, so I bought a set of French scriptures. I wish I could find the audio, too.) 2. Use your language as a tool to communicate from Day 1. (Go to a Mexican restaurant and order in Spanish, talk to Hispanic friends in Spanish, etc.) 3. Train your mouth to make the sounds that you hear. It helps to be able to watch a native speaker speak so you see how they form the sounds. Sorry, Dora doesn't count. 4. Your mood matters. Learning takes place when you are happy and relaxed. 7 actions for rapid language acquisition 1. listen to the language a lot 2. Focus on meaning before grasping the words (focus on body language; use patterns that you already know: donde esta ....) 3. start mixing verbs, nouns, adjectives 4. Focus on learning the most commonly-used words 5. Get a "language parent"- safe environment, simple language 6. copy the face- watch native speakers 7. direct connect- connect sounds (fuego) to mental representations (a picture of a fire) I realize that some of this doesn't make sense, so I recommend watching the TED talk, which is about 20 minutes. Good luck!

I am using ABeCeDarian. We aren't finished with the program, so I can't tell you about the last 10 (of 75) lessons, but I've liked it so far.

I let my 4 year old play on the tablet for 30 minutes while we do math. I hate this solution because I don't like kids using electronics a lot, but it's been really effective. You can download teaching apps, such as Handwriting without Tears, if you need to feel better about handing the tablet to a young child . You can also try other things to keep them busy, such as shaving cream in a pan with a few drops of food coloring, a water tub, etc. There are lots of ideas out there for keeping little ones busy when you can't supervise them. I especially like the Montessori activities, which foster quiet, independent work. Here are some websites that I have enjoyed: http://theprincessandthetot.blogspot.com/ http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/ http://sporschool.blogspot.com/ I am expecting another baby, too, so I can't even imagine encouraging my younger ones to make a mess (such as playing with shaving cream) when I have a difficult time cleaning our "regular" mess. That is why I turned to the tablet (iPad). Good luck!

We have now had two MOEMS contests, and things aren't as bleak as they first seemed. On the first contest, we had one boy score a perfect 5/5 and a couple of others with 4/5. This past test, no perfect scores, but a few 4/5 scores. I have now ordered and used Hands-On Equations. When I have thought about teaching math, I have visualized the scale that HOE uses. So, HOE really appealed to me. We spent on math club meeting going over how to solve the types of problems that stumped everyone the first day (2 pens + 3 pencils cost 72 cents...). I first covered how to solve the problems, and then I split the group into teams of 2 or 3 kids. I passed out similar problems and they used the techniques that they just learned to solve the problems. As each team finished, they brought their answer to me and received a new problem. Teams were given points based on who had the right answer first, second, and so on. The kids became a little competitive, and the game went really well. So, they all know how to solve these two variable equations. My next dilemma is time. We only have 45 minutes for math club, and half of it is used to train for another math contest. So, I only have 20 -25 minutes to cover MOEMS material. We barely have enough time for me to go over solutions. The last contest, we were able to review only 2 of the 5 solutions. Since it is easier and quicker for me to explain solutions, I don't have the kids do any explaining. I don't really like this because they love to show their work at the chalkboard. How can I overcome this?

That's what a friend of mine said when I discussed this with her. She said that BA was using higher concepts to teach multiplication. He may not remember the higher concepts, but the goal was for him to learn multiplication facts without boring a bright child. Still, it would be nice to have some review. I can always make up my own review problems. Considering how much I like BA, that doesn't seem too much of a sacrifice.

I know this is an old thread, but there weren't a lot of responses and I think more people at this point (BA has been out longer) have an opinion. We use BA exclusively for one child (DS9), and he recently finished 3D. He loves BA, even though it is hard. My older son (DS10) uses MM, and he doesn't like it. He thinks it's boring and too much work. But, fwiw, DS10 thinks everything is boring and too much work after the novelty has worn off. Yesterday, at the Math Olympiad contest, one of the questions was covered in BA 3A. But, DS9 didn't realize/remember the solution using the techniques shown in BA until he had turned in his answers, and he hadn't been able to solve it any other way.. I gave DS9 some problems involving factoring and the distributive property, which are covered in BA 3B, and he didn't remember how to solve the problems. He understood the problems when we covered 3B, but that was over 6 months ago. My son doesn't remember the techniques taught. I assume that reviewing them would help cement the concepts, but there isn't any review built into the program. I love BA, but my one complaint is that there isn't enough repetition

If I were to try Singapore with my home schooled children (4th and 5th grades), what should I buy? I have not tried Singapore, although several posters on the AoPS forums have recommended it. Would I use Singapore to supplement?

Another problem I am facing is that the math club does several competitions that are significantly easier. (An example of one other competition's problems: A serpent is 39 meters long. How many 3-meter strips does it have?) The kids are used to breezing through the problems, getting them all right, and feeling successful. Obviously, MOEMS challenges them more than they are used to and more than they want. Even the teacher who coaches with me expressed some shock over the difficulty. The suggestions that I have received are great and I feel motivated again. Thanks!

The contest does not have either letter at the top. I have the first volume, and I've read (on WTM forums) that the first volume does not designate whether a contest problem is for elementary or middle school students. I was told by someone on the AoPS forums that this is an elementary problem.

Thanks for the encouragement. I don't have CPS, and I have heard it's not as helpful as promised. I have been perusing the PICO (person in charge of the Olympiads) page on the MOEMS website, and it is helpful. I will also take a look at the accelerated boards.

After reading about the advantage of math competitions on the Art of Problem Solving website, I settled on Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle School (MOEMS) for my 4th and 5th grade sons. I persuaded the public school's math team to host the MOEMS competition if I coached them. Today, the math club tried the first sample contest in Math Olympiad Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle Schools and the kids solved only one problem (out of 5) correctly on their own. I explained all the solutions thoroughly. After one particularly tough problem's explanation (#4), I looked out at the kids and they looked defeated. They understood my explanation, but they just didn't see the solution on their own. One kid asked, "How are we supposed to know to do that?" Without the answer key, I would've solved the problem algebraically, but they don't know algebra yet. I told him I didn't know. Practice, maybe? How do I prepare the kids for the contests? The problems seem too hard for the kids, and I don't know how to teach them problem solving skills that don't involve algebra. Are there any other resources that I could use? I've also read that the Contest Problems book isn't divided into levels, but has middle school contests mixed in with elementary contests. Could I have given them a middle school contest accidentally? How can I tell which problems are elementary school level without reading every problem? (#4:Q. In a stationary store, pencils have one price and pens have another price. Two pencils and three pens cost 78 cents. But three pencils and two pens cost 72 cents. How much does one pencil cost? A: 12 cents)

I am seeing a therapist for post partum depression, and yesterday he recommended that we put my defiant child back in public school because the stress wasn't worth it. I told him I would consider it, and I have been thinking about it. But, when he tells me this (I have only seen him three times and he told me this on two occasions), I get annoyed: I don't want him to get rid of my situation, I want his help coping with it. I briefly posted on another thread about a book I am reading, "The Kazdin Method for parenting the Defiant Child". I started using Kazdin's reward system in our home for school work (they get a star/point - and lots of praise- for starting a subject on their own and then another star/point and praise for working for 30 minutes uninterrupted) and the results have been great. My stress level has decreased because I am not constantly nagging and dragging my kids back to do school work. My life has become more manageable. I really appreciated the previous post by Orthodox6 about home schoolers' ability to be objective when discussing home schooling. I know I get defensive when my therapist suggests public school, but after reading this thread, I am seriously considering what is best for my defiant ds10. I am going to try Kazdin's Method for two more weeks and then reevaluate our situation. Thanks for the great posts!

I am currently reading "The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child" and I am trying out some of what he says. Some things that I've read on this thread are addressed specifically in the book; e.g., one of the myths of parenting is that punishment will change bad behavior. "Depending on your style of parenting and your mood at any given moment, you decree time-outs, take away a privilege, shout 'Stop that!', or use nonverbal displays of exasperation like eye-rolling and sighing. ... If you're like most parents, you start out with milder punishments and escalate to more severe ones. Whether you do it mildly or severely, calmly or angrily, systematically or randomly, you probably find yourself punishing your child a great deal, and when you're not punishing, you're threatening to punish. " Sound familiar? I recognized myself in that description Kazdin has a method that rewards (with praise) good behavior. He says that punishment teaches what NOT to do, but praise teaches what TO do. I have been trying out his method for a week, and so far the results are promising. I tell the kids once, nicely, that it is time to start school work and they start and work until it's done. Of course they take breaks and I still have to remind them a few times to return to school work (versus the constant nagging), but the entire school day runs smoother, I remain calm, and I enjoy being with my kids by the end of the day. There are many great defiant-child books out there, but after reading several, I have found Kazdin's to be closest to how I would want to be treated, if I were a child.

We use the RS games on Fridays, when we have a light load. I try to find games that will reinforce what they've learned during the week, but that didn't work out today. Ds10 studied ratios, and I didn't see any games for that. Still, I use the games quite a bit, and we've owned them for about 3 years. I highly recommend them.

I love these lists! The Books of Umber (1- Happenstance Found and 2- Dragon Games; we're still waiting for the third book to finish the series) The False Prince Toto Chan

Have you looked at the National Geographic store? I briefly perused their DVD selection for "Europe", and "Lost Cannibals of Europe" looked promising. Joking aside, NG DVDs look more like social issues rather than geography. Have you used NG DVDs before? I was about to buy a collection and wanted to see if anyone had used them before I bought them.

I was going to order Atelier through their website, but decided to check HSBC to see if the program ever appeared there. So glad I did! I did a conditional order (25%) and I hope it gets there soon so I can stop checking to see the progress. Anyone else obsess over the "current quantity ordered"?

This is the website I use. Click on the "homeschool" link on the right side of the page for their curriculum. http://weefolkart.com/

We use SCM's Spelling Wisdom and like it. Just curious why you don't want to use it.

I use BFSU on my Nook, and the formatting is a little off. I have tried to print the pages (from my computer), but the document doesn't allow printing. So, I'm not quite sure if there is a e-book version out there that lets you print, but my $5 one doesn't.

Ha ha! I think this is the exact experiment that Bonnie did at the co-op, which is why she has so many eggs. I bet you have a friend who is having a birthday soon and loves pound cake .... :001_smile:

We use Math Mammoth for three kids with three different learning types. BUT, they all like MM; if one didn't like it, I would switch him. MM pages are in color, but you can print them in black and white. Would that be enough frills versus simplicity?

I also was wondering about ABeCeDarian books. I've heard it is similar to Reading Reflex. Where would I buy it? Also, I just finished my RR lesson plans, so I don't need these anymore.