Embassy
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Posts posted by Embassy
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Our biggest victories:
My oldest son is starting to be able to handle failure (i.e. getting things wrong) and can do most of his work independently.
My younger son has learned to visualize what he reads. He has also made lots of gains in reading Arabic and Greek.
My daughter is passionate about math. This is a first! My other kids have not enjoyed math.
:party: I'm happy, can you tell?
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We are using Singapore's Math Express series as a supplement to Singapore. Its focus is on mental math and it can be quite challenging at times.
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I chose MCT in the first place because of the writing. I agree that the writing is the weaker part of the program so I opted to look elsewhere. We've found a great fit with Classical Writing now.
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My DD8 got tested privately and she scored really high. And Iowa total battery is 90 percentile :( how do I interpret this? I was looking at Davidson this year!!! is tis too low?
If she had a privately administered IQ test, I would think that it would be more accurate. Not all gifted kids have high achievement test results.
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I have read several recommendations for Amsco's 3-book series. I have looked at booklists of prep/high schools and many of them use this series.
1. Vocabulary for the High School Student
2. Vocabulary for the College-Bound Student
3. The Joy of Vocabulary
Another series used by some high schools is Vocabulary Energizers 1 and 2.
Both of these series are affordable (esp. buying used on Amazon).
I really like the look of the Vocabulary Energizers course. I hadn't seen it before!
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What are the options available for high school vocabulary study? We have tried Word Within the Word, but found it quite boring with lots of memorization. Can you recommend anything?
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My middle daughter just turned 3. At her physical, her pediatrician was floored by her ability to do these neuro pathways tests that she has the kids do - she said that most 4 year olds are not able to do what she was able to do without a problem and then asked me all these questions about academics - can she count? does she know the alphabet? etc. She told me she was very smart and when I brushed it off and said the plan was to start pre-k in the fall and see how much she already knows then she told me good luck, that'll be an adventure. The thing is, she has a speech delay and is just now starting to talk.
I have been trying to really protect her "playtime" but am getting to a point where it's harder and harder to convince her to "play" while I do school with her sister because she wants to do school too and the coloring pages aren't cutting it anymore. During math specifically she ends up playing with the math manipulatives, but then she started asking for her math lesson. So I asked her to count out things for me, hand me colors, and other basic preschool skills but she gets bored and in the end she just ends up scattering the manipulatives around and building random towers of blocks and counters and frogs.
I was going to do a really simple prek lessons with her in the fall to teach her to recognize and count 0-9, but I am starting to realize that it will only frustrate her to do something like that. (especially since I heard her count to 15 yesterday...)
What did you guys do when yours were preschool age? I obviously want to minimize school time because of her age but I want her to love learning and if I don't figure out a way to meet her where she is, especially with her asking for lessons, I fear that she will learn that school is boring and frustrating.
If a child who has an older sibling asks to have her own lessons I would first consider whether she is asking because she needs the stimulation and is hungry for learning academics or if she wants individual attention.
I've done different things with all 3 of my kids. Play it by ear and know that if you do try something and it doesn't work, you can stop or try something else :) I had a kid hungry for parent-led learning at a young age. I fed that with some academics for a few weeks and then she was content to go back to playing.
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My ds hated it. We did the Island level. The writing was too open-ended without instruction and the vocabulary was way too simple. I liked the Music of the Hemispheres, but some spots bothered me because of a few errors I noticed in phonology (I don't know if this has been changed in the 2nd edition). My son did not really enjoy much about it. He is a HG auditory-sequential learner. I didn't even try it with my VSL after that disappointing attempt. I also tried WWTW and although it was at a good level vocabulary-wise, it was rather boring for my kid. I love MCT's philosophy, but the program didn't work for us.
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Be aware that in AoPS, it is expected to miss problems. If you can do all the problems correct, you're in the wrong book. So you'll have to shift your thinking if you use AoPS. AoPS problems are harder and deeper than normal math texts.
I agree. You can't expect to just miss a few here and there. Much will be missed. If you get 80% correct on the first try you are doing VERY WELL, imo. Sometimes I have to sit and puzzle over things for awhile even when I have the solution manual open to figure out how they arrived at an answer.
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I've been doing some planning for awhile, but I still have SO MUCH to do! Our school year starts in early July (year round) so I need to get everything settled. Adapting and making up a plan from different resources tends to work best for my kids so just getting the books I need is only the first step.
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We have been learning Greek for about 5 years now. I started with Hey Andrew and we went through the first two books. The third book wasn't working. I switched to Athenaze when my boys were in 3rd and 5th grades. We have taken it slow and easy spending almost 3 years going through the first two Hey Andrew books. Athenaze has been challenging at times, but it totally works with the way my kids learn. My boys are on chapters 3 and 4 in Athenaze so we haven't made it too far, but they have learned tons in those 3-4 chapters. My Kindergartener is doing Hey Andrew 1 right now and I'm planning on going through Song School Greek for a few years before she starts on Athenaze.
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Thanks for all the votes! Here are the links to the recipes:
Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins
Chocolate Chocolate Muffins Recipe (except my kid decided to put all the chocolate chips in the center of the muffin)
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We have been doing baking competitions this year as a fun way to learn how to bake. All three of my kids really enjoy spending time creating in the kitchen. Today, they each made a chosen muffin recipe.
After they finished baking, they each chose their best looking muffin and I took a picture of it. You will find the pictures on my blog here: http://eclectic-homeschool.com/muffin-baking-competition-please-vote-for-your-favorite/
Please take a minute and vote for the best looking muffin. You can vote on the poll here or on the poll at the bottom of the blog post :) Thanks so much! My kids love hearing the results come in.
UPDATE: Thanks for all the votes. The winner for the best looking was the Pretzel Chocolate Chip Muffin with the Chocolate Surprise Muffin coming in second and the Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffin coming in 3rd.
The winner for the best tasting was the Pretzel Chocolate Chip Muffin with the Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffin coming in second and the Chocolate Surprise Muffin in 3rd.
This was the first time my 4th grader had a solid win. He was very excited. Thanks for all the votes! We have one more competition this school year which will probably be next week sometime - brownies!
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Some things we have done to help with this issue (maybe something here will help):
- Study world poverty and learn about education around the world and what a privilege it is to be able to spend days learning
- Screen time is earned by doing school work with a good attitude. They earn in 10 minute increments and even on bad days they have some moments where they have earned something.
- As a teacher, I must use materials/resources that I find interesting or engaging in order to spread the love of learning to my kids. If I don't like the materials or find them dull it is almost a certainty that my kids will as well.
- Cultivate tangents. When doing school work with a child and you wonder about something...stop the regular work and figure out the answer. Do the same if your child wonders about something.
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$170 per year for the family. This co-op covers electives only like art, music, gym, cooking, etc. We are not part of the co-op.
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I agree with others. I'd use library books, videos, projects/experiments, and field trips. Have him pick topics of interest. Don't grade or do worksheets at all. Just keep it relaxed and enjoyable.
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My 5 year old daughter used to be extremely frustrated when she couldn't draw something the way she envisioned. This perfectionism extended to other areas as well. I've seen a big change since we hid Mr. Perfect. I' described what we did here: http://eclectic-homeschool.com/hiding-mr-perfect-perfectionism-in-young-children/
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Different? I knew something was different at a couple months old. I didn't know what that different was for many more years though. He was an extremely high need baby that needed lots of stimulation to be happy. Sleeping was difficult and he was very sensitive to sound and movement. Life was interesting :)
For my other kids I knew something was different around age 1-3.
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I have to say that when you first began the competitions, I felt uncomfortable voting and choosing the "best" from one of your kids. But I now know what a success this has been for your family and how much they all enjoy it. I think it's really cool that you've given them the opportunity to make so many different things, that you've remained committed to this for so long (one of my downfalls is lack of longterm commitment).
These are honestly ALL such gorgeous pies that I'm not sure yet how I'm going to vote. I'll truly have to study all of the photos v-e-r-y carefully. What a talented group of kids, and what wonderful memories you are all making through your continued baking competitions!
ETA: It came down to minor things, how well the crusts turned out, and how carefully the tops were arranged. The oreo cookie pie would win for creativity and I applaud the thought behind it, but I think the initial vision didn't come together quite as well when it was all put together. In the end, I voted for the Coconut Pie--but when I saw the way the votes counted out, I wanted to change to help even things out! I feel like I'm a judge on Food Network, it was not an easy decision. I think this is the most even competition so far! Really, really, kudos to all of your bakers!!!!
:hurray: :hurray: :hurray:
2nd ETA, lol: 15yods said the berry pie was the best looking, but if he were choosing to eat one, he'd pick the Oreo pie in a heartbeat. So I guess that's kind of like a vote for each pie.
Thanks ThisIsTheDay! My kids love doing things in the kitchen, unless you count doing dishes :) The winning and losing was an adjustment for them at first. I see it as a life lesson. They need to learn how to win gracefully and lose gracefully too. They need to be okay with their creation even if they didn't win. This is something my kids have needed to practice and these little "competitions" have helped them do just that. Also, my youngest has decided that her future career will be taste testing, lol. We plan to continue next school year, but will probably branch off into different cuisines or themes.
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Thanks for all your votes!
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Would it be possible to get the recipe for the coconut pie? It looks so good! :)
Sure, it is here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/truly-coconutty-cream-pie/ Instead of the coconut-flavored rum, my kid used some coconut flour to replace some of the all purpose flour. and used a bit more coconut water. My kid also used butter instead of butter flavored shortening. It turned out okay with those changes, but the original might be better.
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We had another baking competition today in our little homeschool. My 3 kids each made a pie (with assistance as necessary). We tasted them all tonight and chose a winner for the best tasting pie, but we need a winner for the best looking pie. If you want to vote you can go to my blog here and see pictures of the different pies.
You can vote on the blog or here, but please only vote in one place.
Thanks! My kids love seeing the poll results :)
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I didn't want to derail the previous thread, but I don't get it. Are we saying that STEM is just harder? Really? In my experience even a profoundly gifted math student can still be challenged to the point of tears over days and even weeks; but I'm hearing that for the gifted humanities student, it is just about passion and stimulation? WOW!
*Why* is this? What does this mean philosophically?
Right now, I think I pulled the short straw. I get tears and you get engagement.
Ruth in NZ
I think it is harder to challenge a student in the humanties. Math, for instance, follows a more logical sequence. The humanities have a depth and breadth that may be best approached as a meandering stream. I attempted to find challenge by going forward quickly, but still didn't find a spot where my son was challenged. But he did come to a place where things were boring. Humanities requires lots of contemplation of ideas. Going forward quickly without all the meandering along the way lessened the ability to contemplate many different ideas. So I gave up on challenging by going forward and am focusing on engaging him and give him more time to mature and contemplate. I tend to have a wide and deep approach to education anyway. We study philosophy and logic. We study Arabic, Mandarin, French, and Greek. The only thing he finds challenging is Greek.
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In addition to ideas, I would love to hear your thoughts on: Is it OK if work is "easy" in the humanities for a student who is naturally talented in these subjects? What does hard work even look like in the Humanities?
I came to the point about a year ago where I decided to stop seeking challenge and just let him enjoy the journey and build necessary skills along the way. So, yes, I'm okay if the work is easy. The books he reads are easy for him, but they are great books that I don't want him to just skip over. The writing isn't challenging, but it is building necessary skills for future writing. He liked the Great Courses, but prefers documentaries so we are going with that for now.
That said, challenge is very important to me. My kid needs to learn how to face something hard and struggle through it. So many things come easy academically that it is crucial for him to be challenged. He hasn't had struggle with any of the challenging work I've thrown at him with the humanities so I've found a way to challenge him in other subject areas. Today I saw a grin come on his face when he came out the other end of a struggle. He figured out something that was hard. Every kid should have that.
Hard work for humanities? I would think back to classes I had in college and besides being able to read and write well, I think it was expected that you be able to think about a reading passage or historical time and discuss, make your own conclusions, and possibly make unique observations.
Doing the math books yourself... Aops
in Accelerated Learner Board
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I'd love to, but haven't had the time. I'm not over my head yet with math (for the most part), but I can see that day coming. Hopefully as my younger children become more independent, I can devote more time.