Embassy
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Posts posted by Embassy
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I'm always surprised when I hear parents (and this isn't directed at you, yllek) insist that some subjects are just inherently boring, and life is full of boring things, and kids need to get used to that.
My kids find anything to do with housework boring. I don't blame them. I find it incredibly boring too. I've found that if I find something boring my kids do as well. If I find a subject exciting they are more likely to catch onto that excitement. So, I approach subjects in a way I find exciting and interesting. People often ask me why I do x, y, or z when only a and b are necessary. If I only did a and b I would be incredibly bored. As a teacher I need to be excited about the subject I am teaching. So I have to find ways to approach subjects that will spark my interest and enthusiasm. And in do doing I am better prepared to instill in my children a passion for learning about the subject.
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.William Butler Yeats
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Do we try to get our kids beyond their reluctance by taking them through the skills that are difficult or "boring," or do we play to their strengths? I can see how using their interests or strengths would be a good way to "hook" them, give relevance to an assignment, or scaffold a skill so that it is more accessible. What happens when a child is asked to stretch beyond what is immediately interesting? Or when the skills become challenging to to the point of frustration?
If my kids are bored I am doing something wrong. Learning is fun. For us it doesn't mean abandoning all curricula. I do use it in some subjects like math and foreign languages, but I try to adapt that curricula to help keep learning fun. We did take a sideways leap into living math this year and I've been very pleased with that choice. If a child is frustrated with challenging skills then I would need to step back and give him more practice with a previous skill before moving on.
I challenge my kids and some might say I challenge them too much. I don't make everything easy, but I try to keep it fun. I constantly evaluate how they respond to different things. I want them to have a sense of wonder about the world and embrace all learning as an enjoyable activity. It is a work in progress. I treasure baby steps in that direction. This year I've seen my oldest grow to really like math when he disliked it previously. I've seen my younger son grow to have a strong interest in science and history when he didn't care much about them earlier.
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I know of a situation where a father told his 4 year old son that the boy's mother was going to go to jail, but not to worry because the boy wouldn't be there when they came to get her. The father and mother are separated and are now going through a nasty divorce. The mother hasn't come close to doing anything worthy of being arrested.
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History, geography, science, and literature :D
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Well, He can't be known entirely just from Creation. Creation points to Him, but doesn't completely reveal him.
The passage in Romans where people tend to draw this belief from should be read in context. I think that what Paul is saying in it is not that everyone is saved through their knowledge, but that everyone is condemned through their knowledge except in Christ.
:iagree:
But I do think the OP's perspective is popular among many Christians.
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Thanks for the response Jean. Anyone else?
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How involved is your child in determining what he/she studies? How have you gone about facilitating that involvement? At what age?
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How's it working for you? How old are your kids now? Are they "science-y" kids? Did you find that NOT doing a formal science program in the early years positively or negatively influenced their attitude/knowledge/love of science as they grew older?
And finally, what exactly did you "do" in those interest led years? Read alot? Random experiments? Mythbusters? Nature walks?
Thank you!
My boys are young - just turned 7 and 9. My oldest lives and breathes science, but that is how he was born. My youngest hasn't been so interested in science, but loves examining how things work and usually sees things from a unique perspective. He did tell me recently that he really likes science now.
We have taken a middle of the road approach. We have used Real Science 4 Kids, but other than that we have stayed away from anything formal. Science is a combination of parent-led and interest-led. We have a science time where we focus on a particular topic. We do experiments, activities, watch DVDs, and read books. We have time for nature walks (when the weather is warmer) and do insect/wildflower studies and grow plants. Interest-led exists alongside the parent-led. My oldest son spends his free time learning more about different science topics and now for his precious Wii time he is playing Endless Ocean. My younger son doesn't spend much time following scientific interests on his own unless his brother initiates it.
I think if I did the standard textbook program with them it would have hampered their love/liking for science. They need more depth and activities than the standard formal curriculum.
But then again, I'm not sure what we do would qualify for interest-led by some people. This is an example of what we are doing this year for parent-led science time.
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I started with Mandarin exposure in toddlerhood because it is very different from English.
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I used the Living Math website to find lots of different books at our library. I'm combining living math with Singapore and it has been a good fit. I'm also showing an enjoyable DVD series called Math for Children and Math for Students that I found at the library too.
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I use lots of living books and add in DVDs and activities. I use a book as a spine to organize how we proceed chronologically through history. My boys love it. For instance, today they watched a DVD on the Sphinx and finished a paper mache mummy case. I read lots of books on the historical period to them from our local library too. Here is an example of what we did for ancient Mesopotamia.
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I don't have everything planned out. We take one year at a time. I originally decided to do cycles, but it has worked out better to explore historical periods in depth. For instance this school year we have been exploring ancient Egypt and will be learning about ancient Egypt for probably another month. We started with prehistory last school year and will probably get to modern history by the end of 8th grade. I figure high school can be a time where they either do a general overview of history or in depth studies of historical periods of interest.
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Thank you for the suggestions! They have been very helpful.
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I am still enjoying MCT, and I am finding that my dc are thriving with it. But I have a question here, and it's really, truly non-snarky. Isn't the point of all our grammar study to make us better writers, not to make us superlative grammarians?
I was thinking the same thing. I have just started using Island level. Has anyone here seen writing skills improve or change since using MCTLA?
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I'm starting to get science together for next school year. We will be looking at physics and I'm wondering if anyone knows of any book lists related to physics. If you know of an awesome curriculum or kit or activity that you used, please let me know. Grade level isn't important, but any high school level would need to be conceptual physics.
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We have a huge fan here. I think he likes the marketing part of it the best, figuring out how to make his game popular, get hits, stay on the front page, etc.
I used to think he was learning from it, but anymore, I think it's mostly a waste of time. Sigh...
Love the cake!!!! What did your ds say about it? Did he help make it?
My ds gave me a critique. He said the logo was right, the legs were the wrong size, and the face wasn't exactly like it should be. LOL. He liked it though. I let them pick their cake they want. I make it and they don't get to see it until it is time to blow out the candle.
I hear you about Roblox. It does seem like a waste of time. I guess it is just a little stupid fun. It certainly isn't the place to learn to spell! I have seem my kids learn from it though - although for the time invested I wouldn't call it a learning environment.
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I'm not a huge fan, but my son loves it. He requested a Roblox birthday cake and I tried :tongue_smilie: It is supposed to be a figure with the lazy eye face.
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Thanks. I look into Shurley. I'm doing Mad Libs this year to introduce the parts of speech and informal instruction in writing and punctuation. I do think he needs some sort of formal approach to grammar and writing prior to MCT Island level though. It would be too big of a jump otherwise especially considering all the writing assignments in the Island level.
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I plan to use MCTLA with my son when he is in third grade. I used BJU English 3 with my oldest son before moving on to MCTLA. I'm not sure I want to use BJU English 3 with my second son though. Any suggestions? What did you use before you started the Island level?
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I lived in Ketchikan for a couple years and loved it. It is quite different from Fairbanks, but I loved that it rained more days than it was sunny. Best of all I loved living at the edge of the ocean and the edge of a mountain. It was gorgeous. I miss it. We didn't get much snow though.
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Take this with a grain of salt since I don't know you or your child. It seems as though you are concerned because he isn't progressing as fast as other children you have read about. Gifted children are so very different and (dare I say) that they don't achieve early skills because they were taught with the right curriculum. I think if you ask parents of gifted children you will find that their children learned to read at 2 because the child figured it out for himself. Not all gifted children learn to read early either. Some even learn to read later than average.
I also noticed that you reported your son loved the abacus and the game Rush Hour and you reported that he taught himself math that way. That may be the way to go for now. Provide him with manipulative and math games and let him explore. As for reading - just read to him. Don't worry if he isn't reading like other children. He will read when he is ready. Spend time exploring nature, going to parks and take field trips around your community. There is so much fun to be had in the preschool years. Realize that learning isn't relegated to the pages of a workbook or a specific curriculum. Learning by playing is an important part of childhood. Research shows that children benefit cognitively when they engage in extended play sequences. Doris Bergen said this
The press for "academic readiness" through concentrated and direct teaching of alphabet, number, color, and other skills is now affecting the amount of time allocated for play in preschools. This trend has had a negative effect on social pretend play, which requires extended uninterrupted time periods to develop complexity...there is a growing body of evidence supporting the many connections between cognitive competence and high-quality pretend play. If children lack opportunities to experience such play, their long-term capacities related to metacognition, problem solving, and social cognition, as well as to academic areas such as literacy, mathematics, and science, may be diminished.
You can read the whole study here.
So in short, there is a reason why people say - just let him play. Play is important. It doesn't neglect learning - it is learning. It sounds like books hold his attention, but not much else. I might try working with him to extend his play sequences rather than trying to find the right curriculum.
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I think it depends on the child. My 8 year old could probably do that, but he is naturally responsible as seen in doing his chores, etc. Schooling at our house is more like cooperative learning so giving him a list isn't really a workable option for us right now.
I think giving a list is a reasonable thing to expect of most 5th-6th graders though.
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I only have the teacher's manuals, except for Practice Island and it has worked fine.
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I'm using Singapore for the first time this school year. I tested my boys and put them in the correct levels. I went with the standard workbook and textbook as well as their Speed Math workbook. I didn't get the IP or CWP workbooks. We are also combining Singapore with living math this school year. Anyway, it seems like there is too much repetition in the textbook and workbook. I didn't realize how much practice there would be in the textbook. The textbook seems to be sufficient for my boys to understand a concept so should I be using the IP or CWP instead of the standard workbook?
Teaching "outside the box" - or "Now what?"
in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges
Posted
Yes, we can learn without the "spark" being lit. My goal in education isn't to teach my children x, y, and z so they will know it. It is to ignite a spark that will motivate them to continue learning about the topic on their own. I don't think that will happen without the engagement.