NotDaMama
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Posts posted by NotDaMama
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We are using VP next year, and our Ds will be learning 7th grade logic. VP recommends Introductory Logic or Art of Argument for the core logic curriculum. Both programs, and their follow-on books, look appealing. However, we are having a hard time choosing which is best. Could someone provide reasons to pick on over the other?
If there is a past thread on this, please point us there, we are happy to save time and discussion if it has already been discussed. :001_smile:
Thanks
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Bumping and :bigear:
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:iagree:It seems like many children do not like to write, especially boys. However, learning any challenging skill can be hard, and it is good to look for the difference between "challenging" and "Totally frustrated". There have been many posts like this in the past, if you search for (quote)hates writing(close quote) you will find previous posts and answers.
I meant "hates writing", with the quotes. Sorry about the computer geek speak.
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If it helps, my son (who has pretty neat writing) does not exactly love writing either. I'd say it ranks dead-last in terms of things he would like to do. It think it is the age.
Bill
:iagree:It seems like many children do not like to write, especially boys. However, learning any challenging skill can be hard, and it is good to look for the difference between "challenging" and "Totally frustrated". There have been many posts like this in the past, if you search for (quote)hates writing(close quote) you will find previous posts and answers.
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Thanks all for the information. The WTM forum is so nice to have! It sure is better than trying things out and then having to switch later. (I'm glad this might save me a post on the wasted curriculum thread... :D)
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REAL Science Odyssey by Pandia Press.
It used to be called R.E.A.L. Science and is always being confused with Real Science for Kids.
Thanks, I could not find it on the acronym list.
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Thanks all for the posts, I am working on activities to put together so my wife can pull them out during the week and get an hour here and there for focusing on the older dcs.
The more I think about it though, part of the challenge is that he just loves having time with his mommy (a good thing), but he just does not like to play independently (the challenge). My wife and I would appreciate ideas for helping him learn to play and learn more on his own.
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IMO, the earlier the better. Cursive remediates many of the problems that you see with manuscript writing, such as reversals and spacing issues. And it is easier to do since you don't have to pick up your hand as much. Furthermore, if you ultimately want the child to use cursive exclusively, then it is best to teach it first since our brain retains best what it learns first.
:iagree:I only wish we had known this before going to far down the road of manuscript only/first. :glare:
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Phonics Museum and Explode the code. Both work well and are entertaining (even for the older siblings!).
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What is your favorite curriculum for teaching Greek, and why did you choose it? We are exploring what options we have, and are interested in what others have discovered.
Our children are 9 and younger, and our primary goal is to teach our children Koine Greek for studying the Bible. Later on we would like to explore classical Greek for broader understanding of the classical works.
:bigear: - Thanks.
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I used RSO when my boys were in K and 2nd - we really enjoyed this program. This year, we are using Elemental Science Earth Science http://www.elementalscience.com/ . My boys are now in 2nd and 4th. I did not think that RSO would provide enough challenge and interest for my oldest. Thus far, we are really Elemental, although I should also mention that we are supplementing it with several of the Science in a Nutshell kits.
Krista
What is RSO? Thanks.
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Welcome to the Forum. You can really get so much from this place.
(Speaking towards classical education styles only)
My first thought is start slowly. Most people here do not jumpstart into ultra classical methods. Many start slowly and have grown into classical educators. I realize you have a 5th grader, so my advice is to spend his 5th grade year getting solid in the basics (where you mentioned he needs some work), then spend Jr. High working on Logic and beginning Latin. That will put you right where you need to be for high school and allow you time to grow into classical education.
As for the know-it-all, welcome to 3rd grade boys :) Since he knows everything, personally, I'd give him tons and tons of great factual reading so he can learn even more. Data, data, data for that one! Usually the know-it-alls want to know it all, so he may oblige and make the librarian his new best friend. If that's not the case, keep pushing toward that goal, it will be great for him!
Put your social butterfly in a co-op setting, start a book club for other home schoolers her age. Do you attend church? I have a social butterfly, too and she still blooms, even though she's mostly home with us. She has also developed the great ability of self-entertainment. I'd also suggest reading up on Charlotte Mason methods. They're very similar to classical in many ways, yet offer gentleness and more free time than classical approaches.
As for the "afternoons off" let me approach this in two ways. First, many people paint home schooling as a free time mecca :glare:. IMHO, those artists are probably not classical home educators or their dear children are in lower grammar grades. You CAN teach your Ker and 3rd grader classically and give them a day with much free time; however, realistically, if you choose to educate classically, for the 5th grader, it ain't happenin'. My 2nd and 3rd graders are currently putting in about 4-5 a day, sometimes longer if we're really diving into a project.
Secondly, if lots of free time is what you're looking for, you are barking up the wrong tree :D, particularly with three children. You really need to approach classical home schooling as a full time job. Some people may be super sweet and tell you otherwise, but if you're dedicated to classical education, you need to get realistic about your time expectations. I hope I don't sound like a meanie, I'm trying to be real with you and keep this honest...so you don't find disappointment leading you back to public school. My 5th grader finishes school in about 5 hours, depending on her diligence; we're solidly classical (b/c we've grown to be). If you count breaks and meals, we're looking at a 7-hour day.
Let me also suggest de-schooling a bit. I'll bet your boys have an idea of what school is...change that idea by showing them something different! Make sure that you're having fun along with all the work! Lots of opportunity in science and history for good fun! It will take some time, but you can change their minds and you will all get used to being with each other so much --- don't underestimate the need to readjust to "together time."
Finally, let me reiterate....start slow. Many people start off with the 3R's, add science after a few weeks, then history, etc and build up to full time schedules. For the most part, try and unschool your own mind: you don't have to follow their schedule (unless your state says so), so it won't matter if you don't start spelling until November....you can break in the summer and finish up the level in next November! You might be surprised that you can accelerate in some areas, too, without burning out the schedule. You can have a semester of Logic and then one of typing...you don't have to do it all at once!
I'm taking a deep breath for you. Remember this above all: I don't anyone here finds themselves exceptional, yet we all do this home schooling thing, too. It takes time to find your way and you may decided classical isn't entirely it for you...time will tell! Many people find it takes about 3-years to get into the groove. YMMV, just give yourself the time to acclimate.
:iagree: I agree with how long hsing should take each day. How long it takes depends heavily on how much and what you are teaching are to the dc. I request that when people say how long it takes for them, could they please say what they accomplish in that amount of time? That would really help out those of us who are new. My wife and I are in our second year.
BTW, I post more than my wife because she is either hip deep in teaching or too spaced out after teaching to produce two syllable words... :blink:
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Thanks for the advice.
And about the picture, I used to like the show, and then I realized how much it portrays a bad image of parenthood, and especially the father. I still like the picture though, and it is still funy sometimes when my youngest does his "not da mama" routine.
Oh, and BTW, my wife is sometimes surprised that people can post anything after they get past laughing at the picture. We both still laugh when we see it. :lol:
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:iagree: And the pic to go with it~! I will be brave enough to admit I used to love that show LOL
My 4 year old ds will sit for hours playing with MUS blocks and C-rods. Legos-- not so much, but MUS blocks and C rods are school and he knows that :D Works awesome. Also I would recommend you getting pattern blocks and the pattern books! I introduced both of my boys to those today and it was love at first sight! :001_tt1:
Thanks for the advice.
And about the picture, I used to like the show, and then I realized how much it portrays a bad image of parenthood, and especially the father. I still like the picture though, and it is still funy sometimes when my youngest does his "not da mama" routine.
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Thanks everyone for the help, you have a lot of good practical ideas. I especially like the work boxes and related work to keep him buisy in a good way. We will try this and then let you know how it works, and probably ask for more advice. :D
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I don't think this is unique to homeschoolers - I think all teachers tweak their curriculum some. We all want what is bet for our kids, so we change things so they work the best for the kids we are teaching.
:iagree: From my experience, all home schooling parents, and teachers in the public and private schools, tweak their materials. Either out of care for the student, and/or to match their teaching style.
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While hsing our older ds and dd, our younger ds ends up with a lot of free time and not much to do. We are able to spend an hour to a hour and a half per day with him using OPGTR, Early Bird Math, and Get Set for the Code. However, most of the time must be spent with our older dcs to complete their curriculum. What could we give our youngest ds who is 4 years old to make his free time more productive (and to keep him out of our hair so our time is less disruptive with the others... :willy_nilly:)
Thanks
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TOG started working for us (after trying twice and going back to SL each time) when I really started making it my own.
One thing I've loved about SL over the years, after doing cores up to Core 7 and part of 100, was the books. I love the relaxed style of reading great books together and learning in that way. But by Core 6, I felt like, although dd was reading great books, the piece we were missing was the synthesizing of information. I felt like she was reading, but we were not doing anything with that information. Unless I stayed two steps ahead of her in her reading and doing independent research on my own, I was not able to engage her in her history studies.
Shift to TOG, where choices abound and I have the resources and tools at my fingertips to fully engage and lead her in discussion, but they are so much more than I use that I feel overwhelmed and like a failure for not using it to the hilt.
After several attempts, I've found a very happy compromise. I love TOG in that it teaches me via teachers notes and, if I choose, history readings, enough so that I feel like I know what I'm talking about and discuss it with dc. It takes history in bite size chunks, lays out clear objectives for the week, and gives me lots of choices to meet those objectives. But they are just that - choices. I do not use many of them. I usually don't do any vocab or timeline; the dates I feel are very important I put on an index card and put in their memory work. I sometimes do the maps. I use some fo the writing assignments, but I use IEW to flesh them out. And, here's the thing, I don't use much of the reading selections. Sorry, but I love SL books, and I add in most of them to the period we're learning about. Many times I substitute history readings as well.
When I finally gave myself permission to use TOG in a way that worked for us, without having to feel like it wasn't worth it if I didn't use it to the fullest, we started thriving. It has given me the structure I need to focus on chunks of chronological history, with clear objectives every week, teachers notes that help educate ME, but do so in a less "academic" and more "CM/SL" sort of way.
So, back to the original post, no, I guess there's nothing that really annoys me so much. I just choose not to use the things I find particularly helpful in our homeschool.
Blessings,
Lisa
What does "SL" stand for? Thanks.
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Thanks for sharing the cool site! Our kids are really into maps at this point and I always appreciate tools to support our learning conversations.:001_smile:
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Well I'm not sure you would diagnose my dd as dysgraphic, not to the degree Karen's dd is. The one thing I would say though, having talked with more people and looking back, is the things that seem SMALL but curious when the dc is little don't go away. In other words, trust your gut and don't blow it off. The "my hand hurts" in K5 is the signal, the warning flag that is you could have a snowball later, say 4th or 5th, as the workload increases. I had so many weird things all along that I blew off or misinterpreted because my dd is overall so bright and proficient. Don't do what I did. :)
Thanks for the comments, I also appreciate your recommendation to keep an eye on indicators that may point to future issues. It is more fun to address things you can help with before you are looking at them in the rear view mirror...
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Oops, I just read the link that was posted and it had more information that I thought it would, so thanks for the post. However, I am still interested in others experiences.
Thanks
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Does anyone know of a good website that describes clinically what dysgraphia is, how to diagnose it, and what to do about it? I used Google and have found a few good sites, but I am interested in others experience with resources.
Thanks.
Introductory Logic vs. Art of Argument
in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges
Posted
Bumping