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ShutterBug

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Everything posted by ShutterBug

  1. I wouldn't because thanks to autoimmune thyroiditis, my thyroid is dead in the water anyway ;). We're on the East Coast..so as of right now I don't see a need for ds or dh to take it either.
  2. We just say "We homeschool, he's 8, if he was in public school he'd be a 3rd grader." For me, to say..."Well, he's 8, so if he was in public school he'd be a 3rd grader...but he's working 2 to 3 years ahead for math, 5 years ahead for reading, 1 and a half years ahead in writing and he's right on target for geography.." just sounds absolutely asinine. The fact of the matter is, nobody really cares what level your kids or my kids or anybody else's kids are working at. There are times when you'd never guess that ds is ahead of his peers..say playing at the park or at a birthday party with a bunch of other 8 year olds..and that's fine, I really don't feel the need for everyone to be aware of his academic status all of the time. Then, there are times when it's obvious such as when we're at a chess tournament and he's playing (and doing well) in the adult section as opposed to the scholastic and having in depth game analysis with players decades older than him in between games.
  3. Ds began reading them at 7 and finished them at 8. He watched the movies after he read each book. Thus far he's read all 7 books and seen all the released movies. I read them too (as did dh) and we've all fallen in love with HP :001_smile: . Yes, the books get much darker after 3. They also begin involving some romantic relationships as well. Ds had a really hard time with the ending of 4 and from then on I had to give him a heads up on who dies in each book ahead of time. The movies get scarier and more intense as well, but if you've read the books you kind of know what to expect. The movies are well done, but I really feel as if they are best complemented by the books. The books have SO MUCH MORE in the way of story, character development, etc.. If you haven't read the books, the movies can get confusing as to what's going on after 4 or so. The best advice I could give is for you to preview the books/movies first and err on the side of caution. Once an image has been seen or read, you can't take it back...if you have any doubts then I'd wait :) .
  4. Is the cost for the remainder of the year $135, or is it pro-rated since there are only a couple of months left? We're interested, but if it's $135 for the remainder of the year, then we'd like to join when the new year begins in June :001_smile: .
  5. We use two full math programs as well and haven't found it to be too much. Ds (3rd grade) is currently using Horizons and Math U See with CWP to supplement. I really feel like the mastery and spiral approaches balance eachother out well and ds isn't overwhelmed. On a typical day he'll do... - two MUS sheets - one to two Horizons lessons - a couple of challenging word problems - fact drills ...which takes an average of an hour :001_smile: .
  6. I'm currently using SL Core 3 for history/literature with my almost 9 year old son. Overall, we're really enjoying the core, except one of the history spines. I'm wondering, from those who are using or have used this core, how detrimental it would be to drop this particular book. The book is "The Landmark History of the American People". The book just seems very wordy and is tossing out A LOT of information all at once, but without much logical or well thought out organization. It seems very choppy in the way it's worded and written and often jumps from one topic into another without any transition. In addition, some things (especially of a Christian nature) seem to said in almost a sarcastic tone...often using "quotation" marks not to indicate a direct quote, but to almost be condescending. Here is an example. If the Puritans did not convert the Indians to Christianity, the Indians would "go down to hell by swarms without remedy". I don't like the book. Ds doesn't seem to be enjoying or retaining much from it due to the way it simply tosses a ton of very detailed information out in a poorly written and boring manner. However, it is one of the main history spines. I guess what I'm wondering is can I skip it, use the two "History of the USA" books along with the readers and read alouds and still get the basic gist of the core? I've also been compiling a timeline for memory work. Sorry for the rambling and thanks in advance for any help you can offer! Jenn
  7. After reading "The Core" and becoming more inspired to ramp up memory work I'm trying to come up with a good system as well. I do well with the initial organization of memory work...it's the adding new things as we go along where I get overwhelmed.
  8. Oscar. I really wanted ds to be an Oscar, but dh vetoed it and since he's the only one with veto power Oscar got the ol' kaibosh.:glare:
  9. I'm pretty sure that if there are issues in your rental that your landlord/lady refuses to correct (plumbing and mold definitely) then you can hire someone to fix it and dock it from your rent. Check into your state laws, but here in NY that's how it goes :) .
  10. These are not all Christian themed, but Ds 8 has enjoyed... The "Kingdom" series..the first book is called "Kingdom's Dawn", these are great boy Bible analogy books with lots of excitement and adventure :) http://www.amazon.com/Kingdoms-Dawn-Kingdom-Book-1/dp/1590526791 The Redwall series The Chronicles of Narnia series The Hobbit The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King Homer Price The Harry Potter series The Invention of Hugo Cabret The Half Magic series Five Children and It Farmer Boy The Edge Chronicles series The Wind in the Willows These are just for fun books, he's also enjoyed most of his assigned reading from SL's core 3 with advanced readers (both the readers and the read alouds).
  11. Yes! I am definitely interested. Ds has already taken the math test on their website and was accepted...we just couldn't afford the individual courses. Please pm with the info. you need from me and how to proceed! Thanks, Jenn
  12. I believe that there is something there. I don't believe that it's people who have died, but have not "crossed over". For "intelligent" hauntings, I do believe it's demonic with the motive simply being a way to distract or lead people away from Christ. For unintelligent or residual type hauntings...well, I'm not quite sure what the answer is, lol. I do believe that it's entirely possible that we don't understand everything about energy..how it works, how long and in what form it can linger.
  13. Here is ds's (8 - 3rd grade) from today. We got a late start on WWE 3 this year so we're only on Week 10. I have him read the passage aloud and then give me his narration after which I have him write out his entire narration on his own. We're working on getting the narrations down from 4 to 3 sentences...hopefully soon, lol. Spelling, grammar and punctuation are left as he wrote them. When Almanzo came in through the Horse-Barn's little door the young colts nuzzled him. He was not allowed to touch the colts because his father said that he would spoil them. In the barns, Almanzo and Royal took out all of the soiled hay and replaced it with fresh hay. Almanzo had his own calves and their names were Star and Bright.
  14. I don't know..I know a family whose son nursed until he was 8 or 9...if you're feeling done then maybe a little nudge in the weaning direction wouldn't hurt?
  15. I shower every day because I want to. I shower every day because I like to. I shower every day because if I don't my hair is greasy, my skin is oily, my "nether regions" don't feel fresh (or clean ) and I'm a miserable, grody feeling grump.
  16. We use MUS as well and they like for the kids to have their current math facts memorized (addition in Alpha, subtraction in Beta, multiplication in Gamma and division in Delta) before moving on to the next book. I think stopping to solidify the math facts is fine :) . It shouldn't take long and then you can get back into Beta:) .
  17. I spent the day with my sister and nephew today. My nephew is the same ages as ds (8 - 3rd grade). She was telling me about her summer schoolwork plans for him. She wants to focus on mastering addition, subtraction and mulitplication (his school uses Everyday Math and they haven't mastered any of them yet) and then she added in that she'd like to have him read some non-fiction books and write a few reports. I commented that that seemed like a lot of writing for an almost 4th grader and she said that in school right now they're working on 5 paragraph reports/essays. Say what?:confused: Ds is working through WWE 3 & 4 this year along with Paragraph Town. He's doing well with both but my goal for the end of the year was to have him writing well composed single paragraphs. 5 paragraph reports in 3rd grade. Tell me this is too much to expect out of a 3rd grader and to let it go and continue on as I have been! Thanks! Jenn
  18. I did this and nothing came up? Well, things came up but none of them were a free download of grammar stage memory work?
  19. Sorry if this seems harsh, but this sounds like more than typical 6 year old mouthiness and I personally feel that continuing to tolerate or make excuses is only going to cause the behavior to continue to escalate.
  20. We had a family leave our church because we didn't have a Sunday School option for their 8 year old son. At the time we were still a new church, fairly small and he was the only child in his age group (all the other children were 3 and 4 years old). They (the parents) loved the church, loved the teaching and felt they were being spiritually fed. I personally, don't get it. To be completely honest I think it's asinine. To me, Sunday School is a nice option for my child, I'm glad we are able to offer it, but it's not a mandatory prerequisite in a church. Children should get most of their spiritual teaching at home, from their parents. If they get a little extra at church on Sunday, wonderful, but the primary responsibility should be with the parents. If there was no Sunday School option for ds and we were happy at a church - getting good teaching and fellowship there is no way we'd leave over Sunday School. He'd sit upstairs with us and that would be the end of it.
  21. WWE 3 instructs to have the student either read the passage to themselves or out loud before they narrate it...would that work better than you reading it out loud to her?
  22. Thanks everyone :) I left yesterday wondering if maybe ds should be growing out of toys. It's nice to see that toys are still popular among his age (and older!) No, no...I'm 100% positive that she wasn't trying to be rude or condescending. She's very sweet but often direct and to the point. I think she was just as surprised that ds still does play with toys as I was that her kiddos weren't really into them. Their definitely not succumbing to electronics, lol. The family is very much Waldorf inspired (no TV, no video games and very little computer use). Up until this year all three boys attended the local Waldorf school. This year she's homeschooling the younger two while the oldest still attends the Waldorf. However, they're not completely immersed in the Waldorf lifestyle (to the extent that they only have natural, wooden toys). There is a big bin of Legos and other toys around (which are mostly used by the toddlers she babysits for). Yes, any kind of weapon is popular here. We have a large plastic "weapon bin" filled with every kind of gun, sword and light saber you could ever imagine. The family does have a really large yard with a playground and a creek and woods right down the street so I know they spend a lot of time outside. She's pretty easygoing about letting them head off to the neighborhood playground or down to the creek by themselves. We on the other hand live closer to the city, have a tiny lot and next to no children in our neighborhood to play with which lends itself to playing inside more. The boys are competitive swimmers and the family snowboards together all winter long. She said when they're indoors they like to play board games or more role playing games like dentist or store (which ds enjoys also). Thanks again :) I'm just assuming that they're not particularly into toys. I do think that the mom's ideas about them being too old for toys plays into it as well. I also noticed that the toys they do have aren't really that organized. It's basically a bin filled with little bits and pieces of all different toys...some broken and almost all incomplete. I know that if ds's toys aren't somewhat organized and are just in a pile he doesn't tend to play with them.
  23. Maybe it is a personality thing...but ds loves all those things too. He spent the other day playing chess all morning..all afternoon with his toys and then all night engrossed in "The Fellowhip of the Rings". She did say that her boys play...but they'll play doctor or dentist. She said they just don't need "props" to play.
  24. We were at a friends house today. Ds (8) plays with this family's ds (8 also). The family also has a just turned 10 year old and a 6 1/2 year old. The mom asked is ds still plays with toys and when I said "Yes! Of course!", she kind of looked at me strange. She said that her boys play, but that they're too old for toys (with the exception of the 6 1/2 year old who still occasionally does). She added in that she thought it was strange that someone bought her ds 8 a Playmobil set for Christmas this year because she thought it was kind of a little kid toy. I told her that ds still loves to play with his Legos, Star Wars guys, army guys, Playmobil, Bionicles..etc.. Ds's age mates (and older) seem to all still play with toys. When he has friends over, they spend hours creating army guy battles and creating worlds out of Playmobil. I'm just wondering where she got the idea that 8 year olds typically don't play with toys anymore? Am I the out of touch one and most 8 year olds really have outgrown toys? So....humor me. How old were your boys when they stopped playing with toys? Thanks! Jenn
  25. That sounds like a perfect fit for you :) . I have to say that I've always been kind of unfairly biased towards Abeka as well. However, this year ds 8 was transitioning from learning the basics of cursive into using cursive in a practical sense. I purchased their 3rd grade Cursive Skillbook and am sooooo happy with it. Each lesson includes not just penmanship practice, but copywork pulled from scripture and history. There is a dictionary in the back of the book and each lesson also includes some sort of nature/animal study where they are required to write an original response. Later in the book there is dictionary work/original responses for learning info. about the 50 states as well. I don't think I'd ever use the program in full, but this book has me leaning towards using it as a needed filler more often! Jenn
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