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ImmigrantsWife

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  1. ImmigrantsWife
    Thanks Capt, I checked it out and you can actually download the first chapter of several of those KOGS. They seem a good way to supplement the "non-science" part of chemistry (ie, word study, arts, philosophy, etc). I think between the 3, we should (hopefully) be in good shape! Shelly
  2. ImmigrantsWife
    Hi everyone, today I downloaded the first chapters of Real Science for Kids, both Level I (for my 3rg grader) and Level II for the 6th and 7th grader. I must say I am most impressed by these samples. I heard they should be supplemented and I am thinking of buying the whole bundle of KOGS to go with them. They are pricey but I have 5 kids to homeschool so I'll be reusing them anyway. I also bought both Ellen McHenry books. They are less expensive and I like all the games and activities in there. I taught today from sample chapters of both of these sources and I think we did more chem today alone than any real chem in 3 weeks with the CHEM 2000 kit. I also supplemented with Mastering the Periodic Table for the older ones. They had a good day in chem today and I felt much more comfortable that they learned something. (Plus we built marshmallow molecules, so that's ALWAYS fun!) It looks like we'll use Real Science 4 Kids and supplement with Ellen McHenry, Mastering the PT and occasionally do the CHEM 2000 (if the experiements are clear.) Thanks for all the comments, and I hope mine helped someone else! Shelly PS- Real Science looks good for physics next year- BONUS!!:thumbup:
  3. ImmigrantsWife
    Thanks everybody for your responses. It is very frustrating to spend $150+ on a chem kit that is not at all helpful. The worse thing, however, is the wasted time and effort- it's not like we homeschooling moms have that much free time anyway, right? I am checking out the sources you have all mentioned. We may have to start over with a new program. We would keep the T&K kit as a (very pricey) activity to do on a rainy day. I did request a high school chem text from the public school district we're in, but have not heard back yet. I also purchased a used chem text on Amazon. It will probably be way over their heads but at least it will be a starting point for us. We will also be meeting with a community college chem prof who routinely invited homeschoolers to do labs with him; we plan on doing about 5 with him. If I stay with the T&K kit, I will hire a chem tutor who would meet with me about once a month, just to advise me on which labs to pick, identify the concepts behind the lab, suggest how to write the lab in an age-appropriate manner, and prioritize the general info we should be learning this year. I also think I will contact the company and suggest ways to make the manual more useful. For example, maybe they could include a real graduated cylinder- if the kids are supposed to be handling real chemicals I'm sure they can measure liquids in a real g.c. instead of constantly measuring out "5 cm of water" with a ruler and test tube. I wonder if I am going to have this much trouble with physics next year? :D Thanks again, guys!
  4. ImmigrantsWife
    :confused: We started chem this year with a 7th grader, 2 6th graders and a 3rd grader. We bought the Thames CHEM 2000 kit and everything else SWB recommemded for Chem, and I have to say that for the first time I am disappointed with this recommendation. Half the time the experiments don't work, and even if they do, there is so little explanation of the real concept behind the lab that it seems like all we are doing are magic tricks! It's very difficult to tie any learning of real chemistry with this kit because of the lack of information. I am not chemist but I do have a BS in biology and am 1 hr short of a chem minor, plus I worked in a water analysis lab for 2 years, so I do have a little exposure to chemistry. I still feel my instruction is inadquate with this lab. We are trying to follow the schedule set by SWB of doing labs for 90 minutes and writing them up, but there are so many "mini-labs" in this manual that we can't write them all up. Then the next class period we are supposed to research something related to the lab topic, but half the time we don't even know what we are looking for in the lab. Also, how do we get in the basics; ie, molecules, atoms, mixtures/compounds/solutions, etc? Is there any resource anywhere that might be helpful in identifying the most important concepts we should cover throughout the year? Anybody else try the CHEM 2000 lab, and how are you doing with it? Or does anyone have any suggestions for middle-school chemistry? Thanks for your help! Shelly
  5. ImmigrantsWife
    Can I just get a quick answer from you more experienced "hive bees?" :D We just started our first year of HS last Monday and we are following the WTM. I'm a little confused though on how to gauge the writing. For 6th and 7th graders, are the weekly history "facts," "oulines," and "summaries" and science "lab write-ups" in addition to the weekly history and science essays SWB recommends, or are they considered to be the weekly written work for those subjects? And how about a 3rd grader? He's supposed to "narrate" a reading page 2X/week, and also do a notebook page with art supplies, for each book he reads? Does that mean he only reads one book a week? Surely I am mistaken. Maybe these are for his "assigned" readings (ie, Beowulf) and then for his free reading and extra history reading he does extra pages? We are doing Rod and Staff grammar, so we will supposedly get lots of writing with that. Thank you for your help!
  6. ImmigrantsWife
    Saying prayers right now for a great pregnancy!! God bless you!
  7. ImmigrantsWife
    Poetry- that's a great idea! I didn't even think of that; we could do important speeches, documents, etc also. Thanks! ND293- Which war was it? Isn't is a shame I have to ask for clarification on that? We were so disappointed in summer 2006 with that whole Hezbollah/Israel thing. Several times we planned to travel there but had to change our plans because of "internal strife." Where did you live in the ME? For Arabic, we have used a few "tutors" (I use the term loosely) and some books we got from Lebanon on a recent trip. We plan to formally study it this year with a real tutor and lots of everyday practice with speaking. I have the Rosetta Stone program which I think works great for other languages, but not Arabic.
  8. ImmigrantsWife
    It is (mostly) safe to hike from the North to the South. My husband is Lebanese and said we would have to skip a few sections in the North due to safety concerns, but even he looked at the map and felt it was safe to do the rest of the trail. Here's the link to the site- it looks pretty cool! http://www.lebanontrail.org/ I think it would be so great to have the kids hike thorugh where he grew up, and though we could not go through to Israel, we could see it from the south. Maybe we should concentrate on Biblical history..........
  9. ImmigrantsWife
    Thanks everybody for your help- it gave me alot to think about. I like the idea of set chores they have to do every day/week, and then extra ones they could earn money for if they want. Thanks again! :001_smile:
  10. ImmigrantsWife
    OK, I'm not sure if we are going to so this yet, but I would like to take the kids for a month-long hike through Lebanon next April. IF we did it, we would try to work ahead so there wouldn't be too much to finish when we got home in May. There would be a lot of "mental down-time" while we are walking, so we will practice our Arabic. What other things could we work on, that wouldn't be hard to prepare for (ie, no big books, supplies, etc)? By next April they would be ages 9, 12, and 13. I was thinking multiplication tables up to 15 for everyone, capitals of states and countries, maybe important ancient/Biblical historical facts, since we are so close to Israel and ancient Mesopotamia? Anyone else have any ideas on what we could memorize or work on? Thanks for you help!
  11. ImmigrantsWife
    We go back and forth between how much (if any) allowance the kids should be given (ages 12, 11 and almost 9). I've done the allowance thing, where each child has established chores and if they do them all they get their "age-appropriate" allowance. I've done the "Just do your chores because we all live in the house and we all have a job to do" thing, which is very un-inspiring for kids (surprise, surprise). I've also done the pay-for-chore thing, where they only get paid for what they do- very labor-intensive, and then when I ask them to do something simple like let the dog out, they ask "Do I get paid for that?" :glare: Grrrrrr...... I'm trying to teach them financial responsibility (you know, money doesn't grow on trees, etc, etc) but it's hard to make them buy their own stuff when they have no way to earn their own money. And I'm not really crazy about letting them put up babysitting notices, etc in the general public. That's how we earned money as a kid, babysitting, yard work, etc for neighbors. (We don't really live in a place where we can do that anyway). What do you guys do? Thanks for your help! Shelly
  12. ImmigrantsWife
    The US-Mexico Border is a huge issue for so many reasons: Drug cartels DO cross over and wreak havoc in America, with their OWN guns; They DO kidnap people along the southern border and hold them for ransom, check other sources besides the MSM and you'll see the stories; Middle Eastern terrorists have also been reported illegally crossing the border from Mexico- they're not here to sightsee; The recent AZ law is based directly on the US law regarding illegal immigration, so it's what the Federal Gov't SHOULD be doing but ISN'T; The Federal Gov't (and especially Mexico!) really have no right to interfere and/or sue AZ for that new law, it's a states' rights issue; And most importantly (to me) , these people are breaking the law. It doesn't matter where they are from, how big their family is, or where we need our fresh vegetables picked <sarcasm>, it is illegal to enter this country without documentation. Until the law is changed it must be enforced- that's what Presidents, Congress, the INS officials and Border Patrol agents have all sworn to do- uphold the laws of this country. It's really a no-brainer when you read the law. Now if you refuse to recognize the law for political and personal gain, well that's another story............
  13. ImmigrantsWife
    I love The Dangerous Book for Boys. Both my sons have it (12 and 9) and I always catch them reading it on and off for the past 3 years! We also give it as birthday presents and I have never gotten a bad review from a kid or parent. (They also made a version for girls, which my dd11 has and loves.) I also gave my son a pocket knife, and he loved that too. Knife safety lessons were of course included!;) Good luck!!
  14. ImmigrantsWife
    Thanks guys- that makes me feel better (that whole safety in numbers thing) :001_smile: This is just such a huge adjustment after the kids being in "school" for years, and I just have to keep reminding myself I made the right decision!! Shelly
  15. ImmigrantsWife
    My dd11, who has been begging me to HS her next year, is now tearful at the thought of "leaving her friends" at her old school. I'm sure it's happening now because tomorrow is the last day of school, and also she thought I would just HS her for a year and she would go back to her other school the next year. Actually I will be HSing her for at least 6,7, and 8th grade. Have any of you guys had to deal with taking one out of middle school, or did you start HSing earlier, so they didn't really get used to being in a class? Of course it doesn't help that she is a drama queen, and probably going through puberty (ugh- shoot me now!) :tongue_smilie:
  16. ImmigrantsWife
    I'm new and I plan to follow the WTM next year- I just realized there is no plan outlined for learning vocabulary. :001_huh: In school its in their reading books. Is it in the Spelling Workout books? I'm not crazy about picking which vocab words my kids should know- is there a guide for this? Thanks for your help!
  17. ImmigrantsWife
    We're in the same boat, except with math. We'll be cramming over the summer with math, but only one of mine will be returning to "school" in the fall, and I will probably just afterschool him. As long as your dd is motivated to learn during her "time off" that's great. I know I'll have to keep mine motivated (probably with bribes!) :) Good luck!
  18. ImmigrantsWife
    We tried it when my ds was 10, but our doc told us to only use it when he was at a sleepover, etc. It worked okay but not great. Maybe we should have tried it everyday? I don't usually like meds for kids (but we tried it out of desperation) so maybe that's why the doc said just use it "as needed?"
  19. ImmigrantsWife
    Hmmm, my kids will love that but I'm not sure I do. I'm already a little nervous about HSing, and I sure would like the tests to keep us grounded. The history doesn't worry me as much as the reading tests.
  20. ImmigrantsWife
    If you follow WTM for reading and history (with the exception of SOTW 1-4) what do you guys do for tests? What's the best way to test reading comp, besides the summary and book reports? Do you actually (gulp) have to make tests up for reading and upper level history if you follow WTM and use KF and original sources? Geography also, or do most people use a separate geo course that includes tests? Thanks for your help!
  21. ImmigrantsWife
    I looked through the last several days of threads and never saw anything. You'd think out of all these conversations going on, we could find someone discussing it! LOL I'm going to track down the new one somewhere and try to compare them. I'll post back here when I do. Good luck!
  22. ImmigrantsWife
    Hi Asta, While I thank you for the clarification, I just wanted to let you know that I'm pretty up to date on most of the Israeli - Lebanese conflicts. We also get a lot of info firsthand from in-laws who live all over Lebanon, including soldiers who lived in the southern zone and served with the Israelis when they occupied it. I was pretty sure AP and Reuters are close so when I saw the photo with an AP credit, I assumed that they were both guilty of whitewashing, hence my statement about "reliable" news sources. I wasn't putting down Fox, btw; it's one of the only major news sources I can actually stand. But there has been a time or two when I feel even Fox wasn't fair and balanced. Rosie, I don't think the Jews would accept a UN-occupied Jerusalem. I think they are pretty cognizant of the anti-Israel feeling towards them, directly from leaders of the UN itself, not just voting members. Also, it seems that since the UN peace-keeping soldiers will not get involved in any war (in fact, they sat and watched while Hezbollah kidnapped that Israeli soldier in summer 2006, which set off the entire war that year) it really wouldn't help to keep fanatics from either side in line. And wow, a sniper killing a 10-month old baby. Now that's cold, I don't care who you think are the bad guys.
  23. ImmigrantsWife
    Wow, I didn't even think about that. Thanks!
  24. ImmigrantsWife
    I have an 11 yr old girl also- sounds good to me!!
  25. ImmigrantsWife
    There must be men on both sides who are willing to meet on middle ground, and it doesn't seem to be happening, at least not now. Each side would have to truly embrace a "land for peace" deal, not just pay it lip-service. The fanatics on each side refuse to even give an inch (Rabin's assasination is a sad example of that). When you add in the potent anti-Israeli sentiment in nearby Iran (and I would add Syria), it makes it look like peace is getting farther and farther away. The fact that Achmedinejad (sp?) continues to call for the death of Israel is pretty scary to me, and I don't even live near the Mediterranean.
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