waa510
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Posts posted by waa510
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Music, Art, science experiments. Maybe some foreign language practice or fun educational board games. I would love someone else to read-aloud to my kids too since I never feel like I do that enough. Maybe nature walks too. Basically any of the more relaxed stuff that I convince myself we don't have time for. ;)
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One thing to consider about buying the Holt text used on Amazon that I didn't think through :blush: :
If you get an older text, it may still say that Pluto is one of the main planets in our solar system, not mention the BP oil spill, focus heavily on El Nino/La Nina, speak about the danger of the ozone holes (even though they're improved now, not perfect but we've worked to fix the issue since the book came out), etc. Now, if you're aware of the recent findings in science or just scientific current events you should be able to fix the errors while teaching the text and be fine. For some people, this would be a deal-breaker though so please consider the year your edition was published so you can determine whether you'll have to edit a bit or not, specifically for Earth science in which a lot has changed in the past 5-10 years.
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No, but more for the laziness/expense of maintenance than the safety issue. My oldest was very much the kid who followed the rules, even young, so if I told her to stay away from the pool she would listen. Now, my littlest one? Forget it!! She saw fences as a personal challenge. So I think you need to know your kids and whether they'll take your warnings about the pool seriously.
I think a house with a community pool makes so much more sense. All the fun, none of the maintenance!! We've had community pools within walking distance of our house and we used to go every day, even with my kids as toddlers. Packing up the stuff wasn't a big deal as the pool had loaner sunscreen, band-aids, etc in case I forgot anything. When my kids were toddlers, the last thing I needed was another thing to maintain!
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Which lesson plans did you use from Kolbe? Also, did you need the Teacher's Edition? Were there a lot of labs? If so, did you have to gather a lot of hard to find items?
Not her, but I've used Holt so I can answer :)
The Teacher's Edition is very helpful for review question and test answers, suggested activities to help if the child is struggling with the materials, lesson plan scheduling for the whole chapter with notes on which worksheets to use and when to fold in labs. It basically does the planning for you so it's very helpful. The labs were fairly simple and about one or two per chapter...the ones that had complicated materials were pretty easy to replicate at home. The most complicated things were probably a hot plate and some graduated cylinders. There is a scale on the left hand side of the lab page to let teachers gauge how difficult it is to complete and how hard it is to compile materials. There were enough labs listed that it'd be OK to skip one here and there. Usually I could find something on pinterest to illustrate the concept if I didn't want to buy lab materials. I also have bought some experiment kits to go along with the topics of the year. Many of Holt's labs and review questions include problems that require math skills to solve so just something to keep in mind.
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I'm right there with you!! I'm ready for my kids' friends to stop interrupting school by ringing the doorbell constantly. I let the kids go and play and try to console myself with the fact that we got a lot done last month during rainy season. But, yes, it would be nice for all the kids on base to go back to their school day so we can enjoy going out and about in peace. Love that no one asks us questions though. That has been nice!
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I haven't used it as curriculum but I have read it many times and agree that it'd be best to wait until high school with the text. It's a *very* well-done text but would be over a logic-stage kid unless they had a very deep interest in history.
I'm using Human Odyssey and find it a natural progression from SOTW. We also finished our SOTW cycle and I felt we needed a bit more for the next go-round. It has a similar approachable and informative feel to SOTW. I also like the story selection at the end of each chapter. For example, we're working through Ancient Rome and the concept of paterfamilias and the chapter ended with a selection of the Aeneid to illustrate this. It just takes SOTW a step deeper IMO. You can get the text cheaply used on Amazon. It continues with later volumes as well.
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4th Grade:
MM 5 and 6
HO 1 part 2, WHD Medieval, Med book list, documentaries
Holt Earth and Space, Thames & Cosmos kits, book list, documentaries
Write From History Medieval
R&S Grammar 5
Wordly Wise 6, 7
LfC A w/ activity book
MP US Geo
SWO F, G
History/ Science/ Lit read-alouds
1st Grade
MM 2
WWE 2
FLL 2
AAS 3 & 4
RSO 1 E & S
SOTW 2 w/ activities
WW 4
Evan-Moor Daily Geo 1
History/Science/Lit read-alouds
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There are over 300 games in the book so it could work well. Activities for the Abacus is a possibility too...kind of demonstrations of the different strategies.
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I would go for a bit more depth and use some more unique resources like RFP Ferret Ecology. I'd look into doing some Anatomy and Physiology, Astrology, Environmental Science, Marine Bio, etc. I plan on using the middle grades for a lot of deeper interest led science study when the grades don't count as much as high school. My dd is leaning heavily towards a marine biology career so I want to feed that science passion. I want to use this time to expose her to as many scientific branches as possible so that she'll be better informed in high school as to what she'd like to focus on in college.
Anyway! I agree that it sounds as though RSO will be too simplistic for your kiddo. I know you want no gaps, but I'd be careful not to trod along and leave him bored.
My oldest has been the most fulfilled through a combination of cheap textbooks from Amazon that we add a ton of resources to to keep it fun and deep, binge-reading on a topic of interest in the non-fic section of the library for hours, keeping her own notebook to fill with journal articles, internet print-outs, copy-work of favorite sections from books, notes from documentaries. She's always been huge into science because it was one of the few topics that I could provide appropriate books on when she was a 4 yr old fluent reader. I've had to really mix it up and switch topics and formats to try to keep up with her interests.
To answer your question, we use Holt Science and Tech when we feel like it and detour if we hit a topic she gets jazzed about, or if her outside reading sparks a science interest we break for a unit study in that topic. I have to create a lot of what we do. Thankfully, I enjoy science. ;)
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I usually choose not to got to the movies *for myself* mainly b/c of the expense and apparently it's frowned upon to go in my ratty, comfy pjs with my own fav candy. Or, for much less $$, I can rent it on Amazon or at the Express, and sit on my couch wearing whatever I want and eating whatever I want. My decision is purely laziness and hating to feel like I'm throwing money away. Plus, I travel a lot now on planes loaded with all the new releases so I've usually seen most everything I was interested in.
In terms of shooters, I think the likelihood of that happening is still very rare. I wouldn't let fear dictate my life, if movies were that important to me.
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The mayo in Japan isn't the same as stuff I get in a can at the commissary for those of my family who can stomach the stuff. It has a darker color to it and is usually made fresh. It's yummy. I loathe U.S. mayo. A lot.
But, yes, it's a main ingredient on pizza and those cute little Japanese pancakes filled with red bean paste. You wanna talk about a gross food...try bean paste. That is not a dessert!!
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DD is 6, she will be 7 in Nov. She's a 1st grader technically in the fall but doing some 1st grade stuff.
Like: goofy, so overwhelmingly stubborn, huge emotions, opinionated, talkative, ornery, difficult, intense, has funny moments but is mainly the reason why we only have 2 ;) She's very draining.
Chores: She cleans her room but she usually needs me in there with her as she gets easily overwhelmed. Sometimes does other things but it's sporadic. She takes her role as the baby seriously. Why should she do chores? :glare:
Reading: She's a fluent reader, finished OPG last year. She loves chapter books and silly weird books. Won't read anything I want her to, have to let her think it's her idea ;)
Converses: a ton. She's a talker. Mostly to whine or complain though. She's a fiery little thing with a lot to say
Hobbies: My little pony anything, scooter-ing outside, reading, playing with her huge stuffed animal collection
Naps: This child never napped consistently. Always in a wrap. Hasn't slept in the afternoon since she was 1 1/2 maybe??? I wish she would though!!
Behavioral problems: Meltdowns when her sister antagonizes her or won't play with her, grumpy, whining, complains a lot. needs things to be her way. She has a lot of maturing to do. She has sensory issues which just makes everything 100x more difficult behaviorally with her. She does have her goofy moments. She also needs a lot physically..cuddles, hugs
Non-fiction: right now, deserts and volcanoes. She likes animals and history
Hours of interaction or read alouds: Maybe 1. She hates being alone. She sees quiet time as a punishment. :huh: She cries and wants to be with someone always. We school for 2 hours max. She LOVES read alouds. I think it's b/c she'd rather I read it than her even though she easily could (laziness) combined with cuddles (loves cuddles on the couch)
Art: She hates art class b/c she doesn't want to be told what to draw or paint, etc. She always does her own thing. We'll be doing an owl project, older has this gorgeous owl, dd made a collage of a boat LOL She likes doing what she wants with art material but nothing structured ever. She doesn't like to cut and paste too much b/c it "hurts her hand"
Singing: Very rare. She's the one kid not singing and scowling in a group-singing setting. :lol:
Love my little one but she's a difficult little thing!
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Convention specials are helpful mostly on shipping prices. Call the office and ask if they have any gently used or secondhand items for sale. Sometimes things from conventions get a little warped or what-have-you so they sell them at a lesser price. But you have to call and ask. Now would be a great time for that as convention season is coming to a close. Also, make a WTB post on the Rightstart yahoo group. You can usually get the books cheaply on there. You can also piecemeal things together as RS sells every single tiny item separately, if needed. The ladies on the yahoo page and at the office are extremely kind and helpful so don't hesitate to contact them. They want to help!
Full disclosure: Former RS employee who would still be one if she didn't live in Japan ;)
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Yes, I have but it was only once and directly to an extended family member for cancer treatment costs. I've never donated to strangers though I've considered it. I waffle about it quite frequently for the same reason you posted. I'm just very skeptical and have been burned too many times by being "too nice". If I were to, I think it'd be nice to donate to a family's adoption as dh and I are on different pages with regards to adopting so it will likely never happen for us. (That's another thread though..)
I think it would make me feel better in my acceptance of that fact to donate to someone else's adoption dream.
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Yeah, it totally depends on where you're going and what kind of living arrangements you expect once you're there.
On the discrete question of e-books, I regularly borrowed books on my Kindle from my back-home library, downloading them through the weakest of signals, the year we lived out of one suitcase each. As Amira says, e-books are not big.
(And FWIW, if your only child is only four, I wouldn't worry about a "box of favorite toys" either. Two small favorites that fit in the plane carry-on and maybe a ziplock of little legos. You'll collect more there, the kid will grow fast, new favorites will be made.)
Have fun planning! (daydreaming now...)
Oh yes, I forgot about this!! I kept our library cards from VA, and also use the library card numbers of friends/family in all their areas in the US! That's a lot of ebooks and audiobook collections!!!! This helps us tremendously. We borrow quite a few kindle books and listen to borrowed audiobooks over lunch sometimes. Great point! Can't believe I forgot that!
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Can you give us an idea of where your are thinking..maybe a region?? Different areas have different levels of accessibility in terms of shipping and buying stuff like clothes or furniture. Not sure if you are considering Japan, but I'll go off a bit on living overseas generally and more specifically about here later if you're interested.
My experience as an expat and friends of others who have lived in other areas overseas:
I would try to get a feel for the country/specific region of said country before deciding. Youtube is amazing. Some expats have channels just detailing what it's like to live in said country. Some countries are more welcoming and friendly to outsiders than others so please keep that in mind!!!
It's fairly easy to find clothes if you're near a major city or can receive Amazon packages. Living as an expat is all about being flexible. You will be miserable if you are married to a certain brand of clothing, shoes, purse, food, car, etc. If you are willing to take what you can get, then you should be fine. I live in Japan, my friends have lived in Germany, Italy, Guam and South Korea as well. All have said that Amazon ships and as long as it's prime you can usually receive it in 2 weeks max barring some kind of holiday or port strike. I've been able to receive almost all of our school books from Amazon (so far!). It just takes more than the 2 days I was used to. This is good for me b/c it forces me to plan a bit more. I also have to keep on top of when my kids are at the end of a book. Now I buy the new book when they are 3/4 done instead of last few pages. It just means buying stuff sooner. I bought a ton while we were still in the states like higher levels of series' that I knew we'd continue with. I also purchased stuff at B & N while on our recent trip to Hawaii for Dh's job. I got rid of a huge amount of our printed books and now use e-books and e-curriculum as much as possible. It's changed a bit of how we homeschool but I think it will ultimately make me a better educator. I also can just have family or friends get shipped our books domestically and then ask them to ship it to us as the cost is usually less than $20 and the hs companies tend to change more and take longer.
We bought our kids kindles for Christmas and loaded them up before moving. We got rid of any print books we could easily and cheaply get on kindle like most classics or easy reader books. We pay for kindleunlimited so our kids are getting that as well. We also have access to Netflix and Amazon Prime movies. We swap books with friends so our kids are getting to keep reading different stuff. A lot of expat life is reaching outside yourself for help. You can't be shy with friends or locals.
You must be willing to sound like a dummy stumbling over the local language to ask where the bathroom is or where to buy a dehumidifier. You must be willing to be stared at, to have people scorn you, to have people laugh at you, to be the weirdo or the only person of your race in the room. It sounds easier than it is. It's stressful and draining to live every single day. Every time you leave the house you are faced with illiteracy and a non-existant ability to communicate. You are constantly met with your own inadequacy!
That said, I LOVE living here too. It's the most incredibly risky thing I've ever done in my life. I am learning a new language and culture. My kids understand that other places and people do things differently. They are participating in a Japanese summer festival dance in a couple weeks. They are seeing places and things they were not aware even existed 5 months ago! It has opened them up to the perspective of others and widened their world. We are all better for having this experience.
OK, I digress. I would use any resources you can find, like local libraries, bookstores or even local expat homeschoolers. I always ask on our hs listserve for our area if someone has Curriculum blahblah for sale before I look into getting it over here. I've got a few things that way! Also, the local schools let me use their resources too. Again, it's all about being flexible.
I hope you can find something helpful in all that. I clearly need more coffee.
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We use All About Spelling and Spelling Workout. I'm only using Spelling Workout with oldest b/c she finished all of AAS and I felt anxious about not continuing with some other type of program. Bad spelling is a serious pet peeve of mine so I'm probably going to continue adding it in for a while.
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The book is really great. I find her method really powerful. It turns out that I used a lot of these ideas without realizing it in order to severely downsize before our big move here. I had bookshelves stashed alll over my small house in VA so I didn't ever really get the scope of the amount of books we owned. It was also harder to see what we really had to prevent purchasing the same book a few times or getting yet another book on dinosaurs when we already had 26 (true story!) I took them all out of every spot and plopped them on the living room floor and went to town in one night until they were all sorted. Seeing all of one category in one place is so huge!!! It really helps you grasp the actuality of your situation.
I think this book has also just forced me to be more conscious of our space, our things, whether we need to purchase something, and how to live in an intentional space. She was a bit on her high-horse and all that jazz but her method is sound, IMO.
Getting the kids on board hasn't been easy though. They don't care much for their clothes so that was easy. But their toys?! Forget it. We need a mom to translate this method into 'how to help your pint-sized stuffed animal hoarder'.
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Don't see the Minion movie. She's absolutely right. I started reading a kindle book on my phone which is rude, yes, but it was that or seriously just walk out. Even my kids were neutral about it and my kids love anything on a screen.
I also wasn't into Inside Out either. It had some funny moments but it was way too heavy. Kids movies lately are either way deep or way too much of a useless time-suck
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Hard core snow boots wouldn't really be necessary in NoVA. Everyone likes to pretend that they get a huge amount of snow constantly but it's usually a) a dusting of a couple inches that disappears in an hour b)forecasted to arrive but doesn't c)comes but turns into a slushy mess by the next day with some chilling in snow banks sllloowwly melting. Keeps everything wet, muddy and dirty. It's lovely :)
I used rain boots more in the winter than snow boots b/c of the slushy melting snow. It never stayed consistently cold enough to keep it snow for long. Often, we'd have snow forecasted and then it'd rain from the temp being too high. I had a really cheap pair of snow boots from Kohl's that I'd wear if I had to go out in the actual snow and couldn't wait an hour til it melted. My kids were only able to make a snowman 3 times ever in 5 years of living there.
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I used to live right by a college and we went to a bunch of events there so I'll give you an idea of what people would wear. If you're going for fashionable, everyone and anyone wears fleece North Face jackets for a warmer outer layer if you're going for college casual. A traditional cute peacoat was typically worn as well. Huge knit scarves were big, as were boot socks with the tall boots. I'd suggest going to Tyson's in Mclean for fancy stuff although the Crystal City mall is good too. If she's on a college budget the Fairfax Mall would be cheap and nearby. Woodbridge had a ton of outlets near IKEA that are really really cheap. The boots are usually that camel color or black, worn with lululemon black leggings. Basically anything incredibly expensive or overpriced will help her blend in. ;)
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I'll probably catch flak for this, but I think Hake was horribly simplistic. An example asking a kid to circle the verbs with frog and tree being listed as options was ridiculous. My 4 yr old was able to answer the questions. This was 5th grade grammar!
I've found no thorough secular grammar. We've reluctantly gone with Rod and Staff which oldest tolerates. She hates the religious bent but admits that she's learned a lot. I like the writing lessons and the way outlining is taught.
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Chipotle. Ever time I've gone everything seemed way too hot and spicy. The employees were also very huffy and miserable. I'd much rather go to Cafe' Rio! Arby's, Jack in the Box, McDs, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell. Do like Dairy Queen though! Places like Panera are as close to I get to fast food. And I eat that stuff rarely. There's a chicken salad like place with a Z. Hate that place. Ruby Tuesdays is meh. Golden Corral, Cracker Barrel..anything that cooks Southern Comfort food and serves sweet tea generally has stuff I don't eat.
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My oldest is 8 1/2 with a peer group in the same age range as your kiddo (7-10) but no, none of the kids are interested in boyfriends or make-up. Oldest is very honest and open with me and tells me that she notices boys a little but she doesn't want to be anyone's girlfriend b/c that "would be weird, Mom!" Both of my girls love the concept of make-up but I think it's more of a fun-play interest and not a trying-to-be-hot-for-a-boy interest. They both have a couple Lipsmackers chapstick tubes that don't even color their lips but they treat those tubes like fine china!! This is all we'll allow until 13, most likely.
I agree that your daughter needs a new peer group. I think I have a good statistical spread here..with kids from lots of different religious backgrounds and geographical areas of the U.S. and beyond. None of these 7-10 yr old girls are into make-up or boy-crazy. They all play with chalk on the sidewalk, walk our pug around the neighborhood together, play jump rope, ride bikes/scooters...that's what kids this age should be doing!
Tell me it will be okay, please? (Update in post #57)
in The Chat Board
Posted
Have you checked into Airbnb for your son? Sometimes they will rent for a month at a time. Even buying himself a few weeks in an Airbnb to continue working with the university to get housing?? Would one of his fav professors put him up in a spare room until he can find a more workable solution? A friend or family friend within a bike ride to the campus?
I once stayed in one of my friends' dorm rooms for a few weeks until I could buy a car to drive from home to campus. (Not a doable bike ride or walk) While not exactly allowed, it sure beat not going at all!!