desertmum
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Posts posted by desertmum
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The poll needs an "Other" choice. We don't lock the door but I put a bell hanging from a thread -the kind stores use. Hopefully this will give us some warning.;)
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Oh, Yes, I know the feeling. I've bought too much stuff for science, and way too much stuff for handwriting. :tongue_smilie:
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We have been homeschooling our child and trying to teach him phonics and all that since he was 4yo. To be honest he is just getting it now and he is almost 6yo. Some times pushing doesn't mean getting there. Same with handwriting. DS has a lot of trouble colouring and writing and has been a long struggle uphill. He will be going to ps next fall and I'm terrified he will be classified as "slow" simply because he is not writing sentences like the other children we know of his age. When I was growing up nobody expected you to write sentences until you were 6 or 7. Nowadays it seems 5yo are supposed to be writing and completing written assignments.:confused:
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Love it here. Penny recommends starting in second grade, I think, but it has worked well in first grade here. It is CM-based; learning through meaningful copywork. No pictures or other twaddle. So, if, as desertmum said, it is too dry for a younger student, you can provide stickers or other forms of encouragement. What I did was to print out a colourful progress chart for each cursive join and give her a sticker for each join mastered.
:iagree:
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I am thinking of starting both girls on Penny Gardner. It seems like a great price and I love the look of the writing. Is it thorough in letter formation instruction? Would it work for a child with fine motor delays? Thanks!
I am using PG's book after a fashion. I love it. The lesson can be repetitive but are very thorough. It is a bit dry for my 5yo so I managed to find to find some workbooks with italic handwriting but more kiddie friendly (it has got some pictures for him to colour as a reward when he finishes a lesson). I have to say that PG book provided a good base for ds to work from (his fine motor skills are behind). So, I guess the answer is YES I love PG and YES letter formation is there but it may be too boring for younger children and you may need to supplement the basic book with something else more lively.
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I love Math Mammoth. I was planning to use it after SM Essential Math. I like the "tutor" thing.desertmum,I used to get VERY frustrated trying to help my children with math. I am "mathy," and but my way of doing or explaining was inevitably met with "But that is not how my teacher showed us!" The best thing that I ever did for our afterschooling was to just let the teacher do his or her thing...and I do mine.
For my 5th grader, we are oh-so-happily using Math Mammoth. We just move through as we please and I never try to sync up with the classwork/homework. I tend toward being hands-off with homework. For the most part, I consider homework to be an entity best left between the student and the teacher. Years ago, I read John Rosemond's "Ending the Homework Hassle" and adopted much (but not all) of his philosophy.
That being said, it is not all-or-nothing. My son had to take a standardized test earlier this year and I tutored him through some problem solving methodologies that were important for that particular test. The other day I showed him a way to work with percents that is different from the way the teacher is doing percents. And then I showed him how some problems are easier to do one way and others are easier to do the other way.
Wow, that was a long answer...and that is just for math, LOL. I think that it is easier for older children to understand that afterschooling adds to their toolbox. The issue is bigger with younger children. Hopefully your little guy will get a teacher who communicates clear expectations. If not - ask. Where should his name go? Upper right hand corner or left? What style of handwriting do you teach? Etc.
ETA: I agree with Roadrunner. I have rarely had the need or occasion to discuss afterschooling with anyone at school. On those occasions, I describe what we do as tutoring. And I do think of myself as a tutor.
I teach Spanish because it is my mother language and although ds is not bilingual I believe he may pick it up later.I wouldn't mention it to the teacher unless it comes up. We had both of our kids in ps through second grade, the teachers would not have been interested or think it was silly to after school. FWIW, many of the areas you are currently teaching aren't even covered in our local public school: geography, Spanish and (I shudder as I type it) science.We don't use the term afterschooling, but DD's current teacher knows that DD is learning a lot outside of school with our support, and this teacher has been very positive about it, and has encouraged DD to apply her outside knowledge in certain assignments. Most of the topics we cover are not covered in school at this point (languages, history, geography), or not practical for a school classroom (science experiments).Math is a little trickier to coordinate, due to frequent math assessments. Students are expected to demonstrate their mastery of the concepts taught in the classroom. You may know a better way to teach your child, but then you want to be sure your child is clear on both approaches. I had to spend a significant amount of time learning about the approach used by DD's school system so I can link our at-home math to her classroom math.
I am planning to discuss this general topic with DD's teacher before the year ends. I want her advice on what to say to future teachers, and when and how to say it. But I won't be asking for anyone's permission.
I guess I won't be asking anyone's permission either! ;)
Thank you all for the replies. You certainly have made me feel better. :001_smile:
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You'll find every teacher is different. My daughter's teacher this year tells me about upcoming topics so we can do extra research / field trips at home. She lets DD bring in books she writes at home and read them to the class. She's been so supportive! There are, of course, my-way-or-the-highway teachers out there. (You'll encounter more as your child grows up. Those types don't usually subject themselves to classrooms full of wiggly 7 year olds!) When you get one of those types, find out how concepts are taught in school. Use whatever method you need to make sure your kid understands the concept, but then teach them to use the school way. Treat control-freak teachers as a lesson in life: sometimes we have to put up with people we disagree with and sometimes we have to do something someone else's way for a while. Then we move on!
Thank you for your reply. As I've said maybe mine was an obvious question with an obvious answer but I've never had to deal with ps teachers teaching my son before.
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Hello All,
I am new to the afterschooling board. This past year we have been homeschooling full-time. However my husband is quite adamant he wants ds to go to ps. Also our financial situation has changed so I may be looking for work very soon.
My questions is: does the school mind if you teach your child a different or even better way to do something? Does the school insist you use the same approach, or they don't care so long as the child turns in the assignments in time and done correctly? All advice gratefully received.:001_smile:
:bigear:
p.s. Sorry if I'm asking something obvious.
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I answered "other" because:
a) 8 times out of 10 we are a "hung Parliament".:nopity:
b) 1 time out of 10 I compromise and follow hubby. :001_wub:
c) 1 time out of 10 DH compromises and follows me. :p
I hope this makes sense.:D
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Bump. Anybody else out there who's been to HESFES?
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I'm taking the plunge too and I will be printing in B&W (as we go) unless colour is absolutely necessary.
I switched from SM Early Bird to SM Essential Math because the colour pages in EB were too distracting and ds kept pointing at the pretty balloons and balls, and etc., and not concentrating on the subject. In my case B&W and a bit dry worked better. ;)
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Uhmmm...mixed reviews then? Thank you for your input. We are not autonomous either but I thought all the arts and crafts maybe fun. We have a 5yo so now I have to think whether HESFES might be too mature for him.
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For those in the UK or planning to travel there this summer: Will you be going to the Home Educators' Summer Festival 2012 (HESFES) event in Suffolk?
Here's the link: http://www.hesfes.co.uk
For those who have attended this event before: Is it worth going? What are the facilities like?
HoAme Educators' Summer Festiva
:bigear:
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Science. I hated it in school, but LOVE teaching it to my kids. I can't enough of science books.
:iagree:
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Gifted is not how early you study calculus; it is the driving need to do it, not spurred on by the parents. Gifted kids need more stuff the way normal kids need food and water. Not fed properly, it can be a ticket to disaster, an invitation to coast instead of work. Fed properly, the gifted student's mind can be fun to work with and watch succeed.
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From tutoring I can tell you... I wish more kids stuck with work on grade level instead of forging ahead. It would serve them far better to master the fundamentals and arrive at college solidly prepared, than to pile up an impressive transcript representing very shallow knowledge because it was always slightly beyond them. If your kids are working at grade level and they are not gifted, they are doing exactly what they should be doing.
Great post! I have an average kid. DS has an obsession about science and machines...but still needs plenty of help with reading. He can build an amazing structure out of bobs and bits but cannot tie his shoes. I think most children will be advanced on a couple of subjects, average on most, and need additional help on a subject or two. Physically children develop certain skills are develop sooner than others.
Whenever I run into an article about "age appropiate milestones" I cringe because thinking everybody develops at the same pace is just plain silly. This does not mean the children are not completely average.
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Among the parents I know, mainly parents of friends of DS13 and DS11, such behaviour would be strongly disapproved of, even in a child quite a bit older than 10 yo. The general feeling seems to be that children should be protected from the pressures of 'teen culture' and advertising, and should be encouraged to enjoy being children for as long as possible. None of these parents homeschool.
Cassy
:iagree:
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I school 4 days a week. Fridays are for extra science experiments or fun reading in the morning then lots of violin (lessons and orchestra) all afternoon and evening. It's just the way things work best for us. No, we don't feel behind because we don't have a specific place to be and just "do the next thing" with curriculum. Also, we school through much of the summer.
I have Sunday as a non-academic day (weekend in this part of the world is actually Friday:church day; Saturday:fun day). We do arts and crafts (knitting, cooking, whatever) and Spanish.
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I am just seeing this. :grouphug: I'm praying he gets well soon.
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AAARRRRRGGGGGGG
The part of the world I'm in is weird. Censorship already killed Game of Thrones and despite paying a small fortune BBC international keeps showing old Dr. Who episodes, and older stuff. No new series, so I already missed SH season 1, and of course they are not going to show the anything for the new season, and...... God, can you tell I'm uber frustrated with being so far away!
:cursing::banghead::banghead::angry::mad::ack2:
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How about ugly vinyl? That's what there is in our new house. It's supposed to be classy vinyl, but.....
Laura
:lol::lol::lol:
I go for tiles. I love hardwood floors but in case of a leak your floor may suffer. Tiles are cold but easy to clean and don't mind a flooding or two.
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:( :grouphug:
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the difference between a bad hair cut and an OK one is 3 days
Just leave it.
It could even be fashionable, sometimes when I look at middle age women and their haircuts I think they look like how my mother use to cut my brothers' hair on a bad day.
:lol: Well, my dh came home and he said ds looks "jazzy" (???). I decided to leave the hair alone because it is not worth the grief of dragging him to the kiddie barber shop at the mall.:tongue_smilie::chillpill:
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I'm probably no help considering my daughter has shaved half her head and kept the rest of it long, but I'd leave it if he's fine with it (I'm assuming he's even scared of you using clippers). I get being afraid of the clippers. I have a pixie, so I get my neck clipped and I nearly hyperventilate each time. It gets better when I get used to the same person doing it, though. Also, dh has a pretty short cut and they only use clippers on his neck. You could request that they don't use clippers.
I have a pixie too. DS kept saying he didn't want his hair to look like mine.:glare: I use sharp scissors and because they tickle the back of ds' neck he keeps jumping so the back looks pretty uneven. The local barbers seem to cut men's and boy'a hair really short and use clippers mostly -it's the local custom. DS hair is usually 3" long and I'm always asked if he is a girl.:glare:
BTW I love your avatar. :)
He's 5? I'd leave it be, it's grow. Sorry- I've done some pretty bad cuts on the little guys when I've been halfway through and they decided to stop cooperating!:tongue_smilie::lol:
Spoiled Children
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Hi, can you share a link to the blog? I read the article and it hit home.