WTMindy
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Posts posted by WTMindy
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You might just plan monthly or quarterly in the beginning so that you can really get a feel for what you will like or accomplish. I LOVE to plan, so that is one of the best parts for me. You might want to look at Homeschool Tracker (there is a free version and a Plus version) because you can make lesson plans and then tweak them fairly easily. There is a bit of a learning curve to the software, but once you learn it, it is pretty fun.
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Yes. That is how we got our huge strawberry patch originally-with starts from other people's patch! :-) Enjoy your strawberries and know that it took our a couple years to give a great yield. The first year didn't produce too many strawberries.
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I guess part of the reason we just do school-lite in the summer is that I don't like the mentality that school is something we need a break from. (sorry about the grammar. :-)) I want to communicate that learning and practicing what we have learned is just a part of every day life. And, I haven't found that the lite amount of school we do in the summer hampers their creativity or their free time. We usually get a fairly early start, do a couple hours of school, do a couple chores, and are good to go enjoy the majority of the day. My people are happier with a little structure.
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Gift cards!! As a teacher, I have to say that, for me, food gifts, like candy, are not appreciated-although the THOUGHT is very much appreciated. I try not to eat too many sweets, so bascially I have to give my gift to my hubby. :-) I love getting a gift card to Starbucks, a restaurant, a bookstore, a movie rental place, etc...
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Cannon Beach, Oregon-my favorite place in the world!!
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I have mixed thoughts on manipulatives, honestly. Some kids need them and some don't. I never needed them, and my kids don't seem to either. But, for some kids they make all the difference in the world. So, it totally depends on the kid. Some kids can use manipulatives and STILL not really get it. At some point, at least with elementary math, I think a kid has to memorize the steps regardless of whether they get it or not. But, manipulatives can really help some kids with this.
Conventional wisdom in the public schools (at least in WA) these days says it is horrible to make a kid memorize steps to doing something that they don't really understand. (Constructivist education-where they discover the steps for themselves.) This, however, has not worked so well, as our state math scores have shown. While, I think it is BEST if a kid can figure it out and understand all the "whys" behind it, I also think there is a time and place for memorizing the algorhythms, even if they don't totally understand them. (Like how to do long division, for example). Sometimes the understanding comes later.
Now, having stepped off my little soap box, I think the manipulatives in MUS are helpful and useful for many kids, but I would never force them on a kid who can do the math without them.
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If it is important to her to get back "on track" and start Ancients in 5th grade, then I would probably just spend the next three years (starting with Ancients) and moving forward through SOTW. I wouldn't even worry about how far we got through the series. I would focus mostly on doing lots of fun projects and activities and building a love of history. Honestly, I did all 4 years of SOTW and we LOVED it and I did lots of projects and had a lot of fun, but my kids don't remember a ton of the details from the first time around. But, they did gain a LOVE of history and history is their favorite subject. And, to me, that was the best thing that SOTW gave my kids (and me, for that matter!)
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I have taught MUS's alg and geo program. It is not equal to other texts I have used (Foerster, Chalkdust, and Jacobs). Regardless of Demme's response or people's personal preferences, there is a difference in content and level of difficulty.
I'm not saying MUS won't get your student where they need to go. However, that is not the same as saying that they are equal.
I agree with this statement. I am a math teacher and I am currently using MUS pre-alg, alg, and geometry with different groups of students. I have found it to be good for students who struggle with math. There is a lot of practice for students and the presentation is clear and strong. However, there is NOT the rigor built in that other programs have. I am happy to know that he is now including the honors material in with the core, because I'm hoping that will solve that problem. I'm not saying that a good math student can't be successful with MUS because they obviously are, but as a math teacher, I see it lacking in rigor. And, what I mean by that is that the problems that are given teach the concepts, but don't necessarily give the hard types of problems. For example, in completing the square, they don't give the examples where there are the ugly fractions as coefficients. So, they know how to work completing the square problems, but the steps are more difficult when you are working with numbers that don't work out quite so evenly.
Having said that, I really think Steve Demme is a very sound math teacher and I like his approach to math. I'm very hopeful that having the honors problems in the books will be the missing component (as far as I'm concerned) to the program. I haven't seen them yet, however.
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So MANY of the books that I read in highschool I didn't appreciate until I was an adult!!!! I didn't even like To Kill A Mockingbird in highschool!!! Sigh. It was almost like I assumed it was going to be bad if I HAD to read it. :confused:
I adore Mockingbird now!!!! Absoultely adore it!!!!!
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Nothing for the schoolroom. 100% for travel!!!!!!!
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I VERY RARELY get negative comments like that, but when I do, I just turn it back on them. "Really? You let your kids do that? I guess I'm just really old fashioned and protective of my kids." That turns it around and puts them on the defensive because it sounds like they are the ones who have issues. :-)
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I read a ton of junk!! But, there are a few that stuck out in my mind after all these years, and they have all been mentioned already. The VC Andrews books rank right at the top of the list! BLECH!!!!!!!
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Hank the Cowdog books are very fun for all ages! Plus, we like all the other book suggestions so far too. We also love to listen to the Story of the World CDs when we are traveling. We copy maps and have the kids follow along with a highlighter where we are whenever we stop.
I know I'm probably in the minority, but we have found that the more "stuff" we take on long trips the LESS happy the kids are. We keep toys/activities to a minimum and use the time to talk, listen to books and play talking games. We play silly games like telling a story starting with each letter of the alphabet (each person adds one word) A boy Can Develop Eager Friends....It gets kinda silly.
We also pay the kids for license plates (10 cents per state/25 cents for states far away/50cents for Hawaii/Alaska and other countries) This gets them looking outside. When we went on our last trip we got 49/50 states. We never could find a stinkin' Vermont!!!
We look for the alphabet in signs.
Have fun!! We LOVE driving trips.
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Congratulations. You are entering a wonderful season of life!!
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In our area in the summer there is a farm that pays the kids to pick berries. They can earn some pretty decent money doing that, but it is a short season.
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Get them to read the question out loud to you. Then ask them to explain in their own words what the question means. Reassure them that they are very capable, and can manage this. I wonder how long this has been going on? Is it a new thing?
I agree. I always have my kids read the problems out loud. This will often solve the problem. Then, I start asking them questions to lead them to the answers. Then I tell them how to ask themselves the same questions.
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On my computer there is a free software that I can record 60 seconds of audio. I go to "all programs" then "accessories" then "entertainment" then "sound recorder." You can check and see if this is on your computer. I record poems and things to put onto our memory CD all the time. I don't even need a mic on my laptop since there is one built in, although I get better sound when I use a mic.
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Will you be paying this girl or is she volunteering? Or, is her mother volunteering her or recruiting a job for her? If your kids entertain themselves, why would you need her? It seems like you could set up an independent playtime for them and do the chores during that time. I would personally feel terrible having someone else doing my cleaning while I was doing something else unless I was paying them good money. But, maybe you could have her do some beginning art lessons,music games, science experiments or something educational that you don't get around to on your own.
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She sounds as wonderful as the rest of your family!
Crissy, I think God knew that I needed ALL the help in the world and gave me an amazing support system!! :-)
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My son enjoys Hank the Cowdog books. They are a hoot.
My 10 year old LOVES Hank!! I would also recommend listening to a few on audiobooks and so you can hear the voices in your head. They are WONDERFUL!!
My 10yo also liked Beverly Cleary books. He likes fantasy like Harry Potter, so he also liked Charlie Bone (not particularly impressive literature), and the Fablehaven books (which we have been really enjoying listening to on audiobook).
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Here are a few things that I have learned from my mother-in-law that I want to do with my future dil.
She initiates getting together with the kids and me.
She asks me every year what she can do to help me.
She has my family over for dinner once a week and she tells me that I am free to stay home if I want time alone or come along, and doesn't get offended if I choose to stay home.
She looks for things to teach the kids (piano, sewing, cooking, etc)
She invests spiritually in the the kids
She plans monthly fun activities for the grandkids.
She comes to all the kids events.
She is interested in my life and asks me lots of questions.
She treats me like a daughter.
She is an amazing woman and I feel very fortunate to have her as a mother-in-law!!
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We won't do strapless at our house, but we won't judge those who do. :-)
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Other! I would say they watch about 2 hours per week. We watch American Idol and then they watch a couple of episodes of Giligan's Island at some point in the week. :-)
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I confess that the overwhelming reason I wanted my son's baseball team to win tonight was that I really, *really* dislike the opposing team's coach. :blushing:
LOL! We have experienced very similar feelings on the soccer field!!!!
Are the Prydain Chronicles anti-Christian?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I loved those books as a kid, but haven't re-read them as an adult. Maybe I'll read those when we are done with the Fablehaven books.