Rebecca in GA
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Posts posted by Rebecca in GA
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I'm going to give this one a shot even though I'm sure there are those out there who are much more qualified. :)
My two youngest are 17 months apart, so from the time they started learning at home, they learned everything together. It was just a survival thing, honestly! Can you work with both children from the 7 yo's materials? Even if it's review for the 8 yo, still it strengthens and bolsters her abilities in both math and phonics/reading, and she will move ahead naturally, eventually.
That's really the best advice I have. As for scheduling, it would really depend on everyone's sleep/rise/eat/nap routine and any outside activities you have planned. Still, I would think planning a block of time for math, a block of time for phonics/reading, a block of time for history and science (alternating days, or 1-2x/week for each).
A most important block of time would be an afternoon rest/read/listen to audio books/quiet time for everybody, including mom! :D
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...it makes it that much easier for me to hang out here less.
:iagree:
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Way to go!
I helped DD declutter her room. We filled one large bag to donate and added an old suitcase full of stuff as well. We filled two kitchen bags with trash, and now it's much easier for her to keep her room tidy. This is the first time it wasn't hard for her to part with stuff! :thumbup:
My next project is the master closet, so wish me luck. ;)
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People are more important than things. And my own family is the highest list of more important people in my life. In fact, that's all I'm advocating here. I can't afford to be so generous to others that I'm sacrificing my own kids' needs.
:iagree:
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Our entire family has greatly enjoyed Our 24 Family Ways. I've also heard the Clarksons speak and was inspired by them!
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I am surprised to hear about the lack of recycling facilities in so much of our country.
I suppose I'm a bit too sheltered here in the Northwest, but I can't imagine why waste management companies won't collect recyclables. :001_huh:
Oh, ours picked them up all right. The trash man came right to the curb, dumped the waste bin in the truck, then picked up the recycling bin and did the same thing. :rant:
Where we live now, our convenience center is a mile or two away. They take all recyclables from glass to miscellaneous paperboard. When we start composting in earnest along with recycling, we could theoretically cut our trash output by 2/3. It's easy for us, but I definitely can see how it would be a problem for many folks without the same access to a recycling center.
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Great for when you horribly sprain your ankle and are in a brace for four months and have to have a shoe big enough to fit over it!
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I don't hate 'em, but of all the cats I've met in my lifetime, I've liked two. That's all. I actually am a little afraid of them, because they seem to turn on you quickly, for no apparent reason, sometimes. They make me verrry nervous.:001_unsure:
All three kiddos are allergic, so at least I have a better reason than "They scare me!" to say we can't have one.
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This year is the first we've done anything special. A couple of days before school started, we took the littles out for Mexican food while eldest was away. We talked about goals and plans, put together a wish list of "autumn renewal" items -- cowboy boots, jeans, a special shirt -- and talked about our expectations regarding the virtual school.
Afterwards, we gave them each a $20 school supply budget and took them to spend it at Target. We buy all the basics and necessities, so they were able to get a few extras to make their desks/areas ready. (The littles chose stuff like backpacks and art supplies, and one got a rubber band ball.) We did the same with eldest, alone, only he chose to eat at KFC and bought a stop sign whiteboard and a planner.
On the actual first day, I made each one a goody bag stuffed with special snacks -- peanut butter crackers, gum, Milano cookies, chocolates, Goldfish crackers -- and made sure there was plenty of juice, tea and such in the fridge. They think the lunchbox-sized snacks are so cool but I'm too cheap to buy them normally, so the goody bag went over extremely well.
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But isn't this completely different? You are in effect ps'ing and not homeschooling. The people Colleen was talking about are using PS funds to subsidize their extracurricular homeschool activities, ones that should be imho, the responsibility of the parents not the taxpayers.
Yes, it is different (but not completely -- virtual schoolers actually are taking it on the chin from the homeschooling community as well) and I can see how the WA program could potentially threaten homeschoolers, at least in that state. But is there evidence of a shift toward more oversight as a result of the PPP? It shouldn't be assumed that the people who participate in those programs go into it blindly, nor that they should be required to take into consideration something bigger than their families' needs.
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I know many people who use the ppp and seem ignorant to the possible damage that can be done to those who don't.
But really, should parents have to take that into account when making an educational choice for their own children? The PPP may be their best option after weighing all options, not simply a grabbing of "free money" without thought to consequences.
We chose a virtual academy this year, which means we receive tax-funded curriculum to use at home. It includes online support, textbooks and workbooks -- not private lessons or discretionary cash or such. When we enrolled, it was the well-being of my family I was prioritizing, not the effect my choice might have on the homeschooling movement at large.
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If my heart's in the right place, I'll take it whichever way it's passed to me, even if I have to take it out of the wrapper first. :)
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For reading aloud, we are finishing Peter and the Shadow Thieves and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon before we decide on our next ones -- we like series. I'm leaning toward Redwall, though.
Individually, they will work through:
Shiloh
My Side of the Mountain
Caddie Woodlawn
The Hundred Dresses
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
Johnny Tremain
Dragonwings
Star of Light
Little House on the Prairie
Henry Huggins
Charlotte's Web
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Li Lun, Lad of Courage
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Across Five Aprils
The Cay
Timothy of the Cay
A Wrinkle in Time
Catherine, Called Birdy
Jacob Have I Loved
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
The Cricket in Times Square
Call it Courage
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
The Incredible Journey
Anne of Green Gables
(My boys are ages 7/third grade and 12/seventh grade and my little girl is almost 9/fourth grade. Each chose from a selection, and I didn't separate them according to child in the above list.)
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Whole Foods for the Whole Family has great tutorials on baking. It's one of my favorite cookbooks.
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Someone forwarded me the information about Daniel Radcliffe because they were concerned about my 12-year-old, who has motor skills issues. We are now public schoolers participating in a virtual academy, so we qualify for special needs services like evaluations, but I wondered if anyone could point me to a good source of information. Thanks! :)
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He looks like a big ol' darling. Have fun with your new guy!
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I started this book but had to stop. The death of my brother was much too recent, and the little girl's death in the book too hard for me to continue.
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Camy, it's the first week of school; all four of us at home are sick with colds, and the online school is being precious with information and materials (particularly stressful because it's our first year). DH is grumpy because he broke the elliptical this morning and because the Dish Network we had installed this week is not working correctly.
I turn 40 next week. I feel old and tired. My blood pressure shot up during an illness a couple of months ago and hasn't come down very much, so I was forced to start the DASH diet this week to try and keep from going on medication.
You have no idea how much I needed to read this! I'm looking forward to being where you are. Thank you for giving me some inspiration. :)
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Our favorite Christian artist is Warren Barfield.
We like classic rock and funk/soul -- we just bought Stevie Wonder's No. 1s and we like it a lot. They also like the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull soundtrack and Keb Mo's "Big Wide Grin" right now.
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If you should happen to try to set a good "love one another" example for your three children in a grocery store one day, and it should happen to take the form of offering your assistance to a scooter-bound lady awkwardly juggling watermelon quarters...
Please try to remember that not everyone needs your help. Do not blush purple and cringe with humiliation when the lady yells at you in front of your children and everyone else in the crowded produce department that she's been doing this for 20 years and she doesn't want your help. Apologize for having offended, calmly explain to your children that we'd rather offend someone who doesn't need our help than miss out on helping someone who does, and do NOT go home and cry with shame once you're alone.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
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Not too busy, but the key is balance. In only two areas do we volunteer weekly: DH is the drummer for Wednesday worship and I am a member of the ministry team that cooks, serves and cleans up after Wednesday meals. The children come to church early with me and often fill immediate needs like babysitting the guitarist's small son, or helping the preschool minister prepare for service by tidying up or getting crafts ready, so it can be a time of service for them as well.
We tend more toward seasonal or emergency volunteering as a family: Toys for Tots, disaster relief, school supply drives, etc. We can't commit to many weekly or even monthly service projects, but our church has many opportunities throughout the year for families to serve together that fit well into our schedule, and DH's company encourages its employees and their families to volunteer as well.
I'd love to do more but am happy to do small things as the opportunity arises, like hold open doors or push a grocery cart back to the store for an elderly person. We've given rides to random folks (not always a good idea), given up seats in the orthodontist's waiting room, let people cut in line, etc. because we want to model love and service to our children. Sometimes just smiling or saying a kind word can make a big difference, so we encourage that as well. And it doesn't cut into our school day at all! :)
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Very nice! I'm in the process of reorganizing mine right now, but when I'm done I'll try to get some photos up.
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Our whole family really enjoys it. :lol:
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Try this link. I think there were several by different authors, but the ones by Linda Berdoll are the ones that sound familiar to me. I've not read them.
Poll: Are you done having children?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Yes. Three is my number. :):):)