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Debra in CO

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Everything posted by Debra in CO

  1. Ann, My son is using it, and we really like it. I'm trying not to feel awful that we could have gotten it for less by waiting until now with the co-op... but we purchased it two months ago and have gotten through a lot of it. The sample is very representative of the program. What I like is that the lessons are very predictable and fairly straightforward. My son knows what to expect, he knows a lesson won't take long, and the little dog guy is just interesting enough to keep his attention, but he isn't distracting. He can do the lesson all by himself. I can easily reset things so that he'll repeat a lesson, and it was pretty easy to adjust things at the start to get him started at the right place. I love that I can start my next child on it when the first one finishes, at no cost. I have three children right now who could be doing this - but only my 9 year old is right now. What I don't like? Some of the sounds are really tough to differentiate (m and n, for instance). Really, that's about it. My 9 year old is a struggling reader. Click 'n Kids is great for him. My 7 year old reads pretty much right on grade level. I know it is going to be an equally great fit for him. My 4 year old is just starting to read (my only early reader) and I am pretty sure it will be great for him as well. Unfortunately, it will be awhile before he gets his shot at it though! Any specific questions? I'd be happy to try to answer them. Debra Mom of five, ages 2-10
  2. My son was chipping away at LCI last year for 4th grade. We were both getting very frustrated (I have no prior Latin) and felt quite lost. We switched to Lively Latin late last year, and it must have been within a month or two of his 10th birthday. It was the one of the very best semi-impulse purchases I've ever made. I don't think it is too young for him. When we are using it (we took a break and did a class Sept-Dec) he can move fairly quickly through it, since he has some Latin background and since he is a bit older. But he has been learning a lot, he enjoys it, and I think the derivative work is among the best I've seen anywhere. I plan to have my second son start it in the fall, and he'll be nearly 10 (November birthday) and a 4th grader. I know it won't be too young for him either. Debra Mom of five, ages 2-10
  3. I'll comment on the ones we've/I've read: Red Sails to Capri by Ann Weil - we all enjoyed this Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes - I hated it. Kids liked it. I thought it went on. And on. And on. Kids thought it was funny. Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling - pretty quick read, but beautiful pictures. Seabird by Holling C. Holling - same as above - beautiful pictures By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman - we all really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a terrific read. Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr - it's been awhile for all the Core 5 books - I don't remember not liking any of the ones you've listed, but I don't remember details either The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson -same as above Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Ed Young - same as above HTH, Debra Mom of five, ages 2-10
  4. Angie, Thanks for letting me know this! This is what the local homeschool group uses for testing in the spring, so I'll see if we could do the Level 8... that might be the best option of them all. Hmmmm. Debra
  5. Thanks everyone! Now that you mention it, kRenee, I did know that the PASS didn't work here. I think I'll go with the CAT/5, as dh really wants us doing the standardized test option. I do feel better about it after asking, so thanks everyone :) Debra
  6. We're using Sonlight, and their American history (Cores 3 and 4) has you breaking around the Civil War. It isn't strictly chronological, but it worked out really well for us. Core 3 ends around the 1870s, skipping virtually everything related to slavery, states rights, and the Civil War. Core 4 starts around 1850, kicking off the US history part with issues related to slavery and North vs. South. We're right around the turn of the century now, and I'm really looking forward to actually learning about WWI - my public school classes always had textbooks that ended with WWI, and we NEVER got that far. Only once or twice did we actually get as far as Reconstruction, and only in my state history year did I learn anything about the time period from 1870-1910 (we learned about Teddy Roosevelt, specifically, and by default learned a bit about US history of that era). And my 20th century history class started with the Roaring 20s, so we didn't cover WWI there either. I know virtually NOTHING about WWI. Don't know why I'm going off on that tangent except to say that I'm finding it fascinating to learn about a time period I knew almost nothing about before this year. And my kids are having fun too.
  7. If you had a 3rd grader who was not reading at grade level, and you needed to do a standardized test, which one would you use? My oldest took the CAT two years ago, but he was reading above grade level, and I just don't remember much as far as what reading was actually required. My current third grader is reading at probably an early 2nd grade level right now, hopefully mid-2nd grade by the time we test. I don't get all worked up about test results at this age, but I want it to be as non-stressful for him as possible. And I do want him to score at least the 17th percentile the state mandates (I think it's 17th anyway, I might be off a percentile or two). My biggest concerns with the testing are that he doesn't score horribly in areas like math just because he isn't reading well. I'd prefer a test like CAT or PASS that we can do at home, though if it is something that would be better for someone with reading issues, I'd certainly look elsewhere. I'm not looking to artificially boost his reading scores or anything... but given that I have to test him, it would be nice if all the scores told me at least something, besides just that he doesn't read as well as his peers. Thanks for any suggestions!! Debra Mom of five, ages 2-10
  8. Yeah! What Ellie said!! :) Though my dh has been known to take on a math assignment when my oldest son & I are butting heads. Homeschooling was dh's idea. He is 100% committed to it. He'll listen to a kid read aloud if I ask him to, and he'll take over a math lesson here or there, when asked. He finished a science book for me when I simply could not face opening it again under any circumstances. And he's been known to read aloud occassionally. But he has to be *asked*, he never ever volunteers. And in eight years of homeschooling, that hands-on involvement probably averages out to less than a minute a week... He also listens when I'm undecided about curriculum, rarely blinks when I spend money on school - even when money is very tight, brags about me to all his coworkers so they all think I'm a candidate for sainthood, and picks things up at the library so I don't have to. I consider that to be involved.
  9. If I had known then what I know now, I could have chosen other curriculum to use with my oldest because it would have been published, LOL. Seriously, there isn't much I'd change. I don't think I was *too* structured with my oldest. There have been issues I wish I had recognized sooner. My oldest and his spelling difficulties, for instance. My second son and his reading issues is the other big one. I wish I had started to be really serious about those earlier than I was, but they are both still young and we are working on it. I wish I was more consistent with my younger kids now. I wish I knew a way to make my 2 year old nap. Everyone is far more pleasant when she naps. There are one or two curriculum purchases I would take back if I could. But there really isn't anything major. If I had known then what I know now, I think I would have been more anxious about getting started. Debra Mom of five, ages 2-10
  10. These are the recorders I got too, and I've been very happy with them. I would not recommend the 88 cent version that you can get at Walmart. Or the higher priced version you can get elsewhere. I bought a roughly $3 recorder somewhere. And I bought the Yamaha that Verena linked. I could tell the difference. My 10 year old could tell the difference too. (And although my younger kids couldn't tell the difference, *I* could hear the difference when they played) I'd also second recommendations for the Penny Gardner materials. Love, love, love them.
  11. Jenny, I love SL's Cores! We're about halfway through Core 4 now (with my 5th, 3rd and 1st grader), and I'm using Core A with my preschoolers. I've used (or am using) Cores A-4 with my kids, and I've used Core 5 and Core 100 myself :) Just be sure to look at the age ranges. Core Levels are NOT grade levels. Science - well, I suspect SL is changing their science program some, based on all the questions they were asking last fall on their forums. I hope so. I do like SL science. Sort of. I have a love-hate relationship with it, I guess. Which level are you looking at? Science 3 is very different from K-2 (or is it C-2 now? I can't keep up!) We've used Science K-3 and 5. My opinions? K-2 - I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Discover and Do DVDs. I like some of the rest of the materials. I hate some of the rest of the material. I love that they have scientist biographies in every level. Some of the books are just old and outdated, but my kids have mostly been okay with that (excepting the Universe book in Science1). Science 3 - we really enjoyed this year. The first 2/3 of the year is focused on biology, and we got a lot out of it. Most of the rest of the year goes through a single Usborne book, front to back, so while you are jumping a bit in topic, at least you aren't jumping from one book to another and back again. Science 5 - my oldest is doing this currently, more or less on his own. I think it is organized well. He may be jumping around from one resource to another, but it is logical and doesn't seem to be erratic (K-2 were, uhh, definitely erratic). He's really enjoying it, which says a lot. I have not used Science 4 or 6, so I can't form an opinion on those, except that they appear to be more focused than the K-2 levels. HTH, Debra Mom of five, ages 2-10
  12. Thanks for asking the question! I'm doing the 30 day trial right now too, and I was wondering the same thing. Now, I've got a lot of things to plan for this month. Debra
  13. Thank you both! I went with the Jack Prelutsky one. And I put a whole bunch of the others in my wish list in case I'm ever faced with this situation again! Thanks!! Debra
  14. Hi all - I have a $15 credit on Audible that I think is expiring soon (tomorrow?). I really don't want to spend a lot of real money right now, and I have a couple different books I'm trying to choose between that are $13-$14 - which would leave me with a dollar or two in credit. I hate to waste it! I swear I read someone on here had recently purchased something from audible for only a couple of dollars, but I can't find that post. My kids are 10, 9, 7, nearly 4 and a couple days shy of 2, if that helps. Thanks for any suggestions!!! Debra Mom of five, ages 1-10
  15. Okay, a year ago I was pretty much in your shoes. My then 9 year old son had finished 5A, and was beginning 5B. He wanted to start Algebra. I was resisting. He finished up 5B about the time he turned 10 (May 1). I had him start 6A. He was about halfway through when I attended our state homeschool convention. I heard Tom Clark speak (VideoText) on the first day, and went to sit through a thing at the VT booth the second day. I decided to bring my son on Saturday, and he sat through the presentation at VT as well, and he just begged to be able to start that. So - we've been alternating VT lessons and Singapore. I did take a couple days to make sure he got the concept of negative numbers, and I talked through some other things with him too - things like 3(5) is the same as 3*5 is the same as 3x5. I'm thinking there were a couple other concepts we covered before we jumped into VT. How have things gone? Great. He is enjoying VT, and I'm keeping it going fairly slow by making him finish off Singapore as well. I think the pace has been terrific. We started VT in August (and started 6B at the same time). We take off November & December. Right now, he is a couple weeks shy of finishing Module A and 6B. My "goal" was to take about five months per module, though that is certainly subject to change as we go. I plan to have him work through Module B and probably Module C, and then work in NEM1. Debra Mom to five, ages 1-10
  16. I haven't used Little Hearts, but I have used Little Hands. I know they are similar in many ways. My only beef with Little Hearts was that I never seemed to have stuff on hand. You know, we have cheerios around most of the time, but the week where we use Cheerios to do something or another would be when we used up the box the day before I flipped open to that page. I had to go through and highlight stuff and make up my own little cheat sheet. Most of the items were normal household items, but I live 45 minutes away from a store, so it is a big deal if I happen to be out of something. I can't just run out and get it, you know? Otherwise, I really like their book choices, I like how she schedules stuff, I like that (other than the above) thr program is really easy to pick up and go. I did very little prep work. I keep thinking I'll work the various Little Hearts levels in for my kids... I'd love to use them. I'm planning to start Little Hands with my 4 and 2 year olds in May (I used it with my current 1st grader a few years ago). Maybe I'll move on to Little Hearts with them. I did sit with the Little Hearts book at a homeschool convention for at least a half hour one year. I really, really wanted to get it, but funds were tight, and I had to make do. Debra Mom to five, ages 1-10
  17. Libby, I have used Primary Grade Challenge Math with my oldest, who is certainly advanced in math, if not gifted. It worked great, we truly loved it. Now, I have not started it with my next son, who is pretty average in math. But I do plan to do so. Just not as early. I think that I want to start PGCM when he is doing 3rd grade math work. We'll work through the chapters in a similar way to what I did with my oldest. He read the chapter and did the level 1 problems. I corrected those. Then he did level 2, and I corrected them. And so on... until he was struggling and missing the point. I made a note of the chapter # and how far he got. After we worked through the entire book that way, we went back to the beginning and did the chapters I had made notes about. In his case, there were only maybe 5 chapters. For my "average" child, I suspect we'll go back through most of the book. Debra Mom to five, ages 1-10
  18. I'm not going to be much help. I've seen all three of these programs labeled both ways... I think it really depends on whose definitions you use. Honestly, I think both Right Start and Singapore fall somewhere in the middle. I don't know much about CLE. These two have more concepts per year than a traditional mastery course, with the idea of going deeper each time. But they have far fewer topics per year than a traditional spiral course, and they spend more time on each topic. But that's just *my* opinion... Debra Mom of five, ages 1-10
  19. We used VideoText Algebra. But my son is only a 5th grader. I looked very seriously at NEM, and I just don't see that working for him this year. I own it, though, and am considering having him work through it next year, probably after VT Module C. The downside of VT is cost. I "lucked" into A-C, and E though. I still need D and F, and that's one of the reasons I'm considering switching gears after C for him. I am quite certain that my next son would not do well with NEM, but I have time to figure that out. My guess at the moment is that VT will be perfect for him. Debra Mom of five, ages 1-10
  20. I was just looking at this. Our state convention is $69 if you preregister, $89 at the door. Spouses are free. Other over 13 family members can get in for $20. Kids can get an exhibit hall pass on Saturday only for $5 each (max of $15). I love going to this. I get an employee rate at the hotel which helps. There are generally a lot of great speakers, and I love the chance to touch and feel the curriculum and really focus on where we are going school-wise in the next year. But I just don't know that I can spend this much money this year. The timing stinks too. Part of it is that I really don't have all that many things that I'm undecided about for next year, though a chance to sit down with Right Start Level D would be really, really nice. And for $100, I can purchase quite a few homeschooling seminars on mp3, you know? I wish they had a reasonable exhibit hall only option. I wish they had a one-day option. Maybe I should seriously look at the North Dakota one (I'll be visiting my parents about the right time...) Debra Mom of five, ages 1-10
  21. Hi, We have a few, though I haven't purchased the stuff that is intended more for PreK. My kids are boys aged 10, 9, 7 and almost 4, and a very close to 2 year old girl. We own: Kari Anderson Shake - though we haven't watched it yet! It's 29 minutes, intended for ages 6-11. Denise Austin Fit Kids - (I don't like Denise Austin at all myself!) There are two 20 minute workouts. They say ages 8-12, but my 1st grader did fine with it at age 5, and he's a bit of a klutz. My 4 year old does okay with it now. This is the one Denise video I can stand :) Tae Bo Kicks for Kids - another one we haven't used yet (we got this and Shake for Christmas, and just haven't done anything with them yet!) - It's 38 minutes, says it is for ages 5-11. Little Kicks Volume 1 and 2 - These say ages 3 and up - I'm not sure I totally agree with that... my 3 year old found it pretty frustrating for quite a long time. He could start it, but just a few minutes into it, he had a tough time following it. I would NOT start a 3 year old with Volume 2. I wouldn't start a 5 year old with Volume 2 either, though. After doing Volume 1 for awhile, Volume 2 would be okay for ages 4 and up, I think. The workouts are about 40 minutes. I like the guy in these - Jesse someone. And there are a lot of kids - boys and girls, probably about ages 5-teenage. We tried the Leslie Sansone Family Walk (or something close to that) and my kids didn't particularly like that, so we didn't purchase it. I have a couple of her 1 mile walks though, and all the kids participate with those. I also have a George Foreman walking workout, and my boys like that a bit more (dd doesn't really care - she participates in anything) We tried some other things - a Sesame Street workout was one of them. My preschoolers liked that ONCE and wanted nothing to do with it after that (fortunately, that was one I borrowed from the library!) HTH, Debra Mom of five
  22. Alana, How 10 is your son? My 10 year old son is just about 11, so that is my reference point. ds10 is working through CS III right now. He started CS I in 3rd grade, and we've done one a year. It has been a terrific fit for him. He is able to read the story independently, and we work on the lesson part orally. This has led to some terrific discussions, and I have really loved it. Now, for my next two (they turned 9 and 7 back in November), I decided not to start the third grader with CS I this year. I've debated it back and forth and back and forth and.... anyway, my conclusion was that having the two of them do this together would be a terrific plan. So, I *think* we are going to start probably midway through next year. The older one would be about 10.25, and the younger about 8.25. I will probably have to read the story aloud, as I don't think ds#3 will be up to reading on his own. If I'm doing it for two, though, I'm not so concerned about me having to read. All of that to say.... I think Christian Studies can be used without modification up through middle school. I use the program mostly orally - though if I were starting this with a 5th or 6th grader, I'd probably pick a question out of every couple of lessons for them to write about a one-page paper on. If I were starting this with a 1st or 2nd grader (uhh, *when* I start this with my 2nd grader!), I probably won't have them do the tests, and I'll figure out some way to do the review lessons (I know none of *my* boys would be capable of the review lessons as written.) So - I think your plan sounds terrific. In fact, I may borrow it. :) Based on the previous thread, and your question, I'm very seriously looking at using Explorer's with my 1st and 3rd graders this year... and maybe we'll plan to work through a couple books of it before we start CS I. I'm going to go peruse my samples Beginnings II and Discovery - and see if I can decide what to do. I'm leaning towards Beginnings II, as then I could get my preschoolers going on Beginnings I (we own both of those). hmmm... Thanks for making me think! Debra Mom of five, ages 1-10
  23. Tomorrow, we will start The Great Turkey Walk as our family read-aloud. We are also reading The Terrible Wave. My oldest & I are reading King Arthur and His Knights. I'm hoping to start The Wonder Book with my third grader. I'm reading Fifty Famous Stories Retold and Blue Fairy Book with my first grader. And I'm doing a variety of picture books with the two preschoolers - Eloise Wilkin Stories being one of the main ones right now. For iPod school, we are supposedly listening to Farmer Boy... but our time in the car lately has been spent listening to a bunch of shorter things. Debra (who felt vaguely guilty that I wasn't reading enough, until I started to respond to this, and I realized I am covering everyone!)
  24. Hi, From the RS yahoo group, I noted that I should have my son do lessons 8, 15 and 16, and then start with lesson 24. Or - skip lesson 1-7, skip 9-14, and skip 17-23. HTH, Debra Mom of five, ages 1-10
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