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BBG580

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Everything posted by BBG580

  1. I think the question is simply meant to be provocative to start a discussion. In the OP she states that she believes the earth revolves around the sun. :)
  2. I came to this exact conclusion myself and have already planned first grade to reflect my opinion on the matter. I am choosing to do a very slow, relaxed pace of Early American history via ToG Year 2/Units 3 and 4 with focusing on reading aloud, field trips and hands on crafts coupled with a more comprehensive year long world geography study. And I'm only choosing to start with American and Virginia history because it basically follows our state standards (VA) and because we live right here and can go and see, touch, taste and smell it in person. Walking Jamestown and Williamsburg, seeing Dolly Madison's dress in the Smithsonian, walking through Mount Vernon and Monticello are going to make that period more concrete and alive for her and are going to make it clear what is past and what is present, what is true and what is fiction. That is really my big goal for first grade, and using the colonial period and ToG as my guide is really just my vehicle to help solidify those ideas in her mind. I think geography, mapping skills and understanding past versus present are going to make sliding into the ancients much easier. We must have that foundation firmly built first, though! My child is so young that she totally believes that Mary Poppins is real, real, real. That there is a possibility that she can fly into the clouds with an umbrella too. Trying to determine fiction vs. non-fiction, past vs. present, and the enormity of the distance around the world are what we are going to be focusing on next year all while trying to not screw up her glorious imagination. It is going to be tough! After we get the foundation in place we'll see where we can go from there. I'm not sure if we'll get into the classical cycle or if we will study by continent, themed units or what.
  3. I'm going to steal this term! I'm finding that I like a blend of the three as well. :tongue_smilie:
  4. Yes, they are fully aligned with Rome. And we Catholics all believe the Pope is infallible in very specific situations, not all the time! :)
  5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond was such a pivotal book in my childhood. I also adored Little Women and Anne of Green Gables.
  6. If you have used this curriculum, what did you like about it? What did you not like about it? If you tried it, did you continue with McRuffy? If you did not, why not? I've viewed the samples and I really like how thorough the teacher notes are and it looks fun, interesting and very hands on. We will be using Orange Miquon for First Grade in addition to one other program. I had settled on Singapore Early Bird but now I'm not so sure. Thanks in advance!
  7. I stumbled across a mom-created homeschool curriculum for the K-8 set: http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2010/08/expedition-earth-journey-through-gods.html It takes the family through 30 countries, the curriculum itself is consistent with including using the map and globe, trying foods from the places, learning about its topography, labeling maps for important landmarks and geographical features, and so on. I just printed it out and I am really pleased with all that is included. There is an animal supplement for each country that is free, I haven't decided if I am using it or not yet. The entire 190 page set was only $15 + printing costs. I am adding 6 weeks of an intro that I am creating myself to intro my first grader to maps, north/south/east/west, the continents and basic mapping skills and symbols, along with basic town and state and country information before we dive into international geography.
  8. Now I'm rethinking Singapore! The samples look wonderful along with all the manipulatives.
  9. I didn't "get it" either until the print version of the unit that I'd ordered arrived. I had the DE for over a week and it is just too much clicking around for me. I like that I can put small post it stickies here and there in the unit print plan and by color I can tell if I need to see something on that page based on the color sticky I've got stuck there (blue is for readings/pink are for hands on projects/green is writing activities and worksheets). It isn't as overwhelming as I thought it would be. I just know the color for the level I am working with (red for lower grammar) and keep my eyes on that for the most part. I haven't done a lot of reading in the teacher's notes or in the encyclopedia text that is included weekly (which adds a lot of paper but I love it because it saves me from having to dig up some of those spot on resources myself and it is all right there for me for easy access) but I will when we get going each week. As everyone has said it is a buffet. My kid is too little to be a huge part of selecting any of the hands on projects. I have an idea of what she'd like to do but for this first pass through I am choosing things that *I* can handle with two other little ones under foot. No salt maps of the eastern seaboard for this family! No homemade colonial dress! No whittling soap! And so on. Just scan, check the boxes of the things you want to do and then when you go back and create your lesson plans you zero in on those checked boxes. At least that is my plan. :tongue_smilie:
  10. I am planning on setting up a work box station for my three year old for preschoolish stuff next fall. He likes to do whatever his sister is doing. Not sure this is really going to work but I'm hope, hope, hoping it helps! Got the idea here: http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2010/09/whats-in-box-wednesday-teeny-tot.html I'm really worried about my youngest who will be 18 months old when we start this summer. I do think we are going to have to do math, reading and writing when she is sleeping in the afternoon for a nap and use the morning for hands on projects, read alouds, lap books and so on. There is no way we will be able to focus on reading and math with her getting in to everything!
  11. It's not working tonight! Very annoying to keep hitting the check out button and not being directed to paypal!
  12. I started doing a lot of research, reading books and reading reviews about curriculum and educational methods. I think it took my husband seeing that I was planning on treating it like a job and taking it very seriously to make him comfortable enough to agree to move forward.
  13. It's mostly genetics for me, though my mother grew up in Florida and was a sun-worshipper as a teenager and she regretted it in her 30s so she always promoted the importance of sunscreen. I've worn sunscreen mixed in with my moisturizer on my face every single day since I was 12 or 13 and I do think that has helped a lot.
  14. How much time do you prep? Do you plan entire semesters ahead or just a week ahead? I am not using boxed curriculum and I feel like I've probably chosen curriculum that all requires a bit of a learning curve and a lot of prep work on the part of the teacher but I am curious as to how others plan ahead? I am planning to year round school with 8 weeks on M-Th, Fridays for errands/field trips and co-op/homeschool group activities and then one long weekend of Friday/Monday off during the 8 week period so we can travel and whatnot. And then 2 weeks off for Christmas and 1 full week off in the summer for a beach vacation. This should give me our 180 days of "school" time to report to my state. I am preparing now because I am slightly terrified *and* excited to get going. We'll start July 1. I am hoping to have the entire first 8 weeks planned out before we start. I am using ToG, PR1, Unit Nature Studies with extra read alouds, a mix of Singapore and Miquon, and an ongoing world geography project that is linked in my siggy. How do you plan? I really like the workboxes idea, unit/semester notebooks and so on. Just curious!
  15. I've not started homeschooling yet and when I do next fall it will be with a 6 year old first grader, so this is clearly not going to be an issue for awhile but what can I say, I'm a worrier and I plan ahead for it. :tongue_smilie: My two biggest fears about homeschooling my children are: 1) Taking their disinterest or failure in a particular area personally. I know when I was in school there were some subjects I just didn't like and I could have worked harder and done better in them. I think I will feel twice the failure if my kids are not doing well in a particular subject. I will feel like I am not doing a good enough job teaching them the material and I will feel like they are unappreciative of all my hard work (which, really, isn't a new thing since they largely are oblivious to my hard work at this point but I guess I'm hoping with age they gain a bit of clarity and empathy?!!). 2) Excessive hand-holding. I feel like I will have a tendency to over-manage their academics and not hold them accountable for learning and completing their work as it is assigned. I can see how a homeschooled child could arrive in college fairly helpless because they've had too much "hand-holding" from their homeschooling parent in the way of getting assignments completed. Am I over thinking things? How do you start a precedent for academic independence early on in the lower grammar years while also taking into account their age and ability? Obviously my first grader will need 100% hand-holding, but how and when do you make the shift and start fostering independence? Thanks!
  16. Hands down: http://www.rareseeds.com Quality company, excellent product and service.
  17. http://www.earthbox.com You can get serious yields in these boxes. They require very little space or maintenance. The website will tell you exactly how much you can plant per variety in each box and exactly how to fertilize. Obviously there is some initial outlay in $ but over years they pay off big time. If you don't have a lot of space or time, I would NOT try in ground gardening. You will be fighting weeds, pests and watering needs all summer long. These earth boxes are self watering and need to only be checked ever day or two and refilled. I cannot stress how easy these things are to use and how productive they are. Good luck!
  18. Yes, Year 2/Units 3 and 4 half pace is the plan for first grade. We live in NoVA and can easily travel to most all the locations that are covered for field trips. My sis actually lives in Williamsburg. :) I thought for a new 6 year old who is still trying to get a handle on past, present, future that being able to use the Smithsonian in D.C. and some other living museums, as well as study history that particularly affects our lives today in our country, might make jumping into history easier. Plus, I really love early American history and I thought it might be easier for me to start in a time and place that I know a lot about. We'll see!
  19. Here are a few blogs and resources that we love: http://www.smallmagazine.net/ http://frontierdreams.blogspot.com/ http://www.waldorfmama.typepad.com/ Christopherus: http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/home.html
  20. Year 2 arrived in print today along with the SAP... and SWOOOOOOONNNN. Ok, so I said it. There is no way DE can stack up to having the hard, printed copy in hand to flip through. I've had the DE for over a week and have not been nearly as inspired to lesson plan and read and dig through the material. I know now that I will always buy or print out a copy. It really does make a huge difference to me. And can I just say that I am so excited to start next year because *I* want to learn more about this time period! I can't wait to start reading in preparation. :tongue_smilie: (I should add that I love my Kindle but I *always* have a print copy on hand of any book that I really love so I should have known that I would feel this way about ToG!)
  21. Mexican Bean and Corn Casserole I've replaced dried pintos for canned black beans and I just cooked them with the garlic, cumin and sea salt until the flavors blended before putting the casserole together.
  22. It will be our first year homeschooling! 1st Grade: Math: Singapore 1A with Orange Miquon and Rods as a supplement, Family Math and other math games and activities LA: Phonics Road Level 1 History: ToG Year 2/Units 3 and 4 at half pace (early American History) Science: Handbook of Nature Study + 4 seasons Nature Studies Guides and a Nature Journal http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/ FL: Mandarin Level 1 Rosetta Stone 2x per week with my assistance (her grandmother speaks Mandarin and she's had a year of it in PS K this year as well) PE: Year Round Swimming Lessons/Swim Team Arts: Piano or Violin if she wants to try, various Waldorf craft projects, religious crafts based on the liturgical year PreK: I'm Ready To Learn By Winter Promise
  23. Me too! She's sounds wonderful and her life sounds very rich and fulfilled. :001_smile:
  24. http://www.pathtofreedom.com is the best place to start. I also love the book Fresh Food From Small Spaces: http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Food-Small-Spaces-Square-Inch/dp/160358028X You can use a pellet stove, line dry clothes on a retractable indoor clothesline, make almost all your own food from scratch, urban garden using intensive gardening techniques, can and preserve foods you grow, utilize the library and mass transit much more easily than a rural dweller and so on. You can also winter and summer proof your house and learn to live with a lot less energy. I cannot raise my own chickens so I get eggs and milk and some meat from a local family. We also "stockpile" some staples (not years worth of food but at least 3 months of rice, beans and flour) and are capable of living without meat or dairy. There's more but my son just climbed in my lap for a book, so I'm off for now.
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