Annie Laurie
-
Posts
3,289 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by Annie Laurie
-
-
I love Right Start, even with it's flaws (moves too slowly sometimes, jumps around, etc.) I feel like I can teach math to all of my kids because of the foundation I got from learning math the Right Start way.
Exactly this. Moves slowly is my main criticism, also the way Dr. Cotter explains things sometimes was confusing to me, but I hear that the new version is better about that. But, on the whole, it's been great. I've learned so much and feel so much more confident teaching my kids math, and their mental math skills and solid understanding of place value have given them a great foundation. I've tried many math programs, but unless my 3 yr old turns out to be the type of learner who it won't work for, I plan to use Rightstart with him too when he's ready.
-
My 3 y 3mo old girl is still nursing, and she also feels a great need to touch me randomly throughout the day, so I can somewhat understand how you feel. There are times when she'll ask for "a sip" and all she does is suck on my breast for about a second. There's no way she's getting any milk in those instances. It's the contact she's looking for. I'm not ready for her to be done. She's the result of an extremely difficult pregnancy following on four years of secondary infertility, so I'm still really grateful just to have her. That said, DH is ready for her to be done and really tired of her neediness. She does finally sleep through the night (usually), but that only happened when we moved to her own bed (against her wishes) shortly after her third birthday. She still wants to nurse every morning upon waking. She's also not potty trained, but she's been showing growing interest over the past six months, and I think she'd potty train if I took some more time and effort. I'm actually kind of afraid to because of all the toileting issues her brother has had (and is still dealing with at 9 years old). Of course, she's a different kid and has had none of the problems he's had, so I really just need to get over it.
I have no advice for you, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. Have you tried talking to him about things big kids can do that might sound attractive to him? In my experience and observation, the youngest child seems to either want to grow up really fast or stay a baby for a long time. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium, but normally both types of kids turn out fine in the end and you can't tell which extreme they fell into when they're older.
Thank you, it does help to hear that he's not the only kid in the world like this. I do talk about what big kids do, he has 4 older siblings, and I point out what they do. But, he's in the "wants to stay a baby for a long time" camp and doesn't want to be called a big boy and reminds us he is a baby. We've had some progress this week, he is choosing to wear underwear and doing pretty well at going on the potty. He has been waking me up a ton at night all of a sudden and I think it's because I've been avoiding nursing him and the potty training, so he has a big need to be with me at night now.
So true that it goes by fast and eventually they're older and you forget all about it. I have to remind myself daily to be patient!
-
We might have to move there and are considering Canton or Decatur- are those nice places to live? What's the cost of living like?
-
My older kids weaned at 1 1/2, 2 1/2, and 3 1/2, the middle three are close in age so I nursed through pregnancies and tandem nursed briefly, I really did not like tandem nursing though. My current 3 1/2 year old is still nursing, but I'm ready to be done. He comes into bed with me in the morning and always asks to nurse, sometimes I say "Let's cuddle instead", but he always gets very upset. The interesting thing is that half the time he barely even latches on, just has some skin to mouth contact for a few seconds and then says he's done. He has a big need to still be a baby, he does not like it when grandparents tell him he is a big boy, he tells me all the time that he's still a baby. He is still not potty trained either. Not that extended bfing is always tied to other things, my last 3 1/2 yr old nurser was potty trained at age 2 and very independent. it's just that this kid has been so high-needs from birth and I am exhausted. I'm trying to be patient with this last bit of nursing, because he has such a big need for it still. I think some of this is his huge sensory need, if I'm wearing short sleeves, he has a thing for my upper arms and will spend a lot of the day coming by just to rub them with his hands and mouth.
I'm not sure what the point of my long ramble is. I guess I need some encouragement to be patient. Anyone have a kid like this who was slow to sleep through the night, wean, and potty train?
-
My 9yo ds got me an enormous costume jewelry ring that I will wear with all the joy that he had in giving it to me :) One of my 11 yo dd's church leaders is a potter so she threw spoon rests that the girls painted/ glazed & she fired. My home from college dd gave me two lovely paintings and Dh gave me a museum membership & I didn't have to cook all day on Sunday. I also received a mini rosebush.
In other Mother's Day news: 10 minutes before walking out the door to my 16yo dd's black belt test I broke my toe. This is a grueling test that takes all day from 9am-4pm. She has to demonstrate all her forms, kicks, punches, stances she has to spar one on one, three on one and five on one and she has to break eight boards and two bricks. She has been training 4 nights/ week since the beginning of February. I have attended all the training. Preparation for this test has taken over my life. Dh is on a camp out with 9yo, home from college dd has to take 11yo dd to a ballet rehearsal for an upcoming recital so that leaves me to attend the marathon black belt test with a broken toe. I buddy taped my toes together, forced on my shoe and away we went. I think I deserve a black belt in mothering :)
Amber in SJ
Yes, you do!
-
My husband had to travel for work on Mother's Day, but he took the kids out for the day on Saturday so I could have that day alone, and he brought me flowers and chocolate covered strawberries when they got home.
But my favorite gift was a poem my dd composed about me, with illustrations. It made me cry.
-
You guys are awesome, thank you!
-
My son loved The Ranger's Apprentice series, and he keeps rereading it. My recent recommendations have all fallen flat, and I need to find him some new books for pleasure reading. When I asked him, he said that he likes books with a lot of action and fantasy, especially if they have a medieval theme.
I put The Chronicles of Prydain series on hold for him at the library. Any other ideas?
-
Thank you for all of the replies, they've given me some different options to think about.
-
I have always schooled year round, the summers are long and hot here anyway, and I worried about them forgetting things and needing a lot of review after a long summer break. But, the older my kids get, the more upset they are that they don't get summers off. And I'm burned out on homeschooling, so I was thinking that maybe if we had summers off, that would help me to feel more refreshed for the new year.
Do you find that you need to review a lot after a summer break? If you take a summer break, do you follow your local PS's calendar, or just count out 180 days, or what do you do? We just school 6 weeks on/1 week off year round, and I'm used to just doing the next thing, so I guess I would have to plot out how long it would take us to complete something in a regular school year and be a little more structured. Any thoughts on one method vs the other?
-
Driving down the freeway and seeing a turkey sitting on the median, just watching traffic.
Last week, we saw a large snake cross the road. Not too wild and crazy, but unexpected. He had already made it quite a ways when we saw him as we were passing over him, (it was too late when we saw him wiggling along, but dh managed not to run him over with the tires.) We checked on him and he actually made it all the way to the other side without getting run over.
-
My issue is not whether the new website is difficult to navigate. My issue is that the website reflects an almost entirely different product identity, which, in combination with the many other changes of the past few years, causes me to distrust the company. Yes, one can find ways to combine children. However, the site gives the impression (to me) that SL is primarily for grade- level teaching, while for the past many years SL has marketed itself as a program for teaching several children at once. It would be like if Well Trained Mind suddenly promoted itself as waldorf. Also, because there have been so many constant changes, I feel like I can't trust SL will 'be there' in the future. It's sort of like when someone is a job- hopper, never staying in one occupation and developing a reputation of being unreliable. This is how Sonlight feels to me now. Since 2010, the company has shifted identity so much that I don't find it reliable any longer.
It really has changed a lot, and it's so disappointing. People on the SL forums have been complaining for a long time about the way SL keeps changing around and doesn't seem to know who they are.
-
RightStart math for sure- it taught me so much about teaching math. My kids are strong conceptually, and I credit RS. There are other math programs I like and use, some of my kids have needed to move on to other things, but RS will always be my favorite and first choice.
Project Passport
Sonlight- It has its flaws and it's unpopular right now, but I will always consider this a winner for us. It introduced me to the idea of reading aloud, even to older kids, when I was a new homeschooler, and we have so many positive memories. It turned my little kids into readers. I'll still use a lot of the books, even while using other things for history.
-
I also get it. I hope you're able to find a seat and sit with dh and enjoy your lunch. Hugs.
-
I wish I'd kept better track because it's already hard for me to remember, but I'll always have a soft spot for The Wizard of Oz as a read aloud because it was the first one my kids sat through when very little. Catwings would be another when they were little and I was trying to get them used to shorter chapter books. Also, The Trumpet of the Swan, Charlotte's Web, Homer Price, and Pippi Longstocking. Little Britches is a more recent favorite, as well as Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
-
We've always done school in our separate school room and it's the only way we seem to stay focused and productive. People have told me they'd feel claustrophobic in one room all day, but it's a big room, as big as some people's living rooms (19x21) and we don't feel squished in there at all. All of our materials are right there, the 3 yr old's special school toys are right there, etc. And I stay more focused in there, I don't take phone calls or do chores or things that tend to distract me. If the big kids are busy working and don't need me, I play with my 3 yr old or read to him, but before he came along, I'd just work on my grocery list or something like that, or do my own reading. Right now, if my 3 yr old is occupied too, (rare right now, but hopefully more and more as he gets older), then I work in my own math book since I'm refreshing my algebra and geometry knowledge before they get there. My house might not be as neat as it would be, but I think what I spend my focused time on in there is better for me and the kids in the long run anyway.
-
Thank you for bumping this! I've been making my older kids' lit lists, and this was great to read!
Right now, my 3 year old's top three that would have to go on my preschool list are:
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry (I'd be fine with never reading this book again!)
I'll count the Beatrix Potter collection we have as one book, because he has three favorites in it that I have to read over and over: The Tale of Two Bad Mice, The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit, and The Story of Miss Moppet. (They all feature someone being naughty. He belly laughs at Miss Moppet.)
-
1
-
-
Spelling Power. It's one big book that can be used through all spelling levels. You give them a placement test and then start at that level they test into. I put the words my kids miss on the free Spelling City app and they practice on there. We review and retest until they remember them and then move on. This is for my strong spellers, I don't use this program for my struggling speller. The book is something like $70, but you can probably find it used here or on homeschool classifieds.
ETA: The ABCs and All Their Tricks is a good reference book for spelling. I use that to review a rule when they get a word wrong in Spelling Power.
-
I have all my dolls and a few stuffed animals that I had trouble parting with. My dd happily took the stuffed animals, she loves stuffed animals. (Happily, she still does, at 11.) But she's not one for dolls, so they sit in a box. My husband has plenty of things from his childhood - comic books, other books, and a few games, action figures, and cars. My MIL is a saver though, so not sure dh would have saved them on his own.
-
That's awesome! We need those really great days to hang on to during the many crappy days, for sure. Thanks for the reminder that it's easy to lose perspective during the bad ones. I need to hang a sign up for myself or something.
-
Which is why I said that one person's simple might be someone else's needlessly complex. In other words, to each their own. Perhaps you didn't understand what I was saying because I'm not sure how any of this could apply to the advice I gave. I also told her it was fine to not use it, not to feel guilty, and to put it away and maybe look at it in a few years and that it might be right then, or not. And that that was fine too.
I stand by the idea that BW is full of ideas that can be very small things. Everyone should do what works for them (obviously), but if there was something the OP was drawn to about BW, then implementing one tiny piece from the program, such as having a poetry tea once a week (or, hey, once a month, which is often what we end up with) and then using something else (or nothing, as is being advised here) would be a way to feel like she got something out of it without it being onerous or difficult. But, of course, she can take that advice or not.
I'm not sure if everyone in this thread really understands what BW even is. It's not a traditional curricula with specific activities - it's a flexible lifestyle approach to writing overall. Of course, that's not for everyone, but it's not a composition program, as some people are saying. The things that BW recommends for this age are very gentle and fun and light. They're so much less academic than many of the programs used by people on this board for K/1st. But they're not laid out. And, of course, they're not right for everyone. That goes without saying for any program.
Perhaps I didn't- the word needlessly is what threw me off, with the winky face. It seemed to imply that if it feels complex to someone, then that's just because they don't know how to use it. When I just think one curriculum won't fit everyone or make sense to everyone, and the OP seemed stressed about it, so there are plenty of other methods to try. But, tomato, tomahto. It's not that important, and I don't mean to derail the thread.
I own The Writer's Jungle, and I recently bought Partnership Writing to try with my 9 year old. I do love that it's more of an education for *me* in how to approach writing with my kids. I think it can be hard to figure out how to implement it when it doesn't come naturally to you, or at least it was for me back when I bought it to try with my oldest, who is now graduated. That's why I love the look of Partnership Writing and am really looking forward to trying it out. I love that she broke it all down, so it should be more doable for me. My kids are very creative and it looks like exactly the thing to get my 9 yr old inspired about writing.
-
Thank you for the suggestions, ladies! I'm going to look at Diana Waring and Learning Adventures, but I prefer something that's secular or that I can secularize. I had wanted to use TOG and purchased a unit, which I like a lot, and it has the projects they love. But, we tried Y1U1, and it's so Biblically focused that it wasn't working for us. I had thought of doing something else for Ancients and then going on to year 2, but TOG is so involved and I'm realizing that I need to keep history simple if we want time to do all the science programs my kids want to do, they much prefer science. That's hard for me, I love history, but this is their education, and I can't do it all.
-
Just when I think I know what I want to use for ever you go and post this LOL... I am looking at Homeschool in the Woods now! and at their samples... it does look like moving through their time travelers series will flow as a smooth transition from Renaissance & Reformation. Can I ask you how much time it takes to print and plan etc... Typically, I would just print through Fedex but it looks as though I would have to print some on various card stock and such...
TIA!
It takes awhile to print, it's a ton of printing! Honestly, that part drove me nuts. But once that was done, I organized it all quickly and it's easy to use after that. You do need to gather supplies for the projects too. I put my kids in charge of making a list of supplies from the projects they wanted to do. Printer ink, cardstock, laminating sheets, and things for the projects makes this much more expensive than it first appears with the initial purchase of the cd. But, it's been well worth it for us!
-
I think BW is totally about keeping it simple. But one person's simple is maybe someone else's needlessly complex. ;). BW really works for us... And I think the ideas are something most people could get something out of. But it could be something little.
We all use different curriculum, we're all different learners and teachers. The OP sounded stressed out about using it, so it seemed like it's not simple for her, and the way she approaches things. Maybe it will be later, but why not use something that feels simple for her to use right now? Does it matter if it works for other people if it's not working for her right now?
What do you LOVE about your house?
in The Chat Board
Posted
My huge walk in pantry. My play/school room. The lay out of the upstairs, wide hallways, lots of windows and sun. That we have a study, since dh ended up working from home with his new job and we already had a room for his office. I like our neighborhood.