cherylw
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Posts posted by cherylw
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I have mixed feelings about this topic. I want to agree with it but at the same time I feel the pressure too. I've told everyone I pulled them out because ds8 was behind in reading and I thought I could catch him up. So I feel that if I don't then those will think I have failed. But at the same time if I push too hard (which I have done) it doesn't do anything but make me mad and him upset. So lately I've been more relaxed with ds8. I can slowly see the desire coming and hopefully some good effort will follow.
This also goes along with the fairly new Pre-K program in the public schools that I feel like it's a free babysitting service. I substituted in one last year and I felt so sorry for those kids. One of the aids got in trouble for letting one the kids (a 4 yr old) sit in her lap! What!! So these babies have to go all day without any affection/nuture. And they never went outside. I DID NOT want to go back after that.
Does this go against WTM? I believe they want to begin teaching reading at around 4, but if there're not ready then wait a while. I do believe some kids are really ready to learn academics at a young age. Although, I wouldn't know what that's like!:glare:
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What about bad spellers? Both my boys are bad...I'm not great either. Is there something that combines spelling and vocabulary. I've been lacking in both. We've been using Squential Spelling, but I'm not liking it.
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This is our first year to hs. I will say to you it's challenging but I have yet to wish we hadn't began our homeschooling "adventure". Even though the boys drive me crazy sometimes I do love having them around and I'm in control of what they are learning. I do not have a toddler and I would say that it would make things more difficult but many moms do it. I won't say there aren't days where I've questioned my decision, but as a whole I'm glad I did. An advantage you have is you have plenty of time to wade your way through the vase realm of hs curriculum that I was and still overwhelmed with. I didn't decide to hs until right before the school year began. I spent A LOT of time on the internet looking at all the options and I went to a used curr. sale which helped too. I've been on the forum for a few weeks and like you the reading all the stuff this ladies post about is overwhelming too, but I have learned alot and picked up references that I didn't know existed. At this point we plan to hs for 3-4 years and then move to a private Christian based school for late middle-and high school.
Good luck!
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Do any of these vintage books have teacher editions available as well? I like to have a guide.
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Oh I also meant to say that when I was reading chapter one in vol 1, ds10 seemed more concerned about the flying carpet and how it went back in time! UGH! He doesn't have a very vivid imagination:glare:
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Funny I saw this because I'm was going to post something too but little different. Being new to all this (homeschooling/classical), I loved the ideas when I read WTM and the much needed layout she presented. I checked out vol 1 from the library and liked it except that it called Mohammad a prophet (my personal opinion). I didn't get that far into it with the boys until I decided I need to go to the modern age which would be what ds10 would be doing if we had started from the beginning. Maybe the wrong thought process but I'm not a history buff by any stretch.
So today I went to get vol 4 and flipped through it and was disappointed in it. Nothing was mentioned about Indians. Maybe it's in vol. 3, I don't know. The library didn't have it. But it seems to go very rapidly giving only 5 pages or so to the Civil War.
I get it that it's the story of the "World" but I guess I was expecting a little more American History in it. Also, flipping through this book causes me to realize just how much I don't know:confused:. So when will they get a deep learning of American History? I don't have the book here to refer to.
Btw..what curr is MOH? I'm learning!!
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We are using RS and nothing else. I just appealed to me and I thought the boys would like it...since they are in 3rd and 4th coming from PS it has been a slow transition. It took me a long time to pick a math curr. so we got a late start as well.
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I will add on here too. I am the product of "separate" families..the middle of 5; brother 41, sister 40, 36 (me), brother 35, and sister 20. We all have very different personalities which I think is a huge factor in closeness. I was 16 when my sister was born and we were close, but I was like a sister and mama #2 to her. She was devastated when I left home..she was 6. The older 2 had been gone since she was 6months, so they are more like aunts and uncles. We grew apart as she got older and became heavily involved in sports. But basically she is an only child and raised like one. Mama said she would have had another one if she had been younger. Us older one get to say "We never got to do that!" Her curfew for prom night was 1:00 A.M.! Mine...11:00! Yes, I'm a little bitter about that one:glare:, but all in all were are a fairly close family but not as tight as some...meaning that we don't see each other all the time. Right now we have gotten closer because sister 41 is getting divorced. There are two sisters where I go to church and they have an extremely close relationship and I am a little jealous of that.
I agree with those too that say how you treat the family as a whole would help cultivate the relationship between siblings. I can tell a difference this year since bringing the boys home from PS, that they have gotten much closer. They rarely fight and get along great and always have. But I can see a time where they will definitely have their own separate friends because they are so different.
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Thank you all for your input, I enjoyed reading them. If we do decide I would want dh completely onboard. I do believe "children are a heritage from God" psalm 127:3. I think the boys would be great big bros! But we will see!:) I nursed, used cloth diapers a lot (which dh would not change btw!) made some of their baby food. There are many things to help but possible medical stuff is still a concern. I had c-sections with them. Ds #2 was almost 10lbs! Oh well, I ALMOST wish we would have an accident to take away the decision:D.
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Ok, I've been wanting a baby for a while now but I do wonder if we are getting too old to technically start all over again. With ds's 9 and 10, it would be like having another family. Plus I'm 36 and Dh is 38. The main reason we haven't had one yet is due to finances and unstableness of DH business (construction) and we are basically broke. The boys ask for a brother or sister all the time, but I do realize that have no idea what their asking. DS 9 would be a big help since he loves little ones but ds 10 would probably be pucking all the time from diapers and spit up....doesn't handle smells well. Also I might add that my family has a history of twins (maternal and paternal!); that with age that also increases that chance is a little scary.
I have always thought 2 isn't enough...but have I waited too late, too many risks, too unstable? On the other hand I know God will provide for us a way if we did. But it is extremely stressful having to worry about money all the time and adding a baby would only worsen the stress.
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We have 3 trees up so I voted for both...although the real tree is a cedar dh and boys cut off the farm...not a tree farm. I looked at getting one from a tree farm but we didn't need to spend any rxtra money. Cedars were very common in our area when I was young. But I will add that they really don't make good Christmas trees because the limbs are so flimsy and it's really hard to find one with a good shape..but they smell good, it was free, and it's reminscent of our childhoods. We have a fake one that we've had for 13 years or so in the front window and a small white one (with just lights) in the middle window upstairs.
I normally try to do a theme on the main tree but I sat back and let the boys take over this year...I figure I'll have enough years to do that when they are "too big" for decorating.
Here is a picture...if I did it right!
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it is like torture to hear him read aloud and he canNOT read in his head.
will spend 8-10 hours a day building with Legos. I'm sensing a trend. :001_smile:
I'm with you on the torture!:) I can only sit for short periods of time for him to read aloud so he will not get so stressed but ALSO for me to not go insane! He can't read silently either. I will also add that he doesn't get in a hurry about anything!...unless threatened or something. I mean getting ready, cleaning room, anything.. he is slow. I believe that this is a touch of laziness. He has such a carefree attitude that it really doesn't seem to bother him that he can't read. He just wants to have fun.
I do have some hope though because my husband says he was the same way with reading and things really didn't "click" with him until the end of third grade. Now as an adult he reads fine, although slower than I do but he retains more from what he reads...if he does read that is. He is a residential contractor and does beautiful carpentary work. (trend??)
So I also think that one of our problems as a family is that we are not a reading family. I would love to get the TV out of the living room, but DH doesn't feel the same way. :lol:
Also, we tried dictation for the first time this week...again going insane!
I had to give him every letter write. He can make up the sounds of the words alone but they are badly misspelled. That also goes for my ds10...horrible speller! Shoud I let them write it on their own and make them go back and make the corrections.
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I also meant to add that we are using RightStart and I love it so far!...It has taken us a while to get through the transition lessons since they've had math in PS. Glad to hear it works.:bigear:
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No, we did not finish the WISE guide. We haven't even done spelling for the last year.
New to homeschooling...what is the WISE guide? Something to do with WTM?
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I feel your dilemma. Although I don't have any advice for you since we've just started with all this, I'm in a similar situation.
I'm supposed to take care of the "business" side of my husband's construction business, (we're partners sort-a-speak) along with homeschooling (first year), taking care of the house and ALL that goes with that. I feel if I'm caught up on one the others have suffered. But most of the time I feel like everything is only partially done. Like today for instance I spent most of the morning cleaning because an appraiser was coming to appraise the house. Well, that left some time but then we left for Lego club (robotics program with our umbrella) at 2:00.
If I have anywhere to go on a certain day that I just can't recover and get our work done.
The boys are pushing me as well. Procrastating doing their work (although I'm a procrastonator too) and dragging it out way longer than it needs to be. DS 8 is the worst and he wants to go back to PS. DS 10 is fine with homeschooling but doesn't enjoy any learning. We may being doing work for 15 min. and ds 8 needs a break, or water, or go pee or whatever he can think of. I usually end up yelling at some point during the day.
Right now our plan is to homeschool for 3-4 years and then go to a private school if we can afford it.
Just last night DH and I had an arguement and I had a melt down! I just feel overwhelmed. What if they don't learn enough? Or I skip something they really need to know....But at the same time I still want to continue to homeschool but somedays I think maybe it's not be for me. Not to mention family members or people in general who won't directly tell you they disagree with homeschooling, but will let you know in an indirect way.
Well, sorry about my rant. Maybe somebody on here can give you some direction.
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I'm a lefty too and my older brother is as well. He has the hook and I do not. Not sure how that happened and I've never really thought much about it but I believe it's because I do tilt my paper. I get comments sometimes for my handwriting. My brother doesn't tilt his paper and has the usual messy looking lefty writing, but he was an excellent freehand drawer. Personally I hate to hear when someone forces a child to switch because you never know what underlying talent they may develop if they are left alone. I don't think it's as common as it has been in the past .
Taping the paper seems like a good idea.
I'm trying to work with my two boys' handwriting who are not lefties! They are both so sloppy..... it drives me nuts!:tongue_smilie:
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Thanks for all the input and advice..I will check into the references some of you provided. We did just recently switch to an Orton-Gillingham online program called Reading Horizons. We use a workbook that goes along with each lesson too. I'm liking it so far but still to soon to tell if it's helping or not. I chose to do 2 or 3 short lessons a day as opposed to having one long hour session that I think would cause both of us to go insane. I can so relate to the feeling of going insane when it takes so long for him to read a short passage. One thing this program does is track how long it takes him to read a short passage. Not that I'm focusing solely on speed but fluency. I'm having him re-read the same passage over several times until he becomes fluent in it, before we move on to the next. I hope this is good for him.
I just started reading TWTM and I wondering if I can even take this approach with him and my other ds. Don't know if I need to start a new thread for this question but I love the concept and the references she gives. It just seems practical (being that I'm new to homeschooling). I like the systematic layout that would help keep me on track... but I also feel that we are so far behind from what she has laid out in each level that we could never catch up. It also seems the it may be geered toward kids who love to learn...mine do not..it's just a chore to them.:confused:
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I don't think developing a new male friend is a good idea. I don't desire any other man's company except for my dh...and he would say the same for me. We are a family and we are usually together. I have male fb friends but I don't chat with them. We have couples from church that are both our friends and I would never want to just call one of the husbands to just talk. Occassionaly a txt for info, maybe but that's it.
My sister is going through a divorce right now because her husband got a little too close with a female co-worker that he claimed started out as friends...although there are other issues involved, I wouldn't want to put myself in that situation.
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This is our first year to homeschool, mainly due to my 9 yr old ds who is really behind in reading, which obviously affects other areas. We didn't feel like he would be able to do the work 3rd grade required. He is on an early 2nd grade level. I've switched to an intense phonics program a couple of weeks ago, hoping it will help. My main concern is his inability to remember words he has already read within the same text. I've decided to have him tested for dyslexia. Other homeschooling moms I've discussed this problem with say don't worry the reading will come, he's just delayed. But on the professional side (internet research and a specialist) say otherwise. I believe that if we had offered a different learning approach earlier that he would not be having this problem...or at least not as bad. His 2nd grade teacher was a first year teacher which I now realize was a bad mix. He really gets frustrated and I shamefully admit I get frustrated with him too. He loves to look at books..ones with pictures but has no desire to try to read them. He can design and build amazing things with legos, likes to draw boys stuff and does really well with that. Is this just a right brain/left brain thing? All other areas are normal..meaning no social problems. I'm looking for anyone who might have had some similiar experiences.
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My boys would love to have snail mail penpals! This is our first year to homeschool and my 9 year old is missing his friends from school. We live in TN and I was thinking boys from a different region would be great. They are just regular boys. Ds 10 like Tv and movies (although limited) and ds 9 loves legos. They do not have video games, do any social networking, and we have Christian beliefs. :)
If you went from HS to PS, did you become a better Mom?
in Parents' Forum Afterschooling Board
Posted · Edited by cherylw
didn't work right with the quote
Sometimes I think a break could be a good thing. This is our first year and I'm planning on sending them to a drop-off co-op one day a week for all of us to get a break from each other. I think it's important for the kids to have friends and develop relationships outside the family...as long as I can control it.