double post

I just started The Phonics Page lessons with her. She did okay on the first one although I did have to pause for her. I will do another one later. Thank you for the resource, Elizabeth B. Any thoughts on Math Mammoth? I do have RightStart A and did it with her when she was younger. I don't know if I want to repeat that with her. It is very time consuming.

Thank you all for the great suggestions. She has not been evaluated by a developmental optometrist. I will look into that as well as testing through her school. Her birth mom tested negative at the time of her birth for drug exposure but who knows what occurred during her pregnancy. She was very young and on the streets and had no prenatal care. I will use Dancing Bears with her and hold off on copywork. Should I just read a lot with her and have her read beginner readers while using Dancing Bears? What about math? I gave her the placement test for Math Mammoth 1st grade today (just the first part) and she bombed. A lot of her issue, I am noticing, is comprehension. For instance, one question was asking her to make fact families. The illustration showed a 9 and then (2) dots and (7) dots. She had no idea until I explained that she was to use the factors given. She has done fact families in school. It is as if she has no recall. She can read a word on one short line of text and will not recognize it on the next line of text. Is this indicative of something? Thank you all so much for your help.

Yes, she has. It is not a vision issue. Thank you for asking. I am really considering homeschooling her for third grade and need to figure out what exactly to use with her over the summer. I do have Dancing Bears and also AAS. Any thoughts on how that program would work for her? Should I think about writing (copywork) at all or solely concentrate on math/reading/spelling?

She has not be assessed for dyslexia. I will talk to my pediatrician about this. She is definitely not on the same level as her brother who is 18 days her junior (they are both adopted). It is very hard for her to answer questions in an age appropriate manner when it comes to reading. I am struggling to think of an example that might provide some insight. Suffice it to say that when she reads a comprehension worksheet at school and is asked to answer any questions in writing, she is unable to.

I can school full time over the summer. It is my plan. I used RS with both my littles when they were in K. We did not finish. I do have RS A but cannot remember how far that goes. She is working on triple digit addition and subtraction in school.

I have a young second grader who attends public school. She struggles all the way around. The school she attends uses Star Literacy assesments and her most recent score was 10th percentile for reading and 14th for math. She is pulled out for RTI time 90 minutes per day. I recently purchased Dancing Bears Reading and am looking for suggestions for other curricula to use with her to get her up to speed. I am also considering homeschooling her next year but would like some recommendations for now. Specifically, she struggles terribly with spelling. She has a hard time with reading and comprehension. She has a hard time putting thoughts to paper. Math is also a struggle. When asked to make change from a $10 bill for an $8 Girl Scout cookie purchase she had no idea. Thank you for your comments.

Unfortunately, it seems that sometimes Chinese students are sent to America for an exchange against their will. I have been told that often it is the parents that desire this for their child. They believe it will help them mature and become self sufficient. I have heard more than once about problems with students from China ranging from severe homesickness to outright refusal to do certain things and everything in between. I am sure this is not the case all the time. I would not, under any circumstances, host a student for a year that sought out to make a miserable situation for my entire family. I made this clear up front to my coordinators and would've terminated the placement if that were the case.

How about some air dry modeling clay? I bought my seven year olds a tub and my daughter has made a family of turtles and a snail and my son has a bunch of dinosaurs he is working on. I bought them some termpura paint to go along with it. They love it.

We hosted an exchange student from Germany last year. He came in the last week of July 2012 and actually extended his stay and left on the 5th of July this year. Simply put, it was one of the best experiences of our lives and we correspond with him and his family almost daily. My children, extended family and entire community loved him and were enriched by having him here. In our small town, we had about 12 students last year and there were ony minor issues with two. Overall, they were all lovely and a joy but mine broke the mold. Some advice for a family considering hosting would be the following. Be sure to lay out what you expect of the student financially from the very beginning. In my program, the host family is responsible for three meals a day and a bed. Anything else is supposed to be the responsibility of the student. We went above and beyond that and were okay to do so but for some it is just not feasible. It seems from our experience that most of the children are under the impression that snacks, toiletries and other tangibles are the responsibility of the host family and this can add up quickly. Also, with our program if the child buys lunch at school it is supposed to be at their expense. Most of the students in our town chose to bring their lunch. Set rules and expectations from the very beginning. Our child was more that happy to help and do whatever was asked of him. He didn't like being fussed over and preferred to make his own breakfast, do his own laundry, etc. He made smart choices and was very trustworthy and it made things very easy for us. Nip any issues in the bud immediately and rely on your coordinators if necessary. Again, we had no issues whatsoever but know our coordinators were always there for us if needed and we have developed a wonderful relationship with them that continues today. The kids that come to the States are definitely interested in the American experience. For us, this meant lots of sports activities and a change in our normal family schedule. Our student played football and soccer on the high school team. We found ourselves at the soccer and football fields a lot but again we knew this coming in and were fine with that. Also, our student was very popular and never had a problem catching a ride to practice or home from so it didn't always fall on us. We live in a small town where everyone knows each other so we always had someone that was willing to help out but that may not be the case for you. That is something to consider especially if you have other children that are involved in outside activities. I am not sure about the program you are considering but our child had to attend public school and follow the same guidelines that were in place for students from the States. He had to maintain at least a C average or faced being booted from the program. This was not an issue at all for our student as he was very bright and disciplined as it seems is the case with most. We had students last year in from Germany, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Montenegro and China. The children from the first four countries fared the best although this may have just been a fluke. The student from China, a girl, seemed as if her goal was to shop American style and this caused an issue with her host family. This, in our community however, was not the norm. I will have to say that the hardest part of the whole year for us as a family was saying goodbye. It was absolutely heartbreaking, My two seven year olds literally cried hysterically as we watched our student's plane take off. The weeks leading up to his departure were rough. It was hard saying goodbye to all the students equally. We all grew very close. Although it was a painful time, I would do it again in a heartbeat and will probably again in the future. We have decided to pass this year but are fortunate to live in a small community where we will have access and the opportunity to mingle with the students coming in this year, a few of who have already arrived. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me.

Ann Taylor. They are the only jeans that fit me well and they last forever.

Ann Taylor. They are the only jeans that fit me well and they last forever.

My friend's son is named Slate.

Ezekiel cereal with organic whole milk and fruit Steel cut oats w/almond milk, banana and raw pepitas, medjool dates Green smoothies with flax seed and coconut oil Organic eggs, Ezekiel toast with sunflower butter. Larabar with whole milk, fruit Organic whole milk yogurt with fruit, granola and a drizzle of raw honey

Gorgeous!

Thank you for replying. I am at my wit's end trying to figure out how to deal with this child or how to change myself accordingly. He is so contrary all the time. He has had the same chores for years and always has to be reminded to do them. I have taken away his currency, video games and his phone, more times than I can count. He has an attitude about everything. There are some times when he is sweet and pleasant but more often he is sullen and disconnected. He doesn't really have any friends and has had plenty of opportunity to make them (he attends public school). He has a passion for nothing except video games and youtube videos on his phone. He joined the track team at my urging and quit because he said he was being bullied. That was quickly resolved. I have to wonder if that was the only reason. When I try to talk to him, he gets aggravated. We don't have mental health coverage so I was hoping to find a book or two or even a program to try with him. I love him to pieces. This is such a difficult time.

My 15 year old son is defiant, disrespectful (to his parents only), and can be condescending. Everything is a battle with this child. He can be very sweet at times but it seems he is often angry and very short tempered. This has been going on for quite some time and although I take full responsibility as his parent, I am at a loss of how to correct it and get our family back on track. He has had a full medical evaluation and all is well physically. I am looking for book recommendations, please.

So very sorry. :grouphug:

We are also going OOT (19-26) and we put up our tree and decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving. If our tree wasn't up yet, at this date in time , I wouldn't bother.

Thank you so much. Now if can get myself motivated enough to even research your great suggestions I will be moving in the right direction. I did start drinking water today. That's something, right? :laugh:

Please help. I am hosting a 16yo boy from Germany and want to send gifts to his family. His sister is an avid reader. According to her mother she likes books that are "mystic" but not science fiction. I am not sure how to interpret this description. Any suggestions for me? Thank you!

Hi all: I am in desperate need of toning. I could lose 5 or so pounds but my biggest problem is that I am extremely flabby. I am just shy of 47, in good health and have been pretty sedentary for the last couple of years. Most of my problem is in my lower half. Any recommendations for me? Thank you.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I would love some stuffing recipes if anyone cares to share.

For the first time in my 47 years, I will be preparing Thanksgiving dinner for our family of six. I make a great spaghetti sauce but it is all downhill after that. I am looking for recipes that are easy enough for a lousy cook to manage. Nothing gourmet, please. :) Thank you all!!

Hi hive: I have a six year old angel that is obsessed with art, particularly painting and drawing. I am looking for recommendations for an easel that is kid friendly but is sturdy, preferably has some kind of storage and will grow with her. Any suggestions?