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kristinannie

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Everything posted by kristinannie

  1. Thanks! I do want to do the experiments and activities with him. I just don't want to plan and buy things. Thanks so much for all your recommendations!
  2. My rising third grader really loves science. We read a lot of science books and I have some activity books with experiments and science activities. I am about to have baby number 4 in June and I am on bedrest. I really want him to have hands-on experiments and activities to do because he loves them. At the same time, I really need something that is all done for me right now! I don't want to go to the store and buy supplies. I saw the Science Wiz kits and thought maybe they would work. Has anyone used them? Are there any other kits that you love?
  3. The key to Miquon is to know how to use the C-rods. The explanations in the Lab Annotations are pretty good, but it is best to play around with them. I have found that Miquon is less scary if you are a mathy person. However, I think that kids can pick it up even if you aren't a mathy person. I think kids can pick up on our anxiety pretty easily as well. Honestly, I LOVE Miquon (I do it in combination with RS). I rarely have to explain a page to my kids. They basically do it on their own. I just had to teach them how to use the rods. If you feel comfortable teaching them how to use the rods and then just giving them the worksheets, that would probably work. However, if a curriculum causes you stress and anxiety, I think you should just look elsewhere. There are many good programs and not every program is a good fit for every family. I wish you luck!
  4. I never had grammar in school. Last year, I bought AG and started working through it. I think it is a great program, but it just moved too fast for me. I need a little more hand holding. I would love to hear your suggestions. I want a program that teaches diagramming. Thanks!!!
  5. I think First Form Latin from Memoria Press is an excellent place to start! They even sell DVD's if you need the extra help.
  6. One of my friends just pulled her kids from PS. She is doing Seton homeschool. The only problem they are having is with grammar. They have not learned any grammar in PS so the 6th and 8th grade books are too hard. Is there an affordable resource they can use to help catch them up quickly to where they should be? Thanks!
  7. I was just browsing Audible and found some of the Great Courses on there! I was very excited and just wanted to share in case you all didn't know!
  8. We are going through basic American history using picture books. Since it is just an overview, I don't feel worried about any holes. I also don't feel bad sticking with a topic for awhile that my kids get really into (we spent almost all year last year learning about American Indians and Jamestown). I really like the D'Aulaires biographies, but there are mixed opinions on those so your mileage may vary. I supplement those with other picture books. We are finishing up George Washington and then I have several picture books about the Revolutionary War (mostly about Boston since we are going to go there to visit my sister soon). We have added in some ancient Greece this year as well. We are doing Ancient Greece, D'Aulaires Greek Myths, and Aesop's Fables. I do US history twice a week and Ancient Greece twice a week. We spend about 15-20 minutes reading and narrating the passages. Easy and fun for the kids.
  9. The Paddington Bear books have some great puns! They are English so sometimes I have to explain them to my kids, but they lead to some hilarious situations.
  10. I do that every year. We school all summer when it is hot and nasty out. I feel free to take a lot of time off in the fall and the spring when it is gorgeous! We are barely schooling at all during October! Isn't it awesome to homeschool?
  11. I love a lot of the books that are listed, but we also love the Thornton Burgess books (Bobby Coon, Buster Bear's Twins, Old Granny Fox, etc) and the Paddington Bear chapter books.
  12. Honestly, I am very concerned with educating myself at this point. My kids are still so young and I want to learn these things before I have to teach them. I didn't realize how poor my education was until I started looking at high school curricula! I have been doing Henle Latin, Analytical Grammar, and Kolbe's high school history and literature. I actually love it!
  13. I have been struggling with this as well!!! I am not a morning person. I agree with the others that it does get easier once it is a habit. I have found that the only way that I could do this consistently was to do it for God. I get up and do my prayer time and drink my coffee. I get some time with God and some time to myself and I am in a MUCH better mood during school than before when the kids came in and woke me up to instant chaos! Oh, and get your kids on the earlier schedule too! They adjust MUCH more easily and they will keep you honest!
  14. My husband loves the Thornton Burgess books, such as Reddy Fox, Bobby Coon, etc. Also, they aren't necessarily manly, but the Paddington Bear chapter books are hilarious! My Father's Dragon is also great.
  15. Have you started school yet? I scheduled way more time than necessary for some subjects so our days are actually shorter than I anticipated. Also, I tend to think that there is too much pressure to finish school quickly on these boards sometimes. Do what works for your family and don't feel guilty about it!
  16. My daughter has had a similar experience. She made the pre-team. After her first lesson, she was very upset and didn't want to go back. She also said the splits hurt. We had paid for a month (and that was a lot). I told her that she needed to stick it out for a month. We talked about how this class is more serious and is not going to be easy and fun. I told her that after the month was over we could go back to the old class if she wanted. By the end of the month, she loved the new class. She just needed a chance to get used to the different expectations. Now her split is so much better and she is just excited and not upset! I would advise to stick it out and encourage her for at least a few weeks. She might just need time to adjust.
  17. Fair warning: any post about common core is going to lead to a very heated discussion. A lot of people on here REALLY love CC. IMHO, CC is going to become a problem for all homeschoolers whether we use a virtual academy or not.
  18. My kids really enjoy making pot holders with a loom. They also love doing latch hooks. I also have a lot of craft supplies that they spend a lot of time with. Mostly, they play outside A LOT! We have a lot of stuff in our garage for them to play with too (sand table, sidwalk chalk, etc).
  19. I was horrified to learn that in the AP English for 12th graders at our local high school, they read John Grisham and the Spark Notes version of Macbeth. Seriously, the Spark Notes version!!!!!
  20. I think it really depends on how you define rigor. I think that many people define rigor as producing a lot of output and getting through a lot of curricula. That doesn't necessarily need to be the case. Reading aloud and narrating can be very rigorous if you define it as having to use your minds and to concentrate (as well as gaining new knowledge). I did a CM Immersion Group where we were the students. I can't even tell you how hard it was to pay close enough attention to narrate. So, here is how we do it. ymmv: Breakfast: Devotional reading Morning basket time: This is where you can combine everyone in a lot of different subjects. Yes, we usually do this sitting on a couch :lol: This is when we do history, classical studies, poetry, picture study, composer study, fairy tales, science, religion, Bible, etc. This lasts for about 45 minutes. For most subjects, we read books aloud and the kids narrate (tell it back to me). The kids can also take turns reading. We also do memorization and hymn study as a part of this (in between books to break it up). Seatwork: This is where the kids do their individual seatwork. This includes copywork, Latin, grammar, math, etc. Lunch: We read a fun read aloud or listen to an audio book. After lunch: This is when we do something different each day: Monday: Nature Study Tuesday: Handicrafts while listening to the composer of the term Wednesday: Science experiments Thursday: Geography (This is a fun map drill. If you are interested in learning more about this, let me know). This is possible because all of the kids are combined for a lot of the day. Obviously, your littles won't be expected to sit quietly while you read the books with your olders. My 3 year old likes to sit and play quietly in the room, but he is free to leave whenever. I also have my 7 year old read a story to my 3 year old every day during Morning Basket so that he feels involved. My 3 year old loves singing the hymn and knows a lot of the memorized poetry and Scripture!!! I am not sure if this school day is rigorous as most people would define it, but my kids learn and retain a lot and our days flow fairly smoothly!
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