Lisa3033
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Posts posted by Lisa3033
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Oh my. I would like to think if mine ever used to auto correct it, that I would have remembered that!
Autocorrect is on. I have noticed that it doesn't always autocorrect for some reason. Like I end up with quite a few lower case i's that should be capitalized and doesnt often ends up without an apostrophe and a red squiggle instead.
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Huh, it doesn't autocorrect for me. Now I'm curious, what does it change to? Maybe I have typed it so many times it doesn't bother anymore?
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Question for those of you who are on the "don't make them" side. Would your answer be different if it was piano lessons instead of karate?
Just curious.
Nope, my answer would be the same.
Well, here are a few details I left out-It's a very low pressure karate class, no invading personal space. More like an exercise class with karate moves?
I don't know. I should probably not say that either since I've never even been to a real karate class. The teacher teaches at the local Y and is a homeschool mom so we asked her to teach a class for homeschoolers during the day and she agreed. We are good friends with all of the other kids and the class is very small and very gentle. My 8 year old would be the oldest.
Also, I'm trying to encourage my dd to avoid making choices based on what is "cool" or not cool. I can't determine whether she doesn't want to take this class because she truly doesn't like it or because her best friend isn't taking the class. (best friend's brother will be in the class).
She liked it when she took it before, then quit when she realized her friend wasn't interested in taking karate too.
She really needs more exercise and rather than have her sit in the church nursery with me while her brother takes the class, it would be better for her to participate.
She is a little shy and struggles with academics. I need a self esteem booster for her and a mood lifter. I really believe lots and lots of exercise and good sleep can do wonders for a person's mood.
I'm with the don't force them camp. If they are miserable, it really is unfair to everybody. To them, to the teacher and staff, and to the rest of the kids. Dd's take gymnastics and for a few months they had a boy in their class who had clearly outgrown it. I won't go so far as to say he hated gymnastics, but he was clearly bored. There were more than a few classes where it seemed the teachers focus was spent more on getting this little boy not to disrupt the class and less on teaching the other 5 kids in the class. I didn't mind much because it was only a few months before mom realized it just wasn't going to work and took him out. But I would have really started to resent her had she kept him in the class for whatever perceived benefit she thought he was gaining. He may have received some benefit from it, but it was at the expense of several other people and sorry, but that's just selfish.
Also, you mentioned you sit in the nursery while her sibling participates, but you expect/force your daughter to participate for the sake of exercising. What are you doing for your exercise? (a question to ask yourself, no need to post here). Be careful in that you are not expecting something of your children that you wouldn't and don't do yourself. Being hypocritical is nearly a surefire way to breed resentment. If you are getting exercise in elsewhere, perhaps you can find a similar solution for her as well. Taking brisk walks, hiking, biking, etc.
To add my own personal experience, my mom forced me to take piano. At first, it was an option (sort of, they had already bought a keyboard as a christmas present even though my sister and I had never expressed an interest so we knew they fully expected us to agree). I did it with the opinion of sure, I'll try it. My dad also thought he would take lessons again. It's probably the real reason he bought the stupid keyboard as I distinctly remember asking santa for something else:glare: I liked the lessons ok. I had great, friendly college student teachers and what i really liked was having them as my teacher. They were great, and I really liked them. Piano itself, not so much. Ad that was evident in my practice time at home. The details are hazy, but at some point i switched from taking lessons at the local college to a private older lady at her house. I think i may have quit and restarted? Anyways, I didn't care for her as much though she was probably better at teaching, at least for the serious student. At that point I really didn't like it. My (narcissistic) dad had quit long ago. But I wasn't allowed to quit. I don't recall ever being given a reason, certainly not a valid or rational reason. Taking up another instrument or voice lessons was not an option. Finally by 5th grade we could take music lessons through the school. I chose to take both violin through orchestra and flute through band hoping my mom would let me drop piano. That was the only reason I even decided to do both, otherwise I probably only would have decided on violin. And it worked, I didn't even have to ask, my mom suggested it. I quickly decided I didn't like band, but had to play for the entire year. Again, no real reason. I can see a few months, sure, but an entire year was ridiculous. I enjoyed violin up until about 8th or 9th grade and you guessed it, not allowed quit. I had to take it for the remainder of my high school career, even though the teacher was horrendous and my mom knew it. I learned absolutely nothing from that point on and that's not an exaggeration. Actually, I did learn something. I learned that i was never again going to try an activity unless I had a say in when enough was enough. I opted out if lots and lots if opportunities because of that, including educational. I'm sure my negative attitude affected the entire rest of the orchestra. The ones that truly enjoyed it and tried to get something out of it had to listen to me ***** and moan any chance I got. I graduated 9 years ago and haven't even touched it since (nor a piano).
While I don't think you'll scar her for life, I encourage you to really look and see if she will gain the skills/benefits you think she will. If you are forcing her to do karate and she truly hates it for a valid reason - are you really encouraging her to pick things based on coolness or not? Or would you be teaching her that her voice doesn't matter and that you don't trust or believe her. Its terribly frustrating and disheartening as a child to hear that you do like something when you so outwardly don't. If you want her to gain self confidence and a boost in her mood, can that actually be attained by forcing her into an activity she hates? If you want her to exercise, that's totally understandable. But don't force her to do an activity her brother picks simply because it would be the most convenient for you. Why does he get to pick the activity they both do with no consideration for her opinion? Will she at some point get to pick an activity - say ballet - and then he will be forced to participate as well? Some food for thought...
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I was going to say cut the cell phone too. As nice and convenient as cell phones are, they truly are convenience luxuries. The vast majority of us here can remember a time without them. Get a cheap house phone plan and a cell phone that is for emergencies only.
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To the public library, only once in a great while. Maybe like 3 or 4 times a year. I never did story time or anything like that. In elementary school we went regularly to the school's library with our class. In jr high, they had teen magazines in the library so friends of mine would go regularly to read magazines and chat. We also had a reading program where we had to read a certain number of points worth per month and then test on it, so I would check out books then. In high school, I went frequently, again to chat with friends and read magazines. I also was able to get aim on there and chat with my now husband, then bf, but i didn't do that often because im sure getting caught would have resulted in revoking my Internet privileges at school and who knows what else. I never once checked out a book, thanks to the forced reading in middle school.
I don't take my kids much. I used to but then we always racked up huge fines because I forgot to bring them back on time. So now we go to the thrift store and I buy them for around a quarter a piece. They always have a ton of children's books in good shape and its well organized for a thrift store. Not exactly library organized, but that's part of the thrill too, coming across books i wouldn't have bothered to seek out intentionally before. I am spending less and the kids are thrilled they get to keep the books. When our collection gets out of hand, we bring a stack back.
Personally, I rarely go. I don't enjoy reading as a leisurely activity, I do it pretty much solely as a means to gain knowledge about a particular topic, and even then I almost always use the Internet.
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They did use them occasionally, usually the Thermos Funtainers. Though we are Montessori homeschoolers, so we encouraged drinking from a glass early on, much to the dismay of my MIL.
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I have an iPad and use it for what you describe. I especially love the 3G and the apps. As long as you have another computer to use when needed, then go for the iPad. As even the apple people will tell you, its not a replacement for a computer, but boy is it fun.
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In our social circle, it's generally kids first, followed by parents then grandparents. Adults insist grandparents go next, grandparents insist adults go next, and grandma usually wins that argument. Grandparents are usually also the host so I think that's partly why they insist on going last. That and they view their adult children as well, their children, so when somebody yells "kids first!" Grandma insists her kids go before her.
At weddings, they usually dismiss by table. If they were to send children first (parents with), that would be nearly everybody.
We don't attend church, so I don't have any input there.
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I voted other. I believe its the best educational choice for most people. Some people should not be parents, let alone homeschool and I do think that the public school system can be a great resource for some kids who would otherwise have nothing but poverty, addiction, and dysfunction.
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Hi,
I'm getting ready to purchase some sandpaper letters and moveable alphabet letters as well. My only question is whether to get them in cursive or print :001_huh:. I found both at www.montessorioutlet.com, the sandpaper letters are pretty expensive but the moveable alphabet is reasonable http://www.montessorioutlet.com/cgi-bin/item/510400090/5104/Montessori-Outlet-Small-Movable-Alphabet-%28Print%2C-Mix-Blue-%26-Red%29
Let me know if you find any others you like, I still haven't ordered mine so I would be interested to see other options.
Marisa
I would get print. Traditionally, Montessori schools all started with cursive but in today's world, cursive is becoming a lost art where as print is everywhere.
The reason for starting with cursive first was that letter reversals and such happened far less frequently and it was easier to see letters blending to form words because cursive letters all connect to each other. We decided to use print and will likely not purchase cursive. As long as you can sign your name and read cursive, that's all you really need.
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I made my own Montessori bead material. It was well worth the time and money. Having said that, it was very, very time consuming. My enter family and friends will forever remember the summer of 2010 and all the beading I did. There are other similar methods out there, including base 10 and math-u-see that use a similar concept if you were wanting to purchase something without the expense of true Montessori materials.
I did purchase a hundred board. It was relatively expensive, but only because it was part of a larger order with free shipping. You'll soon learn if you haven't already, that a good chunk of the cost in Montessori materials is in the shipping as well. You can make your own out of various materials. Some use 1" tiles purchased at a home improvement store and a plywood frame.
Other math materials I have purchased were the hanging bead frames (probably not necessary for an 8 year old though) and wooden blocks to represent the golden one hundred square and one thousand cube. Even though I made my bead material, I only made on each of the 100 and 1000 cube as it was cheaper to purhcase the wooden representation.
I found the instructions to making the bead material at Montessori at Home
There is also a yahoo group devoted to making montessori materials, which I believe someone has already linked to here. YOu will find a lot of ideas through blogs. Just do a google search and then filter to blogs only. Some ideas are marvelous, others aren't worth my time for the negligible cost it would save me (of course ymmv).
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I would purchase both, if at all possible. That being said, depending on your dd's development, she may be nearly passed the sandpaper letter stage. The only exercise I'm familiar with using the sandpaper letters is forming letters. The moveable outfit is used to form words, consonant blends, and groupings based on same letter, ending sound, etc.
Have you looked into Lakeshore Learning? I purchased both their "tactile letters" and "classroom alphabet'. Sure. they're not as attractive as true Montessori materials, but they do the job just fine. The only real difference I have noticed is that in a true Montessori moveable alphabet, the letters are proportioned much better. The magnetic ones in the set I purchased from Lakeshore Learning are very close to the same size. We are just beginning working on writing on lined paper with my 5.5 year old and I can see now where a M. moveable alphabet would be better. She'd be able to note that certain letters "hang down" (g, j, y), while some are taller (f, h, k, etc).
If she is not having many problems forming her letters, then it's likely you could skip those and just purchase a moveable alphabet.
Classroom Magnetic Letters Kit
HTH!
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We are currently using the Montessori Method. It has taken A LOT of trial and error, but I feel like it is working for us. I have not purchased the program you listed, but I did do an online program (World Wide Montessori). I will say that I was not enthused with WWM. There were some great ideas and a lot of insight offered, but it wasn't really what I was looking for. It is by far cheaper than NAMC. I'm not exactly sure how expensive it is, I just know it's expensive. WWM is $150-$200 and while it doesn't provide materials, it does provide printables that can be used in place of many montessori materials. For example, she has print-outs of the bead material for those who are not able to purchase or make their own.
I learned the most on the Montessori Method from reading books. Head to your library and check out all the relevant books. I also learned a great deal from Margaret Homfray's videos (no link handy, but google will pull it easily). Margaret Homfray was a student of Maria Montessori and given that the Montessori name has been slapped on just about everything, I wanted to ensure I was remaining pure to Montessori. Afterall, I had decided to homeschool using the Montessori Method, not using so-and-so's take on the Montessori Method. Margaret is firm, kind, gentle, and I really learned a lot just from watching her demeanor on how to present lessons. You can also youtube some things as well.
I searched high and low looking for a Montessori curriculum. I did find a few, but most were general. And then a light bulb hit me. You really can't write a Montessori curriculum, it's directly opposite of the way the method is supposed to work. You can guide, you can give ideas, but at the end of the day the whole point of the method is to "follow the child" and of course every child is different.
I gained the most ideas from reading blogs. Find blogs of parents with kids your kids' ages that are active and follow them for awhile. Particularly those who post info on the theory behind the activity they are presenting.
Feel free to pm for more info too, as well.
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I've always been intrigued by homeschooling and homeschoolers. I hated public school, was picked on and bullied mercilessly. I never told my parents as I never really formed much of a close bond to them and I figured they would have told me to suck it up. Looking back, I was probably right. I struggled in school and the blame was always placed on me. Why didn't I study more, why didn't I ask for help from friends (what friends?), why not this, or that. Nothing was done to see what others could do to help me, to get to the root of the problem.
Even after all of that though, I still imagined I would send my kids to school. That I would do things differently so they didn't suffer the way I did. My oldest turned 2 and many friends were sending their kids to Parents' Morning Out. A couple hours once or twice a week. Dd1 was super attached to me at this age, and I had a 6 month old I would have had to lug back and forth. Nevertheless, I toured the facility and thought "glorified daycare". She wouldn't learn anything I wasn't already teaching her at home, it would be a PITA for me, and likely traumatizing for her, at least at first as she doesn't like to be left. And then she turned 3 and many friends were sending their kids to preschool. She has a late birthday, so it still would have been 3 more years before kindergarten. 3 years of preschool sounded ridiculous to me. She was still super attached to me as well. I spent a 16 months in sleep deprived hell when she was a baby because I refused to CIO, I wasn't about to start now even if "she would get used to it". She turned 4, and by this time, not only was she attached to me, I realized I was just as attached to her. I wanted to experience the things her preschool teachers would have had I sent her. I couldn't imagine leaving her 15-20 hours a week. This was also about the time I heard of a local Montessori public charter school. I had been reading about Montessori for the last year or so and was very interested in it. It fit their learning styles very well, and I loved that they would not just be passed along. They would have to master a skill before moving onto the next, and the competition seemed less than a typical classroom environment. I put them on the waiting list, but alas, she didn't make it in. I was super bummed. And by this time it was too late to get her in anywhere else. Truth be told, I didn't want her going anywhere else but a Montessori preschool but I couldn't afford the $400/month the private Montessori schools charged. So we decided to homeschool.
My husband wasn't keen on it, but we didn't have many other choices. We rearranged our basement, painted, added shelving, and started collecting Montessori materials. Dh would really like her to attend public K in the fall. The thought makes me want to cry for several reasons. She's already doing plenty of K work now, so what does she have to learn when she goes to kindergarten? I work part time in the evenings and weekends and I would literally never see her. She would get home at 3:30, and I'd have to leave at 5:30 to get to work. Granted I don't work every evening, but the busy season I would be working 5-6 days a week. We can go without my income, but it would be really tight and dh really doesn't want me to do that. Combined with that, dh does not work a traditional schedule. He works 5 days a week and the shifts vary from 6a-5p, 7a-6p, and 11a-8p. The days vary as well. This week he has tuesday and wednesday off, meaning he'll be working the weekends. This won't change any time soon, if ever. On top of all this, it's expected with dh's job that we'll move every 5-8 years. I just can't imagine all this working well.
We have loved homeschooling and have found a lot of hidden bonuses as well. Overall, I feel it allows us to have more quality family time, my daughters a better education, and us more control over their learning.
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She uses a little bit of everything. In the newer episodes, the older students do everything on the computer and she teaches the younger ones (mainly worksheets I've noticed). She has some sort of file system set up, kind of like a work box system and the younger kids get their file for the day or maybe by subject and they complete it and mom or maybe another older one will grade it. Some of the older ones teach, but it doesn't seem to be much because their busy doing their work on the computer. The oldest girls that have graduated seem to do quite a bit of the schooling.
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I had three wondeful teachers, 2 horrible ones and 1 so so one. Coincidentally (or not) the years I had great teachers were my best years. My 1st grade teacher was truly horrible and it was by far my worst year. I hated her. I actually ran into her again in high school while working at a grocery store. I knew who she was, but wasn't going to say anything. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. But then she said "Elizabeth ______' I remember you.". She then asked if i remembered her and I said not at first. She replied with a smart ass comment about how she remembered me even though I had changed a lot from firt to high school age and she still looked relatively the same. It took everything in me not to give her a piece of my mind.
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Mine are 16 months apart and they get along extremely well. Te main thngs I think contributed to it are
personality - sometimes you just really don't like a certain person or type of person through no fault of your own or theirs. I am very thankful that my two kids' personalities mesh so well
Age - they are so close and into the same things so naturally they have a built in playmate.
1-1 time And alone time - we do our best to make sure they have adequate time with us without their sibling and also enough time in solitude. There. Is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Every day they have quiet time for an hour and this is their time alone without sibling or any other interruptions.
Setting the tone/modeling behavior - not only in the moment, but in every thing you do. If you are kind, compassionate, patient, and understanding towards your spouse, your friends, relatives, even people you don't care for and most importantly your kids, they will in turn pick up on that and subconciously model that behavior.
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There are quite a few things she could do. There is a local place here (Wheeler Boarding) that is family owned. They started out just boarding horses but they have grown their business so much over the last few years. There really isn't much they don't do. They offer lessons to people of all ages, have day camps during the summer, host tours to local moms groups, daycares and preschoolers and do birthday parties. I have no idea how much their business brings in, but it seems that this is their livelihood and many of the things they have or do are things they would be doing anyways.
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We are homeschooling using the montessori method. There aren't many curriculums as out there. There are several yahoo groups, some free some that charge. I took the world wide Montessori course and it was ok. There is a group called playschool6 that is good, but it isn't a currriculum. The other curriculums I've found are New Child Montessori and Montessori Research and Development. I haven't personally tried either of them. The reason you you won't find many Montessori curriculums is because you are supposed to build your own curriculum (commonly called albums) based on your observations of following your child.
There are several blogs I follow to get ideas from
Sew Liberated, one of my favorites. Her ds is quite a bit younger than my children so I use mainly for ideas on The Prepared Environment.
Montessori goldmine, is a blog that is a collection of Montessori ideas from other blogs. It's a great starting place, and will lead you to a lot of other blogs.
Chasing Cheerios and counting coconuts are good introductory blogs as well. I don't follow them much anymore though be causes they both do a TON of practical life and when they're not doing practical life its sensorial and my girls are much more into math and language.
My Montessori Journey is another one of my favs. It's written by a montessori primary teacher. She makes a ton if her materials from things she finds at thrift stores and also does a lot of extensions.
My all time best find is the Margaret Homfray videos. She was a student of Maria Montessori and later studied under her.
Cultivated Lives
Homemade Montessori
Iffy Bitty Love
The Work Plan
A Montessori Musing Place
Mi Esquelita Montessori
Eclectic Living
Spell out loud
I hope this helps. I too was frustrated when I first dived into montessori but I soon realized that once I had a good grasp on the montessori method, the less I needed outside help. The Montessori method is just that, a method, a style, a way of parenting, living, teaching, almost a culture really. It isn't something you can just pick up a boxed curriculum for.
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If he's not feeling challenged enough, then I would say add more regardless of what you already are or are not doing.
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Erasing my previous post, I saw your updates.
I would head to the library and check out some basic cat care books. What you have described is not at all outside the normal realm of cat care. Do some soul searching and decide if you're really up to caring for this cat for the next 15-20 years. Which will include counter jumping and missing the litterbox no matter how well trained.
The cat is still young and highly adoptable, so if you decide now isn't the time for cat ownership, now's the time. They aren't so easily adoptable at 10, 5 or even 2 years of age.
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We have not shared the news officially yet. Dd1 is 5 and missed the cutoff for Kindergarten, dd2 is 3, nearing 4. We let them know that they were on the waitlist for a local Montessori charter school and that if they didn't get in, we'd be considering homeschooling for preschool.
FIL works as a janitor at an elementary school and is always bringing us things they were going throw out, so he supports us in that way. He would never a voice an opinion so who knows if he agrees with it. If pressed, he'd likely say your kids, your choice. A table, construction paper, books. Perfectly good stuff, I have no idea why they'd throw it out:confused:
MIL I'm sure does not agree, but surprisingly has not said much. She continues to call it daycare for whatever reason:confused: (and no, she's not an immigrant or anything, English is her first and only language) She'll ask the kids "did you do your daycare earlier today?" Which of course they say no, because they have no idea what daycare is or what she means by it. So only then will she'll call it school, "You didn't do school today?" It annoys me because, one, I know she's only asking to check up on me, and two her calling it daycare to me just seems as if she doesn't want to believe that her grandkids are homeschooled. "Daycare" is ok for her because they're still young and it's more like daycare instead of school but I'm going to guess when she finds out dd1 won't be attending Kindergarten.
My parents are very vocal in their displeasure in homeschooling, and have been from the time I can remember. They have more of "leave it to the professionals" mindset. I remember asking them to teach me, addition with remainders I think it was as a child and being told no because they didn't want to teach me in a different way than what the school would teach me. Say wha? :001_huh: That comment still befuddles me to this day, especially since I was always a child who struggled in school.
SIL/BIL I don't think care one way or the other. They're 'eclectic' themselves and buck quite a few social norms so I doubt they even give it a second though.
My sister rocks. She even gave me a compliment last time she was over and said something like "You always do so much educational things with the girls. Mom and Dad never did anything like that, I don't know why."
Which math curriculum do you use?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Other, the Montessori Method.