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LAS in LA

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Posts posted by LAS in LA

    Need homeschool advice for an acquaintance adopting a 5 year old from Ethiopia

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Wow, I would probably not be trying to do school with this child. Helping him adjust to a very new culture and language would be my first goal. Lots of read-alouds (as pp said), lots of home experiences (cooking, cleaning, time in the yard), community experiences as he's ready for them (grocery shopping, library, church, parades). Maybe some formal work towards the end of the year, like writing letters and numbers, perhaps even reading (OPGTR maybe?). I am not on the unschooler end of the spectrum, but IMO she needs to adjust to his needs and be very flexible with her educational plans.

    Wow, shoe tying and 18 year olds. Who knew??

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    We're shoe tying failures here. I never could do that rabbit around the tree, through the hole, or however it goes. (See? :glare:) I have always made two loops and tied them together.

     

    And to be honest, I have no idea how my teen ties his shoes but they come untied all the time so it's probably wrong. Some of my little kids don't even know how to tie shoes, we live in TX, and they wear sandals or go barefoot most of the time. I've probably put them at an unfair disadvantage throughout their whole lives. Sorry kids. :001_huh:

     

    This is going to cost them a job someday.

     

     

     

     

     

    :D [That's what I think to myself about the fact that DS3's socks NEVER match.]

    Thanks for the great video!

    Limiting screen time. Logistics?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Best idea I ever read about was: Give the child a certain amount of money at the beginning of the week. They pay for screen time at the pre-determined rate (say, $1/hour or whatever). They can spend their money on screen time or save it for something else they want. This seems like a very real-world lesson to me -- a good preparation for budgeting.

    Baby Food

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I really like Ellyn Satter's book "Child of Mine" for feeding recommendations from birth to about age 5 or so. She suggests a fairly quick transition from puree-type foods to chunks. See the book for her developmental stage/type-of-food recommendations. Your library may have it.

     

    ETA: All cans and glass jar lids have BPA, as far as I know.

    S/O: What's wrong with being a '1950's wife'?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Oh, Boy. I was just going to keep my distance from this thread. This is going to sound horrible. One branch of my family was also Mennonite. I have a disturbing number of relatives who committed suicide. My great grandfather, my great grandmother, my great uncle, etc. This is actually the first time I've heard someone say that they encountered anti-depressant use in their community. Hmmmm.... Granted, this was probably about a hundred years ago. :confused: I wonder if there isn't a correlation between depression and their communities or maybe it's depression and that time period.

     

    Sorry I haven't read all the replies yet, but want to comment on this one briefly. Seems like there may also be a genetic factor here (American Mennonite gene pool), not just a result of their community lifestyle.

    Lands' End Down Coats?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I've noticed that clothing lines all over are cutting their clothes in ways to use less fabric. There's an epidemic of off-grain cuts (often marketed/presented as a design feature) and strapless or spaghetti strap everything (which saves a TON of fabric).

     

    Is this because the price of cotton went up this year? Did it actually go up? I seem to remember hearing in 2010 that the price would be going up.

    Considering relocating to another region: need feedback! (Sorry, long post)

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Hi! Your situation sounds very exciting! We have lived on the East Coast, in the Mid-West, and now in the Deep South (all within the last 6 years; no, not military). Here's what comes to mind when I read your story:

     

    - You will be moving away from your family. This is a big deal to me (most all our family is on the E.Coast). Yes, they're a plane ride away, but plane rides are expensive and we miss out on the everyday/weekend interactions. We wonder about our parents as they get older and may have health problems -- will we be happy with our situation then?

     

    - Your friends may or may not stay in MN. Depending on them to the exclusion of forming other friendships in MN would not be the best idea, IMHO.

     

    - Moving to a new region of the country can be a big shock. Not always at first. There's still Wal-Mart and everyone speaks English. (Sort of. :D) But the overall mentality of people can be very different. The little things can get very irritating after a while. [Why in the world can't people here return their shopping carts instead of leaving them all over the parking lot???!!! What is wrong with these people???!!!] Depending on the area, "natives" may never treat you as "one of us" even if they are quite friendly. Coming from college and graduate school settings (where nobody is a "native"), DH and I really underestimated this. We haven't been in either place very long, but have met families who have lived in these areas for 20 yrs. who are still treated as outsiders. In a larger area, this may be less of a problem. Bottom line: Are you willing to adapt to a new place and probably a new mind-set?

     

    All that said, living in a new region can be a great experience for children and parents. The new places to explore, new foods to try, and new traditions to experience do override some of the negatives. For one thing, I'm more and more amazed that such different groups of people can stick together as one country, (and that Christians in such different places are worshipping the same God and affirming the same doctrines).

     

    I hope this didn't all sound too negative. I'm sure others will chime in with great advice. Very best wishes as you think about the move!

    Teaching drawing to young children

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We just started using a neat book today called "The ABCs of Artistic Composition" by Suzanne Kahle. It's not a how-to-draw book, but teaches you how to organize your drawing on the paper to make it pleasing to the eye. The first lesson was on "one spot" composition (when the piece has one main object and where this object could be placed on the paper). She teaches a dozen types in all. This is a self-published book by the mother of a lady in our co-op, so I have no idea whether you can order it on-line. I'd be happy to pass along her contact info if anyone is interested.

    Please give me your advice on this situation

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Could your friend contact the neighbor and find out whether she'd mind if you cleaned up or if she is allergic to cleaning chemicals? I bit awkward, perhaps.

     

    If your friend knows this neighbor well, then she (friend) might have hunch about whether the neighbor would mind you all cleaning up. People hire others to clean their houses (including "private" spaces) all the time. Most people I know would love to come home to a clean house.

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