Jay3fer
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Posts posted by Jay3fer
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Two thoughts:
1) If you like unit studies, Beautiful Feet has a Teaching Character Through Literature Study Guide that is somewhat interesting (I bought it, and have most of the books, but haven't done it with the kids yet).
2) We Choose Virtues! I bought the basic faith-based flashcards and my kids love them; I just got the parenting cards last week so we can expand on what we're doing. I know it's NOT story-based, exactly, but it is centred around these cute characters, each with a name (like Cake Jake and Piggybank Frank) plus a little bit of backstory about why they're associated with that particular virtue. My kids adore the characters and make up their own little stories. I know this set was working when my 4-year-old son came to me and said HIS new name was "Patient Catient!" :-)))
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Just want to chime in as another urban CM-ish "nature-studyer." We're in midtown Toronto, and use parks and just about anything green in our neighbourhood as an opportunity to study "nature."
In fact, I have read recently that this is a harmful dichotomy we've constructed for ourselves - nature vs civilization, where nature is an area without people and civilization is an area without nature.
In fact, just like the expression "there is no away," there IS no natural area anywhere untouched by human influence, and no human anywhere who lives outside of nature (unless they've found a way to get by without oxygen, water, etc).
If your urban area isn't nice to look around at, find people who are fixing it - with gardens, murals, bee colonies, urban chickens, etc., and make that your "nature study." :-)))
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They aren't that much more individually, so I would say if you wanted to try them, it's better to buy individually.
They're $20 individually. :-o
Plus shipping to Canada, and the HSBC deal is $120, so even if we were only buying six of the twelve, we'd break even.
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It's on sale this week at HSBC, and I'm very seriously thinking about it, but at $144 ($24 extra bc we're in Canada), it's a lot of money. OTOH, it works out to only about $10 a month.
When I was dithering about Little Passports, I talked myself down by reminding myself that I could buy a heck of a lot of Geography resources for that amount of money. Ditto here... I could buy a LOT of science stuff for $120.
But... but... but... the kids are going through a major MSB thing right now, like they've had every single book and video out of the library in the last month. I don't know if it will last, but I think this would be a cute thing arriving for them in the mailbox.
Does anybody have experience with this? Is it worth it??? The MSB science kits have mixed reviews on Amazon, I think...
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The catch is that you don't get a "book" - you get pages which you can use ONE TIME and never again. And even if you print or download something while you have a subscription, you're not supposed to use them beyond the expiry of your subscription.
That said, we have it, and it's very handy just going to the EM site, finding the books we're using, and printing off the next few pages at a time. I never use the TFB site - once you're logged in, you can find almost everything as epages at the EM site.
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We've done this a few times - I think it's something we could revisit about twice a year. I fold the paper also. However, my dd doesn't like blobs, so the last time we did it, she drew more careful outlines and hers came out looking better than mine did!
Here's one we did last year. After we did that, she also drew this one on her own (it's in the top-right corner of the page).
This was not blobs, but I was impressed bc she drew the continents freehand on a papier mache globe. (I found out afterwards that you can paste on outlines to make your life easier...!)
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I'm using Get Ready, Get Set, Go for the Code with ds4. Of course, it's a bit silly because he's reading very well already, but he sometimes enjoys something workbooky. For him, it's more about learning to follow directions than learning the phonics.
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I was under the impression that the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese were similar to the differences between British English and American English.
I have heard it compared (probably by a native Spanish-speaker) to "hearing Spanish spoken with rocks in one's mouth." :lol:
Based on what I know, I think the differences between continents would be more like Canadian French vs France French. I grew up 6 hours from Montreal... so naturally, they taught us France French, right? Many schools here still do. :banghead:
Luckily, I got a French teacher in high school with a PhD in Linguistics who made us learn the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) first so we'd know the differences between the sounds, and then proceeded to teach us a lovely Quebecois French. (it's like regular French, spoken through your nose!)
Frankly, I believe that just about any language paves the way for others. My father knew a bit of Italian and French, and a lot of Spanish (he did an immersion program at a university in Havana). He still had a tough time with Portuguese, but eventually picked it up too.
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We did JUMP Math, grade 1 (book 1.1 covers the first half of Grade 1), which is a very simple, scaffolded approach that is probably quite good for many K'ers. It starts with very basic concepts and moves into simple addition and subtraction. It's really very basic.
You can also download and try the first 40 pages free here.
This is about as hands-on as I've seen in a notebook, and I'm actually doing it (slowly, with lots of verbal help) with my 4-year-old.
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Have you seen the Little Pim series? We haven't watched them, but I've heard good things... It's available for several different languages, from what I understand.
Ditto pp's that it's too early to start an actual program, but imo, it's never too early to introduce kids to a language.
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My favourite, and dd6's, was probably How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.
Ds's favourite was A Pair of Red Clogs - he adores the sound effects, and we read this often still.
Story about Ping and Madeline were old favourites already!
Great books that were a treat to meet for the first time:
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - but dd6 couldn't STAND it and would run from the room when I'd reach for it; that said dd16 adores the subtle interplay of the poem and the art
- The Glorious Flight (I loved this - it's so subtle and fun! - maybe it's my favourite after all...)
- Grandfather's Journey (just really well done)
- The Clown of God (though this one took some explaining to my Jewish kids...)
But I really disliked a couple of the books as well. :-(
- Papa Piccolo, which I found forced and agenda-driven
There were also a few kind of middling books that I didn't think were "all that":
- Very Last First Time (though this was the only "Canadian" book among them, so I felt disloyal not loving it)
- Another Celebrated Dancing Bear (kind of strange)
- Who Owns the Sun? (yes, an extraordinary theme, and written by a young girl, but... um... strange nevertheless)
- Lentil (maybe I would have liked it more if we were in the US?)
All in all, I enjoyed the opportunity to read many books that weren't just the same-old, same-old.
For anyone who wants to JUST do the books without the full program, as we did, I created a FREE reading list / chart with "stickable" covers and flags to walk you and your kids through it! It says "summer reading list" but you could there are several titles available to stick on the chart, or you could just write your own on. :-)
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Reviews seem very mixed, both on Sonlight's page (it's part of their US history curriculum) and on Amazon. I wonder if this is one of those love-it-or-hate-it kind of books... ?
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I stopped using RR several years ago as I noticed the books they carried on Islam were all about how to convert Muslims, or Islam in the light of Christianity, stories of people who converted away from Islam, etc. I am not interested in supporting what I felt was an "agenda" with my money.
That has been a while ago, I don't know whether it is still the case.
It is definitely still the case because they are an unabashedly Christian company with a decidedly evangelical bent. Almost everything they carry about Judaism is the same. So yes, if you buy from them, you are supporting a Christian family and business.
HOWEVER, I'm Jewish and there are a few reasons I shop there anyway. (shipping has not been a problem, though slow at certain seasons - I'm in Canada and I'm so grateful anyone will ship here at all)
1) They don't HIDE the Christian slant of the business - it's right up front in every case. They are not missionizing deceptively, and that's the worst, in my opinion.
2) They carry materials they don't personally agree with. In some cases, they mention in the description that a book (like our Usborne Internet linked history encyclopedia) contains descriptions of prehistory or whatever that is not strictly a YE perspective. I bought the book, skipped that section, and like the approach VERY much of warning those who might care but stocking the materials anyway.
3) Um, the prices are good and that's where my wishlist is? :lol:
4) Occasionally, I find a wishlist item on clearance (used/damaged) and then the price is fantastic.
5) No matter who you buy from, you are supporting their personal "agenda" to some extent - at least this way, as I said in point #1, you know what the agenda happens to be.
I personally like Rainbow very much and definitely think it's important for homeschoolers of all religions to continue supporting them. I wouldn't avoid giving my money to Christians unless I thought they were doing something sneaky with that money - there ARE Christian organizations that deceptively evangelize to Jews. I think this is just a family and their employees who are doing their best to live a life of faith. There are worse things, in my opinion.
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Someone mentioned Miquon but I went to purchase it on the swap board and found out I need cuisinare rods. I don't have these yet but I have more children who might need them so maybe worth the purchase?
It's not just the rods - you would definitely need the teaching books as well.
However: I have rods and bought Miquon and love it, though it's not our main math curriculum, but still... don't just buy it because "someone mentioned" you might like it. It is a majorly different way of teaching math than any of us used to learn, so there is a bit of a learning curve for the parent.
2nd question: How do I get DS to the next level? ... He is just about to master basic math facts up to 20. I know there is no rush but it is very hard for us to be in the middle of a curriculum starting the year out. I'm sure you understand!Sounds like you are overwhelmed with the new person heading your way and probably not feeling as energetic in the meantime. BUT. Your ds is 5? Because that is still very young. I know when you have a lot of little ones, the bigger ones start to seem older, and it's very responsible that you want to make sure he's progressing.
But you should know that kids plateau, some more than others, but they all do it. They reach a level and stay there for however-long God or nature intends and then suddenly, they're ready for the next stuff. You cannot, cannot rush this process along.
If you want to invest in your homeschooling, may I suggest Ruth Beechick's The Three R's? It's only $7-ish and will pay off fast since you have more little ones coming up. If you're anything like me, you will be FAR more relaxed once you've read it. :001_smile:
Meanwhile, your kids will be just fine. Stick with whatever you have the patience for and remember they are learning so much about biology watching your pregnancy that it automatically makes up for any deficiencies in their formal curriculum! :lol:
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You may have to drop some of the stuff you like to make time for the "extras," which are - as you sense - not really extras at all. Getting outside, for instance, is imperative. I know the feeling of trying to fit it in, though!
Perhaps you were writing off the top of your head, but it sounds like math and writing are your personal priorities. That leaves lots of subjects that could potentially be dropped.
Science and history could definitely shift to a living-books and nature-study approach that your youngers will love - supplement for older kids with written narrations.
As for length of lessons, by fifth grade, here's a list I've copied from this page, which is just one opinion:
These recommended lesson lengths are from the appendix of Catherine Levison's book; A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-To Manual.
Grades 1st-3rd: 10 to 20 minutes per lesson for a total of 15 hours per week.
Grades 4th-6th: 20-30 minutes per lesson for a total of 17-18 and a half hours per week.
Grades 7th-9th: 20 to 45 minutes per lesson for a total of 21 and a half hours per week.
Grades 10th--12th: 30-40 minutes per lesson for a total of 24 hours per week.
However, this is something I'm struggling with right now because I have a pokey 1st/2nd grader and I never want to end in the middle of a lesson, and can't always choose material that she loves, so I don't know what to do when lessons "stall." However, if they were all shorter, and varied in style so it wasn't just one workbook after another, perhaps she'd dawdle less (both your dd and mine!).
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My response is not going to be glowingly positive, but it is somewhat positive, which is more than I have seen so far on this thread. :-)
We have been using this for about a year, off and on, for modern Hebrew. I got it for my daughter (now 6, almost 7), myself and my husband to use as well, and like its ability to handle multiple learners at multiple challenge levels.
My daughter doesn't love it. She finds it dull and repetitious - fair enough; it IS dull and repetitious. But once she starts, she finds the lessons easy enough to go through and she actually does seem to be learning. She doesn't mind doing them once she begins - it's just not as bells-and-whistles-y as some of the kid-oriented programs.
It's kind of magical to watch her progress through a 10-minute session; she'll get one or two wrong at first, but with absolutely no correction except the very gentle noises of the program itself, and repeated prompting by native speakers, by the end of the lesson, she is up to just about 100%.
Note that like others on here, I wasn't able to get the microphone to work for her (voice too squeaky), so I disabled that feature altogether. However, while she may not be speaking along with the lessons, my ds4 stands behind her repeating the phrases, so HE is getting some good solid language learning, too. :-)
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how well she retains the vocabulary she learns using RS. It is a supplement to some other Hebrew studies, and it's kind of funny how she knows all the colours in her workbook but not in Rosetta Stone. However, I think this is because RS conjugates them (male, female, singular, plural), while her workbook is still introducing only the simple forms, so even when it's one she knows, it throws her off.
As for me, I know some Hebrew already, but find it helpful for expanding my vocabulary. It doesn't know exactly where the gaps are in my abilities, obviously, and I'm fairly advanced in some ways and pretty much a beginner in others. So some lessons are super-easy and others are more at my level.
I like the idea of challenging my dd and will definitely continue using the program. I will add, however, that we did not pay anywhere near full price, or even a fraction thereof. If we'd had to, I don't know if I would feel it had been worth our while. It is SOooo expensive :-o. I did try Mango but found it not appropriate for very young beginners.
Hope this is helpful to some!
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Any suggestions for taking a workbook away???
I know this sounds like a silly complaint, but I really am serious.
I bought the first JUMP Math book last week for my 4-year-old (used it last year with dd-then-6, but he's way ahead of her in a bunch of ways).
He has other workbooks, but he LOVES math and is now obsessed. He tears through each page and wants more, more, more. It is almost impossible to redirect him into another activity; when he is obsessed, nothing else will do. Today I got it away from him with the promise of snack, but I don't want a 180-lb 4-year-old! :lol:
This is a first-grade math book, and I want him to take his time, because I know the material will ramp up in difficulty and I don't want him to reach a tough stretch before he's ready.
Any tips??? :bigear:
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My 4yo spends a lot of time using Reading Eggs. When he starts whining about being bored I toss him outside. ;)
I have told my kids for years that the word "bored" is an automatic ticket to the great out-of-doors.
I think even kids who are brilliant, academically, have to learn to entertain themselves and not be constantly waiting for the next worksheet or whatever to keep them busy.
You can also keep a colouring box, scissors, etc., and lots of paper nearby and let him know you expect him to use them.
In my experience, it never works to suggest activities to a bored kid. Instead, I try to lay out the day like, "you have Explode the Code, Handwriting Without Tears and math. When you're finished, you can have free play, or you can colour." If you lay it out ahead of time, it might help him to know what's coming next.
You don't mention snacktime, but snacks are a great way to keep "bored" kids busy (around here, sometimes "bored" is the same as a hungry kid who doesn't quite realize it). If you don't let him use a knife yet to cut fruit, buy him an apple corer, peel & separate orange segments or have him prepare PB&J or cream-cheese "cracker-wiches" for the whole family.
I have a Montessori friend who'd be very proud of me for suggesting all that... :lol:
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Con..
I did find one little mistake in chemistry so far. we are only ch 4 so I am not sure how the rest goes..
What kind of mistake? :bigear:
I bought Earth Science in the annual January sale for next year. Disappointed because it's WAY too huge to print, but I sucked out the "readable" pages into a PDF and stuck them on my Kobo. I was worried about the small screen size, but the large & funky fonts look great, even though it doesn't usually handle PDFs well.
I am very much looking forward to using this next year. The material looks good - fun but thorough.
The biggest con, I'd say, is that it's a bazillion pages and either costs a fortune to print OR you need an ereader.
That said, try out the Life Science... it's free. Do one chapter to see if you like it and it works for your kid(s), and just go from there!
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I agree. Don't use the half unless you think he needs it.
@farrarwilliams - how would it work to use the 1/2 instead of the "whole" book? Is it abbreviated? Does it spell out the same rules? Does it have pretty much the same format as the "wholes"? Very curious because we love etc but have never heard of doing this. Under what circumstances would you recommend doing that? Sorry to ask so many questions... I'm fascinated. :-)
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Secular? Not secular?
I'll just lurk and let others answer most of the questions, but there is definitely copywork and quotations from the Bible. It's also listed as a Supplemental Book for Aesop and Homer.
However, I consider the Bible to be an important literary foundation for any well-educated Westerner. I'll leave it to others to say whether it goes beyond a merely literary approach.
(I bought Primer Spring and am eager for spring to come so we can start...)
Meanwhile... :lurk5:
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There is a logic-stage sub-forum where people might have more insights. To me, it seems like if you did ancients last year, you did it already, and probably best to move on... they can visit it again in another year or so. Keeping the 11 and 13 together sounds simple enough; just add more outlining, independent reading, etc for the 13yo, if he's capable of more. (age isn't everything; my ds4 is rapidly catching up to my dd6, so I'm thinking in a year or so they will be at pretty much the same level...)
In any event, I don't remember what SWB's specific recommendations are for coming into history at the Logic stage, but I'd suspect you can be pretty flexible. Remember - hers are only one set of (well-thought-out) recommendations. Ambleside, SimplyCharlotteMason, Higher Up Farther In (or whatever it's called!) all have different timetables for history. So look around and find something that makes sense to you. WTM is great, but not the Bible.
However... with such a broad age spread, I think (just my opinion) you're probably better off doing the little one separately, as wonderful as it is for everybody to be together for subjects. There will probably not be many resources they can all enjoy together, like read-alouds, videos, projects etc. I don't love the idea of starting formal history with a young kid before Grade 1 or SK (K5). There are too many concepts that are too difficult to get. That said, you can do general geography, such as maps, globes, etc., and just have fun with that for a year. You can also do a light "biographical" approach to history, introducing major US figures like George Washington, for instance, if you live in the US (I don't!).
BTW, your signature mentions a 4yo and a 2yo... but not a ds3... :-)
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True... but since I'm right with them when they're using either one, I'm not too worried. With Starfall as with Reading Eggs, we do a "lesson" first, then play. :-)
Still shaking my head here... here I was figuring they'd love RE way more, but they missed Starfall so much. :-(
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I bought this Cuisenaire Rod Alphabet book for my ds, but we honestly didn't use it much. I found the pictures a bit boring.
There is this wonderful FREE pre-Miquon resource book for C-Rods that might have something.
Otherwise, just print off some 1cm grid paper and make up your own the night before!
Hmm... I've just given myself an idea.
By the way, many moons ago, I actually created a template in MS Word and it's pretty easy. Just use 1cm squares (or 1cm x however-many cm rectangles) and enable "snap to" objects, and you can make your own worksheets with whatever images you want.
What Bible version do you use for memory verses?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
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The original Hebrew. Just to throw in a monkey wrench into the discussion. >:-)))
בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ...
But seriously, I just popped in to see what people choose, and why. Our rabbi has often said, "every translation is an interpretation." I think it would be endlessly frustrating to try to go through it without the original... like relying on hearsay instead of firsthand knowledge.