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Walking-Iris

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Everything posted by Walking-Iris

  1. :( I find it easy to use personally. But I understand your point.
  2. Walking-Iris

    n/m

    No pads. Honestly they are pointless. How old are the dogs? You said you got them 6 months ago? So are they about that age? If so that is way too old for a pad anyway. You just have to take them out where you want them to go. All.the.time. Even in the rain. Even late at night. Letting them pee on a pad in the house is only teaching them that it's okay to pee in the house sometimes. You're not teaching them that inside is never okay to do business. So that sets them up for confusion and even anxiety, because it is not in a dog's nature to make a mess where they sleep or eat. It's best to take young pups outside to a designated spot in your yard at regular intervals throughout the day. Routine is best. Just like a child, they eventually learn to hold it for longer periods of time. If you're consistent, then the dogs will be going out on your schedule. By the end of the first year into year two they are pretty much well trained. And when they have an accident, and they will because just like a child, they are children learning the right way, you have to be consistent in follow up. When our 2 year old Lab was small, and had accidents, I simply said No firmly, and picked him up (or leashed him to go out) right then and took him to the yard. It's a mistake to simply clean up the mess and not interact with the dog in any way. Also if you catch them about to go you can firmly say No and take them out. You have to learn to watch for signs, sniffing about, whining, turning in circles etc. You can even interrupt a pee with a firm enough NO and get them outside. Also some dogs, especially when young, pee when excited. If jumping on your bed was also mixed with a playful, excitement then that could explain the accident there. Young puppies can grow out of it. But consistent discipline is key. Every accident, or beginning of an accident, put on your firm voice, and take the pup outside.
  3. I'm mainly slightly concerned that I can keep to my "less is more" and immersive family project plan that I have spent a part of the summer figuring out. I tend to start spinning my wheels thinking about everything we "should" be doing. And then I just add things in, and start stressing the things we are not doing. And then I find that we are doing too much, and not enough at the same time. Going to try to keep my mood in check and trust the process more.
  4. I have a 5 year old this year too. She's happy to be called a "big Kindergarten girl." My plan: -The Wand, Jot It Down, OPGTR as an extra resource, HWOT -She started and got over half of SM K done this past Spring. Then set it aside. So finish that and possibly add Miquon or MM1. We play RS card games and Family Math games as well. -history and science will be an immersive, family pursuit this year. So she will tag along with nature study, science activities, history read alouds/projects etc as she can. -also art skills, art and music appreciation and Poetry Teatime will be a family pursuit, interest led activity.
  5. I agree with others and say no. If a homeschooler is lucky enough to live in an area with a thriving group, then by all means try to get involved. But I have found that having very little but homeschooling in common does not make someone a right fit for your life or family. I live in a rural area with very few homeschoolers, the majority of them very insular for religious reasons, or just personality, and just rarely get involved with the community beyond a narrow viewpoint. We tend to be much more interested in a wider variety of people and experiences. I have found that online groups are best for homeschooling info. Even those can take time to find the right fit and community. And for irl experiences just surround yourself with good, interesting people. All of the children my kids know here are public/private schooled, and it isn't an issue other than finding the time during the school year to get together. And don't rule out kids being friends with adults. Especially when they are older. My oldest son (and my younger two) are quite at home with our close, trusted friends.
  6. I'm probably repeating what others have said, but wanted to give my input as well. Some of the resources that we have tried that just bombed for us and I would remove if I had the chance: Plaid Phonics, and Spelling Workout. Just really caused my child to hate the thought of putting a pencil to a page. They are just busywork workbooks imho. And my son really could not retain any of the lessons. They were just a waste of time and money. Other spelling programs that are a better fit are things like Sequential Spelling or the All About materials (All About Reading and All About Spelling). Also Writing Strands. Even I started to hate writing when trying to use this with my oldest. I feel these resources are sort of outdated and out of touch with most homeschooler's desire to have a natural feel in their homeschools. Some resources that I think would be great additions: Bravewriter. Pandia Press science options (just more quality secular options all around, especially in history, science, Latin, and logic) The Human Odyssey (these are just great books and can be found without subscribing to K12) Galore Park materials (especially for languages) Math Mammoth Kilgallon materials BFSU science I also find that a lot of the resources in the high school section are obscure. I just can't wrap my mind around what they are. I'd like to see more current resources for high school. Also I would love some logic resources that were from secular publishers. Other than Building Thinking Skills, finding quality logic/critical thinking books has been difficult. My kids have been turned off by the workbook type busywork of CTP resources. Basically less workbooks, and more project-based resources. I would also love to see the preschool/Kindy section revamped without the unweildy activity books that are difficult to ever implement. Although I do like Mudpies to Magnets, it is a bit outdated. Bravewriter resources such as Jot It Down or The Wand are great for this age. Also things like Five in a Row etc. There are also quite a few Montessori inspired online ebooks that can easily be implemented into a home without subscribing whole heartedly to the philosophy or the montessori school materials. There are a lot of resources for the younger ages.
  7. Very excited for this upcoming school year. Less negativity. More positivity. Less toxicity and more good times. Moving on from things that had no value is going to feel great!

  8. Farrar!!!! I don't post here on WTM much any longer, so I'm only just now seeing this. So glad you joined up! I started out the year thinking I may not like the Alliance, but as the year has gone on, I really truly love it. It is not quite like any thing else. A lot of what members are getting out of it may be invisible to other members. There's a lot of reflection, reading, journaling, and activity I do as an Alliance member that is not posted or shared in the spaces available for that. I'm sure it is the same for others. I have a real burning passion for the homeschooling lifestyle again that Julie has helped ignite. I used to just think in terms of xyz curricula and lesson plans and activities to get through. I've changed so much this year---in my personal life, in my relationships with my family and friends, in my parenting, in my perspective about homeschooing, in my own inner spirituality and self awareness. I attribute a lot of that to Julie and the readings and discussions on the Alliance. It's not a space for random trivial conversation. There's no trolling. No one- up man-ships (did I just make up a word?), no competition or comparisons or arrogance among the members who post. It's not set up as a forum. It's set up as an online classroom of sorts.And there's a feeling of real support and encouragement among the members. There's none of this "here's what you should do, I know best" kind of idea. Members aren't really posting advice and prescriptives and pats on the back for themselves, they're being REAL. It's so refreshing. As far as price, you can cancel at any time of course. But I've found that you get your money's worth in direct proportion to how seriously you take it and learn how to apply it to your specific experiences. It's not a magic Bravewriter bullet.Or as simple as opening up a curriculum manual and following the plan etc. It can be real work for yourself if you dig deep and really get to the heart of what Julie is saying. And she is there to help. I can ask nearly anything and she will be there to support and encourage. I recommend it. It's personal and authentic and honest in ways an open forum really can't be.
  9. Bravewriter (projects and LA activities pulled from TWJ/PW/FO and Arrow/Boomerangs) Continue on with Lively Latin and French Probably going to give Teaching Textbooks a try. Science and history have been downplayed here as interest led. We have spent this year getting involved in any number of readings or activities as the inspiration came. It's working well. Continue art history and art skills. Music appreciation. Nature study. Using a variety of resources. Some planned out, some free for all interest led. Read aloud a lot of different books. Watch some documentaries. Go camping. Enjoy life! :)
  10. I'm trying to reduce my forum time actually,but I may participate a bit here. We've started school sl o o o w ly the last two weeks.This week of Sept 1st feels real!!! :willy_nilly: My oldest ds is doing well. I think there were only 2 days he didn't work in his math book. He's really starting to come along with fractions and division--his nemesis. We finished the 1st chapter in Human Odyssey. I'd like to have him outline/write from K12HO a bit, but I'm having a hard time working that in. Might go in search of some teacher lesson plans for this text...links would be helpful. He likes Lively Latin---so far. Need to really get into a more regular routine with that. My 7 year old is CRAZY!!!! Um...yeah. I'll do my best to homeschool him this year. :huh: He invented some things, learned a new magic trick,watched a Shark Week episode...um, yeah. I actually sat down and reworked my routine/schedule ideas for the year....again! Three kiddos needing me,three different stages...I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed already!!!!
  11. Going to be honest. This forum and all of it's posts are visible to the general public with a Google search. So I (personally) share less. The Alliance is a private class type situation. What I and others share there will only be known to the Alliance members. There will be less "fake" and less "snark." I'm nearly positive about it. Also it's set up as a class, with readings, timestamps, discussions, rewards, and so on. It's more private and personal that a general public web forum. But ...but...but... :)I love your Bravewriter posts! I understand what you're saying, but I signed up this morning. I think everyone needs a jump start at times. i don't think it will be just for those starting out, or those needing help. I have high hopes for it being more. Just do it!!! You'll have till October 31st to get the special start price!!!
  12. Dictation doesn't have to mean WWE4 dictation. I think dictation is extremely valuable. You may get a different perspective in how to teach dictation from a Bravewriter Arrow guide. The way Julie explains what she calls "French dictation" (from the way she observed it being taught in French schools) was my light bulb moment. The passgaes are way more challenging and longer than in WWE, but they are a part of abigger routine that really reinforces the learning. WWE felt sort of "lifeless" in it's overall presentation and routine.
  13. I think it would be really helpful. It's a good bit of money,but I plan on doing this from Sept to next Aug. And I can cancel if it's not worth it. I cancelled our Netflix DVD plans and the Kindle Freetime subscription to make room in the budget. That way we wouldn't miss any extra money since we had been paying for those already. I have been purging so much this summer and even though we're slowly getting back into our routine, I feel there's still areas I could streamline.
  14. We stopped halfway through last year and started Killgalon. My main issue with WWE in general is how tedious and somewhat boring the selections and the routine get to be. I much prefer using Bravewriter Arrow guides for dictation,mainly because we're working with the entire book, not just a random passage. I have WWE1 in my sig for my 2nd grader, but I'm seriously contemplating not even cracking it. My oldest finished WWE2, 3, and half of 4. He definitely got the most benefit out of 2, 3 felt like we were forcing ourselves through it. Now I praise WWE a lot for helping my ds's reading and listening comprehension, and his narration skills. And we also found some new favorites to read we hadn't heard of before. Honestly, if you've got other sources for dictation and writing in general that you prefer better, I doubt there would be harm in just reading the selections.
  15. Anyone from the forums signing up for the Homeschool Alliance this week? I'm anxiously awaiting the registration email!!! http://coachjuliebogart.com/ This website is still in the works and isn't "live" yet. If you're interested you may have to email Julie at the Bravewriter website for more info. I went back and forth about trying this, but then just decided to go for it. I learned so much at the Retreat and BW is quickly becoming my go-to for language arts. I think I could stand to learn a lot this year from this kind of interaction.
  16. This was my day with my 7 year old. He wiggles, drops pencils on purpose so he can crawl about to find them, scribbles, can turn a simple arithmetic problem into a joke, followed by fits of giggles, cannot sit still to save his life...... Seriously I'm just trying to get through a bare bones minimum of 10 minutes of math.... :banghead: I try not to compare, but my oldest was a diligent worker at that age, even my 4 year old likes to listen and work with me. Sigh!
  17. Nana Upstairs Nana Downstairs!!! And The Goodbye Hello Window is another great grandparents book.
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