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redquilthorse

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Everything posted by redquilthorse

  1. The Biologos website actually has a list of resources from all of the different views of the age of the earth, from Young Earth down to Scientism.
  2. THanks for the suggestions. I think I will suggest some of those to my kids. I also think I need to be more assertive about them finding something to occupy themselves. :tongue_smilie: I have given chores to kids who complain they are bored. That has cut down on the "I'm bored" comments. But during naptime, they get rowdy, or they want me to play with them, or they complain about not wanting to play in the backyard. I think I probably need to be more clear about my expectations and give it time. We went through a LONG period of time when too much screen time was allowed for various reasons. So they bore more easily than they probably should.
  3. We just started Noeo Chemistry (the intermediate level one) for my 9 and 7 year olds who love science. We really like it. The reading level is maybe upper elementary, but the experiments are not difficult or complicated (so far). The readings are not long, either. My 7 year old probably doesn't digest as much as my older son, but he is hanging on with the reading. He likes the experiments, mostly. We also used Bob Jones for science for the last 2 years. It's a decent science program. I picked the grade level that was in between my two school aged kids and they did it together. We switched this year because my son asked to do Chemistry, and BJU elementary books don't focus on one area of science at a time. They dabble in multiple areas of science each year. We did Apologia Botany with a co-op a few summers ago and found it too dry, so I understand.
  4. What do your kids do during free time after they are done with their schoolwork? My kids are 9, 7, 5, 3 and 1. I need fresh ideas for things to encourage them to do that don't necessarily involve me. :001_smile: We have lots of down time because they are young.
  5. Where was this thread a week ago?! We started Stuart Little last week and have been slogging through it. My boys keeps telling me that it is not like the movie at all. I keep expecting it to get better. And now I hear about the weird dating thing! That's what I get for not reading it first! We gave up on Robin Hood last year. My oldest is still too young. I think that is one pressure I've felt: to read books too soon. There are a number of books I remember reading in high school or even college that are suggested reading for much younger kids. That could explain why they aren't enjoyable. Wrong context.
  6. I've been looking at biblioplan, too. I'm torn. I wasn't crazy about SOTW OR MOH, which are their spines. And TOG is just so cool. :001_smile:
  7. Thank you! This is all really helpful. I do want some crafts, but probably not a ton. My kids would rather do science experiments. I also don't have time to supplement or research a lot, and I need something with teacher's notes because I never studied world history. Ever. (Sad, I know. One night class in college that I now do not remember.) I love the concept of TOG. I saw Marcia speak at a conference this summer and was totally ready to buy it RIGHT THEN. But then I backed off because I worried it would be just too much. I found Bravewriter and love it, and my kids love science. But if it can still be awesome if I use it just as a history course, then it might still be worth it to me, I think. Paring down would be easier for me than beefing up. I have it narrowed down to TOG and Biblioplan. But TOG keeps calling my name. :001_smile: Now I just have to decide whether to start back at Y1 or jump in at Y3. We have not done much history here to this point. We did some Early American, then switched to SOTW 1 for a very brief period and really only made it to chapter 12. Then we switched back to American last year but had a crazy year and did not spend much time on it. We sort of made it to Lewis and Clark. So I could keep going with American, but it wouldn't be repeating too much to go back to Ancients. Decisions, decisions.....:001_rolleyes:
  8. Can TOG be done and still have time for writing and literature that is not historical fiction? I really want my kids to have time to read literature that isn't tied into our history curriculum. And we are using Bravewriter, so I don't need writing. But I keep coming back to TOG for various reasons. Is TOG too much? Add to this a second question: does TOG work with science oriented kids? I have 5 kids, but my oldest is a science and math kid. So far, history has been a big bust for us (not with TOG). I think I almost want TOG light. Is that possible? I want the teacher notes, activities, living books. But I don't want my life to revolve around history. Is there something else like that? I'm not crazy about SOTW, either, which I know makes this decision tough. ETA: My 5 kids are 5th, 2nd, K, preschool and toddler.
  9. Deciding which to use for a 5th grader who loves science. Is one more hands-on than the other? Do the experiements in RS4K work? We did RS4K pre-level I chemistry and had problems with some of the experiments.
  10. I have used Rod and Staff grammar for grades 2 and 4. (We used BJU for 3rd.) I am thinking of changing if I can find something that will work for us. My dilemma is that Rod and Staff makes sense to me, so it is easy for me to teach it. I like that it is logical, systematic, and thorough. But I am not sure it is sinking in well enough for my son and works with his learning style. Is there an alternative that is still thorough but maybe not quite as intensive? I am not sure I can teach Easy Grammar because it seems too non-traditional in its approach (the whole finding prepositional phrases and crossing them out approach is foreign to me). And my son is not into songs, so Shurley would be lost on us. Is there something sort of like a Rod and Staff light? Maybe with more of a workbook approach?
  11. Are there any test prep materials geared specifically for the Terra Nova Third edition? I can't seem to find any. I cant figure out whether the current Scoring High books are for the new edition of the test or not. Has anyone else figured this out?
  12. We are at a point in our history study where we just started 1800. We are using a textbook that isn't working well for us. I am thinking of starting Tapestry of Grace Year 3 now, but I wonder whether it is too late in the year. I could just use Time Travelers Early 19th Century to get us through the year and re-evaluate for next fall. Is there even any comparison? My school aged kids are 1st and 4th. I have 3 more coming up behind them. Any advice is appreciated!
  13. I think it is called optomap. I have done it in the past because I was breastfeeding. It is much more comfortable, but apparently dilation is still better.
  14. I'm deciding what math curriculum to use next year for 4th grade, and I'm thinking of using Sinapore Math. I have used BJU and Abeka primarily, but the incremental approach is driving me crazy. For K, I used Singapore, then switched to BJU for 1-2. For 3rd, I had older copies of Singapore 2A and 2B on my shelf (with HIGs) so I started with those, but I felt completely overwhelmed. The mental math was particularly confusing to me. I definitely have weaknesses in my understanding of some basic math. I also felt like it wasn't clear what I was supposed to be doing and when. The books are too sparse, especially compared to BJU and Abeka. I need more hand-holding than the HIGs provided (if you can imagine that). Once we finished 2A and 2B, I bought Abeka based on recommendations from friends. But Abeka jumps around SO much from lesson to lesson. Nothing feels connected. My son is better than average at math, so he has progressed well no matter what books we use. But I need to be able to teach it, ultimately. And I want him to understand the concepts well enough to go as far as he wants in math. My question is this: should I try Singapore Standards edition? Is the material for the teachers easier to understand than the older Singapore HIGs? I have 4 more kids coming along behind my oldest, so I'd like to find something I like and stick with it for all of the kids. Although in some sense I trust that Abeka will give a good foundation in math skills, it is distracting to me and to my son that there doesn't seem to be much fluidity. I purchased Math Mammoth and like the approach better than Abeka, so I think the mastery approach appeals to me more than incremental. But I would feel more comfortable using something more standard like Singapore (or even Abeka or Saxon) as my primary text (and Math Mammoth as a supplement). I want to be certain that, should there ever come a day that my kids must go to public or private school, they'll know what they need to know.
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