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PIE!

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Posts posted by PIE!

  1. On 8/20/2022 at 12:17 AM, raisingrey said:

    I was set on RSO, but discovered ES and it really looks great, so now I can't decide. Could anyone that has tried both share their thoughts of which one they liked better and why? It would be for my very soon to be 8 year old (9/3). We've been using BFSU and as much as I love it, I need something that is broken down into a schedule, with activities and a script.
    Thank you. 

    I had the same dilemma at one point. I decided to do both. It was fun. 🙂

  2. 5 minutes ago, EKS said:

    I don't know how long it took, but I would assign a logical amount (like a chapter) of some high interest book related to our schoolwork.

    For free reading, I told them that they could stay up after bedtime reading.  I provided a pile of books that I thought they'd like and gradually increased the reading level of the pile.  They were enthusiastic about reading because they felt like they were getting away with something by staying up late.

    We did this too. We didn't tell them that their bedtime was earlier than it would be if we didn't do this. 😁 My older kids (even my 17-year-old) still all go to bed at 8pm and stay up an hour or 2 reading each night.

  3. 21 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

    Two physics/engineering real-life app games that are really cool:
    World of Goo
    Kerbal Space Program

    Some engineering hands-on:
    - PBS Zoom Engineering Challenges
    - 4-H Junk Drawer Robotics -- kit & curriculum unit
    - Kelvin Educational -- kits
    - Gonzo Gizmos: Projects & Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek -- book of project ideas
    - Backyard Ballistics -- book of engineering projectile devices

    - watch David Macauley's Building Big series + use free pdf of the activity guide - project challenges in bridges, domes, etc.
    - Makerspace STEM Challenge
     -- downloadable project challenge cards
    - Raspberry Pi -- electronic projects to engineer

    - Make, Do -- website of tons of fun things to make and do
    - Tinker Crate (ages 9-14) or Eureka Crate (ages 12+) -- Kiwi co. kits with all the parts for engineering a different project each month

    List of Engineering Skills:
    - IXL Science Standards: Engineering Skills -- list by grade level -- can use this to springboard into looking for support resources for these skills

    Thanks! So many great options! We'll have fun exploring these together. 🙂

    • Like 1
  4. 13 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

    You might like Exploration Education.  Snap Circuits, she might go through quickly, but I want to say 4H has supplemental style curriculum you should look at.

    Thanks! Exploration Education does look like a good possible option. Have you done many of its levels? I worry that the Standard (4th-6th grade) Level might be a little too slow for her, if it's made for 4th graders to use as well. But she doesn't have a strong background in physics, so she'd probably need to start there, right? Does the Advanced (7th-10th grade) Level require a lot of the background foundational knowledge of the Standard Level? Is it the sort of program where if she were capable she could go through the Standard Level quickly, then move along and do the Advanced Level in the same year? Or am I underestimating the Standard Level, and it'd be a great, rigorous program for an advanced 6th grader all on its own?

    I had no idea 4H made educational materials. Those look like fun! Thanks for pointing me to them. 🙂

  5. I've been posting lots of questions to get a last-minute 6th grade year set up. Thanks for all the responses so far.

    DD and I talked about what science she wants to learn this year. After she explained all sorts of things she's interested in, it basically all boils down to getting into some real (yet age-appropriate) engineering. My rough plan is to go through "The New Way Things Work" by David Macaulay with her and have her go off on all sorts of rabbit trails based on what we read about. Once we're through that, probably go through the Snap Circuits curriculum, and maybe some of the Lego technic things if she's interested. I did something similar with a younger child once and it worked well. We lived near a better library system at the time though, so I'll need to do a little planning ahead for books to help with the rabbit trails.

    But are there any good engineering-type science curriculums I should look into? It'd be nice to have open-and-go science-in-a-box if we could get something rigorous enough. Either a full curriculum or just supplemental materials would be welcome. I'd love for her to get to sink her teeth into something challenging, but still age-appropriate for a bright 6th grader. 

    Thanks.

    • Like 1
  6. On 6/14/2022 at 5:13 PM, wendyroo said:

    It certainly isn't the end all, be all, perfect class...but it has always been good enough that I keep coming back.

    Pros:
    The feedback is normally pretty good, and in our experience has always been very prompt (received the day after each assignment is due to give you plenty of time to make modifications to the next week's assignment. There are three types of feedback:

    An analytical grade that looks like this:
    Grade: 99% (29.6 out of 30 total points)
    • Following Directions: 6
    • Grammar Skills: 5.9
    • Spelling, Punctuation, & Capitalization: 5.7
    • Ideas & Content: 6
    • Understanding & Application: 6
    Overall Level of Skill & Understanding: Strong

    Some subjective comments that look like this:
    Areas Of Strength & Improvement: EXCELLENT job with your final summary!
    There were only two very minor grammatical errors that I was able to pick out, which you can review below.
    I also had one suggestion for rearranging the last two sentences of your conclusion, but other than that, you
    did a great job.

    And corrections and suggestions offered within your actual assignment that look like this:
    American Sign Language allows deaf people to become a true part of society. American Sign Language is similar to spoken English, but it is actually its own language. (This ending is great! The only suggestion I would have would be to switch the sentences around so that you conclude with “American Sign Language allows deaf people to become a true part of society.”)

    Cons:
    I will say that the feedback seems to be weaker if the student is doing really well. Recently Spencer received 100% on an assignment and the feedback: "Fantastic narrative, Spencer. I love that he learned a valuable lesson and saw the fruits of his hard work. Excellent job. I see no mistakes." I felt they could have offered a couple suggestions that stretched him a bit, but they have pretty fixed expectations for each class and don't have a lot to say if the child is already meeting them.

    Also, one time (out of many, many classes, we got assigned a teacher who was not qualified. She kept marking all sorts of sentences wrong as run-ons when they weren't. I took the issue to the owner of the company and she fixed it.

    I don't know how to help with placement. We have never done any of their grammar classes. We have done a ton of writing classes, from Sentence Stretchers up through The Research Paper. We have also done almost all of the literature classes they offer.  Their class descriptions and syllabi really do outline exactly what is covered in each class, so you can just look at the first class (Sentence Stretchers), see if you think your son has those skills, and if so move up to the next until you find the right level. When we started using Lantern, my oldest was a 5th grader who did not like to write. I actually started him in Sentence Stretchers just to ease him in and solidify basic sentence writing skills. Two years later, he has now aced both their Growing the Essay classes and is working on a Research Paper with them over the summer.

    Let me know if you have any other questions.

    Thank you so much for all this detail! I just signed dd up for an 8-week course and this helps me have a better idea of what to expect.

    • Like 1
  7. 2 hours ago, saraha said:

    I second Lantern English whole heartedly and my kids also enjoyed clear water press

    Thanks! I looked into all of these last night and Lantern English looks like a good fit so we signed up for an 8 week course. 🙂

    • Like 2
  8. I'm throwing together a last minute 6th grade year. Through previous years of homeschooling, I have realized that I am not a great writing teacher. I've acquired loads of materials, but matetials only work as far as the teacher can take them.

    What are some good online options for 6th grade writing? I'd love if she had a good mix of both creative and academic writing. It seems most curricula I've found have a heavy focus on only one or the other.

    She'll need good feedback from a real person. I'm terrible at correcting writing and giving useful comments for the next draft.

    Some fun is good, of course, to keep things engaging, but nothing super fluffy. DD is pretty smart and up for a real challenge. 

    I'm not looking for something that overly pushes grammar. Not because grammar isn't important, but because I can teach her that. She'll be getting plenty of grammar instruction already. We need help with crafting a good argument or a compelling story.

    I looked through other threads and I am a bit overwhelmed at the shear number of online resources now. It's a bit daunting. Can you help me narrow it down?

    Thanks

  9. It's been a few years since I homeschooled but I'll be keeping my 6th grader with me this year. Our usual first day of homeschooling tradition was breakfast at a restaurant, then planning activities and fun schoolish crafts like bookmark making and planner decorating. But I just looked at the calendar and realized I have 2 teens with orthodontist appointments on the morning of the first day of school. (It's always so hard to get the early appointments; I should have realized there was a reason they were avaliable.) So orthodontics for her brothers, then out to eat for brunch instead of breakfast? I'll have to let brothers know they'll be missing the first hour of their first day of school now. 🤦‍♀️

  10. Is there a 6th grade planning thread yet? I did a search and one didn't come up. If there is already one, please link me to it. If there isn't one, can we start one please?

    It has been a few years since I last homeschooled, but I've got a 6th grade year to work out now, so I came here to see what's new, and also what's old that I had forgotten about. 🙂

    This year I plan to use:

    Michael Clay Thompson English - probably Island and Town levels even though they're for younger grades. They have such a nice foundation that I want daughter to have. If she breezes through them we'll move on to Voyage.

    Singapore 6th grade math as a review (just to make sure she really knows it - she supposedly finished 6th grade math in 5th grade), then on to Jousting Armadillos and Crocodiles and Coconuts

    Spelling Power

    And that's all I'm positive about so far.

    For science maybe Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding? I've got the books, and they're great, but I'm open to other things.

    We'll probably do some stuff from Critical Thinking Press

    We'll read a lot of great books - she wants to start with Pride and Prejudice. I'd love suggestions of other books. Preferably not tween drama. She's very tired of those being assigned at school, and I don't blame her.

    For History - maybe Story of the World or The Human Odyssey? Those are what I have. Are there other great resources around?

    And beyond that, I'm stumped. I've never found a writing program I like, and I'm not a great writing teacher. I'd love to outsource this. 

    And we'll need some extracurriculars like art or foreign language.

    What are all of you doing with your 6th graders? I need the ideas. 🙂

    • Like 2
  11. If she is completing 6th grade wouldn't she have already taken the placement test for 7th, or be taking it before the end of the school year?  Do they take it over the summer? I'm confused.

     

    At this school they give it the first week of 7th grade, so what she learns over the summer will affect how she does on the test. I know, it's kind of different.

  12. My oldest is in public school this year, and will continue in ps next year. She is finishing 6th grade, and wants to learn pre-algebra over the summer so when she takes the 7th grade placement test she'll go right into algebra. Her math teacher suggested this as she is at the top of her class. We've gone through all the Singapore elementary books, and they are a great fit for her (which is one reason why I think she's so far ahead of most of her public school peers).

     

    If I was homeschooling her next year I'd use AoPS, but I think it would be too much for just a summer course. What is your favorite solid, but not too rigorous (so it can be finished in just a few months of hard work) pre-algebra program? Is there something very similar to Singapore?

     

    Thanks!

  13. Aren’t ears and brains fascinating? Sometimes our brain will detect a sound wave, but not quite have all the information, so it will fill in the blanks with what it already knows and we will hear something that isn’t there.

     

    For example, once I was sitting in my room and I distinctly heard squirrels in the attic. I had had squirrels in a previous house so I knew exactly what it sounded like. I could follow their movement across the ceiling. But we lived in an area without squirrels when I heard it this time. I figured it must be some other critter up there, maybe bats. We checked the attic and there was no sign. I heard it again another day and KNEW we must have some infestation. But a little later I noticed a cable cord chewed up by the puppy outside the room where I kept hearing squirrels. The next time I heard the noise I could tell it was really the sound of the puppy chewing up the cord, and the cord jiggling in the walls. After another time of hearing it, it sounded barley like critters, and I wondered how I had ever mistaken the sound.

     

    Our brains make mistakes with sound all the time. Here is a cool video that explains it a bit. (I love Vi Hart videos, so I couldn’t resist posting).

     

    So for the OP, and all you others with unexplainable experiences, I second the advice to investigate!

     

    You could find out (most likely) that it was caused by something completely different and your brain interpreted it the only way it knew how from the experience it had.

     

    You could find out that you need to call the police about intruders (less likely, but still possible, and something very necessary if this is the problem).

     

    Or if you manage to prove paranormal existence, I bet these folks would give you a million dollars, so it’s totally worth conquering your fears to find out. (It looks like the rules for the Million Dollar Challenge recently changed, but it's still worth a shot.)

     

    So there is every reason to figure out what the sound is. And no reason (except possible entertainment value if you like a mystery) to not find out.

    • Like 9
  14. I've heard of Yowie eggs, but I've never seen them. 

     

    I can easily get Kinder Eggs because I live on the Canadian border. We eat them before we cross back. I know other people who sneak them across.

     

    It's sort of the principle of the thing. In my mind there is really no good reason to ban them here, and any resources dedicated to the enforcement of this law are resources wasted.

     

    But mainly, I don't want to give my address to a website I'm not sure about, and would like to know if anyone here is familiar with it.

    • Like 3
  15. I just saw a post from a friend on Facebook asking to sign a petition from change.org.

     

    I can fully get behind the cause - to remove the ban on Kinder Surprise Eggs in the USA.

     

    But I don't know if change.org is legit. I hesitate to give my address to an unfamiliar website. A google search came up with mixed opinions. I thought I'd ask here.

     

     

     

  16.  

    What church? That can make a big difference. If they belong to one of the mainline Protestant churches that supports gay rights, that's one thing. If they're Southern Baptist or LDS, that's another.

     

    Kids get beaten and kicked out of their homes, or subjected to ineffective and emotionally abusive brainwashing schemes, or grounded into social isolation...by parents who are otherwise good parents but who because of their beliefs cannot or will not handle a GLBT kid in a supportive and compassionate way.

     

    It's less likely than it used to be, but still a very real risk. Having been one of those kids, that's what I think about first. How I would feel in the mom's shoes is secondary.

     

    Just putting this out there - the family's specific religion isn't necessarily an indicator of how they would react. For instance, I'm LDS, and if one of my children came out I would absolutely show them love and compassion and help them through their hurt and vulnerability, rather than causing more. Some religious parents would be abusive, but many would not. And some non-religious parents would be abusive while many would not. I understand the thinking behind using caution with members of specific churches, but I respectfully don't think it's an accurate litmus test.

     

    Ravin, I am truly sorry that you had such a terrible experience.

     

    And to the OP, I tend to be non-confrontational. I don't know if it's the right thing to do, but If I were in your shoes, I'd probably focus on teaching my kids how to deal with this kindly and respectfully, and figure that in a tight-knit group, this boy's mom will find out soon enough, if she doesn't know already. If we were talking and it came up, I wouldn't shy away from the subject, but I don't think I'd make a specific phone call for this. But that's just my personality. Do whatever you think you will not regret. Whatever choice won't keep you up at night is IMO the right choice for you.

    • Like 5
  17. It didn't seem too complicated, but maybe I was just not trying to look deeply. There were many references to the original books, including the death of Moriarty at the falls. John showed up because he's Sherlock's friend, so Sherlock doesn't have to do things alone, so he can beat someone like Moriarty who doesn't have a friend like that.

     

    Didn't he jump at the end just to wake up? I thought John asked him how he was going to wake up, and since you can't die in a dream, jumping off a waterfall seemed like a good way to wake up.

    • Like 2
  18. We did go. It was nice. 30 minutes early was not quite early enough. It looked like everything was full, but an usher led us to a front balcony that I couldn’t even see until we got there. We ended up sitting in front of some friends of ours who were very helpful with our two smallest kids who were a bit loud and squirmy. It was serendipitous. Some children put on a cute nativity and the priest gave a nice message, then continued with Mass. We couldn’t see the program very well from our seats, but the kids loved seeing their piano teacher play the piano and organ. Afterward we all agreed that the music was beautiful, and it was nice to spend Christmas Eve with others who love Jesus. We are considering making it an annual tradition.

     

    Thanks for all your help. It made navigating the experience much easier. My only regret was that we didn’t know they’d pass a donation basket around. We didn’t have any money with us and would have liked to contribute. But we’ll remember that if we go again.

     

    I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

    • Like 7
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