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Ruthie in MS

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Everything posted by Ruthie in MS

  1. This is what we're going for as well. I appreciate your advice and personal input. I want teens to be able to have fun and talk about books with other teens. We're in an age where our culture is pushing them away from reading, so any encouragement is welcome. I also don't want to make this look like more school work. There will be a project or two but I want them to be involved and excited about coming. As far as having it at Barnes and Noble, is there a meeting room or are they meeting within the store? I was just wondering about meeting and location dynamics and how that affects the group.
  2. My 2nd child going into 8th grade. That happened really quickly. English: Not sure yet Math: CLE Math 600-700 Science: Guest Hollow Botany (finish it anyway) and NaturExplorers by Our Journey Westward History: I don't have a clue Fine Arts: Art/drawing classes at a co-op violin lessons Archery Club (possibly)
  3. Forgive me if this topic has been presented before but I made a search and come up with NOTHING. I want to start a book club for tweens and teens in the fall but I need some help with planning. I have never attended a book club ever so I am at a bit of a disadvantage. I love books and have a desire to help teens connect through books. This started because we are part of a large homeschool group and while there are plenty of opportunities for teens to socialize my introverted daughter is having a hard time turning her acquaintance relationships to friend relationships. She has always loved reading before and this year I saw her personal reading take a nosedive (I blame the cell phone and myself) but she is excited at the thought of connecting with others over books and jump starting her reading life again. Now that you have that history in mind, I need help and guidance. I have the whole summer to prepare and I plan to use it wisely. I would love some information on starting a book club, fun activity ideas and book topics. Really, I need any help I can get. I have never really worked with a group of teens and I know this is a bit out of my comfort zone but I am willing to try, not just for my daughter but other tweens/teens who need this outlet. Also.... is it possible to combine such a large age group and still have a great time and connect with each other? I was thinking Grades 7-12 or 8-12 but is that too ambitious? I also have a rising 8th grader who is also interested in joining in. PLEASE help. I want to make this happen.
  4. For my dd14 next year: English 2: HSLDA Academy and possibly Continued IEW Intensive C through a local homeschool class Math: Finish CLE Algebra 1 and Geometry through a local homeschool class Social Studies: "World History 2" History Revealed: Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries and World Empires, World Missions and World Wars Science: Experience Astronomy- Advanced Fine Arts: Piano 2 (local lessons) Foreign Language: Japanese 1 through CLRC or WTMA (not sure yet) Elective 1: Career Exploration with 7 Sisters Homeschool Elective 2: Finish Computer Savvy with Compuscholar Physical Education: Ballroom Dancing and gym History Club BETA Club Homeschool Archery Club (not 100% about this) I didn't realize how busy her workload was until I typed this up!!
  5. I have some experience with the Guest Hollow Botany course. I am using it with a middle school age child (she's only doing the assignments within her ability) but this could definitely work for high school. I think it's rigorous enough. There are A LOT of books for it though but not all are completely necessary. Some books are used for only 1-3 weeks and some through out year. It's a balancing act to figure out which to buy and which to borrow but it's worth it to keep my cost down. GH Botany is also good for a more natural child or as an option for a non-math-heavy science
  6. You can absolutely start simple and inexpensive. There are so many ways to go about it. This suggestion is cheap and really great! You could also buy a book with all the spelling lists that you could ever need like Spelling Power or Natural Speller. What I like to do with my dd10 is use a spelling list from Natural Speller and write words on a 4x6 index card and paper clip it to her weekly activity page in a wide ruled notebook. I make up the activities on the weekend (takes me about 10 minutes) and she can complete them in about 10 minutes every day. Just to give you a sampling of what you can do: * Write each word (1 or 2 times) * Write a sentence with each word * Make a word search puzzle * ABC order * Write the definition * Match the word to the synonym/antonym * Have her type the words on a WORD document and paste it to the page * Separate the nouns from the verbs * Add prefixes and suffixes * Separate syllables I know this is more for an older child but this is just to open up the possibilities that you can do with this simple format. OR you can take that same list and apply it to Spelling City. Kids who like doing their work on the computer appreciate this option. You could choose from the free spelling programs from this list. Check out my spelling pintrest board of spelling activities. I am devoted to making homeschooling cheap and fun. My oldest dd uses Spelling Workout. It's a workbook, it's boring and dull but she loves it. It goes along with her workbooky, get-r-done attitude. Oh well, it works. You have to use what works with each child.
  7. Just found this tucked away on another forum thread. This 8th-12th grade Literature and Composition curricula was developed by another Hive member: Wordly Wise
  8. Totally agree! Anything with a lot of reproducible material needs to be digital. My printer is as slow as Christmas when it comes to making scanned copies. It's so agonizingly painful that if I already have the physical copy I would go ahead and buy the digital too for easy printing. So yes, sometimes it is better to have digital copies of curriculum. Thanks for the reminder. That gives me something else to think about.
  9. I have looked at this sale every year and always decide against buying anything but this year there are some interesting offerings. I'm actually contemplating purchasing the upper grades bundle #1 and #2 and possibly the elementary #4 bundle. Last year's sale really sucked so it's great to see that they finally have better options. However! I'm really torn because I find it hard to actually USE digital curriculum. It's not the same looking at it on my tablet or desktop when I can just quickly thumb through the pages in a physical book. ::sigh:: Plus if I decide that its not right for us I can't just sell a digital copy. What to do, what to do.
  10. Four pages! Whoo hoo! I've been on the lookout for freebies to add to this thread. Most of the resources are for middle school and high school The Amazing Handwriting Worksheet Generator- Create worksheets with three fonts: print, cursive and d'nealian. Not curriculum but a great resource for handwriting practice and copywork. Harmony Arts a Home- I found separate free resources. Great resource for a high school fine arts credit! Grade 9- Music Appreciation Grade 10- Music Appreciation Grade 11- Music Appreciation Grade 12- Music Appreciation Grade 12- Art Appreciation Agriculture in the classroom- California Ag in the Classroom and Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom because it's important for kids to know where their food comes from, right? Plus it counts as science. Science News for Students- great for those science geek kids. Hippo Campus- similar to Khan Academy but not as extensive. Actuarial Foundation- Math and personal financing for grades 4-12. The personal finance is definitely for high school and adults. Money Talks- University of California developed this for high school and college students. Discusses personal finance, business sense, entrepreneurship and more. ETA: Vocabulary Word Study for ACT and SAT prep. Very visual
  11. Are you specifically looking for phonics games or to enhance reading through games? Also....are you willing to put together games like file folder games? I'm just trying to get a better idea of what you're looking for.
  12. Free Homeschool High School. This site doesn't have textbooks like Classes Without Books but the links do correspond to some quality material put out by Khan Academy, school teachers, government agencies and more. Click the subject you'd like to view at the top menu. Not complicated at all. http://freehomeschoolhighschool.weebly.com/
  13. Classes Without Books Homeschool courses for middle school to high school in all subjects and even a few electives. Can't attest for the quality of all the courses but I like some of these for outlines. The link is a list of all their courses and textbooks. Some courses use the CK12 textbooks (a previously listed free curriculum) but others use their own written texts. http://classeswithoutbooks.com/homeschool-classes.htm
  14. ::sigh:: No, my library system doesn't have anything attached to Overdrive or Hoopla. Mississippi doesn't seem to care about their libraries like other states. This could be a reason why we're the bottom in academic achievement and quality. I have checked many times because I've heard many good things about both services. Thank you, ladies, for your suggestions. I will put in a request for the services with the main office though. You never know!
  15. Since I made the OP I decided to come back and update. I did choose to join Audible and have maintained membership for the past two months and have acquired six audiobooks. I really do love being able to listen to my books on my tablet or on my phone. My children love it especially. My middle Girl (my auditory learner) who started out her school life hating to read has chosen to listen to the audiobook and then go back and read the book herself. Just in the last two months I have seen/heard an amazing jump in her vocabulary. So far for me, it is worth the investment. I will keep my subscription as long as I find audiobooks that are worth using my credit. Hopefully by then I will have bought all the audiobooks on my wish list using my discount. Some favorite audiobooks by my children: Matilda by Roald Dahl (read by Kate Winslet) An Ordinary Princess The Little House series (read by Cherry Jones) Ella Enchanted (I personally find the narrator's voice annoying) Pride and Prejudice (read by Rosamund Pike) The Tale of Despereaux
  16. Per child? No idea really. I keep track of my yearly expenses. I also buy ahead when someone is selling a very good used copy of what I need on ebay. I'm a patient and frugal person so I don't buy the first copy I see. In other words, I buy throughout the year. Especially since we are year-round homeschoolers. So far this year: $500 for 3 kids 2015-2016 school year: $850 2014-2015 school year: $800 I would say that 50-60% of what I buy is non-consumable and can be shared, so in theory I shouldn't have to buy much at all for the youngest two. I am not including music lessons and other classes but if I did we would add an additional: Piano: $540 (one child, 9 months) Violin: $980 (one child, 11 months) Music books: $50-100 (two girls, one year) New violin: $450 ballet lessons: $350 for two girls, one semester ballet outfits: $140 for two girls My big girl is also about to begin viola lessons next month so that will add up next year. ETA: I forgot about my Schoolhouse Teachers subscription: $71.40
  17. I love Lucy Worsley!! She makes history so fascinating. The only WotR documentary that I know of from her is British History's Biggest Fibs: Episode 1: The War of the Roses. It's only about an hour long but I learned some surprising things about that Era that I haven't learned anywhere else. Definitely not a play-by-play battle documentary but certainly worth watching. It needs to be watched after they have some general knowledge of the WotR. May be over an 8 y/o's head but that's for you to decide.
  18. What kind of documentary are you looking for? Are you looking for a quick overview, a thorough 1-4 hour documentary, or maybe a supplemental cool facts about the war type of documentary? I love history and British history is my favorite so I find myself indulging in hours of British history documentaries. Though, I'm not going to lie, the War of the Roses is my least favorite bit of British history. Just about every documentary I've seen on the topic has just about put me to sleep with a couple notable exceptions.
  19. We've used CLE math from 100-600 and love it. I've looked at the LA program several times but can't bring myself to seriously consider it. It looks to rigorous for my taste. Both my older dd's are LAphobic. True story. Grammar: I'm not sure I want to start diagramming sentences; something that I've never learned how to do. I have a wee little one and don't have time for that. Writing: Way too much for my girls and my nerves Reading: We prefer real books but I will say that I'm intrigued by how thorough the lessons seem to be in the samples.
  20. We've used CLE math from 100-600 and love it. I've looked at the LA program several times but can't bring myself to seriously consider it. It looks to rigorous for my taste. Both my older dd's are LAphobic. True story. Grammar: I'm not sure I want to start diagramming sentences; something that I've never learned how to do. I have a wee little one and don't have time for that. Writing: Way too much for my girls and my nerves Reading: We prefer real books but I will say that I'm intrigued by how thorough the lessons seem to be in the samples.
  21. Mastery does not work here. What can be easily done today will be forgotten next week. Easy Grammar works wonders for myself but for my oldest dd it was too mastery-based and moved too quickly to the next lesson. She didn't have enough time to practice the new skill. The fix: I haven't figured that out yet. I haven't found a grammar curriculum that has enough built in review but isn't so rigorous (like A Beka, BJU and CLE). Science is also an issue here. It doesn't seem to get done most days and my middle dd would rather have her teeth pulled. ::sigh::
  22. I second Peggy Kaye's books. They're fantastic. They're not open and go since most of the games need to be made by mom but you will find some easy verbal games in there too (but not in the Games for Writing book). That's all for now but if I think of anything else I'll come back and post it.
  23. I second Peggy Kaye's books. They're fantastic. They're not open and go since most of the games need to be made by mom but you will find some easy verbal games in there too (but not in the Games for Writing book). That's all for now but if I think of anything else I'll come back and post it.
  24. I agree with other posters that 2nd grade shouldn't be heavy online learning. This is an age that still needs lots of interaction. Reading aloud to her should be a focus in her education. Jim Trelease's The Read Aloud Handbook will offer lots of advice and research to encourage you. Every library should have a copy of this book. If anything, online learning should be supplemental and fun. Here are some of my suggestions: Starfall- phonics and math practice Time 4 Learning- covers all subjects, I think Sheppard Software- math and geography practice ABCya- lots of good games for concept practice and critical thinking Arcademics- math and language arts practice with games Spelling City- spelling and vocabulary practice with fun games. Can also take spelling tests here. The only pay sites are Starfall (some of their site is free), Time 4 Learning and Spelling City (a lot on this site is free too) and the rest are free sites. If I'm correct some of the online curriculum mentioned like Switched-on Schoolhouse, Monarch and Teaching Textbooks don't begin until 3rd grade. Like another poster said, you won't be grading, if at all, at this age. Research shows that lots of screen time for this age is not good for them developmentally. Typically 2nd graders are still yearning for mom's attention. They're only little once so enjoy this time with your dc.
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