Peela
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Posts posted by Peela
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Well, there is Minimus Secundus.
You dont need to wait till highschool to use Cambridge. It was written originally in Britain for ages 11 up, and I have seen 9years olds start with it, with help, going slowly. My 13yo is 2/3 of the way through book 3.
However, I can say, that if you really want to start with something else, Latin Prep is good and goes well with Cambridge.
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I dealt with this issue at that time by doing lots of reading aloud. At 8/9 my son was a reluctant reader, but loved being read to. At 9.5, he suddenly grabbed a book from my hands that I had been reading aloud, and asked me if he could read it himself, and he hasn't looked back since then. It was a distinctive turning point.
Goosebumps were the trash reading around here at that time, both he and his older sister had a collection. I actually kept reading aloud to them (still do) and just did a lot of scouring booklists for good books, gave good books as presents, and basically weaned them off Goosebumps and similar books. At one point after I knew they had basically been converted to good books but were still attached to their collections, I actually did break the tie and get rid of their books, and they complained briefly, but it wasn't such a big deal by then.
I worked really hard at getting the right books. The book which converted my son into a "reader" was Sea of Trolls- it's quite a thick book, and because he was hooked into the story, and managed to read it, it broke him into a whole new world.
I think you can encourage the reading of good books during school time, but try and focus on books you think they might love, and see if you can trick them into taking their schoolbooks to bed at nightime.
And keep reading aloud stories they will love. Pirates, dragons, whatever they are attracted to. Survival stories. Animal stories. I still think thats the best way to instil a love of reading in reading reluctant kids.
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I'm in my 5th year, 2nd time round with Ancients, with both ds12 and dd13. I really enjoy the 4 year history cycle but I am not sure when it will end....I find as the years go on it gets a bit more unpredictable whether either child will finish their highschool years under my tutelage, or do any number of other things. A friend's daughter decided to go to highschool this year. These things happen.
So to me it was important to cover Asian religions this year, so we have. And it is time to add in some more geography, so I do.
I don't plan too far ahead apart from making sure I cover what I really want to cover, while they are still close and under my wing and I can make them read things I want them to read.
I love keeping mine together for history. I dont see any reason to separate them just because they are getting older. We can watch the same movies, and have the same read alouds. It just seems more efficient.
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I must admit that although I am also a bit intimidated and concerned I might do wrong by my kids, I am on the other hand quite excited about these years. I have a 13yodaughter who is enthusiasm and delight incarnate. She just got elected as 1 of 50 Scouts to go and do a cultural exchange program with aborigines out in the desert over 2000 kms away. Her life bubbles and overflows with opportunities that she makes for herself and I facilitate, that have very little to do with Maths, Latin and History.
My next child though I think will take a long time to grow up and find his way in the world, so it will be a while before I "worry" about him since he is only 12. I have friends with kids the same age going to career days and such and I just don't feel the urge to do that yet.
I guess we all resonate most with certain stages of children's lives. Some people love babies the most, some love little kids- my favourite stage by far, as much as I love babies, -is middle school. I love watching my children turn into their own persons, and having great conversations with them...having them see me more as a person and developing a more mature relationship with me. Seeing them develop passions and personalities, develop their own values. Even fight back a bit and reason and argue. I get a buzz when my child articulates logically and clearly why I am wrong or why they shouldn't have to do something. Maybe I am wierd to enjoy the rebel in my kids, but I do :001_smile:
I havn't decided what to do with my kids in the last couple of years..our system here different from yours over there, since highschool starts here in grade 8. Its really only the last two years of highschool that count, so I have time up my sleeve. And you can bypass highschool altogether, in terms of a diploma or graduation, and get straight into university for many courses. And by then my daughter could be off backpacking around Europe with friends, knowing her. My son may never leave home, according to him, so maybe I will have to work at encouraging him to do some formal study.
Maybe I am denial, but I am enjoying these years thoroughly. But I dont have to think of transcripts and grades yet, by any means.
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Marla discussed this in detail several months ago on her radio show. She said to use her Zone lists only as an example. Everyones home is different so it would be best to come up with your own list of chores that needs to be done in each Zone. Once you have decluttered your Zones and have either her master list or your own master list - continue using the timer for 15 minutes. Start at the top of your Zone list and work down. Once your timer goes off stop and continue where you left off the next day. If you didn't finish everything in your Zone by the end of the week, don't worry because you will be back in the same Zone next month.
Yes, i have been with Flylady for over 5 years now, and it was a bit easier I think back then to get the essence of the system- there is a lot more information now.
My understanding from back then was that you first start the habit of 15 minutes a day decluttering, wherever your particular house needs it most. Once you have got that habit established, and some of the deeper decluttering has been cleared away, you go to the zone work and spend the 15 minutes there. Kelly's missions are just a prompt, to kick start you. Once you don't need the external prompts to do that, you begin instead to deep clean your home in the zones.
So, you don't start deep cleaning your home until you have decluttered it. And you don't need to stay doing Kelly's Missions.
The deep cleaning prompt is simply the 15 minutes a day Zone work, once there is nothing left to declutter. Which can happen, I am told :001_smile:
After 5 years I am still a terrible SHE. But my home is pick up ready most of the time.
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Truthfully, how can any solid writing instruction *not* require a lot of teaching and help from the parent? Unless it's outsourced? Aside from math, I find teaching writing my most time-intensive subject. It's just the nature of the beast.
Lisa
\I agree with this. I i have tried many writing programs over the last 5 years hoping for the one that makes my son writes well. My daughter writes well and easily with them all. The one that had my son writing best is CW, and I burned out on the teacher intensiveness of that.
In the end, I dont think finding the miracle right curriculum is the key. I think the key is surrendering to the subject areas that need he most one on one attention for each child, and giving it.
Of course, some programs will click more than others, but i think its a trap to hope you can give a writing program to a child and they will produce good writing.
I would use Jump In, since you have it. It is designed for reluctant writers of your son's age. I would try that before buying yet another one.
(and i am talking to myself here, too! How much easier it is to research and buy curriculum than it is to sit next to a resistant child day after day and implement them!)
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I am reading Thoreau's Walden at the moment (and really enjoying it- its getting me over being intimidated by the Classics booklists!) and I was reading yesterday his thoughts on all this- from 150 years ago. There was an Irish family near him who he sheltered with in a rainstorm, and they were living in poverty and by the sounds of it, squalor. But they felt they were lucky in coming to America because they could eat meat and a couple of other things I cant remember, dairy i think, every day, whereas in Ireland they couldnt afford to. Yet they still lived in poverty, and the father dug up roots or something for a living- very hard work, working for someone else- so that they could eat those foods. Thoreau's point from his own experiment was that he himself ate very simple food, bread and some vegetables, and caught fish from the river, no meat or dairy...and he had a wonderful lifestyle and was fit and healthy, with plenty of leisure time and immense satisfaction from providing himself with his simple diet.
The point being, we go out and earn money for all these conveniences, this lifestyle, because we value meat and all these different foods and conveniences- they are so much a part of our culture now- and of course a big house and lots of other things- but then we are tired and sick in spirit from what we have to do with our time to get it all. It's all such a mess now in our so called civilisation, anyone who choose to live much more simply stands out like a sore thumb and we question their sanity.
OK, off my soap box, this book is really touching some things in me around where we put our time and energy, and what we get back from that. Our values. Our need for ownership of things. And all this is actually connected to poor diets....in a roundabout way :001_smile:
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How do I deal with this trait?
I just keep on keeping on. I discern the battles I will win at all costs, and let go of some of the rest. I simplify. I try and combine subjects so he is not doing too many writing assignments. I let him work on the computer for writing. I literally have to sit and do his maths with him, and he is 12- I have to go over the lessons, get him started, then keep going over and helping him, otherwise he just gets half of them wrong and maths takes 3 hours and I end up having to explain it all anyway, so I may as well help at the beginning.
I learned he has learning difficulties, so I am realising he simply needs my help, and thats the advantage of homeschooling. He needs my help in maths. He needs my help in lots of things. He finds it hard to follow instructions himself, so i have him read them aloud and tell me what they mean, and then I usually have to help him some more as well.
I have another child who picks things up easily, and I was like that, so I am still adjusting to the fact that this child is different to me, this child actually doesn't understand until he sees it done three or 4 times, and then he will forget it next time anyway. This child gets frustrated because he doesn't understand things easily and he hates himself already for not being able to understand, so my frustration on top of that really doesn't help.
I thought it was behavioral. And there are some behavioral issues as well, because who wants to do something that is so hard? Thats why kids run amok in schools.
I think it's easy to expect too much, and put it all down to not trying. I was given quite a lecture recently by a dyslexic specialist about how hard some things are for some kids- it gave me an insight into the fact that we are not all built alike. Homeschooling is a blessing for many kids, it just takes a hell of a lot of patience from us mums sometimes.
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I just noticed a post of hers.
I can't say I ever agreed with her on anything but she is always so pleasant about it.:001_smile:
Lol, thanks, I think :001_smile:
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I have two blogs but I am bored by my own writing and use one just for pictures to show the relatives, and have virtually abandoned the other.
I am not frightened by the security aspect.
The other thing is, finding the time to blog.
I dont think its necessary to blog just for the sake of it. Some people just have something to say and like to say it publically...I appreciate reading others' blogs too.
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5-7am-ish- I get up and spend time alone.
7am kids get up, breakfast, do chores (lots of chores).
8am- music practice
8.30- maths (textsbooks and online program)
9.30- language Arts, Latin
10.30- Together time- French, Read alouds, history read aloud, Logic, different things on different days
11.30- kids usually go and do writing assignments
1pm- we are usualyl finished, and I have a nap, while they read for an hour or so. Sometimes older dd is still finishing work- she does extra science.
Fridays- both attend a highschool science class.
Mondays- we attend a French class, Drama and Sports, ds attends Recorder lesson
Tuesdays- dd13 attends sewing class
Wednesday- Dd does piano lesson, both attend gymnastics class
Thursday- Dd attends watercolour class
Your schedule will evolve over time. Mine changes frequently, although since last year we have been starting half an hour earlier and finishing by 1pm and that has worked really well for me (notice my kids are much older than yours- you can probably do everything you need to in a couple of hours at most).
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I think it is subjective. I guess books which uplift in some way, enrich, and use good language....are not twaddle...but it is going to vary form person to person. And non twaddle books are not all going to be classics, just as some classics may be considered twaddle by some individuals.
I was brought up on a steady diet of Enid Blighton, and although I would say I was enriched by that, I might now consider some of her books twaddle.
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Kids try when they feel interested, engaged, or in some way something is in it for them. Some kids like to please their parents or teachers. Others are not motivated by that. Some really like or want to learn something. But I dont think you can "make" a 7 year old love to do 4 hours of schoolwork, and that is totally natural.
There has to be a balance between your relationship with your son, having fun, and the responsiblity of doing some school work. I couldnt "make" my son do that much work at that age without breaking his spirit, at that time. He needed to heal...and he did.
I took my son out of school at age 7. He took ages to deschool and still doesnt actually enjoy his schoolwork, 5 years later, largely due to his time at school. I tried to do what you are doing and it was a big disaster and I knew homeschooling wouldn't last if I continued. We broke it up....a bit of maths....a game...some reading....10 minutes of this and then a break....with the promise that I would take him for a game of soccer in the local park once he had done some work. Some times the bribe was walking to the shops for a chocolate.
One might feel that a child should naturally be motivated, but i think you are better off dealing with the child as he is, and finding what works to motivate him in particular, than hoping he becomes a scholar and feeling disappointed in him, which he will feel and respond to.
I find many of us mums expect way too much, too soon, with our kids. If you actually hear SWB speak, she is very compassionate, particulary to boys, which he has 3 of. So even though TWTM is a wonderful ideal, pushing too hard can be very counter productive.
My son is now 12 and only does between 4 and 5 hours work now. He spends the rest of his time skateboarding, riding his bike- the things that float his boat.
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I prefer not to go to extremes, and now my kdis are older it is part of their peer culture to have seen certain movies and know what other people are talking about. Their dad has cable in his own room, and we coudl if we wanted, but we just don't have time for much tv. But good movies, and series, on DVD? Yup. At the moment, we are going through 6 dvds of Darling Buds of May. Its an education!
The thing is, classical education is all good and well, but if you know a lot about the ancients but are not familiar and steeped in your own culture, how can you communicate? Of what use is your classical education if you cant relate to the people in your own times? The media, tv, dvds, these are important parts of our present culture.
Having said that, we don't watch a lot, and you could get away with not much for a few more years yet...but once kids are out there mixing with other kids, they better know who is who or they can't have conversations.
So I see it as immersing in our culture rather than mindless escapism, but a bit of mindless escapism never hurt, either.
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I havent focused on it much...its one of the things I have let go of. With history, I would rather my kids enjoy it an get an overall feel for it.
However, I love to memorise poetry with them, and I jsut think its a nice thing to do. We have maybe 20 poems under our belt and we have only been doing it for a couple of years. We are not doing it intensely. I just like to do it. I read poems, we go over some old ones, then we work on a new one. They dont love it, but they often get a kick out of it.
So I guess I am like Jessica....I am relaxed about it.
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Wasn't Saxon designed originally as a kind of remedial program for kids who struggled with maths, and it was presumed they struggled because they couldn't remember stuff they had learned before? i can see why its designed that way. Isn't their motto something like "turns maths haters into maths high flyers ". I always thought it was funny they didnt say it turned them into maths lovers!
The other thing I have often thought about Saxon is, sheerly doing that much Maths each day is going to have to create a large section of the brain dedicated to Saxon maths. Its a LOT of maths.
We did Saxon for 6 months, my daughter who had previously liked maths, absolutely hated it, so I changed. She doenst love Maths but she self teaches- spends about 45 minutes a day on it in grade 9. Gets most of it right. Understands it. How much torture does math have to be ?
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lol....you mean Eliana, not Peela :001_smile:
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I have an afternoon nap, and when I wake up from that I often read for a while before anyone discovers I am awake. Then in the evening I read after the kids are in bed. At least an hour a day, sometimes 2. Also, when i take the kids to classes, I usually take a book (and/or knitting).
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BTW, we are using Latin Prep 1 and we do like it. I would just like to add in more reading and vocabulary. The reading really seems to cement the Latin. So I will especially be interested in those combining Latin Prep and Cambridge. Does it become overwhelming? Or is the Cambridge somewhat easy since the grammar is included in the Latin Prep
Thats what I do and it really depends what rate you go at. My son is not a quick learner and I have decided it will probably take all year to finish Cambridge and Latin Prep1, and we are only doing the last 2 chapters of Cambridge, and started the year at Chapter 4 of Latin Prep. We are not moving fast, but nor do we spend long on Latin each day. We can however orally translate a story in Cambridge in 10-15 minutes- but that will be all we do that day. If you have already started Latin Prep1, you will find most of the grammar in Cambridge book 1 is covered in the first few chapters of LP1.
The thing that will slow you up in the beginning is looking up all the words in Cambridge, but my kids both absorb vocabulary best through just useage and context, rather than drilling, and its never been a problem for us.
No, its not overwhelming for us, and one program provides a break from the other.
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What about Jokes?
There is a Google gadget on Shakespearean insults, i get a new one every day...theyre fun.
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Lol, not that I am aware of but I know a Pagan family who use R&S and the daughters change all the Gods to Goddess in their answers.
Actually, it's worth looking at Analytical Grammar- being secular is one of the reasons I bought it. Its not like R&S, but it covers grammar very thoroughly.
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There is a whole range from cheap plastic recorders to hand carved wooden ones worth thousands.
My 12yo son has been learning recorder for over 3 years with a brilliant woman, retired, who charges much less than normal, and who has trained some of the top recorder players in the world. He cannot play piano....it is just terribly difficult for him to coordinate two hands like that- and I didnt think recorder would be any better but this woman has him completely in the palm of her hand, and sees him as musically gifted. He is actually really, really good.
So our experience with recorder has been wonderful. Jared also received a gift of a beautiful wooden recorder from a lady who died.
If your dd gets into recorder she will probably want more than one sized recorder, and my son plays the treble mostly rather than the descant- its easier on the ears- but it is certainly one of those instruments where you can start relatively cheaply (although I wouldnt start at the absolute bottom of the range because the quality of the sound wont be as good).
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Not that I know of, I must admit. I have heard that is common in the U.S. It may simply be that corn is not such a big crop here. We just sugar our food with lots of sugar, since we are big sugar cane producers!
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There is an Australian Classical Homeschooling Yahoo group called CHOOZ...there are plenty of classical homeschoolers in Australia.
Sydney is my hometown but I live in Perth.
The rules are ok everywhere, but you do have to jump through some hoops. But its very doable.
How do you deal with...
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
I agree with consistency and soliciting husband's help. I think if it werent for my dh's help I would not have my kids doing all the chores they do, and they do quite a few.
I think its natural for kids not to want to do chores, so it helps if you accept that and not make it a personal thing that she is personally lazy. Both my kids would prefer to be doing other things, I think its normal. Even though they have been doing chores for years, if there weren't consequences, and we didn't stay on top of them, they wouldn't actually do them! The animals would all die if left up to them!
However, I think it is worth the effort. But I would chose chores that you can actually back up and be consistent with.
My son has been doing all the bins since he was about 8 or 9. Both do the dishes every night and have done for years...and pack and unpack the dishwasher. They feed all the animals, (chickens, rabbits, yabbies, cat and dog) and older child does her own washing- has done since she was 12.
Maybe have her help you do dishes each night. It helps to "teach" chores, and I think it motivates kids to do things together. Yesterday my kids and I went into our schoolroom, put the timer on for 10 minutes, and cleaned and tidied. Then we went into the computer room and did the same. In 20 minutes we got a lot done, and it was fun to do it together.