MinivanMom
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Posts posted by MinivanMom
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Sonlight & Rainbow Resource
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I started with L'art de Dire due to my daughter's age. It was a very gentle introduction to French. I liked that it gave her exposure to the sound of French before she went on to reading and writing French. It isn't necessary, though. You could definitely just start with L'art de Lire.
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I've been using L'art de Lire with my 1st grader this year and we've really enjoyed it. It's geared for upper elementary, so it doesn't move too quickly. It does teach French phonics, so I wouldn't use it with a 1st or 2nd grader that wasn't reading well already.
I haven't used Galore Park, but my understanding is that it's meant for middle school students. I don't know if it would be too much, too quickly for a younger student.
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I have to confess that I like it too. I do miss the book descriptions, but I think it's much more visually appealing. You can see everything that's in the core in one glance instead of leafing through pages and pages.
There must be some way to add book descriptions back into the new format. I'm imagining a reference at the back that just lists books by topic or reading level. I'd pay 5 bucks for a Sonlight catalog like that :001_smile:.
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If it's a boy we're talking about, then I'd like to revise my answer :001_smile:. A beefed up Core K would probably be better in that case. My only concern would be appropriate readers. If you have plenty of challenging reading material already (and the time and patience for two cores) then Core K would probably be better in the long run.
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Unless the 8-year-old is not reading on grade level, I would definitely combine them with 3+4. It should be easy to drop a book or two for the 8-year-old if you think it is too challenging or mature.
I can't imagine an 11-year-old doing Core K. Even for the 8-year-old, I don't think Core K would be enough. Why are these your only choices?
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I have a 2nd grader and a first grader and we generally finish in about 2 hours (not including independent reading). My oldest is a natural speller, so I'm not using a formal spelling program now that she's finished phonics. We are holding off on formal grammar until 4th or 5th grade.
Math: Singapore - 30-35 min
Spelling: Reading Reflex - 10 min (younger) or study in context as she writes (older)
Handwriting Practice: HWWT - 5 min (younger) or copywork - 5 min (older)
Grammar: We study in context as they write
Writing: Independent writing using the writing process - 30-35 min
Reading/Literature: Sonlight Read Alouds - 15-20 min
History: Sonlight (2x per week) - 20-25 min
Science: TWTM-style with living books (2x per week) - 20-25 min
We also spend 20-25 min on French each day (using Nallenart).
I think it's very reasonable to finish in 3 hrs no matter what curriculum you use. The only people I have known who spend an inordinate amount of time on homeschooling in the early grades have all used K12. :001_smile: They've complained about busywork.
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I wouldn't tell the random workers at church your fears about abuse. In my experience, it will just give them more ammunition for thinking you're irrational. I don't think you are, by the way. I've had enough family and church situations touched by abuse to understand.
:iagree:
I assume you are lds. Although everyone here is going to agree with you, the reality is that most people in your ward will think you are crazy. You will be the only person not leaving your child in nursery the second he's 18 months. You will be that mom. You know, the crazy, overprotective mom who doesn't understand that she desperately needs a break from her child. I know, because I'm that mom too. I rarely leave my children with sitters and I've never left them in an enrichment nursery. I went to nursery with my oldest dd until they finally released me from YW and called me to be the new Nursery Leader. I held that same daughter out of Sunbeams, because of an unsafe situation with the teacher. Just last month I had my younger dd moved to a different Nursery class, because they decided to call three men to teach her class :glare: .
Yes, you can do what you want with your child. Yes, you can stay with him in nursery (or take him with you to SS and RS). BUT, I think what you are really asking here is how do you maintain positive relationships with your bishop and ward members while doing something different than the norm.
First off, don't ever tell anyone about your sister or your fears of abuse. It will be gossiped about, it will be used as ammunition by those who disagree with your parenting style, and it will be whispered about when you don't enroll your son in kindergarten (as I assume you are a future homeschooler :001_smile: ).
Second, don't justify your choices to people. Would you discuss your family planning with these people? Would you discuss details of your finances with them? Take a deep breath and say, "I don't owe people explanations for my parenting decisions." Your attempts to explain your choices will only sound like criticism of their choices. When you explain why you want to protect your child, it sounds like you're accusing them of being neglectful. If people ask, just smile and say, "I like going to nursery with my son." Then ask about the weather or where they got that lovely sweater or how their pregnancy is going, etc.
I don't know that I have it worked out perfectly. I caused a minor scandal in a former ward when I held my oldest out of Sunbeams. I must be getting better at dealing with this issue diplomatically, though, because I think I handled my current Nursery situation very gracefully and without ruffling too many feathers (or maybe I've finally been pegged as that crazy homeschooler so people are willing to humor me). Just tell people what you are going to do with a smile and keep doing it. If they push, remind them that Nursery is an optional program. Eventually, they'll figure out what kind of a mother you are and stop asking so many questions.
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I have a 1st grader this year plus a kindergartner, a three-year-old, and a baby. I always lay the baby down for a nap around 9 am and he has been sleeping 1 1/2 - 2 hrs, so that is my magic time. The two oldest work on math and then language arts, while the three-year-old plays. Sometimes I get out play-dough or pattern blocks for her. Sometimes she just plays nearby with her dolls or other toys. Teaching her to play quietly while we're working, so that she doesn't disturb the big kids or wake the baby, has been my biggest challenge this year.
The kindergartner is usually done with his work in about 45 min and then he happily skips off to play with the 3-year-old. They play together while the 1st grader finishes French, science, and then Sonlight read-alouds and history. The baby usually wakes up at some point in the midst of Sonlight readings. I nurse him while I finish reading. The first grader is taking about 2 hours to finish everything and then she practices piano for 30-45 min. I pull all the little kids into one of the bedrooms for storytime while she is practicing. That was hard at first, because she wanted me right next to her at the piano. I do sit with her when she practices on Saturday, but I've encouraged her to practice independently during the week and that has actually been good for her.
I think it's always a work in progress when you're scheduling with little ones. I know that the baby is probably going to give up his morning naps by the summer, so I'll be adjusting again this fall. I'm hoping he and the three-year-old will be somewhat willing to play together while we're working. Helping my kids to play independently has been worth all the work (and sometimes it has felt like very hard work).
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Here you must be 5 by Sept. 1 to enroll in public school kindergarten. If your birthday is close to the cut-off then you can test in, but the required IQ scores are quite high. Most private schools have cut-off dates ranging from June 1 through Sept 1. I've heard that some will be flexible about the dates for girls with summer birthdays, but they want to keep those summer boys out.
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Sonlight (just the core w/history, readers, read-alouds)
Singapore Math
Reading Reflex
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I'm always nursing while we're doing Sonlight readings. I've got my schedule worked out so that we do seatwork during the baby's morning nap and are just starting to read around the time he wakes up hungry. It's very doable.
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I haven't used SL 1+2, but we are just finishing SL 1. I would guess the time requirements are about the same. We are doing the five-day schedule, but are only doing it four days a week (since I can't stand to skip any books). I double up the read alouds on Monday and double up the history for whichever two days are a little lighter. We wind up spending about 30-40 min daily for the read alouds and history. That includes my daughter narrating the history (orally, not written) as well as mapwork and any timeline entries. The schedule has actually felt pretty light, but my daughter has been learning a lot. Sonlight read alouds are her favorite part of the day.
I've enjoyed this year and we're planning on continuing in Core 2 next year. The one drawback to Cores 1 & 2 is that not all the read alouds are history related and the readers aren't correlated at all, like they are in higher level Cores. I do love having the schedule and the different readings organized for me and I like having the timeline and mapping activities all laid out. There are comprehension questions but I don't use them. I prefer to discuss the literature and to have my daughter narrate the history. Hope that helps.
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I got a Samantha doll when I was 9 (one of the very first ones when Pleasant Company first premiered) and I loved it. If anything I was a little old, because I only had a few years for playing and collecting before I moved on to tween things. I gave my oldest a Felicity doll just before her 7th birthday, because I wanted her to have plenty of years to enjoy her. You won't regret getting it for her now.
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Are there people who don't sort? If you're putting stuff in your cart as you follow the aisles, then it's already in order in the cart. I put all the cold stuff together, then cans, then boxes, then produce. Bread and eggs are last.
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My first labor was a 3 day marathon, but most of that was early labor. From 4 cm to deliver was only 27 hrs. That was naturally with no pain medication or intervention. For my other three it was: 9 hrs, 24 hrs, and 12 hrs.
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I'm going through this with my kids. I bought Core 1 w/2 Int readers for my oldest, who was six at the time and was already reading chapter books well. She read though all the readers in about a week and we've spent the rest of the year checking out lots of books from the library. It's not a total waste for us, because she has a brother just a year behind her who has made good use of them. She has enjoyed rereading the read-alouds to herself after I read them to her. Even though the books haven't been super-challenging for her in terms of reading level, they have been age-appropriate. I second the recommendation for reading Desconstructing Penguins. We've spent a lot of time this year discussing literary elements and then applying those things to her writing.
Even though Core 3 or 4 would be a better fit for reading level, I want to wait another year due to subject matter. I had been planning on buying Core 2 with 2 Adv readers for this fall and letting my soon to be six-year-old son read those books, while I supplemented from the library for the seven-year-old. I haven't had a chance to see the new Sonlight catalog yet, so this may all change since the chatter is that the readers have changed slightly.
I do love the Sonlight approach and I like having history and read-alouds coordinated. When it comes to fiction, though, I don't think there is an easy solution to a young child who is reading far above grade level. If you choose something that is at their interest level, it is often far below their reading level. If you choose something that challenging in terms of reading level, it's often not age appropriate. I've had much better luck with finding challenging nonfiction books. I'm still trying to find my way with fiction.
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For second grade we have:
Math: Singapore 2B/3A
Language Arts: Sonlight readers 2 adv, cursive copywork, journal, independant writing using the writing process
History: Sonlight Core 2
Science: studying anatomy and botony with living books, nature walks
French: L'Art de Lire 1
Art: Drawing with Children
Music: piano lessons
Extra: gymnastics, ballet
Almost everything will be a continuation of what we've been doing already this year.
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Our plans are:
Math: Singapore 1B/2A
Language Arts: Reading Reflex, Sonlight readers, journal
Science: studying anatomy and botony with living books, nature walks
History: Sonlight Core 2
French: L'Art de Dire
Art: Drawing with Children
What independent work can be done by first and second graders?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
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handwriting practice/copywork
journal writing
math worksheets/workbook
computer work (math games, typing, etc)
drawing
independent reading
piano practice
I switch back and forth. I teach a math lesson to the older and then she finishes her math work independently while I do math with the younger. I go over her writing assignment with her and then she writes on her own while I work with the younger on language arts. The younger gets a long break while the older does French, history, and science. Then she practices piano while the younger reads aloud to me.