imagine.more
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Posts posted by imagine.more
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My DS' speediness with worksheets (which we don't regularly) seems to be a result of the longer periods of time we spend on games.
I do understand the argument to challenge math students who are getting through their work with no struggle, but for now I'm pretty happy for DS to wrestle with challenging problems that come up elsewhere - strategy games, etc.
I think it really depends what you want the math curriculum to be doing for the child. Meeting an intellectual need to engage with more abstract ideas? Establishing a solid foundation in the early years? Developing frustration tolerance and perseverance? I expect that you had certain goals in mind when you selected the curriculum you're using. Perhaps those goals can guide you regarding the suitability of this program at this level, for your DS right now.
Good point to look at our goals for him. I want him to have a solid foundation in math for the early years so when he gets to upper level math he understands it and can go as far as he'd like (I puttered out after PreCalculus because of a poor foundational knowledge myself). He wants to be a scientist now so obv he will need higher level math if he continues wanting that but i think that at his current trend he's all set to do that. I have him in sports and music to teach him perseverance since schoolwork comes so easily. :)
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My son is in 1st grade, working in Singapore 2A-B math this year. He loves Singapore, eagerly shows me what pages are coming up and says he can't wait until he gets to them, etc. Basically he reads the textbook basics, does the workbook 100% correctly, and is done with math in under 20 minutes every day, often more like 10-15 minutes if the workbook pages are shorter or easier than usual. He really grasps the concepts and his mental math is excellent.
I keep seeing threads or hearing from other homeschool parents about math typically taking 60 minutes on average, and really that seems appropriate. But on the other hand T really does seem to be doing fine with his shorter lessons and has no desire to spend longer on math. He's due to finish 2B early as it is.
So, do your kids finish math lessons quickly? Do you add more depth (intensive practice or word problems or an add-on curriculum) or move them farther on to the point where they're challenged, or just let the lessons be short? I've been just letting his lessons be short, since clearly it's working for him, but I'm not sure if I ought to change my approach.
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Oh no, that's awful! So any chance you can share who the seller is?
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Oh no, that's frustrating. But don't you have to buy at least one level new to have access to tutor support anyway? How did you know it was counterfeit?
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I've used Saxon Phonics as a teacher and it is nothing like Barton. Not nearly multi-sensory enough (a vital component for these right-brained dyslexic kiddos), moves too fast through the different rules, and has almost no phonemic awareness practice which is a key component of any Orton-Gillingham dyslexic reading program. Several of my Kindergarteners still could not read after a year of Saxon's intensive phonics program.
We use Barton with DD13 and it's been great, she had not progressed past a 1st grade reading level in 5th grade when we started. Now she's made real progress in the past year using Barton. I suggest buying level 1 and then when you finish it sell it and buy level 2, then sell level 2 and buy level 3, and so on. That's how we manage, we just sell each level once she passes the post-test with a 95% or better. I do fluency drills and games with her from Susan Barton's website while we wait for the next level to get bought and shipped to us. You can always sell the Barton levels on Ebay for $200-250 each so really you're only out $50 a level in my experience.
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I read it almost every fall, have for 10 years probably? :) I'm a dork, but it's a fantastic book! I'm currently 2/3 of the way through it right now....pregnancy slows me down reading and I've got 3-4 different books going at a time of course so that takes awhile.
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I think it depends on how much of your happiness is invested in your home environment? For me I am home all day with 4+ kids homeschooling and I like my personal space to have privacy and safety so I can let the kids play outside without me, and for the inside to be laid out *just so*. Little repairs needed bug me if not dealt with asap. Even ugly carpet would be the bane of my existence if I couldn't fix it when we chose. And having been homeless before I get very anxious at the thought that we could be asked to move any year in a rental, or lose the rental because the landlord didn't pay the mortgage like our neighbors are having happen. So for me having rented for many years and now owned for 2.5 years owning wins hands down. I LOVE owning our own home! My days are much easier, our family is more settled, and I have great pride in our home. It also saves us a lot of money because this level of rental would cost upwards of $1100 a month plus utilities while we pay just $620 plus utilities. And our utilities are fairly cheap and I can make them cheaper. When DH lost his job I had him string a clothesline for me and we dropped $20 off the electric bill by not using the dryer at all before the snow started. I like having that flexibility. I have not seen a big difference in taxes but we never owe federal taxes anyway, just social security tax which we pay out of pocket because DH is self-employed.
But, I know many who are perfectly happy in rentals. In my experience these tend to be people who work outside the home (as you said you and your husband do) and people who aren't very big on design and home repairs. They find home repairs burdensome (understandable!) and really don't care whether the walls are beige or blue. They may travel a lot or just work a lot and so aren't home ALL.DAY.LONG like I am. So frankly details like less-than-ideal carpet don't make as much of a difference to them.
I'd look realistically at you guys as a couple and how you guys like to live. And of course your long-term goals.
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Yes, I have a spreadsheet for each of my school-age kids where I have mapped out their core subjects' progression. I'm glad I did it because it made me realize DS, if he keeps going at his current pace, would have ended up with 1-2 years of gap between finishing calculus and going to college, oops! So I did a bit of research and am planning some supplemental math to go deeper with him. I also needed to see realistically how far DD could get in meeting requirements to see what her high school will look like as a special needs kid. Plus things like knowing which math we'll do once Singapore ends and knowing which history programs we'd like to move on to, etc.
I'll let the kids choose electives when they get to high school based on their interests and my suggestions and I'll of course be flexible with our plans but I like knowing where we're going, it calms down any "are we doing enough" fears :)
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I've used tea tree oil successfully. I had a case for 1.5 years because well I had a baby and didn't realize what was wrong with my toenail at first. Anyway, so I finally got annoyed this November and started applying tea tree oil every day I could remember. I'd do it after the shower and just drop 2-3 drops on the nail and let it dry. I trim regularly as short as I can without causing problems. It's almost entirely gone now and I finally painted my toenails for the first time in like 5 months today :)
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We're looking to relocate so I thought this was interesting. Here were my top 5:
1. Hartford, CT (on our list actually as a possibility)
2. Long Island, NY (um, no)
3. Cincinnati, OH (meh)
4. Philadelphia, PA (it'd be nice but a bit pricey)
5. Knoxville, TN (wouldn't be opposed)
I got a ton of PA cities and we currently live in PA but in a way-too-small city. I like PA in some ways but the Catholic scene here is awful and our city is too small to have the services our oldest needs. I think they put so many of those because I selected the northeast as my ideal region.
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On the positive side, it does encourage me to realize that a "better half" could be the answer to all my worries for my sons.
Haha, I think this way about my daughter sometimes. Like if she could find a guy who was just an average hard-working blue collar kinda guy who could handle things like bills and complex stuff she could be a really great sorta old-school wife. She loves to cook, can clean no problem with a schedule in place, and is super fun and pretty and sweet with babies. I think if she found the right partner she could be successful in life and have a pretty normal lifestyle and be an asset to her family.
My oldest son I told he shouldn't get married because I don't want to inflict his absent-minded professor self on some poor girl! Love him but oy, he's too like my husband and it's a trial being married to that type sometimes. ;)
But OP, my DD and DH have ADHD even though DD is adopted and I often feel like I'm losing my mind! I have to be their 'brains' and quite frankly I don't have room in my head for everybody's schedules and to-do lists. Living with ADHD people makes *me* feel ADHD even though I'm most certainly not. I can't even imagine if both had more severe issues like being on the severe end of the autism spectrum or a big combo of things. I think I'd run away screaming, lol!
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I'm planning to start a homeschool enrichment co-op and would like to hear opinions on what you like most and/or dislike most about your co-op. The co-op I am planning will be an enrichment co-op with elective classes such as art, PE, STEM classes, foreign languages, geography, nature study, etc. This will be a true co-operative in which there is a shared division of labor. So, each mom (or dad) will be required to teach one class and assist in others. More than likely, it will be a weekly, half day co-op. Although, we've participated in a few different co-ops, I'd love to hear your feedback on what goes well at your co-op and what doesn't.
A friend and I just started a co-op this fall after several months of planning. It's overall gone very well, been a very positive experience for me and the kids.
Likes:
- reasonable schedule (10am-3pm with a 1 hour break for lunch, some people choose to come for a half day and that's great too)
- camaraderie with other homeschool parents
- new friends for the kids
- variety of classes to choose from and in topics I am not myself talented in (Crochet, Art, Science, etc.)
- my extroverted kids are in heaven! Absolute heaven. I like it because by putting my need for alone time aside for 1 day my extroverted kids get their fill of social time and are happy.
- ALL kids are included, so babies go to the nursery or stay with mom and preschoolers go to a little preschool class where the moms take turns reading stories, supervising free play, and doing little games with them. It is a long day for the littles who stay all day but many moms of littles just stay 10-12pm and eat lunch and go home for naps. But no parent is excluded from participating and teaching because they have a little kid. As a mom of 5 this was something I really insisted on and as a result we have several families with 4+ kids who happily attend.
Dislikes:
- the alarmingly low level of achievement in many of our members. I have to deal with 10 year olds who cannot read or write sentences independently. I know my learning disabled 13 yo cannot read and write well so I don't put her in many academic classes at co-op, other parents don't have that guideline for themselves.
- it is exhausting to be running a co-op! We have 4 moms running it and wow, it is a ton of work! I often go at 9am and don't leave until 4pm at the earliest. We are working to delegate more but some of it is just the nature of the beast, kwim? I also have thyroid problems and am pregnant so my energy is lower than some. The 2 moms who have 1 and 2 kids each do not find it exhausting the way I do, they're also extroverts :) If you are running a co-op I highly recommend delegating everything possible during the actual co-op day and partner with someone to help you run it. Also, don't offer to teach 4 classes yourself, you need someone walking around keeping an eye on things and answering questions especially the first year.
If you would like any specific ideas of what forms to have, organization ideas, etc. feel free to message me. We've learned a lot this year through trial and error and have lots of basic forms we use to keep things organized, including parent volunteers because each parent must teach/assist in some classes each semester, so very similar to what you are describing as your plan.
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Okay that was awesome, love it!
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Love these! My husband is an Eagle Scout (I highly recommend girls to join Venturing to find boyfriends, lol!) and can do all of these and it really is great for me. I'd hate to have one of those husbands who couldn't fix broken things or make me a bookshelf for my birthday :) My oldest son is like yours so I'm taking notes for sure!
I would also add:
- how to write a resume
- WHEN to wear a tie, i.e. how to dress for different occasions
- swimming, particularly safety and how to identify and help a drowning person/child
- ride a horse (can't respect anyone who can't ride a horse myself, haha!)
- how to ask a girl on a date
- how to order at a restaurant and tipping etiquette
- how to grill
- how to tie knots
- how to change a diaper and hold a baby
You should check out both the Dangerous Book for Boys and the Art of Manliness blog. That blog is going to make up an entire high school curriculum for my boys of Life Skills. Everything from how to change the oil on their car and fix a toilet, to how to ask a girl out on a date and how to dress for an interview. It's useful for women too, really it's the Art of Being An Adult more than anything but it definitely has a masculine flair that is nice and makes it reach guys better.
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Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN :) Duluth is a great area too if you prefer a smaller city.
Mineapolis is #3 in terms of biking cities. My DH bikes everywhere!
http://www.bicycling.com/ride-maps/featured-rides/2014-top-50-bike-friendly-cities/3-minneapolis
I was thinking the same thing aside from the winter maybe being too cloudy. But Summer is absolutely beautiful and Spring/Fall, while brief, are very nice as well. Twin Cities hit all the lifestyle marks on your list. We lived there for 1.5 years and really enjoyed it. Another nice thing is you can have an affordable house (not super low but reasonably priced) with a suburban feel and yet be right inside the cities. Lots of walking, biking, running. 6 months out of the year everyone is outside 24/7.
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Just a quick thought but depending in her functioning level in in 5-6 years you might NOT want her to get a diploma. In Michigan they can get a certificate of completion.
If she gets a diploma she might not qualify for many rehabilitation and other services, esp past age 18-19.
Hm, interesting. But if all special needs students, even ones who are nonverbal and basically barely functioning, get a regular diploma in PA I don't think that would be an issue here at least? We are looking at moving this summer, partly to be closer to better services for Ana, and so I'll keep that in mind and gauge our plan off of what that state generally does. It might be a question I can ask when we apply for disability for her too, better to know ahead of time for sure!
1shortmomto4, yes I think you've got a great point about her brain possibly shutting down due to late diagnosis and neglect. And yes she does ask questions about boys and such but she doesn't truly process a lot of my answers unfortunately. Other times I think she does but it's hard to tell because she refuses to talk about her own thoughts or emotions ever. Conversation with her involves only shallow and immediate things or random memories of shallow things from her past. We dropped counseling after 9 months because she refused to talk to her counselor too. Nice counselor but never built a rapport so we're looking for someone who is more experienced in adoption and disabilities in general. I've been trying to give her the words to express her emotions and talk with her about how to seek help or advice when she needs it. I really hope eventually things even out with her so that she starts realizing A) she can hear now and B) she's safe now and starts learning. It's like that whole Maslow's hierarchy of needs thing, she's still so focused on where food comes from that she has a hard time placing due importance on school stuff. And she's so used to just nodding her head and pretending she hears that we have to break those bad habits. But those were encouraged at school, otherwise she would have stood out as odd. So we have a whole bunch of good but tough adjustments she's processing.....being able to hear, being safe, and actually being expected and helped to learn in homeschool.
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Yes, Pennsylvania is prejudiced against homeschoolers in general. Here's a pretty typical example of a diploma program (the most widely used here in central/western pa) http://www.echsdiploma.org/diploma.html So you can see the basic requirements. The Geometry and Algebra requirements are the most difficult ones for me to consider with Ana. Now I think I could drag her through a basic Algebra course before senior year but would it be the best use of our time? Not sure. See, the schools get around this requirement by mainstreaming all but the most severe cases of special needs. Ana was mainstreamed and making straight A's.....because the teachers would let her retake the tests as often as necessary *after* circling all the questions she got wrong and giving her multiple choice questions vs fill in the blank. She didn't retain anything but it was all okay because she was being given an 'equal' education.
I could give her a parent-issued diploma but I'm unsure of those and whether anyone will recognize those as legit in real life even though technically they are now allowed. I'm currently leaning towards possibly using an umbrella online school to make sure she has a real diploma anyone would see and not doubt if they asked about it.
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Oh what a fun project to get to work on! Your daughter must be so excited!
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Heidi, well she was diagnosed late....age 8 and lost her hearing somewhere right around or before Kindergarten age we're pretty sure based on audiologists' reports and her speech and such. But she didn't have any dreams hearing problems messed up. In her birth family only one aunt and a few men work at all, her birth mom never worked and neither did her grandpa. So she has no basis for understanding that normal people grow up, graduate high school, get a job, get married, etc. She really doesn't understand much of her situation though we try to kindly explain things along the way and that there are some things that are harder for her than for others. We try to spin it in a "everyone has things that are hard for them" kind of way and that learning is especially hard for her.
I spent all summer on a money unit study for her....none of it stuck. This is the kind of thing that alarms me, it's not just a neglect/lack of experience thing though that plays into it a bit too. And yes, we're not big on much dating (only casual and in groups, not exclusive dating alone before 18) anyway but ALL her friends have boyfriends/girlfriends so it's a topic that comes up.
Ottakee, her IQ is 69 on the most recent neuropsych test, so really we're at the ideal point of qualifying for services but being pretty high functioning. Now according to that IQ she should have the maturity of like a 10 year old right now but she very much does not. She acts 5-6 and has for many years per her foster reports.
Mrs. Tharp, apparently in PA they give normal diplomas to all kids who do their time. For kids like her they'd basically give it to her for 'meeting her IEP goals'. But homeschooling of course works differently. We're definitely looking for local resources, we're supposed to hear back from one this week about ASL classes and help figuring out how to get her signed up with disability and such. It's a small town so not much around but we're looking to move soon anyway back to a major city (Atlanta maybe) to find DH a job and to allow us to find more/better services for Ana.
Still sifting through replies and jotting down advice, thanks for the responses so far!
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I absolutely would ask at Goodwill about junky appliances. They might even give some to you that aren't selling.
Cut the cords off so he can't plug them in.
Write his name on them in Sharpie. He can only dismantle gizmos with his name on them.
Give him a screwdriver (maybe a short stubby one so he's less likely to impale himself?) and some pliers and a lightweight hammer. Write his name on those as well. Those are his tools that come out for this work.
I know that everyone thinks small children should not be permitted near objects of consequence until they are 8 or 15 or 52, but I firmly believe small children can learn basic safety guidelines like "Point it down" as well as techniques like "Lefty loosey, righty tightie."
Radically dangerous? Maybe. But probably not, and it obviously depends on the child, but it might be worth a try.
cf: Montessori "work"
This is what I would do as well.
Also, my 3rd and 4th grade teachers were great in this area. My 3rd grade teacher had a large box of actual tools (no saws of course) and scrap wood and nails and pulleys and such and we were allowed to build as we liked during free time. She also had a sewing station and we could sew with real needles and scraps of fabric by hand. My 4th grade teacher had a large tupperware bin of circuits and wires, batteries, and light bulbs and switches. I don't know where he got them, probably some education store? But a lot of us played with this frequently during free time after our unit on electricity. I still remember those and at 10 was the only person at home besides my dad who could program a new VCR and hook up the tv and computers when we moved. And I am not particularly technically inclined either but it was great to work hands-on with the circuit boards and practice working vs non-working circuits.
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Mainer, what a coincidence! I just read that same article :) It's part of what got me thinking even more about this stuff. And that program does sound amazing but it only accepts 4 new students each year so it'd be a long shot for Ana unless more programs opened up. It was really inspiring to see the progress we've made as a culture though! We're definitely not ruling out Community College for her if she lives at home and such, it's just definitely not a guarantee and might not be the best use of time/money depending on how much progress she makes in the next 5 years.
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Now that Ana, 13, has been diagnosed with intellectual disability and ADHD on top of her hearing and speech impairment I'm realizing that we have to totally re-think her future. I mean, for the first year we had her we assumed that this was a neglect/hearing/speech problem and that with the right environment, nurturing, and education she'd progress and catch up mostly and be on the low-average of abilities. I'm starting to accept the diagnosis and that she just won't ever catch up to her non-disabled peers and working to be okay with that.
But it leaves me very confused about what to plan for her future so she has the best chance possible. Particularly in these areas:
1. Diploma: our other kids will go to college so I'm not worried about a high school diploma but if Ana can't attend college then she needs a solid, professional-looking diploma to have for employers and such. PA says they recognize homeschool diplomas issued by parents now but I don't trust that all employers will be up to date on that, kwim? We have a couple diploma agencies in PA but their requirements are such that she can't meet them. What are you all doing for your kids who would struggle to meet typical diploma requirements? Anyone with working not-college-educated young adults who could give some insight into if/what employers look for with regards to education? I just want to choose the option in freshman year that gives her the least limits in adulthood and is most appropriate for her.
2. Managing her expectations: she's 13 so a lot of her friends are starting to date. Normally I'd be fine with any of my high schoolers dating but she's a huge abuse risk because of her lack of awareness. She still isn't quite sure where babies come from and doesn't realize why certain clothing or behavior is inappropriate. She's very eager to please and outgoing and has zero ability to identify good people vs 'tricky' people, never mind same-age guys who would be nice vs those who would make fun of or take advantage of her. She also currently isn't allowed to walk to the park alone because of her behavior and lack of understanding, we were told by social workers to keep an eye on her like a 6 year old for her own safety. She refuses to talk to strangers in healthy situations like at the library or friends' parents. So anyway, any ideas for managing expectations of dating and cell phones and other age-appropriate teen behaviors? And ideas for how to decide when/if she's ready for some of these privileges as she gets older. I assume eventually she can handle being left home alone for an hour or two, but how to know when if age isn't a reliable indicator of her abilities?
And we've been told she likely can't drive so while I hope she can eventually at maybe 18 or so I also want to prepare her for the very real possibility that she can't drive. It would seem cruel to act like she will be driving in 2.5 years when odds are she won't. How can I tactfully reiterate these limits to her over the next few years so she's not disappointed?
3. At what point do you say "enough is enough" with academic learning and focus more on practical life skills? Specifically in math, at what point do I drop the typical curriculum (she's in Math U See Gamma) and switch to a more special needs-oriented money and time skills curriculum? (she has zero money skills and her time telling is spotty at best) And same in other subjects, when do you say "no more grammar, time to just focus on reading and understanding in real-life situations".
Sorry this is so long, just hoping to get any insights. This board has by far been the best and only place for realistic advice on learning disabilities of all kinds! I don't know anyone local with a special needs child and we're still working on getting plugged into all the local resources for kids who need extra help.
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I have never worn lipstick and think it looks odd on most people too. I'm bummed to hear it's coming back, I'm thinking I'll probably be aging myself by not wearing it but I doubt I could ever be converted after 30 years of thinking it looks bad, lol! My generation (80's kids) wore lip gloss at most. My mom's generation (60's) wore the bright red lipstick so to me lipstick = old-fashioned :)
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I admit, I'm still in denial and think I can Barton the dyslexia right out of my kid. :leaving:
Haha! I can so relate to this!
But yes, I agree with everyone else that Barton in and of itself is a complete Language Arts program. Especially if you make use of the online resources she has like the spelling tests based on each lesson and the fluency practice and extra practice pages. In that way you're really hitting each of the main Language Arts spots hard except for Literature, and that can be achieved through read-alouds and oral discussion. And yes for a younger kid I'd do Handwriting.
My DD is 13 and we've been doing Barton for 1 year and ONLY Barton for Language Arts. I'm in PA and we have super strict requirements but we passed our portfolio requirement just fine using Barton as our sole L.A. program. We're about to finish Level 3 and the grammar portion (identifying the Who Phrase, Did what Phrase, etc) has gotten a lot harder and I'm starting to see how it is laying the groundwork for real grammar later.
BTW, OhElizabeth, thanks so much for mentioning that Barton is similar to Shurley English and would lead well into it. I used Shurley as a student teacher and had been thinking that it might be a good fit for Ana once she's done with Barton and your comment reinforced that thought for me. So thanks :)
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Is it okay for Math to not take over 20 minutes?
in Accelerated Learner Board
Posted
I think this is a good point and this is a large part of why we homeschool. Both my husband and I, not nearly as advanced as Tobias, felt we were allowed to skate by for far too long and developed bad habits in school that we later had to overcome. It made us get discouraged too quickly when a particular subject didn't come easily right away....we'd just write it off as "meh, I guess I'm not good at that". As an adult we can recognize and fight it but that is often a knee-jerk reaction.
I think based on all the responses and just mulling this over that I will maybe slowly begin to increase the work load by adding the Singapore Challenging Word Problems or some other supplemental thing next year (maybe Life of Fred though at first glance the text seems terribly awkward and weird and the math problems seem haphazard). Maybe I'll aim for 30 minutes of math for 2nd and 3rd grade, 40 minutes in 4th and 5th. That way by middle school Tobias can handle the 50-60 minutes of math that will be required to do well in high school math.