GailV
-
Posts
5,130 -
Joined
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by GailV
-
-
RightStart.
I really like the way most concepts are taught in RightStart. It uses some Montessori teaching methods, among others. I have learned so much about teaching math after having used RightStart for several years.
It isn't perfect, but it's been my favorite.
-
We have used PL, LC, and LfC. LfC is the hands down winner at our house. My older dd would dearly love to learn other languages using the CAP products (they're the ones who publish LfC), that's how much she likes LfC. She's interested in Greek and Spanish, and keeps asking when they'll have those languages ready for her use.
The first year of LfC we used the DVD. I had gotten a great deal on buying most of the program used, so I was okay with the extra expense of the DVD. She has just started the second year, and has decided that she doesn't need to use the DVD anymore.
She was in 5th grade when we switched from LC to LfC, and I think it would be very doable with a 4th grader.
Did I mention that hallelujahs rang though the house when we ditched LC, and the world suddenly seemed covered with rainbows? Dd is a wee bit opinionated about curriculum (no clue where she gets that from, ahem:001_rolleyes:) and really had had enough of LC -- it was a struggle to do it every day. She willingly does LfC on her own, without much more than a "remember to do Latin" from me. Actually, I suspect she would be fine with Lively Latin, too, but I'm not interested in switching again.
-
Not to further highjack Gretchen's thread, but I have more questions on The Easy French:
What does your day look like? What about your week? Do you use one lesson per week? Do you do written work with your little ones, or is it all oral?
I think there are some sort of phonetic cards so you can learn how the written word is spoken -- something akin to SWR (I know I'm probably botching what these are, but I'm hoping if you're familiar with the program you'll get what I mean) -- do you use those? Would it be better to use those for my own learning, and then not use them directly with a child of 8? My 8yo reads well, btw, so that isn't an issue.
My dh took French through high school, so he knows more than I about pronunciation (not setting the bar too high there, as I can't emphasize enough that I know NOTHING about French pronunciation, and tend to stink at my pronunciation of most languages I try -- vocal mimicry isn't my strong point). BUT, I think his involvement would be about like Gretchen's dh, which is to say "not much".
My understanding is that Galore Park has very little insofar as audio support. And we've tried Memoria Press products such as Latin, and one of us finds them so soul crushingly boring that she's starting to dread anything from that publisher (that would be me:rolleyes: -- shh, don't tell anyone).
I need something that's sort of all-inclusive. I like the concept of pulling together various pieces to make our own customized program, such as Jessica mentions, but the reality is that I'm not going to get around to it. My other dd is studying Spanish (a language I somewhat know) and wants to start Greek (new to all of us), and we're all studying Latin. We are quickly reaching our saturation point on languages.
-
Another substitute for cow's milk is canned coconut milk. You'll need to mix in some water to get a decent consistency -- I think it's about a 2-to-1 ratio of water to coconut. It's easier to mix it in if you dump it into a pan on the stove, warm it a bit, and use a whisk. Also, you may want to sweeten it a bit if you're making it into a smoothy or somesuch. I use maple syrup for a sweetener.
And make sure to read the can label to make sure all additives are okay.
-
Yes! Percy Jackson! That's exactly what I was going to suggest. Dh just read the first 3 books aloud to my dds. We're eagerly awaiting book 4 to-be-published May 6th -- get your name on the library waiting list for that one NOW.
Also, the library should have some reference books that list things like "if you liked book XYZ you might want to try book ABC".
-
I agree with Karin that knitting is "handed". The work of the dominant hand is to put the needle in the correct stitch, which is being held on the needle of the non-dominant hand. How you hold the yarn (continental or not) is a different matter than what the OP is talking about.
My older dd has taught herself to knit right-handed AND left-handed. This came about because I never got around to teaching her how to purl, and she was trying to figure out how to come back across the row without flipping over her work. I seem to remember reading on Yarn Harlot's blog that when she was learning to knit that she went back and forth that way, too, and didn't realize that it was "wrong".
ANYWAY, having said all of that, you could simply say, "okay, you're going to learn to do this using your right hand to put the right needle in stitch that's on the left needle" and not really make a big deal about whether it's right-handed or left-handed. I imagine the handedness of it all is a bigger deal for adults than kids, unless she's very, very left-handed.
-
FLL
RightStart C
Prima Latina (erratically)
HWT cursive
McCall Speller copyright 1925 -- I think this might've belonged to my grandfather -- dd begged to use it for reasons known only to her
Ambleside Online year 1 readings
classes at Science Center and zoo
history is a motley assortment of read alouds and craft projects currently centering on Ancient Egypt (her current interest)
piano
swimming
Irish Dance
-
For the yeast, you might look into recipes and suggestions for Candida -- I think many people with Candida try to avoid all yeast. They also try to avoid a lot of sugars.
The most helpful thing for our family is to look at the long, long, long list of things that he CAN eat. Really, there are more "okay" foods than "avoid" foods. And it's a great chance to explore new cuisines.
Edited to add: Raw foodists would be avoiding most of those foods, too. You might get some ideas from raw-food websites.
-
Ooooh, I was thinking about posting this question myself.
What ages are your dds? Mine is 8. And I do NOT know French, so something that involves me modeling correct pronunciation isn't going to work.
-
, but some items off the top of my head I'lll need alternatives for are: ketchup, maple syrup, wheat thins, and bread. Also, we eat a lot of mexican, what would I sub for taco shells and tortilla chips? Are there any links for avoiding corn? Places I wouldn't suspect corn?
Ketchup -- Muir Glen, Trader Joe's (I think), many brands in the health food store will be sweetened with cane sugar or fruit juice
Maple Syrup -- pure maple syrup doesn't have corn syrup. We go through gallons of the stuff (dh doesn't do well with cane sugar, dd and I avoid corn syrup). Or are you actually thinking of "pancake syrup", which we avoid because it's, bingo, mostly corn syrup flavored with some maple. Get grade B maple syrup -- it has more flavor and is generally cheaper.
Bread -- we buy Trader Joe's. I used to get something from the regular grocery, but I forget what brand it was. My mom claimed that you can't buy bread without corn or corn syrup in it. She's wrong.
taco shells -- one dd uses soft wheat tortillas (but dh uses corn because he's gluten intolerant) (And, yes, we're a fun family to cook for, what with avoiding soy, gluten, milk, and corn syrup, not to mention a bunch of other stuff I won't get into here.)
chips -- there are hundreds on the market. It's a matter of trying them. There are rice chips of various textures and flavors.
We don't have to avoid all corn, as our issues aren't that severe. But perhaps these will give you some starting places. The first few shopping trips are the hardest.
-
I had purchased A for use in Kindy, but dd really wasn't interested in it at the time. We would do a few lessons, then drop it in favor of doing some phonics or else just playing.
I ended up selling it and starting in with B when she was in 1st grade. Level B contains everything that's in A -- you really don't need to use Level A at all.
Now, in 2nd, she's in Level C. It's taking quite a while to get through it. We tend to go at a relaxed pace**, partially because dds are starting to compete and perform a lot in Irish Dance. I think we'll eventually get through C sometime in 3rd grade (I'm not one to worry about whether we get all the way through a particular level during a particular grade), and then forge ahead with D. So, let's see ... we should hit E sometime in 4th to 5th, then move on to Geometry around 5th/6th ... my other dd (the one who thinks she is horrible at math) had finished Geometry by mid-6th grade. So, yep, we'll be on track.
I had heard others on the RS yahoo list (or maybe it was here) mention that C can take a while. Sometimes people "park" on a concept and play games until ready to move on.
**"Relaxed pace" at our house means we do RS lessons 4 days per week. We don't do math around busy holidays like St. Patrick's Day (I'm still recovering from all the St.P's shows we did, gah). We tend to do the lessons that say "1-2 days" in one day.
-
The other day in Horizon they were supposed to borrow and rename a fraction: 7 2/8 = 6 10/8. He couldn't get it. To me it was easy. Eventually after a lot of paper and pencil with me showing him that 1 can be 3/3, 2/2, 6/6 or whatever and you just add it to the other number after you borrow it... See that sounds so confusing. I just KNOW math, but have NO idea how to explain it.
This sounds so much like my 12yo dd. I can instantly, intuitively see what to do with the fractions, but had no clue how to explain it in words she'd understand. I eventually got Key to Fractions, and she feels so much more confident after going through it. She said the Key to Fractions series went through so incrementally that it was easy to understand. Plus it was fairly inexpensive.
I was thinking about using TT pre-Algebra for her, but was searching various threads for reviews of Algebra programs. She sounds like your 5th grader -- although her math scores are okay (80th percentile) she hates it and considers herself poor at math -- she thinks she's "slow and stupid" as you said. I'm thinking I may need to give up my fantasy of having my kids in a rigorous program and go with something that encourages her.
-
I can tell the folks who read in threaded mode... their posts always have titles!
But, lo, they aren't that great when reading in linear. You end up missing out on that part of the message (the title) since it tends to recede into the background of the posting. And, since the non-WTM boards I'm tend to favor linear, that's what I use here.
Actually, I assumed the post titles were from people who were still trying to use the board like it used to be, particularly in reference to writing "nt" in the message.
-
I got it from the public library, and my dd hated it to the extent that she wanted nothing to do with learning to read for several months after trying it. We had made it to lesson 4.
Others, though, love it.
On the bright side, the experience really helped me get over believing certain curriculum MUST work for our family since it worked for others. Now I realize that it's okay for us to like and use things that aren't popular, and dislike things that are popular.
What can I do with plain yogurt?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Well, if you really want to know...
If it's a good quality yogurt with live cultures, I'd dump one container in a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth. I'd put a plate over the top of the strainer to apply a bit of pressure. And that way I'd let the whey drip out of the yogurt for several hours.
I'd put the whey in a jar in the fridge to use for various lacto-fermented items, such as sauerkraut (lots of recipes in the cookbook Nourishing Traditions). And I'd use the more solid yogurt (the yogurt cheese Gretchen mentioned) that's left as a cream cheese substitute.
The other container I'd experiment with flavoring with jam and with making smoothies.