shlee111
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Posts posted by shlee111
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There can be different reasons why a student misspells words in their writing that they knew when you worked on them in spelling. Sometimes young students just aren't ready to put together the skills of independent writing and spelling. However, sometimes it's a matter of needing more review to really make the application of rules, phonograms etc... automatic. If that's the issue, AAS could help because it does include a lot of ongoing review. But you might want to check out this series of articles on Improving Working Memory and other memory issues (the one on "making it stick" might be helpful too).
Thanks for that link. Working memory is certainly an area that could use improvement.
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She knows all the phonograms pretty well and we do the dictation and analyzing but it doesn't seem to sink in, so it seems to fall back to memorization. A lot of it is my teaching, I'm sure.
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My daughter attended 1st grade last year and they used SWR. We are continuing with that this year at home, but nothing seems to be sinking in. She can memorize the lists for a test, but in writing her spelling is atrocious, often missing words she has already learned and quickly forgetting the words from just last week. She is not a natural speller, and I am not handling the teaching side well either.
I have level 1 of AAS and am considering switching to that program. Would that be a smooth transition? Any other recommendations?
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Wow, Benjamin is getting tons of love! It is a strong classic name, so we don't feel like we can go wrong with that. That's probably where we'll end up with the least amount of bickering.
I know Dexter is a serial killer, but I don't worry about that too much because he won't always be. We tend to associate names with different things, but those associations change along the way. I've never seen the show, but DH has and still doesn't mind using the name. Still thinking on that.
Hmmm....Hadn't thought of the Cooper rhyming thing....
I didn't realize Emerson was such a girls name! That's something to consider as well.
Thanks for all the input!
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I am due any date with a boy....and we have little idea on what to name him. I have a list a mile long, and DH has a few names but we can't agree. Here are the 4 names that were on both lists. Can you help us choose? If it matters, our daughter is Ava, son is Harrison and our last name begins with R.
Thanks for voting!
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Thanks so much! We just ordered it. So many of the episodes will go great for our eclectic science this year (1st grade).
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5.5 year old DD doesn't like to read. Lots of complaining and whining takes place at reading time. We are currently using OPGTR, but looking at Spell to Write and Read and Phonics Road for next year. Are those good choices for a reluctant reader? Are they too much work and no fun? Which is more fun?
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Consider hiring an live-in au pair! I was an au pair in Spain to a Spanish family. I spoke only English to them, and their English was beautiful! From a very young age, they always had English speaking aupairs in their home to speak English with their children. It worked! The father spoke English (Oxford educated), but I don't know how much they spoke in the house when an au pair wasn't there b/c Mom didn't speak English. I was paid just over $100 a week (10 years ago), and all food was provided. I "worked" just a few hours a day which was mostly play and help with their school tutoring. During my off time, I could take classes, explore the city, etc. I think it was the perfect solution for everyone. Of course, it takes a special family to accept a stranger into their home to welcome as a family member.
I really want to hire a Spanish speaking au pair, but we just don't have an extra bedroom for her. If you can arrange it, it can be a great experience!
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We are currently using OPGTR, and it's going OK, but I'm thinking of switching to a more in depth phonics program. Do you know how PR compares to Spell to Write and Read? They both seem to be strong fundamentally, but how are they alike and different?
I like that OPGTR doesn't require any planning, but I am ready to commit to some planning (not too much!). DD isn't crazy about reading, and while she can blend words well, each word is still ch-u-r-ch. Our lessons are taking a long time in OPGTR b/c I don't think things are sinking in, and tears are present often. :( I am starting to work with a friend who is a reading specialist to help me make things more fun with games, but I also want to be thorough.
Thanks for your help and advice!
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Right now we are reading right out of the book most of the time, but DD is incredibly bored with phonics/reading so we are looking for some new ideas. I like the white board with colored markers idea. I will often write the sentence out on a paper and have DD read it then draw a picture to match.
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So less than an hour a week? I don't love watching videos and have a heard time finding the time without the kids around, so this is a major factor for us. Thanks so much!
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I'm just learning about Phonics Road. We'd be doing Year 1. Do I understand right that the parent/teacher watches a video before teaching the material? How often do you watch the videos and how long are they?
Thanks!
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I think your thoughts and ideas are noble, but honestly, I think you could approach things differently, and have better results.
First of all, we as Christians, give because Christ gave to us. We can do this in many ways: purchasing gifts, making something, serving, spending time with a person, etc. Your loved ones may have all of the tangible things that they need, but if you get creative, you'll probably be able to find things to do that could show them love. A few pp had great ideas!
We can give all through out the year. Why wait until Christmas to spend money on charities that your heart feels drawn toward?
Christmas is a time of celebration, reflection, and tradition. Here are a few things my family has done to make Christmas less materialistic:
- The second week of November, the kids and I go through the playroom and really clean things out. We organize, we sort, we throw away and we donate. Of course, the kids easily put things in the donation pile that they no longer play with. Usually these are things that they've "grown out of". When we're finished, I talk to my kids about how much we have and about how little others have. Then I help my boys pick something that they really like and enjoy to give away. It doesn't have to be their favorite thing, but I try to move them to giving sacrificially, with a big heart. They always pick something joyfully. Then, we package it up nicely to get it ready for a local homeless shelter.
- In the fall I set out a cannister for coins. Our entire family decides not to spend any change, and to put the coins in the cannister with the intention of giving the money to the Salvation Army when the bell ringers are out. It is satisfying to give that spare change (usually a nice amount) to a worthy cause. We also sign up to be bell ringers for a day.
- For years, I've kept a wrapped box under the Christmas tree that is a gift to Jesus. Each Christmas Eve we sit around the tree and talk abut how we plan to give back to Christ that year. We write out our gift/prayer and tuck it away in the box. This helps keep us mindful of the things we can do to serve/give.
- We try to steer the kids away from the questions, "What do you want for Christmas?" Instead, we encourage one another to ask, "What does XYZ person love? What do they enjoy? How can I bless them?" Throughout the month of December, we keep a family list of things/ways we intend to bless others.
- We always pick someone in our circle of family or friends and give them a "care basket", but we don't write our name on the gift. It is so rewarding to give to someone knowing that they do not need to thank us or return a gift to us. They'll just be blessed! We fill a gift basket with anything we can think of that they might find useful/enjoyable, i.e. food, snacks, nicer toiletries than they might purchase, cleaning products, convenience products that they might not have money to buy often, etc.
- We find ways to serve locally as a family a few times a year -- including Christmastime. We've found this far more meaningful than writing a check and mailing it off (although I certainly believe that is important, too). The kids notice/feel/experience the actions, not the check writing. They REMEMBER things we've done to bring joy, cheer, and blessing to someone else's life.
Your daughter is young, so it will be easy to begin a new tradition or two without completely altering existing traditions. You and your family can learn/experience the true meaning of Christmas, not through your checkbook, but through action. Disclaimer: I'm not AT ALL knocking the action of giving monetary gifts to charities. We do this and there is GREAT VALUE in this. I'm just making the point that that is an easy thing to do. It's harder to sacrifice our time, effort, and energy. We have found that we see the deep meaning of Christmas when we focus on Christ.
Rather than make the announcement that you're not giving gifts and writing a check to a few charities, maybe you should consider meeting as a family and discussing ways you can bless/serve/give through deeds (in addition to giving monetarily). Develop traditions that better reflect and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Afterall, it is more than writing a check to a charity.
Just my 2 cents! :)
Lots of good ideas, thanks. We certainly don't plan on writing a few checks and being done with it. I do want a season of giving, so we'll use some of your ideas....regardless of what we decide to do with the gifts.
- The second week of November, the kids and I go through the playroom and really clean things out. We organize, we sort, we throw away and we donate. Of course, the kids easily put things in the donation pile that they no longer play with. Usually these are things that they've "grown out of". When we're finished, I talk to my kids about how much we have and about how little others have. Then I help my boys pick something that they really like and enjoy to give away. It doesn't have to be their favorite thing, but I try to move them to giving sacrificially, with a big heart. They always pick something joyfully. Then, we package it up nicely to get it ready for a local homeless shelter.
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I agree-I think year-round giving will make a much bigger impact on your children than the idea of "sacrifice" on Christmas. Honestly, I can see this backfiring in the long run far more easily than I can see it teaching them a lesson. I would perhaps consider doing one of 2 things that I know many families do and it gives them a very moderate number of gifts but still gives that Christmas morning feeling. The first is to do 3 gifts per child (the thinking here being that Jesus got 3 gifts from the wisemen) and the second is to do 4 -something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read. Again, not a large number of gifts, and most are practical, but you still retain some of the magic of Christmas feeling. I think for very young children, the presents on Christmas morning reinforce the idea of what a miraculous gift the world was given on Christmas. When done along with giving to others I think it really reinforces the whole idea-how can you understand the idea of giving to others as the bigger gift if you don't know the joy of getting gifts yourself?
I agree that giving year round has a greater impact than a one time thing, but we do lots of year round giving and serving and want to do more.If we completely took away all of Christmas with no fun or excitement, I could see that backfiring, but I just don't see how one year of thinking ONLY of others could be a bad thing. I don't think kids need to receive presents on Christmas to imagine what a difference a gift of food can make to a starving child or how much they can bless someone else by giving up something they love. Plus, my kids receive plenty of gifts year-round, and on their birthdays...and I'm sure they'll still receive a gift or two this Christmas. In fact, we still may do one special gift for each of them (from Santa). I feel like God is calling us to a different Christmas, and I'm still working it out how to best do that.
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:iagree: A simple "We decided instead of exchanging gifts this year, we will be spending our Christmas budget on charitable donations" would be sufficient. But do it soon, before people finish their shopping.
I see the point you are getting at. I know my family will ask, so maybe I'll have a list or we can just tell them.
I'm going to tell the family soon so that Christmas shopping hasn't started. In general my family doesn't shop too early. I'll probably just send an email. I'm still debating how to handle the kids of the family. We may just give them something small (i.e. book). I'd rather do no gifts across the board, but I understand that children might not grasp what we are trying to do, and I'd hate to have them think we didn't care or think about them.
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Just another perspective...I'd be annoyed to receive this type of card. I would be perfectly happy for you to say "We're not doing gifts this year; we decided to spend that money on charity instead." But IMO those cards are a way to pretend you are giving a gift when you really aren't. I'm happy not to receive anything (and would likely still give you/your kids gifts if you were okay with that), but I don't want you to pretend that your gift to charity is a gift to me...because it isn't.
Yeah, I get both sides of that. I would only give a card saying a gift was given in their name if the gift and charity was specially chosen based on what the family member/friend would like. Not sure if we'll do that or not. Right now I'm thinking we'll just choose the donations/gifts and maybe put it all together in a brochure type paper so family members can see how the money was spent.
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Have you heard of AdventConspiracy? Watch this video--you won't regret it!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/yerUGAF1w1w
For those who won't watch:
The idea is that instead of giving "presents", you give "presence," (like a date type of gift or a handmade gift). Less shopping, more serving. Then, you take the money you would have spent on gifts and give it to build clean water wells in the third world.
We've done it now three years in a row and it's an amazing experience.
Some of our gifts:
- a box of shotgun shells for FIL, my husband took him to the woods to shoot targets like they did when he was younger
- i made my mom 10 meals for the freezer--she is parenting teens and caring for elderly parents so her cooking time is zilch
- for my dad I signed us up for a 5k together
- for my sister I designed and printed address labels since they bought their first home
- for my niece i made a homemade memory game with pictures of family members
- for my other sister i made a silhouette of my niece
- for my SIL I painted her bedroom for her
- etc.
It is a ton of work but so much more rewarding than spending $1k at Amazon! Everyone LOVED it.
We visited a church a couple years ago that played the Advent Conspiracy video . That year I scaled back a lot for Christmas, doing more homemade gifts. Advent Conspiracy is actually what started all of this in me. I love what they are doing!
- a box of shotgun shells for FIL, my husband took him to the woods to shoot targets like they did when he was younger
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I found a wonderful organization - Appalachian Christian Project. They have two catelogs - one where you can buy things made by individuals - so supporting a person working in Appalachia. The second is a straight up donation - like you buy a kid school supplies. There are also gifts like Heiffer International - where you can buy a family a chicken, goat, cow etc in the honor of someone. This is especially good for those hard to buy for people.
Thanks for the introduction to Appalachian Christian Project.It seems like a great thing!
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Are you sure your 5 year old is really and truly on board with your idea? Are you positive she won't wake up on Christmas morning and race to the Christmas tree looking for gifts from Santa (or from you, if you don't "do Santa?")
Kids can easily get caught up in their parents' enthusiasm for new things, but on a day like Christmas, I'm not so sure they won't still be looking for some gifts if they have always received them in the past.
Personally, I think that if you feel strongly about your Different Christmas plan, you should still get gifts for the kids, and have them help you make token gifts for important family members (or pick out less-costly-than-usual presents at the store,) and use the money you would normally spend on gifts for your dh and yourself to support the worthy charities.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm bashing your idea, but I would hate to see you feeling guilty on Christmas if there's a chance your dd may be very disappointed at not getting any presents.
I don't think you are bashing the idea at all, and this was a concern of mine as well. My kids are still young, so I can't expect too much from them, but I hate it when all the talk of Christmas is about what presents they are going to get. We still have to work out the presents for the kids b/c they believe in Santa. I'm thinking maybe Santa could still come and bring just 1 gift for each of the kids. I don't want to do the same amount of gifts for the kids that we normally do, b/c part of the reason for doing this is to foster a spirit of sacrifice. Does that make sense?
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I love giving gifts and shopping for my family and friends, but in the end most of the presents are lost or forgotten just a year later. It's been on my heart recently to do Christmas differently this year. As a Christian, I know when I serve others I am serving Christ, so I want the focus of our Christmas to be about Jesus: giving and service to others. Ideally I'd like to spend every "Christmas dollar" on someone who needs it locally or internationally. We have some catalogs where you can buy unique gifts of livestock or supplies to set up a small business to help families get a start on providing for their basic needs. We'd also give to some local charities and volunteer here. My 5 year old is on board with the idea as well, and I know it could be an really great.
I have a few questions about how to handle the differences with my family this year. Should I just explain to everyone what our plan is and tell them that we won't be giving any gifts this year? How would you receive this? We certainly don't expect any gifts, but I'm just not sure how to approach it. I don't want to sound ungrateful or like I'm making things difficult, but I really just feel like this is right for our family this year. Anyone done this before or have any advice?
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Thanks for the advice! We ended up not going :( It was just too much at last minute notice. Perhaps we'll make it there another time.
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go to vrbo.com. they have tons of great places to stay without staying in a hotel. they have apartments,condos, etc... i have used this site at least a dozen times and have never been disappointed. we have pretty much stopped staying in hotels for trips. these places are bigger for our family and the costs are less. i have used them in new york, philly, boston, florida, jamaica and wouldn't hesitiate to use in europe. we love having the extra space and plus in makes you feel like you are really living the life in those cities. nothing better than staying in one of the new york high rises. good luck and have fun on your trip. :)
Great suggestion! Thank you! I just checked it out and see lots of options that should work. :)
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We are thinking of taking a very last minute trip to Paris with the kids this week, but don't have any accommodations lined up. Any recommendations? I love the Latin Quarter, but of course at this late in the game I can't be picky. We would like to keep the price under $200/night. Is that possible? We can all share 1 queen or 2 twin beds. Thanks!
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Did anyone NOT use a curriculum for phonics for your 5 year old? What did you use if not? I haven't found anything that screams to me, but I am not confident enough without some guidance.
Switching from SWR to AAS?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Oh Elizabeth, yes my signature was old! Yikes, very old! I updated it. This issue if for my now 8 year old.
I am doing some of the enrichments, but not all of them. I do think she just needs more exposure to the words. I'm going to take the suggestion and just study the materials more and try to organize myself. I'm feeling overwhelmed with the program, but that may be more my issue than hers. Honestly, I'm just not sure what the issue is, but praying I can get to the bottom of it.
She does have a rare but mild issue with her eyes, but I'm not sure the optometrist described as "tricky" and he wasn't sure he found the solution. She has a prescription and doesn't wear her glasses because she claims it doesn't make a difference, but it makes sense to make her wear them especially in light of this issue. She didn't see a developmental optometrist, so that is something to look into also.
Thank you for the wonderful ideas and encouragement!