Woodland Mist Academy
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Posts posted by Woodland Mist Academy
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The blog link leads to a Whoops! 404 message.
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When I did the above, I noticed the the items we spent the most money on were the longest lasting and the most important. The fleeting activities were only a month or so and just had a uniform and pair of shoes. We only accumulated supplies and racked up fees for activities that lasted longer than a year or two. They were also activities that involved the whole family in one way or another.
I wouldn't go back and change any of those activities. They were worth it.
(To clarify: It wasn't that the most expensive activities were the most worthwhile. It was that we ended up spending more on them precisely because they were worthwhile. Had other activities grabbed her interests, we would have stayed with them longer and spent more on them. It was good to think this through. :) )
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I've been remembering the boxes in the attic of no longer used supplies from various activities over the years and the items we've given away, some used only for a few months....
Perhaps what I need to do is list everything dd gained from each activity....that might be a better measure of its lasting worth....
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You know what is weird? Being nostalgic for the time spent together in the car while commuting to kid activities!!
Well, that really puts it into perspective. I took a few minutes to imagine not having the commutes and wait times. We probably wouldn't listen to any Great Course Lectures and we wouldn't have nearly the number of heart to heart talks.
Our usual pattern for months has been lecture on the way there, quiet contemplation or talking on the way home. One of my fondest memories is nearing home in the darkness and dd asking if we could just drive around more so we could keep talking. There is something about the quality of those discussions that is different for her...
*cue Billy Joel*
This is the time to remember 'cause it will not last forever...
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If it were very important to the student not to have conceptual physics, I would use a different textbook.
You can list the class however you like, but several schools dd is looking at require a list of texts used.
Is this for every single class? Is it just for homeschoolers?
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I was going to use this text as well. Now I'm second guessing the decision.
Do most colleges ask to see a list of all texts used for every subject?
Is having Conceptual Physics listed as a text a really bad idea?
Does it make it better if there are other resources used to make it an actual algebra based physics class? Would there be a way to list that?
Does it make it better if it's in 9th grade as opposed to later?
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ETA: At the beginning of a new activity, we went for the inexpensive equipment option: borrowed riding boots and breeches until it became clear that DD was into it for more than a few weeks; leasing a horse only after DD had ridden for two years and was serious about spending more time on a horse. One class, a basic gi, and minimal home equipment for DS at the beginning; several better gis and a more expensive gym membership in the city after it became clear that this is a serious interest.
But serious does not have to mean post-high school. There is no way to guess where kids will end up in college and whether they will be able to pursue their activities there, so one cannot anticipate who things will develop several years in advance.
I just saw this addition to your post.
You made several good points. Thanks!
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Thanks, regentrude. I appreciate your thoughts. Very helpful!
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Train him to handle panhandlers on public transport. We met a few in VTA busses over the years and once at the VTA light rail stop.
Yes. This is a frequent occurrence for us. It's also why I can't get too absorbed in work while I'm waiting. It's good to be aware of surroundings. Which, by the way, is also a good reason not to listen to lectures during a walking commute, at least not in the city.
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DD rode horses. In 9 and 10 th grade, she would spent 20+ hours at the barn.
She sang in choir. Rock climbed and hiked with us. Tutored physics because she loved it.
We always emphasized that high school years are valuable life time and too important to do stuff just to look good on a resume - we encouraged her to do what she loves, and we'd then think about a way to package what she did.
DS spends a lot of time on Martial Arts. Four days a week, he has two hours of class (Judo and TKD) in town. One day a week we travel to the city, 100 miles away, for training and classes in two other disciplines; this outing takes up seven hours total. In addition, he trains on his own and with a friend. So, easily upwards of 20 hours. Plus tournaments.
I guess I should have asked it this way....
Do you see martial arts as something your ds will continue after high school?
Did you think your dd would continue to ride horses, or did you suspect she would spend less time at the barn in late high school?
I'm asking because so many activities involve upfront costs for equipment, etc. How do you judge if it will be fleeting? (Or perhaps your ds didn't need to buy uniforms, sparring gear, mats, etc. )
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DD rode horses. In 9 and 10 th grade, she would spent 20+ hours at the barn.
Did that change in 11th and 12th? Did she ride, but not as much? Does she still ride?
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We make good overthinkers don't we? :D
Quite so! :cheers2:
Thanks so much for your post! I think I need to set up a similar flow to give structure to my
worriesthoughts. ;) That will be my goal for the evening. I'll use yours a template and adjust as needed. Thanks!-
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I've been doing lots of thinking and mulling over the posts. Thanks again, everyone! I wanted to respond to more of the posts, but haven't had a chance to yet.
The situation seems to boil down to a big mix of money, time, teen needs and wants, parental needs and wants, downtime vs. free time, and the reality that we sometimes don't really know what will make us happiest. What if what we think is freeing will, in reality, weigh us down? What if the opposite is true? What if what we think is a time sucking activity will, in truth, give us wings?
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I try really hard not to think about how much time and money we spend supporting her desire to run away with the circus.
:lol: :smilielol5: :laugh:
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This may not be what the OP is looking for, but I thought someone might find it useful.
Our main chemistry textbook this year was Investigating Chemistry: A Forensic Science Approach. It was written by a community college professor, so high school is probably the earliest I would recommend it for most students. True crime investigations and the science used in them are the basis for introducing beginning chemistry. It was the perfect chemistry book for us.
We didn't finish it because it covered more than a high school entry level chemistry class. My daughter read most, if not all of it, but she didn't actively study every single chapter.
I contacted the publisher to access online student resources and teacher's manual.
So grateful to have found it! Maybe someone else will find it a good fit as well.
Ack! I just realized I wrote the title incorrectly. It should read:
Investigating Chemistry: A Forensics Science Perspective
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He is definitely more fit now with 5 hours badminton and 2 hours walking to get there and back! Plus, I'm gone when he has to get organised, so I don't have to watch the rushing around part. And I don't have to nag. Plus, best of all it is only about $200 per year!
:svengo:
Decisions would be so much easier if that were the case in my situation!!
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So he gets lots of fresh air, time in nature, and exercise during his commutes. A win in so many ways!
I just remembered something I posted a few weeks ago in an effort to view our commutes in a more positive light...how quickly I forget...
The commute time is when we plan to listen to the Great Courses Literature lectures. I'm almost positive we wouldn't sit and listen to them at home. The drive times are also often like mini road trips with lots of talking. The drives home are often particularly meaningful - maybe it's the quiet dark falling...
I'm feeling much better about the commutes since remembering that. Now just to sort out the rest of what I'm thinking...
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Well, I'm glad I thought to include it! It is so hard to know what questions to ask or what details to include.
It takes him:
30 minutes each way to walk to badminton 2x per week.
15 minutes each way for martial arts 2x per week
30 minutes each way for string group and chamber music group 1x per week (they are at same location back to back)
I drive him to music lessons which are 15 minutes away.
So his commute time (walking) is 4 hours per week. and mine is 30 minutes plus sitting in the car for 2 hours (I do physics!)
He would rather walk than bike as the city streets are a bit hard to navigate safely, and badminton is up and over a hill through the woods or through a stinky tunnel! He would rather walk in the woods (these are the woods that are in multiple scenes in the Lord of the Rings so kind of pretty!)
So he gets lots of fresh air, time in nature, and exercise during his commutes. A win in so many ways!
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I am not sure exactly what you are asking either! But I think in my mind when I think about Extracurricular Passions, I have in mind things that are probably not going to be related to eventual work, but may be part of permanent avocational enjoyment.
Yes!
Thanks for helping me find words for some of my thoughts!
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If dd were in public school, she might feel hurried trying to fit in homework and practicing after school plus being on the road each weekend. With homeschooling, she has time to do school, practice, do crafts, and have down time almost every day to do whatever she chooses.
We've been discussing this recently - the difference between free time and down time. She needs to understand if she spends her free time doing lots of activities, she can't skip home responsibilities to have down time. If she wants more down time, she needs to factor that in to how she spends her free time.
I hope that makes sense.
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I should also note that we live in the city, so ds walks to all his activities. This means that I am out of the picture and don't have to be in charge of getting him there.
Ruth in NZ
What a difference that must make! I cannot even imagine! Thanks for including that oh so important detail. Our EC's involve an hour round trip drive or longer. It rarely makes sense for me to return home while she's there because I would then be driving during rush hour and would be in the car 2.5-3 hours total for the day. Obviously yours is a very different scenario...
The devil is in the details...
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Thanks, Arcadia!
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I'm not sure what I'm asking! ;) I appreciate any and all thoughts. :)Sorry WMA, I'm reading posts too fast these days. I just realized that you asked about extracurricular passions.
Feel free to put your post back! I really appreciated it!
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I'm not sure why I felt the need to specify nonacademic extracurriculars. Did I think academic ones happen in a vacuum and don't take up time and energy? :confused1: I can't remember now... Hmmm.... What exactly is a nonacademic extracurricular anyway? Maybe that whole concept is irrelevant to the discussion...
Thanks for the responses so far. I'm not quite sure what I'm thinking, but reading through the posts I feel better knowing I'm not the only one struggling... I'm not sure what the goal is. What is a non-hurried child? Where is the line? Is it if the child is stressed? Is that what makes the child hurried?
Still thinking and processing the posts...
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Can I turn Hewitt's Conceptual Physics into a regular physics class?
in High School and Self-Education Board
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We've decided to continue with Conceptual Physics as a spine, with lots of math and other extras.
As a supplement or possibly second core text, we're adding a college level text to make physics more interesting and relevant for my dd. There are a surprising number of books with various angles from which to study physics. This thread originally sent me into a panic, but eventually led me to think beyond Knight and Giancoli. For that, I am grateful!
There is even a book titled The Physics of Rugby. Who knew?