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Thia

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    http://www.harvestofpearls.blogspot.com

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    Reading, crochet, music, writing, candles, cooking, baking, quiet...
  1. I forgot all about that book! I used to love it as a kid and am running off to add that to my Amazon list. Thanks for posting about this.
  2. I'm in my third round of Abeka phonics kindergarten. We sing the alphabet. I go through the flash cards for the letters they have learned so far, names and sounds. I introduce the new letter, if there is one. I do not do all the gimicky intro stuff though, like collecting items that begin with that sound etc. Then I do something to review/read words. I may use the flash cards to make blends, use the blend ladder book (I do not have the blend charts/cards), or use the Handbook for reading. My children enjoy the variety. When I feel like we've done enough for the day, we move on to the worksheet. I do not play any of the games. We don't sing the songs or recite the poems. I'm juggling three students and a 2.5 year old and find this method makes it manageable. I do refer to the TM to make sure I stay on some sort of schedule.
  3. My K'er does her copywork on her own. Her seatwork, I'm mostly at elbow or at least in the room. For first grade and up, I may be in the room (it's the kitchen, I may be doing chores) or I could be anywhere in the house. That said, I do go over all directions with them and let them ask questions before I set them free.
  4. Remember, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. My oldest will be on a third grade level next year and we are going to use a few guides. I'll pick a few books that will be used with guides, but the bulk of her reading will not be.
  5. Since the topic is already going...what brands are people having luck with and what brands are giving you problems? We're going to be buying one in the next few months and I really need to get researching. We need a BIG one. That's about all I know at this time.
  6. We used the RSO. As a stand alone, it won't work. It will work if you get the Usborne Internet Linked Science Encyclopedia. My kids enjoyed it. We bought the science kit that went with it and I always had everything I needed.
  7. Taxes are super high. Gas is super high. Utilities, food...super high. The over all economy is terrible. For each open job position there are a hundred applicants. That means that employers can treat their employees however they want. If one quits, they can just hire another. Not great working conditions. A lot of industry has left the area in the last decade. Not sure if you're a gun owner, but if so, you better check the new highly restrictive legislation. The crime keeps going up, there seems to be at least one shooting a day b/c the criminals don't turn their guns in for buybacks. Honestly, the weather is the least of that area's problems. On the up side, there are things to do there, as someone mentioned. And short drives will take to you some breathtaking places. The weather really isn't terrible. You'd want a four wheel drive vehicle and just keep a few extra staples around during the winter. Most people here know how to deal with snow and clean up is usually quick. Schools in the city are not great, the schools outside the city vary. Homeschooling in NY is not as terrible as people make it out to be. I know there are some Christian homeschool groups in the area, not sure about secular.
  8. Veritas Press might be good for you. There are cards that have a summary of the related Bible chapter(s) as well as suggestions for further study. The teacher's guide has questions, tests, and activities. It would be easy for you to only use what you feel is necessary. While nothing replaces just reading through the Bible, you might find it easier if you have some resources to help explain difficult part etc. There are many good books out there, I just think the cards might be best in allowing you to tweak it to your purpose.
  9. I didn't want to read and move on without saying something. I have not used the phonics program. I've used the history and Bible. It's easy to browse through the site and look at the reading lists to see if you're okay with the books used. While I think it would be easy to substitute literature selections, I think it would be impossible to change out spines for History. For the Bible, I'm not using one of the suggested books and we're doing okay. As far as WTM vs VP, there are many programs out there WTM people use, but they have to blend their programs together to make their curric. With your son so young, you have time to tweak your approach. I started using straight Abeka here and now, with a couple of years under my belt, I'm branching out with confidence. One thing you could do would be to use the search function here and plug in key words to see what threads there are.
  10. I guess I'm a finger licker, but only with foods I'm already eating with my hands. BBQ, wings, etc. Obviously, a sandwich is fairly easy to eat and doesn't require finger licking unless it's a subway sweet onion chicken sub with too much sauce on it. But I don't push my whole finger in my mouth, just from the side where the sauce is. And generally only when eating it at home. I think BBQ and wings...finger licking is expected no matter where you are. Better a small lick than a blob of sauce falling onto your lap (thinking picnic style). I honestly think there should be discretion on both sides. Lickers, don't shove your whole hand in your mouth like a toddler. Watchers...stop staring at people while they eat!
  11. We have several small ones...copy work, showing how to work math problems, phonics. Anything writing done during the time I am working with a child. If I feel like it, I will use the larger one hanging on the wall instead. During science/history I will write questions for them to answer or key words to discuss. Brainstorming too.
  12. I think one reason biology comes before chem in the higher levels is because of the needed math skills. Doing it that way allowed extra time to learn the math instead of the chem teacher teaching the science concept and the math skills to understand it.
  13. Okay, I can see now how it's not always just taking the easy way out. I think for us, we will stick to full length works, but I think there's a point in using the retellings as exposure . I'll have to think more about it.
  14. I'm looking at several different currics to pull together a literature plan for next year. My oldest will be doing third grade work. I'm finding a huge difference in where various programs place their books. For example, I have seen Little Women listed for third grade with one curric and sixth grade for another. I can understand this. What I'm not sure I grasp is the wide use of abridged editions. Why would I give her an abridged version of Swiss Family Robinson now instead of waiting a few years and letting her read the full edition? Is there any benefit of this? Surely there is enough age appropriate material to not chop up other books? Yes, I suppose you can tell that I hold a bias against abridged editions in general. I just want to know from more experienced homeschoolers if there is some benefit I am not seeing.
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