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AFarmhouseFull

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  1. Can I just say EVERYTIME I stray from SOTW ciricculum I come running back and enjoy it even more! But the mapwork....I just haven't found the best way to use it. I was wondering if any of you have suggestions. I LOVE the mapwork. I think it reinforces geography very well. I have actually really learned a lot over the 4 years we have used it. Currently I have 3 students who participate in the mapwork for volume 4 (6th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader who has dyslexia and still is struggling with reading fluency and handwriting is a chore as he leans toward mirror image writing some of the time still). Anyhow, because the directions are not typed on the page I read them aloud but I tend to have one student ready to move on to the next one while the other is still writing which makes for idle hands (NOT GOOD!LOL!) Also, what atlas you you use for them to locate the answers? Because a lot of the mapwork is time sensitive a modern map is not enough (Between WWI and WWII borders changed more times than I care to count!) I think the BEST option would be to work through it with them on the white board large enough for them to see so they can catch up at the end if needed without me having to come back and read the direction to them again. But to copy all the maps on oversized paper would be tedious and EXPENSIVE... Any other solutions so that they can either do it independantly or how we could do it as a group without doing all the extra work? Thanks in advance! Nic
  2. My oldest son will be entering his 6th grade year of homeschooling and we have used Rod and Staff for English since 2nd grade. I have read (in The Well Trained Mind) that with that particular curriculum there is no need for an additional writing program. I am not sure how I feel about this since I think he should be writing more..... I guess my question is this: If you are familiar with Rod and Staff past the 5th grade would you add in additional writing lesson? Why or why not? If so, how many times a week/hours a week would you practice this subject? Thanks, Nic
  3. I have bouts of self doubt and I am in the middle of one right now. I have a 3rd grader and I am not sure how to go about teaching creative writing, book reports or just general writing. We use Rod and Staff for English and he is getting a good grasp of grammar, but we haven't done any writing, per se. Should I supplement with a writing program and if so, which ones do you recommend? How do I teach it? What is expected from a 3rd grader? I feel confident in the other subjects because I sort of follow the set curriculum and feel we have an encompassing core that is complete. Language Arts is just different it isn't a "this is right and this is wrong/check the answer book" subject and I am needing to get started with it. Right now this is what my 3rd grader is doing for LA: *Reading daily in assigned books (right now it is the Boxcar Children) for about 30-50 minutes. * Rod and Staff Spelling, Grade 3 * A Reason for Handwriting, Cursive * Rod and Staff Grammar, Grade 3 * One chapter a day in a Literature book that I choose (right now it is "On the Shores of Silver Lake") What do you do for language arts? Is it hard to teach creative writing? How do I start! Thanks, Nic
  4. My oldest are coming to an age (6-1/2, 9) that they are not interested too much with toys anymore and I am hearing "I am bored" more and more often. Even when we have another homeschool family over (we have 5 kids 9, 6, 5, 3, 1 and theirs are 9, 7, 5) they seem to be "bored". I don't feel like I need to entertain my kids - they should be able to come up with something to keep themselves busy on their own for the most part. It seems like the smaller kids are better at doing that though (with toys, etc). They have plenty of chores (live on a hobby farm) and I don't think they need anymore and we are not a big TV family. What types of things interest your kids at that age? (we live in the country and I am can not drive into town everyday) What sort of things do they do with their friends? card games? When your kids have friends do they complain they are bored? Keep in mind it is January in the (rural) Midwest right now which more than likely means 30mph winds and temps of about 6 (wind chill below zero!) which means most of what we are doing right now is indoors AND I am toting a 3 year old and a 15 month old with me while doing things.
  5. She isn't happy at all in a carrier. She loved them until she learned to walk at about 9 months. Now she is super busy and won't stir still that long.
  6. I have a 16 month old that is/was very much the same! Her naps were non-existent and I swore she could "sense" I was up. No matter what time I got up she "knew" and would wake up screaming. I always like to have at least a few minutes before I am bombed with children in the morning LOL!. I did get a suggestion that worked WONDERS when she was little, and although I don't do it anymore (she has gotten accustomed to longer sleep periods now, although she can still sense when I wake up ;)! ). A friend told me to use "white noise" I just used a radio. She went to sleep with noise and since it was ongoing she didn't wake up at the drop of a hat anymore. I have 4 other (loud) children and so my house was NEVER 100% quiet. Also, I had to understand that her sleep patterns were different than the rest of my kiddos. She was at only 1 nap at about 8 or 9 months and before then it was a couple 45 minute ones scattered through out the day (sometimes 2 or 3), but never too consistent until she was only on one nap (at about 12-1pm).
  7. I have a 16 month old who is into everything!!! She is the most inquisitive of all of my 5 kids. She is also the LOUDEST. She screams just to hear herself do so and she is starting to scream as well when she doesn't get what she wants. There is NO talking over her. I can't expect the kids to concentrate when she is being "screamy" and I sure as heck can't teach anything that involves me talking to them - I can't hear them and they can't hear me. Has anyone been successful at breaking the habit of screaming with their young toddler. She is an early talker and began to do this screaming thing (not necessarily mad screaming, just "singing" screaming at 11 months. I thought it would pass, but it has not yet and I am DONE with it.! LOL! Should I just place her in a playpen in the other room until she finishes?
  8. Wendy K - Do you mind me asking some of your guides that you are using. I like your approach; using it as a springboard to further study with "living" books, experiments, etc. swellmama - what is NOEO stand for? I am DEFINITELY not a textbook/worksheet homeschooling parent although I like the structure of "what" to cover. Other than using it as a guide, textbooks/workbooks just aren't my thing. Way to dull for me (and my kids). Some subjects I will (and do use them for) because, lets face it, Math, Grammar, Handwriting and Spelling sort of require them (unless you are super organized and creative to think up ways to cover those NEEDED skills well enough). But for History and Science I think the key is to whet an appetite and to let your child's curiousity work to your advantage. History used to BORE THE CRUD out of me in school and know it is SO interesting to me (because it isn't being force fed to me in bite size, uninteresting facts).
  9. I AM a little afraid that science will slip by the way side without having a main "spine", but so far I have found NOTHING that is interesting and fun that I like....any suggestions welcome. God's design just tends to be too wordy - like "giving a haircut over the phone" sort of thing. Something seemingly easy to see or understand becomes WAY to complicated with too much wording, no pictures or diagrams. For my kids ages I am not to worried about it not being enough though - I was a high honor student and I have learned more in a week or two of studying something that interests me than my whole 12 years in school! Keep the ideas coming I am enjoying reading what you are doing/suggesting!
  10. I have finally decided to go with my gut and throw aside my "formal" science curriculum in lieu of nature walks, whole books, science experiments and science documentaries. My kids were bored, I was bored and science was NOT too intriguing to say the least! I was thinking back to when (in the summer) my oldest got interested in whales and he learned more than I could have ever teach him because we learned it in a fashion that wasn't forced or formal. I would love to go with that for science since I think the that science presents itself EVERYWHERE if you are looking (and curious!) . Have any of you done this? How did it work out? If you do nature walks: walk me through one! Step. By. Step. BTW, my kids are 9yo boy(3rd), 6 yo girl (1st grade) 5 yo old boy (Pre-K/K), and two more "along for ride" 3 yo girl and 15 mo old girl. Thanks, Nic
  11. Thanks, I am going to look into L and M right now! Sounds pretty on par for what I am looking for!
  12. I am looking for a DVD based curriculum for teaching my 9 and possibly 6-1/2 year old piano and guitar. We are starting from scratch here so something that is self teaching, easy, and slow would be perfect. My 6-1/2 year old daughter picks things up really fast and will be working with a full size keyboard and an upright piano. My son wants to learn guitar (acoustic) and work his way up to electric in a few years. We have always wanted to get them private lesson but it has never been in the budget. I am tired of putting music off until we can afford a good teacher because we may never end up doing it. Any info, recommendations would help as I am "musically challenged" (Lol) myself. Thanks"
  13. My oldest two are (just turned) 9 and 6-1/2 and I am thinking about beginning keyboarding with them (at least the oldest). I am looking for a self teaching software/games/etc. that will teach them the hand placement, give them plenty of practice and then move them to more of a "mastery" level to hone their new skill. If you DO in fact teach keyboarding to your children now: What age do you start your children on typing/keyboarding? What program do you use? What are the pros and cons of that specific program?
  14. Didn't have time to read ALL the other post, but read the first page or so of them. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE History. It is, by far, their favorite subject. The key, for my kids at least, is good fiction literature to accompany the things and tangible stuff (crafts, projects, field trips, photos, youtube videos). SOTW has a GREAT list of fiction literature that goes along with the the reading. Also, once their appetite is whet, then it is just a matter of letting them devour the non-fiction information at the library - we end up with WAY too many books. I let them look at them during quiet time or when I am cooking dinner, or before bed. Also, I will agree that my kids HATED the audio tapes! I have to admit, I did as well. While he has a "soothing" voice it is one that tends to be tuned out easily. My kids have a MUCH better comprehension level when I read and elaborate, explain or enhance with changes in tones words and parts of the story. While the book is Christian, it is so diverse that I am don't think it would impede their study because of it (if you are not a Christian). Religion is part of history, actually, a big part of history, therefore I think it is proper to include it in the study of history instead of separating and compartmentalizing it. That said, we ARE Christians and love the Christian feel of this book. So to sum up: Read, discuss, find some interesting stuff to look at/make, and read some good quality fiction literature that is interesting and you will not be able to stop them from wanting to know more and seeking more information on their own. Hope this helps -Nic
  15. Yeppers! I guess we have to remember that we are doing the full time work of a SAHM (chores, meals, budgeting, cleaning-for-a-house-in-CONSTANT-use, laundry, driver, etc!!!) and the work of a full time teacher (who happens to be teaching SEVERAL grades WHILE trying to keep toddlers and babies at bay AND who doesn't have the help of a janitors, a school nurse, cooks, librarians and substitute teachers!) Yep, a busy and full life - but one worth every second!
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