Bump.

I use Homeschool Tracker and you can assign everything a point value. I give daily work a small value and grade it based upon completion of the assignment. I do work on correcting anything they missed, but don't count off if they tried. To me, that is what daily work is for...practice. I grade quizzes, tests, writing assignments, and projects. Daily work might receive a 5 or 10 point value. Quizzes usually receive about a 25 point value. Tests get a 100, along with final writing assignments and projects.

At a science museum, my dd got to try making a short movie with "stop motion" photography. We think it is called that anyway. She would set up a scene, take a picture, move the pieces slightly, take another picture, and so on. Then she could play them back as a movie. Does anyone know what technology it would take to do this at home? Can you use digital cameras or digital camcorders, or does it take something else? I would appreciate any advice! Thanks.

Thanks for posting this question. I'm watching for all the responses because my dd struggled with this last year. She hasn't had to do that kind of writing so far this year, but it's coming.

In Georgia, we have monthly attendance forms to send in. I keep track on Homeschool Tracker. We have 49 thus far. I always try to have 90 in by Christmas break. My dh teaches school and works 190 days. I start when he does and that allows me to take all his breaks plus 10 extra days off. We started the very first of August and like to be done the end of May. I took a calendar of the whole year (printed on one page) and highlighted the days we would definitely take off, so I could figure when I wanted to take those 10 extra days.

His mother is not mad at me. She said she deals with the same attitude. He's always "gotten it" at the last minute and brought his grades up, so it reinforces him thinking he doesn't really need help. She's going to find him another tutor. I am too busy to deal with attitudes like that. I was doing this to help her out, but to also earn a little extra for Christmas. I did talk to her about feeling that this whole thing is a prideful and serious heart issue. We all have our issues that we have to work through in this life. Some take longer than others, unfortunately. The thing that disturbs me the most is he went to the professor to say he didn't feel he was ready for the class. The prof gave him 6 problems to do and said if he couldn't then he wasn't ready. He missed 4 of the 6. The dean he had to go to would not let him drop the class. How can that be? If the professor says he's not ready, then they should let him drop or transfer to another class. I wonder if this dean wants homeschool, dual enrollees to fail. It seems at least a little like it could be that. When almost all the students failed the first test, the professor is now giving them examples of problems just like they will be on the test. GOOD GRIEF!!!! They are even watering down college! :banghead: Thanks for all the support from everyone. This was the first place I thought to go to because I knew I would get honest opinions. I think we all need a little of that in our lives.

I've thought about asking this same thing. I'm so glad someone did. My dd is 11.5 and it's amazing how she can just "explode" over "nothing". I know it isn't nothing to her, though. My biggest problem is that I really didn't act that way as a teen and pre-teen, so I don't really understand it. I've asked my mother and she says I didn't. My older sister was very rebellious, so she had lots of issues. She also became an alcoholic for 19 years, though. I remember her outbursts, and my dd's aren't NEARLY that bad. She got angry just 2 days ago because of some schoolwork. We were at the table and I asked her to go do her independent schoolwork in her room. I realized that I was getting upset (my own hormonal issues were at play!). I also didn't want her acting that way in front of her brother. I told her she could come and ask me if she had questions. It really helped me and her, too. I'm trying to be understanding, but I don't think hormones ever justify being disrespectful. I do know that my own reaction can further hers. I'll gladly take any help/ideas offered here!

We are Christians, and my dd is very strong in her beliefs and was by 8. She is a very independent thinker, though, and doesn't follow the crowd. As far as music, we do listen to contemporary Christian and do allow some secular that's wholesome (some of the Disney stuff). We watch TV, but are selective (the kids can watch a few things on PBS, Disney, and Nick). We're big fans of Man vs. Wild and the Food Network, also. We screen all movies on Focus on the Family website. We are most concerned about language, sexual references, disrespectful attitudes. I believe that modest dress is important, but that doesn't mean you can't be stylish. My dd loves Limited Too. She doesn't wear short shorts or 2 piece bathing suits. If a shirt is slightly low cut, she puts a cami under it. I think she would dress pretty close to what we want. I don't like most shirts with spaghetti straps and that's probably the one thing she would wear. I know I would feel the same about these things even if I wasn't religious, though. My husband really appreciates the modesty. He says he doesn't get dads letting their daughters dress the way some of them do. He remembers being a teen boy, and the more skin he saw the more he had temptation to "lust". He is very visual (as most guys are). He said it was difficult being a Christian teen boy, because you have feelings you can't help, but you feel guilty thinking about sex all the time. I don't want our daughter to contribute to that any beyond what she can't help. I keep praying that fashion trends will go more modest before my ds hits puberty!!! Please don't portray us as mean, Bible-thumping people. I truly believe that, if we follow Christ, we should love all those around us, and help whenever we can. There are always those on the fringes of any belief (even atheists), that really just want power and control. Our church houses a food bank that anyone can come to for food, we sponsor an elementary school her that 97% of the kids are at or below the poverty level (school supplies, coats for winter, Christmas gifts for the entire student body, once a month fun day with inflatables and free food), we send many construction teams to build ramps and do repairs for elderly, help in areas after hurricanes and such, build schools and orphanages around the world. To me, those are things that we should be doing and most are. I hope this helps. I hope that the family will at least come to respect her religious beliefs (not that they have to embrace them). You have a golden opportunity to bridge the gap that seems to exist between these two groups in our society. I feel that every religion, except Christianity, seems acceptable in our society. Most of the world didn't like Jesus, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I just asked a student I am supposed to tutor to leave. He's actually doing dual enrollment at a local college. I met with him once to help with a pre-calculus test that he failed (made a 51). I realized from that test, he had many gaps in his learning of Algebra. There were topics he should have learned in Algebra 1 even. I suggested to his mother that we meet weekly to try and fill in those gaps. He plans on an engineering degree, so there can't be any gaps at all. I gave him an Algebra 2 book I have and planned on working every week with him to cover all the topics in it. He came today with an "attitude". I started grading what he had done, and he had missed a few of the problems. He said that he didn't want to do this, and he was mad. He said he can't do math when he's mad. He said he didn't want to do the Algebra 2, only what he's doing in class, which I also planned on tutoring. I told him it wasn't his fault (it was really curriculum choices that caused the gaps and schools not finishing the books, etc.). I think his whole attitude is to just pass the test. I told him he can't if he wants an engineering degree and that he'll need to be able to do this stuff in his sleep. He argued with me some more and I asked him to leave. I have enough stress in my life without adding in someone else's kid. He seems very prideful to me, and that's not a good combination with me. I've tutored a lot of people over the years and never had someone act like they didn't really need much help. Was I wrong?

My 11 yo dd isn't the most motivated either. Here's the usual requirements. These change if we have a field trip day. Bible: 5 days (not always the curriculum, sometimes just reading for ancient history) Math: 5 days English: 5 days Science: 3 days History: 4 days Handwriting: 3 days Reading: she spends hours EVERY day doing this! Vocab: (starting after Christmas break) will do it 3-4 days per week. We aren't starting the vocabulary program until after Christmas because she had a lot of outside obligations this fall. She began sewing, is taking piano, and has the lead role in a production at our church. I also wanted ds reading more before we started it together.

I can definitely understand where you are coming from; however, as a graduate of a Christian College, I don't feel that most of my classes "indoctrinated" me. I was a math and business major. There were religious classes and services. You definitely felt that you had a common bond with the other students. Most subjects, even on a religious campus, are still secular in nature. There were non-Christians from the community who attend because it was a very good school. Our pre-med program had one of the highest acceptance rates to medical school among private colleges. We also had one of the best music departments as well. I did not receive any federal money to go to college. My father was denied the chance to attend college, and he would not allow me to apply for aid. I did receive academic scholarships, but he paid for all the rest. If I had received it, I would have felt that finally my Dad got a little something back for all the years of paying in taxes. We get so few choices on how our tax dollars are spent. This has seemed one area where we at least get some choice with it. The benefit of many in our society receiving a higher education must surely far outweigh the "harm" that might come from some attending religious institutions. Besides, I'm sure there are many forms of "indoctrination" that take place at secular universities. Are secular university professors going to have to keep their religious or non-religious beliefs out of their conversations and teaching? You really can't separate a person from what they believe. It always finds a way out of the heart.

My ds is 5 and weighs 45 pounds and is 45 inches tall. He won't be 6 until May. I hate to say this, but he hasn't had a well check up in 2 years, so I'm not sure where he falls on charts. He's continuing to get taller and need new clothes, so I think he's fine. He's a picky eater, and constantly moving. He has always worn the clothes size of his age. My 11 yo dd was always in the 90th-95th percentile. She'll be 12 in March and she's all ready 5'3'' and wears a size 8 and 8.5 shoe. Unless she isn't continuing to grow, I wouldn't worry. If you go a long time without having to get larger sizes, then I would wonder.

We really enjoy these, and none of them take very long, especially the Fiesta Soup. I keep the stuff for that around for anytime I need something really quick. White Chicken Chili 1 med. Onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 c. fresh cilantro, chopped 2 tsp. canola oil 2 cans great northern beans (15 oz.) 1 c. chicken, cooked and diced Salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste Chicken broth (add for consistency you want) Saute the first 4 ingredients for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 30 minutes. Fiesta Soup 1 can black beans (15 oz.) 1 can whole kernel corn (11 oz.) 1 can Rotel Original (10 oz.) Fresh Cilantro, to taste Ground Cumin, to taste Stir together and simmer over med-low heat for 15 minutes. Heidleburg Soup 1 16 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables (you could choose whatever veggies your family will eat) 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced 1 large onion, chopped Water to more than cover the above 3 combined in large pot 2 chicken bouillon cubes 2 cans cream of celery soup 8 oz. velveeta, cut into small cubes Pepper to taste Boil the first three ingredients until potatoes are tender. Make sure you have water left in pot. Add the bouillon and soup. Heat on medium until bouillon cubes have melted. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cheese slowly, allowing the pieces to melt before adding more. Stir continually until all cheese is melted, being careful to not scorch.

I don't think they are deadly, but will cause you a lot of pain. I asked the guy who came to do our termite contract inspection, and he's the one who told me. We've had a problem with them outside our house. In May we found one in the grill and 3 just under our vinyl. Thankfully, I've seen them hanging out just enough to see them. We've also had them in our sprinkler system valve turn-on/off. We don't leave shoes anywhere outside, and we keep the inside ones on shoe racks off the floor anyway. Our termite guy said people should always check shoes and clothes that have been hanging up and not worn for a longer period of time.

I often find online study guides by just searching the book title with the word study guide. My dd has read several books this year for which I've found several things online. I've found discussion questions, vocabulary lists, printables, and even tests. Walden Media has made a lot of books into movies and have study/classroom guides for most of them. I also have her do several book reports a year. I have a book, "Good Apple and Reading Fun" for grades 3-7. It has a list of 100 ways to do a book report. Each time I let her choose 5 different types that appeal to her, then I tell her which of the 5 to actually complete. Another thing it suggests is making your own games for reading. I'm thinking about having my dd make a board game for her next book. She would have to include trivia questions in the game in some format. I hope this helps!

I need a suggestion, please?!?! I am trying to put together my own lapbook for studying Spanish. I've found lots of printables on www.ziggityzoom.com and www.HomeEducationResources.com. One thing I found on ziggity was a set of matching cards for numbers in Spanish. They are about 1 inch square and there are 3 per number. One has the number, one has the word in English, and the other is the word in Spanish. Does anyone have an idea how I could put these in a mini-book? There are numbers 1 through 10, so 30 little cards. I'm still new to this whole thing. I can't think what would be the best format. Thanks for any help! Amy

I have done it in the past, but am out of the habit. I want to get back to it soon. Here's a website with a lot of recipes. http://www.30daygourmet.com/ Seeing this post on here has me thinking about seriously starting again. I have a freezer space issue. We only have the top of our refrigerator. Right now I have corn from my Dad and blueberries we picked this summer that are taking up quite a bit of room. Good luck!

You can get as little or as much as you need at PetSmart. Do you have those in your area? It's not very expensive.

I'm not sure about the 5 year law, but a lot of times they are actually receiving money for their children is my understanding. I used to work in higher risk lending before having my children. I actually took a credit application one time on a lady with $3k a month income, ALL from the government. I think she had 6 children, but it may have been more. It was all I could do to not scream at my desk!! I think that seeing those who don't need help getting it, and those who need help not getting it has convinced me that the government should do as little as possible in running anything. I don't trust it to do anything very well anymore. I think the true problem lies in the heart of people. If a person is honest, hard working, and has integrity, they won't ask for help unless they really need it. We can't mandate people to become ethical. That has to come from within. All I can do is pray for people, help when I can, and try to live my life as honest and hard working as I can. I have wondered if people stopped giving and helping those in need as much when the government started doing more for the poor. Did we take the attitude of "the government is all ready taking my tax dollars to help the poor, so I don't have to anymore"? I haven't researched the start of welfare very much, but did neighbors and churches help people more before it began? I can't speak for all churches, but ours does a lot to help. We have a food bank that anyone can come to, there are no requirements to be met. We sponsor a school here that has 97% of the kids at or below the poverty level. We buy school supplies. We're donating coats to all the kids. We do shoe box Christmas gifts to the entire student body. We send out construction teams to places after hurricanes and storms. We help many in financial need. If we all, churches and non-church goers, did things like this, maybe the government wouldn't have to do as much. My mind is filled with thoughts on all this today.

I think you are the perfect example of people that should get help from the government. My sister has been trying to get disability for 3.5 years and still hasn't been able to do so. She was assistant vp of a mortgage company and sold PartyLite practically full time when she had nerve damage happen in a surgery. She would be at work tomorrow if she could. She's 47 and almost an invalid at times. I guess they won't give it to her because it was a "desk job", but how do they expect her to make decisions with hundreds of thousands of dollars with days of not sleeping from the pain? How do they expect her to drive to any job under circumstances like that? Sorry for the rant!

I totally agree with you! I think it's been proven that government handouts are not a hand-up. There are generations of families on welfare. We live in a county that has the most government assisted housing in our state. We also have the highest teen pregnancy rate, and one of the highest drop out rates in the state as well. My dh teaches at the high school here. He teaches all regular classes (no AP or Honors). Most are on free or reduced lunches. So many of his students do seem to have an attitude that the world "owes" them something, along with poor work ethics. What was amazing to us after he went there was that so many on the free and reduced lunches had such nice Ipods, phones, shoes, and clothes. He didn't even have a phone himself until I got him a pre-paid phone last Christmas. I think if you deal with all sides of poverty, you begin to see that there are many reasons for it to exist. Some are just people who have fallen on hard times. Some are poor because of their own choices and laziness. I believe we should help those in need, but not those just looking for a hand-out.

I got this book through our library. Pyramids! 50 Hands-on Activities to Experience Ancient Egypt. It has lots of great ideas. We did an Ancient Egypt Day with friends. We made Egyptian jewelry, did Hieroglyphics, made Senet board games and played the game, and had a feast (grapes, figs, apples, honey flat bread, falafel (found a mix at Kroger), date candy, pomegranate and grape juice. We also had an artifact scavenger hunt. We put copies of pictures of artifacts and descriptions of them in lunch bags, then hid them in the yard. The kids had to find them and match them up as we read about each one. It was a lot of fun!

My 6th dd doesn't have quite as quick recall as I'd like yet, either; however she is better. The freerice.com website now has multiplication tables on it. I did let her use tables during daily work last year, but not on quizzes and tests. The more she sees and uses them, the more likely she will be to retain them. I think it would be better for her to constantly be seeing the correct thing, than remembering them wrong in her head. My daily grades are based on completing the assignment. If she misses too many in an assignment, I may have her go back and do some more. The only time she gets points off is on a quiz or test. Long division has been my dd's nemesis. She is better at it than she used to be. Perhaps you could take a break from the TT, just to review basic facts and skills. Why don't you drill her over all the tables (not in order) and make a list of what she doesn't say right away? Then you'd know exactly which ones she needs to work on.

His writing is not so great. He has been doing "school" since he was 2. That's when I started homeschooling my dd, and he quickly wanted to join in. For 2 and 3, we learned the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes. He loves workbooks and devoured the same/different, pattern type books. I saw last year that writing was more of a struggle for him than it was my dd. I didn't push the issue since he was 4. He did learn quite a bit last year, though. When we started this year, I started full force with writing. He started "hating" his school work. This is my child who said to me at the end of last year's Christmas Break (after I told him we were starting back the next day), "Please, let's never stop again!!!!". I have modified what we are doing and it has helped tremendously. He writes some every day, but I let him answer quite a bit orally. I just don't think he has the fine motor skills yet, but a friend who teaches Kindergarten said many boys develop that later than girls. I'll be working on the Spanish over the next few weeks, so I could pm you what I find, or post it on here. Thanks!

Here is a site with many different templates for mini-books. http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/lapbooks.htm There are also free lapbook and unit studies. You can join this site for free and have access to templates and lapbook ideas. http://www.lapbooklessons.com/ I just started lapbooking and really enjoy it. I'm looking forward to looking at what others post.