:iagree: This is a scone to me. I was a nanny for a British family for a while. :) Also, this is how I always see it in cookbooks, which I read a lot of. Now, don't you open up a can of worms on how to *pronounce* scone, or we may have WW3 on our hands. :tongue_smilie: Fried bread, in a big flat shape, topped with cinnamon, sugar, and sometimes other things like lemon juice, nutella, jam, etc., is called a Beaver Tail here. I'm in Canada.

bwwwahaaahahahahaha! My brain is melllllllting! :lol:

I would tell her that her retelling is great! Then I would say: There are many different styles that people can write in. This is a style that makes it sound as if the author is a storyteller with a live audience right in front of her, and she is talking directly to them. There are times when this style works--and I think you did a lovely job with it. There are times when such a casual, direct, storytelling style wouldn't actually fit the story or mood. We're going to practice other styles, too, so that you feel comfortable in many of them. _____ I think it's a good sign that she can mimic style so easily! Try reading a story in a completely different style, and challenge her to tell a story in a similar way. I wouldn't dissuade her from her way of telling, though... she's developing a style, which all writers have. And she's young. I suspect, with practice, you will see this style end up as just one style tool in her writer's toolbox.

Aww, thanks. It's *so* great to know that I'm not alone in feeling that!

:iagree: There is no reason every student cannot have the basic tools of drawing presented to them. With those tools, I believe *anyone* can make a thing look presentably like the thing it's meant to be. Anyone. Learning to draw has an awful lot to do with being taught how to "see" a 3-D object as a 2-D object from the artist's perception. Also, there are lots of tricks that can help drawings to look "right". All kids deserve to learn these things as part of a general tool belt for life! And, while creativity can't be taught, it can certainly be mimicked, and that can open doors to true creativity.

Sheesh... you think us emotional types *chose* to be the way we are? We sometimes have better things to do, too! :tongue_smilie:

I try very hard to not do it in front of others, but I do cry alone fairly often. Sad/happy/touching movies, books, theatre, dance, and even stirring music (with or without lyrics) can make me cry. I'm not just reacting to the actual medium--my heart is making connections with personal experiences and true stories I've heard. Sometimes the nature of the world just feels overwhelming to me. Mind you, sometimes I seek, on purpose, a good cleansing cry.

I agree with your assessment that it's probably a result of public school training that they're having difficulty. In WWE, the sentences are longer and often grammatically challenging (ie. very few straight subject-verb-complement sentences) plus there is a significant amount of difficult vocabulary, and some of it is even verging on archaic. I don't mean this in a negative way, I simply mean that many of the words aren't commonly used in today's society. It's still valuable to learn them. I don't think there's anything wrong with using WWE off the normal schedule. My own 10 year old was pulled out in grade 4, and I opted to start her with WWE2, which she is just finishing. I don't mind being "behind" because I know she is getting very valuable skills that weren't taught in PS. In your situation, I wouldn't feel I had wasted money... I'd just set the curriculum aside for a half a year and come back to it. Spend the next six months reading quality literature--it doesn't all have to be classic, but it should all be high-quality (more challenging vocab and sentence structure, as well as the introduction of "big ideas" such as compassion, hope, wisdom, and so on.) Discuss at length. Get them excited by doing lit extensions for some books, such as looking up places on the globe, cooking, art, whatever. The more excited they are, the more motivated they are to place themselves *in* the story, despite any challenging language. Meanwhile, begin using reasonably simple passages (maybe something short from the Ramona books or something by Dick King-Smith) and helping them to narrate back. I sometimes give a few first words to guide the narration--it seems to get them "unstuck". Then, when they've been immersed in this for a half a year or so, go back and gently guide them through WWE1. Assistance and modeling is fine! That's part of the learning. :)

A 2-minute dash to the mailbox -- age 3. A 5 - 10 minute dash to the (extremely close) store -- about age 7. We haven't done anything close to an hour yet. She's 10 now, and I think I would do an hour at about age 11 if she feels ready. As for the car, I probably did super quick dashes at pretty much any age. If it's going to be 5 or 10 minutes, I think around age 9. I remember being left in the car to babysit 3 siblings while my mom shopped. I think I must have been 9 or 10 and it felt like at least 1/2 hour sometimes, maybe more, but it was a common thing.

How about Ellen McHenry's Mapping the World With Art as a backbone?

Mine went to bed around 9:00, but probably not to sleep until 9:30 or 9:45.

My grandma has been extremely nurturing in my life and was like a mother to me in some ways. She taught me and inspired me (without knowing). I think the other ingredient is instinct, or some other innate quality. My baby was born, and all this nurturing came out. I'm much more so than my own mom.

I might give him the words he asks for on a piece of scrap paper (without saying anything), so he can see them visually--this way the auditory memory of the sentence is not disturbed. As a bonus, seeing the word may help the spelling stay in his mind long term. I would never give a spelling orally letter by letter. At the least, I would go sound by sound. For example, if the word was church, I might ask him to make the sounds, or I'd say "/ch/ /er/ /ch/ When you hear the /er/, it's the one spelled U R. " That way, it's not just a long string of fairly meaningless letters, but rather a tool for him to use sound to assist with spelling more and more independently.

Decaf English Breakfast with a hint of sugar and a shot of fresh lemon.

Because improvisation and composition are closely linked, I would get him a good self-teaching book on improvisation. I think it will open the door to a lot of ideas, which he can then refine and write down if desired. Here's one way to start the composing process: Start with something. It can be an image, a poem, an idea... then create a melody that fits it. Refine, and add a chord structure to fit the melody. Then, do variations with the melody--turn it upside down; make it minor; change the time signature and rhythm; and so on. Add these variations to the first part. At the end, come back to the original melody/chords.

If you haven't seen Phantom, I feel like it's a must-see. Also Lion King and JCS. Is Rent playing anywhere? That's an awesome one.

This post hits home for me. I have a close family member who believed this. She was so big on staying with this abusive guy to keep up appearances, and because she wanted her kids to share the same father (despite his abusiveness), and because her "new normal" was at such an incredibly low level that I think she almost believed the things he said and thought that was the only life for her. Of course, those children have been badly hurt by staying and watching and listening. The physical side had almost disappeared once the children were old enough to notice, but the horrible mental and emotional abuse continued and completely changed my family member--who she is, how she thinks, even what she looks like. She is simply no longer the girl we knew. The physical stuff may harm in the moment, but the mental stuff still causes a long, slow death--don't doubt it for a second. And the scars transfer down to the next generation. It's insidious.

I'm Canadian, and I've seen it in school offices, church, and other places. One of my best friends is sensitive to the point that she is very sick. I can't take strong and/or cheap perfumes or highly scented products myself, or feel headachy and can't think clearly. It's not fun. I do think it's becoming more common, and I also, like a pp, believe its from an overload placed on our bodies. I used to be able to wear perfume and be around it as a teen. No longer.

Oh my goodness, I remember that exact story! It was in one of those big story collections, and each of them had a strong moral point. My dentist's office had that book. And THAT was my favourite story of all!

I have a number of the Usborne art books (but not this particular one) and I LOVE them all! I always find them fun, interesting, and inspiring. Keep in mind, they're not lesson books. But you could go through and just pick an art project each time. I always love the results! Usborne is one of my favourite book companies by far.

Well, I just spent the last hour practicing Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique on the piano, which is its own kind of fun. But if I could be *anywhere*, I might have to choose floating on the water with a snorkel following the giant sting rays around at Discovery Cove.

I was one of those kids that actually fell down the stairs in my walker. I should use that as an excuse more often! "Oops, sorry I stuck my foot in my mouth again--I was a walker kid." "Oh, sorry I couldn't do my taxes--I was a walker kid." :tongue_smilie:

My dd10 is getting her own compass, plus a little orienteering treasure hunt I'll write up for her to follow using the compass. Also some sour ju-jubes and Kinder egg (perfectly legal here in Canada! :D:D )

Me tooooo! The people I went to the theatre with were making fun of me. :glare: Don't even get me started about the fireworks at Disney (and Epcot). Tears just streamed the entire time. My daughter thought I was nuts. :tongue_smilie: And now most of you probably will too. :D

Super post!