Xanadu
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Posts posted by Xanadu
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This is the link to the homeschool pricing
http://www.kosjourney.com/home-plan-signup
This is the link to video explaining how the teacher who developed the game (in an actual schoolroom) helped develop it for a web based game.
http://www.kosjourney.com/pages/reviews
and here is link showing what they are working on (new release this fall..scroll all the way down)
http://www.imagineeducation.org/about/
I've been researching since I first posted....I think i may give it a try...It looks like alot of fun!!! and Fun/Math is always a good mix. (Kinda like LOF in a game environment for visual learners)
*I'm seriously not affiliated with these people at all....but heard about it from a friend (they use it in the public schools here, with alot of success/excitement from the kids)
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I did a search for this program here on the forum but nothing come up.
Has anyone used/tried this program???
They offer an individual/Homeschool purchase option. But I tend to run everything thru a WTM filter before adding it to our curriculum...lol
I like the idea of a virtual game that is based on math.
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I love letting the kids attend school in their pajamas.
We are not morning people.....so letting the kids move slowly in the morning instead of rushing them to be awake by 6am, dressed by 7am and out the door by 8am means they spend more time learning and less time fighting to stay awake. I don't sweat the small stuff. My only morning rule with regard to appearance is hair & teeth are brushed before we start lessons.......
They do eventually get dressed for the day....:lol:
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It was cool enough for long sleeves today and we discovered (after many tears and thrown clothing) that my daughter (6) has no winterish type clothing that still fits. It doesn't help that she has clothing sensitivities and refuses to wear anything *fitted* or *tight*.
We tried shirts first....no good
So then we decided to try pants.....nada.....
(and she is a typical 6 year old, not petite but not overweight either)
Mini-Rant: I'm so tired of the low cut/tight fit style of girl clothes being manufactured now....(please explain to me why a 6 year old needs low-rise anything??? Or a skin tight cami shirt???)
Clothes used to be sized so you could get more wear/years out them. Now they are so close fitted/tight you get one season if you are lucky.
So now I'm off to the thrift stores to find some long sleeved shirts and pants (boy's dept) that will have some wear in them.
I even bought some new clothes last year on clearance, for this year, a size larger...(I tend to do that every year to get more bang for the buck)..now all these *new* items are going into a donation bag, and I'm off to hunt for a full wardrobe bargain.
The Irony is she is *sized* according to a typical 6x/7. I sew her patchwork apron dresses in funky/fun artsy prints all the time and my patterns (which I buy) are based on standard children's measurements. But under these she wears long sleeved t-shirts and jeans or leggings. (She gets the girly look she wants with the rough and tumble ability all kids need...I call it bottom dollar boutique and more importantly she is comfortable)
But all the 6x/7 shirts/pants I have are impossibly small after washing just once, the size 8's are short on her trunk and only the 10/12 are loose and comfortable (not fitted), even though the arms are way too long. (If I put her in boy equivalents she's a standard 6/7..its the girl sizing that is crazy) I should mention all of these are 100% cotton, so some shrinkage is expected, but not like this.
Anyone else having this much trouble with girl clothing????
I'm off to hunt a bargain and hopefully score some winter clothing....Usually we go into winter needing to add more pieces, but never have I had to get EVERYTHING new (or in the case of thrift store shopping new to her..:tongue_smilie:)
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Coconut scented shampoo. Sauve has a cheap one.
:iagree:
Suave Coconut Conditioner (as a leave in) and Peppermint Essential Oil doctored detangling spray kept both of my kids lice free through several classroom infestations when they were in public school.
(To make the spray: Add a few drops of Peppermint EO to a bottle of premade de-tangling spray...it will TINGLE so don't use much!!!!!!
Or make your own spray by adding coconut conditioner to water w/ a few drops of the Peppermint EO in any old spray bottle...I go through so much de-tangler around here its easier to make my own..lol)
Lice hate the scent of both coconut and peppermint....Peppermint was often used during the middle ages to treat all kinds of critter problems.
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Sharp pains on the right side sounds like your appendix....which can cause the nausea too.
A ruptured appendix isn't something to play with....I would go see a doctor immediately. Don't let thinking its just a female problem prevent you from seeking treatment, because anytime nausea and sharp pain is involved it might be serious.
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We just started First Grade K12 music today and I'm already stressed out! So many parts and pieces, worksheets, various CDs and DVDs and it seems not as streamlined as I was hoping.
Anyway, I am so sorry. :grouphug: My brief exposure to K12 has me stressed so I can only imagine having to use its curriculum in its entirety with a child who is not able to manage it for themselves. I hope they can offer you some options to make it more usable.
I think K12 Music has to be the most universally loathed subject by anyone in a VA....at least everyone on the K12's Parent's Lounge Forum hated it. I honestly can't think of anyone who ever commented kindly on it....My 6 year old HATED the video's of the "crazy lady doing wierd dances"....*smile* Most of us just started sticking in a classical CD or substituting Instrument lessons and checking off the time...I did both, but our VA allowed that since the music was an elective...YMMV with your VA.
The irony is what they send you to 3 videos, 2 songs and a couple of worksheets can be summed up with this..."Can you make a high sound...now make a low sound...(Lesson one complete) or Clap, Clap, Stomp, Stomp, Clap...This is a rhythm can you make your own rhythm (Lesson two complete)...:smilielol5:
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Wow Xanadu. I wish I could have sent ds then. This has been crazy. They present it a certain way and it ends up being different. My son loves to read but language arts kindergarten makes him cringe. Today we watched a video for the class time about the story. This class expects him to read the story 2+ days in a row. He gets bored then he checks out mentally. Later when I ask questions, he's been daydreaming so he has no idea!
Some days, we don't have time for class connect. I feel bad if we don't go everyday. I wonder what made them change things? Maybe kids were getting behind? When I signed up, the representative said ds would be ahead this time next year. If this continues, he'll be behind! Oh, and he hates the phonics class too lol.
The thing is we had class connects last year and missed them all the time...*lol*...Both my kids passed their end of year testing just fine. Don't worry about that..*smile*
Making the class connects mandatory this year changed everything.
Being told I had to force my child, who had already mastered the material to sit in front of a computer for hours of "busy" work a week just to meet some administrative standard didn't feel right.
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Here are some ways to make homeschooling work for a special needs child (especially if you use a virtual academy):
Teach to the objective not the lesson. (Don't spend an hour trying to teach an hour lesson with activities if you can show/teach your kid in a manner they understand that is not only better but probably faster too. Or If you do use the lesson/guidelines don't do everything, just teach until the subject is mastered not until they are ready to cry from boredom) For example my daughter understood double digit math after after a few example...She tested out and was done in 15 minutes, not 60. Our VA allowed us to count the full hour even if a subject is mastered sooner so as not to penalize fast learners.
If they know it...Skip the Lesson & TEST OUT...Mark the lesson complete and add the time in attendance as if they had to do it. (This is how our VA told us to document hours if they already knew the material. Check with your VA to ensure the rules are the same. If this doesn't apply to you, still test out. You'll make up the hours elsewhere with a special needs child.)
Save Writing for Language/Composition. Do all other questions/busywork orally. Yes this is allowed and for special needs kids who are dyslexic or dysgraphic it makes a world of difference when they suddenly don't hate history just because they have to write out all the answers. (***Find audio format for long texts if you can.....We found the audio book format for Hakim's History of US and it was such a time/tear saver)
Follow IEP Accommodations. If you have an IEP from a previous B&M school that mentions reading/testing/writing accommodations you can provide the same, even during Lesson Assessments and TESTS. (Everything from reading the questions to allowing a calculator) If you don't have an IEP......get one. The virtual academies are public schools, they legally have to provide an assessment, IEP evaluation, board..the works. (My son went up for his 3 year re-certification in addition to the usually yearly stuff associated with an IEP and our VA handled it all)
Block Schedule to Free up your Day. Do 2 Science on Wed, 2 or 3 History on Monday and 2 or 3 Art/Music on Friday, saving extra writing/composition work or whatever your child struggles with for Tuesday and Thursday. This leaves Literature, Language & Math Daily. (Grades past 3rd will probably have to do history daily...it just depends on the number of lessons and range of the material). Using a Block schedule SAVED my sanity with 2 kids in K12, especially since their science/history were so very different. If This is still to much you can always keep it down to the Basics: Math, Lit/Language & History M-F and Do Art/Music & Science on the Weekends as a family fun type experience. (We did this a few times on busy weeks and the kids loved dad being able to take part, and having 2 parents meant the project went much faster).
You can successfully teach a special needs child at home....you just have to find the method that works for you, and more importantly works for your child.
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I feel your pain.
I had 2 kids in a K12 State Virtual Academy...
Last year was great. This year they started off with mandatory class connects, and since my son was accelerated in several subjects he was expected to attend both grade level equivalents...Then as a parent we were notified of manadatory grade level conferences, individual parent conferences, and class conferences for each kid, each month. This didn't even take into effect the Testing Prep and review they said would start in January...Multiply that by 2 kids, one of whom has special needs (and the special ed class connects to go with it) and I knew there was no way we could add over 10 hours of mandatory "online" class "busy" work to our schedule.
I am/was one of those moms who ONLY taught the objective in the K12 lessons and heavily supplemented due to education needs (VSL for one kid and Special Needs for the other) Even doing this our day would run long if we wanted to cover everything.
Since I already supplemented for Latin and Literature and Math...I realized I might as well just bite the bullet and drop the Virtual Academy...
I did this a week ago.
Our day is much less stressed and the kids are enjoying being able to just breathe and read all day if they want. (We are waiting on a large book order to arrive with curriculum material)
This week we found out that we can actually enjoy our science project instead of rushing through it, and we can finally say goodbye to the K12 Pre-Algebra (Which caused my 6th grade math loving son to cry) and K12 Phonics (Which caused my dyslexic 6 year old to hate even the idea of reading...we dropped it and went with OPGtR and we are making progress after only a few weeks)
Again I want to stress, last year with the Academy was GREAT. I sent in monthly work samples, contacted the teacher if I had a question and attended 1 class connect each week with each kid....I'm not sure why they changed the program...but the new model just didn't work for us.
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I live by power 15.... (Taken from Flylady.net...I never could get into the rest of her program/idea but I LOVE the power 15 idea)
Once I started homeschooling I realized that I couldn't keep up with much of anything else around the house.....
BUT I can make the kids help with a power 15 upstairs before lessons start and a power 15 downstairs during lunch....(Power 15 = Set timer and start cleaning what you can for 15 minutes..when the timer rings your done, even if your not finished with everything)
You would be amazed how much you can get swept/dusted/scrubbed and polished in 15 minutes especially when the kids think it is a game. (I have a 12 year old who is a big help, but even the 6 year old gets involved)
I also bring the laundry basket downstairs and start a load everyday at breakfast...Toss it into the dryer at lunch and have kids help fold it and put away before dinner...The kids also HAVE to make their beds as soon as they wake up....Its auto-pilot at this point, they don't even think about it anymore..(YAY!)
Aside from this, everyone in the Family (including DH) work for about an hour on Saturday or Sunday doing heavy vacuuming/mopping scrubbing toilets and so forth.
Power 15 and one load of laundry every day saved my sanity. I'm one of those people who can't function in clutter.....and a messy house brings out my "grrr" .....but I wanted to focus on my kids and not the mess they were making. The 15 minute power cleaning keeps us both happy... (Sometimes I add another 15 min in the evening if it was a project day or friends were over or its just necessary to keep the chaos contained)
This system works really well. Unfortunately it doesn't cover those "heavy duty" cleaning moments. I'm currently looking at a family room carpet that looks like it hasn't seen a steam cleaner in years (and i just spent hours 2 weeks ago doing all the carpets in the house......*sigh*)
I hate reading aloud!
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I'd don't mind the first chapter of the day's reading...even the 2nd isn't too bad.....but anything after that and I start thinking of excuses to avoid the couch.... (I also love using the audiobook option for many of our *family reading*...but even with our great library system...some are just not available or way out of our price range)