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Rasa

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Everything posted by Rasa

  1. DS11 Boy Scout completed Personal Management merit badge this spring, and I was quite impressed how thorough and rigorous it was.
  2. My DD used the whole Explode the Code series (ABC and 1-8) from K through 2. We used it primarily for phonics instruction, and it was a great fit for her. I wholeheartedly agree with all of Sk8ermaiden's comments. I have two points to add. My daughter liked the writing aspect of ETC, but sometimes she ran out of space trying to insert a word, especially in earlier books, when her handwriting was not that well developed. It didn't bother her, but I can imagine that it might get frustrating to some children. Also, occasionally we both had to guess what a picture was trying to tell -- we found some of the cartoons very cryptic.
  3. We have done Iowa in the past, and this year we are trying out Stanford. Our Iowa results did not include Lexile scores, but I was told by Triangle Assessments that the Stanford results will include Lexile measures. I cannot comment on Lexile accuracy yet, since we are still working on our Stanford tests. Both tests are very similar in format and content. Stanford has a more modern feel; e.g., full color, large print, uncluttered testing booklets for the younger set. As Kai mentioned, the Iowa is timed, and the Stanford is untimed.
  4. OPG for DS#2, Explode the Code as a stand-alone program for DD#3. OPG worked great for my "let's-get-it-done" kid. My chatterbox DD couldn't stand the font in OPG ("Why does this uppercase I look like lowercase l?"), and Phonics Pathways didn't click either. Two pages a day of Explode the Code got her reading. Perhaps writing things down helped her focus and memory.
  5. My 8-year-old loves Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska! She has spent many hours in the past year poring over this book, absorbing geographical and cultural details, copying pictures etc. The 50 States didn't get as much attention. See if you can borrow both books from your local public library -- we did, and after renewing Maps multiple times, decided to purchase.
  6. My 7-year-old DD loves these: http://world-geography-games.com/
  7. Listening too. At this time, especially looking for recommendations of memory passages from The Comedy of Errors and King Lear, to prepare my kids for the 2016 season of American Players Theater.
  8. OPGTR worked great for my chess player, but not for my violinist. We switched to Explode the Code and started making steady progress right away. I wish I could tell you that my daughter loved ETC from the beginning (she did not), but we stuck with it long term, two pages a day, and it got easier and easier as the lessons got harder and harder (sort of like Suzuki violin study, isn't it?)
  9. My 10-year-old math/science/engineering-oriented son is interested in learning about genetics. What are your favorite resources for logic stage? Many thanks in advance.
  10. Any insider suggestions for educational stops along the way? My 10-year-old is a STEM type of a child, and my 7-year-old is a history lover. Many thanks in advance!
  11. http://www.rfwp.com/series/aesops-fables-books-about-reading-writing-thinking
  12. Do you really need to write in MM1? We did most of MM2-4 orally. Understanding mathematics and writing are completely different skills, in my opinion. My son, who is finishing up MM4, writes down solutions to math problems only when he cannot figure out the answers in his head (even presented with a long division problem, he first tries to find a mental shortcut to get an answer without writing.) Mental math is one of the strengths of Math Mammoth, and we celebrate it to the fullest. We can zip along much faster (and hold our focus longer) this way. If we get stuck, we slow down and pull out our manipulatives (usually Cuisinaire rods) or draw pictures until the concept is clear. For K-1, we use Miquon and Right Start games to cover the basics in an interest-based order without any pressure.
  13. What are your favorite fiction and non-fiction books and DVDs for the elementary crowd? Many thanks in advance.
  14. What recorders to you recommend? Many thanks.
  15. OPGTR worked great for my boy -- we worked through it cover to cover in one year (from the time he was about 4.5 to 5.5), and it did its job of creating a confident and competent reader. I assumed that OPG would work for my daughter at that age as well, but I was wrong -- it frustrated her immensely. We switched to Phonics Pathways, which uses a lot larger font and has a lot more repetition, and my daughter loves it -- the joy of learning is back, and she is making steady progress.
  16. Homeschooled child #1 --OPGTR. He knew the letter sounds already (from preschool) when we started. Homeschooled child #2 (work in progress; on a roll) -- ETC Primers for letter-sound correspondence, followed by Phonics Pathways and Bob's Books / Nora Gaydos readers for practice.
  17. We started in FLL1 Kindy, and my son finished FLL4 at around the time he turned 8. I did not regret it at all. As we progressed through the series, we started splitting the lessons to more manageable pieces to accomodate shorter attention span of a younger child. The scripted nature for FLL worked great for us in younger grades, but as time went by, my son wanted to work more independently and "to get it done". I was glad that we had finished the whole FLL series around that time. I am planning to start FLL1 with my 5-year-old this fall, and move forward at my daughter's pace.
  18. I dislike Marc Brown's Arthur books. I used to tolerate them in my younger days, but after reading Arthur's Birthday and Arthur's Christmas, I refuse to read any of them aloud. I love DW books by the same author, though. No Disney princesses / Barbies / other TV cartoon creatures allowed in our house either.
  19. Pros -- very thorough, easy to mold to student's needs: accelerate to accomodate leaps in child's understanding, backtrack for more practice, rearrange topics across the whole elementary math curriculum to follow child's interests. Strong focus on mental math and common sense before mindless application of standard algorithms. Word problems often involve practical, real-life scenarios. Cons -- not particularly strong in the creative problem-solving area. We use Zaccaro's books as supplements that are both challenging and fun.
  20. I am using Hake 5 grammar with my 8-year-old (after four levels of FLL.) It is just the right level for him. I would think that Hake 5 may be a bit too slow / easy / repetitive for a 7-th grader. You could send an e-mail to Hake publishers and ask for a recommendation for your specific needs. They are very responsive.
  21. We have recently started Evan Moor The 7 Continents series. My son is currently working on Asia. http://www.amazon.co...=evan moor Asia We were looking not only for a solid world geography resource, but also for independent learning practice. The 7 Continents series works well for us. The 7 Continents:Asia is a ~120-page workbook, covering Asia in the world (absolute and relative location), political divisions, physical features, valuable resources and Asian culture. Each section contains a page of information to be read independently and a page of activities (fill-in-the-blanks, map coloring, crossword puzzles, word searches, unscrambling words, multiple-choice questions...) It is advertised for grades 4-6+. I feel that it has enough substance to keep an 8-10 year old engaged and learning. The only complaint I have about the book is that the maps are not detailed enough to reflect disputed regions. It appears that the authors have allowed Tibet to be annexed by China, the Palestine Territories by Israel and Kashmir by India/Pakistan. Only in the case of Taiwan do the authors acknowledge that a dispute exists. When my children reach the logic stage, I will be looking for a different resource ...
  22. We have had a great experience with Boy Scouts of America. Our oldest, usually the smallest child of his age until early teens, blossomed from an "I don't care"-kid to a crew leader in a back-country (Philmont) expedition and a Senior Patrol Leader for ~100+ boy troop. All its controversies aside, BSA has done wonders for our son's self-esteem, confidence and discipline.
  23. Thank you for all the suggestions! We will give Patty Paper Geometry a try, for starters...
  24. Any recommendations? I am looking for explorations in the physical world (pencil and paper are fine; computer isn't.) Many thanks in advance!
  25. After finishing FLL4, we started Hake 5. It was a seamless transition.
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