Suzanne in ABQ
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Posts posted by Suzanne in ABQ
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Many times, with the old format, it was the *responses* that got my attention, not the original post.
I miss the old "living room" feel. It felt like I was walking through a party, or a church potluck, catching little snippets of conversations, and feeling free to join in or just pass by. It was open and friendly. This format feels more like a hallway with lots of doors. I need to open the door to find out what's happening inside. It puts the burden on the OP to create a captivating subject line, one that will draw people in. It's not bad, just different.
I think I'm spending more time here, but it's mostly just learning the format, not joining in conversations.
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We had one in Colorado Springs, and we really needed it. The air there is very dry to begin with. Heating the air dries it out more. It's bad for your nose, furniture, and especially musical instruments.
If you live in a humid place, you might not need it. You want your indoor humidity to be at least 30%. Do you have a way to measure it?
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I'm glad to see you. . .
but I hate name changes!
How am I going to remember this is you?
I guess this old dog needs to learn some new tricks, too.
It's good to see you
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So much of our popular culture is tied into the Star Trek phenomenon. We have watched some or all of several old TV series (get them from Netflix), and I consider it Cultural Awareness study. :o)
The kids got bored with the original Star Trek series after about three episodes. They much prefer Stargate SG-1. I think they like the modern special and visual effects, and the modern people. Plus, 10yods hates "kissing and stuff". He thinks all that Kirk kissing stuff is hokey.
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We give each (ages 10 and 11) five dollars a week, but it's not tied to chores (I don't want to keep track of all that). They're expected to do their chores as part of living together as a family. Their allowance IS tied to attitude. They're docked a dollar for any major outburst, and less for lesser infractions. I don't give them cash every week (I wasn't very good at keeping five dollar bills on hand). Instead, I keep a ledger of their allowance. I just write down their $5 each week (or less if they had bad attitudes during school or anytime). When they want to buy something, I give them money (or pay for it myself), and deduct the purchase from their balance.
Proabably more than you wanted to know, but it works for us.
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My guess is that the sign isn't directed at *your* dd. It is directed at those kids who are used to having their moms cleaning up after them. Your dd is used to cleaning up after herself, so she can just ignore the sign.
It wasn't directed at you either, since obviously *your* mom isn't there. So, just ignore the sign.
It's like going to a park that has a sign saying, "Keep your dog off the grass". If you don't have a dog, you can ignore the sign. If you don't have a messy daughter, you can both ignore the sign.
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We have three exercise balls. We had a problem using one for school, though. Ds likes to sit with his feet up on the chair. He tried this with the ball several times, and fell every time. Falling on the floor every few minutes, coupled with all the laughing and clowning that went on every time, weren't conducive to our learning. :o) That said, they're great for exercise, for general wiggling, for playing.
We had a mini-trampoline once, but the kids just fought over it. They would ignore it for days, then one would decide to jump, then the other would decide that they HAD to jump, NOW! You get the idea. I grounded them from it so much of the time that I finally just passed it on. You might have better luck.
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That's all I used, and we were highly successful.
The program has you use tiny bits of chalk, and a tiny bit of wet sponge for the wet-dry-try method. This really helps them learn to hold their pencil correctly -- there is no other way to hold such a small writing implement. So, you'll need those (chalk and sponge) as well.
So, this is what I'd recommend:
From HWT:
HWT Teacher Manual (Has games for letter shapes, Wet-dry-try method, philosophy, etc.)
Workbooks (Letters and Numbers for Me for 5yo, My Printing Book for 9yo)
Slate
Desk Strips (if they have a desk or table to stick them on)
From your local Target (or store of choice):
Foamcore board or heavy poster board (or wood, if you're good with a jig saw) -- to make letter shapes for 5yo
An old placemat or large piece of poster board (draw a happy face in the upper left corner)
A piece of chalk
A 1/2 inch piece of household sponge
*You may want to get the next levels of workbooks for each boy. They go through them in just a few months, and it may save you shipping.
HTH
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If you only want to clear the board you're reading, go to "Forum Tools" (just below "Quick Links"). There's an option there to "Mark This Forum Read".
I use this one because I rarely have time to read both boards in the same sitting.
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I used HWT for my two kids, before most of the extra "stuff" was even available. We had a lot of success with writing, and I definitely don't feel all those extras are necessary. The HWT Teacher Manual is important because it explains the philosophy and methods. It also has a pattern for the letter shapes, so you can make your own out of foamcore board or some other stiff material. (I definitely wouldn't buy the wooden ones -- your older boy won't need them). Also, get the slate. Theirs is inexpensive, and it's made of real slate (not plastic like the ones in craft stores). The slate works better for the Wet-Dry-Try game method used in the program. I like the Desk Strip stickers, and they're only 25c each, but they're definitely not necessary. Don't get the Printing Guide; it's redundant if you have the TM. Other than that, all you need are the workbooks.
So, for about $20, you can have all you need to get started.
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I do it continually. I find things that just "don't fit anymore", and I put them in my car. I don't pile them up in the house. I put them directly into my car, then drop them off at the local thrift shop on my next errand day. I don't do garage sales, so I don't pile things up anywhere. I get them out, and they're gone, and I never think of them again. More specialized things, I might Freecycle. But, I never keep anything for more than a few days.
That said, it's an ongoing process. It never ends. There still seems to be more stuff coming in than going out. I can't even imagine ever being "finished".
Don't be discouraged. Just do what you can comfortably do each day (even 5-10 minutes). Flylady would call them Baby Steps.
Speaking of Flylady, have you read her tips on decluttering? She even has schedules and game plans. http://www.flylady.net
Anyway, don't get discouraged. Just keep plugging away. As your kids get older, you'll find more and more stuff piling up. That's just a natural by-product of family life. Don't sweat it. Just throw stuff away, and give stuff away, and sell some good stuff. You'll be able to breathe soon.
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I'm in the mountains, east of Albuquerque. Anyone else nearby?
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Sometimes they "Really need it" more than once a day. Sometimes, they stay tidy and clean for so many days, I lose count. My 11yodd needs to wash her hair much more often now because it gets all oily and stringy after just two days. My 10yods loves to play in the tub, and will often ask to take a bath twice in the same day (just to play in the water). My 2yodd gets "sponge baths" every night, but only gets a full in-the-tub bath when her hair needs washing (or she pukes all over herself, or some other major-messy event occurs).
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I started "thinking" about cursive when each child asked to do it. I implemented it when printing became automatic -- when the child was printing without thinking about the formation of each letter. That's what I consider fluency.
We used HWT for both printing and cursive. Then, we switched to a more formal, slanted, classic style.
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I spent 2 weeks in my jammies, then started easing into the school thing. Didn't even attempt a full day of school until baby was six weeks old. I may be a slacker, but it was a wonderful time that I wouldn't trade for anything.
My little one will never be that little again!
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We are just finishing Chemistry (I haven't done Biology). We have loved it! I tried all last year to teach them Chemistry with Adventures with Atoms and Molecules. We had some fun, but didn't really learn anything. With RS4K, we really learned some Chemistry (stuff I had learned in my university General Chemistry class).
We did one lesson a week for 10 weeks. We did the text reading one day, and the lab another day. I really liked the lab book. The experiments were easy to do, used common (easily obtainable) materials, and fit perfectly with the lessons.
I'm looking forward to doing Biology at the end of the school year, then Physics next fall.
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I am also using R&S for a 6th grader and a 4th grader. We do it every day, but:
6th grader is a very concientious girl who wants to learn everything well, and does very well with language arts. She decides how much grammar she needs to do. She reads the book, but only does the exercises if the material is new. This is her 4th year of R&S, so much of the material is review. She skips those exercises, and only does the "new stuff". I give her the Chapter tests, and only review what she misses (she got over 95% on both of the last chapters). She is cruising through the book quickly this way, and will finish in about a month. We will then do a writing course (IEW or Classical Writing, I haven't decided which, yet).
OTOH:
4th grader is a smart boy who hates writing and will do anything to get out of it. We still do most of his exercises orally. Half the writing he does is on a white board. The other half is only done with much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. :o) He's getting better, though. Perhaps by 6th grade, he'll be able to be more independent, like his sister. We find the writing in R&S quite sufficient for him. He just did his Reptiles report (Lesson 55), and he did a great job. I'm please with just R&S for fourth grade.
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The Shift key doesn't work for me either. I have up after a couple tries.
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I agree with this also. We started at Grade 3 (after First Language Lessons). Dd is now in Grade 6, and Ds is in Grade 4. I have been happy with the writing instruction in R&S. This is the first year we will do a writing program. Dd will finish R&S Grade 6 in just about a month, and I will be doing IEW or Classical Writing with her for the rest of the year. She actually writes very well, but I'm excited to have this opportunity to concentrate solely on writing for a season.
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Every time I see Rabbit (in Winnie the Pooh), I think of my Auntie Vicki (my mom's sister). :o)
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I like my Oster. It has easy settings for "Warm", "Frozen", and "Bagel", in addition to regular toast. The settings are consistent.
Mine's a beautiful red color, but it comes in different colors. I got it at Target for about $30.
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When you find something you like on Google Images, just right click it to Save it to your computer. Then, you'll easily be able to upload it into the Avatar page here.
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Intellimover software, by Detto
It comes with USB and ethernet cables that you use to hook your computers together. After installing your programs on your new computer, you simply install the Intellimover software on your old computer, then on the new computer. You hook the computers together, and you'll have full access to all your old files from both computers. The two systems are shown on a split screen, and you click and drag each file from your old computer to the new one. The files are copied (not moved), so you can still access them on the old system.
FWIW, I used Intellimover to go from my very old Gateway 2000 (purchased in 1997), to my Dell (purchased in 2005). I followed the instructions to the letter (make sure you turn off your firewalls, for instance), and it worked great. I've read some bad reviews, but I don't know why it didn't work for them.
I just googled "Intellimover", and you can get it from http://www.detto.com for $24.95. Or, it's available at Amazon.com for a little more (but, free shipping if you have Prime). I notice they have another product with the same, but produced by someone other than Detto. The software I used successfully is the Detto brand.
HTH,
Suzanne
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Lands' End socks wear like iron, and they have up to adult sizes, but they're narrow and not very stretchy. If your boys have narrow feet, they'll be great.
Gymboree socks are wonderful. They fit well and stretch nicely. They also wear quite well. But, they don't have bigger sizes (not sure how big they go these days).
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in General Education Discussion Board
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Thanks. I took time off last January to get a hold of some of the loose aspects of my life. I was gone for a whole year! I'm glad I came back in time to be a part of this transition.