RobinL in Canada
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Posts posted by RobinL in Canada
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Thanks for all the thoughts. Although we like hiking, camping is not our dream vacation ;) I'm happy with driving trips, but going with just one child of the opposite sex isn't the same as going with two; last summer, I took my youngest down to DC, staying about an hour away at the home of some friends. I found the driving in and around DC horrific, but he loved the museums (I enjoyed them too). The problem was that he's quiet by nature and on that trip he fell virtually silent. I couldn't get a word out of him about what we were seeing/ visiting, and so while I felt somewhat down and even lonely, he felt somewhat stressed out by my stress over the DC driving (the rest of the driving there and back was fine for me). Even if he and I traveled to a less stressful vacation spot, he's not one to chit-chat, and again it could end up feeling rather lonely for each of us.
The resort sounds great but just not in my budget at present. I do like the idea of something like Maine or NH; how do I find out what places have enough "points of interest" to visit (As in points of interest for boys/ young men)? North America is pretty big, and I don't know where to start looking for specifics! I may opt for a few days in Quebec City unless something else comes up.
And just wondering: I realize that very few moms on these boards would be single moms, but those of you with single-mom friends: what do *they* do for vacations on their own (ie, if they have no close single friends or sisters, etc) ?
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I highly recommend an all-inclusive vacation! One of our favorite less-expensive resorts is the Iberostar Maya in Mexico.
They have scheduled activities and sports for teens and adults throughout the day, gorgeous pools, white sand beaches, impeccable grounds and evening entertainment is included as well. All of your food, drink and entertainment is pre-paid, and you're surrounded by luscious, tropical scenery. Because it is in a gated community, the teens can have free-range wile still staying in a safe environment. It is one of our go-to resorts when we travel with the two oldest dss's.
Can you give me an idea of what that might cost?
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Hmmm. Summer's almost here. Everyone I know is talking vacation. What would you do/ where would you go if:
--you were a single parent (widowed) so no partner to go with
--three of your kids (all male) were young adults and tended to make their own vacation plans
--your youngest (14) were a boy
--even if they all came along, it wouldn't be "fun" just to be family
--all your friends do their vacationing with their own families/ relatives
--you lived in eastern Canada
--funds were tight!
I'm stumped. I do get lonely staying at home all summer with nothing "special" to look forward to, but I'm also not a very adventurous person--ie, not one to head off on a vacation all on my own. My oldest son (23) pretty much handles his own life, but the middle two (18 and almost 21) are still open to doing something together. The youngest (14) would love to travel more, but doesn't really want to go just with mom; however, he doesn't have any "best friends" to ask along. We've done the water park/ hotel thing enough; we've also done the rent-a-cottage-up-north thing and the theme-park-in Florida thing, but, as I said, it's just not fun for them without their own friends along. We have no relatives to visit. Hmph.
Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I do feel as though I'm letting my youngest down (although he is not a complainer at all; I just know he would love to travel more) by giving up on "vacation time" at this stage of the game. Although I know that many people cannot afford vacations at all, I don't see this as an entitlement on our part; as I indicated, funds are fairly tight and many years we have not gone anywhere. Just wish I could think of something enjoyable and memorable to do in these last few years together.
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Thank you all for the input. I think I'll go ahead and order WJ and HfHS. Even though my own kids are high school/ graduated, I still teach other students, so fresh ideas will be welcome.
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It's a philosophy more than a hand holding curriculum, although I think the monthly "magazines" talk more about the day to day aspect. It's on sale at 50% at HSBC. I ended up enrolling DD in one of the online courses and it's really stretching her. So I'm happy with it so far. I was having problems figuring out how to implement it and DD needed an outside voice.
Thanks for the link to HSBC, Rachel. I just may go ahead and order WJ and HfHS from there.
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Thanks, Leslie. I guess I'm still wondering just *how* the kids get writing--as in what is the method or means of getting those juices flowing? Are they given some sort of "prompt" and then they can just go where that leads them (like a free write)? How do they learn about writing different sots of sentence styles, or expanding their vocabulary? And how is the expository essay writing taught? No specific structure, just ...what? Still confused....
I did converse with Julie B some years ago but I recall still not being clear about *how* the instruction proceeds.
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Yes, I do see the point you are making. I did post on the high school board but received no replies.
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Thanks for all the information. In terms of some classes I teach to younger children (ages 10-14), their parents really want them to learn about more formal writing, but it's possible they might be open to these sorts of ideas. It's the kids themselves who get uptight about bad spelling,etc, but for some reason their parents have held off on spelling and grammar instruction. My older co-op class students (gr 9-12) would be beyond such approaches as dictation and copywork and need formal essay writing instruction. I've used / adapted The Elegant Essay but am not fond of the author's tone and some of her (dry as dust) exercises, so I've altered those. Was hoping someone would have experience with BW's high school level program to see how that compares.
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Thank you. I'm still unclear about how it would teach essay writing --ie, what's in the high school-level book. My youngest is 14/ going into gr 9 and is a natural writer who loves words (sometimes a little too much ;) ) He's working on essay writing at present and has a pretty good grasp of it. I was wondering what might be different/ unique re BW's approach to teaching the essay to see if there's anything I would like to incorporate in my writing instruction.
The younger writing levels don't sound as if they would work all that well with many of the kids I teach--they have a tough time with spelling/ slow handwriting, so free writing would frustrate them as they don't like to write without knowing how to spell words. Also, asking them to write off the top of their heads seems too challenging too--that's why IEW has worked quite well. I just wish I could find something that *would* inspire *some* writing without source texts.
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I love her book on writing (Jungle Writier I think), changed how I think on teaching writing. When I tired to use the LA it was a little unstructured and lite for me. But I only used it at the lower levels...The Arrow I think it is called. If you are aware of different philosophies, it is Ruth Beechick in style. She basically was very focued on reading and immitating language and covering things as they came up naturally. All my kids are pretty concrete thinkers, by that I mean we need to see the big picture, then coveer things one step at a time to mastery. The random feeling of not covering the same thing till it was mastered is what I think did us in.
Thanks. Could you give me some idea of how the program proceeds, or some idea of assignments?
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Well a good background book like Hamilton's Mythology is where I would start, but then I'd read the real literature and see the mythology in context. The Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid and lots of Greek drama.
Not enough time, alas! And much would be beyond many of these kids.
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This does have photos/drawings of artwork that includes nudes. I have a copy in hand that I'm starting with my daughter this coming week.
Rick Riordan's website has teaching materials to go along with his Percy Jackson series http://www.rickriord.../home.aspx��and, more particularly, http://www.rickriord...half-blood.aspx and http://www.rickriord...hers-guide.aspx
There is, of course, a ton of public art with Classical themes, as well as references in modern culture. Wikipedia (yes, I know, but it's a good starting point for something like this) has a page on Greek mythology in popular culture http://en.wikipedia....popular_culture . You could look at the connections between Shakespeare and Classical mythology, particularly in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Are you planning to have your students participate in the National Mythology Exam and the Medusa Exam?
For your own use prior to this, I would *highly* recommend Elisabeth Vandiver's lecture on Classical Mythology through The Teaching Company. Excellent with fabulous insights. If that is not affordable (it's frequently on sale, but prohibitively expensive if not), Coursera has a course on Greek and Roman mythology starting on April 22. https://www.coursera...ourse/mythology Since it hasn't started yet, I can't vouch for the lecture style or content.
Yes, I have and love Vandiver's Mytholgoy (and Homer, etc) lectures; will make use of info from those. I have no problem with nudes in art, but some families will, so I will need to be cautious. We only have 12 weeks of classes, so I will not be able to cover everything! Any ideas for creative assignments (beyond essays)?
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You could also look at Mythology and More, since it does what you're wanting. I got it to use with my dd this coming year.
Yes, someone already mentioned that on my previous thread, but as I replied, the ebook is not currently available (and the TM isn't available as an ebook at all). The shipping for the hard copies is far too expensive to Canada.
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Easily acquired art would be mythological themed Tarot cards, but I doubt their parents would approve of that either. An example: http://www.aeclectic.../mythic-oracle/
Thanks but no, we are a Christian group.
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Would anyone have suggestions for specific modern/ contemporary/ popular lit or art to include (keeping in mind that parents will *not* want me showing the kids nude sculpture/ paintings)? I was thinking of reading Lewis's Till We Have Faces at the end, but we may not have enough time.
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A little while back, I posted to ask for suggestions re teaching a Mythology course at my high school co-op. The students there know their Bibles pretty well, but when it comes to classical allusions, they're lost. I received a few suggestions for books which I am checking out. However, the teaching materials I have so far acquired seem to focus on basic recall-type questions and quizzes. Would anyone have any suggestions for more creative ways to teach Mythology, including assignments? If you were teaching Mythology, how would you do it?
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I posted some questions about BW on the K-8 board but did not receive any replies. I've taught writing classes for a number of years, using some adaptations of IEW and classical approaches. I'm wondering how BW might differ in approach from these two. Specifically, I'm wondering if anyone could give me an idea of the types of exercises or assignments that are given. How are the kids encouraged to write? What might an example assignment be? I'd like to change up my writing instruction somewhat, but before I put down $$ for more material at this point, I'd really appreciate a clearer idea of what I'd be buying (although I looked over the website, practical specifics don't seem to be given). Thanks.
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Could anyone give me an idea of what BW courses are like? What is the approach to teaching writing? I have used adaptations of IEW and other classical elements for years in writing classes I teach, but l'm wondering how BW may differ from those approaches. Thanks for any thoughts.
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Hmmm--I just checked the link for the ebook and it seems the book actually is not currently for sale :(
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Is the teacher's guide available as an ebook?
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Thanks for all the thoughts. I would be teaching Classical Mythology in the co-op as an enrichment courses (as are all our courses, since they are only once a week for 12 weeks). Depending on what my own student might be covering while studying Mythology, I would likely count it as lit.
I would prefer a text or study guide that has the students reading some myths each week and preparing for disucssion with questions that go beyond sinple recall; then I would need to give them some home writing assignments as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
BTW, I did look up Mythology and More on Bolchazy.come, but the shipping is extraordinarily expensive to Canada--too much to make it worth purchasing at this point.
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First, Vandiver does give you suggestions of works to read with her lectures. I found that Classical Mythology by Morford and Lenardon matched up well with many of her lectures and it is a very accessible text. I think I paid $5 including postage for mine. If you did not want to purchase volumes like The Library of Greek Mythology to go with the course, you could probably get by with the references in the book. If you are interested, I can dig out my notes and give you an example of what you could do.
Thank you--I would appreciate any notes or ideas.
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Would that syllabus be appropraite for high school students?
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I'm considering teaching an intro to mythology course next year in our local high school co-op, hanving discovered that our Christian kids know their BIble well, but virtually nothing about classical mythology! I have, and love, ELizabeth Vandiver's Classical Mythology lecture series, but I'm wondering if anyne can suggest both a basic text of classical myths and some sort of guide to running a course on the subject so that I don't have to reinvent the wheel :) I don't own it but have heard that Edith Hamilton's Mythology might be a decent (sanitized) version--I'm okay with the unbowdlerized myths but many of the co-op parents may not be--and I came across Prestwick House's Mythology activity pack/ guide, but it doesn't go into much depth.
Would anyone have some specific ideas re what to use to teach a twelve-week (i 1/1 hr class per week) course on classical mythology? Suggestions for assignments would also be appreciated.
Online biology or other high school science, please?
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
My youngest son is in grade 9 and doing biology this year. Unfortunately, I missed out on an opportunity to have him do bio labs at a nearby Christian university (a program set up for homeschoolers). None of my sons has been science-oriented, and although I like science, it's not my forte in terms of teaching. My son thinks he might benefit from doing an online course, but I'm not sure which one (though I am not a fan of Apologia). Would anyone have any suggestions about either how to make science study at home more engaging for a kid who doesn't especially like it or for online high school science programs geared towards homeschoolers (and which aren't too expensive)?
Thank you.