Shifra
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Posts posted by Shifra
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Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children by Carol Petrash is a great way to incorporate science of the seasons with craft activities.
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The last time we were in New York overnight we stayed at The Skyline Hotel
725 Tenth Avenue, Midtown, New York City, NY 10019.
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I used to watch Salsa on public television when I was on pregnancy bedrest with my second child. You can watch the episodes online. It is meant for children from kindergarten through third grade, so I think it might be up your alley.
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A Child's Dream Come True sells a kit for Felt Wee Folk.
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Perhaps I am not the best one to answer this question because I had over 13 years of Jewish/Hebrew schooling, but I did homeschool my son for Judaic studies for both first and second grades. Here's what I used:
Reishis Chochmah by Nacha Rivkin (ISBN-13: 9780914131564): It's not the best (definately old fashioned Hebrew), but the children learn the Hebrew alphabet in order so it's easy to remember what letters and vowels you have introduced thus far. If you cannot read Hebrew, this will probably not work for you.
Chaveri Aleph by Edythe and Sol Scharfstein is also written in old fashioned Hebrew. The letters are not in alphabetical order and the introduction of the letters and vowels may be too fast for some children (I prefer going slow and steady, introducing perhaps a letter and/or a vowel a week). Once the child learns to read all the letters, it has great practice words. You will not be able to use Chaveri unless you can already read Hebrew. If you cannot read Hebrew, you may be able to use Sol Scharfstein's Leshonee l, which does explain at the top of each page how to pronounce in Modern Hebrew each letter and vowel.
Tal Am Ariot Books 1-4 mostly introduce the letter in alphabetical order, but you will need to be able to both read and speak Hebrew to use this effectively. Once your child can read Hebrew, Tal Am has plenty of books about the Jewish holidays and daily life in which to learn to read and write everyday and Biblical Hebrew. Ester Maria on this forum has used the Tal Am series extensively.
After the child can read Hebrew, I use Hakol Chadash 2 by Mira Owen. Again, if you cannot read or understand basic Hebrew, you will not be able to use it, but this book is meant for children who have moved to Israel and need to learn conversational Hebrew. Mira Owen also developed for the Union for Reform Judaism the series Chaverim B'Ivrit, which is supposed to be very good too, although I am not sure how much knowledge of Hebrew the teacher needs to know in order to use it.
By second grade, I started my son on Chumash: first about 3-4 verses of Sefer Vayikra (the Book of Leviticus, according to the custom) and then we got through about 2 chapters of Sefer Bereshis (the Book of Genesis). I used for Bereshis a book published by the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York which was called Sedras Bereshis. I used it because it has just the verses with no commentary to distract him, and the verses are widely spaced too (with plenty of white space on the page). If you can get a copy of it, it is pretty helpful, but I think it is out of print. I also used the Tal Am workbooks for Bereshis, which were nice because the illustrations are amazing and help the child understand what the text means.
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While this book is very irreverent and meant for adults (and there's nudity), Rick Steves' Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler gives a basic outline of world history as it pertains to European travel.
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Keyboard Capers is very good and does not assume that you know anything about music. Rainbow Resource also sells a manipulative set to go along with it, but you can make them yourself if you are so inclined (or want to save money). It does not have an ear training component, though, but it does have everything else that you wanted. Music Ace, like some others suggested in this forum, might fill that bill.
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In thinking about this topic some more, the book An Illustrated History of Music for Young Musicians - The Middle Age- Renaissance Period by Giles Comeau & Rosemary Cover (ISBN 978-2894425572) may also be helpful. It is meant for ages 11-13, so you would not be able to use it directly with a second grader, but it would probably be helpful to the parent in finding pictures and music to discuss from the middle ages and renaissance periods.
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I don't have any experience with Japanese, but I do want to suggest looking at the Asia for Kids catalog. The Japanese language materials are on pages 26-27. They also have Sing and Learn Japanese 1 and Sing and Learn Japanese 2.
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If by TPR you mean Total Physical Response, I'm not sure there are pronunciation guides (a lot of the stuff is meant for teachers who know the language). You can adapt TPR to any curriculum at all - it's mostly a method for presenting vocabulary and grammar. Maybe if you pick up one of James Asher's books at TPR-world.com, you might get some good direction on how to go forward.
:iagree:
I have found Viva La Accion! Live Action Spanish to be very good for introducing Spanish vocabulary (and you don't need very much Spanish yourself to use it; maybe a year or two or high school Spanish and a dictionary :lol:). There is also a computerized version of Live Action Spanish.
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In-Print for Children publishes biology classification charts that are made for Montessori environments. On their website, they say who sells them retail.
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I am still recovering from Pesach and am just going over the threads that I responded to (or wanted to respond to :lol:). I forgot to mention that every week I find it nice with young children to do the Parsha from the series My First Parsha Reader (one book for each book of the Torah). I like this series particularly because there is little to no Midrash for each Parsha. When the children learn the stories of the Parsha as youngesters, they are confused when the actually get to the Chumash itself (for example, it never says in the Torah that our forefather Abraham was put into a furnace and miraculously survived--that is a Midrash). So My First Parsha Reader is a basic outline of the Torah reading for the week, illustrated.
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This book is probably meant for an older child but I found at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's store a book called Composing Revisited: An Historical Approach to Learning How to Write Music: Volume I: The Middle Ages by Jamie Allen (who is the education director for the Dallas Symphony) & Toni Austin-Allen.
Composing Revisited is not listed on the Dallas Symphony store's website, but you can call their phone number at 214-871-4066 to order it.
Another history of music notation (invented in the Middle Ages!) that is meant for second graders is Do Re Mi: If You Can Read Music, Thank Guido D'Arezzo by Susan Roth.
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I went to a parochial girls school in Baltimore that was not academically competitive, but I did read in Mothers by Alexandra Stoddard about her daughters' and granddaughter's experiences in The Spence School in New York. From her brief descriptions in her books, it sounds like they have unlimited resources to give the girls all the chances that upper class (and probably middle class) parents want. Like ballet class as part of the school day, not something you have after school. It does sound like a dream; however, she does hint to the school having a overemphasis on getting into the "right" college, as opposed to following your dream.
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In 1982, La Traviata came to the cinema and is available on DVD. It is rated G and was my first opera. My children, ages 10 and 7, loved it when we watched it last summer.
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There is a book called Torah As Our Guide that was meant for Orthodox Hebrew schools (supplementary schools). It has information about the holidays and their laws (and the reasons behind their laws) as well as other Jewish laws and practices. I highly recommend it as a "primer", if you don't mind the Orthodox perspective.
If you don't read Hebrew and want to teach it to your child, you may be able to do so with LESHONEE by Sol Scharfstein. It's not the best, but it does have on each page a pronuciation guide for each letter and vowel (in Israeli "Sefardit" Hebrew).
After you get the reading down pat (expect it to take at least four months; it took my son an entire school year at age six, but I wanted him to get it right the first time!), you could work on conversational Hebrew with a series called Hakol Chadash (start with Alef), which is meant for elementary school age immigrants to Israel for them to learn Hebrew. If you have a teacher or are somewhat conversant in Hebrew (I am not fluent in Hebrew but do speak it), it is great.
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I read a book Strong Arts, Strong Schools that discusses the rationale for including art in education. Among the reasons presented for including art in education are (1)learning to become more sensitive and aware to the intuitive and imaginative worlds beyond the obvious, (2) learning to think aesthetically (note that both Japanese and German cars are developed in countries where art is mandatory in schools), (3)learning to think creatively, (4)learning how to communicate beyond the linguistic, and lastly, (5)learning how to respect both our and others cultures. Ken Robinson, in his book The Element also discusses the importance of the arts in education.
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A good nature picture book by this author, Clare Walker Leslie, is Nature All Year Long. It describes, month by month, the changes of a meadow. While the author is describing what happens in New England, most of these natural changes happen in other parts of the US, too.
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I taught my son to read using Modern Curriculum Press Phonics A (also known as Plaid Phonics) which is recommended in The Well Trained Mind. When we finished it, we used McGruffey's Eclectic Primer, and finished the year going through Reading is Fun, a phonics based textbook (ISBN 0875487149) that I had used in the 1970s.;)
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Adventures with Nicholas by Berlitz is a nice jumping off point.
Besides the Berlitz German books that are in print now, in 1962, Berlitz published a book called Berlitz German for children: Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Also in the same series was Berlitz German For Children: The Three Bears And Little Red Riding Hood.
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To be honest, I think that Ipsey's experience with her homeschool literature group is common among sheltered teenagers. I was in a very religious girls' school from kindergarten until high school graduation, and we all complained about the swearing in Shakespeare (but we had to read it anyway :lol:). Little did we know that Shakespeare is tame compared to the "real world". Our high school principal did put some limits on our literature class, but they were minimal--no Romeo and Juliet, no Scarlet Letter. I would just ignore the kids' complaining, if you feel that the literature selection you have chosen is worthwhile. When the kids get into the real world, yes, even the religious "real" world, the will find that not everyone is as pious as they think, and they will need to learn how to "deal with the Wickhams of the world". In every denomination you find people who are seemingly pious who do horrible things (which i guess does give reason for teaching The Scarlet Letter :lol:).
I read recently that the current morality mores that many religious groups promote were only pushed as of puritan or Victorian times. So many books that were published before that time were more accepting of swearing and looser sexual behavior than was accepted after that time. I wrote this on an earlier forum:
From what I have read (probably in What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-the Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England by Daniel Pool), there was a religious revival of sorts in England in the nineteenth century. People felt that the Anglican Church had become too liberal. In a book by J.M. Barrie (the author of Peter Pan) called The Little Minister, he refers to the lack of piety of the Anglican priest in his hometown. Most of the sexual morality codes (particularly for woman) became stricter in the nineteenth century. If you look at pictures of the dresses of women from the late eighteenth century (ie. the period that Jane Austen was writting about), you'll see that they were quite revealing of the female body. Later that would have been taboo.
Even here in the United States, a significient number of women were pregnant when they married at the time of the American Revolution (including Benjamin Franklin's sister; indeed, Benjamin Franklin himself fathered several children out of wedlock).
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My Food Pyramid by Alisha Niehaus is a little old but very good.
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We received the official diagnosis for Cora today. It sounds selfish, but it feels good to know that I'm not failing as a mother. And it also feels good to know that my child isn't just a wild little booger with poor social skills. :D
:grouphug: Yes, I have a son who is diagnosed with ADHD (and a daughter who probably has it too, without the hyperactive component). Yes, many people will point fingers at you when your child misbehaves and/or is lively, and it is comforting to know that it is not you :lol:!
We were given a lot of information today, and it seems we have some research to do and some decisions to make. I feel better just knowing. We have a lot of resources in our area, from the sound of it, so I'm thankful for that. I know that we are already do a lot of stuff to help her at home.I'd like to hear anything and everything you can tell me about ADHD. Cora's pediatrician gave me a lot of info, but I also like real-life stories. Give me your thoughts on meds, diet changes, therapy, activity, discipline, etc for children with ADHD. One of my biggest challenges is going to be figuring out how to know what Cora is capable of and what she isn't due to the ADHD. I don't want to give her an "out", if you know what I mean. I don't want ADHD to be an excuse for her misbehavior. Does that make sense? I guess I will just have to keep trusting my gut.
Can your daughter swallow a pill? If she can, you will have so many more choices of medicines that she can take. You may want to practice on M&Ms or other such candies [a prize may be in order too! We got my son his first box of Legos (I hate, hate, hate Legos!) when he learned to swallow pills! That's how important the pediatrician made it out to be!].
My son was on a oral liquid medicine for his entire kindergarten year (it was a full day kindergarten in the school that my husband is principal of), but he was not under such good control. For part of the year, he was getting an oral medicine "boost" at lunch time from the school nurse. The following year, he was homeschooled (for a first grade year) and was able to swallow a pill, so he started Concerta. Concerta's effect is more widely distributed over the day, so he had better impulse control throughout the day. He is now in school part time, repeating first grade. Since we are Jewish, we homeschool the Judaic studies component (consisting of Bible in Hebrew, Jewish law, and Hebrew language) when he comes home after lunch and recess with his classmates. Our homeschooling day after lunch maybe is about an hour more of hard core academics.
Our pediatrician, who seems quite knowledgeable about ADHD told us that behavior therapy is not effective in pre-adolescent children. Of course, it does not hurt to keep your child away from artificial colors and flavors, but other than that, I do not really restrict diet. I put my son on the medicine initially, because while he is hyperactive, it is the impulsiveness that is the problem. When he was diagnosed at five, he was hurting his classmates and throwing things at us (I was worried about getting hurt!). In school, when we forget his medicine, even now he tends to poke his classmates and bug them.
I do let my son quite the run of the neighborhood when he is home. The pediatrician told us to let him get a lot of exercise and running around. Studies also show that being outside in nature and exercise is good for ADHD. So, my son often bikes and scooters around the neighborhood, and loves to play ball with the kids. Try to encourage lots of active play!
I am also curious about how much you tell "outsiders." So far, I've only told a few people, and we've received some interesting responses. My mom is offended that someone would suggest something is "wrong" with her precious peanut. :tongue_smilie: One of my friends (who doesn't even have children) happened to call as I was leaving the doctor, and she scolded me about not letting Cora be Cora. :glare: I'm already regretting saying a word to her and won't be discussing it with her again. I do have very supportive people with me though, including my bff whose son probably has it as well. I'm not planning to make it general knowledge in our family because...well, my family is pretty nutty and harshly judgmental. Cora is already well established at her dance/musical theater studio and in church and doesn't cause a problem at either place, so I'm not sure if I should tell them or not. I don't want her labeled as another ADHD kid, kwim? I don't worry about that happening at the studio or church, but it could at other places. Thoughts?And since we're talking about meds...ugh. I don't know what to think. I don't want to say, "I'm never putting her on meds!" and then let her suffer. OTOH, I DO worry about changing her personality. She is an absolutely joyful child who loves life! I just want to do what's best for HER. How will I know when the time is right? She is still so little. ETA: My husband is pretty opposed to her taking meds, but if I tell him it's what I think she needs, he will agree with me. He trusts me since I spent a lot more time with her than he does.
I know this got long, and it's so rambly (is that a word??) so thanks if you made it this far.
I do tell people, particularly relatives, that my son has ADHD, as that helps explain his behavior. For instance, the medicines are appetite suppressants. So my son will pick at lunch. He makes up for it at dinner, bedtime snack and breakfast [for instance, today (a holiday from school) he ate breakfast about 4 times]. When we visit my parents, this freaks out my mom (particularly since she does not want to serve him another meal later in the afternoon). We just remind her that him will just eat a huge dinner but won't be hungry until then.
My parent live in an apartment, and he finds it difficult there, so we let him go outside by himself. My mother freaks from that too, but we remind her that he needs to be active (we watch him from the window).
My son did not do well with extracurricular activities (by the end of the day, he could not keep his behavior in check), but if your daughter can handle dance and church without complaint from either the teachers or your daughter, than I would not let them know she has ADHD. The only extracurricular activity that my son did well in was swimming (where as long as he held onto the wall while waiting his turn, he could bounce up and down all he wanted).
My husband does see a change in my son's sparkle for life when he is on the medicine, but he is really not able to control his behavior without the medicine . However, the doctor told us that if he becomes like a zombie, then the dosage is too high! So you may see a change, but it should only be slight. If it seems like your daughter disappeared, then it's either the wrong medicine or the wrong dosage.
Good luck with the decision, and hope this helps.
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I have polycystic ovarian syndrome (which is probably not the reason why you don't ovulate, particularly since your do have regular periods), which means that I almost never ovulate or have regular periods. While I had my oldest without any infertility intervention, my two youngest were conceived via IVF. While I do not regret going through infertility treatments, I can tell you that they are painful, both physically and emotionally (and I am in general very stoic and not emotional :lol:). The fact is that in order to undergo any infertility treatments, you would have to be taking large doses of hormones, that will hit you like a truck and make you very weepy. Statistically speaking, your marriage will be at risk--many people who undergo infertility treatments divorce later, even if the treatments are successful! So while I would never discourage anyone who wanted to undergo infertility treatments (it not being my decision :lol:), buyer beware!
Is money the only gift for a bar/bat mitzvah?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Besides the gift of fountain pens, watches, and jewelry with your name in Hebrew on it, a religious item is also appropriate for a bar/bat mitzvah: prayer books for the Sabbath or High Holidays, Hebrew Bible (with English translation is nice), candlesticks for the Sabbath (particularly for the girls), a menorah for Hannukah. Money is not the only option.