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74Heaven

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  1. Thanks for all the comments, condolences, etc. I guess this is an area where we'll have to work on with more concentrated effort. I also think that this problem is exacerbated by more people/kids (i.e. more people to comment), extroverted kids and the open concept home. And always "togetherness" which is part of our rural location, homeschooling, shared hobbies, etc. I am also a slightly burned-out, tired homeschooling momma. I thirst for quiet. My idea of family night, is snacks and everyone get a good book and a comfy spot in the family room and don't say a word! (The only ones who think that sounds awesome are my adult homeschooling mom friends!!!) My 85yo mom lives alone and has a quiet life and I always tell her, semi-jokingly, "You're living my dream!" The hardest part is the "constant" part of the comments. They just never end and no subject (cinnamon as spice rub ingredient) is too trivial. You are all great! I appreciate you Lisa J, mom to 5
  2. Thanks for the squirt gun idea. i like it. I am trying to enjoy more light moments and laughter with the kids. They'd like that altho I know they'd (boys!!!) one up me with bigger guns & I wouldn't find that amusing. As far as the mentioning something aloud, I usually don't. It is just when anyone mentions anything aloud, including dh.... then all the kids comment and it turns into a disagreement or lengthy meaningless dialogue. Five talkative people too. Just constant commenting disorder Thanks for all the replies! Lisa J
  3. So I have 5 kids; 2 are grown and on their own. It was never this bad when they were teens. I have the equivalent of 3 teens at home: 12.5yob, 15yob, 17yog. The 17yo is a constant "problem child" in our home, in a rebellious stage (but improving). She is constantly complaining about fairness between her brothers and herself. And she is constantly stirring up trouble. 15yo son is a in that "I know it all" teen stage - but usually compliant and helpful. With our "problem child", our motto is to not engage in her attempts to argue and stay calm and keep parenting! They comment on EVERYTHING; interrupt my husband and I, boss each other around, etc. The oldest two at home are very much typical oldest children - very bossy and competitive with one another. (My husband and I are working on their interruptions, having not noticed as soon as we should - and are having some progress. Now without dissecting my many and glorious parenting flaws, how can we deal with this? Mostly, I use nonemotional MYOBs, please don't interrupt, let it go, stop the bickering..... etc. Constant reminders are not working. Warnings, etc. The problem is constant and the topic is completely irrelevant. (It is noteworthy that our home is an open concept home where the three main rooms are all combined so all 5 of us are often within earshot of each other.) Here's an example: ME: I have got to remember to turn in my team T-shirt. (I have missed 2-3 opptys when it was with me.) BOY 15: Oh I reminded you about that. (At an unhelpful time like in the middle of an algebra lesson) GIRL: YOU didn't turn yours IN? I turned mine in the NEXT DAY! ( judgmental tone - I washed it and gave it to her) BOY 12: It is on the dash in the car. (True, unnecessary tho cuz I knew that) BOY 15: No, its not. Its in the laundry room. GIRL: What, you haven't even WASHED it YET? (judgmental tone) ME: Yes, its in the car. I guess I need to write myself a note. (no signs of exasperation usually - really, veteran parent) BOY 15: No, its in the laundry room, I saw it. (3 days ago) BOY 12: It is NOT in the laundry room. I put it in the car for mom. (2 cents worth) GIRL: Its in the car but its in the trunk. (its not, never was) BOY 15: No, its not in the car. I'm positive it is in the laundry room. (3 days ago) ANNOYED HUSBAND: Mom said it's in the car. Not DROP IT! (slightly raised voice) GIRL: Mom ASKED us where it was!!! (I did not) MOM: I DID NOT. I just mentioned returning my T-shirt. (Annoyed, Exasperated, Tired) So, as you can see, most of these comments are useless. Most of the time *I* don't even say anything - I don't even say the original comment because I realize what will happen (the above) and it exhausts me. Recent topics are chores, other people's homework, pets, is it allowance day, etc. I know I'm not alone because my two walking partners have grown children and they assure me it is normal. So advice, thoughts - gentle ones please - condolences..... :) Lisa J, mom to 5
  4. The soda poll got me thinking.... About 2 years ago, I quit drinking diet sode (diet was my habit but I quit regular soda too.) I am not opposed to occasional soda but am wary that I will succumb to a habit if I start again. I drink very diluted juice, water or water w/frozen fruit. About 4 years ago, I started walking 4-6x a week about 3miles each time. These were major changes that I was actually surprised I could accomplish. I did them to lose weight, and be healthy. I quit the diet soda and all aspartame and artificial sweeteners because I am convinced they are unhealthy (at least in "regular" or high amounts.) The impact on my life, quality of life, and energy were astounding. My current goal is to redeem my time better - to have a better grasp of a regular schedule for myself and our home. (School is very regular but my input/progess on tasks is not as productive as I'd like.) What life changes/habits have you enacted in recent years or months? How did you accomplish them? What was your motivation? Why did you succeed? Lisa J
  5. Thanks, that's $712 per year. Yikes, can't afford that! Lisa J ---
  6. I need a self-teaching precalculus class for my grade 11 (junior year) daughter. She is medium-strong in math but really hit some walls in Alg. 2. I am too busy to help her and don't really want to. She is likely liberal arts-headed for college, but I don't want her to finish pre-calc at least. Since I am not concerned about math proficiency nor rigor, can anyone comment on the self-teaching aspect of Teaching Textbooks. (Just a note, I am well aware of TT's strengths/weaknesses. I am not worried about it preparing her adequately for a possible calculus.) (When an older daughter did it, she was using the problem-solving teaching video to "DO" the homework (cheating); so it ended up being a big problem.) That really "killed" the wonderfulness of the TT program. I plan to keep better tabs on it the CD/answer keys. I would like to keep it cheaper of course. But up to $300ish? Anything online for that realm of pricing? (I do not want to create anything from scratch? I would like to be as uninvolved as possible.) Has anyone used TT PreCalc successfully? lisaj
  7. Bump for Jan. 2014 I would love an update on Mr. Murray's online classes, the curriculum and how it is working in the OP's (& other's) home(s)? This looks perfect for my son. Lisa J
  8. bump. Anyone have some feedback? The lecture we watched, (one of the ones we watched?) Gilgamesh, I didn't find Etter to be as engaging as I hoped? I'm sure he's a fine teacher, I just wondered if my distractible children would stay focused? Lisa J
  9. I would LOVE to hear about OLLY vs ULtimate Homeschool Planner. And will the OLLY app work on iphones or just ipads? Timely discussion for me. Thanks OP & flyesq Lisa J
  10. I am newly considering this. The special price is through the end of June. Any other comments? I am actually comparing this Omnibus Primary with MFW AHL. I really am torn. I was all set to buy AHL but now I see this and I wonder: __Is Bruce Etter interesting - does he hold the student's attention? __How often would the student watch the lecture? __How much time would it take (Omnibus Primary) on a daily basis? __How much discussion is there with student/parent? (same as without the videos?) __How would it differ from MFW AHL? __Anyone else want to tell me what they think? Lisa J -
  11. Binders. Big 4" binders. If the drawing is oversize (& it is not save-for-a-lifetime precious) - fold it, fold the edge/margin, 3-hole punch, put it in. If you or your child want more organization - make a tab for each child. As a collecting tool, some drawings that overhang edge of binder are still better than drowning in art. So as not to crush ego/creativity/budding artist's career, etc. - either give them their own binder (our artist's binder goes on his closet shelf) or put the binder as a "show to dad each night", etc. After 16 years of homeschooling, let me tell you now... binders are second only to bookshelves as a homeschool mom's best friend. Lisaj, mom to 5; 2 grads
  12. I am guessing you know about the self-paced omnibus primary internet special that is running right now? I am interested as well but am actually struggling with the exact same decision, albeit with a 8th grader and 10th grader and different concerns questions? And btw, I am not really clear on what Omnibus entails exactly, neither their new primary offering and their other offerings. But I have scanned it many times and have a friend who has been doing it. Omnibus or MFW AHL? Lisa J ===
  13. All the above is accurate of course. But, I always wanted to make sure "if" my children needed to move into the local schools during high schol, we would be covering what the state required and they wouldn't have to take 9th gr classes when they were in 11th, 12th, etc. (in our case, that is state history, mostly). I also think local and state history are actually worthwhile subjects :0). But my main reason is being in line with our school district in case we would enroll them. Of course there is no guarantee that the credits would be accepted at the local high school - because in our state, every school district can accept or deny homeschool credits for high school enrollees as they deem appropriate. Lisaj, 2 grads; 10th gr; 8th gr; 5th gr
  14. My children averaged a "science" class or study area about every other year of grades K-6. We did Rainbow Science in Gr 7-8 and then Physical Science in gr. 9. For my nonscience-minded 1st and 3rd borns, these years of concentrated science paid off handsomely in high school. We finished with Biology, Chemistry and A&P Biology in gr 10-12. It is kind of like Latin (or many other subjects); if your students starts Latin about 3rd/4th grade and continue on for 4-5 years, their high school Latin study is easier, less confusing, less stressful and includes a lot of review and includes a great knowledge base to build on. But, they can still start Latin in 9th grade and master 2-3-4 years of high school Latin w/o too much trouble. I like making the high school years "easier" (so to speak) by having very solid foundations from the earlier years' studies. Now, as many posters have said, there are numerous ways to establish that foundation - textbook, grade-level, precept upon precept is just one approach. I am very glad we did jr high science studies! Lisa J, mom to 2 graduates, 3 still hsing Lisaj, mom to 5
  15. I think this is a common way that classes recite things for a presentation. Basically the teacher says something like, "States & Capitals" and then the students (rehearsed) step out one by one and say, (first student: Alabama, Montgomery"' (next student: Alaska, Juneau) etc. etc. I can't remember what this kind of presentation is called? Anyone? A quick reply would help me! Grrr - Lisaj - mom to 5
  16. There was a thread recently on a variation of this question - and I'll mention on one of the comments to give perspective. The "crux of the matter" was that most (a few experienced?) posters seem to say that a high school Spanish course needs to include a reasonably strong grammar component to be 1 credit, to be rigorous (or comparable to other Spanish classes that are given credit at high school or early college years). I don't know if that helps, but a little research may persuade you and or the parents "requesting conversational" to consider other options? Foreign language fluency is often the parent's/student's goal but rarely realistic for a couple of years of a foreign language. I have nothing really to contribute to this thread except I've had four of my children in co op Spanish settings. The first co op used A Beka, books 1A, 1B & 2A (over 3 years); and the second co op used BJU Spanish one year & Breaking the Spanish Barrier the other year. We found that in BTSB far too often students were expected to understand a word based on context in a sentence and not a vocab list (this happened too frequently for our tastes). As well, we found BTSB to have ridiculous, foolish dialogue about movie stars and dating and bf/gf and the like :9). Even some kind of "your parents are annoying" attitudes. Nothing major, just annoyingly so.... Lisaj, mom to 5
  17. We did BJU DVDs for Am Lit, U.S. History, Chemistry and Geometry a few years back. We *loved* the U.S Hist with Mrs. Vick. There was a lot of text reading, questions, (busywork) etc. But the DVDs were full of short vignettes and video clips. IT was by far our favorite BJU DVD subject. Mrs. Vick is a highly regarded BJU instructor. Of the other three, fyi, the only one we didn't like was Am Lit - not sure if it was the brand new instructor, the books/works/excerpts chosen or the discussion/UNinteractive nature of literature via DVD. Lisaj, mom to 5 (2 grads - my college freshman daughter just verified that BJU U.S. History was "interesting")
  18. We just made a point of doing the Test A of the end-of-unit and cumulative tests more than once. Basically after 3-4 lessons in a unit, we'd start doing 1-2 problems a day in the Test A. Then, after we'd finish that - we'd usually have a week or two til the end of the unit - then we'd do th Test A again. .... Also, the website has extra problem sets for each lesson. There are 6-10 extra problems. Those would be extra review as well. My third daughter is finishing VT and this has worked well for us. One other tip, we always did every Test A & Test B. But we did Test A open book and then only score Test B. That way, Test A served as a review of each concept. Lisa J, mom to 5
  19. I think the general consensus is that Henle Units 1-7 is one Latin credit. I do not follow that consensus and award credit more on a 150-180 hours spent credit basis. (I have also been told that Henle II spends the first half (not sure on that exactly???) reviewing Henle Year 1 book. I have been advised when we finish Year One (14 units I think???) that we can skip the first half of Henle Year 2. I use a slightly different approach that I feel comfortable awarding one credit for: Using the MP syllabus, we do Henle Units 1-2 + 20ish hours NLE prep + 30 Latin sayings for 1 credit - High School Latin I. Again using the MP syllabus, we do Henle Units 3-5, 20ish hours of NLE prep, + 50 Latin Phrases College Students Should Know... and call it 1 credit High School Latin II. For both of the above classes, we meet in a 32-week co op format + 2-4 NLE extra sessions - and we incorporate other Latin extras as well such as prayers, conversational basics and Roman history and geography topics. Based on time spent and the myriad of other public, private and homeschooling 1 credit classes, I feel very comfortable with this scenario. I give lots of tests and quizzes, grade objectively and fairly "strictly" and we work 160-180 hours a year. I give homework for 36ish weeks, even tho we only meet 32x. Lisa j, mom to 2 grads; 3 to go...
  20. I am halfway through Henle Latin Year One. I have taught my children (on second "set" of Latin scholars). I did have an advantage though, as my older two attended a co op class with an incredible Latin teacher who was foreign born and fluent in 3-4 languages and a college professor. I was able to sit in the back of that class and absorb and learn alongside my students. However, I didn't do the homework. Then, when I started teaching my "second set" Henle high school Latin (thru a co op setting), we have went slow (MP guide) and I have done most of the homework just a week ahead of the students. I am in my 3rd year of teaching in a co op setting and that has forced me to increase my knowledge. I was scared to death when I started teaching high school Latin with only my "sit & absorb" teaching "experience". But, it has not been that difficult, as long as I did my homework/flashcards, looked up info online, etc. It helps to incrementally stay involved in Latin continually. Obviously, teaching Latin requires this exposure. There is a Henle online yahoo group, these boards and dozens (hundreds?) of Latin sites to use to educate myself and look up answers and explanations when I get stuck. Henle is very self-teaching, so those resources are handy, but by no means necessary. The most effective personal learning has come by doing my Henle homework. I usually do it in 1-2 hour-long sessions and thus it "only" requires about 2 hours a week. There's one answer. I always say that I am not a great Latin teacher, but I am a *willing* Latin teacher who enjoys the language. Lisa j, mom to 5 - who got NLE results today for my co op students (WOOOO HOO~!)
  21. Swimmermom - thanks for your recent post after you re-read my OP & follow up post. I think you hit it on the head, exactly. Apologia isn't the "lower math" physics level that is maybe used in 9th now for the new "physics" first science sequences. As for your question about the co op's "rotation". We are offering Apologia general/physical on a 2-year rotation. On those same years, we are offering the 3-year rotation of physics/bio/chem. So in theory, a entering freshman will have to choose between the two different rotations. General OR Physical will always be offered & one of the upper 3 will always be offered. At least that's the rough plan. Lisa J - I don't think I'll be teaching any kind of physics. I am teaching 2 Latin classes and am considering teaching a class for my 4th grader too?
  22. We did U.S. History with the BJU DVDs taught by Mrs. Vick. She is *highly* regarded by folks who have used BJU and the different classes she teaches. She was excellent and the course was by far, our favorite BJU class. There are several vignettes w/in the videos to better illustrate U.S. History. OTOH, I did find the BJU textbook a bit dry and the tests included important info and needless statistics and dates. I know this doesn't address the OP's original question very well, but BJUP's U.S. History was a "git-er-done" selection for us and it worked out extremely well. As a matter of fact, I am hoping my youngers will also get to use this course as it was one of those courses that really was a winner at our house. The DVDs are 30min each and there is 30+ minutes of homework if you follow BJU's suggested sked. Lisaj, mom to 2 grads, 3 to go....
  23. Thanks, Lisa & snowbeltmom. My fear is lessening. I don't have any idea how approachable the Apologia Physics is. I guess I'll need to find a book to look at. I am not worried about the math as gr9 dd is done with Alg. 2 and gr. 7 ds (mathy) will be halfway through Alg. 1 next fall. We do have a geology/lego contraptions course that we could do at co op IF we opted out of physics next year. We can also do physics at tthe end of the sequence, assuming we are still co oping at the same place. My 7th grader will be in 11th that year (when physics is planned again) and my 9th grader would miss out which I would be okay with, given her lack of science aptitude/interest. Hoping to hear from more science-oriented parents/teachers! Lisa j, 2 graduated, 3 to go
  24. I have graduated two students following the traditional math & science sequences (Using Apologia). Both did very well except we stumbled and struggled with a year of BJU Chem via DVDs in the mix. Chem was very difficult for us. Spent 6+ weeks extra going over chapters where we scored less than 70% on tests. Now, I have 2 more students ready for high school science, with the same aptitudes: gr9dd NONMathy; ds gr 7ds "Mathy". I prefer to outsource their science at our current co op. The co op sequence offered is not the standard sequence (that I am used to and that I prefer due to our success), but rather physics first, before biology and chemistry. They both are finishing Apologia physical science with grades in the 85-95% range. My gut tells me that neither child is ready for physics; and we'd be better to either skip science next year. I base this primarily on my older daughter. She took physics her senior year at a local Christian school. She struggled mightily and barely scraped together a mid-B grade. It was a daunting task. However, the other moms in co op are comfortable with the General/Physical/Physics/Bio/Chem rotation. (There is a good reason for this sequence as we are a small co op and have BIG class-space problems, teacher needs and older students who "need" physics this year before they graduate.) I have scanned the internet for info on this as well. It seems most 9th grade physics classes done in private or public schools tend to do a simpler physics because of the higher math that is missing for most 9th graders. Most of the online articles I read seem to indicate most 9th gr physics students tend to take an advanced or more rigorous physics as 12th graders? I am wondering if I am needlessly fearful or right to be concerned? What say the experienced science moms? What do I need to know to make this decision? Thanks for any thoughts. I've been wrestling with this decision for a few months. Lisa J, mom to 2 grads/3 to go...
  25. Never heard of such a thing. Of course, one may exist. Have you considered doing an oral review with her of some of the Apologia Bio test questions? Just an idea. Lisa j, mom to 5
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