happyWImom
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Posts posted by happyWImom
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Waking up tired might be worth investigating. Does she have daytime fatigue? Morning headaches? Snoring?
I have a child with sleep apnea. I never dreamed it. He's thin fwiw. He always needed a lot of sleep compared to his twin, and he seemed tired even with all that sleep.
How did they diagnose the apnea, and what are you doing for him now? (I'm actually thinking my ds might have it; he's always been a mouth breather, circles under his eyes, very thin, other possible signs)
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I am right there with you sister! My ds is a total daydreamer and everything he does (from brushing his teeth to putting on a pair of socks) takes him FOREVER-bless his little heart! :banghead: Mine is good when we do stuff orally, but I have another child who occasionally needs one on one time, too and I cannot hold his hand through every subject. Math, for instance. He totally gets it, and is bright. Yet it has sometimes taken him an hour to do one wkbk page in MUS-we are talking 10 probs or less sometimes!!! But if I sit there while he does it, and have him even talk it out with me, it's done in less than half that. Sorry, I can't do that daily!
Here are some things working for us. Online. We do TT as well as MUS, and he loves it & whizzes through it. The same with his spelling words. Honestly, if I had him do everything online, he'd be in heaven, but I do require written work. The other good thing is, he's a voracious reader and actually reads quickly & retains it. I can do lots of oral narration with him. But, now that he's 10, I'm having him start written, and that's taking a while. And, he does have his favorite subjects, so I have had to tell him that we do math & LA first, and if we don't have time to get to the science he loves, sorry. (I read Apologia out loud, so he's still getting science, but he likes to do the lapbooks)
I wish I had more tips for you. What about SOS dvd's or things like that? Or anything on-line. Currclick mini units; would they engage him?
Good luck! :grouphug:
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We used WP anatomy when DS was in 3rd-4th grade. I liked it a lot and he learned so much, but it is very time consuming. DS really liked it too. I don't see why you couldn't add the forensics to any science you do if you already have it. It stands alone.
Hmm, time consuming; that's what I was trying to avoid. Yes, I think for my ds, I will have to add the forensics to whatever we use. I just really liked the look of the WP science and wanted a change of pace. But, if it's too time consuming we'll end up skipping it. :(
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Both mine will sleep 10-12 hours a night. DS hasn't always needed so much sleep but as he's moved into the "teen" years he has started to sleep a lot more. DD has always slept 10-12 hours a night and will still take naps if I let her. We've seen the Doctor about it, had a bunch of tests ran and Doctor said no obvious problems.... some kids just need more sleep. Which is fine for HSer's, but she will be attending P.S. next year not sure how it's going to work out.
It really makes you think about how sleep deprived most kids with a "regular" schedule are!
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Does the AFF include paper grading? That may be well worth the cost. I personally prefer to teach the material myself, but if having a class will be motivation to complete the material, then I would go for the live teacher or online class. You will probably have to buy the AFF student book as well. Also in a live class it's great motivation for the student to do his/her best because of reading their work out loud, etc. also it's helpful for outlining and brainstorming to have a class of students to help with that.
I believe it does include the paper grading, but I need to make sure. I do agree that for dd, the on-line thing would be a good motivator. I'm also thinking it would be good for my ds, who takes forever to do assignments! They don't know the meaning of the word "deadline" at this point. :001_smile:
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Who has used this? I'm debating it because I think it might work better for dd. For the beginning class, they are using IEW's All Things Fun & Fascinating. The course is over $135 per semester, which is comparable to similar online classes. But when I look at IEW's Student Writing Intensive A and the All Thing's Fun & Fascinating combined & purchased through them at at total of $124, it makes me go "Hmmm.... Is the on-line class worth the cost?" I mean, by purchasing the materials, I get to keep the 4 dvd's, binder & notes, and it's half the cost. I realize I'm getting an actual teacher, there is interaction, as well as editing. Does anyone know if the class on Currclick covers everything in the Student Writing Intensive? Or, does it just use some of the tips, and then incorporate them into the Fun & Fas. class?
Sorry to be so dense, but IEW is confusing enough to me. My dc both saw the Currclick class sample video & got all excited-and I did too-until I did the cost comparisons. :(
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My DD enjoys Athena's Academy, which has a weekly live session and then assignments to complete separately. (www.athenasacademy.com).
Thanks for this; I'd not heard of this one!
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I really want my dd to take some on-line classes, because for high school, that's the way we're going to go & I want to prepare her. Has anyone used Currclick or anthing else they would recommend?
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We scrambled for a while, the tried Worsmith Apprentice (got her writing, but it wasn't that great as far as content - minimal learning). This year we used Write@Home. It is great to have someone else giving her feedback and editing. There still isn't a whole lot of teaching. I think we may continue with W@H if I can get the discount again and if I can find something else to supplement with. She is a tough case because she is a natural creative thinker, has great vocabulary, and nice varied sentence structure (all due to reading good books), beginnings if a voice, and does well with short story and descriptive passages but loathes expository writing. She's also a big picture type.
I am checking this out! Thanks!
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I vote shorter and more independent. You want her to be moving toward independent anyway, right? This is the age to step back and let them take more responsibility.
I also vote to skip the HS co-op or arrange for a late arrival, and do school on Saturdays to skip schoolwork on Mondays.
Homeschooling is great because you can tailor school to meet the individual needs of your child!
See, that's why I come here! To find the simple answers that elude me on my own! :thumbup1:
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I honestly would love to let her sleep until 9:30-10am, because then I could still sleep until 8, take my time to get going & still have some time doing school with my ds before she gets up. Except, dd has some OCD issues & has gotten it into her head that she needs to finish most of her schoolwork by lunchtime! We usually do not end up eating lunch until at least 1:30. So, I can get all of our math in (they do MUS & TT), LA, bible stuff and read alouds, but other subjects get the short end. I figure my options are to either lay down the law "If you get up late, we do school later" but then she would probably set her alarm & get up by 8-okay for most kids, dd is a bear when she doesn't get enough sleep. My other option is to change exactly what we are doing for subjects AGAIN, and have hers be shorter & more independent. Now, we are using MFW, but moving through it at a slower pace because the dc like to really delve into the subjects, so we read lots of extra books, do extra notebooking, history pockets, etc.... It's good because they're learning a lot, but it takes a lot of time.
Okay, I've gotten a little off-track, thinking aloud again! :D
The other problem with letting her sleep late is that we have HS Co-op every other Friday, and she has to be up by 8am, and on Mondays we have afternoon lessons, so those days she would get only the bare minimum of school in if she slept late. Hmmm. Lots to think about.
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We're not Irish, but I've always done fun stuff with the kids in the past, crafts, fun foods, books about St. Patrick. This year, I feel like I've let the ball drop on all sorts of holidays, and my ds, especially seems to miss it. The guilt has set in, big time. I don't know what my deal is. Burn out??? I feel bad about it. Everything was "themey". We used to do Muffin Tin Mondays, game days, and any holiday, there was some type of acknowledgement. They are getting older, and I'm starting to miss all of the fun things we used to do & called it "school". Part of it is that I feel we're behind, plus we just have so much darn regular, required school to do, the fun stuff gets left out. Sigh.... Big bummer. (Can you tell I'm feeling blue today? Not green, like I should be?) :001_rolleyes:
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Sometimes they aren't sleeping well due to sleep apnea or mouth-breathing and thus don't feel as refreshed in the morning. It's something the doc will look for and that you can check yourself. Just go in at night and notice if she's mouth-breathing, snurgling, snoring, etc.
Other than sleep testing, how can the Ped. figure out if she has sleep apnea?
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I'm afraid to even comment, because that might make our weather turn on me. :eek: We're in WI, and this has been the worst winter in as long as I can remember! The cold is the worst part, but yes, I am sick of all of it right now, too. Our snow is mostly disappearing, but I'm not getting my hopes up that it's gone for good. I feel your pain.
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Here's the thing. Whether the "norm" is for casual get-togethers, for teens now to not be punctual, to rsvp, etc... isn't really the issue. The issue is that for the OP, the behavior isn't acceptable, and what should she do. We all are different, obviously, and we all have our peeves. This is hers; it doesn't make her wrong. (Not that I'm saying anyone has said she's wrong :D ) I agree that for her peace of mind, limits need to be set. As a few ladies have said, don't invite the ones who always say maybe or show up late. If they question why they haven't been included, be nice but explain that there not committing has caused her problems in the past and explain how. Tell them they are wholeheartedly welcome in the future, if they can do xyz. That's if she wants to continue hosting. Otherwise, a break might be good; let another mom/family try it and experience the same. Maybe it wouldn't bother them, or maybe it would & she'd have someone to empathize with her.
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My dd would love to stay up later "All her friends do". :tongue_smilie: Typically, I have her read from around 8:00 until 8:30 or so. We aren't always on the dot, which is why I say she is asleep by 9:00. To let her stay up any later would be a nightmare, considering how late she already sleeps in the morning! Since ds is the early riser, I'm thinking about getting up when he does (I don't usually get up until 8am :blushing: ) so that I can get some school in before dd wakes. Ds is a dawdler, so the early start for school would benefit him.
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I feel a little bit better, now. My ds doesn't need as much sleep; he goes to bed at 8:30 & is up by 7am or earlier.
It is the part about her not being refreshed that bothers me, though. She will be due for a check up, so I need to make sure we ask about it.
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My dd, just turned 12 usually falls asleep by 9pm and will sleep until at least 9 or 9:30 am if I let her! I have always been one who "never woke a sleeping child" but this is becoming ridiculous! I'm honestly wondering if it's a health issue. Because a lot of the time, I have to wake her, and she doesn't get up refreshed.
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:grouphug: I can imagine how you feel. I love the new stages, but really miss having my dc totally depend on me and need me. I love being with little ones, and if I could have I would have had a boatload more-not in the cards, though. I've been teaching Sunday School, which helps me get my "little ones" fix, and puts me in contact with other moms. What about a book club? Not sure if that would interest you, but it's a great way to get to know people, and if you like to learn, it's good also. I am the same way about hobbies-I'm not good at anything, and the only thing I really enjoy doing when I have free time is reading. Hence, the book club. :D We live in a small town, but our library has one, and there are at least a few others that I'm aware of. If it interests you, check with your library first. Even if there isn't one directly associated with it, they are sure to know about any, because of people reserving books for their clubs.
I wish you luck.
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My dd is both highly creative and highly logical/mathematical. She hated IEW. She is quiet and rather dutiful and doesn't speak up much, and this was the only curriculum she complained about. She detested that she had to KWO and then rewrite someone else's creative story! It wasn't much better for nonfiction. I think she realized that she wasn't adding anything new or original to the world in doing SWI A and didn't see the point in doing it.
What did you end up using for her?
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I have taught several IEW classes, and I have had students who sound a lot like your dd. To be honest, it sounds to me like she might feel that way with any program that put parameters on her writing. For some students, their writing is so personal that they cringe at any constructive criticism--especially when it comes from Mom.
No matter what program you choose, I would recommend that you place her in a class. That way, the criticism will feel less personal to her because it will come from an impartial teacher.
IEW covers 9 units of writing. Some of the units, like "Writing from Pictures" and "Writing from the Brain" give the students more creative freedom, while the units on report writing will probably stifle it a bit. She will need to know how to write more than stories, though, so learning to be creative within the set boundaries is not such a bad thing. My oldest dd(14) is rather creative, so she sometimes chafed against the requirements for writing reports. This year, though, she is taking a biology class, and the teacher made it clear that lab reports are not the place for creative writing. The IEW instruction had prepared her well for the moment that she needed to complete a writing outside of IEW class.
On the other hand, IEW also teaches students to incorporate essential elements into their stories (like conflict), and it teaches them techniques that can help them add style to their stories. Eventually, you may want to consider a course that focuses 100% on creative writing, but I would use that as an "extra" for a season rather than a main writing program over a long stretch of time.
I hope you find just what you need for her! :-)
I think you've nailed my dd! If our hs Co-op did IEW, and someone else was the teacher, I think dd would be fine with it. You've inspired me to talk them into it for next year!
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For my kids, no. It helps them find joy and creativity in it because it gives them the ideas of how to write and what to include. They don't need to think about it. So they can enjoy the time finding that strong verb or adjective or figuring out how to get an adverbial clause in it instead. They are impressed with how much better their writing has turned out and they can turn out a paragraph or three so easily. Much quicker than before. My strongest writer is still my strongest and my guy that never enjoyed writing and would really struggle on what to write has become decent. Still writes the shortest papers, but ... And my other is somewhere in between. They are all 9yoa and we are halfway through SWI a.
That is very good to know. As I said, my ds would probably love it, but with dd, if I was able to show her how it could definitely improve her writing and make it stronger, it might work for us.
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I know-not another IEW thread! :eek: I have been going back & reading some older ones, but got impatient. :D
My dd actually enjoys writing for fun, and has started several "books". She also likes to do reports-when she picks the topic. And, she is pretty creative. But, her writing definitely needs some fine tuning, and we haven't done a lot of formal stuff or outlines. We've only done WWE 1&2, R&S Eng 4 (with the bits of writing instruction) and started Wordsmith App. this year. While she enjoys writing, she struggles (and fights me) on actual writing instruction. So far Wordsmith App. is okay (we are pretty behind with it, though) but for example, when she has been told to do a short summary or narration, she can't seem to contain it all in bite size bits. The "books" she's written have been pretty good but are really similar and based on things she's read.
This leads me to believe that she just needs more instruction, but I don't want her to end up totally hating it. She's very creative in other ways, too, and I was just wondering if IEW would be a good fit for someone like her.
My ds would probably thrive with it. He does very well with something formulaic, loves to follow instructions, step by step type things are perfect for him. But, I hate to spend the money if only one of them is going to use it. (Not to mention the time)
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I'm sorry. I think we have a bit of crossed wires in communication here. My post is a two parter - at first just answering your age question and how I handle it. No judgement. I hadn't read any replies at that point. After I went back and read replies, in the interest of full disclosure and honesty, I was being a bit of a passive-aggressive donkey butt - specifically in response to elfknitter's comment to you re: forcing the situation - I don't agree with her assessment.
I'm truly sorry. My intention was not to make you feel judged, nor did I infer that you expected friendship from your DD - again that was in response to other posters. :grouphug:
No, I didn't take your response as negative at all! I totally knew what you meant, and why, and really did appreciate your response! Sorry it took me so long to reply, but we were gone and I just saw this. Truly, thank you-I felt like you "got" me. :001_smile:
I'm torn between Apologia Anatomy & WP Human Body
in K-8 Curriculum Board
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Winter Promise. http://www.winterpromise.com/