happyWImom
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Posts posted by happyWImom
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Does anyone have any preferences? We've used (and like) Apologia in the past, and the Anatomy & Physiology looks very thorough, but I've also used WP stuff and like that it uses multiple sources. Also, my ds especially would love the Forensic part of WP. Believe it or not, I have both, so cost isn't an issue. Other than the fact that I don't have the notebooks for Apologia. Ease of implementation is a consideration. :001_smile:
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I second Song School Latin. It's super quick & easy and they like it. Mine are past the recommended age, but I had it & wanted to use it before we move on, probably to Latin for Children. It's a way to ease into it, especially if they aren't up on all of the grammar yet.
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DD is just starting in the past few months to show an interest in and start crushing on boys. She is 11 -12 in August. She doesn't really talk about it a whole lot to me, but makes a comment here and there. I don't push, but casually mention remembering having a crush on certain celebrities and boys so that she knows it's totally normal. Like, the huge crush I had on Corey Feldman. We watched Stand By Me the other night, so I mentioned being soooo "in love" with him when I was younger. :)
She did have a friend in K4, though who was totally over the moon over some young celebrity that I can't remember the name of now. So, I'm really glad she waited until now!
ETA: After reading the replies here, I didn't realize that remembering my young life would be construed as forcing my daughter to be my "friend". LOL
However, my DD knows that I am not the only one to talk to. I tell her regularly that if she doesn't feel comfortable discussing something with me, she is to find another trusted adult such as my sister or SIL, Grandparents, or even one of the moms from park group that are close friends. She is entitled to her privacy, so unless she is in danger or making really unhealthy choices, I don't need all the details.
I appreciate your response. I don't expect to be dd's friend; we are clear that dh & I are the adults and deserve respect and we definitely don't share every detail of ours lives with our kids. My parents were the same. However, I have always been extremely close with my mom, and I am a totally open book, so I told her a lot. Not everything, by any means. There were lots of things I wanted to keep private. I kept a journal & would have been mortified if she had read it. Not because I had don't anything terrible, but because they were my deepest thoughts and feelings. I hope my dd does the same. I don't think my wanting her to share the fact that she thinks someone is cute is out of line or makes me any less of a parent. I don't expect her to tell me every thought she has about it, I guess I was just shocked because she's never said anything at all about any interest in boys. In fact, she's always been part tomboy and liked to hang out with the boys & do "boy stuff". Now, maybe that was her interest & I didn't pick up on it. :D I agree with you that if my dd doesn't feel comfortable talking to me or dh about something that she would go to either my mom or one of her friends mom's that we are close with.
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IMHO, by sharing your stories in the hopes she might finally share with you as you would like, you're not being accepting. You're forcing the situation.
My mom hoped during my teen years that I would share with her in moree of a friend capacity rather than as a mom/daughter relationship. She had an awful relationship with her mother and hoped that in being a friend, she would accomplish being a better mother than my grandmother was to her. But my life is my own. If I want you to know, I will tell you. I expect the same of others. If someone doesn't share their intimates with me, I don't force or ask. If I'm meant to know, they'll tell me.
While I do hope my dd shares some personal info of her life as she grows into adulthood, I do not wish to put her in a position where she feels forced to tell me. I'd rather she tell me on her own time.
I get what you're saying. Part of it is that my dd is embarrassed by pretty much everything (especially lately) and I just want her to know it's okay to talk about certain things with me. I don't want her to ever get into a situation where she's embarrassed or afraid to tell us something or ask for help if she needs it. She has a hard time sharing her feelings, period. I realize some people are just that way, but bottling things up has caused problems for her. She has gone to a therapist for anxiety issues, and it was very difficult for her to open up to her therapist, although it is getting better. She's always so worried about people's opinions of her.
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I was just saying good-night to her & talking, and I told her some of my experiences with crushes & thinking someone was cute, and I said "So, is there anyone you think is cute?", and she did tell me who and talk a bit about it. She said all her friends knew. Anyway, I don't expect her to tell me everything, but I guess I was just thrown for a loop that it's here all of a sudden. Wasn't she just learning to talk-yesterday? :confused1:
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I would feel left out and a bit sad if my son didn't tell me if others knew about it. Right now he's 11 and I'm sure there have been girls he has had crushes on, but he won't admit it to anyone. If I found out that other people knew, I would feel sad.
Every now and then I ask him very neutral faced and matter of fact, "Are there any girls you are interested in?" He says, "I don't know." Which is code for "Yes,but I don't want to talk about it because I'm embarrassed/confused/whatever.""
I never, ever, ever (ever!!!) told my parents about my crushes, but they were deep and very real to me. Some kids just don't talk to their parents about these things.
I'm sad for you that you talked to your mom about these things and hoped your daughter would talk to you but she didn't. How disappointing. ((Hugs))
If you bring it up, I would do so in a neutral matter of fact way so she doesn't feel pressured and embarrassed. Everything feels so embarrassing at that age.
My ds is very open and I can imagine him sharing the info. with me when it happens. I guess I have to just accept the fact that dd isn't me, and tends to be more private.
I am going to share some stories with her about me when I was her age & had crushes (she likes when I talk about when I was young) and see if she opens up.
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I guess I'm so dumb, I thought since I know her friends, etc... and we homeschool, there wouldn't be the interest this early! I guess you can't argue with hormones. :rolleyes:
Would you be bothered that your dd didn't tell you, though?
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I'm totally shocked, because today 2 of my dd's friends informed me that dd is "totally in love" with one of the boys in our 4-H club! My dd will turn 12 next month, and I thought boys were the furthest thing from her mind. I'm also sad that she didn't open up to me about any of it. I am very close with my mom, and basically told her everything. I was hoping it would be the same way with my dd-especially with us homeschooling!
I remember liking boys when I was in middle school, but figured I was more "wordly", plus the whole public school thing. We have good friends whose dd started getting interested (after a friendship) in a boy at age 15. I guess I was thinking I had until then. I'm freaking out a little bit. Am I being naive?
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Another fan, here. We love 4-H. It has helped with my dc's confidence & leadership skills, and our group is very close. We have at least 6 homeschooling families in ours, and I know of 2 other clubs that are strictly homeschool 4-H clubs. As the other ladies have said, they really do vary both because they are different in each state and county, but also each club has their own set of "By-Laws", and they determine a lot. I'm not sure of the specifics, but I think it is fairly easy to start up your own club if you aren't happy with any that you have access to. Definitely find out what the reputation is of any club you're interested in. A lot depends on individual members interests. For instance we have some in our area that mainly have "horse people" or animals, etc... If that's what you're into, and you're new, you would want one that have veterans who can help you out. I could go on & on, but I think everyone else has pretty much covered it.
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What's even more funny, is I'm wondering "doesn't every homeschooler have 600 items in their "save for later" amazon account?! I thought I was doing a big public service announcement :lol:
This is funny-after all of the hoopla here, I had to go & find out how many items were in my save for later-600!!! Do you believe it??? And I had moved a bunch to my Wishlist plus deleted a bunch. Two peas in a pod, I guess. :cheers2:
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I had no idea. Thanks for the heads up!
I was just like you, and my ds (at age 8) was the one who clued me in to the Wishlist! :D
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I'm totally technologically challenged, so this is huge for me (I have a flip phone & don't text)! I can't wait to use it for school, recipes, ebooks, etc!!! Any advice, tips, or misc. from you all would be much appreciated! :party:
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I honestly do get where you're coming from (unfortunately) because I've done the same thing with LA. Both because of the boredom as well as feeling I'm not doing enough, giving them a good enough foundation, etc... I am slowly changing, though. :hurray: Especially, because I feel that my dc are doing well with things like narration and writing. One thing I've finally realized is that they all learn and "get" things at different levels. When I've looked at what everyone else does for their dc that are similar ages as mine, I've panicked, but not anymore. My dd took forever to start narrating & summarizing well, and hated it for a long time. Now, she's excellent and is doing well with written narrations. Ds has always been great with oral narrations but is slowly getting there with written. In the past, I've tried to add more curriculum or have constantly switched because I felt like they weren't getting it, or weren't moving as quickly as I thought they should. Not any more.
We mainly use R&S, and while my head does get turned by new things, I feel like it's the perfect thing for us. The lessons are short, and we do a lot orally. For writing we are using Wordsmith Apprentice & Writeshop, which are good. Dd is a natural speller, so I mainly have her learn from dictation (words she missed) but I am on the hunt for ds for a spelling program. For reading comprehension/discussion, I vary what I use. Sometimes we use Memoria Press lit guides, but if our history has lots of narration (writen & oral) I give them a break with the lit. comprehension and just have them read the books.
Personally, I've loved WWE, and it helped us a lot in the younger years. But I'm only using it for ds now, since he needs more written narration practice. If you're not doing it consistently though, and you hate it-drop it.
I could go on & on, based on my mistakes, but it looks like you've gotten lots of good advice here, and you have a better plan, now. Good luck! :001_smile:
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West central.... I've never been scared of the flu until now being a lot of people I know (who go to church and teach my kids.....) are sick. So I'm not taking them anywhere until it runs through the church because those people are so dedicated that the come to church sick. It makes me sick!!! Ugh. Yes, I'm being a germ-aphobic person.
I am a germaphobe also! And I have to start teaching Sunday school next week-so I have to go!!! Now I'm freaking out a little bit. I'm not dedicated, though; if I'm sick I stay home. :001_smile:
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Oh, I didn't see the rest of this, or that your problem might be at the county level. Our 4-H county people have always been good, but this year we got a new Youth & Family Education Director, and he is fantastic! Very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and has a complete open door policy. He wants our input and is all about change. I know that if we had issues, we would go to him.
If I were you, I would go over whoever's head you need to, so that you can get things resolved. 4-H is such a great organization, I'd hate to see people leave because of some lax leadership.
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It is not the clubs that are so disorganized. The clubs we are involved in are great but they can only do so much with the information they have. It seems to be the top here. I just want email/phone call when times are changed or cancelled. Maybe a calendar for 4H events in advance and not the day before. We get notices the day of for drop off donations for this or events. Another mom who leads one of the clubs tells me that the other local 4H's are the same way. I did make some suggestions to the main office here only to be told that this is made of volunteers and I shouldn't expect much.
Our group uses Shutterfly to post group messages, pictures, events, etc.... It has helped improve communication 100%!
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Well I went to a wedding on Saturday (close family, had to show up for pictures at least.) Sunday the whole wedding party was sick, Monday one was tested positive. Dr. said it's likely h1n1. Now a bunch of guests are also sick. We came out unscathed.... however I think I'll lock myself inside until May. We have a newborn and I'm terrified. Terrified. I got the flu shot as did my 18 month old (she has respiratory issues.) She worries me more than the newborn. DH went to the hardware store this morning and said the owner looked awful... she was at the wedding.... he walked next door to the other store and bought hand sanitizer. I'm so proud I trained him well. We live in WI. The dr. said it's just starting to take off here.
Uh, oh!!! What part of WI are you in? I haven't heard anything yet, but maybe I'm out of the loop.
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There is a way that you can get the subjects covered and then go off on tangents. Buy all of the Scholastic "Everything You Need To Know About......" books and then use those and in a month or two, you will have covered just about everything they "need" to know. Then you can back to whatever curriculum and take detours of their interests but still be satisfied inside that they got the need-to-know material and everything else is just expanding upon that.
I have the Math, English, Geography, World History, American History and Science ones and I've been amazed at the science one in how well it covers all of the science topics (and with pictures). Right now you can get the 6-pack at the Scholastic Store for $39.95.
Not sure if that will help you but you sound a lot like me in feeling like they are going to be "behind" or having gaps in their studies. These books will at least allow you to get your bases covered and then move on and ...... relax! :coolgleamA:
Believe it or not, I haven't seen these! :svengo:
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:grouphug: I've been there SO many times.
Thank you. It's good to hear that I'm not alone, especially from someone I admire! Your blog is very inspiring.
I've started my 14th consecutive year homeschooling. I've met hundreds of homeschoolers who homeschool every possible way you've ever heard of and few you'd be hard pressed to classify. Nothing you list is unusual. I think all of us have struggled with all of those things various times in different combinations over the years. So the good news is, there are plenty of fixes out there .
I think my biggest suggestion to you would be to trust yourself more. If you've decided 3 times that your children should get through the Ancients, then give yourself credit for knowing what's best and do that (or whatever it is you decide on) without apology. Might it be a struggle if your children are told "no" more than they used to be? Yes. Does that mean you're wrong about deciding to do something all the way through? No. Will they be less excited and entertained by the changes you make? Yes, they probably will. Does that mean they'll never be excited to learn anything ever again? No.
I've homeschooled through a crisis more than once. I really suggest any homeschooler read up on people doing so (there have been threads here on that topic) because a crisis is so mentally and emotionally draining and sometimes very physically draining. It's like pulling double duty to figure out how to change it at the same time you're enduring a crisis. Better to have a few ideas in your head before hand, so when the crisis hits you already have the outline of a plan.
Remember that lots of homeschoolers mix methods. You can too. It's perfectly OK and legitimate to pick and choose different aspects of different homeschooling approaches (traditional school, different type of Classical Educations, Unit Studies, Living Books, Unschooling, etc.) and incorporate them into your life your own unique way that works for you.
Outside activities can be wonderful and enriching or oppressive. Maybe cutting back or taking a season off would help you. There are wonderful, happy, fulfilled people all over the world who never did a single after school or enrichment activity in their whole lives. If it's working with your life, great. If it's not, don't assume your children will have a big ugly void in their lives-they'll be fine. Will they miss it? Probably. Remember that your quality of life is just as important, if not more, than their outside activities. I have a daughter that probably could have been a Olympic archer. I chose not make archery a very big deal in our lives because I didn't want it taking over everything. I wanted a more balanced family life. We only do one international competition per year in Las Vegas and two practice days per week because that's the time and energy we can afford on it. She still loves archery and still gets to compete internationally and we still have a family life.
Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out with this. I'm a little emotional right now, and I have to say, after I read all of the posts, I really choked up. I have gotten so much out of these boards, and it's ladies like you who keep me coming back for the support I need. I feel very encouraged by the ideas I've received here. :001_smile:
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(not sure what happened to your quote, but....)
I agree with you that I do need to identify why we don't finish. I guess it stems from various things. As I mentioned, dd has anxiety & OCD issues, (as well as health ones, which we have hopefully figured out), my support system (dh) hasn't been what it could be and there are problems on that front, and I have some depression issues. Here are what I think the problems are:
1. Too many outside activities/appts.
2. Overly ambitious curriculum (trying to make it "fun")
3. Allowed my dd's issues to rule (if she didn't like something, which in turn resulted in tantrums, etc.. I switched)
4. Was of the "all or nothing" attittude.
5. Escaped into curriculum research and planning so that I didn't have to face my own problems and deluded myself into thinking the problem was the curriculum, not myself.
How's that for some self examination? I obviously knew some of this already, but actually writing it all down and examining it gave me a bit of an "ah ha" moment. Not a good one.
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Specific time limits didn't work for us. It made me cranky, looking at the clock all the time! Instead I schedule our subjects as tasks for the day. I have a general idea of how long each subject takes but some projects will go really quickly and some will go longer. If something is going really long and the kids are getting tired, we might stop it and go to another subject before coming back to finish it or we'll just table it until the next day.
That's how I am, because I feel like I'm snapping at them if I'm pushed for time. On days when we have activities in the afternoons I just make sure their work is lighter in the morning because I know it will get finished.
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Up until the last year, we have been all over the place. We've done a lot and they've learned a lot, but it's been very interest led. I start out with good, solid intentions, and then it gets off course. For instance, we've started ancients 3 times, and only gotten to the Greeks. We've done American History twice, but never gotten to the Revolutionary War. We've done tons of unit studies and they know more about birds, insects, space, plants & flowers than I do. So, it's not been all bad.
Luckily, they are voracious readers. It's so silly, but I haven't really sat down and done a schedule. The night before, I do make a list for each one of what they need to get done in order of priority. It's always math & LA first, so at least they are getting the basics in daily.
After reading all of your wonderful responses and doing more thinking, I've come to the conclusion that I do need to sit down, look at all my stuff, and make some solid goals. Short and long-term. I do like the idea of getting our basics for everything done first, pared down and then if they want to do crafts that go along with history or whatever or do their own thing, they will have time. I know I'm more lax than some, but my main goal has been for them to love learning. I loved school and learning and still do. Thanks for all of the advice.
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Well, since you mention my siggy . . . it actually fits with what others are telling you. Notice it doesn't list a whole slew of curricula that I use for each kid. It describes what each child is studying, which is based on what our goal is for their learning this year. This was an intentional choice, I found that I needed to take a step back and remind myself, Oh yeah, I am teaching this child (math, or science, or history), not teaching the child this particular curriculum. It was a small step, but it did help me streamline. I do a similar thing to what Jean was describing: I have 5 hour-long slots in the day, and for four of them, we are studying one subject (Math, English, History, Science), even though we may be doing a number of different things. Again, it helps me stay focused on teaching the child in front of me the current subject, rather than getting attached to doing every shiny curriculum that covers bits of that subject. Don't get me wrong, I use lots of different things for each subject. But having this kind of a structure helps me see when I'm trying to do too much, when I'm getting off course.
(I list specific curricula only so that people reading my advice or comments see what I have used and liked in the past - I'm not using all those things now, all at once, with both kids. I do this so that if a reader finds we have things in common, they might give my comments more weight, and if they don't like any of the things I like, they know to ignore me! ;) )
I feel better now that I know you're not doing all of those things!
Regarding the 5 hour long slots, how do you do it with the multiple kids? For instance, I am continually running back & forth between both, and they usually are not doing the same subject at the same time because I can't give them both one on one attention. When I'm doing R&S with my dd, ds might be doing his math, because he can do that independently. I guess I could still schedule the hour long slots, though because it's obviously not going to take either of them that long to do their individual work.
I like the schedule, though. I've recently shaken things up and given everyone a daily & weekly list for chores and things, and it's been working like a charm. So maybe a "school schedule" is just what we need. :001_smile:
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Personally, I think you need to STREAMLINE. You have so many balls in the air that it must be difficult to get into the groove with anything! Here is what you are trying to do, by subject.
History
MFW Exp. to 1850
Science
Apologia Zoo
Apologia Astronomy
Math
MUS
LOF
LA
R&S English
WWE
Write Shop 1
Mem. Press Intro. to Composition
Wordsmith Apprentice
BF Teaching Char. Through Lit
Latin
LFC Prim. A
Extras
piano lessons
drawing lessons
magic lessons
I think you would get a lot more done if you tried to do less. One math program for each kid, combine kids for science & history ... use the history reading as your lit and the source for your composition. A comprehensive English for grammar/vocab/mechanics (the R&S?), and Latin.
I agree with you, but it doesn't seem like there's one thing that covers everything! While I do love R&S, it doesn't have vocab, spelling (did you notice that wasn't on my list-not doing Spelling Power that's in MFW) dictation, and while the writing is introductory, Then I kept reading what everyone else was doing for writing & thought we should step it up.
I am thinking that maybe I ditch the science in MFW for now, finish the Apologia science, and then go from there. So that's a positive step. Maybe with the writing I could just do it once or twice a week.
Thanks for the advice, I needed someone to look at my stuff with a fresh eye.
I schedule. Unless the subjects are very short, most days do best with five subjects maximum. We do history 3x a week and science 2x (in the same time slot).
Do you have specific time limits for your subjects? Do you just write it out? I feel so dumb, like a complete newbie, and I've been doing this for almost 8 years! I'm not sure what's happening to me right now. Menopause???
I totally agree with Ondreeuh. You need to streamline. After that, as far as feeling pulled in different directions for history or science, I think it's possible you could have your cake and eat it too. You could start each day with your bare minimum for history and science - a short read aloud for each. You'd be finished in under 30 minutes for sure. Then, move on to skill subjects - things that have to be done every day. Then the rest of the day is free to to whatever subject, craft, project, bunny trail that any of you would like. If there are extra history and science books (not your spines) that you don't have time for, put them on a shelf (or in a basket) and require shelf (or basket) reading time for X minutes per day. For literature I would also put books on a shelf and require a minimum reading time from that shelf. This is how I would have a minimalist plan for what I want to cover, without scheduling and coordinating every related activity and literature book.
Yes, when I was deciding to chuck it all & start over, my plan was to do the bare minimum for history & science. I was thinking of Notgrass or Abeka history, get it done then go or add from there. But then I looked at my stuff and figured that I could just try to streamline MFW. While I love the entire program and really, really wish I could use all of it, as is, I just don't think we can-right now. So, I am going to do the regular readings, and use the book basket as either readers for them or skip it. MFW science is on hold until we finish Apologia. I'll either pick it up when we get to the Botany in the TM, or add it at the end, or summer.
I still really wish I could find a LA that included grammar, vocab, spelling, and dictation.
Latin suggestions (3rd grade)
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
It's for grades 1-3, which is why my kiddos are way on the older side, but they get a kick out of it, and are learning the vocabulary.
I like it because I bring the cd with & we review it all of the time in the car. The individual lessons are very short. You can also get it on Amazon & used for a good price, so you wouldn't have to invest a lot. I'm very impressed with the looks of the next level, Latin for Children.
They are super helpful at Classical Academic Press, so call them if you have any questions.