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NavyMommy

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Posts posted by NavyMommy

  1. For a 4th and 5th grader I would start with LC and do it at a one year pace. You can buy the lesson plans on their website which I found very helpful when scheduling out our lessons. The actual student book is only 2 pages per lesson, but if you add in the review worksheets and Ludere Latine and they will have plenty of practice. 

     

    LC II was from before they developed the Forms and is no longer really used. Once you get LC down you should go right into First Form. There is a track for LC to be taught over 2 years, but that's for younger (3rd grade) students and still only uses LC. 

  2. I love Everydollar. I don't use the paid version, I didn't see the linking of my bank account as something I needed and it's pretty $$$ IMO. The free version is great and DH and I both have the app on our phones for changes on the fly.

  3. I know this was posted a long time ago, but I just reserved our room :) I was also considering going to the nationals next month, but I just found out about it, and it's a lot  of logistics to work out. Can you tell me how the past national events you've  been at have been? The local club director was talking about supernationals last weekend at a tournament and talking about how amazing it was to see a football field of kids all playing at the same time. I would  love to get my son some experience at a large event so he can see what it will be like before supernationals but I'm not sure  if it's worth it.

  4. I have some friends who have one who says  it works really well. I have been looking at it, but we don't have any apple devices and at the moment it can only be programmed with an Apple device  (although it works with other  ones). I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Android version.

  5. I have done Dietbet several times and enjoyed my experience. As long as you remember to check in and get the photos done it's legit. One thing I  didn't realize at first though is that if you're doing one of the longer goal ones (6 months) they don't  pay out  until the end, so even though you're earning money for meeting each monthly goal  you won't see the money until the end of the 6 months.

    • Like 1
  6. Yes you can hack the  system, but honestly I haven't found that necessary. Most pods I think that you buy now have the "ring" around them so there's no  need to hack it. Even the cheap pods that  we get  from Costco (the Kirkland brand) that are my favorite  have the  ring. 

     

    There are variety packs available and you can buy them and find  out what you like. DH and I have  decided that we actually really like  the Costco brand, so we usually just get that, but there are others like  my parents who are  constantly buying different varieties. You will need extra filter cartridges, I think they usually come in like packs of 6 or so. Also, it used to be when you registered a new brewer  you got a buy 2 boxes get 2  free discount  from the Keurig store, so it's worth registering. 

  7. I really like the everydollar.com website. There is a paid version, but honestly it doesn't do anything I have found necessary (mainly links to your bank account) so I did the free trial but have never paid  for it. It's quite $$ IMO. The free version gets everything  done I need. My  only complaint  is you can't use it with android systems, but if you have an iphone/ipad there is a free  app I think would be very helpful.

  8. Thank you so much for all of the suggestions!! I need  to look into them more. Singapore is intimidating to me, which is why I haven't looked into it more. I'm good with math, and don't mind teaching it, but from what I've heard  it's just so different. I'll look  into it more. I also looked  into Beast Academy, which I really thought  would get his interest but they start assuming they can multiply which we haven't gotten to yet.

     

    I'd look at something that approaches math differently for an accelerated child: Singapore, MEP, Beast Academy, Dragonbox or Hands On Equations...and branch out from arithmetic.  Puzzles and logic games are about half of our math time here.  I should have invested in ThinkFun stock, lol, given how much we have.  Sudoku is great, so is chess, and we alternate between logic games and arithmetic skills, skipping ahead through a curriculum as needed.

     

    He does love math and logic games. He's a whiz  at checkers, and love mancala and sudoku. I haven't ventured into chess because I don't know how to play it, but maybe it's time to remedy that :)

     

    You need Singapore Grade 1 and in a couple of years, Beast Academy.

    My son (now 9 in a few days), was very similar to your boy.

    A few precautions...just because he CAN work ahead, doesn't mean he SHOULD or is even emotionally ready.

    So watch for burning him out. I nearly burned mine out by expecting too much volume in terms of workload. He was definitely capable, but at the end of the day, he was a 6, 7, 8 yr old boy who really just wanted to be playing Legos or climbing trees.

    Another precaution is to remember that just because he is accelerated now, doesn't mean he always will be. He may very well slow down. What you don't want is for him to move too quickly and then arrive at concepts he is cognitively not developed enough for.


    For our boy, I chose to place him only one to one and a half grade levels ahead. We added in Beast for depth and we explore other math topics. This grade level (4th) is the first time he isn't on track to complete the entire grade level before the end of the calendar year. He isn't struggling at all, it's just that there is finally enough new material that he hasn't already intrinsically absorbed. Enough new material that he is actually learning, instead of if being mostly review.

    So yeah, that's what we've learned thus far, lol. We are in the beginning stages of exploring algebra and his high school math sequence.

     

    I really appreciate the insight from "down the road" so to speak! That was one of the reasons I liked Horizons. The lessons are only 2 pages, even at the 2nd grade level so hopefully the workload won't be to overwhelming. I'm going to look more into Singapore, it's just  not something I'm familiar with so it's been a bit  intimidating to me. I am looking forward to completing grade 2 this year so we can venture  into Beast Academy! 

  9. DS is 5.5 now. He seems to have a gift for math and an intuition for it that neither I nor his older sister (7) have. I  already  jumped him ahead  by starting with a Memoria Press core for grade 1 (by  age this should be his K year) and it seems to be a great fit for everything except math. R&S (which is what they use) has him bored to tears. It's really beneath him, when he sets his mind to it he can complete the entire lesson in 5 minutes or less. 

     

    My instinct is to switch to a spiral program with more variety and move up a level. I used  the online horizons test and it  looks  like Grade 2 will be a good fit. He flew through the placement test, aside from the < and > symbols but that isn't something we've covered, he does know which number is larger / smaller though, just not the symbols.

     

    I'm worried about him  being this advanced in a subject  though, are there any issues I need to watch out for? How has working ahead affected your child down the road? Are there other programs out there that are better for younger children working ahead? This is all very new to me, my 7 year old is pretty much on age/grade level.

  10. Separating them, as suggested, seems like an obvious step, but as they don't seem to fight before they come down to breakfast, I'd also have them get dressed first: Get up, get dressed and come to the breakfast table. This will be even easier if they lay their clothes out the night before. Mine are older and have a much bigger gap, but we still have occasional mornings where they fight, and it really does ruin the day, doesn't it!

     

    That is very true. My youngest sometimes gets dressed before coming down in the morning because he likes to sleep in  his underwear and knows he can't come down like that. It does tend to go a little smoother then. I just need to have DD lay out her clothes at the same time. Thanks for the suggestion!

  11. I don't have parenting experience with kids with a gap at those ages, but I do have sibling experience. What if you sent them up individually? One could go up and the other could help you in the kitchen, and then switch. Or do you think they will dawdle?

     

    I may try and send  them up individually. They're both pokey,  but I could probably solve that with a timer (I already have been using that  when I sent  them up together).

  12. I could really use any help / advice you have on establishing a morning routine with kids (5 and 7). I have been struggling with this for awhile but this morning was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. We all get up, have breakfast, clear the plates, then I try and send them upstairs to get dressed and get their teeth brushed  while I finish up cleaning the kitchen and prepping for schoolwork.

     

    That's where the chaos  starts. They're immediately arguing and fighting, in each other's rooms, not allowing each other up the stairs/ in the bathroom. Stealing the toothpaste, it's ridiculous. This morning I think I had to go up at least 5 times to correct behavior. I've tried incentives, charts, punishment, and nothing has worked. I'm thinking that expecting children of this age to be able to go upstairs and get dressed / teeth brushed independently is a fairly normal thing, but maybe it's not? 

     

    I just hate the start our mornings this way. By the time I get  to the school table I've yelled at both at them (more than once) and I'm frustrated and at the end of my rope, before school even starts. Add to this I'm due with baby #3 in March  and I need for them to be able to get themselves ready in the mornings. 

     

    What's worked for you? Any tips / ideas? Thanks!!!

  13. We love our Kindle Fires. My kids got them 2 Christmases ago. We sprung  for the $50 Otterbox cases  and they have been completely worth it. 2 years and no problems, we don't let them  abuse  them, but  they are kids and have gotten dropped and knocked off tables  on occasion. 

     

    One thing I love about  the Kindle is I have an audible account, so if I buy them an audiobook from there and the accompanying Kindle book (usually discounted if you already have the audio book) the program will highlight the text as it's being read aloud to the child. They love  that and I really think it helps their word recognition. I would skip the Kindle Freetime app for kids. I found I couldn't control it enough to make it worth my while. I just keep the wifi off and the tablets in airplane mode unless I'm downloading something, they couldn't get on our wifi  without the (long and complicated) password  so I don't worry about it  to much.  There are probably parental controls that can do that as well.

    • Like 1
  14. The pilot has a ton of room with the third row down, but  if you put it up you lose all of your trunk space. The  odyssey on the other hand has the ability to put down the third row, and have more storage space, but if you want  it up you still have a huge well for luggage. I have fit quite a lot back there, and have even done the 1  up 2 down seating in the back if we needed a little more. The third row on the pilot will also technically seat 3  but it would be tight. I've ridden back there before and took up nearly 2 seats myself (and I'm a very average size 5'2" woman). It would have been very uncomfortable with 3 people back there.

    • Like 1
  15. Our dealership does free oil/filter changes so we take advantage of that while we're living here. It's a bit of a pain because you have to make an appointment, and if you're not the first one of the day it can take forever.

     

    If/when we move though we usually just take it to the quick service place. There's one that just opened  up nearby where you don't have to get out of your car. With littles I love the sound of  that!

  16. Thanks everyone for the input! This school doesn't start serious ballet training until about 7, until then it's all pre ballet. I don't really see a point in him being  in an all boys class yet, mainly because he's only 5 and probably still quite a while out  from partnering and things like that (if he continues with it). I'm going to let  him try both classes, and see which he prefers. One of the selfish reasons I want him in the boys class is they'll perform in the same recital as DD, otherwise it will be 2 shows again next year :) Nothing life changing though. I had expected the studio owner to make the decision but when they called today and said it was up to me I wasn't sure which way to go. Thanks for all the experiences!!

    • Like 1
  17. I need some help. My son (5) started taking ballet because he saw how much his sister liked it, but now seems to enjoy it all on his own. He's only 5 but has taken 2 years of 1 hour pre ballet type classes. His studio starts an all boys ballet class at 6 typically, but the instructor  saw DS last year and told me I should sign him up for it. When I went to register though I found out it's a huge age range and he  would be  the youngest in the class by far (he won't even be 6 until May). 

     

    They're going to let him try both classes out and see what he likes but I don't know if I should push him one way or the other. I just worry about him feeling out of place in a class with all girls again if he were to go for another year in pre-ballet. 

     

    What ages did your boys start in an all boys ballet class?

  18. So, is anyone else thinking about signing up for a 5k this fall to really formalize the commitment? Or would that be crazy?

     

    Crazy, right?

     

    I found out that there's one here in my city on Oct 4 on TRAILS rather than streets. So I'm tempted! Is that nuts? I mean, I was able to do day 1 of week 1 today, but it was hard. And that's only the first of many, MANY days! I know my current enthusiasm won't last. So is this a "strike while the iron is hot" situation? Or is this more of a "she's still on a runner's high and not thinking clearly" situation?

     

    Haha I actually already did it :) I mentioned to one of my friends (who is a marathon runner) that I was starting this yesterday and her first response was "what race are you doing?". There's a fun 5K at the beach in October  so I went ahead and signed up. I think hubby is going to run the half. It will be a good goal, and it's far enough in the future that I have more than enough time to repeat some weeks if I need to.

    • Like 4
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