Julie in Monterey
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Posts posted by Julie in Monterey
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Howdy,
My amazing new gadget now has a broken glass front. It is shattered but actually still works. It's hard to see but still responds to touch. I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else. The store won't help me out without buying an entire new phone which seems crazy because it actually works. I've looked on-line and it seems difficult but possible to replace the glass. I guess I'm just wondering if any of you have tried and succeeded at it.
Thanks in advance for any help or advice!
Julie in Monterey
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We are ready to do this. Just wondering what others do. I'm leaning towards worms. Any cons compared to no worms?
Julie in Monterey
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Thanks so much for the input! My dc are 8.75 and 5.75. I'm positively going to get a second opinion now. Also, all of your posts give me more to think about. I did have an ick feeling from this fellow that I saw. Not that my children don't need the dental work, I'm just wondering if it has to be so aggressive. The visit scared my kids into better oral hygiene. You should see them now, excusing themselves to go brush their teeth immediately after a meal.
I will find a dentist that suits our needs. It's strange, I have no problems being assertive when it comes to general medical care but issues with dentists is a whole another thing. I did not have good experiences as a kid. I remember throwing up once on a dentist and him yelling at me. Hmmm, thought I was over that one. I've got to remember, we are the consumers here and we need to be treated with respect! Thanks ladies!
Julie in Monterey
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Just a little last bit of encouragement for taking that time to rest, recharge, read and relax. I do this every year....leaving before everyone wakes, heading down the coast to a favorite cozy small one room cabin. I spend one night and get back after everyone is asleep on the second day.
I find that I always take a stack of books (just like you trying to knock out some planning, organizing). I sleep a lot! Read a lot! Try to eat really healthy, try to get outdoors and write in a journal.
When I arrive back home, I feel like a new woman! That's why DH always says...GO!
On a different note, my MIL loves alone time with the kids and my dh. She feels like the alpha female. Definately put that spin on the time that MIL is there to spend alone with her son. Who knows, it could become a tradition for the two of them (and you to get away).
Hugs to you for asking for what you need! More of us need to do that!
Enjoy and try to stay guilt free!
Julie in Monterey
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So... returned from a way overdue dental appointment for both of my children. I'm embarrassed :confused: and horrified to admit that combined they have a grand total of 12 cavities. The dentist wants to put in amalgam fillings and some caps. My pediatrician is VERY against the amalgam fillings due to the mercury content. The dentist kind of rolled his eyes when I asked for composite fillings giving me this whole talk about how these have been used for 150 years. My concern is that youngest has many allergies including various chemical allergies. I plan to get a second opinion. We have no dental insurance so this is going to kill us financially.
My question is this? Have you had your children's teeth filled with composite fillings or another alternate? and how successful have they been?
Also he wants to use oral conscious sedation, anyone have insight about this? She is a cooperative child, their concern is about how much work she needs done. Advice?
Any advice would be appreciated and helpful.
Julie in Monterey
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We have a flexible schedule which means...we try to stick to it but can't help but change it if some fabulous opportunity arises.
I have a 3rd and k.
3rd grader- Daily
Journal- 15 min
Handwriting- 15 min
Grammar- 5-15 min
Math- up to an hour (usually 45), she double checks her work on each problem
Wordly Wise- up to 15 minutes (usually 5)
Independent reading- free (1 plus hours...)
Independent reading- history or science related ( at least an hour)
2-3 times a week
Science- up to 1.5 hours each sitting
History- up to 1.5 hours each sitting
Usually my daughter starts with math (most challenging) and moves on to journal, WW, some I reading. Then we meet, check her answers and do corrections.
My kindergarten girl does Explode the Code and handwriting daily and math (Singapore) several times a week. She reads independently 1 plus hours a day- anything from picture books, to chapter books to history and science based literature or nonfiction) At this age, there is no formalized science or history instruction. I do carefully select her free time reading which may include books on plants, seasons, transportation, community. My main goal for K was to have an independent strong reader by the end of the year.
Most days we are done by noon but others not until 2 or still might be reading history at bedtime. It all depends if we head out to the beach or go for a bike ride or a hike.
The lesson I learned years ago from someone on these boards was to set your yearly goals, break those into quarters and maybe into monthly. Use those to check in with every once in awhile, especially when you feel like you aren't getting enough done. Chances are you are covering what most public schools do and are settling high expectations for yourself and your student.
I'm breaking away this summer and next year with a full day a week devoted to outdoor education. I'm so excited about this, it will include many fieldtrips, science, history, art, nature awareness, survival skills, etc. Most of all, it reinforces one of the reasons *we* chose to home school...to break away from busy work and being inside all day.
I'm not sure if I answered your questions. I guess we start with a plan and have goals I keep coming back to. We school year round modified, meaning, if we want to take off for several weeks to Arizona we can without being stressed.
Can you tell that I didn't sleep much last night? Ack!
Julie in Monterey
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I know of a supplier http://www.socialstudies.com They have a world and US map on spring rollers for $250.00. It's on my list for my charter school money for next year. Although, I have an old world map and old roll down shade (and spray adhesive), I think I'll try that method at first. I can always use those dollars in other ways. I'll post about when I do it.
Julie in Monterey
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Days like these make all of the rest worth it!
Enjoy!
Julie in Monterey
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I'm toying with setting aside one full afternoon a week to nature based education (with a purpose). I've been fortunate to go with my girls to 3 science camps this year and they learned sooooooooooooo much information and it was all hands on and fun. I need some sort of starting point or framework. This would be in addition to our formal physics studies next year. We may do this with one other family so the group of kids would be ages 6-11 and would be 5-8 children. I've got lots of ideas but my time is already stretched thin. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Some topics may include;
weather
watersheds
wetlands
tidepools
birds
Any help would be awesome!
Thanks in advance!
Julie in Monterey
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My five year old works well in these. We've whipped through books 3, 4 and are finishing 4 1/2 in about a week. I like it because it has reading, spelling, writing and comprehension. It's straight forward and she works quite well without my assistance. The books are reasonably priced. You could try one out over the summer and see if it works for the both of you. It is heavy on writing though.
Julie in Monterey
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It's hard to answer your post without that information. Is she unable to work alone? Do you not want to home school any longer?
Julie in Monterey
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I always, always recommend this book, I simply can't help it.... Games For Reading by Peggy Kaye. It's inexpensive and full of fun hands on activities to help with phonemic awareness, letter recognition and eventually reading. My 3rd grader is tutoring a 4 y/o with activities out of it and they are both having a blast. The idea here is to keep it light and fun and not to have mom stress out.
I'm not a huge computer fan so I would ditch Starfall (just me). Games for reading is full of common sense (after you read them you think, I could of thought of that!) ideas. I would also start with phonemic awareness, things like rhyming games and singing chants. You could do Purple Penguins Pick Pineapples sentences (as stated in Mrs. Kaye's book). You pick a letter, briefly teach that sound and then make up silly sentences or phrases that only start with that sound. We still have loads of fun with this and I have two full fledged readers. And/or you could play, I'm Going on a Picnic and packing things that start with the sound s. EAch person ads a new item that starts with that letter sound and the word the previous person gets. This not only works on phonemic awareness but on memory, turn taking and listening. Many of these things can be done while in the car. It won't even seem like school.
In addition to training the ear, some visual activities could be benefical as well. I love to include puzzles, mazes and mirror drawing into learning to read. I see it as a nice compliment. When you think about, learning to read is an amazing accomplishment.
Another fun idea is using a big posterboard (or half) for whatever sound/letter your child wants to focus on. Trace is big and bubbly and let your child decorate the inside of that letter either with paint, markers, etc. Then either help them find in a magazine or draw items that start with that sound. Kids tend to take ownership of their masterpiece. They then have a visual reminder of words that start with that sound.
I've gone on and on. All of these ideas come out of this great resource. It's the book I recommend to all my friends who want to work on reading or get their child prepared to read. By the way, activities go up until about 3rd grade.
Good luck, enjoy that munchkin and have fun!
Julie in Monterey
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This is exactly what you are looking for. It includes simple boards that you can make with your children. It's a resource I've used over and over again. Most libraries carry it or it's about $10- $15 at Borders (I can't remember).
When my kids are sick of math, they'll ask, "can't we just play a math game?"
Julie in Monterey
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How wonderful!
We really enjoy Hakim's series. My 8 y/o loves them. I would also consider the Planet Earth DVD set. Our whole family enjoys them and the kids learn something new each time they watch them.
Julie in Monterey
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:iagree:
Spellcheck does not take away the need for knowing how to spell. It is not a catch all and if you rely on it you will still put out poorly written material.Definitely take your poor speller back to the basics of the phonics and spelling rules. It's tools they need for their toolbox of life.
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Central CA to be more global. We are home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Julie in Monterey
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My daughter (age 10) would have been one of those kids who picked at the food instead of eating it. She has issues, the kind with medical labels about textures and foods. She wouldn't do salad. She doesn't do beans of any kind. She would have eaten all the rolls she could reach though. She probably would NOT have tried to be rude about it, although it my have come across that way. We work very hard on being nice to the cook (me!!!). This isn't to excuse the boy's rudeness, just to say that sometimes it isn't the parent's fault about the child and the pickiness. I didn't make her picky by catering to her food issues. I kept her alive by feeding her what she would eat. .
Jenny,
I'm so glad I just read this. Thanks for reminding me of that! We all make assumptions.
Julie in Monterey
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Colleen,
I hear your frustration. Did you have my nephew over for dinner? As simple as your meal seems to you and your family, this most likely was a huge stretch for this child. If I would have placed that in front of my nephew, he would have picked, rolled his eyes and even huffed a bit. Unfortunately, he is a product of my sister's cooking or lack thereof. They eat horribly at her house and most days have some sort of fast food. Usually when he is here visiting a make an effort to make a least one thing he'll eat and he agrees to at least try everything without a major production. Last visit he discovered croissants, quiche, and zucchini. This child is 14. What I'm getting at is it isn't all his fault. Mom needs to know her choices are now being reflected in her son and his behavior.
Since mom asked, I would let her know that it was evident that he is a picky eater and that it was hard for him...possibility that his pickiness and inability to embrace new and different foods (to him) came across as rude. Somehow, I would throw in there that this is a life skill and give her some example of your own children struggling trying something new or in some situation that is uncomfortable. In these situations I try to comiserate on some level while getting across my point.
Hopefully this helped a bit. Seriously, that could have been Logan. I'll talk to his mom...AGAIN!
Julie in Monterey
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I liked "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". We didn't do any of the writing stuff, just the reading. I'm so bad at remembering, but I think my 2nd son started the book when he was 3. I think he finished it when he was 4. Both of my boys thought the little stories were funny.
We also took breaks from it for a week or a month, if things were getting to be too much.
Have fun with whatever you choose,
Jean
Ditto for us! Fun, inexpensive and silly!
Julie in Monterey
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Isn't it wonderful that you child enjoys reading!!!! He has a long life ahead of him to read long chapter books. I have a very advanced 8 y/o reader. Her scores are off the charts. This is one of her gifts. The other day at her 8 y/o well child visit to our doctor, he asked, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" My dd cheerfully stated, "read and swim!" He got a chuckle and I absolutely believe her. My point here, is the end game isn't to read a chapter book, it's to enjoy reading!!! Imagine, if you husband knew you could cook complicated 7 course meals and then made you do it! What's the joy in that?
As many have stated, picture books have advanced vocabulary and language concepts. It's been a pleasure for me to rediscover picture books with my children. I often pre-read our history supplements from the library (for appropriateness).I'll admit, I enjoy them. Heck, we just covered the slave trade and these books are intense! The best ones were picture books. The imagery can be so powerful, haunting, inspirational, etc.
All that said, my dd loves chapter books. Often she'll read ones that are 4 or 5 years under her reading level as well as books like Harry Potter. She used to have a lot of hesitation and I realized it was based on the mature *content*. It was something I wouldn't consider scary but she did. Harry Potter can be scary with the wizards, and magic and the books are HUGE! Her dad started reading these to her. Eventually they would take turns reading aloud because his throat would get so dry. Now, that she understands the story line, she has read several of them on her own.
My youngest who is five just started chapter books like Magic Tree House. She has been capable for quite awhile. It took her sister giving away her old set to my youngest to get her started. One day, she started and now she reads at least one a day. That child has to do everything on HER schedule. Magic Tree house will be WAY beneath your child's reading level. However, they are fun, have lots of pictures and are a great way to see that chapter books don't have to be dry and without pictures. I believe there are 30 plus books in the series..enough for a good start.
A few other possibilities are The B is for Betsy series (very 1950's content), Boxcar Children (some pictures) and you could work your way up to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Series are great for kids who are just getting into chapter books because they get to know the characters.
We have always prescribed to the, "read the book before seeing the movie" concept. Not because we needed our child to read the book (9 times out of ten it's a family read aloud..picture Mary Poppins, Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Charolette's Web) it's because we want our children to understand the power of the written word. They *always* agree that the book was better than the movie.
I know I've gone on way to long. Last thing is, it may be worth looking into having his eyes tested. Not only for acuity but tracking, visual field, etc. A development optometrist is best for this. We have only received acuity testing with an opthomologist.
Happy reading to you all!
Julie in Monterey:o
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We never started our art program this year. We do lots informally. I had hoped we (I) could somehow fit this in. Maybe...this summer.
Anyone else?
Julie in Monterey
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I love them both, Adventures is easier just to pick up and do without covering background info. Real Science for Kids is more sequentially thought out and has experiments to back up the text. We just made our own "litmus" paper and tested substances to see if they were an acid or a base. I love the language connection book as well. It links the latin and greek roots of words to the lessons.
Julie in Monterey
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We have volumes 1 & 2. My 8 y/o is working on it as well as her 70 y/o grandmother. They both love it and are learning more each day. Perhaps you could try just Spanish with Rosetta Stone through your library this time.
Julie in Monterey
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I'm looking to purchase one and I've realized there are several out there with a wide range of prices. Leapfrog Explorer Smart Globe goes for around $60-$100 and Odyssey Talking Globe is $200.00. I would love to have some personal experience input.
This will be purchased with educational funds from our charter so it isn't a financial issue. However, I don't need to buy the most expensive product, only the one recommended the highest. Make sense?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Julie in Monterey
Please share your successful lunch routines!
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I make a big pot of beans in the crock pot every week or every other week. The kids can have a bowl of these or one of the pre-made frozen burritos (just cheese and beans in a tortilla) that I made in a big batch and froze. The zap in the microwave within minutes and have minimal cleanup. I also will make several soups in a day and freeze in containers to do the same thing. For some reason, I'm in the mindset that because we stay home, it's important to provide a hot meal (crazy I know!). The soup and beans option works for us or leftovers.
I like the idea of posting a list of ideas on the fridge for the kids or a schedule of what lunch will be for each day. Most days my kids (5 and 8) get their own lunch ready. They love feeling independent in this way.
If you do a warm breakfast, you could always offer cereal with milk for lunch with some fruit. If clean up makes you nuts, put the kids in charge of clean up for this meal.
Oh yes, pasta salad is a great dish to have made and serve throughout the week.
Good luck and keep us posted to your changes in your routine.
Julie in Monterey