NancyNellen
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Posts posted by NancyNellen
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My 14 year old daughter fell off her horse while riding bareback and broke her wrist in 2 places 4 weeks ago. It actually hasn't slowed her down. She's still riding :-)
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Can you tell me more about how you use CW? Do you use the workbooks or just the core text? Do you add in all the extras they suggest---Harvey's Grammar, SWR, Traditional Logic?
We have done pretty much the same as Kathie in VA...core w/ workbooks, FLL separately with Harvey's later on. We do occasional spelling words, especially in the lower levels, but spelling is generally not something we need to spend a lot of time on. We definitelyy do vocabulary work as it comes in the model. We look things up, find synonymns and antonymns, etc.
My oldest took the Herodotus class with Kathy Weitz before she stopped teaching. He did have work in Traditional Logic at that point.
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I think I would give it a test run and see if it works before requiring anything additional like having Dad check work. It's a great opportunity for your son to show responsibility. Hard grunt work for teenage boys is awesome! That would probably be my priority...book work second.
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Given what you have been through in the past few years I can understand how learning to swim was not a priority. Hugs to you...
I would agree with the others about some emergency swimming lessons, if at all possible. Either that or I would probably keep them out of the pool. Check to see if life vests are allowed.
Have a great reunion!
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I'd do meatballs.
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Adelaide
Louisa
Elsa
Mae
I have a Gretchen and a Lillian.
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Different strokes and all that. We have a number of natural early risers here. For instance, I will be up by 6am whether I go to bed at 10pm or I go to bed at 1am. It's just how I'm wired. (And my family MUCH prefers I go to bed early, or I am the Wicked Witch by 6pm!) My 11 year old is the same way...always up by 7am at the latest. No one forces him to go to bed by 9pm, he happily puts himself to bed when he is tired, and is usually asleep within 5 minutes. My 7 year old loves to read, so he usually hops into bed by 8pm and reads until his eyes won't stay open - typically around 9pm. My oldest two are my night owls (by our family's standards) and even they are in bed during the summer by 11pm by their own choice.
We don't live in a place that is super warm, so staying up to enjoy the cooler weather is not necessary - we enjoy the weather all day long - and everyone has shades and/or blackout curtains, so the light never keeps anyone up.
We are morning people...a big breakfast is served around 7:30 during school - 8:30 during the summer. We all sit together, discuss the day, read aloud, etc.
It's what works for our family. If we did what works for your family no one would ever want to be around us we'd be so grumpy and irritable!
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My 11 year old has a cup every morning, with 1/2 tsp. raw sugar and a bit of cream. He has been doing this since he was 6. No concerns or problems at all.
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One backorder in roughly 12 orders. I guess I order the right things ;-)
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My two oldest kids decided to take some classes at the local classical public charter school here in CO. (This is a charter school, not a homeschool charter.) We've never lived in a state where this was an option, so it was kind of fun and daunting all at the same time. My oldest took Physics, AP Lang. & Comp., and Engineering: Robotics. He also ran Cross Country and Track. It was a FANTASTIC experience. Like you, I was worried about how it would impact our schedule, primarily the flexibility we had gotten used to. That was an adjustment, but we figured it out and got used to following someone else's schedule pretty easily.
We met with the administration ahead of time and heard parent reviews of the classes we were interested in, but did not meet the teachers. They turned out to be really, really solid teachers, thankfully. My daughter's experience was similar, although she did have one teacher who was a bit green - just out of college. My daughter could definitely tell that she was figuring it out as she was going along. But it was still a great class and experience.
I found the school to be great at communication - the coaches not so much. They rely a lot on making announcements at school if times or schedules change. Beacuse my kids were only there in the afternoon they always missed the lunchtime announcements. This caused a problem a couple of times when we showed up late or missed a practice entirely. My son just had to keep asking to be emailed or texted if things changed. Eventually, it was all figured out.
Track was a different story, as there were 5 or 6 homeschooled kids on the team, many of whom were awesome athletes. Therefore, the coaches made every effort at effective communication.
All in all, I am so happy that we made the choice to try it out. I have five kids, had just moved to a new state, and have a husband who travels weekly for work. I needed to outsource something. Science and math are not my strengths, so it was wonderful to have the opportunity for the kids to be taught by people who love the subject and are exceedingly more competent than I at teaching it.
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We love P. G. Wodehouse for humor that is family friendly.
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When we lived in LA I used Vons delivery (Is that the same as Safeway? I can't remember!) It was fantastic! The items were almost always in great condition, The produced selected was great quality. And delivery was minimal and sometimes free.I don't live there anymore and I really miss it.
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No formal vocabulary here - just lots of Latin, reading, and talking (my husband and I LOVE the English language :-)
It has worked beautifully: both of my two oldest had near perfect scores on the PSAT English portion and my oldest a near perfect on the ACT. AP English has not been a problem at the local charter school, and they frequently get told, jokingly, to "use small words" when discussing things with their family and friends who know them :-)
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Well, around here it is Classical Writing. We do copious amounts of copywork, dictation, and narrations in the early years and then begin Classical Writing in 4th or 5th grade, depending upon readiness.
It has produced very competent high school writers who have successfully moved into AP English classes.
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We all particularly loved the John Adams series.
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When I was home educating, I used to be on the boards while the boys were sitting next to me completing assignments. They needed my presence to stay on track, so getting up and doing something wasn't an option.
L
I do that periodically, since I have littles still. Or I might grab the laundry and fold it while sitting next to them...or iron, or dust the room, or whatever most needs to be done.
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I'm sorry back. I'm particularly achy and tired and prickly as a result right now.
I'm so sorry, Jean. I hope you feel better soon.
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Absolutely - and I, personally, have no regrets that I spend more time both outside and on the internet than cleaning my house. To me, those are both higher in my priority levels. Cleaning is quite low actually. Other than the "basics" (like I'll be doing dishes as soon as I finish typing this), I consider cleaning time to be wasted time. My better memories come from being outdoors and/or online - or other things with the family (games, talking, eating, etc).
And that's the beauty of it...we all get to choose what is important to us and those around us! There is absolutely no shame in making decisions that work for you.
I have been reading/posting to these boards since 2000...before I even had a school aged child! One thing that I have read consistently is this prevailing idea that it is impossible to homeschool well AND have a clean/organized home...that there just aren't hours in the day to do it all. That is simply not true! It CAN be done...if it is important to you.
I need an organized and clutter-free space in order to feel at peace and do my best work. There are times I wish it was not so, but there it is. My husband and most of my children are the same way, thankfully. We all work as a team for the mutual benefit of one another.
Another misconception is that we clean to the exclusion of all else. Not true. We really only spend 60-90 minutes a day cleaning, organizing, doing laundry, etc. and it is dispersed throughout the day. We are efficient and the jobs get done.
We are outside every day...gardening, biking, swimming, hiking, walking, going to the park or reservoir, etc. My daughters and I have quilting projects, we do puzzles and read and watch movies. We love to cook, and love to eat even more.
The point is: we make decisions based on our priorities. And it's all good. But don't write off a clean home because others say it can't be done. I wish someone had said that to me when I was just starting out. It would have helped me start out on the right foot, since cleanliness is so crucial to our productivity.
Hence this ridiculously long and rambling post :-) It is my feeble attempt to encourage anyone out there who needs to hear it. Those of you who don't...have a wonderful evening!
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Or some of us sit and check the boards for hours when we are in too much pain or fatigue to be up cleaning. It's not always about priorities that others can judge. (I could be sitting and doing YouTube videos or TedTalks or a million other things instead of learning from my peers here, though.)
Oh, Jean. I am so sorry that came across that way. It was absolutely not my intention to make a blanket statement. I, for one, spent three years chronically anemic and hypothyroid and unable to get my numbers normal and feel better. There most definitely have been times when I sat at the computer because I had absolutely no energy to do anything else.
But also, on the flip side, I know irl and have read posts by many here from healthy moms who simply make a choice to spend time online when they could be doing something else. Heck, I've been that person! I don't judge. They are free to make whatever choices are right for them. But it is dishonest to say they don't have the time to do something else. That was the only point I was trying to make.
Sorry to have come across as insensitive. Please forgive me, it was not my intention :-)
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Yes to both. My children and I (with one exception) do not function well surrounded by clutter and dirt. It is a huge distraction to us, so it is crucial to successful schooling days to have an orderly, neat home. It's not perfect, and it is quite comfortable, but I would hardly ever be embarrassed if someone dropped in unannounced.
I have five children and they all do daily chores: loading and unloading the dishwasher, picking up after themselves, daily sweeping, vacuuming, wiping down all bathrooms, dusting, laundry, etc. I invested a lot of time in the early years training them to do their chores well and now it is paying off big time.
All my kids are expected at the breakfast table dressed by 7:45am, so no day-long jammies here. I dress as soon as I'm up in the morning. I dress simply...my daily "uniform" is typically denim or khaki capris with a cute button up shirt over a camisole or a sweater in the winter.
I think it honestly comes down to priorities. It is very important to me/us to have neat, chaos-free surroundings. It contributes greatly to a peaceful and efficient work environment.
We somehow manage to have a clean home AND read aloud around two hours a day. So, although I appreciate the spirit of the SWB article, it doesn't have to be either/or. I find that too much time on my computer or iPad is what prevents things from happening around here...not too much vacuuming ;-)
Let's face it...when do we not have time to check the boards daily? Sometimes for hours? We make time for the things we prioritize.
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I am about to start Hillsale College's History 102: American Heritage course. It covers from American colonization to Reagan's presidency. It is a free online archived course, with additional recommendations for readings.
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I like Handwriting by George.
AP scores....can't wait!!
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
My boy finally got his score for Lang. & Comp...a 5!!! Woot! He wasn't nearly as anxious for it as I was, hence the wait.