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JFJ in IL

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Posts posted by JFJ in IL

  1. I must start by saying that I have only read your original post but none of the comments yet.

    I felt I needed to send you a quick reply.

    It seems like way too much work daily...for any elementary student, regardless of how bright they may be.

    I love that you have looked into so many resources and maybe you can buy them all but I don't recommend teaching all of them on a weekly basis.

    My advice, at the end of the day your child needs to be happy. He doesn't have to LOVE every subject, but if he ends up hating the time spent sitting and doing endless hours of school work then that would just be sad :(

     

    We spend anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours per day doing school work at home. There are many breaks for each child because I teach to them and they are in different grades.

     

    We use Noeo and love it! But we don't follow it to the letter and at this time my children are not required to produce copious amounts of writing for science.

    We also use SOTW 1 and I love it! They like it :) We use the worksheets in the AG but rarely do any extra work.

    We also use First Language Lessons 1 and like it. That is a very quick part of the day...10-15 max.

    I have wanted to get some Mind Benders books for the kids to work on in the car or at restaurants.

  2. My daughter just finished the first Earlybird K book and we have started the second.

    The first was very easy for her but it seems like the second will be more challenging (we have been on break for 2 weeks so I can't comment past the first lesson)

    I let her work at her own pace and there were days when it was so easy that she flew through 10 pages or more.

    I haven't considered skipping any lessons because I want her to have a solid foundation.

    I also haven't considered another program because my son is doing well with upper levels of SM.

    We use Singapore Math Standards Edition ordered from www.singaporemath.com

    If the Earlybird is just too easy but you like the method order the 1A workbook and give it a try...it can't hurt :001_smile:

  3. I voted Banana's because my son like to wear jeans or shorts and nothing else...seriously does not like to wear shirts :)

    My daughter usually stays in her PJ's until after lunch.

    I change out my PJ's after I shower. Some days that is first thing in the morning. Most days it is after lunch.

  4. Don't expect a fancy aquarium! Even with the expansion, It's still primarily a rescue/rehab facility. I actually preferred it (still do, except when it's crazy crowded) over the Florida Aquarium because it's not as overwhelming to younger kids.

     

    Call ahead and ask about the schedule if Winter herself is a must-see! I haven't done that tour, so I don't know what's included.

     

    Park at the downtown Clearwater location (where all the movie props are displayed) and take the Jolly Trolley (included w/ admission) out to the aquarium -- more parking and less traffic (unless you're coming from the beach, but even then the parking is easier downtown).

     

    Check the presentation schedule and catch one or two of those, they are pretty interesting. Also don't be shy about asking questions of the staff & volunteers. Look all around you while you're there, some of the "exhibits" are easy to miss (again, the facility was set up for the benefit of the critters more than the human visitors, and even the movie improvements didn't change that much). Also, somewhere along the way, you should be able to see & touch Winter's tail up close (an older one that's no longer used, but still the real deal).

     

     

    :iagree:

     

    That is exactly what I have to say about the CMA, too.

    My kids liked it and we got to see Winter perform (along with 3 other presentations).

    That was in 2009 and things are probably different now so definitely call ahead.

    Also, I do not see how you could possibly spend more than 2 hours total in the facility...there is not that much to do and see!

  5. Logic of English covers all of the LA material you mentioned and is formatted in an easy to use workbook style.

    Each lesson has anywhere from 5-10+ activities to complete in the workbook.

    It is open and go but you have to sit with the children and instruct them....

    There is a cursive handwriting workbook you can order as well (it is totally separate and we love it!)

    We use LOE here but mostly for the reading/phonics/spelling aspect of each lesson.

    We are using WWE & FLL to build a solid foundation in grammar.

    We have only used a few of the grammar lessons in LOE so far...not because they aren't good but because I prefer the approach of WWE & FLL...it builds and reinforces at better (slower) pace for us.

  6. Our church has donated through them before and this year I purchased a family of ducks as a *gift* for a family of 5 that we are close friends with. Obviously, they don't get the ducks but they receive a card from WV with our Christmas greetings, etc...on it. I believe this is a trust worthy organization and I hope that the five ducks help a family in need somewhere!

  7. At first I was thinking, yeah, that would make it like Oh-er. But then I thought, wait - how does a long "o" sound before an "r" with other spellings? Do you pronounce 'or' and 'ore' the same? Pore and poor? Bore and boor? Those are indeed homonyms to me.. Are there words in English that have a long 'o' before an 'r' that don't sound like 'or'? I can't think of any?? The 'o' sounds in those words with 'r' do sound more clipped than, say, in toad or rote, but it also isn't "short o" like pot or Todd.

    LOE didn't mention the word boor :) but, yes I do pronounce it the same way as the 3 others they do mention (floor, door, poor)

    To me the reason they would teach this is because you don't have r controlled vowel teams. You really are saying the long o sound when you say door, but it blends in with the r controlled -or- that follows. If these words had a strict r-controlled sound they would be spelled dor and flor and por. The kids need to know what that other o is saying in the words, so they don't become rule breakers.

    ^^^This makes perfect sense to me and is exactly why I believe LOE teaches the long o sound for these words :)

  8. Well, I thought the same thing when I came across it last week using our LOE curriculum.

    If I am just saying the 3 words that use this oo phonogram with the long o sound...floor, door & poor...I would not accentuate the long o rather it would sound like or.

    I think the pronunciation of these 3 words can vary greatly depending on ones accent. We are from the midwest.

    I am not too concerned about my kids learning memorizing these words as a long o sound, though, as it seems to be the easiest category for them to land in.

  9. That article really rubs me the wrong way!

    This is what I would have posted but didn't because I don't want to register...

     

    I was a Stay at Home Mom for 6 years...now I am a Home Educating Mother to my two wonderful children.

    I am very offended by this article and the authors opinion of me. I did not and do not "embrace motherhood as my primary and most important identity" in order to obtain "power"

    I put my family first because I want to and we can afford it. I do believe that it is a luxury that many cannot afford. I also know that not every woman wants to follow the same path as me and that is fine, too!

    There is so much more I could say but it isn't worth my time.

     

    This woman claims to be a feminist :glare:

  10. That is the second question people ask me when they find out I am homeschooling the kids. What I usually say now is:

    I plan to continue homeschooling until it no longer works for us...I have no idea when that will be :001_smile:

     

    Just for the record, the first question I get asked is some version of the standard "How are you socializing your kids?" What I usually say now is:

    Well, for starters he/she is here at soccer/basketball/choir talking and playing with your child right now :tongue_smilie: not to mention church, everyday errands, visits to the animal shelter, library, neighborhood friends, blah, blah, blah....

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