Kathy in MD
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Posts posted by Kathy in MD
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of them is. Like when he camp racing back on his bike yelling "Mom, Dad! Some people in campground A were robbed! They were watching the sunset on their picnic bench and their potato chips were stolen!" or "Mom, Dad! A girl came out of the restroom and a pony was staring her in the face! She jumped back in and then came out with her hand extended and said, 'Back off! I've got a battery and I know how to use it!' "
I forgot to give you a hint for the Metro. If you make a mistake and try to travel during the height of rush hour, you might become separated. Tell your dc if that happens to get off at the next station and stay put! They aren't to move from the platform! You'll grab the next train and catch up with them. If they don't make it, have them stay put and you'll return for them. You do want to get into the same car, because you aren't supposed to travel between the individual Metro cars.
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About the vision/tracking difficulties...I had his eyes checked and turns out he has a very slight astigmatism. He wears glasses for reading and he says it's a teeny bit better, but he doesn't really notice a big difference. Thanks for the quick tracking test...I'll do that!
than not tracking smoothly. Here's that site again.http://http://www.childrensvision.com/symptoms.htm
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I'd check out this site to see if he has some vision problems that aren't covered in the standard 20 min eye exam. http://www.childrensvision.com/symptoms.htm
Also, has he every had any speech delays or problems? Not deciphering sounds easily is another common source of reading problems.
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some ways. Although I knew growing up that we didn't have lots of money to through around, I never realized just how difficult things were until I'd been away from home for years. My parents were very good at keeping such problems hidden combined with managing their children's expectations. Plus many things we did that saved money was part of our training in how to manage a home - sewing, gardening, canning. Mom enjoyed those things and we competed in 4-H in those areas, along with our cousins and many friends.
What made it easier was that we were raised to participate in that life style and our friends reflected that. Vacations were generally out because Dad was in construction and the vacation season interfers with the heavy construction season. And our friends and classmates at that time weren't constantly travelling. Occassionally one might mention about going to a cabin in Michigan or some other, simple place for a week. But there were no big, fancy trips to Europe or weekend trips to the beach.
How our parents did have it easier was that it was possible then to buy a small 2 bedroom home with a yard for children to play in. It was considered standard for children to share rooms, so having 3 children under 5 in one room was no big deal. Today, it's hard to find an affordable 2 bedroom townhouse in our older neighborhood. And of course there's no yard included.
However, I worry about my dc. Unfortunately in many ways, dh and I were in the affluent stage of our lives when ds came. He's never known us to worry about paying the bills or buying something on impulse. Unfortunately he doesn't realize that we had and have purposely kept major expenses down so we don't need to worry. Because we live in townhouses, there isn't the weekly maintainance that comes with single family homes. So all of the neighborhood kids have minimal chores and lots of things to keep them occupied. DS is in for a shock when he's out on his own.
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I'm old enough. :eek:
But for a couple more months I'm still the mother of a 13 yo and have many, many, many years before I become a grandmother of even an infant ;)
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A radio station upped their broadcast wattage. Unfortunately the towers were located near us and the new power interferred with everything - baby monitors, home security systems, cell phones, computers and even land line telephones. There's nothing like picking up your telephone and hearing a radio broadcast :D
The phone company installed filters for the land lines and a new cell tower for the cell phones. Unfortunately the filters weren't good enough for the computer and we had to go with cable for that (the phone company's alternative weren't available). I don't know what people did for the security systems and the baby monitors. The radio station just brushed all the complaints off because they weren't legally responsible for the damage they did. :mad: :mad:
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we would've loved to have more but we're both getting older.. I"m 40 and dh is 43...
That's how old I was when we brought ds home (adopted). We had hoped to adopt one more, but things came up.
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it's a translation of a story Sumarian scribes-in-training had to copy over and over. It also gives good insight into the Sumarian's attitude towards education and the non-educated kingdoms around them. It's a picture book.
Another we liked was Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean. I chose it because it's not a picture book, but not as difficult as the straight translations.
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My ds is in the 7th grade and that means I have one more year to get his basic skills up before I have to start grading for transcripts. It means that within a year and a half, the state homeschool requirements will change. It means that at the end of next year we have to decide if ds will go to either public or private high school, because it's much easier to enter in the 9th grade than later. And I don't have the luxury of "holding" him back a year because we've already done that once and his birthday's in spring.
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In addition, you might add attending a few concerts, Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, and Beethovan's Wig (pure fun). My goal with these selections is to teach a familiarity and an appreciation for listening to classical music.
Only after an appreciation is established, would I consider something more indepth, such as Bernstein's Concerts for Young People.
I agree with the other poster. Sometimes less is more! :)
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This would be used for an upcoming 3rd grader.....
they both teach using "word families" right?
How do you schedule a general week of lessons for either Natural Speller or Sequential Spelling if you use them?
thanks
a word, ds writes it down, I spell it, ds corrects it and rewrites the word if he missed it. I then read the next word. The lessons cover 25 words and take 10 minutes or less. Spelling's over for the day, unless you want to double up.
There's no studying, no stress and it works even for the child who struggles. It even carries into general writing, which is something that never happened for the traditional spelling program I used in school. And I recieved straight A's on the tests. :mad: However, don't expect to see improvement in your dc's spelling until after lesson 60 or so.
Here's a link to the web site: http://avko.org/sequentialspelling.html If you scroll down you'll find a link to 7 sample lessons you can try.
It would help if your child has a good vocabulary because the words build into advanced words relatively quickly.
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I've yet to accept that he's accomplished all that he can in certain fields, but then he's only in the 7th grade (held back one year). I'm also still pushing basic math, thinking skills and writing sentences and paragraphs. But my plans for ds's math include Algebra II, and an additional year after that.
But when to stop pushing? I haven't learned that. But if I had, ds wouldn't be as far as he is now. A few years ago, his tutor said he'd never be able to write beyond straight formulaic writing. Since then, I've discovered some teaching resources and I think he'll be able to write acceptably well. I kept banging my head against the wall about getting him to think. I'm finally beginning to see the glimmers of thinking. So I'll keep searching and looking for better ways to reach my minimum goals in every field and to push those areas he's interested in.
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It started out as a trip to Williamsburg and Jamestown and the ocean. I keep looking at the map and seeing how close Assateague Island is, then D.C., then Philly, then New York. I see Civil War sites and Amish country and I want to experience it all.
If one mom and three kids (ages 10, 9, and 9) from Minnesota had a a few weeks, a tent and a tax rebate would it really be wise and safe to do all that? :confused: Honestly, I'd be happy with one day in D.C. just to see monuments, outside of capitol, White House and inside the Smithsonian. (I know that could take days in itself) I'd be happy with one day in Philly and I'd be happy just seeing Ellis Island. I'd want to take it slow and have a down day, then a touring day or two days to tour slowly and a down day. It seem insane, but I'd *love* to go!!
I think I'd be scared to go to NYC/Ellis Island by myself and possibly even D.C. although it looks simple to get around.
-Jeanne
metropolitan area where you can camp. http://http://www.nps.gov/archive/gree/. There are other campsites near DC, but I don't know of any others that are as convenient to the Metro. DC is very easy to get around by Metro, and the locals are usually helpful on the Metro. One caveat is that you don't want to use Metro during the height of rush hour :rolleyes:
On Assateague, there's both a national and MD state park that has camping sites. If you're there after mid-late May, the bugs come out. If that's when you can make it, reserve an ocean side site. The breezes will reduce, not eliminate, the biting bugs. Otherwise, opt for bay side. You can often get waterside sites and the crashing waves aren't so loud. (Ocean side sites are hidden from the ocean by dunes). Do bring a screen tent to go over the picnic table, no matter what season you go. The ponies are food thieves par excellence :p and the screen house will make eating more relaxing.
Have Fun
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Growing up, to have an allergy, you had to break out in hives or sneeze a lot. Now we're aware that allergies can cause a lot more symptoms, such as behavioral problems.
Another part is probably that we spend more time inside and our homes are tighter (fewer air exchanges). This often traps us inside with our potential allergens more so the sensitive are more likely to develop symptoms. In addition, when I was a kid, our cats and dogs were more likely to be outside animals. Today, they often spend more time in the house than we do.
I've often heard that keeping too clean of a house will cause allergies. That's not a theory I could test ;)
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With Story of the Orchastra, I added CD's by the composer we were studying that week. Some might think it's too light for a 7th grader, but I don't stress out on indepth music appreciation. This program was fun, easy and developed a love of classical music in ds. Of course the last can't be guarenteed :p
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They're both supposed to be modeled after Montessori math, which is excellent for teaching the concepts. Plus you can adapt them to make up for Montessori's short comings - consistancy and drill. (In a Montessori school the children don't need to do math daily or even every other day. this was a major problem for my ds)
I've also discovered that Singapore combined with a Montessori style math is a great combo.
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After looking at the video samples for TT, Lial's and CD, both dh and I agreed on CD and we've been very pleased.
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factual and what was fictional. However he'd devour any non-fiction history.
However, as I expose him to more heavy-duty non-fiction and historical fiction, it seems to be bothering him less and less. I think he's beginning to see how to seperate fact from fiction.
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The text has a cummulative review after the chapter test so review is available. And the series includes basic math and pre-algebra.
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The biggest problem with logic and reasoning skills is that the thinking is done "behind closed doors' and we can't see how the child's mind is processing the information. Getting them to verbally walk you through their thought process will allow you to "see' where they go off track.
Be aware that giving them the correction will not help them learn how to learn. You have to play the 20+ question game.. What else do you see..., What if you turned it..., How about looking at the color first, what would you do next...?
This is what I like about Building Thinking Skills. Done right, this is what you will do with your dc. You'll also demonstrate how you think through a problem. BTS, done well, is not an easy course. It takes time and effort but it pays off well.
But, as much as I like it, if I could do only one course I'd chose PACE or Learning Rx over BTS.
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We have both sets and ds can select which ones to watch. Ds is older and basically teaches himself from the DVD's and the assignments.
So discouraged.
in General Education Discussion Board
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a few minor problems that might exist that you've not mentioned.
Also, please post over at the Special Needs boards. There's a lot of experience there, both in homeschooling and after schooling special needs children. But best of all, your posts are less likely to be lost in the mass of posts on the general boards. :eek: