Jump to content

Menu

bakpak

Members
  • Posts

    488
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by bakpak

  1. It was a great read. It even had some nice bits for a wannabe home-school mom who works full time. Maybe now's not a good time for me to homeschool, but it doesn't rule out the future. The trick will be for me to work productively at home - that's my challenge and something I would like to work on anyway...
  2. This girl (scroll down for video) is so awesome http://jezebel.com/hero-11-year-old-mackenzie-mccarty-makes-lovely-taxider-1691962314
  3. I too would up the reading you are doing (unless I misunderstood). Hours a day is ok :) My 3-yr-old happily sat through lots of chapter books like Charlotte's Web, etc. I also started letting her listen to books on CD and she ATE IT UP and it freed up my time. At that age she was most interested in stories with animals as the main characters (Trumpet of the Swan, Cricket in Times Square). The main exception was Little House Books. We did lots of themed work around various countries. Pick a popular country (e.g., Australia, Japan, Egypt), check out lots of fiction and nonfiction books, study their art, do some arts and crafts, find places on world map, prepare food from that country (or great excuse to go out to a restaurant!!), watch short videos. You can squeeze in tons of learning with a theme like that. We'd casually fit it in over a month or two. Researching the specific animals of a country helped my library fiction searches. We didn't and still don't do much screen time, but my DD loved Starfall. It isn't overly flashy or overstimulating. IMO its full version is totally worth the cost, but you can try the free version first to see if you like it. It is especially helpful for early phonics and the math goes up to 2nd grade now. Foreign languages and music are great recommendations too, and we did both. Have fun with your LO. You'll learn a ton! :)
  4. Looks cute, but haven't tried it yet. Happy to put it on the list of potentials
  5. Like others, I assumed my DD would likely be gifted, but it's hard to tell with babies sometimes and I didn't have many around to compare her to in remote Alaska. I crawled at 6 months, walked at 9 months, and was fully potty-trained at 18 months, so after hearing those stories I always thought she was a bit behind, except for fine motor skills which were ahead. Funny the earliest signs of giftedness related to language and reading, both still her strongest areas, and she tends to rise to the top in groups due to quick learning and a long attention span. Even as a baby she followed directions well - e.g., I didn't have to tell her more than once or twice not to go near the wood stove. She was always very focused and intense as a baby, and others would comment on it for her age, as well as her early language skills. I was surprised when at 10 months she correctly filled in the word "bear" for a book I was reading when I inadvertently paused for a moment, and she easily turned regular pages by then too. People were astounded at her first birthday party when she said 'owl' and 'ostrich' very clearly while opening said presents. She asked to learn a 3rd language before she was 2 and was reading at age 2. Also by 24 months she was asking existential questions and putting together concepts that had never been explained to her (you know, those freaky moments when you wonder who your child was BEFORE she was your child). I thought it was interesting that at 2 & 3 she didn't ask a lot of why questions as she usually intuited those answers, but tended to ask 'how', wanting to know the mechanics of everything she encountered. The why questions showed up more at ages 4 & 5 and usually related to understanding complex behavior and social issues (slavery, why aren't there any women presidents, etc).
  6. As an update, I bought my DD5 her first pair of lace up shoes yesterday. She sort of got one tied in the store with my help and I did the other one. Fast forward to this morning, when I suggested she try on her new shoes. "What new shoes?" The ones downstairs that we just bought yesterday. She came back upstairs with them both tied expertly and a huge proud smile!! And the best part is, I didn't really have to expend any real effort teaching her :) Waiting until she was developmentally ready worked like a charm!
  7. Lovely to read your success stories. You're an inspiration to us all :) :party:
  8. Maybe you can use her interest in cats to further her reading? So have her read some of the easy reader cat books to you and you match it with a page or two of denser text. You might see if you can find some easy readers with cats as the main characters, even if they're fictional. They might be more appealing. Maybe you can channel some of that cat energy into crafts and art while you wait for the reading to catch up some? Or she can 'write' cat stories that you scribe? You could possibly record yourself reading the denser books, so you don't have to read them over and over :)
  9. Yep...although to her I think 39 last month was just as old as 40 this month. Plus, I know NOTHING about Shubert! But...glad she is pondering Shubert in her spare time. :biggrinjester:
  10. DD5 came down to dinner with this greeting: "Mommy, remember when Shubert was composing his 5th symphony...." Um, no?
  11. Thanks for all the braiding talk. It's fun to remember. And I was just trying to figure out what Chris in VA was talking about regarding thumb and first finger in french braiding. I'm at work and started trying to french braid my hair and evidently I do it differently :) Or maybe not...it's hard to write about. One hand hold all three strands while the first finger on the other hand gets a new strand of hair on same side, then I switch hands. Hmmm...I never French braid my hair anymore since I have so much gray :( I still haven't caved to dying my hair, but maybe I will since it obviously bothers me and affects my behavior. I remember how old my Mom looked compared to other mothers when I was a kid...
  12. DD5.5 has chosen math problems as pillow talk to wind down before naps and night-time sleep for years. I remember her giggling over the concept of 0 at 2, and then later rolling in laughter over negative numbers. She's been on a multiplication kick lately, and since it's such a beautiful concept she decided to create her own mathematical concept called "pimes". It looks like an X with 8 dots all around it. It's very similar to multiplication, but the rules are all in her head. For instance, eight pimes anything acts like 1 X__, except 8 pimes 8 = 64, the only instance when pimes and times are equal. I love how she has created this concept that she has complete control over, which makes her feel more secure as life gets more and more complicated. This goes along with all the things that happen 'in her world'. Instead of an imaginary friend, she has created a separate universe/world/country and she gets to make up all the rules, including rules about government, marriage, weather patterns, etc. She is more accepting about real rules and facts when she can counter with a story about how life works in her country. I love her imagination and am happy she has figured out a healthy way to balance reality vs. her perceived idealized world. Wouldn't that be nice for all of us??
  13. I've been coming here for years because of the Accelerated Learner forum. I've been inspired so often by the children described here and the parents who help their little lights shine. I've learned about resources that I would never have found on my own, but mostly I enjoy reading all the BTDT stories. My DD has been in Montessori schools to date, and each one has been different, but these forums have helped me have a better understanding of which of my expectations are reasonable, when to trust myself vs. when I'm needlessly fretting, when I should advocate harder for my child, and when I should try to fill perceived gaps myself at home. If anything, these forums have heightened my desire to home school, but given the difficulty of doing that while working full-time, I do my best to make the most of the situation and keep my child happy, healthy and learning at an appropriate level. I suspect that you are right Susan, that these forums and home schooling in general are helping parents better meet their children's needs in schools, and hopefully even raising the bar. Our parents' generation were expected to trust the teachers as they're the 'experts', but now I feel like we have enough resources at our fingertips to not accept status quo if its not working or appropriate. The support network here is amazing and I can't imagine this information not slowly changing traditional school culture. The only specific example I wanted to bring up is that my DD is in Montessori K. We had our first parent-teacher conference in December and I asked about math since my DD spends so much of her classroom time doing math works. I suggested she was ready for multiplication (she's been ready!!) and the teacher said 'oh we're still working on dynamic subtraction and that's a long process'. I gently pointed out that they could be worked on simultaneously instead of sequentially, as they're different skills. I was relieved to find out that the teacher had heard me and respected my suggestion when my DD came home a couple of weeks later having learned all the squares multiplication facts at school. I wouldn't have known that was ok or suggested it if I hadn't read so many stories on here about how/when children learn, and in particular how learning often happens in leaps and bounds and to take advantage of interests when they're happening, not when someone decides it's the appropriate time. I think my DD is NOT challenged at school, except socially, but at least I feel like I can help advocate for her where I can and supplement at home in areas of shared interest.
  14. $10/hr, unless I were in a large city, where I hear it would be $15. I agree about having the $20/$30 handy after when you offer. It's good precedent to pay in my opinion...they're more likely to offer again :)
  15. I remember not figuring out how to french braid my own hair until I was a freshman in college. But it was also the first time anyone had SHOWN me how to do it. I learned to juggle that year too...I just didn't know the rules beforehand.
  16. She wanted me to show her a few months ago, but she didn't really get it. This time she just figured it out on her own - popped out of her room with her pony's tail braided and set to work on my hair and later her own (using a mirror). Yep..it's all about motivation. I brought up the shoe tying, as she has been interested in the past, but couldn't quite get it then. I'm planning to wait for her interest to pique again and voila she will just be developmentally ready this time ;)
  17. It's snowing...I'm home alone and bored and thinking about my DD5's newest passion/skill. Is 5 early or the normal age for this? Next up we need to think about shoe tying again. Perhaps they're related skills.....managing multiple strands? At what ages did your children learn to braid hair?
  18. My DD wasn't super into hands-on, so I went with SM. It's been a good fit. That along with the Rightstart games has been a great fit for her. As others said above, you probably can't go wrong with either one, and you can easily mix and match. Of SM, it seems many folks supplement other math curricula with the SM Challenging Word Problems a year behind their current level (provides review plus deeper thinking).
  19. My DD loved the WhistleFritz DVDs. Still wants to watch them every once in awhile. The Little Pim ones are free if you have Amazon Prime. We just had a TON of books around which I read at least one a day to her. It took awhile to get into the Salsa videos, but my DD loves them now. I think at first I didn't like the quality, but after I got over it I realized they were a good intro level. Playing games in Spanish is great. Matching or bingo. Some good resources can be found at: http://spanglishbaby.com/
  20. Spanish makes the most sense to me. I would add Italian as the 2nd or 3rd language. And while you're waiting for her to get to that point, you can work on Spanish or Italian in your spare time to get you ahead of her a bit! Languages are fun!
  21. I had the same question awhile back, and I ended up doing the dominant language 1st and with much more emphasis, followed by the 2nd. If the two languages you are using are used equally in the home, then working at the same time might work fine however. My DD5 read English very young and is reading around 6th grade level now and she's reading Spanish now at a 1st grade level at least, so I don't think it hurt moving at a slower pace in the 2nd language, although some might wish their children to be more even in level. At her request, she's also back to working on reading/learning French again recently, so following your child's lead is great advice IMO. I would try it and see how it just naturally shakes out.
  22. Verdin are my favorites...so sweet with their cheerful yellow faces!! Ah, and we saw both Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-herons. I love all the herons/egrets
  23. Day 1 in Texas and having a delightful time. Went to Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park and Estero Llano State Park. Verdin, Cinnamon Teal, Green Jays, Least Grebes, Crested Caracaras, and a Pauraque were highlights. Plus the best named bird of the day: Northern Beardless Tyrannulet. My 5yo loved saying that over the phone when I called her :)
  24. I agree with Regentrude....kids/anyone can get intimidated about physically solving problems, while thinking about advanced problems is potentially freeing. Thinking 'mistakes' are quickly resolved and don't involve huge amounts of time sorting through dense details. I agree that the child should be encouraged to solve problems at their maturity level, but thinking ahead at their comfort level be encouraged as well. My DD is small, but she definitely wants to think and learn about advanced concepts; but sitting down and doing them? No thanks! She gets to that stage in her own sweet time, and it's closer to the expected age than the thinking only level was. This makes sense to me, as having thought about the concepts for a long time beforehand helps her tackle the doing with ease when she's developmentally ready. In general this is my philosophy - to introduce advanced concepts early so when the real time comes it seems like a next logical step, not a step into a scary abyss. Also, I'm more of a thinker than a doer, which I didn't realize until AFTER I finished my PhD and got a real job. I would never have realized how much I love theoretical problem solving. I have always enjoyed tangible results, but I'm finding now that what really gets me pumping is thinking and talking through problems until the big picture resolves; then I'm ready to move on to the next big problem. It's an interesting (and very important!) thing to figure out about yourself many years later :) This realization and the above posts makes me laugh thinking about a professor my freshman year of college trying to get me to switch majors to philosophy instead of biology; maybe he was onto something!!
×
×
  • Create New...