Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

CarrieF

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,129

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by CarrieF

    Questions for Italics Cursive users . . .

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Okay, full disclosure: I am NOT completely sure I understand if italics cursive is a particular handwriting curriculum OR just a style of handwriting, so that is my first question. :D I have seen it mentioned in taglines and posts, so am curious.

    The more pressing question is this: would this be an easier to learn form of cursive for a left-handed kid who has pretty messy manuscript writing and doesn't particularly like to write?!

    If not, any suggestions?! He REALLY doesn't like to write and it is painful to get him to form the letters properly. Sigh.

    (I realize this is not highly unusual for 8 yo boys . . . it's just so painful!)

    Killgallon Users: Placement Question

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    My 10 yo son is gifted and seems especially so in language arts. We have been using FLL & WWE, but while the content is solid it just isn't a good fit; we need a change! Last year we took a "breather" and did MCT Island level with great success. This year when we finish FLL-4 and WWE-4 we are going to take another break and "try out" some other curricula to see what might be a better fit - we're looking for rigorous, creative, and maybe even (dare I say?!) fun. ;)

    I know next to nothing about Killgallon - just recently "discovered it" here on the board, but am very curious about it. With my son having gone through FLL-4 and WWE-4 and taking to L.A. like a fish takes to water, should I just start at the elementary level with 'Sentence Composing for Elelmentary School' and 'Story Grammar for Elementary School' or is there something in between these and the middle school books?!

    Really just looking for some age-range guidance AND any type of review Killgallon users have to offer. ESPECIALLY if you used both MCT and Killgallon . . . I am also considering just doing MCT's Town level since we enjoyed the Island level so much last year. :D

    Thanks in advance!

    Falling out of love with FLL - what else could work?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    :bigear:

    Would love to hear more about combining/alternating MCT and Killgallon.

    We have had a very similar situation with my DS who is 10. We appreciate the information presented in FLL (and WWE for that matter), but it isn't the greatest fit; we go on autopilot and cruise without engaging much. Last year when we "took a break" and did MCT Island series, my son was more excited about language arts than I had seen him in a while (and this is a kid who LOVES anything to do with reading, writing, grammar, etc.!). So, after finishing FLL-4 next week we're taking a break and doing MCT Town level for "fun". ;)

    I have JUST discovered/learned about Killgallon, so PLEASE, someone tell us more! :001_smile:

    Explode The Code question

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    My 2nd grade son is NOT a strong reader and has worked his way up to book 4 and it IS harder. Having said that, if your daughter is excited about it and can handle it, I say go for it! Maybe just give her the caveat that she can always slow down or even go back to book 3 for "review" if she feels stressed in book 4. Any time a kiddo is excited about something to do with learning, I say capitalize! ;)

    The Creative Writer - a quick review : )

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Just got this and boy, does it look GOOD.

    I love that it can be self-directed.

    I love that Mr. Fishman comes across as very "learned" and confident, but does not talk over-the-heads of the reader.

    I love that it is simple and straight-forward!

    I love that it is inexpensive!

    And finally, I love that SWB has "approved" it so I can rest in the knowledge that it is academically solid.

    Two thumbs up from this happy Mama! :D

    Answering questions about Advanced Language Lessons

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    Susan,

    Thanks for all you do to help the rest of us homeschooling moms - we really appreciate it! I'm sure it was not an easy decision for you to make to postpone ALL, but it sure seems to be the most logical.

    Having said that, we are so sad here; my almost 10 yo old son can't IMAGINE doing grammar with ANYONE but SWB! I have emailed Pattie for the samples that were already complete and wanted to thank you for making them available. I see a major slow down coming in our grammar schedule - we'll savor every last lesson of FLL-4 and make the weeks of ALL stretch out as long as possible (without losing effectiveness, of course!).

    Thanks again!

    Biblioplan... updated??

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    The updates took place within the last year and are nice. Better layout, more information, and answer sheets for the maps, questions, etc.

    This is our second year using it (after trying SOTW by itself, MFW, AND SL!) and we are sticking with Biblioplan! I love that it follows the classical cycles, uses SOTW (along with other great spines like MOH), AND that there are TONS of fabulous readers (like SL). It has been a great fit for my 9 yo and 7 yo. There is just enough geography, too, without being overkill. :001_smile: It can seem overwhelming when you first look at the TG pages because they have readers listed for all three levels (grammar, logic, & rhetoric), but I usually highlight the items we're going to do and ignore the rest. It is wonderful to have the maps, comprehension questions, and timeline all working together. Can't say enough good about Biblioplan! ;)

    Best age for A Wrinkle in Time?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    A Wrinkle in Time is one of my all time favorites, so I couldn't help but chime in. ;)

    If your daughter is a mature 8.5 you could do it as a read aloud and I think she would enjoy it. You'd have to explain some things, vocabulary, etc. Keep in mind there are some things that COULD seem scary (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who, the whole concept of the father being "missing") so you might want to skim through it yourself first.

    Otherwise, if you want to have your daughter read it on her own, I'd wait until she is 10 or 11.

    HTH!

    Ahhh! I'm overwhelmed by Lively Latin. . . need ideas

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I just recently put all her flashcards on rings so that they stay neat. It also makes it easy for me rotate old flashcards in with the new vocab.

    This is a brilliant idea! Very organized and easy way to rotate in the old with the new - thank you for sharing!

    We also just work through each lesson exactly as it is laid out. On a day when my son watches a lesson I have him do the first page/worksheet just to keep the application fresh. The next day we do the next page, and just keep working through until we get to a next video lesson to watch.

    He also does the chants and vocabulary every day (this is KEY to success with Latin!). All in all, the most I would say it takes is 20 mins. When we're "on" and have the time we do Latin 4-5 days a week, but I am happy to do 3-4 days; that seems more "doable" for us.

    We chose not to do the history since we were not in the ancient time period last year when we started (nor are we this year) and since we're already pretty history-heavy at our house anyway. ;)

    HTH! Lots of good advice here from the other posters. :D

    Ahhh! I'm overwhelmed by Lively Latin. . . need ideas

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    It really isn't dry, just simple in its approach. Magistra does a nice job of doing the lessons; they are short and to the point. We do not do the history portion, so that shortens things a bit for us. I will say that if you are able and willing to listen to/watch the lessons, it will make for a better experience. We did SO much better for the first 4-5 lessons when I took the time to preview the lessons . . . then I figured we were sailing and he didn't NEED me to watch them any more . . . and then we got stuck. :glare: We've taken a break from Latin and are now gearing back up to get started again. I offered to switch programs (Latina Christiana) so that he could have DVD lessons, but he LIKES Lively Latin and refused to even consider switching, so there's something about it that the kiddos like. :001_smile: Best wishes for a great start!

    Soaring with Spelling and Vocabulary?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Now that Soaring has been out for over a year would any of you ladies who have used it care to weigh in?! I have been doing SWO (by default really since it is was they recommend in TWTM), but am not exactly thrilled with it. I recently looked at SwS and thought it looked pretty good, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

    Any thoughts, positive or negative, would be welcome! :D

    SOTW vol. 1 and Victor Journey though the Bible

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I use Biblioplan and think you could easily just use the TG and not the companion. While I appreciate the info. that is contained in the parent companion, I find that a lot of it is just repeating/re-covering what we've already done in SOTW and the other books used. Not always, but a lot of the time. I didn't look at your signature to see how old your children are, but if they are in elementary, you could DEFINITELY just use the TG.

    HTH! :001_smile:

    PS - we thoroughly enjoy BP! It is organized well and the book lists are amazing.

    Preschool Workbooks?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We love the Rod and Staff preschool books. They have 2 sets. One set is a group of 4 workbooks for ages 3-4. There is also a set for ages 4-5 that has 9 books. None of these books are particularly colorful, but they are very sweet and get the job done. I have used both sets and my little ones seem to enjoy them.

     

    http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/list/Study_Time_Preschool/

    http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/list/Rod_and_Staff_Preschool

    I second this! They are simple and fun without being too much visually. Love them!

×
×
  • Create New...