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jojomojo

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Everything posted by jojomojo

  1. This basically describes Headsprout. Anyone know how close HS is to a complete true phonics program? Here's the scope & sequence http://static.headsprout.com/pdf/headsprout%20early%20reading%20scope%20and%20sequence.pdf And after completing a complete phonics program (assuming the child has mastered the concepts taught), where do you go? Separate reading and spelling programs?
  2. Thanks everyone. A friend has Phonics Pathways, so I'll definitely borrow that and take a look. Our library also has "Why Johnny Still Can't Read" so I'll have to check that out too. Looking up the others now to see if I can find some samples :)
  3. My ds4 (5 in April) is reading somewhere around a mid-first grade reading level (took an online evaluation). He started out on Starfall, then around 4 he started Primary Phonics (EPS) and Headsprout. I am not really sure how Primary Phonics is implemented though or how far they got (that is what they use at his Montessori school). He's on episode 55 of Headsprout. He seems to enjoy reading. His reading is pretty smooth (reads with inflection and all), but he stumbles over some words now and then (last reader the words short and drink got him). So now that you know where he's at, let me tell you where I'm at lol I am completely lost when it comes to teaching or choosing a good phonics program. I never learned phonics as a kid. I taught myself to read basically. I have been looking into Webster's, but without a TM, I don't think I can pull it off. I do want something as strong I hear Webster's is though. Also, teaching is not one of my gifts :tongue_smilie:I don't do well with scripts, but I also don't do well with vague instructions on what/how to teach. I'm not creative and I have a hard time going beyond what a TM says to do. I guess my biggest problem is that I don't understand the progression of learning phonics/reading/spelling/etc so I can't figure out what comes next. I don't know what to do with him after he is done with HS (which will probably be the end of next month). And I'm too scared to just buy stuff to try out because money is tight. If anyone could help with suggestions, I would really appreciate it!
  4. Or cornstarch... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYj6Ju8IcW0&feature=related Love Big Bang :lol: I agree that it probably just needed more volume or bass. Hopefully you have better luck when you try it again. I hate it when stuff like that doesn't work out.
  5. I'm not sure about the timing, but I agree that it should be fine to just add the sauce (we do that with country style ribs and they come out great!). I usually cook a big roast with an onion soup mix packet (or 2) and water. Then shred the roast up and divide it up into bags for the freezer. Then when I need a quick meal, I just pull a bag out, heat it up, mix in some bbq sauce and we're good to go :)
  6. Thanks for that review! That really does help. I'm all for my children learning the unproven theories of evolution, learning about the fossil record, etc. I was just hoping that the book wasn't so full of evolution that we spent more time discussing that than getting anything else from the book:tongue_smilie:Amazon shows the first page of the book and from what I could tell, it was all about evolving from monkeys, millions of years and Darwin. One more thing to add the list of books I want to buy :D
  7. This looks interesting. I can see from the description that it's from an old Earth/evolution perspective. How heavily is that covered? I wish my library had it so I could check it out :(
  8. I was just looking at microscopes last night. My range is about the same. These links were very helpful... http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/how-to-select-a-microscope.html http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/microscope-comparison-chart.html (mostly helpful if this is where you buy from) This is the one I decided on http://www.hometrainingtools.com/product_categories/17/products/5818-home-1000x-microscope HTH!
  9. We use rice milk on cereal and save the almond for drinking plain. Almond milk on cereal tastes really odd to us.
  10. Well, isn't that handy! I didn't know that option was there. Thanks for the tip!
  11. I saw this exact same thing once, it still haunts me. Instead of 7/8 yr olds, it was 4/5 yr olds. It was at a university day care, not PS though. I popped my head out of the door to the playground to say something to the person on duty out there and these boys were right by the door, right in my face. I talked to the head director and she told me its perfectly natural - kids are curious, they want to know what things feel like in their mouth, etc, etc :blink: One boy had a questionable homelife (the initiator), the other did not. And I'm certain the parents were never told - I have a feeling the mom of the other boy would have yanked her son (and 2 yr old dd) out of there that day.
  12. My ds is heading into the second half of Headsprout. He's doing great. He's reading all of their print out books as well as his Bob books (level a, set 1). Any suggestions on what programs to look into once he finishes HS? I'm not sure where the program ends. I was hoping I might hear from someone who has used it :001_smile: ETA: I just found the pdf on their site with reading levels, etc. The program ends on a 2nd grade reading level. Any input on great programs to move into after HS would be greatly appreciated!
  13. I think I may have been the one who made the disjointed comment a while back. All I have used is MFW ECC (never used WP or SL, etc). I think a lot of it for us has to do with the fact that I am using it with only a 5th grader (and a 5th grader reading a few grade levels ahead at that). I'm not sure how to describe what didn't work for us (well, except for the disjointed comment lol). It felt like everything was only vaguely connected. And maybe that had to do with my dds age; she needed more in depth material to connect everything. She's strong in science, so I never bothered with the little bit that MFW offered and went with our own (we did read the few pages here and there they scheduled though). It's not a bad program at all. I just had a hard time making it flow while filling in gaps for my 5th grader. I can see my 4 yr old really enjoying it in a few years. Also, it could just be ME. Teaching is NOT one of my gifts :tongue_smilie:
  14. :iagree:Unless there are other supply issues, your body should adjust just fine to any changes you make (one side per feeding, block, etc). I have always done the one side per feeding. The thing about fore/hind milk isn't that there are two kinds of milk. As the milk flows (and baby gets watery foremilk), fat starts sticking to each other and the sides of the...uh...alveoli (had to look that up lol) At the end of the feeding when the breast is close to being drained, all that fat starts getting forced through too. After reading about that, it helped me understand why draining one side completely was really the best (especially since I seem to produce skim milk as it is lol).
  15. Oh, I didn't mean cookbooks. I meant books on how to go vegan. Like "Being Vegetarian for Dummies" (I think that's the title, I have it). It just helps you balance meeting dietary needs and substituting or avoiding certain foods (in particular, it talks about not worrying about getting enough protein because the typical non-veggie diet overdoses on it anyway). Basically, as long as you still eat meat, and include high protien grains/legumes in your diet like quinoa/beans/lentils/etc, it shouldn't hurt your protein intake to not eat dairy/eggs. The "going vegan" books have been very helpful in eliminating eggs and dairy (even if the recipes haven't....I eat meat and avoid soy as much as possible too). Breakfast foods are a challenge though. I've been dairy/egg free for 5 years now and I still struggle with breakfast meals. My breakfast menu pretty much consists of oatmeal, farina, sausage w/dairy free gravy & biscuits, pancakes (made with rice milk and EnerG Egg replacer) and cold cereal w/rice milk. One way to use beans at breakfast is to use bean flour in things like pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, etc. I'm not sure what percentage you would use though. Those are all things you could make up at the beginning of the week and just keep in the fridge too :)
  16. You might want to pick up a book on going vegan. Not suggesting you go vegan, but there should be some good information on how much protein you really need. It might ease your worries a bit :) We are a dairy/egg free home too (well, sometimes we use egg whites because I only react to yolk). For breakfast, you can cook other grains like oatmeal/porridge - millet, quinoa, wheat, etc. I don't know of any recipes, but you might want to search for breakfast foods using beans, that would be a good source. For easy meals, find recipes that can be frozen. We have a few recipes we always have in the freezer for the days nobody wants to cook or we're in a hurry - taco rice, taco soup, three bean soup, meatballs (for spaghetti, w/brown gravy, w/bbq sauce, etc), shredded beef (mix with bbq sauce for sandwiches), and sometimes just browned ground beef (w/onions & celery) ready to toss into an easy meal. Crockpot meals would be good too. There are lots of crockpot cookbooks out there.
  17. We put presents out as soon as they are wrapped (couple weeks now - we don't do the Santa bit either). I was worried the cats would tear them up (like last year) but I was worried about the wrong creature....it was the 1 yr old this year :tongue_smilie:She unwrapped 2 or 3 presents (2 or 3 times each...same ones lol). Next year we may wait to put them out ;) We put the stockings out after the kiddos are asleep though (still waiting on the 10 yr old).
  18. Thanks! Icing sugar would be powdered sugar, right? For butter, we always use Earth Balance (dairy free).
  19. I'll be using rice milk in the rolls. Avoiding the whipping cream and cream cheese has me stumped though :)
  20. I need ideas for the icing. It calls for cream cheese and whipping cream and I need something dairy free. Anyone know of an icing recipe I could use? Or modify? I'm not sure how I would modify Quiver's without dairy. I'm going to make these for Christmas morning.....but really, I want to make and eat them now :D It sounds so good!
  21. That sounds like a good idea! On every trip, we just pack the cooler with preassembled sandwiches and a bottle of mayo, fruit, water, juice, etc.
  22. There can be a big difference in prefolds. Do you know where she bought them? These are my favorite (they do quilt up though) http://cgi.ebay.com/DSQ-newborn-infant-CLOTH-DIAPER-4x8x4-INDIAN-COTTON_W0QQitemZ310062718442QQihZ021QQcategoryZ146531QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262
  23. The day after Thanksgiving we were planning to have my husbands parents and 2 of his siblings over, so we grabbed an easy peasy bag of Three Bean from the freezer to thaw. An hour later, that turned into having 13 people over lol So we grabbed two more bags of Three Bean to thaw. We made sandwhiches too to stretch it a bit further. It was a big hit! I just finished typing it up to email to those who asked for it... Three Bean Soup 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, diced 3 C. water 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste 1 T. Dijon mustard 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp pepper 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans 1 can (15 oz) black eyed peas 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 1 can (15 oz) corn 1 C. chopped carrots 1 C. chopped zucchini or celery (or both) 1 med. onion, chopped As far as veggies go, use fresh or canned and omit or add to suit your taste. Combine first 12 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes more. We usually make this in huge batches and freeze in gallon ziplocs (or quart size for easy lunches).
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