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GraceinMD

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Posts posted by GraceinMD

    "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating" (or are you?)

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Aside from curry, are there other dishes you make that use turmeric?

     

    Here's one I've posted before:

     

    Persian Lime Chicken

     

    Basically, you marinate (overnight, or a day or so) chicken in lime juice, turmeric, onions, grape tomatoes, garlic. Then grill the chicken, onions, and tomatoes.

    Serve with lavash bread and melted butter mixed with more lime juice (to drizzle over the grilled chicken). Sort of middle Easternish, so I serve with basmati rice with raisins/almonds, tzatziki, fruit salad.

     

    Hmmm. Someone will want amounts.

    Well, enough lime juice to half-cover the chicken (maybe a couple of cups? - at least a cup). Keep squishing it around in the bowl or plastic bag you marianate it in.

    Maybe a tablespoon of turmeric - so that the lime juice is good and bright yellow/orange.

    Chunks and chunks of onions.

    Several cloves of garlic (maybe 3-6?).

    TOG keep DD in D or move her into R level work?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    and I am torn whether I should keep her in D for another year or move her up into R?

     

    Hi, Jean,

     

    I'm only weighing in because others aren't! (Isn't that a great disclaimer!?)

     

    Anyway, I'm in sort of the same place, only UG/D for my 12 yr old. So last year, we did mainly UG, and this year we're doing *mainly* D, but it's just a transition. As the year goes on, I see that he's more and more at the D level. Do you HAVE to make the switch at the beginning of the year? Can you look through Unit 1 (or whichever unit you'll be starting with) and see what looks possible, with a goal of ending up in R by the end of the year (or the middle of the year, or whenever)?

     

    When I first read WTM, I think I had this idea that my child would conform to the book :lol::lol::lol:, but I see now it's a much fuzzier proposition! This is probably the first year that it hasn't completely stressed me out, too!

     

    Hope you get some more btdt answers. (I like to bookend my disclaimers. :))

    Ugh!! Outlining! Where do I begin to teach this???

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I need to start teaching my son outlining

     

    Your son is still young, so maybe he would be able to conceptualize the "Outlining with Legos" model that periodically is posted here. (I can't find the file on my computer, but maybe someone else will have saved it and will post.)

     

    Basically, you are using manipulatives (Legos) to teach about categorizations, sorting, etc., and you're then showing how that gets turned into an outline.

     

    Example: student sorts bowlful of Legos into groups (let him decide on the groups)

    I. Large Legos (>or=2x4)

    II. Small Legos (<2x4)

     

    then you have him subdivide those groups (again, he decides what the subdivisions are - you just show him how to write them in an outline):

    I. Lg Legos

    A. Green

    B. Red

    C. Blue

    D. Other colors

    II. Sm Legos

    A. Green

    B. Blue

    D. Other colors

     

    Keep going until you've run out of subdivisions:

    I. Lg Legos

    A. Green

    1. thick rectangles

    2. flat rectangles

    B. Red

    C. Blue

    1. thick rectangles

    2. flat rectangles

    3. other shapes

     

    etc.

     

    Then put them all back in the bowl and start again - have him think of other classifications:

    I. Green

    II. Red

    III. Blue

    A. Thick

    B. Flat

    rectangles

    C. etc.

    or (as my son did, when we did this exercise, which he LOVED, btw):

    I. Redskins colors

    A. Red

    1. rectangles

    a) flat

    b) thick

    2. squares

    3. odd shapes

    B. Yellow

    II. Seahawks colors

    A. Blue

    B. Green

    III. Other teams' colors

    etc.

     

    The point is to get him to see that there's not necessarily ONE way to organize information logically.

     

    HTH! I see that others are chiming in with more "academic" ways to teach this - I just wanted to mention a method that was a good start with my (then) 10 yr old.

    • Like 1

    TOG Spine question

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    This is our second year of TOG (after using SOTW I-IV for 1st -4th grades, and SL5 for 5th grade). I wouldn't say we've used a spine, exactly, but we did keep the Ancient History Encyclopedia (Usborne Internet-linked one) handy for Yr 1, and this year (Yr2U3 and U4, and Yr3U1 and U2 - American history parts), we've kept the Joy Hakim books handy (The History of US). We read so many other books, so I wdn't consider the Hakim a spine per se, but have it as a sort of "standard reference," if that makes sense.

     

    I don't think that you NEED a spine with TOG; in fact, that's really one of the many beauties of the program, imo - you're studying concepts and events, but your discussion is guided by those concepts, not by one particular version of those topics. Lampstand has always said that if you can't find a particular book that they recommend, then look on the library shelf for another book on the same topic.

    Female content - hot flashes!

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    What natural cures would help with the hot flashes?

     

    I just gave a talk on this this morning (in other words, I actually researched this!).

     

    (However, it's 130a, so I'm going to just give you a list!)

    (I also won't limit my answer to "natural" remedies, just in case anyone else is interested - not to ignore your question.)

    1) no "cures" for hot flashes - merely symptomatic treatments that can reduce their occurrance

    2) hormone replacement is the most effective remedy at reducing vasomotor symptoms of the menopause transition (vasomotor = hot flashes and night sweats)

    3) lifestyle changes

    (a) lower ambient temperature (e.g., fans, A/C)

    (b) layered cotton clothing

    © paced respiration (slow deep breathing using diaphragm / abdominal muscles can shorten or stop at hot flash

    (d) avoid "triggers" (usually spicy food or hot drinks, but may be things like caffeine, etc. May differ from woman to woman.)

    (e) no evidence that lowering your wt, exercise or smoking cessation help (althogh these are, of course, good for other reasons)

    4) "natural" remedies

    (a) black cohosh: evidence is +/-: some small studies (by which I mean well-designed scientific studies) show effect, one larger study showed no reduction in hot flashes compared to placebo; probably safe if used for less than 6 months, and the N. Am. Menopause Soc. and the German E Commission say it's probably safe and doesn't seem to have serious side effects or interactions with other meds. (Of course, as with all "natural" remedies, it's important to realize that there is no standardization of doses, so you may not be getting what you think you're getting; also, we don't know what their side effects and their drug-drug interactions are.) Used in Europe quite a bit, I think.

    (b) red clover - several small studies; probably not effective

    © soy - unclear whether it has a beneficial effect on hot flashes (although has other beneficial effects). Problem is that various studies used various "parts" of the soybean to test (e.g. the protein component, the phytoestrogen component). One study showed a 45% reduction in hot flashes compared to placebo; another showed no significant difference when compared to placebo. No agents with phytoestrogens should be taken by women with breast cancer, since these phytoestrogens act as weak estrogens in the body.

    (d) various other agents that are not effetive and/or have more serious potential for side effects: dong quai, gingko, ginseng

    (e) +/- effectiveness: flaxseed (not flaxseed oil); vit E (in "reasonable" doses)

    (f) "wild yam cream" often marketed as having progesterone precursors; they do, but humans can't metabolize those precursors, therefore, these are ineffective.

    (5) prescription remedies

    (a) antidepressants: SSRIs (Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine)), SNRI (venlafaxine (Effexor)) - fairly effective and work quickly (but of course have side effects)

    (b) clonidine (Catapres) - blood pressure med

    © gabapentin (Neurontin) - seizure med - probably the most effective. One study showed a reduction of 2 hot flashes per day (on average) compared to placebo.

     

    (Standard, and obvious, disclaimer: you should not take any remedies, natural or otherwise, without consulting your own physician.)

     

    The good news is that hot flashes usually go away (in most women) in 4-5 yrs!

    Looking for Radio Theatre (Focus on the Family) recommendations

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Any suggestions for favorites?

     

    We have enjoyed

    The Hiding Place

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer

    At the Back of the North Wind

    Les Miserables (this is the one that my ds, then 10, probably liked the most).

     

    I've never heard the Narnia ones (as they're so good unabridged that they don't need dramatization, imo). I would avoid the Secret Garden (not that I've heard it) because I think it would have to be changed from the original (as Abbey says it was) to line up with FoF's POV.

    old

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I am interested in hearing what others really think and am donning my flame retardant body armor.

     

    No need for a flame-suit! I think it's actually a good thing. Now, I'll admit, when I first read the letter, I thought I was going to have to change my whole plan for the future.

     

    However, I have only one student, and we started in UG/D. So there has always been a fair amount that we never used. I'm hoping to use Yr4 next year, and it will be fine with me to just print what I need.... (Plus, all our old printers are giving up the ghost, so after a great deal of research, we just bought a color laserjet, which will be perfect for printing chunks of TOG.)

     

    Even if they DON'T come to some agreement with WorldBook, they can probably link to topics online, or suggest topics for the teacher to read about, or something like that.

     

    I, too, appreciate that they aren't just closing up shop, but are trying to work things out. I hope that folks will give this a chance, rather than abandon ship. TOG is SUCH a flexible program, and has really deepened everything that we learned about history from SOTW I-IV.

    RE: Brimwood Press Worldview or AIG Worldview

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Has anyone used either of these? I would love to hear some feedback.

     

    I have some of Marcia's materials, and really liked them --- and am hoping to offer a Worldview class for middle school/high school using these materials.

     

    Personally, I don't really want a wv approach that tells me (or my child) what to think, because I don't think that that will really help in the long run (assuming that my goal is for my child to end up with a Christian worldview). The Brimwood press materials are not designed for students below the logic stage (IIRC), because there needs to be a certain level of maturity/deveopment in order to process these various views - to wrap one's mind around it, if you will.

    History for 7th/3rd?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    IMO, TOG is not overkill at all, and would work well for the ages you mention. I think the advantage would be that you could:

    1) be studying the same subjects for both 3rd and 7th, but at each student's own level;

    2) could tailor the material to each student's interest (e.g., if the 7th grader liked history via reading nonfiction, but the 3rd enjoyed crafts and literature, that would be VERY doable, and wdn't (necessarily!) make you feel that you're losing your mind or having to prepare two sets of lessons);

    3) can be reused year after year (with different information/books used each go-around);

    4) provides a Christian worldview.

     

    I don't know about the other programs you mention.

    Life of Fred vs. Chalkdust / Prealgebra

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Can anyone compare the above programs? I'm considering Prealgebra (Chalkdust), but then remembered that I'd previously looked at Life of Fred prealgebra....

     

    Has anyone used (or even HELD and EXAMINED!) these two programs, and can compare them?

     

    Would it be better to do LoF prealg and then Chalkdust Algebra I? Or does Chalkdust Prealg prepare the math-hating student better for Chalkdust Alg I?

    If you've seen "The Last King of Scotland"

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    (and can you tell the impression that this movie made on me??????)

     

     

     

    I'm pretty sure that the others are correct - this was a fictional account. However, the thing that struck me about the movie was how very well they portrayed the sense of being in Uganda, and the terror that Amin stirred up.

     

    I was there in 1990, living with a Ugandan family, and talking about that time period was clearly a very difficult subject for them. We were driving from Kampala to Jinja one day, and our host was talking about the hundreds of bodies that were buried in the woods there - and he actually sounded quite fearful .... It was startling to me, because it was a beautiful area, and Amin had been there so many years before - I guess I thought that the fear would have dissipated. Anyway, my impression from the families we met was that Amin was (as accurately portrayed in the movie) very labile and unpredictable. (This, of course, begs the question: mentally ill, or evil?)

     

    I agree with you - a VERY moving film.

    My Poor Cowboys!

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    you're probably Orioles fans, right?

     

    P.S. I like chocolate ice cream, too! :-)

     

    Well, we ARE Orioles fans, but that doesn't get us much (for, oh, the past TEN YEARS!), but we could also be classified as completely anti-Yankees --- so I think we're ok with you on that score!

     

    And, YAY chocolate!

     

    :D

    If you didn't know how old you really were, how old would you be?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    If you didn't know your real age, how old would you be?

     

    I love this question!

     

    When I interview a new patient with dementia, I ask them how old they are (among other things!) - just to see if they know. Most often, they don't remember at all, and then I'll ask, "Well, how old do you feel?"

     

    It makes me very happy that most of the time (I'd say at least 80% of the time), they say they're 16, or 22, or 25. It's rarely much older than that. I just think that's such a sort of relieving piece of info, because we (on the "outside") are thinking how awful it is to have dementia, be frail, or arthritic, etc., yet despite those limitations, these folks FEEL so much younger. It's a nice disconnect in the midst of some really awful disconnects (e.g., not knowing family members).

     

    I'm always shocked that I'm NOT 25.

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