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MelanieM

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Everything posted by MelanieM

  1. We've only done one so far this year, but I can share a couple of things that work well for us... Rather than using file folders, I use those duotang folders and whole punch some card stock to put in there to hold the mini-books. This way we can easily combine mini-books with notebooking pages, and make it into a larger book. It also makes it easier to do one book for the entire family, rather than having everyone work on their own smaller lapbooks. I have found it really helpful to pre-cut a bunch of blank mini-books so that we have them on hand, rather than needing to do it every time we have something to add to the book. The cutting in the moment just seems to slow down information gathering around here. (I pre-cut all the ones we've printed as well, for the same reason.)
  2. I would love to hear about some favourites in your homeschool! What is your favourite teaching resource (curriculum, website, game, etc.) that is... ...easy on you, the parent? ...a crowd-pleaser, where you and the kids are all thrilled? ...fun for your kids? ...not time intensive, short and to the point? ...a good way to take up an entire afternoon? ...a great reminder of why you wanted to homeschool in the first place? ...free? Feel free to add any other categories of favourites that work for you as well! :D
  3. Pretty much every Waldorf-inspired program I've ever purchased. In my dreams, I pull off these beautiful programs and my house is a wonderful, gentle, flowing-with-the-rhythm-of-nature haven. In reality, I just keep staring at the materials, trying to figure out how to translate that stuff into my life. And then my kids ask for workbooks and science videos and Minecraft and we mostly end up unschooling.
  4. Is anyone here doing project based schooling? If so, can you give me a snapshot of what your typical day looks like?
  5. I think maybe focus on resources that will help her to learn how to homeschool without many resources. Maybe something like this? Unless you are going to provide curriculum every year, then giving her free programs she won't be able to keep up with might cause headache in the long run. You might also find some great articles online about things like teaching math without a curriculum, creating your own unit studies, learning through projects, etc. and send copies of those for her to read. Maybe a good book of basic science experiments that use things from around the house. The Everything Kids Science Experiments Book might be a good option. Love the idea of an eReader loaded with free books. That will take her far!! You're very kind to help her out with all of this and send her a box of goodies. <3
  6. I hear you, Amy. The advantage I see to sticking the chapters together geographically is that we can sink into the culture of a particular area more easily. So if the kids are super into building pyramids and playing out the stories of Egypt, I'm not taking them to Sumer and China and distracting them from that focus before bouncing back into Egypt again. For us the supplemental reading and play is more important than the spine, so we end up either drawing away from a subject that still interests them to move on in the text, or taking such huge breaks that we never get through everything! That said, I still have my doubts because I think jumping around in the book might drive me a little mad. ha! I can see how the jumping could feel like it goes too far, as you say. I am thinking that working on a timeline will be especially important this year so that we can tie things together chronologically in the face of all that jumping around. And I think we'll plan to listen to the audio straight through so we can experience the story that way as well.
  7. We have been using Math Mammoth the past couple of years, and I've noticed that my daughter naturally works this way... She will sit down and do 20 pages of math at a time, several days in a row (she likes workbooks!) and then not touch it again for a couple of weeks. So this year I want to play into what she naturally seems drawn towards. It makes sense, really... it's exactly how I choose to learn something new myself.
  8. BugsMama, thank you! I found your site just after posting this morning, and your schedule has been very helpful! Maggie Annie, thanks for sharing your experience. That sounds really similar to what I'm considering. I've been planning things out a little today, and I realize I'm not going to come anywhere close to squeezing everything into one block. So I think I'm going to plan blocks for Egypt, Greece, China, India and Rome, with each block being 2-3 weeks long. And yes, we'll also still do some daily foreign language, math practice, etc. Though we'll do our new math content in blocks as well, to really sink into the subject for a time. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all goes this year!
  9. Has anyone worked through SOTW using more of a block planning method, such as what you'd see with a Waldorf main lesson? I'm thinking about going through ancients with my kids this year over maybe a six week period, with SOTW being our only subject of study for that time. We will obviously have to skim some areas doing it this way, but I think it might allow us to sink into some aspects a lot more deeply than devoting just an hour a week. (I guess this might also be called a unit study approach.) If I do this, I'm considering the merits of reorganizing the chapters to a more geographical approach rather than chronological. I love the way it is written and feel that makes so much sense, but I wonder if it might help our flow if I tweak it. I'm sure I've seen posts about people doing this... Does anyone have a link that outlines this approach? If you have experience working through SOTW in a block or geographically, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Actually, even if you think this is ridiculous, I'd love to hear those thoughts too, so all feedback welcome. :)
  10. :hug: I am currently reading a new parenting book by Carol Tuttle called The Child Whisperer. I really feel like it could help you to better understand your son and his actions, and find some ways of relating to him to help heal this. If you happen to purchase the book this week you can get some free bonuses from the book website, including the audio and ebook version, and some great video resources. Wishing you the best of luck in getting to the bottom of this.
  11. The builder boards are so cool!! But no, we're not handy here at all. At least, not handy enough to manage it at this stage in life. (I might attempt such a thing if I knew I could get it done... not likely with the littles under foot.) I wonder how much it would cost to hire someone locally to do it for us? If it's anywhere near what the cost of purchasing the board package actually is, it would be outside our budget. But I do think my kids would love it for sure! I love the idea of Keva blocks, but I'm not sure the kids would be sufficiently excited by them. They don't seem to play much with our wooden blocks right now. But I think the challenge there might be that the littles want to knock everything down so there's not much building joy to be found. I really love the idea of a picnic backpack for a family gift! We might have to do that this year. Spryte, are there specific Playmobil sets you'd suggest starting with? I was thinking that might be fun to tie into a history theme.
  12. I have four kids, ages 1, 3.5, 7.5 and (almost) 10. I'm trying to think of holiday gift ideas in the play-things category that would make a good family gift and perhaps also allow for each child to have their own individual gifts that connect to the theme. I'm thinking something like Lego, where you can grow the collection, but it doesn't feel like adding a bunch more stuff because it all just goes in together eventually. I'm not looking for anything electronic or media-based. Something that is imaginative or educational would be good. And I'm not to worried if it isn't quite right for the littlest ones because the baby won't care, and the 3.5 yr old will want what the older ones have even if it isn't right for him. lol! A couple of thought I've had include Playmobil, a puppet theatre, toy kitchen... Any other ideas?
  13. I remember one of my kids, at 2.5 yrs, thinking he was the funniest thing in the world. He used to tell us 'jokes' all the time, and of course they never made a bit of sense. It was kind of hilarious, due to just how not hilarious it was. :lol: So yeah, if she sees you all being funny and cracking jokes, it would make sense to me that she might be looking to mimic that. We have a morbid sense of humour here, too. And there's nothing cuter, while possibly being more mortifying, than a pre-schooler trying to do sarcasm!
  14. Oh, getting dressed is much, much simpler! And generally feels better. But that's besides the point... if you're not into it, you're not into it. Nothing is a fit for everyone. :)
  15. The free videos will describe this much better than I can, but I'll give it a shot... Everything in nature has a distinct movement and falls under one of four energy types. People also contain these four energy types, and we lead with one dominant energy, which is then supported by the other three energies. The way we dress* sends a message about who we are, and when our behaviour and energetic response is different than our 'packaging', it can confuse people. For example, let's say you are dressing in a fun, open, playful style (a type one movement) but you're the type of person that is more private and reserved and likes to have your personal space protected (a type four movement). The message you're sending is in conflict with who you are, so you might find yourself in lots of awkward moments where strangers are touching you and you're feeling put out, or people are trying to strike up conversations with you and you get surprised and it comes across as cold and unfriendly. Perhaps not a perfect example, but I hope it illustrates the point sufficiently and helps clarify things. *I don't mean 'the way we dress' in terms of whether or not we're wearing a casual or more dressy outfit. This program talks about colour, design lines, texture, etc. so it's more subtle than something like whether or not you have a tattoo or wear yoga pants.
  16. No, it isn't especially complicated. You can figure out your type from the free beauty course and I do think you can piece together enough from the free content on the blog to dress fairly true to your type without paying for the course. But for me, it's about more than the clothes. The course videos on parenting and relationships are the ones that feel the most enlightening, and I really love the little flashes of insight that keep popping up about my own personality and behaviours. Honestly, I think this is a program that helps people love themselves more, and supports a better understanding of the people around us. So forgetting the style aspects for a moment, I would highly recommend this for anyone that is just looking for a little more understanding of what makes themselves, and others, behave the way they do. And I think you can get a lot of that for free on the blog as well. Lots of information there!
  17. The idea is that you dress consistent with how your energy moves. That doesn't mean you would dress the same all the time, or that two people of the same type would dress the same. There are five design elements for each type, and that helps you to narrow down what will work for you in a variety of circumstances. I can dress true to my nature in pyjamas, a business suit, at the playground with my kids, and on a date at a fancy restaurant with my husband. None of those outfits would look the same, but all would be honouring of my expression. Does that make sense?
  18. Yes, totally worth the cost for me. And now you can get it for $99 with a $20 store credit, so it's even more affordable. The 3 hr course itself was ok, but where I really fell in love was with the club night videos, hands-on videos and additional resources. I have truly learned so much about myself, and my family members, and I'm feeling really great about where this is going for us. Plus I have figured out what I like to wear! Which is fabulous considering I had nothing that fit and hated trying to find things that felt or looked good on me. UnsinkableKristen, there are a couple of make-overs I feel that way about. Part of the challenge for me is that I don't really have much need to dress up, and don't like wearing make-up, so some of the looks just don't resonate with me *for me*. But most of the time I can see how these women come more alive after the make-over, and after interacting with a lot of DYT people on their forums and facebook, I can see how much of a difference it's made. Plus I've seen lots of after shots now that aren't as dressy and don't include as much make-up, and I am loving those looks even more. :)
  19. I'm wondering if anyone else here is doing the Dressing Your Truth program from Carol Tuttle? I know there are several homeschoolers on the facebook groups, so I'm wondering if there's much crossover here. :) If you haven't done the program, I highly recommend it. I signed up thinking it would help me with the sorry state of affairs in my closet, but really love it for how the energy profiling is helping with my relationships and self awareness. I'm especially excited for the parenting book coming out this fall. There's a free profiling course on the site if you want more information.
  20. You seem to have some strong hang-ups about your own history with hair. I think making it into a big hairy deal (he he) with your daughter is a good way to ensure she has the same issues. The more you have to say on the subject, the more I think it would be a real blessing for her if you cared a little less about her appearance, and supported her in caring more about doing some good than about how she looks. Right now, it seems like the path to either 1) extreme hair rebellion at the first opportunity or 2) extreme hair vanity and self-criticism. But... this all comes from someone who decided to hack a few chunks out of her hair with a razor a couple weeks ago because getting to a salon wasn't immediately possible and whether or not the hair turned out looking ok was mostly irrelevant. Now I'm wondering if I should go give myself a pixie before bed...
  21. :iagree: And again... :iagree: I do think it's fine to give your opinion, but feel it's not really just giving an opinion if you know that your kid will take your opinion as you cutting her down. So if you are simply offering an opinion, I think you need to make sure it comes across as such. And if you're telling her absolutely not, then don't phrase it as if you're just offering up your own thoughts and she's free to decide otherwise. In other words, be clear for both your sakes. I think it's especially important for compliant children to be encouraged to see when they can make choices that go against what others might prefer, because that's a skill the people-pleasers in particular really need to learn.
  22. Thanks so much for the feedback! So if you were to spend a little more for one, would you still go with the Celestron brand? Is there something else around $200 that would be a big jump in quality? Because even though I'd like to spend around $150, I could probably talk myself into $200 if it's that much of a difference. Thanks again for the feedback!
  23. Julie, we have a cheaper one and it's 'meh'. But I tried out two microscopes belonging to a friend of mine yesterday and they were both awesome! Her more basic model cost about $100, and her digital was $250. I'd like to stay at around $150 (or less), and I'd prefer a digital with an LCD screen. That's why I'm looking at the model I linked to above. I'm hoping it is a good quality for the price?
  24. Your boy is gorgeous! And I think Oliver is an amazing name and suits him well.
  25. I would love to get a digital microscope. I'm looking at the Celestron 44340. Does anyone here have experience with this one? Or something around this price point that you think would be better? Thanks in advance for your input!
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