Mom2pandc
-
Posts
253 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by Mom2pandc
-
-
My kids really, really loved this when we started. DD7 used the entire Island Level, and DS10 was working through the town level. He loves the story of Paragraph Town and we will finish reading the last chapter, but CE is just not doing it for any of us. An entire chapter dedicated to 5 words, the part of speech they play, and multiple examples of where they have been used in literature is just a bit dry for our opinion. We've made flash cards and he's done great at remembering what the stems and words mean, but that's about the extent. I read "at" him the rest of the chapter. I like to think I'm quite intelligent, but some of the poetry and story segments are just plain over my head. And I don't like how the story of Julius Caesar is broken up and we might hit a section a week. I forget what happens from week to week and so does DS.
So I'm moving on and shelving it for now (probably selling Island since both kids are completely done with it).
I'm kind of sad because it started off so well. but I guess that's the homeschool life...some things work and others don't. I think we are going to give KISS Grammar a try for now until I can get to the Cincy Homeschool Conference to get my hands on other grammar options. Or if we like KISS, we will stick with it.
I will say the grammar portions were phenomenal and both kids can tear apart and analyze sentences better than anyone I know!
-
When I began homeschooling last year I purchased LOE essentials for my kids. (Foundations didn't exist when I purchased essentials). My daughter was a hound 1st grader. That being said I did a lesson a week or so with my daughter and she did fantastic. I modified some of the writing (white board or I scribed for her). We did stop around lesson 30 with the lessons because the grammar was getting a little deep (accented syllables and subordinating conjunctions and the like).
I would say it would be fine to just go to essentials. Many people did like I did when foundations didn't exist. It's not as colorful and 'fun' looking as foundations though....
-
Does your state have an inter-library access card?
In Indiana libraries are supported by property taxes. If your area doesn't pay property taxes to a library system, you have to get a non-resident card from the library of your choice (the fees vary based on the library you choose). But if you have a library card through your local library you can sometimes use it at other local libraries (called reciprocal borrowing) or you can purchase a PLAC card (public library access card) that allows you to use any library in the state. It costs about $60 a year. Might want to ask some questions and find out if there is a cheaper option.
-
I have the neat scanner. The one that holds a bunch at one time. I started with the one at a time scanner for our business, but upgraded as the paperwork became too much to feed it individually. I know our accountant said the neat scanner was acceptable by the irs for auditing purposes.
I scan by the month and type in/confirm it read the vendor name, date of invoice, and amount. It's a snap to use and although it's a bit spen-y upfront for the larger model, it saves so much headache searching for old receipts and gets rid of a TON of paper clutter. I do documents from various things as well as receipts and "file" them separately
-
A couple other fun ones are Zac Power and Jack Stalwart. My son loved these and still reads them if he comes across a new one.
-
My son has had a billy for probably 7 years and no sagging. And it's always been loaded with books and other heavy things. I love that thing! I would take an inventory on what you are putting on it and measure the deepest thing. Without looking it up, I think the shallow ones are around 11 inches and the deeper are 15 inches. As long as they aren't sticking out past the desks (I can't imagine they would even at 15 inches!) I think either one would work. I'd look the actual sizes up online and try to mark it off on the floor to see how far everything would stick out.
I absolutely love ikea and have a house full of their furniture. I haven't had anything "bad" out of all that I've purchased.
-
Is it pneumonia or a pneumothorax? Sometimes the later is called just "a pneumo". I think a pneumothorax is more common with broken ribs. It's where there is a small hole in the lung from a puncture or impact and air leaks out around the lungs. Small ones usually resolve themselves, but they need to be monitored.
Lots of prayers for you either way. Hope you make a steady and speedy recovery.
-
I totally get this but pulling the plug didn't help in our case, just made our lives miserable. dd13 expects to be entertained/engaged in a fun activity every waking second and not doing so leads to her trying to make our lives hell. I wish blocking it had the same effect on my child. Even after 3+ months of no internet/computer it was still all she talked about/drew pictures of ect. She has no outside interests really:( The only time she smiles is when she's got her face in that blasted game:(
I humbly return. Not even a few hours after I wrote this we went to Target and I found him staring at the Minecraft toys on an end cap. I told him we weren't going backward, and he got upset and was crying on the way out. He asked why he can't at least watch the YouTube videos. Well, son, maybe because you are crying over a game. I know he still wants to play, but he knows the line has been set hard and fast. I am actively trying to get him into using gamesalad to design his own things. I've sat and worked on some of the tutorial design with him even though it doesn't really light my own fire :). I just couldn't take him hunched over it like an angry crab any longer.
-
We pulled the plug. My normally creative and energetic son became so obsessed that even with time limits, having to ask permission before playing, etc didn't help. Every word out of his mouth seems to lead to Minecraft in some way. I finally pulled the plug when he told me he was playing club penguin when I could clearly see he was not. I deleted it off his computer and blocked him from watching the YouTube videos for a while. In a matter of days he regained interest in a variety of things again. And he no longer looks so unhappy like he did when he WAS playing Minecraft.
-
Somebody posted this the other day on here. It's got a few games to go with the CE lessons. My sone played with it a little bit today and liked it. A little more "fun" than just flash cards.
https://myccs.ccs.k12.in.us/teachers/downloads/cms_block_file/49036/file/48906
-
I started with TWSS and began by using my own sources for my sons writing. After a few weeks, I thought it might be easier for me to have something laid out for me already. I didn't really want to invest in the student portion, so I decided to purchase the work book "all things fun and fascinating". It's perfect. It has the selections all picked out, the instructions on which style technique to teach each week, and an easy checklist for each assignment for my son to self check his work.
It depends on how much hand holding you want
1 TWSS- gives you all the knowledge and is recommended as the minimum and first step
2 TWSS and one of the writing books - gives the knowledge and a lesson plan with all the writing selections already chosen.
3 TWSS and a SWI - gives you the knowledge and gives your student explicit instructions from the creator of the program.
Good luck! It's turned my writing hater into a writing ....liker? Not loving yet, but no more whining :)
-
Just chiming in, my dd is 7 and is doing quite well with this. She did however learn a lot of this doing most of Logic of English last year. We just finished the Grammer Island book and she whined that its too easy and she wants to do Town which is what her almost 10 year old brother is doing. I am not going to let her, but I wouldn't hold back just based on age recommendations. The ones on RFWP website are mainly for a classroom setting. I spoke with them extensively at a conference and they assured me it can be just fine for some 7 year olds. If you're convinced you want to use this program, I would say give it a try. Even if you have to go slowly. In the town level, sometimes, we only do a page a day of grammar town (like gerund phrases) and then linger until ds understands them inside and out.
I think your list looks good. You *might* be able to only buy the teachers book of practice island if you do the sentences on a white board or place a piece of paper over the answers and do your analysis on it. I think it's worth a little more to just have the student book for convenience of not having to do that :)
Good luck!
-
I had health insurance at the time, just not a maternity rider. I spoke with the insurance company and was informed that as an expectant parent, they would not cover any maternity, but they would cover and complications during pregnancy and they cover the baby automatically including any complications post delivery. Therefore, I only had to pay for the prenatal and delivery, but could rest easy if there were complications and an increased cost as a result.
I think we probably made over the Medicaid limit to qualify, but as a previous poster said, I wouldn't have used it even if I qualified. We planned our pregnancy and planned for the costs of the pregnancy and baby. We knew when we signed up for regular insurance what that did and did not include.
-
Cherry juice is also a good option if they won't drink prune juice. I've used both the Phillips brand for kids and the fleet brand pediatric magnesium chewables. Unfortunately I've also had to use a fleet enema on my son who was so stopped up he was screaming and crying on the toilet, but it's pretty gentle and it works fast. I've dealt with it on and off most of my own life, so it kills me to see my son deal with it occasionally.
-
My guess, if surgery is required, it'll be done fairly soon. You don't want bones to begin healing and then have to be "rebroken" to set them right, after that, you can expect a good 6 weeks or more in a cast. I would think most if not all of the follow up could be transferred to a new ortho person, especially if you can squeeze in the first post op visit before you move. If he broke all of that, depending on the type of fractures it may require more extensive surgery or even surgeries. I would make sure expected follow up and recovery is thoroughly discusses, but that's kind of a given :). Good luck to you and your family.
-
I didn't have maternity insurance when I had my daughter. It was less expensive to pay out of pocket than to purchase a maternity rider. My doctor charged a flat fee of around $2,500, that included all the prenatal visits plus his delivery fee. Then I called the hospital as soon as I found out I was pregnant and asked about cash price. Without an epidural and a two day postpartum stay it was around $2800 with an epidural it was $3200 plus the anesthesiologist charge. The doctor required payment in full by a month prior to due date and the hospital asked for half before the delivery date and the balance 30 days post delivery, I chose the no epidural price since I didn't have one with my son. I actually paid the hospital in full prior to delivery. I however ended up needing an epidural but was only charged by the anesthesiologist for a couple hundred dollars. The hospital sent me a bill with a zero balance so either they missed that I had an epidural since I had already paid in full, or they just let it go since I left 24 hours post delivery.
Either way, it's easier to ask well in advance of the service. By asking months before hand, you don't feel pressured to hurry up and figure it out because you need something done right now.
And I didn't have any ultrasounds. I'm an X-ray tech and think that ultrasounds are way overused and not necessary but rather "fun" for most routine pregnancies.
-
I struggled with constipation my whole childhood and was even hospitalized as a teen for it. Another idea to help things go easier is Cherry juice. Juicy juice has it although sometimes it's harder to find. Usually it's found in the concentrated can of juice then it just has to be mixed with water.
This is a tough one. When my kids get stopped up, I use Phillips for kids or fleet brand pedi-lax. Both of those are magnesium based, but I haven't noticed a blow out problem for days on end after, so maybe one of those would work? I would also be inclined to get a second opinion from a gastroenterologist if that's possible. Between the possibilities of a perforation or paralyzingly the colon with overuse of laxatives, I'd be getting another opinion from someone who specializes in intestinal issues.
-
I've been searching and looking at various spelling curriculums for my 2nd grader and 4th grader. My oldest has great spelling skills and is probably more on a 5/6 grade level in spelling.
Both have done logic of English and are familiar with the spelling rules. Now I'm looking for a curriculum or resource that is lists of words. I would prefer the words be grouped together In a sensible order. Increasing in difficulty and by a rule or phonogram similarity.
I know workbooks or sheets to repeatedly write the word won't work with either child.
I'm leaning towards spelling power, but have read mixed reviews on it.
Is there anything similar or better in your opinions that I should look at?
Thanks for your help!
-
I second the logic of English. My daughter went into ps kinder reading pretty decent with short words. By the end of the year, she had not progressed at all and was regressing in some aspects. Logic of English was a miracle in my opinion. It was hands on to accommodate the wiggles, and her reading has exploded in just 15 lessons or so. The game book and cards can help keep it fun. You could gloss over some of the grammar if your goal was just reading, but I've found doing it all with my daughter has given her the "whole" picture of language and she is doing fantastic with it.
-
I second the logic of English. My daughter went into ps kinder reading pretty decent with short words. By the end of the year, she had not progressed at all and was regressing in some aspects. Logic of English was a miracle in my opinion. It was hands on to accommodate the wiggles, and her reading has exploded in just 15 lessons or so. The game book and cards can help keep it fun. You could gloss over some of the grammar if your goal was just reading, but I've found doing it all with my daughter has given her the "whole" picture of language and she is doing fantastic with it.
-
For those ages I'd use essentials. I've used it with a 9 year old and a 6 year old (slower pace) and have great success with both improved reading and spelling. My 6 year old has improved her reading abilities drastically!
We love this program and highly recommend it!
-
Can you slide the permit in your phone arm band? I just applied to renew my permit. I got bit a couple years ago riding my bike when I was doing 18 mph trying to outrun the blasted dog. I carry pepper spray now, but if its me or the dog, I'm picking me from now on. I live in the country and loose and aggressive dogs are rampant.
-
I bought them for my 1st and 3rd grade. I just bought them at a conference but I have been reviewing 10 per week with them. We just talk about the picture link to the word and what the words mean. My kids love them so far. My 3rd grader just started MCT level 1 as well. We had a few hiccups finding a good fit that he can go at an accelerated pace with. We are zooming through level 1 and will move onto level 2 in a couple months. I just wanted him to get familiar with the format before moving onto more complex stuff.
-
The library I used to work at now sells their donated and old books through betterworldbooks.com. I'm not sure how it works since they weren't doing it when I worked there. It may also be different for them since betterworldbooks is local to my area. Might be worth checking into though for your proposal.
Giving up MCT
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
My kids learned a LOT from the grammar portions. I just can't wrap my head around the CE. My kids love learning new vocabulary and they like looking for the word stems, but so much of CE was repetitive. I'd rather have had more like building language where it showed where the word came from (word roots, latin version, Spanish version, etc) than just endless examples of where the words have been used in literature.
I'm not getting rid of it just yet, but we are definately shelving it.