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airforcefamily

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Everything posted by airforcefamily

  1. This. I was spit on, hit, had things thrown at me, and had gum put in my hair. I was miserable. I was finally driven to school by my parents when I refused to get on the bus. Don't let is escalate.
  2. I wish they did year groups like that in the US even though one of our kids would almost certainly be the youngest. Here states each make up their own random cutoff date. The whole reason we started homeschooling was because we moved from a state with a December 1st cutoff to a state with a September 1st cutoff and they wouldn't let her stay on the same grade level track she started, they insisted she be demoted and repeat a year when she could demonstrate competency at the grade level we told them she was in. We said sorry, no, we're not going to make our kid repeat a grade, she would feel like she was being punished for moving (not to mention it would make a tall, mature child the oldest in the class) and started homeschooling. What do they do with kids who are on the cutoff date in the US? Does anyone know. Like if the cutoff is December 1st does a child born on December 1st start kindergarten at 4.5 years old or 5.5 years old. I am personally against redshirting unless a child is within a week or two of the cutoff but I think it should go both ways, if a child is just slightly too young they should be allowed to start. By gradually increasing the average age in a classroom the kids who used to be on the younger side of average are now a year or more younger than the oldest child and are put at a disadvantage. Plus, if a school sees that the average kindergartener is able to handle more advanced work then they're going to push it on all the kids.
  3. I have a family member who always went by his middle name, he even signed his name 'first initial' 'middle name' 'last name'. Like J. Edgar Hoover. I can't recommend doing this though. After four kids with saint's names we gave the fifth a non saint name. I was so upset over it, it didn't feel right, we changed it at two days old and it was a major hassle. The name fits great and I'm glad we did it but it was a pain, was expensive, and her birth certificate will always say 'amended' which irks me. I thought for a day or so that we would just use the middle name, which I liked as a first name and DH did not but realized it would be a hassle for her whole life.
  4. We have this one but one step smaller. It comes in the same box and you can get an expansion pack to make it the 750 model later. It came with the student guide that was mentioned. I got it off amazon, it was around $80 so not quite as big of a commitment as the $120 set.
  5. Thanks for the replies! I received the download email for one of the download sets, still waiting on the other one. I'm assuming they'll be in different emails, hope it didn't get overlooked.
  6. I bought the blue math mammoth download the other days and have been charged but haven't received an email or download information. Do I keep waiting? Contact them? Has anyone ordered from them before?
  7. We're using primarily logic too. Not sure if it's ok to admit this but I copied pages so my third grader could do the same page several times for reinforcement and because she enjoys it. She seems to really grasp the concept after doing the same page a few times.
  8. Our starter cartridge lasted a year and a half so I went for it and bout the 'real' replacement. If we get another year or two out of it I'll keep buying them.
  9. This all sounds pretty reasonable. I think the list is very harsh, it's the kind of thing that IMO should only be presented to a babysitter. The food thing seems incredibly overbearing. I can see a few off limits without approval foods, like chocolate syrup or store bought cookies, but making the grandparents who have traveled across the country to visit you despite health problems humbly approach you to ask if they may provide 1.5 oz of x brand cheese and 8 crackers to their grandchildren at 4:15pm is a bit draconian. The policy about absolutely no contact or anything from 8:30 to noon is also extraordinarily strict. Something worded nicely like the previous poster said would be a better way to go. Be sure to complement them and offer alternatives where they have chances to spoil the kids.... things like 'I'm so thankful for your wonderful generosity but the kids often don't feel well after eating xyz kinds of foods, maybe a pizza night with you on such and such a day would be fun' or 'We really appreciate all the time and effort you've put into finding outings but we need to do chores and school until noon, how about next week we will have school go until 1 then on Friday you can take the kids out all day, the time to myself would be a real treat'.
  10. I really want to get the bundle but I just ordered the grades 1-3 cd from rr a few weeks ago. I haven't opened or used it but it's not wrapped so I'm not sure how they would know I didn't use it. Does anyone know if the cd can be returned?
  11. Thank you for all the advice. I was looking around online and found this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041RRMR2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 My copying was going to cost about $100 for the year. For $107 plus the paper I can make 2000 copies without needing more toner. Works for me!
  12. I've been finding myself making tons of copies so both kids can use something without having to buy two plus it leaves us with the original book to use again with the younger one when they're older. Then there are things like literature response pages math drill pages that we need to use more than once (I don't care for laminating and using a dry erase marker since I like to have a record of work done). Who hasn't had kids who each want to do the same dot to dot? The cost of copies is so much higher than I remember. I gathered up everything to make a big trip to do my copying. I can make copies locally for 10¢ each but they're 8¢ if I drive 40 minutes away. I calculated out the cost of gas and it's not worth it to make the drive. At 10¢ each my copies will cost $78.50. I'm estimating another $20 or so during the year. That's almost $100 on copies. Buying extra workbooks for all the kids who will end up using those books would be upwards of $400 so I guess it's not too bad. Than I got to thinking.... what if I just bought my own copy machine? What about a scanner so I can scan pages then print? Does anyone do this? It it worth it with the cost of paper and toner?
  13. We're using tt3 after a year of second grade in a private school with an advanced curriculum. She always had high marks in math and A grades on her report card. I didn't do the placement test since I saw the program at a curriculum fair and thought it would work. She breezed through the first several lessons without the cd, it was good review and got her to like the book. The lessons are still pretty easy for her but she's doing the cd parts (she really likes getting the use the computer). I'm letting her do 5+ lessons per week. She'll be ready for tt4 mid year but I feel it's good for her to be really solid on the more basic stuff before trying anything more challenging. I can see starting with tt5 next year and possibly getting in tt6 closer to the end of the year.
  14. Most places that I've seen that have good prices have high shipping unless you have a large order so if I'm not placing a large order I usually get them off amazon. They're usually a couple dollars more but with shipping come out to be less (plus prime shipping is super fast). For example: magic cabin - $14.95+5.99 shipping = $21 palumba - $15.99+6.95 shipping = $23 amazon - $16.80, no shipping assuming prime or super saver with $25+ order I haven't found any better deals without big orders all at once.
  15. I haven't had a problem with the cds either, have you ever tried the downloads on your mac?
  16. We've gotten two years of use out of stockmar paints, block crayons, and stick crayons (one broke but it can be melted and stuck back together). That's with four kids using them! Our ferby short pencils finally got too short so I ordered a set of super ferby regular and metallic for this year. They're a little too long for my little ones to use so I'm planning to get another set of the short length. I think a four year old could handle the long length. We really like modeling beeswax. The kids hold about 1/3 of a piece in their hands while I tell them a story. Then it's warm enough to work with. When it gets overly used (3-10 times, depending on how long it's played with each time) we use it to decorate candles. Knitting towers are fun too, it's good for the car and can be put down any time without getting messed up like an art project. I really want to make painting boards this year. I've been looking at the one at palumba for a long time but I can't justify that price for a piece of wood to paint on. Be sure to stock up on watercolor paper! I wait for a 50% off sale at Michael's, they give the teacher's discount to homeschoolers.
  17. Hi! I've been reading threads here for a few months but this is my first time posting. I'm considering the HSBC math mammoth bundle but I'm concerned it won't work since we only have mac computers. I have a cd of grades 1-3 that works fine. I know the soft pak bonus stuff won't work (not a big deal) but I want to make sure the bulk of it will work. Does anyone know? Thank you!
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