justme824
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Posts posted by justme824
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Thanks for the ideas! I'm making a list to try over the summer. She loves picture books, but I thought going into 1st grade, she should be developing a longer attention span. She hasn't cared for the Fudge books, Ramona, Charlotte's Web, Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Boxcar Children. I don't know, maybe I should just embrace the picture books awhile longer.
I'd embrace the picture books, with a side of chapter books. There are so, so many great picture books out there. Here are some suggestions:
*The booklist from Five in a Row is a favorite- so many excellent books! I like to pair them with a couple nonfiction titles if I can.
*We love the fairy tales illustrated by KY Craft such as Sleeping Beauty, King Midas, Twelve Dancing Princesses
*Fairy tales by Paul O Zelinsky are awesome too.
*There are also quite a lot of excellent picture book biographies - some of our favorites are by Melissa Sweet
I have such a sweet spot for picture books. If you want more suggestions please feel free to ask - I can give you hundreds to keep you busy!!!
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My son (12) loves this series, can't get enough of this type of book. I find that looking at Common Sense Media and Amazon reviews is really helpful. My biggest concern is always sex scenes - I remember reading books with plenty of sex scenes at this age, but I'm still a little nervous about it with my son. He's a lot less mature (in a good way) than I was at this age.
He loved: Hunger Games series, Divergent series, Maze Runner series, The Eye of Minds series, Guysread books, Don't Turn Around series, several books by Robison Wells. He's about to read the BZRK series and Gone series, both by Michael Grant. I know there are more, but we usually check them out at the library and I can't remember some of them.
I struggled for the longest time to find something for him to read. He doesn't get to sleep very quickly, so he'll read these books until well after midnight most nights. I know they aren't all considered "quality" reads, but I'll keep getting them if he keeps reading. I would love for him to read classics!
My biggest concern is always about sexual content and sometimes, even with reviews, I am not sure. And thank you for the list of books he's enjoyed. I'll be sure to check them out for him!
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I am trying to get a handle on 7th grade. His request is for a modern history reading list. I'd like to start with the Civil War and move forward. I have been looking for booklists to get me started but coming up empty. If you can point me in the direction of good lists, or offer up some titles, I'd really appreciate it.
TIA
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My DD is 13 and will turn 14 in August. She read this last October. When I asked her for her age recommendation, here's what she said: "I think I agree with Common Sense Media's recommendation - basically, 13 and above. Depending on the maturity of the reader, maybe younger, but 11 at the youngest."
When I asked her why, she said: "There is sexual content. A couple of characters are sexually active. It's not graphic and is more implied, but it's there. Also, if they're conservative Christians, it might be a problem. The main character is an atheist and says some things questioning God that might be a problem." (Note: We are evangelical Christians, but I wouldn't describe us as very theologically conservative, if that is helpful background information for you.)
The language is also salty. The "f" word is used 4-5 times in the first book, but DD says that it's not gratuitous and kind of fits the circumstances. (Not to condone it, but the author isn't just dropping bad language to shock the reader.)
That said, she's read the first and second books and really enjoyed them.
(I feel your pain on the trying to sort out the YA content, OP. Luckily, we've reached the stage where DD will self-police and set aside things that don't meet family rules. It's a very good thing, because I simply can't keep up with her!)
Tell your DD thank you - this is exactly what I was looking for!
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I am curious if anyone has read this and what age you would recommend it for. My oldest has asked to read the series and I am not sure. I see reviews of kids as young as age 11/12, but then I see others say not at all until age 14/15.
I'd pre-read but I hardly have time to get through my own reading right now.
I'm not enjoying wading through all the YA lit out there so if anyone has any good rocommendations for a strong 12-year-old reader I'd appreciate.
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It's too much mostly becasue of driving issues. Nice that your dh works from home one day. I would have your ds choose between the Medieval history class and the Art class. HIstory is so easy to teach, I would definitely not add another day driving around for it! I hope he chooses art.
He did choose art. We evaluated each class to decide which classes we could easily replicate at home, vs. which are unique experiences and worth both time & money. Art won.
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It all looks great on paper, and I hope it works for you... but I can't offer many suggestions. There's no way this would work for us. I can't stand driving, I do it because I have to. Having something almost every single day just wouldn't work for us. Good luck!!!
The driving is the only thing giving me pause about fully committing! Right now I am thinking of dropping the history course.
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Do the Monday history and Wednesday biology classes count as subjects for you or enrichment? If these are your history and science, with 1-2 other work periods at home to be complete, then this would work for me. Looks like you'd have math and LA to teach at home, do able in your mornings, then the prep for science and history, mostly independently? I'd consider busy bags or a soft car tray to make some portable fun things for engaging your littles. And, do tell more about this adventure group! I'd give a pretty penny have that option for my kiddos!
Yes, they would absolutely count as his history & science and he'd be able to do the prep/reading/etc. independently! My husband actually takes care of the math so I am off the hook on that one! They do lessons on the weekends and he works through his work throughout the week going over issues in the evenings if he needs extra help. If we go this route all I'd be responsible for, outside of helping him with time management, is language arts which is my favorite part :)
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I think it looks manageable, but I have a high tolerance for that sort of thing. (If you look at my signature re: ages of kids and know anything about competitive swimming, you can infer how many millions of hours/miles I've dragged my littles around over the years.)
It sounds like you have some excellent in-person classes, but if you want to cut-back outside-the-house classes without limiting your older child's options, you might consider adding an online class or two in the future. My DD11 will have two classes through WTMAnext year (1 full-year & 2-semester classes) and one through Center for Lit. It is wonderful that she can get this high-quality educational experience without ever leaving home. I usually schedule even our online classes after lunch, to protect our morning work period.
I'm jealous of your Homeschool adventure group on Tuesdays!
I'll have to look more into online courses. I just have no idea what to expect. He's not much of a fan of spending time on the computer so I am not sure how he'd feel about taking a class online either.
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You are my hero if you can get grocery shopping done in less than 1.5 hours (probably an hour by the time you drop him off and then turn around to pick him up) with 2 and 5 year olds. I would be more inclined to use that 3 hour time during art class to get grocery shopping done, even if it's 30 minutes from home. Cold bags or a cooler would make sure things don't get too warm.
I have trained my kids on how much I despise grocery shopping and pretty much bribe them to help me get in and out as fast as possible! I'd also have pretty much the entire time to shop because the grocery store is right across the street and after the first day I could drop and pick up without getting out of the car.
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ETA: Thank you everyone who chimed in. We have decided to drop the history course on Monday, but leave the rest the same. If I am spent or find we need a day to catch up we can always skip the occasional Tuesday adventure club. I also feel like Wednesday won't be so bad since it is only a pickup for me, and usually done solo so the youngers will be home and not dragged around. And while Thursday seems long and boring for me and the littles I'm sure we'll survive with a little planning on my part.
I am struggling with our outside classes next year and trying to decide if it is too much, or just right, or what - especially when it comes to my two youngers.
For background I have three kids, but only one who will be taking outside classes. My oldest will be going into 7th grade, 5-year-old into kindergarten, and I will have a 2-year-old. For the past 5-years my oldest took a 5-hour nature class once per week and one additional class of some kind. This left us with three days to move at our own pace which was perfect while my kids were babies and early toddlers.
This year I am looking to outsource my 7th graders education a bit. I am finding it hard to bring my a-game to the table at the moment and he is requesting a bit more meat to his school work. My biggest struggle to adding additional outside classes isn't the classes themselves but dragging my youngers to and from everything. Honestly, my 5-year-old is thrilled to be in the car and requests long car rides because he LOVES audiobooks! My toddler doesn't complain about the car ride, but I just feel bad strapping her down so much. She'll be 2 in October and we'll forward face her which will probably help a ton since I will be able to see her and actually communicate with her better. I also struggle having to cut her nap short, but she honestly goes to bed much easier at night with a shorter nap so it is probably for the better I suppose!
I looked and looked but couldn't find any options that would allow me to stack his classes into one day. This is my current lineup right now, in addition to how I am thinking to fill up the time with my youngers. I'd love thoughts and opinions and for people to tell me that my younger kids will be fine with all the driving and that my 2-year-old will survive on a shorter nap.
Monday: Nothing officially, but seriously considering a medieval history class per my 7th graders request - he has a friend who has taken a couple of the history classes by this instructor and the classes sound amazing - it would be in the afternoon from 2-3:30 - my thought is to drop him off, crank out the grocery shopping, pick him up - an errand we have to do every single week anyway.
Tuesday: We are part of an awesome adventure group that is an excellent fit for all three of my kids complete with book club meetings, science presentations, museum field trips, hikes, etc. The group of my dreams that we finally found this past spring and it has been amazing for all of us (even if it is the most stressful day of my week!).
Wednesday: My 7th grader is signed up for two afternoon classes from 12-4 - biology & something called urban workshop which is essentially shop class - my husband works from home this day and will be able to drop him off, I will pick him up and I won't always have to bring the youngers unless my husband has a conference call or is backed up on work
Thursday: My 7th graders passion is art and he'd like to take another art class with the same instructor he had this year - this class will either be in the morning, but most likely it will be the most annoying time of all 3-6pm and it is a 30-40 minute drive from our house depending on traffic - he took a class this year and it was 100% worth the money and the drive for him - I have zero clue what to do with my kids for three hours, especially once it starts to get dark earlier. Any ideas are very much appreciated here. I am thinking the beach until it gets too dark, and then picking back up in the spring when the sunset gets later. Or we could walk around Target for 3-hours, but my wallet probably wouldn't be able to keep up the habit ;)
Friday: Nothing
When I type it out it doesn't sound that bad. The one thing I really want is a consistent morning routine, which we will have 4-days a week. I also love a consistent evening routine as well, which it looks like I'd have 4-days a week as well.
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My oldest (12) is currently in 6th grade. I pretty much unschooled him all this time, with the exception of math which we picked up with regularity in 4th grade. We read a TON of stuff, both aloud and him independently, and he learned a lot. We dabbled in unit studies, random activity books, and really just whatever grabbed his, or my, attention best. Plenty of nature walks, field trips, project time, etc. He is an excellent writer, reads voraciously, and gets by in math. He has plenty of content knowledge. I imagine things will play out differently over the next couple years as we transition to high school. I have zero regrets about his education to date.
BUT...while I have zero regrets about his education it wasn't what I wanted to do when I started out on this homeschool journey. I was blessed (after years of struggle) with two more kids (currently 5 and 1) and we as a family chose to really enjoy the younger years with them because you can't get them back. I knew in my heart I would have a bigger regret not enjoying those years with my youngers than I ever would at having to play catch up with my oldest. I knew my oldest would be 100% fine education wise. I wasn't worried or stressed that I was short changing him an education.
So, I know for certain that my younger two will get a very different education. There will definitely be copious amounts of reading aloud because that is my love language and very favorite thing to do with my kids. There will be lots of field trips and nature study and traveling because those things are very important to me. But there will also be regular time spent with language arts, math, and writing. I plan to do FIAR and unit studies with regularity.
Truth be told I am a little worried about how well I will do adding in a bit of structure to our pretty unstructured life. But I am excited too!
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I need to grab a quick book for my twelve year old and I am out of ideas. Literally! He has read just about everything I have come across in threads I have searched for. Since this is a gift I am thinking I'd like to stick to his preferred genre of fantasy, or whatever you'd recommend after The Hunger Games, which was his last read.
TIA
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Well since my almost 12-year-old boy just started doing this in the last couple months I'm going with 12-year-old boy thing too! He knows his stuff and can find his errors.
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Thank you. He's read/listened to all but one of these. He's just so, so fast :)
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I'm looking to make a list of audiobooks for my 12-year-old. Everything I suggest he's already listened to or read so I am looking for some suggestions.
Also, I was going to grab Anne of Green Gables on audio and was curious which narrator I should get.
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I'm looking to pickup up a complete collection of Grimms fairy tales for my twelve year old. He's been wanting to read the original tales. I am overwhelmed with my choices so I thought I'd see what you recommend as a good edition for him. I'm considering adding a copy of Hans tales as well.
Tia
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We love the silks from Beneath The Rowan Tree on Etsy. They are a staple in our Christmas stockings every year and this year my 4-year-old had specific color requests given to Santa! They are used ever single day! Best investment ever.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BeneathTheRowanTree?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav
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Almost. I have my list, just need to purchase. Except for the 11-year-old who I am clueless about. Ugh! I'll figure it out and be done by Thanksgiving :)
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Awesome! Thank you, thank you! I read summaries of several and I have a list ready to go. Can't wait to get reading!
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I would say The Martian, except you requested no sci-fi (it's more tech than sci-fi IMO, but the library label on the spine says SCI-FI).
I could not put it down, read it in one day saying "Go away!" to anyone who tried to interrupt me.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah was another book I couldn't put down. So, so good. And definitely not sci-fi.
I did read The Martian. It took me awhile, but I did hit the point of not being able to put it down. I'll check out the other recommendation.
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It has been a long time since I have read anything that keeps me up at night needing to finish the book. I miss it. I would love to know some of the books that kept you turning the page and staying up in the wee hours of the morning.
Outside of nonfiction and sci-fi I am really up for anything. Though I suppose fantasy is pretty hit or miss as in love Harry Potter, can't stand Lord of the Rings.
So let me know what you recommend 😀
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We call if Breakfast with Books here. If we have to move it to another meal/snack we just sub out breakfast for whatever the new meal/snack is. If is during the afternoon snack it is called Tea Time though. Both are long time habits around here for - since my oldest (11) was a baby and I would read to him in his high chair over breakfast.
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I initially started homeschooling because it looked like my oldest would be an only and I didn't want to send him off all day long, but rather I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. It was something that was always in the back of my mind so it was a pretty easy decision. I've since been blessed with two more (my oldest and middle are 7+ years apart), but I still have no desire to send any of my kids off to school all day long.
As the years have gone by we have fallen more and more in love with homeschooling. The freedom is a huge benefit for us - choosing our own curriculum, traveling off season, setting our own schedule. And even though the schools in our area are excellent, my husband and I feel we can still provide the best education to our children.
Book gift for my 5-year-old - hoping for more ideas
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted · Edited by justme824
I am drawing a blank friends and I need some help! I'm trying to finalize shopping for my almost 5-year-old's birthday. His request for for games, puzzles, and books. I have the first two covered but I am coming up empty on the books. We have SO MANY books that I am having a very hard time finding something I know will be a winner. Any ideas?
A bit about him/us - He has been read to daily since he was born. He loves a great story and is very into picture books that take more than a couple minutes to read. He loves poetry as well. He doesn't have a specific genre of choice right now - he really just loves a good book. Our shelves are overflowing so we have the classics like Eric Carle, Jan Brett, Mike Mulligan, etc. covered. I am looking for something I might not have thought of myself or come across yet. Possibly something new.