threeturn
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Posts posted by threeturn
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My nice newer side-by-side is sitting in the garage of our new house. Inside we have the teeny, tiny freezer over fridge model (that does fit in the spot, I'll give it that). I do think there is more room for things in the top/bottom model even if I have having to bend over to get to it. BUT if you have a toddler or plan on having one in the future go for the side-by-side. The top/bottom is so much easier for my guy to open and get to things (heavy drink pitchers) on the top shelf. Drives me nuts as he is in and out of it all day long. I have now decided toddlers are why side-by-sides were invented.
Just my 2 cents.
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Last year we did K with a 3yo and infant. We did our morning basket (faith, memory, and fun Spanish) right after breakfast while baby was in high chair, the 3Rs during morning nap, and unit studies during PM nap. Whatever we got done during nap time got done. Whatever did not was moved to the next day.
This year with the toddler is much harder. He is down to one nap and in the middle of everything else when he is not asleep. We are trying to fit it all in during naps, but it's not easy.
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We are using Adventures in America for history. I needed open and go so in that regard the curriculum is perfect. My daughter loves the read aloud selections so far. So we really don't want to change curriculum, but we are lacking a bit of a spark though. My kids LOVE Elemental Science because of the experiments. I would like to add more of a hands-on or activity element to the history but I need to do it in a way that doesn't add tons of work for me. For example, they would love to do narrations with puppet characters but creating them would mean lots of work for me since they are so young (when I say "they" I really mean the 6yo -- the 4yo just tags along when he wants to). Ditto with lapbooks or involved crafts. With the toddler I just don't have the time or energy.
I am not sure how to change it or tweak it to help liven it up for us. There was a great thread here earlier this summer about how people adapted curriculum to suit their needs instead of being a slave to it. Wish I had bookmarked it.
Sorry if I am not articulating well. I guess I am not totally sure what I am looking for.
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In an effort to save money and eat healthier, I have been experimenting with making our own cereal (along with expanding our breakfast options). The bran flakes I made actually went over really well, but the pairing with my normal granola recipe was just "eh." Does anyone have a sweet granola recipe that clumps together? DH's favorite cereal is raisin bran crunch, so I am going for something like that.
Thanks!
Pam
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I have littles, but had planned on this loop:
Study the Mass
Bible Story (possible narration)
Saint (possible narration)
Sunday's Gospel (possible narration)
Character Trait
So far though we have been inconsistent with it -- mostly since it was not scheduled during nap time for the toddler but first thing in the morning. I am going to tweak that and maybe split the topics between two days and move them to our regular learning block during nap. Right now for us that may be the best we can do...
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Thanks so much everyone. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow for the thyroid work up and a check of my iron levels. With the last pregnancy I had a placenta preevia and was offered a blood transfusion after my emergency c-section. I refused it, so it is entirely possible that I am still running close to anemia. My mom (the RN) mentioned that today too.
I do tend to have some kind of protein for breakfast (mostly peanut butter on a whole grain bagel) and try to at meals. My snacks are what tend to be cakes, cookies, crackers or chips. I think a diet change would do me a world of good. We do go to the park most mornings. And no, I know I don't drink nearly enough water. I tend to reach for the caffeine for the energy boost, but it never lasts long.
Kristina - I think you are right on the lifestyle changes. Anything else will only take me so far. Do you have an eating plan that you follow?
Thanks again everyone.
Pam
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Lethargic just doesn't even begin to describe how I feel these days. I have a 6, 4, and almost 2yo. Between the three of them I never get a full night's sleep. Someone gets me up at least once a night. They have me up by 6:30 every morning and that is really sleeping in most days. If I try to get up before them, they sense it and wake up earlier and earlier to be with me. I try to go to bed by 10, but it is so hard because I am an extreme introvert and can't turn off until I have had some quiet alone time each day. The are usually asleep before 8 (I try to have them asleep by 7 most days because the older two don't nap and will not sleep in.) so staying up until 10 is about the time I need.
My diet is horrible. I live on carbs, sugar and diet soda with the occasional salad. I don't exercise and I am still breastfeeding the toddler. By the end of the day (middle of the afternoon!) I am totally spent. I turned 40 this year and have been slowly gaining weight.
Within the past couple of months I have tried at various times: waking up early to exercise, low carb diet, giving up soda. And I have given up on all of them after a bit of time because it all seemed like too much work and sacrifice.
I don't know if there is a medical reason or not but my gut says it is lifestyle. Does anyone have any quick energy tips? Maybe I just need to try the healthy habits again, but do them all at once. I feel like if I had something to give me a jump start or boost then I would have the energy to carry through on the lifestyle changes. I just feel stuck and tired.
Thanks for reading!
Pam
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Are you sure you haven't had my son? He has been this exact way since birth! I love it and it drives my nutty all at the same time!
I love it some of the time too. My boy is a second child, but I am not sure he is trying to keep up with sis. She is exactly the opposite - lazy to a fault. I don't mean that in an ugly way at all -- it is just how she is.
He will come in, fix his own juice and snack (without asking and usually right about the time I am going in to fix dinner or lunch) and be sitting at the table eating it when I walk in. She comes in a minute or so later, sits at the table, and says, "Where's my snack?" Really, I can't win for losing. :rolleyes:
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I have a boy like that. He's four but has been that way since he was 2. Get his own juice, milk, cereal, snack -- sometimes with success, sometimes not. Set up his own TV and computer games, open every package -- even if it means trying to use a knife, grab a screwdriver to change batteries, run his own bath. It's nice, but then again...
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We also utilize nap time, though we're able to do more during wake time than I was able to earlier this year (when he was 18 months).
Thank you for this. I have a 22 mo. We started summer break when he was 18 mo and just have started back. I am hoping it gets better (and quickly) as we go along. Nap time is pretty much it for us right now. I love the water idea and so would he.
I also have a 4yo. He hangs out while we do the 3r's and really likes to join in for history and science.
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The recommended books sound like what I saw too. I clicked through all of the pages. Sometimes the hands-on stuff was near the end. I do think it is very much set up in a way you can use what you have or what you can get at your library.
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I got the Geography and Cultures one and plan on using them out of order. (We are doing US Geography this year and World and Physical next year.) I think that will be fine. Also, I found by looking at the recommended books and resources for each set of cards in addition to the S&S it gave me a great idea of what the topics are about. Some of the recommended resources were also science kits and other hands-on items. HTH.
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My hubby's driving me 200 miles to the nearest IKEA later in August so we can outfit the new family room. Hubby of the year for sure. Of course I am not sure he knows what he is getting himself in to.
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I do talk a good game. :tongue_smilie: I considered MUS because I like the idea of the alternative methods (to the standard algorithms). I was afraid my type-A personality would get bogged down in the pages of workbooks, though, so I passed. I do like the idea of watching the videos for presentation ideas and using it in conjunction with our MOTL (and math readers and RS games and... well you get the idea).
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Thanks Emmy! Maybe I should mention that I am "non-mathy" :D That is one of the main reasons I got MOTL instead of just going it alone. And I had forgotten that the MUS DVDs were for mom to watch, not so much the student. Maybe I will just get them and watch them and take some notes. Thanks!
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My daughter just finished K and we do math on our own using Math On the Level and Living Math resource. We like that very much. Having said that, I have heard wonderful things about MUS from friends. Just last night at our mom's meeting one mom offered her sets of DVDs whenever we wanted to borrow them and watch. Since I have this generous resource available I was wondering what lessons are not-to-miss? My daughter is first grade this year so we are focusing on addition, subtraction, place value, skip counting, basics in measurement, time, and money, introduction to fractions, perimeter and probably a couple of other things I haven't thought of yet. I also have a 4yo who will likely be asking for something to do as well. What standout lessons do you remember for the younger set on MUS?
Thanks for your time.
Pam
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Another rising first grader here. We dabbled in MEP last year, but didn't like the worksheet aspect of it. So we ditched it and have been using books from LivingMath.net and RS card games and games I found online. This year we will continue to do the same except I bought Math On The Level because I wanted some hand-holding. I also got tons of math game books during the Scholastic $1 ebook sale (Munchie Math using food, a book of math poems and related activities, etc). I also couldn't resist LOF so I bought Apples to give that a try too. We're eclectic!
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Melissa - That is exactly the study we are going to do next year (with a little beefing up thanks to another mom here on WTM). I also ordered some fun things to go with our state study this year. I am excited about both years and happy to wait on SOTW.
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Meant to say good luck lorrainejmc. Your plan sounds good.
We don't schedule. Never have. We basically just do the next thing (m-f). I have a notebook where we write what we accomplish each day. Sometimes I may write in what I hope to accomplish each day. Either way, it gets done. I tried writing a schedule one year, but it was just a waste of ink.This is plan for this year. I have 10 weeks of blank lesson plan pages already waiting in my binder to fill in at the end of each day. I have an idea of where we are going and what we are doing in each subject (this is where a prepared curriculum is very helpful) but we aren't tying ourselves to a schedule on it. I also like to make a weekly learning notes post on my blog each week as a record of what we have done. On there I include things that we spent time learning that was not in any original plan. There is usually quite a bit. :)
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I kind of feel the same way! I know that living on a ranch would provide LOADS of opportunities for our kids to do all sorts of neat, important things. But I LIKE structure, I enjoy doing things with my kids (who are admittedly still very young lol) that are somewhat contrived. I don't restrict myself to doing "what the book says" or what my to-do list and schedule say but I do like to arrange our days so that there's order, repetition and expectations. Maybe I'm thinking more of radical unschooling, which is a whole different kettle of fish, but . . . I just LIKE it lo l:001_smile:
:iagree:
There is so much they have not been exposed to and they are pretty willing to go along with what I suggest. I have just spent the evening shopping on Amazon. Got sticker paper doll books on Native Americans, Pilgrims, Colonial girl, Pioneers, a state cookbook, Scrambled States game, and Wee Sing America all to go with our American History/State geography study. We will play, cook, and sing to go along with our reading, coloring and and notebook building. They will love it. I will love it, and a good time will be had be all. That is what I can't see giving up.
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Elemental History just came out with a US history curriculum. You could use that before jumping into SOTW and they'll have an extra year to be ready for the material. SOTW can be above the comprehension level of some kids, and they might not be ready to deal with topics like WWII at 8 and 9.
We are going with this for the coming year with my 6YO and 4YO tag-along. Then we are going to do something on cultures and continents next year. SOTW will wait until they are 8 and 6 (with another 4YO tag along by then). By the time that 4YO is 6 then he can do Elemental History while the older two do Vol. 3 which should kind of mesh, right?
And of course it will change 100 times... :D
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Ordered Apples today to give them a try. Can't wait!
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I am striving for a balance here too. My two biggest fears about unschooling are that it takes so much work on the part of the parent (and not working in a way I am comfortable) and am I selling my kids short by not encouraging them to develop some discipline. We were pretty relaxed last year and while it was a wonderful year and we love "school," I just feel like my DD could have gone much farther if I had required a little more. Then I have read John Holt and know what he would say about that too. :confused:
So for the fall we have curriculum and we will develop a routine, but not a schedule. BUT if we go off on a rabbit trail for a while or stop to dig into an interest topic in depth, that is ok. I am not trying to check off a list or "get finished on time".
A few thoughts:
Thomas Jefferson Ed has a concept called "schedule time, not content." Every day you have a block of learning time and a prepared environment. The kids get to pick what to do within parameters. Very Montessorish.
Keep all "lessons" short enough that you have plenty of extra time for interests. If you take a bunny trail on Native Americans and you start reading more books and doing projects with that topic, just keep reading through the rest of the curriculum without requiring anything more than listening. That way you continue moving forward with what you need to do, but the kid gets to stop off and focus on what they love.
You can fill in a multitude of "gaps" with read alouds.
Ask the kid what they want to study. If they miss biology in the grammar stage because they really want to focus on Earth and space science I don't think the world is going to end. Build the curriculum around what they love.
Use their learning style as a guide. If they hate to write, continue oral narrations and you type it. If they hate oral narrations have a conversation instead where you share and they share. Do a puppet show, draw a picture and describe it, build it out of legos, make a lapbook. What do they want to do. Skip all busy work. Never finish a math page that is completely understood for the sake of finishing. Be genuine with their learning.
Great conversation. I am on this journey too and it is a tough one.
Pam
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http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/
We use it for more than just scripture. You could do a different colored card for each child and then another color for the things you want the entire family to memorize. Works great.
How do you create an atmosphere of inspiration?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Count me in too!