Annabel Lee
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Posts posted by Annabel Lee
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I'd love to join too, Bethany! I have the same amount of weight to lose, and that's after losing 25 lbs. now since March. I started getting serious (not just saying that I need to) about a healthier lifestyle after a major health scare that started with an ER visit. I'm in my early 30's. BIG wake-up call. I've posted about my PCOS before, so my diet is for beating insulin resistance.
It is hard. Sometimes I have tons of motivation and other times it just gets old and I wish I could eat something "normal". There's a lot that I'm to stay away from due to the PCOS, and even what is on the menu comes with requirements. I would love to have you all as weight loss buddies, so I'll go join that social group.
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I remember your post about the horrible neighborhood and wondering whether to leave your house - how awful that must have been. What a beautiful area you live in now! I'm so glad to hear how things are coming together for you!
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But, in this case with MY dd this isn't what happened.
She wasn't given a gown. She was asked to remove her pants.
She wasn't given grace to have privacy, she was scorned.
She wasn't given ANY explanations until _I_ sought them out, she was scorned and ignored.
Kris
This IS an abnormal experience, but maybe not so much for military healthcare. Even adults are given gowns and allowed to undress & cover up in privacy before the doc reenters the room. It sounds like the doc didn't even leave the room here.
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Elemental Science (logic stage biology for 5th & 3rd) has been the fix for the problem you desribed, OP, in my homeschool. I find it easy to use because it's all planned out, scripted, and I don't have to add WTM assignments to it because it incorporates them. I did have to read all the information at the beginning of the TM to get familiar with how it works & the layout but it's not intense at all. Instructions are clear & in a step-by-step format.
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I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all of that. IME, when life gets turned that upside down, just surviving it (literally, and the trauma also) comes first. All else becomes secondary. Don't guilt yourself - that won't do anyone any good. Take good care of yourself, and enlist some help if at all possible. :grouphug:
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I have pretty average kids, so it would be a bit much in full for my 5th grader and I might use it in part for a 7th grader. I'd probably read it myself and then paraphrase or add in additional perspectives during history discussion. However, I will be incorporating it in whole for my to-be-11th grader's U.S. History alongside other types of texts.
ETA: It's a BIG book with very small print - over 2 inches thick, and that's being conservative (haha).
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I suppose I had trouble finding the right wording for what I was trying to say. I know MFW & BP both have 4-yr. chronologies, but within each year they put events in a slightly different order. BP isn't strictly chronological - they rearrange the order of the SOTW chapters to suite their own schedule, sometimes combining multiple or partial SOTW chapters together into one week. It's done in "chunks" of time rather than individual events, so that you stay on one topic (a civilization, nation, region, etc.) for the week. The history is chronological within each "chunk", but only for the topic at hand. Then, during the next topic, you may backtrack to see what was going on in another region at the same time. This way, your coloring pages, maps, projects, books, and any other extras for the week can all match the one main topic you've been studying for the week.
I've looked at MFW and read about it (and asked questions, etc.) extensively in the past. I don't know their precise way of laying out the chronology, but my experience has taught me that most of these history curricula do it slightly different. So, if MFW uses SOTW chapters in the order it is written, it is not aligned topically on a lesson-by-lesson or weekly basis with BP, although the overall yearly theme (ancients, etc.) will be the same. You're not looking at Year 1, are you? I don't remember if it's MFW or another one that substitutes something else for SOTW in Yr. 1.
Are you looking for a wall timeline or one for a notebook? I made my own in a Word doc, and it's plain & simple but it works. If you'd like a copy, PM me your email address & I'll send it along.
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OP, you have time to think about organizing your spices?!?
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How or why do people list books for one cent? Is the understanding that they will get the 3.99 credit for postage and handling, but the book will not cost that much to ship, so they will make perhaps a couple of dollars on the book sale?
I opened my seller account mostly so I could sell my used college textbooks, but I also have a lot of smaller books I'd be happy to sell. These small books are always being offered by other sellers for .01, though. I don't understand that completely; i.e., how that would even be worth the trouble. :confused:
It wouldn't be worth it to list anything for 1 cent for regular homeschool moms just looking to make a few bucks. That's for businesses with warehouses full of goods using the deal with Amazon for businesses & BPM rate for shipping.
The difference you can offer that big warehouse sellers can't is personal service. They don't have time to type in detailed descriptions of the condition of every single book. Sometimes you'll see a generic description repeated over & over on all of their listings (may have markings, may have this or that...) and it leaves you wondering what you'll get). When I see a detailed description letting me know that the only markings are previous owner's name on the inside cover, or only one page is dog-eared, or it's a TM with hand-written notes in the margin that don't obstruct the text, etc., I'm more likely to buy because I know EXACTLY what to expect. This way I don't risk getting a nasty surprise in the mail.
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Thank you for these links. I'm up in the middle of the night after nursing baby, and saw our internet connection was going well, so read them. I thought the second and last ones were especially helpful. It's hard to know what to do! Would it work to just combine MFW with BP? Or does that defeat the purpose of both? For example, use MFW's lesson plans, but get BP's companion as an extra spine for all those cool "fascinating facts"; don't get MFW's students sheets, but get BP's cool histories, maps, timelines, and coloring sheets. What do you think?
Are BP's cool histories and maps/timelines nicer than MFW's or just the SOTW AG? What exactly is in the MFW student sheets?
Thanks for all of you help to those of you who can answer any of these questions!
I've been using BP Year 1 this year and I would not suggest trying to mix BP with MFW in the way you describe. You could get BP's companion as an extra for MFW, but it is meant to tie together the main points and fill in Christian/Biblical information from the books BP suggests. IMO, it doesn't read like a regular textbook and might feel like a compilation of random facts if taken out of context. Then again, if you're studying the same time period, it might tie in well enough. BP & MFW present history in a slightly different order from each other, so that might affect this. BP's Cool History pages are questions about the BP books (SOTW, etc.), so that would just add that much more reading to MFW.
BP does have good maps, but I don't know how well they would line up with a completely different program. Again, MFW & BP put things in slightly different order. Have you looked at the samples for BP's timeline and coloring pages? Those are the two components of BP I don't really use. MOH & the SOTW AG both have much nicer coloring pages. Homeschool in the Woods has very nice timeline materials. I just made my own notebook timeline and those timeline figures per BP's schedule.
Then again, we all have different tastes & preferences, so my idea of what "matches up" might completely differ. Do look at the samples of all of these things (BP timeline, coloring pages, MFW student pages, etc.) if you haven't already, then do what looks best to you.
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Didn't a group on the general board start a FB page for buying & selling used curriculum? What's the name of that FB page, anyhow?
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If Abeka & Horizons is working for your family, I wouldn't switch to Singapore. The textbook problems are quite a bit easier than the CWP's. If you want additional challenging problems, I would get the Singapore Intensive Practice books. Another option would be the new Beast Academy series from Art of Problem Solving. Don't be put off by the 3rd grade label- many of the problems in BA are quite challenging.
That's just the thing, I suspect it's not "working" if my child is asking why I give him such easy work. Not just the in comparison to the CWPs, but overall. I like some things about Abeka math, but the volume of work on problems he already knows how to do well is too much. For ex., he hates doing pages full of long division and 3-digit by 3-digit multiplication - it doesn't take much thought, really. He knows how to do it. It's just a LOT. So I cross some out. Doing so (or not) doesn't make it mentally challenging, though.
I think what I've identified is that I want our math time to be filled with something productive and meaningful - whether that means using some or all Singapore math or something else, or using what we have in a different way. I don't like change, esp. in math, just for the sake of it, but I want to spend our time really learning. I don't feel like he has a whole lot of that going on right now.
While Abeka takes practice to the extreme, it's something I am concerned about for this child after looking through a used Singapore 4A/4B partial set I have (just 2 textbooks & a used workbook). I would have to add in practice, but it looks like a better use of our time in that it doesn't have the repetitious chug & plug problems. I'll take a look at the BA site, too. Thanks for the suggestions.
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Confession time: I recently shared here that I (gulp) use Abeka math. It's the main math in our homeschool and I use it because of my lack of confidence & knowledge in math. I need that scripted TM, and I need the "traditional" (formulaic?) math I'm familiar with. I cross out at least 1/3 of the Abeka page and supplement with Horizons for the way they introduce some things and for topics Abeka misses, and with Singapore CWPs.
Today, as one of my children read a story problem from his Abeka gr. 4 math worksheet, he asked why I give him such easy work and why can't I make it harder for him. Whoa. Big wake-up call. I pointed to the Singapore CWP 3 book that we do a few problems from each day, and asked, "You mean like these?". He hesitated to agree but then did, since he gave me some resistance earlier when he had to actually use his brain on the "Take the Challenge" problems.
I think I need to utilize Singapore math more, possibly in full. I've always been scared to make the switch because of my reasons above and having to go back so far in grade level due to S&S differences. I always thought it was too late, and now, I really wish I had done it a couple years ago when I thought that.
Are the placement tests for Standards & U.S. editions different? Which should I use? What's the difference? For a kid doing Abeka gr. 4, how far back do we need to go in Singapore math - only as far as the placement tests suggest or further, to solidify things like number bonds and other Singapore-specific things?
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Last summer I was watching my friend's daughter while she was out. This little girl was a newly-turned 3, and insisted I read aloud a big, fat guide to rocks & minerals (this was not the little Usborne guide, it was a higher level meant for high school at least). When it was time to leave, she cried when her mom was buckling her into her carseat, so I handed her the book (it had color pictures... of rocks) and my friend said she "read" it the whole way home. At her 4th birthday recently, her dad said she still reads it all the time.
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When my dad told my kids that "children are to be seen and not heard" for the umpteenth time, I finally had to let him know it's not like that in my house.
I think it's awesome that your kids can converse with adults "as if they are equals". Now, thinking they are equals in the realm of authority and rules is another ball of wax, but that doesn't sound like the issue you present. I don't think people should talk over them or suggest you ignore them, though. There are other ways to handle it.
I agree with Lisbeth's suggestions above. A preemptive talk with the kids before the grandparents visit might help let the dc know that the grandparents and you will want some conversation time together.
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Do you have experience with or anything you could share about Delta Education Science (School Specialty Publishers) other than the Science in a Nutshell kits? I've seen those, although briefly. Am I right in thinking they are more of a science unit study, with all experiment parts included?
I got the School Specialty Service (or is it Publishers? or Company? I forgot already) science catalog in the mail today. Their science branch is Delta Education. There is SO much more than just the Nutshell kits, and it all looks SO fun! There's cool software, reading books, dry-erase flip-charts, components to tie in reading & writing and others to tie in use of technology. How do you know which parts to order, and which parts go with eachother? Are there prepared lesson plans?
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Someone said that Susan only liked Abeka for one subject. Actually, she has recommended both their grammar and math curricula.
I was going to reply with this but you beat me to it! Abeka math & grammar are recommended in the 2nd edition WTM as well. Their math remains a recommendation in the 3rd ed. and grammar is noted in a footnote (explaining why it's now R&S & others).
All Abeka is too much, IMO. I don't know how the Abeka school teachers get it all done! Maybe the school TMs and the homeschool TMs are different, but goodness, it takes far longer than it says it should. Just the sheer volume of it, if you were to follow the directions as written, is enough to make me tired thinking about it. I agree that their LA for K5 through 2nd are solid.
I've used parts of it in our homeschool. I used all Abeka for my oldest son's K4 and that was fine, although we didn't use all of it because it was easy for him. I used parts of K5 for him as well. Since then, we've used some readers, some phonics/language and the only things now are math and penmanship. I'm very comfortable skipping things my dc don't need, so we mix it up with other maths (Singapore CWPs, for one) and math games. If *I* didn't need the TM to know how to teach math, I'd not include it in our math time at all. I don't plan to continue it beyond 6th grade, and will drop penmanship as soon as the dc have mastered formation.
I went to an Abeka school for part of my K-12 education. My 10th grader did in part of her elementary years, as well. She also had a bit of ps and a completely montessori Jr. High experience. She has all A's in her honors courses, but struggles somewhat in science and math.
Abeka prepares kids well for the logic stage, and it continues to do this through 12th grade. IOW, it doesn't teach critical thinking. The writing composition is also very weak. Those are critical pieces of classical education, generally speaking, so that's probably why you don't see much love for it around here. That and the heavy overtone of hyper-Christian, hyper-patriotism pervasive in their history texts.
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That is a horrible sound. Horrible. Worst ever. :lol:
( I wonder what I could use it for? hee hee hee)
Yep, I heard it, and I'm in my early 30's. I hate sounds like that, but that one was LOUD!
:lol: Oh my, great minds think alike! Maybe when the kids aren't listening, when you've had to repeat yourself for the umpteenth time, Mwahahahaha...
(j/k!)
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This all started here, you know (so it's all your fault, hive members :tongue_smilie:). The thread for the freebie from HSBC for Mother's Day led to me reading most of the pages on the Bravewriter site. I looked at the samples in the freebie offer and THAT is more like what I want for literature. I like that it introduces literary elements using real books (vs. something written by textbook authors) and that it has the kids practice using that newly learned literary element in their writing. I liked the presentation, that it give a definition of what the literary element or device is (not assuming I already know it, like Figuratively Speaking sometimes does) and I don't have to go searching for books with good examples of that element in them.
Of course, I need to look closely at Teaching the Classics and at various lit. guides yet to see how they stack up. BW is going on my list of things for consideration for the upcoming year.
While I was at the BW site, I surprised myself by liking the writing philosophy for creative writing. Would it be confusing or too much for a child to do WTM writing for non-fiction and BW for creative writing?
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Please look over the following Compare/Contrast list & see if I stated something wrong for the program you've used:
ES has dissections; CQ has "virtual" dissections.
ES gives you the option of NOT buying a microscope; CQ seems to "require" it (not giving you links to images of the slides in the lesson)
ES has a calendar set up (Day 1, Day 2, etc.); CQ is a checklist
Both mostly have one lab per week*
*ES has "science fair" project time instead of labs for a few weeks.
CQ has an official "lab report" form. ES doesn't seem to have an official form?
ES has a "want more" section added to each lesson.
Both have kids fill out the provided sketch.
Both have memory work, vocab look ups, dates, and outline or summary writing.
Both have "kits" available for purchase - ES's is "hard to find items" and CQ's is most of the stuff you need for the labs.
ES has a TM with answers & discussion questions.
ES has tests.
Am I missing any differences between them? Did I get anything on the list wrong?
I have ES LS Biology (haha, yes, I caved & ordered it, and now we actually DO science!).
ES has a weekly list of "what to do for this lesson" in order. You could use it like a checklist if you wanted to. It is on a separate page that it divides those activities up into both 2-day and 5-day schedules.
While ES has dissections, I'm undecided whether to order a dead animal for all of them or to use models I already own, which could be done with ES.
Lab report: I can't remember what the sample CQ lab report form looks like, but I remember thinking that I could print it or create one using that format to use with a DIY WTM science curriculum. ES does have a sort of "What we did" page that is like a lab report form, stating hypothesis, results, "what we used", "what happened", and "what I learned".
Sketches - While the sketches to label are pre-drawn, ES also has a section to draw what you see under the microscope at varying powers.
HTH!
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I second the one recommendation I saw for Misty Edwards.
Also, you can stream live music for free from the prayer room at IHOP (just go to the IHOP site - no, not pancakes, prayer!).
Check out Searching for the Real and Merchant Band.
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Wow, thanks for taking the time to type out such a detailed response, Morosophe! Hopefully it's as helpful to the OP, wy_kid_wrangler.
I still wish there were somthing that didn't assume I know what all these things are and where to find excellent examples of them in literature without spending hours online and at the library. IOW, something that teaches literature with student & teacher books (that reference real, whole books for the selections) like Saxon or Abeka or even Singapore teaches math. It would tell me *how* to teach it. I'm starting to think this thing doesn't exist.
That's not to say your idea isn't pretty darn awesome, Morosophe, because it is. It will just take me a bit more prep time than I had hoped, if I pull it all together myself.
OK, I have a bad habit of doing this and need to just make new threads for my own questions. Sorry for the hijack, OP. I hope you found my rabbit trail at least somewhat helpful.
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I'm in the same boat as you, OP, except I'm wondering what to do for my to-be 6th grader. This year (5th gr.) was hit-and-miss for literature. I would love a set of guides, meaty in real literary study - no fluff, all put together into a year-long curriculum that is part of an organized, multi-grade, well-planned scope & sequence. That way the progression of skills and the review would have some rhyme & reason, rather than just running through random guides and completely missing some things while overlapping others. I don't think that's too much to ask, is it? ;) If you know the name of such a thing, please do tell.
I can't wait to get through TWEM. I need more confidence & knowledge for both teaching literature and discernment in choosing literature curricula.
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Faith & DD, way to go! That made me cry happy tears for you both! HUGE congratulations are in order!
I started my weight loss efforts yesterday.
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Are you familiar with Volumetrics? It's focus is on adding a ton of veg to everything. My nutritionist keeps bringing me back to that.