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Annabel Lee

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Everything posted by Annabel Lee

  1. Money I've wasted on homeschool stuff... you want me to only list actual curriculum? (hehe) Here's my list, well what I can think of off the top of my head: Calvert K entire program ($900.00+) Muzzy Spanish Saxon Math 2 Calvert Discoveries in Science Core Kit and a full shelf of various "supplemental" workbooks, flashcards, etc. How's that for money wasted? :tongue_smilie:
  2. For my 7yo 2nd grader, I use FLL and WWE. Having never done either of these before, and not having the strong grammar base that FLL 1 gives, we're backtracking right now in some of the 1st grade lessons. I had never heard of these programs when he was in 1st grade. Since we are skipping around in FLL 1, I also make sure to match up the week's study topic in WWE (1 also) so that it reinforces what he's doing in grammar. We do all writing assignments in FLL and WWE. He actually really enjoys the "story-time part" (his words) of WWE. After he's filled in his gaps in grammar, we'll get back to level 2 in both FLL and WWE, as that's what I have the WWE workbook for which makes it many times easier. I really love both of these programs and the lesson #'s line up with each other (ex. if you are on day 48 of FLL, you would be on day 48 in WWE, although WWE lays it out in "week 12, day 1" - or day 2, 3, or 4" format). You could match up WWE with another grammar program, but to do this it would be most helpful to have the textbook rather than the workbook (or both). The textbook lays out what you're looking for, since the literature to be used is left for you to find. You're given the point behind it all. For instance, the WWE text will tell you what to look for in passages, about what length to make them, etc. It will tell you what grammatical elements to include - pronouns using titles of respect/holidays/etc., linking verbs, and so on. Without having the aligned FLL lessons to match up with it, you would have to try to line up whatever grammatical elements WWE is reinforcing. That could mean digging through endless books to find things, or skipping around in grammar lessons, or, just throwing "lining it up" to the wind and doing both programs in the order given. ;) Over the summer, (we are not year-round homeschoolers) I may get something like "How to Report on Books, Grade 2" to have him use and assign a book report for him to work on. Just to introduce the idea of where it's all leading, to show him what a group of summaries/narrations from one book can be: a report. I was doing book reports on Helen Keller and Black Beauty in 2nd grade, but when I get that box out of the attic and look at them now, the content was either poor or mostly copied (but hey, I was 7). So, it won't be anything stressful done for a grade, more like a literary adventure, seeing how many things I can show him how to notice about a piece of literature. HTH!
  3. I'm thinking that if I threw my stress & guilt out the window when we don't get all the designated subjects done on a certain day, we'd take an entire calander year to get it all done. I'm still stuck on having the bulk of the summer off, at least one and a half or 2 months. We pretty much stick to a traditional schedule, with holidays off (but not for weeks on end). Could looping work with that? This sparks my interest because we end up doing school in the evenings and on weekends to make sure we finish up, and it's become very oppressive. Exactly the opposite of what I envisioned when I set out to homeschool.
  4. We have more of a homeschool house than a homeschool room, lol. I'm afraid I've gone a bit overboard. You couldn't tell my dining room was for eating except when there's food on the table, and there is regularly, as it's our only eating place. My dream would be to have floor to ceiling cabinetry along one wall of the dining room, or the special 'school-type' furniture cabinetry from Pottery Barn, but since money *is* an issue here, we make due with what we have. On one wall, I've got a large white-board, lots of charts/calanders/etc. On the other wall, I've got a world map, a US map, more charts, and the bottom half of what was our china cabinet. It looks somewhat like a sideboard and we clear the top off to hold food for holidays or other large food gatherings. Usually it has a mix of: 3-hole punch, container of pens/pencils/erasers/sharpener, a pencil-box for other supplies (glue stick, etc.), and a few stacks of books, all of which we're currently using. They go back on the shelves when we're done. It helps me to stay on track if I've got a stack to work through w/ the kids though. Inside the "sideboard" is all our art stuff. Bins of all sorts of junk that needs sorted and tossed badly. Crayons, markers, stamps, inks, chalks, oil pastels, yarn, sewing stuff, card-making stuff, beads, sequins, glue, foam, scrapbooking stuff, ribbon, magazines for cutting pictures out of, etc. Beside the "sideboard" is a tall open bookcase. This was in my bedroom when I was 12, so it's very old. It's holding the weight of all of our 'active' stuff, plus lots of extras we might need, reference books, reading books, and paper supplies. Parallel to the 1st wall is the piano, which is sticking out from the wall that has the sideboard and tall shelves. We too have an "open" floorplan w/o any walls to put anything up against. So up against the back of the piano is another set of shelves, but it's wider and shorter. They hold all sorts of activities that are fun yet educational. Those are for when I'm working with one of my ds' and the other finishes up before I can start him on his next subject. On it are geometric solids, human skeleton puzzle, Mighty Mind and Super Mind, marbles, dominoes, See & Spell, a globe, Magnetic Mosaics, Mandala coloring pages, continent outline maps to color, tangrams, geoboard, Monkey Math, Great States Jr., and all other sorts of games. That was just the dining room. We do clear off the table for meals, although it doesn't get very cluttered at all. In the living room is the built-in computer desk/hutch where of course, more books are kept. Beside that is another tall bookcase, but this one has a top-sliding door over each shelf. They are glass, so you can see whatever's in there. I just finished emptying a bunch of boxes of books from the garage into those, so it's not organized yet. Behind the loveseat which is at the edge of the living room/dining room, but is out in the open, is a short set of glass-door-front shelves. These shelves face the dining table (again, open floorplan). The top shelf has books I want my boys to read this year, or any that would be helpful to what we're studying. The bottom shelf is where we keep all library items checked out (that way they don't get lost), computer games, videos, and all! This mommy was tired of lost book fees! So, if anyone else out there has a 'homeschool house', don't feel bad. You're not alone. Someday I hope to let go of all these things I keep hanging onto or find better places for them, that way I can have a pretty house. But really, it's a school too. I look at it that way. Besides, seeing the math & phonics charts and maps 24/7 have really helped my kids' learning.
  5. Also... Hatchett by Gary Paulson (not positive on the author) Boxcar Children series anything about the adventures of Tom Sawyer and/or Huckleberry Finn HTH! I know this thread is a list I'll be copying for my ds7!
  6. I have a 2nd grader who does almost the same thing. I read the example child's answers from the FLL book to him so he can get a better idea of how to condense things next time. Or, I ask more of my own questions to help him narrow it down. Before you start the questions after a story, tell him/her you're going to ask questions to help him find the important parts, since not all the extra details are 'important'. We just started doing TWTM stuff this year, so this is his first go-around w/ FLL and WWE. I started right into grade 2 with them, but found I needed to backtrack a little in grammar. We've been at it a little while, and I've got him to narrow his narrations down to 4 sentences so far. It keeps getting a little better as time passes. I think the more you keep at it, the more they understand what you're looking for. I find the WWE to be very helpful for this too.
  7. After visiting some family friends there numerous times, and after living up here in the interior, I think you'd like it there, G&KMcKee. I'm with Cyberlynx distance learning program for now... don't know if I'll stay w/ them for next year or switch back to Raven. I've never used the public school correspondence program before. Do they give any funding? Cyberlynx has a little more funding than Raven, but not as many "extra services" offered.
  8. it still isn't easy sometimes. DH has ins. through his gov't job, but it still doesn't cover any dental or vision. So, DH and I haven't been to the dentist for over 5 yrs., but luckily we haven't had any problems either. We do pay out of pocket for the kids to go 1x/yr. For vision, we use our contacts and glasses prescriptions waaaay longer than recommended. I think I was at the eye doctor 3 yrs ago. Dd's initial eye exam and glasses were $400+ total a year ago when we discovered she had a vision problem. Also in 2007, my Dd had some major medical needs. We had to see many local Dr.'s who referred us to specialists, who referred us to out-of-state specialists and treatment centers. Because of the way lots of little peices about it went (mainly b/c the hospital out-of-state did not get authorization from our ins. co. and didn't confirm ins. during her stay), we had to pay $22,354.00 out of pocket. Goodbye, savings account and retirement. I appealed it and even saw a lawyer about it, but b/c of the state where it took place there's really nothing we can do. Technically we still owe another $13,000+ but they have never sent a bill for it, and since that was in the spring of '07, I'm hoping they just forget about it. :) I won the appeal w/ the ins. co., but was later told that didn't mean what I thought it meant. Grr. So don't feel bad, you're not the only one staying home for a really long time! No vacations or anything of that sort here either! The only way my sons are getting to take music and tae kwon do lessons is b/c our state has funding for homeschooloers, although limited. Anyhoo, you guys aren't alone. I think the US medical system is messed up right now for anyone - insured or not (no matter what anyone thinks the correct answer is, insurance practices and doctor's prices are whack). But that's jmho. :D
  9. Abeka has the best math flashcards IMO. They have each entire fact family, even if that means having both a "2+3" and a "3+2" card. For math drills, we use those flashcards or just math fact families that I've printed out. For musical math drill, I ordered math songs from Rainbow Resources for subtraction, addition, multiplication, and division. They come w/ a workbook and a CD, and are about $10 - $12 ea. They come in classical music, "kiddy" music, or a more hip-hop sound and are published by AudioMemory. What are wrap ups?
  10. We're keeping most of what we started with, although it took me months of pouring over books and lots of research to decide! Luckily, my entire "plan" changed before I placed any orders. I was going to go w/ Abeka + Shurley language arts, Veritas History/Bible, Abeka & Calvert Sci. for my K5'er, Saxon or Abeka Math, Classically Cursive and lots of other supplements... Then I read TWTM. Everything changed. Now we're doing what's in my sig. line, but I've added Atelier art, and will be adding guitar, drum, and tae kwon do lessons as soon as I finish looking into which place/person I want them to take lessons from and get them signed up. We did drop the art lessons they were taking from a local art instructor b/c she moved away. :(
  11. Hi! I too use Horizons math for my 2nd grader and K5'er. I've love having the Primary Math Manipulatives set from Calvert to illustrate the concepts in the Horizons lessons, and we also use some of it for games. It comes w/ Cuisinare rods, a cube unit/tens rods/hundreds boards set, lots of pattern blocks, a balance scale, pattern magnets & magnet board, colorful dominoes, etc. Monkey Math is a fun game, I forgot where we ordered it from, but I think they have it at www.montessoriservices.com or www.forsmallhands.com. Both of those site would have lots of hands-on activities and educational games as they are geared toward montessori curriculum. Try typing in "math games" on amazon, I bet tons of neat stuff would come up. Hope that helps!
  12. We're getting a late start this year, the 15th of Sep. was day 1 of homeschooling for us. Ugh, now we'll really have to cram. We had an "unforeseen glitch." :tongue_smilie: So, here's the plan: For my Kindergartener: Abeka - penmanship (manuscript), phonics charts, readers, ABC Bible memory verse cards Calvert - phonics sliders, Discoveries in Music, readers Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, with flashcards and magnet board Horizons Math K, with Primary Math Manipulatives from Calvert BOB Books - we use these for his reading practice w/ OPG SOTW 1 & Streams of Civilization 1 Hodge-podge of Life Science sorted by phylum/class/etc. (Animal Kingdom, Human Body, Plants) Art - ?? Still choosing! Atelier or Artistic Pursuits PE - Martial Arts Lessons Bible - we use a Bible (there's a novel idea!), various children's Bibles, Abeka Flash-a-Card series, Daily Bread devotionals, etc. Weekly, we do a story, character value discussion, memory verse, and if it relates to our history/science then I highlight those links. Structured Reading - I read to him and follow the words w/ my finger so he can follow along from a book I select based on content or grammar/literary elements. Fun-Time Reading - I read any book he wants to him, or he looks at them on his own. For my 2nd Grader: Abeka - Penmanship (WWP 2 manuscript to cursive), Spelling 2, Primary Bible Reader, & Phonics Charts for drills Writing - WWE 2 Grammar - FLL 2 Bible - same as little brother Math - Horizons 2, but he's on L. 50, so I think we'll move into 3 before year-end. Also Primary Math Manipulatives from Calvert for hands-on learning. SOTW 1 & Streams of Civilization 1 Science - same as little brother, more feedback required though Music - Guitar Lessons Art - Still choosing, either Atelier or Artistic Pursuits PE - Martial Arts Lessons Structured Reading - Primary Bible Reader for now, we'll move on to other titles through the year (Aesop's Fables are on the list next) Fun-Time Reading - He's reading a Geronimo Stilton book right now Add to that lots of library books, board games, hands-on real-life learning in the house & garden with me and outside with Daddy (changing tires & other vehicle maint., hunting, ATV rides, household repairs, etc.), "recess" (bike-rides, backyard football, and other PE activities), and a homeschool co-op that meets every other Fri.! Hopefully I can re-introduce Spanish after the new year. By then we should be settled into this schedule and be able to add something. For now, I'm just trying to stay afloat! ;)
  13. Whoops, sorry for the double posting! I edited this one but couldn't figure out how to delete one.
  14. I ordered my WWE 2 workbook from Rainbow Resources. I'm thinking of cancelling that and just ordering from PHP, but not sure if that would just put me further down the list or what. I'm calling PHP 1st thing Mon. morning, as RR couldn't tell me anything other than "our system says it's backordered from the publisher". I took a look at how to use the teacher's manual for the weeks that aren't totally laid out and it just feels daunting. The idea of searching through piles of books for certain literary or grammatical components, that is. I'm so ready for that workbook to arrive!
  15. Just bumping this up to see if there's an answer to all the questions about WWE 2 workbook, because I've been wondering the same things. I must echo Julie's plea to post some of it, as I find the task of locating texts which include the various requirements (length, content, etc.) completely daunting. Pleeeeeease??
  16. I will admit, I read to page 3 of the posts but not any further, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating anything others have said. I have a 7 yr. old boy who'll turn 8 early spring & is in 2nd grade. During 1st grade we used Veritas Press' reading guides. I liked them. They offered questions and structure I otherwise wouldn't have thought of. There's alot of fun activities and recipes included as well, although I don't think my son got anything more from his 'Nate the Great' book by making pancakes. He became frustrated that we were "still on that one", as there are alot of workpages for each book. He creatively learned how to form the shortest sentence possible while still maintaining a complete sentence to reduce the amount he had to write. So it did not foster some great writing ability. It did teach him how to go back and locate answers to questions in books, though. I read TWTM this summer and switched to WWE. I agree with the suggestion to do some notebook pages for regular reading books as well. Make it a fun time, have the notebook materials stowed away in a special box so that "notebook time" feels special to him. As for learning to create original content, if you think he absolutely must, here's an idea. I just pulled my sons out of a montessori school where my 2nd grader had what they called an "Expert File". The child picks a topic of their choice broad enough to sustain their interest for roughly 3 months. They work on it once a week. The first week they pick thier topic and list what they already know about it, and what they'd like to know. Countries or animals are easiest, but my son chose police officers. The next week they locate different types of resources for info. Then they start answering the questions they listed in week 1, 1 question at a time, noting the resource used (article, internet, book, interview, etc.). Each time they work on it they're free to list additional interesting info they found out as well, or make drawings, etc. This is just another way of getting them to give feedback about what they're taking in. After having done both, my son and I prefer WWE 2.
  17. We live in an area w/ limited shopping, and our thrift stores are grossly overpriced much like someone else described above (up to $7 - $8 for a decent pair of jeans). I can find brand new things when Old Navy has half-off clearance for cheaper than the main thrift store. Although, I've decided that Old Navy denim is poor quality and my boys get holes in it too quickly. If I get anything like it again, I'll have to reinforce the knees before they wear them. For pj's we do the half-off sale at the thrift store though, usually paying 50 cents per item. Matching doesn't matter when it's just for night-time wear. We're a family of 5 and we all wear hand-me-downs from friends/relatives when we get them. Our budget for clothes is: how little can we get away with? My boys are very hard on their pants, always getting holes in the knees. So, pants that my youngest outgrows become material to use for patching up knees of pants that currently fit. I have an almost-teen dd who is getting increasingly picky about clothes as well. I have set limits on what I will spend, and if she wants to blow it all on 1 item she'll reap the natural consequences. She plans to walk dogs, shovel snow, babysit, etc. to earn more $$ for her various wants. We live where it's very cold, but have been able to find most of our outdoor gear cheap, used or as a gift from grandma. The Friday after Thanksgiving has become a ritual shopping day for me, I'm one of those in line to get into the stores at 5 a.m. Late January after-Christmas sales are hard to beat as well. We do buy new socks, undergarments, and shoes/boots though. I'd say we average about $200 - $300 per year for the 5 of us. My kids have a thing about wanting matching Christmas outfits and jammies though. My mom got them used to this but her budget has changed, so I doubt she can continue. If money were no object I may splurge on just a few super-cute outfits but not a whole new wardrobe. If it's no trouble to your budget, then have fun with it!
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