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Oh that's awful! Just awful! *I* like writing with these (seriously - I was just glowing to my dd's violin teacher this afternoon when dd pulled one out because I love that the lead never breaks and the teacher was like WHAT! THAT'S AMAZING! I BREAK SO MUCH LEAD!! We had a real moment there... lol). But I'm not sure even *I* would really enjoy using these new ones that looks so ridiculous. 😞 I'm glad we bought 20 packs last year when the price dipped (to add to the 5 packs we already had previously...) I believe we have close to 200 of them, but maybe I should go buy more anyway!!

We did content for some things, but I chose content that they kid could reasonably finish in 10-15 minutes, and only took longer if they were goofing off. But we always did time for stuff like reading or instruments, because I'd rather they do those slowly but well than rush through. We don't bother trying to make things up if we miss a day. They're little. We aim for 4 days/week of "school", but usually end up with about two "normal" school days and two more "half days" (where we end up only having the afternoon to do school and we're already tired, so we do a very light version of school -- mostly instruments and some reading). It's worked out for us so far, but I realize we'll probably have to be more rigorous eventually. My oldest is only 9.5 right now. 🙂

We're visiting out-of-town family for Christmas and it turns out that they have an autism/sensory community store here, so we went and checked it out yesterday. One of my kids with high anxiety/emotional/sensory issues (ironically, not my asd kiddo) tried on a weighted compression vest, and very visibly relaxed, and just kept telling me over and over again that it felt like a really calming, tight hug and it just felt so good. She already has a weighted blanket that has helped her sleep and I know she uses weights around her shoulders during OT and vision therapy because the therapists say she is way calmer and more focused with a weight on, but I'm wondering how one would use a vest like this, if we were to invest in one? On the one hand, it's a bit pricey to buy just because it "feels nice," and yet I don't want to underestimate that "feels nice" might be all she can articulate, even if there's something more going on. She's very fashion-forward, so I doubt that she'd actually wear it out in public. Do people use them only for certain activities? Only when the kid gets worked up? Whenever the kid wants to? I guess I just don't know much about these vests, and all I've ever heard about are weight blankets, so I'm looking for any information/pros/cons/etc.

Wow. This has all been so relevant for our day, because my kids are very much showing the effects of being "on vacation", and my poor dh about lost it with my kids tonight. They're so off after being with my in-laws the last week and having no structure at all. I know this is off my initial topic, but thank you guys so much. You've given me a lot to consider going into January.

Oh geez. I just stared at the screen for a full minute before I could figure out what to write. That really does make sense. My kids with the worst EF skills are the ones who melt down the worst when I give them more freedom/play time and the ones who do best with a strict schedule. (Unfortunately, they're also the ones most likely to cause hiccups by staying in the bathroom an extra hour or something silly like that...) Maybe I'll revisit my smart but scattered book as I think about how to structure our 2019...

Hmmm... I'll need to think about this more. This might be more of what my kids needs. He's also in 3rd. He has about 2.5 hours of academics a day (including reading), 3 hrs if you include piano. He can do all but 45 minutes independently, except that he has a difficult time writing, so I often end up scribing for him during math even though he doesn't need my help for the actual math (when he writes non-math, he's learning to use google voice-typing to help with writing and we're addressing the writing separately).

This is something I identify with, but struggle to articulate, I guess. I'm more of a relaxed, go-with-the-flow person usually, but my kids have really turned that upside down for me. It's really annoying that they get so irritable and quarrelsome when I give them more space/time/freedom to do their own thing (particularly my older kids). It goes against everything I *want* to be true. 😛

I'd like to hear pros and cons of having a daily schedule (tied to the clock), having a routine (same daily structure, but not necc tied to a clock), and being more flexible. In particular, if you do best with one of these methods, but your kids maybe do best with a different one? Does a daily schedule necessarily mean you only do subjects for a certain amount of time, but you need more of a routine if they have to do a certain task/amount of work each day (e.g., 10 min math/day vs. 2 pages math/day)? How do you deal with every day hiccups (e.g., "You spent the last hour on the toilet?!" or "You just spent your entire half hour of piano practice time finding your piano book?" --> Aside: we keep all the music books on the same shelf!!) when it's always something different, so you can't predict what it is? I'm struggling to find my groove these days (my kids are 9, 7, 5, and almost 4, and at least three of them are 2E). I lean towards being flexible, my kids *want* to be flexible but do *best* when structured rigidly (attitude-wise: they're just happier and more content when on a schedule), but the daily hiccups always throw off a more rigid schedule.

Yeah, I knew it was an older thread, but my question didn't really seem like a "new" one when this thread was still pretty high up on the list - I'm never really sure when to start a new thread and when to piggyback off of a related one. 🙂 I'd agree that a babysitter for 1-2 hours a day for my littles would be ideal. But that's not a possibility for us right now, so I just need to make due filling that 1-2 hrs with some quiet time, some busy bag time, and some screen time. Thanks for the feedback on starfall! 🙂

Can anyone weigh in on ABCmouse vs Starfall? We already have DragonBox, but we're looking for something else that's fun, relatively inexpensive, and covers a wide range of stuff. DH saw an ad for a year of abcmouse for $45 and says it'd cover both of my littles (who are 3.5 and 5). I would love if abcmouse adjusted levels automatically (like prodigy), but it doesn't seem like that's the case, right? Like, you can take their assessments, but you still put your child at a certain level and they stay there until you move them up? Are there any other apps that are an everything-rolled-into-one sort of thing? Reading, math, whatever else is good for this age? I just need a little extra time each day working with my 2E big kids, beyond what quiet times and busy bags can buy me, and it needs to be relatively peaceful (i.e., I don't want to be interrupted constantly because they're playing off on their own and fighting and beating each other up the whole time...)

nm

I shouldn't complain too much, because the lead is thick enough that you can really only fit one extra into the barrel for a total of two. 🙂 I think my kids would just pick off tape or something like that. But hopefully, it becomes less of an issue as my kids get bigger!

They do not, because of the triangular shape of the pencils. The eraser caps that we have purchased just fall off, because they're not snug enough.

The issue with the erasers is not that I need a better eraser... It's that I hate only being able to fit one piece of lead in because any others will fall out without an eraser to keep them in.... 🙂

DS9 is taking his first standardized test next year, and I'm hoping for a smooth ride without too much stress over it. I'm hoping he can also start taking the reins a bit more. He does most of his work independently at this point, but it's mostly the very basic things like math and reading. He's super into robotics and reads lots of books on it, but I think both of us need to figure out how to turn that into more productive time. He really wants to be building stuff and programming it, but I just don't have the time with three younger kids. DD7 is *starting* to develop some frustration tolerance... I'd love to see her be able to work through something for at least five minutes of struggling, rather than just walking away the first time something goes awry. She seems to have a gift for music, and I want to nurture that, but she's also very mercurial. Her sight for next year is set on auditioning for the local Nutcracker performance, since she'll finally be old enough. DD5 really wants to learn how to read, but has been getting the shaft as I deal with DD7's dyslexia and the EF problems (emotional regulation, organization, etc.) that the older two kids have. She thrives on 1-1 time with me, and I want to do better about giving it to her. My main goal for her is to get her reading fluently. She's got great phonics skills, she just needs practice so that she doesn't have to painstakingly sound out every single word. She is also very determined to get her cartwheel perfect and figure out a kick-over and handstand by next summer, so she can do an acro class with the "big girls" at her dance school. DD3 just loves those silly kumon books that are completely overpriced except that they're such nice paper to write on... She got two for an early Christmas gift, and sat down and finished them both already (without me!) 😞 I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with her, yet. I'd let her tag along with dd5, but dd5 really needs the individual time. I may kill two birds with one stone by getting dd7 to "do school" with dd3, and help teacher her to read, hopefully cementing some of her own dyslexia remediation. As a family, we hope to go camping more. At least one weekend trip each month (not camping in the winter, though!!), and really focus on making memories as a family and being intentional about spending time together. We may look for a different home, since we're starting the foster care certification process. There's lots that we're hoping to do, but my main goals really would be to see my kids grow more like Christ and to learn to handle whatever life throws at them (with the help of family, of course. 🙂 )

I thought that way at first. But I also have a kid who's a real "rule follower", and the silent e drove him batty (until we came across Spalding -- though we did add our own "informal" rule 6, which is non-plural words than end in an s sound, so the silent e helps us know it's not plural, like house, mouse, noise, etc. instead of calling all of those "no job" e's). He couldn't stand words like give and have when the only rule he'd been taught was the rule about making a first vowel say its name. He just hated it. It was a constant pitfall in his reading. Same with lots of other "standard" phonics stuff. Once I gave him rules, he was a much, much happier child, and went from struggling with basic readers to reading quality chapter books in about four months. My next child, on the other hand, is completely overwhelmed by all the rules and needs something else. To each their own. 🙂

We love the 1.3mm ones! Even my 2 yo writes without breaking lead! The only down side for us is the lack of eraser refills. I contacted the company about it numerous times, and they refused to sell me any. I even offered to buy them in bulk, a few thousand at a time (I figured I could split it into lots and share with others who love these pencils), but they refused. They went on sale for $2 a while back, and I think I bought 15-20 packs, so we have a LOT of these pencils now and love them. Oddly enough, my 7 yo prefers normal non-mechanical pencils.

Hear, hear. We've made a ton of progress this year, I feel, but it's not academic in nature or objective to measure. DS9 with ASD has learned with about 80-90% accuracy, to identify when he's getting overwhelmed and overstimulated, and even better, to actually *do* something about it by asking for a break and going to a quiet, calm spot. He's also flown through a year of grammar curriculum in the last 6 weeks and started AoPS Pre-A while simultaneously finishing up BA this past year, but it's the mindfulness that I'm most proud of. My other kids have their own accomplishments that I'm proud of, but it's so hard for me to set specific, measurable goals for us, because I feel like about the time I do set some, something more important or more pressing pops up (like this past year, when we had significant enough issues that our ped wanted to put my 6 yo on anti-psychotics...)

Good news! Parks and Rec by us just announced three (!) different family friendly introduction to ice-fishing clinics, all for free! 🙂 Thanks all for the input!

Thank you. We don’t know anyone who ice fishes, but maybe I can cast my net a little wider locally by advertising at the bigger homeschool groups that we are not members of. 🙂

Supposing a kid were really into fishing during good weather, and wanted to give ice fishing a try, but wasn't really sure they wanted to commit... And we don't really want to drop a ton of money only to find out it's not their thing after all... What are the most basic essentials you really need to go ice fishing? Obviously, something to break up the ice (and scoop it out as it reforms) and a seat of some sort (overturned bucket, maybe?) and stronger line. What else?

I like and own these books. I remember loving them when younger but my 9 yo hasn’t been able to get into them yet. 🙂

Can anyone recommend software that writes sheet music for you as you play something? I have a kid who loves to create his own piano music but gets really bogged down by having to get it down in paper. 🙂

Just that some books more frequently appeal to boys, some more to girls, and some really do appeal to both genders fairly well. I’d rather not be the cause of him bullied for reading “girly” books. Kids are mean sometimes. Especially in middle school.