Momof3
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Posts posted by Momof3
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1 hour ago, PeterPan said:
That's really good if handwriting is going tolerably well! If he likes comics, have you tried graphic novels on him? There are SO many now. And of course the old ones like Calvin & Hobbes. My dd inhaled comics so much I despaired, tried to hide them. Almost perfect ACT scores. So I say comics harm no one.
I'm asking because ADHD is going to overlap with SLDs about 60% of the time. So exercising and some movement would be a normal suggestion. You might also try some mindfulness. You could do something like Sitting Like a Frog, which has free soundtracks online that you can play. (just google) Or teach him to body scan and talk about each part of his body, head to toe, inside and out. It sounds silly or like nothing, but just 5 minutes of that can give him a 30% bump in Executive Function (EF, the stuff he needs to hold it together and get those word problems done). So doing a body scan before he starts math might be perfect. It can also help him become more self aware and ask for breaks BEFORE he gets to that point.
That's something to think about, how you can up communication about his stress and make it *OK* for him to ask for breaks. I toured a dyslexia school near us that is top notch, draws from all over the state, and this was a HUGE DEAL there. They did a lot of work on self advocacy, saying where you needed to work to feel well, saying you needed a break, etc. So they'd have different types of stations (standing desks, sitting, etc.) and the option to go into the large hall where it was like a living room with couches and tables. It was like home, and we have that flexibility to let our kids advocate and self monitor like that. (I see your attention is dropping, do you need to take a break and do 5 minutes on the elliptical and then come back...)
Ah yes, Calvin & Hobbes are great favorites in our family.
Taking breaks is good. I will think about this - how to help him with communication & allow for breaks/change of focus.
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Just now, PeterPan said:
How is handwriting going? If it's going well, you could show him Seb Lester's calligraphy stuff, which is a marvel. If it's not going well, obviously don't do that, lol.
Handwriting is good. Not sure if he'd get into calligraphy. He likes comics and cartooning. But I'll look into it.
9 minutes ago, PeterPan said:This.
And look into Ronit Bird. He probably has either some ADHD or learning disabilities or both.
Or low processing speed and poor working memory. Have you looked into something like Daily Word Problems so that he could do less and get more frequent practice? Here's a series I've used and amazon has it for $5. https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Word-Problems-Grade-3/dp/1557998159
You have 6 kids in a NYC apartment?? I'm reading your sig correctly? What happens if he goes to the park first to play? Any chance of a tutor or some help?
Will look into Ronit Bird. Next thing to do is probably to get him tested though and see what I'm dealing with.
Yes, they do play at the park - obviously we had an absolutely crazy covid year, but this past school year they've been out for at least 30 min most mornings before school.
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You all have been such a help. Thank you!!! ❤️
After much discussion & research (spurred by all of your suggestions), we're probably going to go with Zippy Shell - which will move everything in a trailer straight to MN and hold it there for us for up to 30 days. So we'll meet it there after our IN stop.
The PODS idea sounds wonderful - we looked into U-Pack and U-Box as well...but our landlord was giving us some grief with parking lot insurance and it was getting complicated, so this looks like it work best all around.
Looks like it's going to cost about the same as our original plan, and save us sooo much headache along the way. Bless you all!!
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Just now, Not_a_Number said:
So then he'd be able to explain how to do something like 53 - 19 with manipulatives or mentally by explaining the trades? What would his strategy be?
I've generally found that place value is harder than people think it is 🙂 . That's why I'm asking.
Two questions:
1) What does he think 7x6 means, if you ask him about it? Would he be able to make a story problem to illustrate it?
2) What's his strategy if he forgets a multiplication fact like 8x7?
I hope you don't mind the detailed questions! I've absolutely worked with math-reluctant kids before, and more often than not, the issue is that they aren't really getting a feel for what they are doing and so it feels arbitrary and pointless. That's why I'm checking what he understands 🙂
I don't mind at all! This is helping me to think things through.
Yes, he would be able to break a ten and "give" it to the ones... He can do regrouping with addition and subtraction on paper just fine without manipulatives (although he balks at doing more than three or four problems at a time). He can do the same thing with 3-digit numbers even when regrouping twice (323-289). And he could demonstrate that with manipulatives *if I made him. 🙂
7x6 he would explain as seven 6s or six 7s (he gets that multiplication is commutative). He'd probably draw 7 boxes and count them by six (6, 12, 18, etc.)...or maybe just write "6, 12, 18...42" out and figure it that way.
*Make* a story problem...not sure about that one. Maybe but I'd have to check. He doesn't like word problems in general. He balks at the extra step of trying to decide what the problem, writing out a number sentence, etc. But if I give him a page of word problems he will get most of them right. So the reasoning skills are there...it's either laziness or lack of confidence or a mental block - either because of a processing disability or just a complex about math. ?
Strategy for 8x7 would be to either skip-count by 7s or 8s...or back up to a problem he knows (7x7 is 49) and add 8.
I've also showed him how 8x7 is the same as 4x7 + 4x7 and he occasionally remembers to try something like that.
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6 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:
I think they come together 🙂. It sounds like math is hard for him, which is probably discouraging to him. I'd definitely stop doing timed drills with him, since he freezes up, and I'd keep things gentle. But I'd also introduce new concepts 🙂 .
What concepts has he been working on? Do you know how he's doing with place value? Has he had multiplication introduced? 🙂
4 minutes ago, KSera said:I don’t think you can make love of math (or any subject) happen just by doing the right things. Some kids are just never going to love certain subjects. In my experience, a time comes where you just need to get a kid through the subject they dislike as well as they can, as solidly as they can, even if they don’t like it.
I wouldn’t see anything you say as being likely to be laziness that can be drilled out. In your place, I would actually be looking for a way to have him tested, as from your description, I would be concerned that a learning disability is holding him back.
In the meantime, I would actually consider giving him something like Beast Academy (at a lower level, like 2nd grade) to work through on the computer to see how taking the reading out of it and giving him something with some interesting conceptual problems went. Perhaps along with playing some math games or maybe doing one of Kste Snow’s programs? (And I say that as a Math Mammoth lover. It’s the primary program I use for my kids for elementary math.)
I don't do much with timed drills unless I sneak them in by not telling him I'm timing him. 🙂
Yes, he does very well with place value. And we covered all the 3rd grade multiplication stuff. We did lots and lots and lots of skip counting, and I used Multiplication That Sticks games with him and ds7 (which is how ds7 knows all his multiplication tables). Ds9 can fill in a multiplication chart (0-12) easily. Only recall of tricky facts (7x6, 8x6, 8x7) are really hard. But his attitude is still "I can't do this, I give up, I hate math."
Okay, maybe I do need to get him tested. Will look into this once we're move and settled. And I'll look into Beast Academy too.
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I think my real concern is his lack of love and joy in math.
I want to pull back and give him more time to develop confidence and love of math without pushing him into new things because we've got to get the next math year done... I want him to love math because we learn anything better that we love to do...
But I'm nervous about giving him that kind of space if this is just laziness that needs to be drilled out of him. 🙂 Then I'm setting him up to seek out the path of least resistance instead of learning to tackle what is hard and takes mental work.
If that makes sense.
So...does the love come before the learning, or the learning before the love? 🙂
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1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:
As in, counting on?
Yes.
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2 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:
I think you should definitely let the kids go at their own paces as far as possible, if you can stop them from comparing themselves.
What's he counting on his fingers, if you don't mind me asking?
He'll count a problem like 14+8 or 21-5 out on his fingers. If he's in a pressured situation (timed drill) he freezes up and counts almost anything that he would normally have down (5+8) on his fingers.
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12 hours ago, HomeAgain said:
I would absolutely give the younger kid something meatier.
For the rising 4th grader, I would be slightly concerned. A kid who is struggling is often reluctant to do the work, as you're finding out. For them, it's not about whether the answer is right or wrong, but the whole point of the exercise and feeling like they're not stuck in a hole.
You didn't say what you're using with him (homegrown? A published curriculum?), but maybe it is just the approach that needs tweaking.
We're using Math Mammoth.
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I'll have a 4th grader this fall who doesn't like math.
He hasn't gotten comfortable with reading independently yet...he can read chapters books, but not usually on his own. The other day I caught him reading "My Father's Dragon" in his own free time, and that's encouraging. I'm not pushing him, we read lots together this year. I read aloud to him a lot, and sometimes have him read to me. I'm waiting for him to "blossom" in this area...maybe this next year?
I think his math angst is tied to the reading. I'm schooling 5 kids right now, and he's the middle child, but he's the one I spend the most time with, curled up on the couch together, coaxing him to get his problems done. If I leave his side, he's usually drawing cartoons all over his page.
He gets uptight if he has to do anything timed. He does much better if I read the problems to him. Maybe there's a touch of dyslexia here?
My question is: Can I let him just bloom at his own pace in *math*? Or should I be concerned that we've just gotten comfortable with subtraction to 20 in 3rd grade, and he's still counting on his fingers in a pinch? At what point should I get concerned or try pushing him along? Looking for reassurance or redirection.
Part of the pressure I'm feeling comes from my rising 3rd grader (7) who is 2 years younger than his brother, but knows all of his multiplication tables to 12, and I can't. slow. this. kid. down. I don't want my 4th grader (9) to get passed up and get discouraged.
Secondary question: Should I give the 3rd grader something more "meaty" (Beast Academy?) to work on that would potentially slow him down a bit and allow me to focus on his brother? Would love any advice especially from anyone in the same boat with younger siblings outperforming/passing up older.
I started to browse the forum for thoughts on these areas, I'm sure there's plenty there already on the hive...but we're moving in a few weeks, and I just can't give that kind of time to researching right now--even though it's bugging me. Any thoughts you'd like to share would be much appreciated!! ❤️
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Doesn't look like PODS services our part of MN. 😕
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3 minutes ago, Sherry in OH said:
Talk with PODS. They have a service specifically for city moves. The POD is delivered on the day of your move. The driver stays with the POD while you load it. Then he takes it away. The POD is delivered to your new location on the day you want it.
Ooh, I will look into this. Thanks!
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11 minutes ago, fraidycat said:
Who is the "them" in your option #2 that would be driving straight through to MN and unloading your stuff?
As a veteran cross-country "mover", if you absolutely plan to stop and stay with the ILs, I'd hire a company that will move & store your items until you close on the house. Let them deal with the loading and unloading multiple times.
Sorry, #2 would be hiring movers to drive our stuff to MN.
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28 minutes ago, Frances said:
Long ago, we made several long moves of the distance you are describing and longer. We also had a couple of situations where we had to move stuff into storage and then later move it to the final destination. After one very stressful day of discovering no storage places were available at our destination, we learned to reserve in advance. My dad went along on our first move from IA to NY and my in-laws helped when we moved from MN to OR. The guys drove the truck and the women and child flew. We never used movers because even the one time we had a job allowance for moving, it wouldn’t have remotely covered the cost. All of the other moves were education related, so done on very tight budgets.
How many vehicles are you moving? We never had more than one so just towed it behind the moving truck, but we only had one child. Is the plan for you and your husband to drive the kids to Indiana while the in-laws are moving your stuff? Will it be a three day trip total to MN since you have to load and leave the same day?
One vehicle, our family in that.
In-laws in the moving truck.
Yes, two days to IN, then another day to MN.
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We don't close on the new house for 2 more weeks, so we're needing somewhere to hole up for that time...they're on the way, and it's a 12 hr drive to their place from the new house. We probably won't make that trip again for a while.
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We're moving in a month...1400 miles 😱
We are currently in an apartment building, and there's no way to get a pod or trailer or anything overnight. We have to be able to load up & move out same day.
I think we have plenty of help to load a truck (NYC), and to unload (MN) once we get there.
We don't have tons of stuff - couple beds, lots of dressers, and a dining room table are the biggest things. Then lots of books and clothes, etc.
We do have money set aside for this, but are trying to keep costs down and also make sure our stuff actually makes the trip!
Options:
1) We fly my father-in-law to NYC, and he drives the truck for us (I don't drive). We're stopping in IN to be with my in-laws for a couple weeks on the way, so we'd have to unload the truck somewhere, and then reload *another* one...and both my in-laws would drive to MN, then they would drive back to IN from there. Complicated, I know.
2) We rent a U-Haul, and have them drive everything straight to MN where we have friends who can unload & store stuff until we get there 2 weeks later.
3) We rent a budget company to do the same as #2.
My thoughts:
#1 is maybe cheaper...but maybe not with paying for a plane ticket and all of the extra gas, hotels, not to mention the pain of having to unload & reload in Indiana. My in-laws are very willing to help out, but it's a long trip for them to make, too.
#2 & 3 have me a bit nervous...seems like sooo many things can go wrong with a move this big. #2 would be pricier than #3, but might be worth paying for better service?
Anyone have any idea of what the difference in cost between #2 and #3 would end up being?
Any advice?
My husband got a quote from Budget Van Lines today - they told him they'd load/move/unload everything for $3000. That seems super cheap to me (makes me suspicious of hidden costs/extra fees), and they have a lot of bad reviews online. Has anyone used them? Does this offer sound legit? I'm a horrible skeptic by nature and my hubby is a trusting soul. 😏
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I keep an art binder with a divider for each year...the very best samples of artwork go into the binder during the year (I choose these). The rest I toss myself, or give back to the kids to keep if they like.
Each child then has a working "paper drawer" (I have this from IKEA) where they can keep any papers they are currently working on...random sketches and doodles and stories, etc. When we clean up at the end of the day, this is where most of the mess goes. Periodically, these drawers get full and the kids have to clean them out.
Each child also has a small plastic tub with a lid (maybe 16 qt?) that they keep in their room. This is for special papers...not school art necessarily, but things they've made or worked on that they just can't bear to part with. When we clean out their paper drawers, they can transfer anything they want to keep to their tub. None of mine have filled up their tub yet (and we've been doing this for 7 or 8 years now) but in principle when they fill the tub, they'll have to go through it all and make room for more.
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We're moving from NY to MN in a month... Normally, when I send in our 4th quarterly reports, I include a note that we intend to homeschool our kids the following year, and they'll be in such & such grades, etc.
Getting those reports ready to send off this week, and now I'm wondering:
Is it enough to NOT include the "intent" (just send in our 4th quarterly report, and then drop off the face of the map as far as NYC is concerned)...
Or do I need to officially inform the DOE that we're leaving?
I didn't see anything on the Office of Home Schooling website.
Any help is appreciated. :)
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Wish they would put this video & the chart front and center on the Intermediate Grammar page. I've been there many many times to look at the curriculum and never saw this. Exactly what I was needing. Thanks!
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11 minutes ago, Domiche said:
The attached link breaks down SWB’s Recco on how to move through sections of the curriculum repeatedly.
https://welltrainedmind.com/a/how-to-use-grammar-for-the-well-trained-mind-with-your-student/?v=7516fd43adaaOh this is perfect! Thank youuu!!!
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I like to set some tentative goals for where I want to be by such and such date for accountability, planning, and analysis purposes. Trying to decide what's practical for us this year at least for a goal. My kids have not had a rigorous grammar curricula for years, but they are very solid on the basics.
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Curious how far you all got with Grammar for the Well Trained Mind. I know the intro says not to feel bad if you don't finish the first time through. Did anyone actually finish it?
(I'm planning on starting this year with a 6th and 7th grader.)
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Thank you! This is helpful. ❤️
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Does anyone know where I could find a sample scope and sequence for Foerster's Algebra 1 (or several to compare/tweak)? I'm using Math Without Borders videos to accompany the classics edition this year. Kind of lost switching to a "real" textbook with my oldest this year after doing 7 years of Math Mammoth. 😕 There are so many different editions of Foerster's...and now I'm looking the lessons over & some are short, some are long... I don't want to spend hours reinventing the wheel if there are already schedules available. Help is much appreciated!
Math Advice
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
1. Only dabbled a bit with supplements. MM is cluttery...I like that its cheap and functional. There are just so many maths out there and I've heard pros and cons for all of them. 🙂
2. I really like the whiteboard idea. He would probably like that. I'm planning on mounting a whiteboard in our new place so this would be easy to try.
3. This is something I can work on too. Sometimes I let him doodle characters to "act out" word problems (although can tend to become tedious and distracting)...but I can look into visual aids too. I like the blank table - he would like that.
4. Yes, we've had lots of these discussions. 🙂 It does help that ds9 is super handy, has beautiful handwriting, is a great artist, a skillful entertainer, and is definitely more socially/emotionally mature than ds7. 🙂 He's a pretty secure guy overall.
Suggestions? You mean computer games? 🙂 We like Math Playground and Hoodamath, but they gravitate towards the "logic" games and I'm not sure how much math they're actually picking up.