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Freedom

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Everything posted by Freedom

  1. I never paid much attention to what the ADA - my dentist has recommended in the past. I just complied...until I had a child. I researched everything at that point! In summary, I've read how toxic fluoride is and can actually cause death in certain quantities in children. BUT it's in everything! I'm dreading our next dental appointment because I want to refuse fluoride treatments. I've already switched toothpaste but DH continues to use fluoride paste (his father is a retired dentist!). Anybody change their traditional ways?? I'll save amalgam vs composite for another post. :lol:
  2. Check out the Institute for Excellence in Writing. They have a program Fix-It grammar that teaches grammar in the context of writing. Their writing instruction is fantastic as well. They offer loads of help and money back guarantee on all purchases directly from them.
  3. You're welcome. I wanted to add that if you use BRT with your younger DDs, the Buck Denver DVDs are fantastic! FYI...we are a reformed theology family. :)
  4. I think BSGFAA for your DDs 6&8 is a great choice. We use the primary level student pages with the teachers guide and do 1 page a day. It's a favorite subject around here! We also just started using Bible Road Trip and that you could use with all 3 or your 7th grader in addition to CS Lewis because BRT can be done independently if you need it to be.
  5. I usually make my own planner and attendance log but I did not like using a 3-ring binder like a couple of other moms here. I also did not like paying for binding at the office supply stores. Since I bind a moderate amount of things like notebooking pages, math mammoth PDFs, copy work books, etc I bought a Proclick binding machine and it has been well worth it. I bought it 3 years ago and it has paid for itself in the money I've saved versus the office supply store. What is also nice about these is that you can open the binding and add sheets or remove sheets then re-bind it! https://www.amazon.com/GBC-ProClick-Desktop-Binding-Machine/dp/B00006IAS3/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1467548604&sr=1-1&keywords=proclick
  6. There are some weeks when we are on break from school but music lessons are not and we are burned out, so I cancel the lesson. Sometimes, there no burnout and then we go to lessons. I decide based on how much we need or don't need a break from everything. If you feel rundown, maybe take a long term break from extra activities to recharge and refocus. Maybe do something easy and fun at home for a period of time when you would otherwise be running out to extra activities. Whatever you try, you will know if it's the right thing for you and your family.
  7. I second building around VP. I incorporated MOH with the MP3 discs and it dovetailed so nicely. In the MOH yahoo group files, aligning the VP cards has been done already, so join the group and you'll have access to those files and much more. My son enjoyed the audio MOH and I think it worked very well combining.
  8. If you want to try something that teaches grammar at the point of use, take a look at IEW Fix-It. They have samples on their website, MP3 talks discussing grammar, and 100% money back guarantee if you try it and you don't like it.
  9. Another vote for IEW. They have amazing support via forum or yahoo group with detailed help for nearly every type of writer.
  10. FWIW, my soon to be 7 DS is very similar. You've been given great advice (I read most, not all so forgive me if someone suggested this). We use MM and he is gifted in math but cannot sit still and focus. So I instituted 10 minute breaks between every 2 subjects. I always do math third, right after our first break and it's transformed our day. The one exception is if he goes to bed late and then we're back to no focus, floppy, wiggly and then I just have to drag us through the day.
  11. I use Homeschool Tracker but the old download version. I love it. They have an online version now that is supposed to have improved features. Worth a look I think. :)
  12. I think Prima Latina is too simple for a 4th grader. I am doing it slowly with my first grader now. If you were to choose Memoria Press, either go with Latina Christiana or First Form. I like Memoria Press Latin so far because it is straight forward and the DVDs give DS another teacher! I don't have any experience with GSWL. I am Christian as well, and Memoria Press leans toward Catholicism but I have not encountered anything that contradicts Biblical Christianity so far.
  13. IMHO, you would only select a few to have him analyze and choose ones that you read as well so you can have discussions with him and hopefully help think about what he is reading at a deepening level as he matures. I think if you made him do this for all books, he would grow to dislike all school reading. Teaching the Classics is a great training program if you are like me and was not taught how to analyze literature. :) if will teach you how to have meaningful discussions and dig deeper into what we read.
  14. I used PAL reading and writing with my then 4 yo who had been begging me to teach him how to read. We loved it! Because he was so young, we spread one lesson out over 4 days then after a couple of months we spent 2 days per lesson. He was reading Bob books after a few months. After a year, he was reading around a second grade level. IEW does have material for reading to follow...sort of. For reading, just keep reading aloud and then choose some books to "analyze." Talk about the story sequence chart which is the basic story breakdown in pieces for a young child to grasp. Then move to Center for Literary education's product....Ready Readers, Teaching the Classics, Worldview Detective...these take you through high school. The writing component of PAL is a great intro to the heart IEW teaching. Once PAL writing is complete, you move into Bible Heroes, then the Studen Writing Intensives or other theme based books. At some point you'll want to purchase the TWSS which teaches you how to teach writing to 4yo through high school. I cannot recommend this program enough. It simply works!
  15. He is 6, nearly 7, and he is in super-sponge mode. He is asking for more and wanting to know more about insects, stars, anything in motion, etc. He spotted the Astronomy book and immediately asked when we could start that. In the meantime, we've started Zoo 1 and he's loving it. His ability to sit still is about 5 seconds, LOL, but while I'm reading he's allowed to move around as long as he can narrate back what I read. And he does. We do small portions 4 days a week with Zoo 1, so if I keep Astronomy the same, this could work. I just don't know if I should try both 4 days a week or only 2 days a week for each. 2 days a week is not much and there is a lot of time between weeks!
  16. I'm considering working through Apologia's Exploring Creation Zoology 1 and Astronomy at the same time. Just wondering if anyone has done this and what did your schedule generally look like? I'm thinking 2 days Zoology and 2 days Astronomy...alternating or back to back....just brainstorming. Love to hear what others have done.
  17. We did Adventures in America when DS was 4 and enjoyed it. It's a broad overview...key people, things, and events. It includes all 50 states spread out 1 per week. If it were me looking for a first grade level, I'd go with TruthQuest. The author provides a chronological list of events and people from New World exploration to modern times with an abundance of books listed for each topic. She also has her own commentary to enhance the study and provoke more thinking. It's in depth but you can tweak it very easily. I've learned more American history with half of this program than I did in school and all I have done is selected and screened books to start it this summer!
  18. I completely agree with the narration suggestion....write and/or draw what you've studied. Also, if DS knows the information, maybe you could fly through the lessons and move to the next volume with new information sooner rather than later. Then you could resume the normal schedule. We use MOH with Biblioplan and have a similar situation...DS knows his Bible history!
  19. For grammar, I recommend Fix-It! IEW's grammar program. For science we use Apologia, but it might be too much for your 6th grader. If you like the living books, take a look at TruthQuest and Beautiful Feet, especially if you have access to a good library.
  20. http://www.handwritingworksheets.com http://www.handwritingpractice.net/
  21. The blog pretty much covers what you asked so I'll just add my 2 cents...they have a forum and a yahoo group that is moderated by their staff who answer any questions you might have and it is very helpful. I recommend going all in with IEW...even consider their poetry memorization program. In their "magalog" (magazine and catalog), there is a pathway graphic that gives you options for how to jump in and what pathway of products to follow...you may have seen that already. 😀 We love IEW...it is a gem of homeschool curricula!
  22. I'd hesitate to just use the Teacher's Guide (binder) with the 1st grader and possibly the 3rd grader. The binder questions are all discussion with Biblical references. For example, "For what was the atonement money to be used? Exodus 30:16" and "Why was it necessary for Saul to escape from Damascus? Acts 9:21-25 Without hands-on, they may get bored...at least mine would. :001_smile: I do have the binders for the older years though because it is very good. We also use the music CD so consider that as well. I love BSGFAA! I'm sure you will settle on what works best for your kids because they do offer so much!
  23. Sorry if I missed it, but how old are your children you plan to use this with? I'm asking because the Teacher's Guide in the hard binders are geared toward older students....I'd say at least middle school through adult. The student pages are fantastic for anyone younger...they are my DS 6 yo favorite subject. We are using the Primary level student pages which require the Teacher's Guide Pages which is different than the Teacher's Guide binder. The student pages for this level include maps and timelines which is great because we don't have wall space for the large maps and timeline. Hope this helps!
  24. We switched from Singapore to Math Mammoth and it's been been a great decision for us! Homeschool Buyers Coop has it on sale now and the writer has a lot of free samples for you to try before you decide to purchase or not. We use it as a full curriculum, not a supplement.
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