[Lease requires turning in report card]

If I were you I would be on the phone to the HSLDA.  Doesn't sound too legal to me, and HSLDA would be able to answer whether it is legal, and if not, then deal with the issue and make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

Tara, you're awesome!  :001_smile:

[What free nutrition lessons do you recommend for 8 and 10 yo?]

Here's what I did for my 1st grader, but you could easily scale it up for an older kid.

 

Go to www.choosemyplate/gov , pick out a colored plate from the "Printable Materials" tab and print it out.  If there's a black-and-white version of the graphic, print that out too for coloring.  The child can color each group as they learn about them.  Then go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/ and print out the info on each individual food group, including the sub-topics.

 

We covered this subject once a week, and this is how we did it:

First lesson, introduce the general concept - different types of food, etc. 

Next one - starting with the fruit food group, talk about what's in the fruit group, using the "What's in the Group" sub-topic on the website.  Have the child cut out examples from latest supermarket flyer and paste into a notebook. 

Next lesson, talk about how foods in this group help you, from the "Health benefits and Nutrients" sub-topic on the website. 

Next lesson, talk about how much is needed from the relevant sub-topic on the website, and review what we ate yesterday and see if we measure up.  Make tally marks in the notebook to record this.

Next lesson, talk about what counts as a cup.  Again, this is covered in a sub-topic on the website.  Have the child physically measure this out with as many foods from the group as practicable, to help them get the concept.  At this point you could discuss again whether - or how - you are getting enough of this food group.

 

Repeat for each food group.

 

You could do this daily if you want to get through it quicker, or once a week, or whatever works. You could also mix up the order each sub-topic is covered.  Anyway, the website offers plenty of material to build off, and it's all free!

 

Hope this helps!  Good luck!

 

ETA: I know not everyone agrees that the food group "plate" is the best guide for everyone's health, but I think that for teaching kids about nutrition, and the value of different types of food, it's a pretty reasonable starting point.

[What am I doing wrong. . .??]

I'm not totally familiar with all the curricula you listed, but do you think perhaps your boys could use more hands-on/activity style work? Something a bit more kinesthetic, perhaps. I don't know, just throwing it out there! Also, as regards school after noonish - I don't even try any more! It's so frustrating, my kids (5 & 7) just totally space out once lunch is over. They may sit there and be doing school "in body", but their minds are definitely not on the job! Any appointments we make are in the afternoon, and I honestly don't know how teachers in large schools cope with the kids after lunch!! Good luck - sorry I don't have more helpful suggestions but I just wanted to assure you that the post-lunch thing is definitely not just you! :)

[Favorite Netflix Streaming Educational Shows for Elementary Age?]

My kids (7 and 5) are always totally absorbed when we turn on "How It's Made". There seem to be about a gazillion episodes on streaming. It's not necessarily in-depth info, nor is it necessarily attuned to what we're doing in school at the moment, but there's lots of fascinating information for them.

[How do you motivate your kids?]

Ditto. I totally need tips for my bright dd who loathes math. I haven't found my positive motivation to work too well - she gets "points" for completing her work without whining and with appropriate concentration...she hasn't earned many points yet!! I've found that using an app on my tablet for addition/subtraction drills is pretty good - she loves to pop the balloons that you get at the end *if* you get every question right - so if she misses some it's a good excuse to go back and do another set, and she doesn't mind! But that doesn't help get us through the worksheet/ practice problems, or the teaching part where she actually has to listen...!

[What to do for spelling after Saxon Phonics??]

Thanks for the input. It's reassuring to hear, as I was leaning towards WRTR, but wasn't totally confident that it would transition well, or that there wasn't "something better" out there. Since a friend has just given me her copy, I think I'll go ahead and at least start with that...hopefully it will work out well for us! Thanks again!

[What to do for spelling after Saxon Phonics??]

Hi everyone, I'm new here - been looking at the forums for a while but just signed up to see if I can get an answer to this burning question! :001_smile: My dd (7) is just finishing up 2nd grade, and we've used Saxon Phonics for both 1st & 2nd grades. She reads well above grade level, and is also spelling very well. But as I prepare our materials for 3rd grade, I find myself in a real quandary - I've no idea what to use for spelling!! I'd like to find a program that is fairly challenging and that builds on the foundation that she already has. I know, from looking around, that some of you wonderful people have used Saxon Phonics, so I'm really hoping that someone can point me to something that works well to build spelling skills once Saxon runs out. Thank you! (And please forgive my lack of paragraph spacing - I can't seem to get my "enter" key to work!)