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dragonflyer

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Everything posted by dragonflyer

  1. 5th grade, here we come! Bible – MP Christian Studies 3 Composition – MP Classical Composition II: Narrative Geography – MP Geography 2 Grammar – MP English Grammar Recitation 3 History – MP Famous Men of Middle Ages Latin – MP Second Form Latin Math – Math Mammoth 6; Beast Academy 4C-4D Music – Piano Lessons Literature – MP Adam of the Road; Door in the Wall; Robin Hood; King Arthur and His Knights Science - MP Birds; Tiner History of Medicine
  2. I think we are ready to finish up 1st in May and get 2nd rolling in July! Art – MP Art Cards, MP Craft Book Bible – MP Christian Studies Enrichment Handwriting – MP Composition, Cursive History – SOTWv3 audio CDs in car Languages – MP Prima Latina Literature – MP Second Grade Math – Math Mammoth 2 Music – Piano Lessons Science – Berean Builders Science in the Beginning Spelling – MP Traditional Spelling 1
  3. I love the Kumon number games books for Kindergarten. The front page is dot-to-dot. The back page is color by number. I forget so quickly how difficult it is for kids to look at all the numbers and visually identify which one comes next.
  4. I started with SSL1 and transitioned to PL, then LC, we are now using MP First Form Latin. Song School takes a child-centric approach to vocab. They give lots of words that are related to others and can be used in the child's life. We learned about desks, books, pencils, animals, Christmas, nature, and so on. It was enough fun that I am letting my next son play with Latin using SSL, but I am not trying to get the vocab solid because we will master vocab in LC and FFL. Memoria Press takes grammar-centric approach to their Latin system. So nouns are chosen based on their declension, verbs are chosen based on their conjugation. Prima is great for a child who is still young enough to need extra time to grapple with basic grammar ideas like what kinds of words are nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Latina Christiana moves a little bit faster, but allows plenty of time for thinking about bigger ideas like why the 'to be' verb is so important, or how the verb tenses are used in English and in Latin. By the end of LC both my son and I were confident to tackle the faster pace of First Form Latin. First Form assumes that you are comfortable with the basics of English grammar, but moves very quickly through pronunciation and the first tenses. Enough of First Form is review that the transition has been very gentle so far (we are 7 weeks into First Form). Hopefully that helps you decide whether you prefer to tackle MP or CAP.
  5. A bit of background. I grew up homeschooled by a mom whose philosophy is something like: if you can do reading, writing, and math you can learn anything. All history, geography, and science before high school were: choose a book about something in science and write a paper about it. So what does "enough" mean for my family or your family when it comes to history? We did Memoria Press last year for Kindergarten and 3rd. I like it enough that we are continuing this next year with 1st and 4th. Classical Studies was a major hit with my 3rd grader. There are a series of drill questions at the back of the teacher's manual that when reviewed every week, make sure the most relevant facts stick. We spent an entire year covering states and capitols by region. My son mostly had the states before he started 3rd, but they became solid over the past year. I liked the list of American history books. They were at a lower reading level, so I just had my son read through the books when we got there each week. The curriculum manual also had us memorize the list of POTUS. We also listened to Story of the World audio CDs in the car. I have been very happy with how engaged my kids are with the MP materials, and how well they are retaining the things they are learning. Looking at the grades going forward, I think we will have a really strong foundation in history and geography for high school and beyond.
  6. I was also going to suggest Zeus on the Loose. For my kids who are not really ready to add in their head, we use and abacus.
  7. We do a small family deal at the end of each school year. I same a small amount of work from the year in a 1-inch binder to show how they have progressed in each subject. They are handed a grade-completion certificate, and a few more that I come up with. Then they are allowed to share a poem, song, book or nothing as they please. I try to make it about them and what they wish to share not a time for me to "show off" how great my kids are.
  8. I find that with my young kids, living ideas (which I would define as those that cause wonder and further thinking/imagination) are the ones that I hear in their talk and play later. The day after reading "Riddles in the Dark" my 8-year-old went through the house whispering, "what has it got in its pocketses?" My 5-year-old will say something like, "Do you think this is a chrysalis mom?" With a language deficit, this would be so much harder to hear the scraps of thought that are stirring around in their brain. It sounds like you are doing a great job reading his body language to know when he is engaging with what he is learning. Anything that produces delight and wonder is a living idea at the level your kid needs.
  9. Here is a guide mapping My Book House with Junior Classics: http://librariesofhope.com/new-story-guides.html
  10. I am sticking mostly with Memoria Press for 1st: Bible – MP Christian Studies Handwriting – MP Copybook II; MP New American Cursive I History – Story of the World vol 2 (listen in car), Latin - Song School Latin 1 Math – Math Mammoth 1-2; Kumon mazes Memorization - Summer - Preamble to Constitution; Nobility by Cary; WSC #1-6 Harvest - John 14:1-11; 4 Midsummer Quotes; Solitude by Wheeler; WSC #7-13 Autumn - Psalm 139; The Road Not Taken by Frost; November by Coatsworth; WSC #14-20 Winter - John 14:12-22; Against Idleness and Mischief by Watts; The Crocodile by Carrol; WSC #21-28 Lenten - Psalm 105; Obedience to Parents by Watts; Whether the Weather; WSC #29-36 Spring - John 14:23-31; 5 Twelfth Night Quotes; Pretty Good by Osgood; WSC # 37-40 Reading – MP StoryTime Treasures Spelling – MP Traditional Spelling I
  11. My oldest had severe eczema as an allergic reaction to many things. We liked the Cetphil moisturizer as a lotion, but only allergy testing to determine what he was allergic to, and then completely removing all allergens from his diet cleared his skin. Turned out that he was also allergic to oatmeal, so that could not be used in his baths either. He also has needed a daily antihistamine to handle environmental allergies.
  12. My 5 yo's dream is to become a traveler and discover the way to Oz. He listens to the first 4 in the series on repeat.
  13. This was a few years ago... I homeschooled Algebra 1 in 9th because my mom was not paying attention to how things had changed since she was in school. I took Geometry in public school in 10th and discovered that I was "behind." I had to double-up Algebra 2 and Trig in 11th. So that I could take Calculus in 12th, because that was what the "smart" kids were doing. I got college credit for Calc 1. I walked into my first class on my first day of college in Calc 2 .... and sat behind a senior whispering "D is for Diploma" over and over to herself. I majored in Computer Science and never had any trouble with math. So back to you: If your daughter takes Algebra 1 in 8th, she will be ready to take Calc in 12th, yay? If your daughter takes Algebra 1 in 7th, will she be ready for it? Also, what will she take her last year of high school? Calc 2? Will the colleges even accept a high school calculus credit?
  14. We are finishing MP Kindergarten and 3rd this year. I did not get R&S math. Latina Christiana has been good (we did Prima last year). I am looking forward to digging deeping into First Form next year. I have enjoyed the literature guides, they have been a good springboard for discussions about the books, and the selections have been excellent. Not a huge fan of English Grammar Recitation. It is set up catechism style, but does not always have a clear question to ask. Not a huge fan of Spelling Workout, but it is independent which I needed. All Things Fun & Fascinating has been once a week, and has worked well. Christian Studies has been basic, but I love the drill questions in the back of the book to make sure we have "the facts" solid. Greek Myths is ok. The workbook is great, but the tests are insane for 3rd grade. I again love the drill questions in the back of the book. States and Capitols has been a bit dry, but we are mastering them and I like that they are arranged by region instead of alphabetically. Astronomy has been great. I have not had to come up with any science demonstrations, and both me and my son have now memorized the night sky well enough to look up anytime it is dark and find many constellations. I like the Timeline, it is nothing fancy, and there are not a huge number of events to master each year. The read-alouds have been excellent. The American studies books have been fine. I have already bought 1st and 4th for next year.
  15. I am not sure I agree with the just going places is a field trip mentality. My kids love learning more from people about regular places. Our field trips for that age group: Ice cream store: made a batch of ice cream, got to see the frige, freezer, blast freezer, taste waffle cone, then eat ice cream Public Library: had a scavenger hunt to help learn the dewey decimal system, they love watch books come through the book drop Pumpkin patch with hayride Local wildlife resource center 911 Emergency Center Fire Station: includes fire safety, touch a fireman dressed in fire suit, climb through truck, spray fire hose, play with body heat detector Dentist Children's Museum Zoo Aquarium Botanical Gardens Post Office Pizza Joint Homeschool Day at the Capitol Grocery Store Strawberry Picking Blueberry Picking Wildlife rehab center Pet store
  16. I think everyone mentioned my suggestions: Drop Science, because you are doing it out of the house. Drop Latin, it is ok to wait until they can read and write to make Latin a priority. Move SOTW to audio CDs in the car since you are spending so much time running.
  17. Here is how I have used AAS for my advanced reader: I have a notebook page where I write down any spelling word he misses. On day 1, I go over the phonics rule and review old phonics rules. I dictate half of the spelling list, half of the extra words, and some review words until I reach the number of words I think he should write for the day. Then I dictate some sentences (the number increased as handwriting stamina increased. on day 2, I review the current phonics rule and sound cards. I dictate the other half of the spelling list, other half of the extra words, writing station list, and some review words until I reach the "right" number of words. Then I dictate some more sentences, then he had to write 1-3 sentences for writing station. Each writing station sentence must use at least 2 spelling words and he got a sticker for every spelling word beyond 2. He advanced quickly through the first 5 levels. For 3rd grade, we are trying Spelling Workout because it is more independent. AAS seemed to stick better.
  18. I started using the Mensa Reading List for K-3 when my oldest was starting to read, but needed practice. Those books were read to me during our 15 minutes read-aloud or buddy read to mom at school time. He finished the list in 1st grade, so I made our own assigned reading list for 1st-3rd grades. He picks from the list for school books to read independently or out loud. I do not demand that he reads from any list on his own reading time.
  19. I have a really strong reader who is good at spelling. I started at the beginning of AAS in Kindergarten and used the spelling lists mostly for dictation and writing practice starting in Kindergarten. We have gone through the levels quickly. Starting in the middle of Level 2, AAS introduces dictation phrases, quickly moving into dictation sentences. I mostly go over the rule of the lesson, dictate the words to reinforce the lesson, then use the dictation sentences to increase writing stamina, reinforce spelling, introduce basic punctuation and capitalization, and review handwriting. Last year (2nd grade) we only did spelling twice a week. Using it this way, I just buy the teacher's manual used because the dictation sentences are the meat of how I use the program. It has given me a bit more confidence that we are covering the phonics rules, but not spending a lot of time focusing on an area where he is strong. I have no experience with SYS. Hope that helps and you figure out what your kiddo needs.
  20. She is a great age to start working through sparketh.com
  21. I would highly recommend a homeschool convention. My husband knew that I grew up successfully homeschooled, he has met many people he respects who have done a great job educating their own children, he knew there were great resources for homeschooling, he knew I would carefully choose resources that would meet my children where they were. He said the last piece clicked into place as he walked into a vendor hall that had hundreds of vendors catering to thousands of homeschoolers that this was really a valid option. The talks were a bit of icing for him, but just seeing the sheer numbers of people changed him from a head knowledge of being mostly ok with this, to a gut comfort that we were capable of doing a great job with our own kids.
  22. We are almost to long division... following :lurk5:
  23. I am interested in starting a curriculum library for our homeschool support group, and have some questions: 1. How many books is each family allowed to check out? I am thinking each family can check out one resource per child. Maybe if they donate a desired curriculum, they get an extra checkout? 2. Do you require any records of what each family has checked out? I was just going to have a list of what each family has, and when your return something you get to check something else out. 3. Have your run into a situation where someone keeps checking books out of your library and then reselling them? The limits on checkouts should help, and maybe have everyone sign a paper saying that they understand they will never get to check books out again? Mostly, could you just give me a rundown of how books are purchased, checked out, and returned with your system? Thank you!
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