chaya
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Posts posted by chaya
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not sure if this is helpful but after my fifth was born (and my kids are more widely spaced than yours- we have an 11 year spread) I totally lost my ability to hold a thought, remember important things, organize my environment or my thoughts, keep track of my bills and paperwork or the kids birthdays (no joke-I recently filled out the wrong date on health forms for one of my kids). It was BAD.
The good news is that I'm doing a bit better now (my youngest will be 4 in Nov). Its still hard to keep track of everything but keeping track of a family of 7+dog is hard! at least I'm mostly coherent these days.
about the concern that you arent able to properly teach your kids, you are. that's it. you love them, you care, you do your best. I think its less about the 'what' we teach than the overall message re:education and learning that we pass on. obviously they need tools and basics, etc but really, your kids are young. if you focus only on math/reading and mental/emotional health, you will have done far more than most school programs. I believe that happy kids make better learners. prioritize the happy, the rest will come.
and yeah, couldnt hurt to have your thyroid levels checked. mine were a bit wonky for a bit pp
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honestly? I would just smile and say 'thanks for your concern' and change the topic. you wont be able to change her opinions, you have no reason to change what you are doing. if this is a good friend, surely she is able to 'agree to disagree' on certain things. if she's not a good friend, I would spend as little time with her as possible. I have enough of my own doubts and fears, I do not need other people adding to that. I try to surround myself with supporters and when I do feel inadequate regarding whatever educational struggles my children are having I remind myself of the many ways they have benefited by being home with me. no one can have or do everything. life is all about the choices we make, I choose this even if my 9 yo is on a second grade reading level. and your friend is welcome to choose 9 hrs/day of schoolwork for her young child if she wishes, but she would be wise not to ask my opinion :glare:
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I've done it. when my third baby was small I'd hang out in the childrens room,nursing and reading. occasionally we'd fall asleep.
but I'm not sure I would have in the main part of the library. for some reason the childrens room seems ok, maybe because its less formal and noisy and full of kids with their moms who can likely relate to sleep deprivation.
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How does saxon math for the younger grades compare to 5/4 and up?
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Did you see this thread?
http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/481001-premade-flexible-scopesequence-for-math/
thanks for the link, and for your opinion.
now I want to check out kitchen table math too, mostly because I like the title :001_smile:
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I just stumbled upon this math curriculum and was wondering if anyone has used it and what they thought of it?
My ds is 9yo and was in regular school last year (4th grade). He's a really smart kid, testing in the gifted ranges, but a struggling student. learned to read in second grade thanks to a tutor who used some very out-of-the-box methodology and was getting special math instruction last year. last year was in fact, the first time he learned much math at all and he did well considering his poor background. when I give him curriculum placement tests he places in 3rd-4th grade.
I know he hates math. I know he hates lots of writing. I know he hates lots of rote practice. I know he feels that he can never and will never be good at math. I also know that he is a very analytical and rational thinker and IS good at math (he gets concepts that his 9th grade sister struggles with but is bogged down by the basics) and needs something different than saxon math (which is working wonderfully well with my older son).
I think this might be our answer. I like the flexibility. I like the spiral type review, my favorite feature of saxon math. I like the freedom from grade levels.
I dont like the level of parent prep required, but hey, what wouldnt we do for our kids, right? I have my 'curriculum money' all saved up and I've been so frugal so far for the upcoming year so I can probably swing the high price for this one if its worthwhile.
so I'm looking for some feedback from users, if there are any here.
thanks in advance
chaya
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*I* liked Writing Strands. I thought it would be a good fit for my ds when we started hs'ing (in May of his 5th grade year). He absolutely hated it and said he'd rather be doing anything else. to be fair, I probably should have allowed some time for him to 'de-school' or whatever, but being that he is a strong student and a decent writer I thought this would be easy for him. I'm not sure why he hated it, only that he did. the next year we used Writing With Skill, which I didnt like at all, but he said it 'wasnt bad'.
I guess this qualifies as another negative review. sorry.
I could use some teacher-training too. A friend of mine teachers LA in a local middle school, I am tempted to hire her for a few hours to teach me to teach!
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I found a copy of How Things Work on ebay last night for $9/free shipping. so of course I had to order it. when it gets here I will see what else we *need*
as far as LOF, I meant to ask if anyone knew if the physics book has labs, not the math books. I have a few of the math books.
thanks to everyone who responded to my thread...I am so excited about re-learning physics now!
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I cannot vouch for how great it's going to be but I got Life of Fred's Elementary Physics for my 7th grader next year as a supplement to her regular math. People seem to love it or hate it. HTH
I got LOF fractions for ds last summer. He absolutely hated it. He likes his math straight-up, kwim? I was reading some LOF physics reviews and they were mixed. like everything else, I suppose. I love Fred though : )
do you know if there is a lab/demo component in there or do you have to supplement?
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Here's a thread I started on this ~ two months ago with a lot of good resource recommendations:
omg, so many wonderful books out there! this is going to become an expensive obsession. thanks for the link to your thread.
what did you end up purchasing?
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I've had a few people recommend the Stop Faking It! series, and it looks amazing! We'll be trying it out this year with my rising 7th grader.
I saw this one too, I think its good for me! it seems that there is only one activities book? I'm not sure that will be enough to take us through the year.
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Let me put in a quick plug for one of my favorite curriculums: Paul Hewitt's Conceptual Physics. I've used it twice for seventh graders and am about to start it for the third (and last!) time. In brick and mortar schools, it's often used for ninth graders who then take AP physics when they are seniors. It's light enough on math that a seventh grader who is a competent math student can handle it. But it's challenging and 40 chapters long so editing, or being very focused, is required.
Conceptual Physics' strength is its explanations, drawings and photos that explain physics concepts to novices. As a college freshman, engineering major, and high school sophomore, my older two boys both say that Conceptual Physics still comes into their mind as the explanation of a concept. Ds in high school reports he was the only student in his class this past year who grasped that angular acceleration encompassed BOTH velocity AND direction-not as a test question, but as a concept while the teacher did a class demonstration of angular acceleration.
I've used the Conceptual Physics lab manual for demonstrations, but any book, Janice van Cleave for example, is fine for demos. Just plan ahead and get the materials so that it's not overlooked. Try to do one per week.
ETA: Conceptual Physics is completely secular.
thanks, I was looking at that one but was a bit nervous that it would be too advanced being a high school text. ds is a strong reader with good intuitive science sense and he's half way through saxon 8/7 math, will be begining algebra 1/2 in september. so I do think he can handle a *bit* of math and it is reassuring to hear that you've used it with middleschoolers.
my other concern was the lab portion, I do have a tendency to procrastinate putting that stuff together so I was hoping to find something that had it all put together for me, but I see that I cant have everything.
the reviews I found on Janice van cleave's physics demos was not so positive. will keep looking for a lab component but I think I'm leaning towards this text.
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Hi everyone. I'm new here and about to begin our second year of homeschooling.
My 7th grader would like to study physics this year and I am having trouble finding a curriculum.
We're looking for something very hands-on but with a thorough enough text component so that I dont have to flesh out the entire lesson. Ds is a strong student and a good reader so something like real science 4 kids turns him off (he looked at some of the samples online and said it seemed a bit immature and for younger kids). He also does not like learning on the computer much, so no online coursework or dvd based programs.
I saw a reference on this site for Stop Faking It, but it seems that there is only one companion for classroom activities book? I dont think that would be enough for a full year's study, and I have not been able to find any reviews of this program.
I also prefer something secular but if its a rigorous and fun curriculum I can overlook a religious bent.
thanks in advance
chaya
I cannot think, how can I teach?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
since you will be having your thyroid tested, I would like to share my experience quickly.
when I had some thyroid issues it was my free T3 that was the problem, everything else was normal. apparently, not every dr 'believes' in free T3 testing, I'm not sure why but its controversial to even test for it (not all ins co's cover it and its an expensive test). however, within 24 hrs of supplementing with free T3 I felt the fog, fatigue and depression lift. I only needed the supplements for a short while (started in my eighth mo pg and continued till 6 weeks pp) which was a good thing because mw didnt want to continue scripting after 6 week pp and I couldnt find an endo who 'believed in that stuff'.
so, it doesnt hurt to ask for them to test for it. and get a copy of your labs too.
I hope that its just a matter of time, good food and rest for you. I kinda want to bring you dinner :grouphug: