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bookmomma

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  1. What are you using for science? My sons will be 7 and 9 next year (roughly grades 2 and 4, respectively), they are very science-minded kids and already know a lot about science. I have failed to get their attention this year with the WTM method, and I'm looking for alternatives. We are secular homeschoolers too. And they love hands-on projects/experiments. Please tell me what you are using, describe some of the topics covered, how do your kids like it, is it expensive/difficult, where do I find it?
  2. I am looking for a 4th grade level writing program for next year. My son is very creative and great at grammar, but hates to put the pencil to the paper. I am using SWB's 1st Lang. Lessons 3 this year and he loves it. I tried Writing Strands, but even I think it is blah. Any suggestions for a better writing curriculum that would cover genres, organizing your thoughts on paper, perhaps reflections on literature? (This coming from a trained English teacher--why do we feel imcompetent at teaching our own children?)
  3. :iagree: My ds8 is behind in reading, but does well in spelling, writing and grammar. Go figure. After trying three other spelling programs, I love Natural Speller by Kathryne Stout (works for grades 1-12). NS works for us b/c it has a method to the word lists--not random words to memorize. It also has tips for grammar, usage, punctuation, etc. I'm not completely happy with Writing Strands, but I have used it a little bit. I usually make my own writing assignments, and I'm looking for something to kick it up a notch for next year. And I agree that 1st Language Lessons for the Well-trained Mind is great for grammar. Even if you haven't done any formal grammar curriculum, you can begin with level 3. I like using the text and workbook (less work for me), but you can get by with just the text easily. Check out my blog--my last post was about this topic:)
  4. I don't think you need any books or fancy materials to teach creative writing. You can find a plethora of info on creative writing on the internet. Ideas to get the creative juices flowing: story starters--it's based on a game, but you don't need the game to do it. Give your child some elements to include in a made-up story. for example: "make up a story that has a doll, an apple, and a wish bone." The elements could be objects, such as I listed, or places, time-periods, people, etc. It's really easy to do and fun. story-sharing--the members of the family take turns adding to the story. Mom could begin the story, "There once was a young boy named ... who lived..." (you get the idea). Then you pass the story on to the next person, who tells part and it continues around until you reach a conclusion. These are just ideas to get started in the idea of creating stories. As far as actually creating a story. Make sure it has the basics--a beginning, a middle, and an end. There must be some conflict-resolution, and it helps if people can relate to the protagonist of the story. Include lots of details--time, place, setting, clothing people wear, dialogue. It sounds complex, but it's really not. Hope this helps. Send a message if you need more. BTW--I have BA in English and writing is my part-time job:)
  5. I don't know that you can make him feel better about it, but you can help him find ways of dealing with it. As a childhood bedwetter myself, and mother to a bedwetter, I know that it is not our fault. Your son's body has not fully matured in that area. There are medicines that you can give him to relax the bladder and slow-down, if not stop, the wetting. My pediatrician discussed this option with me. I chose not to do that route--I don't believe in giving my child medicine for something he will eventually outgrow, and homeschooling makes that a little easier to deal with. Make sure that he understands why it happens so he doesn't feel guilty or at-fault somehow. As far as others teasing him, explain to him that, well...kids can be mean! And also remember that that is no way to treat another human being that is different. Obviously, if you over-hear the kids say anything about it--call them on it and explain that your son has a medical condition that is beyond his control and at least he has the courage to wake up every day and deal with it. I'm a little agitated now, but I'm sure you can find a polite way to put the other children in their place. Perhaps speak with your minister about it and see if he/she will bring up a similar topic about people who face these types of things--you know, a little guilt over their behavior might be helpful and teach them a lesson. On a side note: I have a nephew that has spina bifida (now 6 yo) and he has no control over his bowels or bladder. Other than that he is a normal kid. When they went to the public pool, some kids tried to tease him about wearing a diaper, and his big brother (8 1/2) piped up and let them know his brother has spina bifida and can't help it. They never said another word:)
  6. :iagree: I have two boys, 6 & 8, and they fight a lot. Giving them LONG time outs help a lot. Or I send one to his room (who ever "started" it) and work with the other on school work , chores, or just plain lecturing on behavior! I also like to use books as instructional tools. Check out Peace Begins With You by Katharine Scholes. "Explains, in simple terms, the concept of peace, why conflicts occur, how they can be resolved in positive ways, and how to protect peace. "--Amazon product description. I read this to them and remind them that we have to work together to keep the peace in our house.
  7. Some subjects can be done independently, while others require explicit teaching for longer periods of time. I would say you have to find a balance between you teaching them a lesson/concept, then provide them time to practice that new skill independently. For example, teach them the concept, give plenty of examples so you can check their comprehension of the new concept, then provide them time to practice. There is an old saying in the teaching world that says, "the more you are working at teaching, the less they are working at learning" (aka: they need to be doing the bulk of the work--not you). For my ds8, we review concepts (10-15 mins), teach him new concept (10-15 mins), then he does independent work (30-45 mins.). It sounds like they are trying to get away with you doing the work for them, or you providing them the motivation. They need to find their own motivation to do their work.
  8. WHen I was a little late with my third, and I knew that I needed (schedule-wise) to have her SOONER thatn LATER...I took 1 Tbs. castor oil (yuck), and went into labor that night. It really works! She was born by the next morning and I could go on with my life:)
  9. Last year, I found out that our book store (Books-A-Million) gives homeschool educators a 20% discount card for free. We can use it for books and most materials at the store and online. It has saved us a lot of money so far. I think we should qualify for more educator discounts. Does anyone else have any ideas and tips for saving money when buying books and materials for homeschooling?
  10. I'm also looking for a good latin program, so I'm glad you asked. I have no experience in latin, but I've had 3 yrs french, 2 yrs spanish, and little in italian. I also am a secular homeschooler. Any recommedations?
  11. I'm pretty flexible. Life happens. I do try to stick to homeschooling during the day as long as no one stops by. I ignore phone calls; everyone knows I'll call back when I'm not busy. Other than that, I try to remember that even ps has interruptions--all day long. I also really like that homeschooling can happen whenever and wherever it needs to. We have been through all sorts of ups and downs this past year. Our house was for sale so often we had two hours warning to clean house and get the heck out. The kids helped, and we took our work with us. Then we had to move...that pretty much stopped schooling in its tracks. But now we're on a good schedule again. I like that there are no interruptions, we get so much more done.
  12. Your kids are young now. So you shouldn't do a strict routine. They can't take it (physically, metally, emotionally), and it would drive you crazy to try. I would say grade K is for learning to love learning--playing games, beginning math and phonics/reading. Then 1st and 2nd grade are harder. They are trying to learn so much all at once and it is difficult for them. They need to follow at least the basics (reading, writing, math), and leave the rest as your flex-point; depending on how your day is going, you can do history, literature, etc. I say, once they have the basics down--by 3rd grade--then are usually ready for more sit-down work for longer periods of time. Just tune in to their abilities and you'll know what to do.
  13. I would love to give some tips/techniques, but I need more info. Can you describe his specific difficulties? Does he not like handwriting? Does he not like writing at all? How does he do in math? Spelling? More specific info on his difficulties would be helpful. Does he hate learning or the busy work?
  14. Would you but other important things as an all-in-one package without determining the value of the individual parts? That said, I am not for curriculum packages, and I strongly support parents that develop their own curriculum. While I feel that it is important for children to at least cover the same things the local public schools cover and what state dept of education standards requires (if you can even read those), there is still a lot of room to venture into other areas. Don't forget your individual child's interests. First of all, you must decide what your goals are for homeschooling. Do you want your child to learn the same things they teach in school? Do you want to provide a classical education? Do you want an open-ended unschooling style to teaching? Go to the library and read all the books on homeschooling if you're not sure. Secondly, once you know what kind of goals you have for your home school, you can choose curricula to complement that. There are many curriculm guides (WTM being one of them). My suggestion is to go to the library and see what they have first (b/c it's free), go to the book store (plan to spend many weekends there--several hours at a time) and leaf through their books on homeschooling. When you find one that speaks to you--buy it. It will become your homeschool "bible." When choosing books, workbooks, materials, etc. I always look at guides, reviews, and sample pages. Then I write out of year long goals for each subject area and I find what I need to use in order to accomplish that. I don't buy it all at once before the school year begins. I buy what I absolutely need to get started and add more along the way. Also remember that homeschooling is a matter of trial and error. Try some things out, and if it doesn't work, get back to looking for something else. Don't be afraid to change things up a bit.
  15. I am a literature nut. I love the Brontes and did a senior thesis on them in college. I really loved Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, the best. It doesn't have a happy ending, but it keeps you turning the pages. I read it in one day. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte is also good and short. Anything by Jane Austen, I've read all of her novels. My favorite is Pride and Prejudice. The film version with Keira Knightly is excellent. Even my husband will watch it over and over! Although they are young adult literature, I really enjoyed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Anne Brashares. I read each book in a few hours. If you've seen the film version, don't judge the books by that--it sucks. If you haven't read him in a while, read some Charles Dickens novels.
  16. Are you speaking of the book or the movie? I was so excited with the thought that someone else read Bleak House, but I think you may be talking about the film version. I, too, prefer happy endings. Bleak House was a very long book and very depressing.
  17. This is what works for me: First of all, we frequently talk about how it is bad to tell lies. When people tell lies, we lose trust in those people. I also tell my boys that their punishment will be far worse if they lie than if they step up and admit the truth. The other aspect of this is that you have to keep your word about it. If they tell you the truth, you must not over react, but instead briefly discuss why that behavior was wrong and thank them sincerely for telling the truth. It takes a very brave child to admit when he's done something wrong. I never make lying into a negative thing. I don't tell my dc they are bad kids, but rather place the emphasis on making a bad choice. My youngest son absolutely doesn't lie, even when he does bad things. And I always thank him for telling the truth. My oldest son still tries to lie on ocassion, but I ask him, "Are you telling me the truth?" I also sometimes tell them it's better to tell me the truth because I already know what is true. They still believe I'm all-knowing. Just remember, it's not about punishing when they lie, it's about teaching them how lies are not acceptable and they break down trust. The purpose is to teach them not to lie.
  18. With the risk of sounding really dumb, what is IEW?
  19. My kids are still young, so we're just beginning with the memory work. Last year I used an array of different curriculum materials and did a lot of worksheets for math. He didn't retain anything from one day to the next, let alone, from one week to the next. This year we are using Saxon math and working on fact cards, etc. My 8 yo is doing much better with daily review. He never used to retain anything, and now he loves to show me what he knows. I don't focus a lot on the memorization of poems, etc. I don't feel it's that important at this age. But I do review history facts, and things we learn in science to see what they retain, and they do well. My son also loves First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise. He retains the definitions in there because we constantly review that with each lesson. He actually *asks* to do his lessons! Repetition is very important. I know I underestimated this in my first year of homeschooling, and now that I've implemented that factor, it has made all the difference.
  20. I had 8 staples in my head about 10 yrs ago (bad jeep wreck) and I was sent home from ER with a kit to remove them myself. This freaked me out a bit, but it wasn't bad at all. I didn't wash my hair--as instructed--which was very embarrassing b/c I had to go to my workplace the next day and speak to my boss about why I couldn't work for a few days, and I looked like he**. But after a few weeks, They came right out and I didn't feel a thing. It's a bit like the feeling of cutting your nails; you just feel the pressure. I have a bad scar on my scalp, but I have very thick hair.
  21. Thank you for all of your replies. It is reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with extremely stubborn children:)
  22. I'm afraid that you just have to keep at it. Have you taught her lessons on helping verbs in your grammar work? Start there, do a lot of practice sentences, then just keep reminding her. I went through three years of speech therapy with my son, and it comes down to repitition. Also make sure you speak clearly as well to model good speech.
  23. In our old house (we moved 6 wks ago), we had a 10 x 12 room which was my office and their school room with my pc and their desk with pc. It was a bit cramped, but it worked. My boys are 6 & 8, and a toddler running through. Our new place has a large u-shaped media rm with built-in bookcases. The side we use for school desks is 12 x 18, with a small galley over to my separate office space. It's nice to separate those areas. While we mostly do our work in the school room, we also use the couch, kitchen table, all four bedrooms, floors, kitchen counters, eat-in bar (when I'm cooking), bathroom, porch and car!
  24. My oldest was in public school for k and 1st, and he doesn't miss it one bit. He loves homeschooling. He's very active and can't sit still while he works, and the teacher used to yell at him all the time and complain that he didn't pay attention. But she also said that he never missed a thing even though he moved, he listened too. I allow him to move around as much as he needs while doing schoolwork. That energy is in him, let it out and then he can focus! My younger son never went to school, but he did have some preschool exposure and he didn't like it a bit. He's very shy and the teacher always tried to force him to do things he didn't want to do. I'm not trying to shoot down schools, but even the kids notice the difference between the two situations, and they are GLAD we homeschool. As far as the bus--I would respond with something like "Well there's lots of things in life that some other people have and experience, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you (your child) will." You know, I've never been on a yacht, but I had friends that have.
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