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Dramorellis

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Everything posted by Dramorellis

  1. I have been very happy with MiF for my 8 year old. We are at the end of 3A and I have not needed the TM but I will be getting it going forward. There are a lot of problems IMO, so between the problems worked from the text and then follow-up in the workbook, I feel it does have enough review for us anyway. I don't pay attention to the workbook pages it tells us to do. If he gets it,we move on, if he needs more review then we do the workbook. We do drill his math facts separately with flash cards and we also do BA for more challenge. He went to school until 1st and they were doing Singapore but I found it difficult to teach so when I found MiF , I ran with it and I am glad we did.
  2. Today was our first day back. I was excited and hoping to have a renewed attitude but really it was a struggle. We were all sick then entire break but I was finally starting to feel better until yesterday. So now I'm sick again and it is FREEZING and I just want to go to bed. However we did it. No fun projects and lots of cozy reading as I had wanted but only one crying episode so I say it was a successful day back.
  3. Book Depository does not appear to have the Teacher's Book that I need available. Do you think it is necessary? I am relatively fluent, although quite rusty but adequate for this age level.
  4. I considered putting my 4 year old somewhere last year...seriously considered it but after trying one class I quickly nixed that idea. It was not worth the disruption to our schedule and it actually didn't really free up any time. So I say a combo of relax and go military style. It sounds like you have accomplished a lot so give yourself some credit. I farmed out science experiments and longer read-alouds to Daddy on the weekends and at bedtime. Sometimes I can do it but knowing that it would still happen consistently if I ran out of time relieved a ton of pressure. Also audio books when we are in the car are a life saver. My 4 year old begs to do more "school" and it is not easier than when she had no interest. My hard and fast rules though are that you may not interrupt when Mom is working one on one with your sister/brother and that the baby naps at the same time every single day. There is a "busy basket" of books and games that may be used next to me, near me, under the table, in the reading corner...whatever but the main idea is that you may not interrupt unless it is an emergency. We get the bulk of our work done when the baby naps. Same routine every day at the same exact time means there is little fighting and he falls asleep quickly. If I do not stick to the schedule then, the nap may not happen and our day is shot.
  5. If you are here on Christmas morning, then you get a stocking. My mom spent the holidays with us last year and she got a stocking. Socks, candy, clementines, toothbrushes and stickers. Nothing expensive. For the grownups, I have done a nice box of tea or dark chocolate before. It doesn't have to break the bank.
  6. I think it depends on who is asking. When people who are not familiar with homeschooling ask, they are looking for context for age and development. I get asked by this group, "What grade level would they be in". What level work they are doing is irrelevant to them. So saying "from birth always sounds silly to me since it doesn't provide any actual information. If it's a homeschooler asking, I think the information they are looking for is if the child was ever in school or not. I count from when the child is legally required to attend a school of some sort. In my homeschool I have 2 students but officially my daughter is not yet compulsory school aged. I am not homeschooling my 2 year old, I am parenting and loving him. I am parenting my 4 year old even though she is reading, we sit down and do math, Latin and science. I am just meeting her where she is in her development but she is not legally required to go to school. Next year she would be eligible and legally required to attend school so that's when she will start even though that will be the 3rd year of something intentional and directed with her. If she would not be legally required to be enrolled somewhere then I didn't take any active steps to make alternate arrangements. I just continued doing what I have always been doing. Our homeschooling journey began the year I had to actually sign something verifying us as homeschoolers. Obviously that gets more complicated if you are in a state that doesn't require such reporting. I run into lots of people who say "from birth" and they want to discuss curriculum and methodology with me and their oldest child is 3 years old. My oldest is 8 but have they been homeschooling longer than me? Even if their child is extremely gifted and doing the exact same level of work or higher as my 8 year old, it would be solely voluntary and they still would be at very different point in child development. I wouldn't try to arrange a play date or something with that family and expect the 3 and 8 year old to have a lot in common. People are just looking for a reference point in development.
  7. This is the reality in my house. A vacation benefits no one unfortunately. We need a schedule and to stick to the routine. I called vacation this morning but by the afternoon I had pulled out stuff for the 8 year old. I already knew what would happen but I am burnt out so I tried to make it work. A schedule, even if lighter, is better than complete chaos, fighting siblings and crying tantrums.
  8. They do a lot of writing, much more so than I think is necessary or developmentally appropriate but it is what it is. That would be the first thing I would work on in preparation as well as reading fluency if that is still an issue. Getting in the habit of showing his work in math and working through his math facts at home would also be beneficial. I would also say that 9 weeks may not really be enough time to evaluate if it's working well or not. It could take AT LEAST that amount of time to find a groove. So if you are going to try it, then at least commit to it and give it some more time. 3rd grade is the year that testing gets serious. I would imagine a large amount of his time will be directed towards that end as it will be crucial for the students and the teachers to do well.
  9. I waited until they asked. My oldest is 8 and a very strong reader and mature. We just started Book 1 and he begs for more. My almost 5 year old could not care less. That's not true, she hates it and actually plays dead/asleep when we pull it out. I imagine we will read it again when she is older and she will appreciate it more then. I think this one is a case of better late than early.
  10. The above recipe looks yum. I make baked rigatoni or ziti casserole usually with ricotta, some greens(kale or chard) and marinara. My MIL uses ricotta as well but likes to use a meat sauce with a mixture of sausage and lamb then mozzarella on top and bake. The Ronzini IS totally the best GF pasta though. It's the only kind I buy anymore with three celiacs in the family.
  11. No I think you have missed the point of what many people are saying. Stop viewing it as defiance. She is trying to communicate with you in the only ways she knows how when she is frustrated. Stop trying to make her do things she is not ready to do and I assure you her level of defiance will decrease. What if instead of these interactions being met with anger and punishment, you actually teach her (the true meaning of discipline) how to work through her frustrations in an acceptable way together. I have taught two 4 year olds now how to read with no yelling, sitting on my lap and having a nice time with mommy. The minute their attention wanders too much the lesson was over. It is NOT necessary or serious that they learn today. If it gets dropped for days or weeks no worries. There is nothing more important for my 4 year old to learn than that I am their soft landing place. Defiance with school is totally different than defiance because they don't want to leave the park. It is always, always addressed in my home with me listening to them first. Once the tension goes down, hugs, snacks, then we can together find a solution calmly. Even if that solution is that hey, lets shelve this for a few months.
  12. I don't use BFSU but I know with RSO I can look up what supplies are needed for each chapter. I go through and order it all at once (anything I don't already have on hand) so that I am always prepared.
  13. I really like RSO because it is relatively no prep. I bought all my supplies at once from HST as well. I believe they have a kit. I like it because we don't necessarily have to go in order, they are to the point and it works for my different age ranges.
  14. I hadn't considered Abeka but I will take a look. We are breaking it up into time periods and I have lots of resources within each period. I was looking for something that would provide a link and context for how we got from one period to the next and maybe what was going on in the word at large that may have influenced what we are studying. A general timeline with a bit of information and some context. Does that make sense? Thanks everyone!
  15. Yes today would definitely be a movie day if they were in school! My kids are watching the premier of Odd Squad on PBS since they have literally been counting it down for the past 2 months. Then I have to brave the grocery store. I told them we have to do math and have silent reading time at some point today but that is all I am requiring. It's our school so we can do whatever we want. Let yourself off the hook.
  16. Sorry for all the replies, don't know how to multiquote. We just finished reading Story of Science (first one) and it was meaty but he did get a lot out of it so I think I will check that out of the library. Some stuff for sure went over his head though. We have or I have book marked the biographies and Maestro books. Oh I found some Brown Paper Schoolbag books used! Those look awesome.
  17. I was looking at The Story of US. We do have lots of other readers, a state study swap and presidents covered. I was looking for something to bridge the gap so I think that might be it!
  18. Elemental History looks like it would be fun for my daughter but not quite enough for the 3rd grader. Thanks!
  19. I'm looking for a SOTW type book for American History. I have lots of supplemental reading, projects and literature but I'm looking for something basic to tie it all together, give it context. I was going to order Story of the USA vol. 1-2 but was wondering if there were any other options that people really enjoyed. I think SOTW vol. 3 is too much of a leap and I want to keep the excitement and momentum going. It's mainly for the 8 year old but the 5 year old listens in and joins us on many things.
  20. Didn't you just leave your charter? As in a few weeks ago? It was extremely rigorous, busy work heavy and entirely non-age appropriate? Maybe I'm thinking of a different person so ignore if this is incorrect. He is fried and burnt out. I would most definitely ask nothing of him at the moment. Focus on family time and character issues, cook together, listen to audio books, go to a museum. Spend time really just being with each other and let him decompress...let yourself decompress. He is very young, there is no rush. Sit down with him and develop an educational compass. What is he interested in? What would he like to learn more about? What inspires him? Now what would you like to see accomplished? Merge that all together and formulate a plan. I personally would not start up anything again until after the holidays with fresh eyes and a heart excited to learn about what matters to him and then ease into it gradually. It's not worth fighting over since that is not working. In the mean time, strew some mathy stuff and quality books around. I leave LOF and BA guides sitting out on the table and my 8 year old will cuddle up and read them for fun. But only because it was there, tv is not available and because it was not something I was making him do. No, you are correct not everything is fun and games but at this age the goal should at least be for it to be engaging. What is the objective of all of the worksheets? Can it be accomplished with less "stuff". Have him edit his comic books himself.
  21. We've had a "class rules" sign up since last year with a list of things like, "We try hard, we make mistakes, we clean up after ourselves blah, blah." But this year we added another with "Veritas, Conscientia, Integritas".
  22. I voted other because really it's a mixture of all of the above. For example, while the older two were engaged in something at the table and the baby was sleeping I cleaned the bath tub, folded a load of diapers, cleaned a pot, wiped down the stove, swept the floor and made a phone call. However in between I sat down and got on the computer at least twice within that hour. Checked some email, sent some, got on WTM obviously, Facebook etc. My problem is that I can zone out in my own head and tune everyone around me out. It is hard to be present with the children on days like that. I try to find distractions to keep me tuned in because all I want to do is go inside myself in my thoughts. I have no problem sitting in silence but when it's time to come up for air that is the hard part. So I may be sitting on the porch knitting while the children play but I'm totally not there. I don't know that that is better.
  23. We did BA 3A whilst doing MIF 2A-2B. It was stuff we had not covered before but he had enough of a foundation to grasp it quickly. We did take our time and are just starting 3B now. He is almost done with MiF 3A.
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