Mom22ns
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Posts posted by Mom22ns
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We will finish Life of Fred Decimals and Percents this year and I just can't decide where to go next. I don't think my ds is ready to jump straight into Algebra, although I have considered doing LoF Algebra along with something else.
Do other people have a suggestion for an in between step here? I have considered MUS pre-algebra because he could go through it at his own pace and then go onto algebra when he is ready. I see many people recommend chalkdust pre-algebra, but when I went to their website and viewed their samples, these really look dry to me, was this just a bad impression? Other suggestions?
What I know isn't for us is Saxon or anything else with a big spiral for that matter. My son really likes doing math independently, and works best doing fewer well planned problems than massive numbers of practice problems. I want him to think, not strengthen his fine motor skills when doing math :D
TIA!
Debbie
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I am another person who just doesn't do the Apologia books. When we started homeschooling, I went to a friends house to look at her curriculum. They were one thing she recommended highly and I looked through and read and just couldn't go there.
We use BJU science and love it. We are Christian, but like to keep bible study and science study times separate. We skip over their little "extras". They have a great balance of book and hands on investigations (if you do all they suggest between the labs & demonstrations). My son has learned a lot, learned it easily and retained it well. It has also been a lot of fun.
Debbie
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I haven't used FLL, but I used BJU 6 for Language this year and we just weren't excited. It was ok, but not one of the things I would recommend. That is from someone who just loves BJU science.
Debbie
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Number of activities has less to do with the decision than level of involvement for us. My daughter does competitive gymnastics. She spends 12 hours/week at the gym. For her, gymnastics is about it. She will start playing an instrument next year when she is 10, but we won't let her make any other significant commitments.
My son on the other hand, roams from one short term activity to another. He is in orchestra year around, horseback riding in the summer, swimming team in the spring and we encourage other activities during other seasons, dependent on his current interest. The combination never adds up to my daughter's one activity lol.
Its important to make sure you family is still intact, your child gets to develop their interests and passions and your budget is not blown! Every family and every child is different. Start slowly, you don't have to try them all the first season. Teaching a child to set priorities is important too. :001_smile:
Debbie
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Katherine,
That sounds like a wonderful program. It sounds like you are making the best decisions you can for your dc. Don't beat yourself up about it. I can feel the pain of your words about losing hsing but don't be afraid to do what is best for both of you now and have no regrets. Next year and sixth grade will unfold as they will. You will both be different people and life will grow and change and maybe she will come back. Enjoy watching her grow independently for a little while and let yourself have the time you need to.
Blessings :grouphug:
Debbie
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My 11 year old son needs to expand his interests. He is obsessed with video games and I want him to find another interest/hobby. He has no clue what though and really just lacks the desire.
:iagree:
This describes my ds as well. We have limited video game time, he loves to read, and he does play an instrument. That said, reading and video games are his two favorite pass times and he would do about anything to earn more computer time. He has no idea what he wants to be when he grows up and when I recently suggested that we look into some aptitude and interest type information he was all for it. I don't really know where to begin though and I still haven't seen anyone post anything that might help someone find these interests, either current or future.
Debbie
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Sixth grade has been our first year of hs. We pulled out of ps about three weeks into the year. It has been a fantastic experience.
Things that have really worked for us...
BJU Science 6. We have really enjoyed this. Its a great overview, lots of hands on. There is a lot of teacher involvement, but my son needs a lot of direction anyway.
World Geography - This was being taught in the ps in sixth grade, so I picked it up. It has been such a joy. We didn't use a curriculum. We have memorized physical and political map locations and learned a lot about maps. Then we have read many great books learning more historically about different areas as we were memorizing current maps.
Homeschool orchestra. We are so lucky to live in an area with a lot of homeschoolers and there is a huge homeschool orchestra, where he gets instrumental instruction and an hour of music theory a week as well.
Things that haven't worked...
Language Arts - This is still a work in progress. I started off with BJU LA, plus a reading, writing and spelling. Its all been just ok. I've ordered Wordsmith Apprentice and it should be here tomorrow. I'm going to try that for the spring. This looks pretty easy for him, but writing is my ds's weakness and I'm hoping to keep improving it while keeping him motivated.
Math has been unimpressive so far. We did SOS 6th grade with added word problems and still finished the year already. Now we're doing LoF fractions and then we'll do LoF Decimals/Percents as a review. We are loving Fred.
Debbie
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The normal range is considered to be 80-120. If someone is wondering if their child qualifies as MR, it usually requires a score of 80 or lower. However, a child could have a higher IQ and have low subtests in certain areas that are impacting their learning. The full score does not always paint a full picture.
On the other end ps gifted programs typically take the top 5% of a the population rather than basing on a specific IQ score. In our school district it typically takes an IQ of 138-140 to qualify for the gifted program.
Debbie
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Kristine,
I'm in Missouri, and things are quite different here. I would suggest you go to wrightslaw.com. Its a big place and it may be hard to find what you need. You can send them email and ask as well. I don't know how much they know about homeschool, but they are experts in special ed law and public schools.
Here in Missouri, if choose to move your child to a private school or homeschool, the public school still must provide services. However, you are responsible for getting your child to the public school for the services. They don't come to you or have to provide transportation. I think thats perfectly reasonable.
Debbie
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I have been struggling with this same decision. My ds is going through LOF Fractions very quickly right now and will then do Decimals/Percents. These are mostly review for him, but I haven't been all that happy with the math he has been doing and I wanted to make sure we had mastery before we went on. He really enjoys LOF so it seemed a great way to review. My problem was what to go on TO.
I had originally thought MUS pre-algebra, but my son likes LOF and I wondered if we should just go onto LOF Algebra. He isn't that strong in math though and is just in sixth grade. The more I think about it, and the more I read other people's experiences, I think we'll go ahead and slip MUS pre-algebra in there. It may be a quick study and be easy for him, but thats ok. I'd prefer it was easy and he really had it nailed down than to get into algebra and get lost.
Debbie
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Kristine
The administration may be very unpleasant, but the people who love your kids and that you had good relationships with, will probably still be great to work with. It may get a little rough getting things setup, but it is probably worth it. I doubt your kids will catch any of it, just you. It will give you free services and you can feel more confident that your dc is getting what she needs.
Debbie
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OT can be for things as non-obvious as eye tracking. My son received OT because he would lose his place every time he looked from the board to a piece of paper. It took him forever to copy from the board. It was an eye tracking issue and they worked on it in OT. You would never know by looking at him or watching him in class that he needed OT. Fine motor skills like handwriting, sensory issues of all kinds. OT is a magical place where they work wonders!! :001_smile:
Debbie
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I find this thread really interesting. My ds was diagnosed autistic spectrum when he was only 3.5 and he was my oldest. I never thought of having to be discreet to protect my kids. From then on, it was always an open subject. My ds has always known about his disability and we discuss his issues openly. I think it has made it much easier for him to handle. He too has a younger sister who catches him on some fronts. However, while he has fallen behind at times, he is at or above grade level in everything now. I think him knowing why something is harder for him helps him to be willing to work to overcome it.
All that said, I think it is great that you are being sensitive to you ds at a time of change and struggle. :001_smile: That is a great place to start. Just remember, you want the information to empower you to help him. Let the information empower him to help himself too! :001_smile:
Debbie
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Don't worry about doing high school level work with your son that is currently doing third grade level work. Just stay on track with him and keep building where he is. Keep looking for what curriculums and teaching methods work best for him and help him maximize his own potential. Then as he gets older, look for his areas of strength and interest. This may not be a college bound child, but he may have interests that he can pursue into a career that fits him.
My ds is just turning 12, is autistic spectrum and ADD. We are very lucky in that he remains on grade level or above in his work. However, he does not work well independently and can't keep track of anything. I try not to worry about the future, just to take it one day at a time and keep working on both the academics and the attention span. We are very proud of how very far he has come. It is a long road with a child with a disability. Hang in there. :grouphug:
Debbie
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Strider,
You need to fight for your rights. Wrightslaw.com has tons of great tips if you plan on keeping him in ps. You need to have your ducks in a row every time.
:iagree:
With the public schools you have to know your rights, put your requests in writing and always be prepared to stand up for child. Wrightslaw is a great place to start. As long as you know what the laws are, you will maximize what the school will do for your child.
Debbie
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If your daughter has an IEP the school is legally obligated to provide her with speech therapy even if you are homeschooling. If they don't know that, you might want to do a little research in your state and then inform them of their legal obligation in writing! Look at a website like Wrightslaw.com and see if you can find a sample letter :). You'll be amazed at how helpful schools can become when they realize that they are breaking the law and you know it.
Debbie
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If you want another IQ test, you can request one, but you cannot force the district to pay for it. You can go and get one yourself and then they must consider the results along with any results they already have. At least that is the way it works here.
The good thing about doing it with an outside professional is that if they get results you like, you share them with the school and ask them to consider them, if not, you don't have to share them at all :tongue_smilie:. You are in control. You have to foot the bill, but it can be worth it to have the person working for you instead of the school. That means they must explain their results to you, answer your questions, etc. The school employee is only going to provide what the school wants and that may or may not be the most useful information for you.
Debbie
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This was our first year homeschooling. I tried a few things I really liked and a few things that didn't work so well. Live and learn I guess. The result is I've made some changes for the second half of the year and I'm shopping hard for what to do next year. My ds will be in 7th grade and that in itself brings some changes too. I haven't started buying yet though. Even the things I'm confident in I will shop for used first and not buy new until late spring or summer.
Debbie
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My son is on the autistic spectrum as well, although he has no formal diagnosis. He was in public school for K-5 and it was great through 4th grade. In 5th grade we went to an upper elementary school and the kids attitudes really changed. There was a lot more teasing and bullying. My son was always an A student and by that age had quit getting any services such as speech and OT that he had when he was younger, but the social skills still made him stand out. He really became unhappy at school and we no longer felt it was the best environment for him.
Homeschooling has been the best decision we have ever made. We do a combination of a lot of styles and curriculums. I do a Charlotte Mason approach with history, We're doing BJU Science & LA, MUS and LOF for Math. We are part of a local homeschool orchestra and it just keeps going from there :001_smile: My son loves school now. He is growing in confidence and social skills and learning far more academically than the schools ever teach. We make an effort to have constructive and fun social times and to stay away from damaging ones. Its great!
Math-Where to next?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
We did LoF Fractions in just a couple weeks. Decimals and Percents probably won't take much more than a month. Both books were really review for us, but I wanted to use them to cement the concepts and make him do some thinking. You sound very much like us Plimsoll, ty.
I had considered the video algebra series. I'd love to hear how that has gone for people who have used it. I've also considered Kinetic books algebra.
Debbie