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Squawky Acres

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Everything posted by Squawky Acres

  1. I know . . . I always leave the site thinking, "Yes, we must read out loud as a family! Yes, I must select quality literature for my children! Yes, we must do Shakespeare . . . but wait, we already do all of that." I want to get all fired up about something I'm not as naturally excited about.
  2. I use the SAT 10 and test for the grade level they would be in at a public school, using the state-specified cut-off dates. This does result in hitting the test's ceilings in many areas, so it is less helpful for me as a teacher; but I like to have the good test scores in their files for legal purposes -- to show that we are providing a high-quality education.
  3. Does your farm have any interesting natural or architectural features? I'm thinking of something along the lines of Red Maple Farm, Three Gate Farm, Middlebranch Farm, Shaky Oak Farm . . . With five young children, we call our property Squawky Acres. For obvious reasons.
  4. This looks fabulous! But what are the options for those who are not in the Baltimore area? Are recordings or resource lists available?
  5. I discovered the Read-Aloud Revival site and podcasts this year, and have been thoroughly enjoying myself. Last night's webinar with Ken Ludwig was fabulous! The problem is that I am already strong in literature and language arts. I am not intimidated at all by Shakespeare, reading aloud, or literary analysis, as this is just something we DID in my family, and I didn't realize we were unusual. So while RAR is fabulous, and I love it -- it isn't something my homeschool desperately needs. What I would really like to have is a creative, enthusiastic Sarah Mackenzie personality who offers podcasts on math: innovative approaches, fun games, interviews with mathematicians, engineers, and scientists. Kate Snow, you would like to do this, wouldn't you?
  6. I found my kids had trouble recalling the FLL definitions, but could memorize a song in about two minutes and recall it for years. We used the CC songs, but I am sure you could also use Schoolhouse Rock or other songs from YouTube -- or make up your own.
  7. Yes, I had a small cyst removed from my scalp. It was really a minor procedure, and I was just a little bit sore for a few days where the stitches were. The doctor used local anesthesia. The best part was when the assistant asked if I would like to see the cyst. I had been so curious about what it looked like!
  8. What about a special coin or bill -- such as a dollar coin or $2 bill? My grandfather always gave me a silver dollar coin for my piano recitals. They were very special to me, and I still have them. Maybe a special rock or gemstone from a museum gift shop? My children are rock collectors, and would love this.
  9. I found some nice pajama options at Nordstrom. They have free shipping and free returns, too -- so I ordered lots of pajamas, tried them on in my own room, and sent back what I didn't like. That is the only way I can go shopping with so many littles in the house. Actually, I shopped that way pre-kids as well. I hate shopping.
  10. I had played violin in school, and picked it up two years ago when my children started taking lessons. I only have time to practice for 15 minutes a few times a week (in the evening), so I had to find a teacher who would accept my limitations. Most teachers around here would like their more advanced students to practice for an hour a day -- something that is a lot easier to do when you are a kid! Even with this minimal practicing, I am a lot more motivated and focused than I was as a teenager, and have far surpassed my earlier skill level.
  11. I just spoke with DD about her math preferences. She said that she would like to try Beast Academy again when we finish RightStart C. I plan to begin with the Division unit, as that will be on her 3rd grade standardized test, and we have not done much of that. It should be an easier sell to work on BA during the summer rather than RS. I still do have the RS D books, so can take out lessons and game ideas from D where applicable. She became frustrated in the first part of 3A with the polyominoes, and was not able to do some of the later problems; so we went ahead to skip counting. I have since learned that parts of 3A are the hardest in the level 3 books, and that it is fine to come back to polyominoes after completing the rest of the level. In reviewing the topics covered in the math portion of the 3rd grade Stanford 10, I found that we have covered most of the topics in RS C anyway, so she may be more on grade level than I had thought. In the next month or so, I would just like to get her working on division.
  12. Thanks. I would love to hear how much catching up you did. Did you drop RS C and just start BA 3 partway through 3rd grade? And how many pages of BA did you do each day?
  13. Thanks. So maybe I could jump into RightStart D this spring, and then work through some of BA 3 next year when I start to feel more caught up . . .
  14. She finds Beast Academy to be more fun because of the comic book presentation, but can get stuck and frustrated with some of the more challenging problems. RightStart is better for her confidence at math, and includes more drills, which I think she still needs. I like that we can make such nice, incremental progress with RightStart, and that there is a lot of guidance for me as a teacher. So I think it is the lessons in BA that she enjoys more because it is such a fun story, but when it comes to the actual doing of the math, she seems happier with RightStart. She would much rather have math within her comfort level than be completely stretched and challenged by it. Now, if we were at grade level, I would love to give her a stretching/challenging program -- but since we are catching up, I'm not feeling that I have time for her to be stretched and challenged. I know that sounds terrible, but I just want to get her to fourth grade math!
  15. My 3rd grade DD went from Saxon 2 last year to RS Level C (the 2nd grade level) this year, and has had a great year with math. Her number sense and understanding of place value is immensely improved, and I actually did not find a lot of overlap between the programs even though they are both 2nd grade level. I had planned to go on to BA 3 after RS C, but now I am afraid of hopping around between programs too much, and am wondering if we should progress on to RS Level D. She has completed some of BA 3A already, does Reflex Math for math facts, and is working through the Kumon multiplication book. I think using both would be ideal, but I am very anxious to get her "caught up" and on grade level in math. She is a diligent student, and very bright -- and it is my fault that she is behind in math because I didn't know what I was doing a few years ago and chose the wrong program. One idea was to just drop BA for now, as it will be easier and more streamlined to catch up with just one program. If we start on Level D (3rd grade) right away, and work a few days a week during the summer (we tend to do a little light school in the summer if we have nothing else going on), she can begin Level E in the winter of her fourth grade year and possibly finish it by summer. The other option is to just drop RS and jump into BA now. She has already completed a lot of 3A, so we have a head start, and could just work on that during the summer (which sounds like a lot more fun . . .).
  16. After spending so much time in maternity clothes these past few years, I had been sleeping in a random mix of worn-out T-shirts and stretchy pants or shorts. Now that our family is complete, I am beginning to get back to the task of becoming my normal self again. Part of that has been to buy myself some beautiful pajamas and loungewear: flowing, black pajamas with white piping, a long black robe, cute, tailored gowns. I was actually in tears the first time I put on my new pajamas. It is hard to explain, but I felt like myself, or like I mattered. I wasn't wearing the left-overs.
  17. We have always enjoyed the free Freedom Trail tour given by the National Park Service. The guides are excellent, and it gives you a good overview of the historic section of Boston. I also do not understand the appeal of Fanueil Hall. It is historic, of course, but really a glorified mall food court. It is good for cheap, quick food, though. https://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm
  18. My husband is teaching Hebrew to our children, and is using the Behrman House books. He works with them for about 45 minutes most school mornings before work, and they are doing very well. We were recently surprised to learn that they are far ahead of the kids at the Hebrew School (which would make sense, as the Hebrew School only meets twice a week . . . but I think my husband felt validated in his efforts as one who is learning along with them). I had posted a thread about this a while back, which you might find useful: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/572855-elementary-hebrew/?hl=hebrew&do=findComment&comment=6712730
  19. I'm ready to begin soon -- just as soon as I figure it all out and do any supplemental food shopping. I bought the book: It Starts With Food, but was wondering if I also need the cookbook (30 day guide), or if I can make do with the website. What have you all found to be the most helpful?
  20. Does anyone know what I need to get to begin a Whole 30? I ordered the book, "It Starts With Food," and located the website. Do I need the cookbook or any other reading materials, or can I figure it all out from the website?
  21. I have had a chance to look at everything, and think I will read up on Whole 30, and start that in a few days once I have had a chance to go grocery shopping. I will need to look up the April Whole30 thread. For exercise, I began the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred program today, and noticed an enormous boost in my mood and energy levels this evening even after just a 20-minute exercise DVD. I did have to put all of the kids in front of Netflix in order to have 20 minutes to myself.
  22. Thank you. That is comforting. I haven't really gained weight for a year or two, but have gained slowly over the course of ten years during my pregnancies. Your comment reminded me of when I was a teenager and ate enormous amounts. I was active with outdoor sports and cheerleading, but wasn't doing anything incredibly strenuous. A certain boy I dated was just horrified at how much I ate, and did not hide his horror. It really annoyed me (and led to me dropping him quickly), as I was a tiny little thing and felt I was just eating what I needed to eat -- which was no more than he ate.
  23. The 2-year-old was weaned about four months ago. I think I got into the bad habit of constant eating and feeling like I needed a lot of calories because I was pregnant or nursing for about ten years straight and really did need the calories. There was a scare when I was nursing #2 and I accidentally became alarmingly thin. I had my thyroid checked (it was fine), and some other tests -- and it just turned out I was so busy nursing caring for two children under the age of 2 that I wasn't eating enough. That may have been when I started being very intentional about eating plenty of calories. It is difficult now to make the shift to eating less.
  24. Yup - tried them on. Jackets won't button. Pants won't go past my hips. Very depressing, as I had a very nice, classic, designer wardrobe that I can't begin to replace now that I have different priorities.
  25. That's what I'm afraid of -- that this is no small change I need to make in order to be in pre-kid shape. 8 pounds sounds rather small; but really, I want my pre-baby figure back with defined arms and no tummy bulge. As I haven't really done anything yet, I think I can make some changes and see some progress at least by trying a new diet and more regular exercise. Yes, "not exercise" means I don't go to the gym or do any workouts at home. Hiking is just for fun with the kids on the weekend, but is not something I am able to do during the week as it is a BIG production getting everyone ready for a hike, and difficult to keep track of little ones in the woods without my husband's help.
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