Lisa I am VERY impressed. Way to go! I wish I were doing the same. Penny

I can relate to you because I too am having a difficult time relating the evils of men to my children. I am considering not continuing with the four year cycle, breaking after completing SOTW Vol 3, until they get older. (My children are older than yours being 8, 10, and 11.) The one thing that is showed certain when studying history is that there is no hope if our hope is in people. People have a selfish nature which even the best of characters cannot completely overcome. This should not surprise us because it is spelled out so clearly in the Bible. We have been deceived by philosophers who have taught that 'man is inherently good'. If that is true, then history is a lie. The good in men is corrupted with an indisputable 'bad' that overcomes many and throws the world into devestation. In trying to overcome the ills placed upon themselves throughout the centuries, people have overcome governments only to find they have not changed their own hearts and to be faced with even greater ills. When I teach my kids history, I constantly remind them that our hope is in Christ our Lord. All other hopes (such as science, education, politics, 'good' of mankind) will certainly fail. Yes, history can be depressing. Yet it is just playing out as fortold in Genisis. Blessings to you and yours. Penny

Oh please don't give up yet! I remeber counting with my dd in K and thinking she'd never get the concept of 'getting another 10' (ie going from 19 to 20 and then 21, 29 to 30 and then 31, etc). Counting backwards was painful for weeks. But, when she got it, it stuck for life. She really understands math now, with borrowing (trading) and other things associated with our base 10 system. If I contrast that to my two other kids, who didn't start in RS A (they used Saxon) she has such a better understanding! Also, the way money is counting (by organizing in groups of 10 like the abacus) is a stroke of genius. Not to mention the evens and odds and tally sticks taught! Do not give up. A paper program is in no way equal to the RS program. Now, be sure to hold up your fingers to have her visualize the quantities and use the finger cards and the tally stick cards and match these up with the number cards. Have fun! Penny

7:00 or so Devotional 7:30 Math with Mommy (R&S) 8:30 Typing Instructor, Shepherd Geography Games, Music Theory Software, Rosetta Stone Latin 9:30 Latin (Latin Prep Book 2 supplemented with Cambridge) 10:30 R&S Grammar 11:00 IEW Noon Break Sometime in the afternoon: Wordly Wise Book 5 (almost finished and about to begin 6) Spelling Workout History (SOTW book 3 - will begin 4 around Christmas time) Individual Reading (Right now reading "Carry On Mr. Bowditch") Piano (at least 30 minutes per day) I'm hoping to make Fridays Science Day with no writing, grammar, or software requirements. Also, I'm hoping to get back to reading to the kids. We've been reading the Lamplighter books which are wonderful. I need to add in dictation! Alas, how to get it all done! Penny

Well, just because we as homeschool moms don't pull out our calculus everyday doesn't mean that math isn't useful! In my former engineer life (ChE) I used my higher level math everyday. Now there is a shortage of engineers because American kids aren't being educated in math. Engineering is just one career where math is a must. There are many others. Unless you want to choose for your child a non math career, just go ahead and follow the program regardless of if you understand 'why' or not. For example, I don't understand the full progression of language arts. So, I just do what SWB says (with research and study of course) because she obviously does understand. Until I absolutely know better, I'm not going to rob them of a good language arts education just because I don't use these skills in my life. However, I do believe that one of the problems with math in America (and it looks like Australia too) is the pushing down of higher level concepts when the earlier concepts haven't been mastered. I'm guilty of wanting my kids to prove themselves when it comes to school (call this PRIDE) and therefore trying to teach them more than they are ready for. So, I do not do an advanced math program with my kids. We do R&S which is a year behind Horizons, and some behind Abeka. I think it prepares the students better by taking it slower and absolutely mastering the basics. BTW, I also had that question about GCF (and about LCM) because I didn't remember learning it. However, I realized that because of experience with fractions, I automatically used GCF without realizing it. Now my kids have to learn GCF just to get the same experience. It's good to keep asking those questions and just keep plugging through! Penny

We memorized the declensions and wrote out those every day before beginining the lessons. For example, we would quickly make a table of N, V, A, Gen, D, and Abl and fill in Singular and Plural example nouns. (Not every noun.) Example nouns are puella, dominus, bellum. Other nouns we memorized and wrote out daily until thoroughly memorized were puer, magister, and deus. For noun vocabulary, I make cards and remember to put the dictionary form on the card and memorize the gender. We chant these and meanings. I have a memory box system to keep us from having to chant everything every day. We chant verbs every day while I show a flash card. The flash card contains the Four Principle Parts of the verb at the top. YOU MUST LEARN THESE!! Then, we identify the conjugation (so far we've learned 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3.5, and 4th.) Also on the verb card FOR THE Example VERBS ONLY are the 3 verb tenses we have learned (present, imperfect, and perfect). Chant the six verb forms for each tense daily. Example: Moneo, monere (needs a long sign over the first e), monui, monitum Present moneo mones monet monemus monetis monent Imperfect monebam monebas monebat monebamus monebatis monebant Perfect monui monuisti monuit monuimus monuistis monuerunt Chanting is a must. ALSO, PAY ATTENTION TO THE PRONUNCIATION AND PUT THE MACRONS (LONG SIGNS) OVER THE APPROPRIATE VOWELS. The reason will become clear later. If you can say the verbs correctly, then it is possible to identify the conjugation and the verb tense. Some verb tenses for a few verbs are identified only by differences in pronunciation. If you take short cuts in the beginning, problems will accumulate and you'll have to go back and learn it later. Blessings, Penny

Hey, I used to think this and started my kids with Latin Prep and in the British order. Now, after learning 2 declensions, I'm sending them to an outside class. And, they do know the endings forward and backward. Yet, all new learning will be in a different order. And the teacher will just post the endings without labeling them because she assumes everyone knows the order. Also consider I have a 10 and 11 year old, (if it were a more mature child it may not matter) and now I really wish I had changed the order. Class starts next week and I'm spending time this week getting them ready for the confusion. Penny

I have a memory box for Latin Prep. It contains noun declensions, verb conjugations, vocabulary, state of being verbs in various tenses, etc. I HIGHLY recommend chanting and taking it slowly to over-learn the material especially in the first few chapters and in fact, all chapters. Stick with it! You will learn so much and feel quite accomplished! I felt overwhelmed at first, but we are just about to finish!!!!! It took my 10 and 11 year olds the entire year to finish Latin Prep 1. Penny

Well, you know your child. I assign at least one problem of each type, and assign all the problems of a certain type if my child needs it. We do speed drills, but certainly not all of them. I do as much as possible orally. Since R&S continuously reviews, it keeps me on my toes to continuously check my child to see if he can still do the problems. If he asks questions, then that means he needs more practice in a certain area. I would say that we do probably 1/3 of the total number of problems. I assign all of the word problems. R&S has been a huge blessing at our house to regain math confidence. I have used it for 3rd, 4th, and now 5th grades. I hope to get a year ahead and finish the 8th book in 7th grade, then proceed to algebra. Blessings, Penny

I prefer R&S because I think CLE teaches some things too early. For instance, my 5th grader was learning line segments, rays, and other geometry concepts that I thought to be somewhat pointless at this age. Meanwhile, R&S is drilling in the basics of long division with double digit divisors, fractions, fractions of whole numbers, lots of mental math, etc. Concepts that should be absolutely mastered before moving on. R&S can get boring for kids. My solution is to move through it faster if so. I love the way that the child really knows the basics. I used to have one child doing CLE 5th grade and one doing R&S 5th grade. I just recently moved the CLE child back to R&S. Penny

It seems to me that you are actually teaching your child about different world views?? We are doing a World View study this year exposing the different world views and why we belief our world view, along with what others believe and why they do so. I'm using Brimwood Press. Brimwood Press explains the different world views, and goes into the conflicts that different world views cause, but it does not go into why people believe their world view is valid. This part requires quite a bit of research. It is helpful to note that all world views are based on faith, even atheism (ie. the faith that matter and/or energy are eternal.) It gets tricky when teaching the big bang theory because this suggests that matter and energy were eternal, but something interfered with the previously infinite state (OK, that is a misspeak because infinity by definition cannot be interupted at any point in time) and caused the big bang. Creationists would say this was God. I don't know what atheists say....I need more research. Other world views are either monistic or montheistic. Pantheism falls usually falls into one or the other of these catagories. A monistic world view says that god permeates the universe and god is part of the universe in that god would not exist if the universe did not exist. This world view denies good and evil. It just IS what it IS. (I have trouble with this because if WE know good and evil, which we all claim to, then we would be putting ourselves above this god and would be outside of the universe, in a sense. We could not know more than our creator.) The monotheistic view I'm sure you already know. God is the provider of the moral law. This may be not at all what you're looking for, but if you're going to provide cultural creation myths, including the creation of the universe (not just the earth) it may be more of an explaination for your child. Penny

Thank you so much Peela! As usual you are immensely helpful. I printed your e-mail for my records and am digesting it. Your advice is very reasonable. Blessings again! Penny

Our school name is The Three Eagles Christian Academy. Our motto is: Those that hope in the Lord shall gain new strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles. Is 40:31

I just found a note from Laura to you asking about this course. Prior to this I didn't know it existed! My kids and I are just fininshing Latin Prep 1 and I just ordered (this Am) Latin Prep 2. However Laura in China is much further along than we are so I'm wondering if the course is too advanced for us (or is it too elementary for Laura's kids?) Do you feel the Cambridge course would be beneficial? Is it changing gears too much? (ie. would we be better just continuing on with Latin Prep?) Does the course offer audio helps? That is where we really suffer! I just don't know the correct way to speak these latin words. Can it be taken in the US? Anything you have to offer would be greatly appreciated! Blessings, Penny

I bought a Sharp PW-E550 from Amazon.com. I bought it strictly based on the reviews supplied there. I would also like to know which dictionarys others like. But I have been very happy with this one. Penny

My absolute best buy this year was an electronic dictionary/thesaurus. Here's why: When the kids are writing, they actually LIKE to find synonyms. One of my children loves to write using words that even I don't know. She just uses that electronic thesaurus, picks a synonym, and presto! She has just increased her vocabulary. My son would never use the hard copy thesaurus on his own, and looking up the words slowed down writing too much. Now it is fun for him. However, the best part is the dictionary. Now when my kids read words they don't know, they actually want to look them up. When I'm reading and I don't know the meaning, and/or I just don't have good words to explain the meaning, then the dictionary is so very handy being small and easy. We have a really good one that has a history of words that have been looked up. This way we can review the unknown words and cement them permanently in our memory. I do recommend buying a good one. Mine cost about $75 from Amazon and it is wonderful. In fact, this is what my daughter chose for her big birthday present this year, after she used mine. (She didn't want to share with her brother and me.) Blessings, Penny

A quick note: I highly recommend that you pre-read the Sonlight readers and read alouds. Some of them are too mature and can very much shake a young child. If your child is not ready to deal with other world views they may have a very difficult time dealing with these books, not to mention the sensitivity factor. For instance in "The Corn Grows Ripe" the Christian world view is presented as being just as non effective as spirit worship. I did manage to talk to my 10 and 11 year olds and deal with this issue. I had to totally ditch the read aloud "Walk the World's Rim". It was just too negative on Christianity and was far too depressing and suggested t*rture and starvation. The book once again presented Christianity as a worthless world view. Another is the Core 2 book "And the Work Came With Power". This is a good book, but NOT for that age. My kids don't need to know about the realities of evil spirits just yet. That said, many Sonlight books have been favorites. Blessings, Penny

This post pains me because it means you would feel differently about your biological children than you do for your adopted children. I have 3 adopted children and could not imagine a greater love. I devote my life to them and would die for them. (In fact actually living for your kids is even more difficult than dying for them.) I face people who sincerely believe that I don't understand a mother's love. That hurts. This post furthers their case. I am deeply disturbed. I absolutely do know a mother's love. This leaves me wondering if you are holding back with your children. I do not mean to be unkind, just wondering how it could possibly be different to have a child "who is a part of me". My kids are a part of me. They reside in my heart. Their pains are my pains. Their joy is my joy. I pray that you will know this kind of love for your kids, that God himself intended for you. Penny

It does. Thank you very much. I have tried these from the library (years ago and pre kids) and like them very much. I'm a little reluctant about the beer stuff, but I think I'll go ahead and get them since there doesn't seem to be anything else. Thank you for replying! I would have never remembered how to spell it!

I only have time to do Spanish in the van! Thank you, Penny

Liz, My child could skip count with no problems but had no understanding of what he was doing. It was like memorizing a song. He did not understand the progression of tens. That is why backwards is so challenging. For you and me, since we understand the base 10 system, it is easy for us to figure out backwards counting. For many children, counting is simply memorization. Here's an example, what comes after "everywhere" in the song Mary Had a Little Lamb? You have to sing the song to find out. That is what numbers are to some children. It took me a LONG time to find out this was going on with my child! Right Start uses an abacus and other wonderful manipulatives that beautifully show the base 10 system. It is not like any other program. The abacus is not like a standard abacus. Please check out their website and see. Counting (in all its variations) the math way is done with the abacus. The child will count the 'normal' way until ten. Then instead of eleven, he will say 'one ten one, one ten two, ..........two ten one, two ten two, two ten three...' etc. With the abacus it is obvious the number of tens and ones that are shown. Then the child will start practicing backwards and over time will begin to understand the number of tens changes when adding and subtracting. After time, the child will count to 'ten tens' and realize that this number is 100. Then ten hundreds makes 1000, etc. My children can easily see that 155 contains 15 tens. Now this helps them enormously in things like long division and subtracting and adding. Mental math becomes much easier. Understanding large numbers is easier. This is just one example of what the program offers. The other manipulatives and games are wonderful. I understand about switching. We went half way through Saxon 3 before switching. And somewhere in there I tried MUS too! RS was the answer to my children understanding math, but now I use Rod and Staff on my math challenged child (and he is doing fabulous) and CLE math on my more gifted one. I like Rod and Staff better because it has made my challenged student better at mental math than my gifted! However, for the basic understanding of math, Right Start can't be beat and I still pull out that abacus sometimes. Hope this helps, Penny

I have one child doing Rod and Staff Math 5 and one doing CLE 500 series. Here's what I think: I actually like Rod and Staff better because of the slow, incremental steps in learning, the constant practice and review, the mental math, and the absolute assurance of understanding. It is a great program and when the child finishes, he will KNOW math and be able to perform on the spot. CLE math covers the basics, minimally practices them, and includes many advanced topics which certainly aren't necessary in fifth grade. For example, CLE begins negative numbers, geometry concepts (like line segment, ray, area of a circle, perimeter of circle). I would rather her practice really knowing the basics and mental math than these. I will say that my CLE child is naturally better in math, and I would put a struggling child in Rod and Staff and not CLE. However, my struggling math child has become quicker in mental, on the spot math than my gifted student because of Rod and Staff! That being said, I'm sure both of my children will do fine in life with these programs. Both will pick later what the other knows. Since I have two fifth graders, two different math programs eliminates competition. Blessings, Penny

Your child doesn't seem to understand the base 10 system. Mine had the same problem. I was also using Saxon. The problem with Saxon is that it doesn't have decent manipulatives. Counting bears are pretty much worthless. I fought my child endlessly trying to get him to understand numbers until I realized that numbers were like the ABC's to him. Think about trying to memorize all that! At least with the alphebet we only have 26 letters! Saxon is paper based. My child would have never understood with a paper based program. You really need the RightStart abacus and their method of teaching counting (including skip counting). You must start over and teach your child counting the 'math way'. RightStart will absolutely solve this problem and give your child a better foundation where you can go into Saxon later. I don't use RightStart past 1st grade or so because I don't have a child who is math gifted, and I feel that the RS program is too advanced. However, Level A is FANTASTIC and every child would benefit from it. I would start over with Level A (it will be way too easy in some cases but it will teach you the methods and it will teach him how to count forwards/backwards by two's, odds, etc) and give your child a great foundation. Once you learn the RS methods, you can teach him using other programs. I like Rod and Staff because it is so thorough and mastery based with lots of review. Some children may think it boring. But when a child does Rod and Staff he really knows math basics. Hope this helps. I've written this kind of e-mail a hundred times and usually for no reason. So, I almost passed you up due to time constraints. Penny PS. I also tried MUS but RS is better when explaining our number system.

What is the TOG blog roll? I'll join! Penny

I'm wondering if you have a problem at all. If he can do it, he will do it when it has meaning for him! Work on making sure he can do the problems and building confidence. Reduce the number of problems he has to do if he knows how to do them. Relax! As long as he is learning, he is fine! If you had said "My son just can't get math," you would have more to worry about. Think about it, what son really wants to concentrate on math for an hour a day, especially when he already knows it? Blessings, Penny