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mommysanders

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Posts posted by mommysanders

    Book lists for an early reader?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    The Kingdom of Wrenly is a great book series that your kid might enjoy. My son has loved it and we have even passed it around to friends with great reviews.

    That's off the top of my head, but I can go look at his book shelf later. What books (or what level) is he currently reading?

     

     

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    • Like 2

    Quitting Spelling - Will I regret it?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    My son is naturally good at reading and spelling and he's very advanced as well. We have been doing spelling ever since he was reading fluently per TWTM recommendation, but his spelling lessons are too easy and he gets bored. I could keep bumping him up until it's challenging but I think I may just stop spelling for now. So here's my question: Has anyone made this decision and regretted it? Is there a strong argument for continuing with Spelling in this situation?

    Bible Curriculum?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I have a 5 year old and I was also looking for a bible curriculum. But then I started thinking many of the ones out there contain a lot of busy work. My son doesn't like busy work, but he does like things that are interesting and challenging. We decided to simply read from some very good children's bibles. We have a variety of them now as well as a children's devotional. I find he's picking up a lot just from simple read-aloud time.

     

    One curriculum I was looking at was Bible Road Trip. I liked that it could be used for multiple ages and seemed to thoroughly go through the Bible.

     

     

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    Why do memory work? And how to do it?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I used Classical Conversations' Foundations book for memory work with both of my kids when they were little. I also used Sheppardsoftware.com for geography. For my history/fact-loving son, who has some lds, it was an incredible confidence booster. He was constantly amazing people with his knowledge. I also used IEWs poetry memorization program and, oh, how my dd loved that. She would recite the poetry everywhere we went. In hindsight, I'm not sure I would have bothered with the CC memory work for my dd, because that was not her area of interest, but it was such a wonderful thing for ds. And maybe it did help their memory skills. I have no way of knowing the long-term impact of that. But, CC was definitely a source of confidence for my son and the poetry a joy for my dd.

     

    Wow I just checked out Sheppardsoftware.com. Thank you, thank you!

    • Like 1

    Why do memory work? And how to do it?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    We do a lot of memory work. When my oldest kids were young, we just sat on the couch and memorized more and more of Bible passages, poems, speeches, etc., going over it all each day as part of our "together" stuff. We did CC for one year when my oldest was in 7th grade. While there was good about CC, some things drove me nuts, so a friend and I started our own small junior high (eventually senior high) co-op.

     

    For our younger kids, who were away in the morning at an elementary co-op we'd all done for years, I put together an afternoon memory work program. I used CC as a general guide, but I tweaked things a lot. I decided on just a 32 point timeline, but I included dates. In subsequent years we added the kings and queens of England as well as the Presidents, and now we do all 3 things every year. We do science facts that line up with what the older kids are doing in their science class, as well as Bible passages and poems. We also do mapwork that lines up with Tapestry of Grace, since that's what we use for history for the older grades. I now have a 4 year rotation of this, with everything divided out by weeks, for what to work on. We just keep going over the old stuff, adding on the new stuff.

     

    It's been so beneficial for my kids. My oldest is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, and he has mentioned several times how useful it has been to be able to memorize well and quickly. He's in the Corps, so there is much memorization required there of various random facts! And I love that they can spout off "St. Crispian's Day Speech" or "In Flanders Fields" or whatever during appropriate moments. It's been good for me too!

    Oh wow! How do I do what you did? Haha. We are going through TOG Primer right now and will start year 1 next year. I seem to be stumbling my way through creating some memory work. I would love to match it up with what we are doing!

     

     

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    Why do memory work? And how to do it?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I used Classical Conversations' Foundations book for memory work with both of my kids when they were little. I also used Sheppardsoftware.com for geography. For my history/fact-loving son, who has some lds, it was an incredible confidence booster. He was constantly amazing people with his knowledge. I also used IEWs poetry memorization program and, oh, how my dd loved that. She would recite the poetry everywhere we went. In hindsight, I'm not sure I would have bothered with the CC memory work for my dd, because that was not her area of interest, but it was such a wonderful thing for ds. And maybe it did help their memory skills. I have no way of knowing the long-term impact of that. But, CC was definitely a source of confidence for my son and the poetry a joy for my dd.

    I second the IEW Poetry memorization book as well as CC.

     

    I tried to put my own memory work together at first, but we didn't get much accomplished. Through CC, though, my kids memorized a tremendous amount of information that has been invaluable thorough our studies. I wouldn't start CC too early, though. I think 3rd or 4th grade is a nice time for kids to begin the CC memory work program. Maybe 2nd grade at the earliest.

    Is there a way to get my hands on the CC material for memorization without being in CC? We live abroad right now so CC is not an option.

     

     

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    Why do memory work? And how to do it?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Doing memory work helps improve the skill, which is great as any adult who has tried to learn things like a lot of vocabulary knows.

     

    As well - there is this idea that people no longer need to have information in mind, since they can look it up. They just need to be able to "analyze". This seems to miss that in order to be able to contextualize new information, or come up with new ideas, actually requires knowledge that you possess. You aren't going to hear about, say, a particular historical event, and link it in your mind with some other event, unless you actually know these things. If you don't know something, how can you think to relate it or compare it to something else? You will be totally dependent on others to do it for you.

     

    But I really think the best reason to have things committed to memory is that it creates a beautiful repository of ideas and images and language to refer to at any time, under any circumstances. People who have these things in mind can produce them whenever they want, and it can be so enjoyable to talk to them. And, I think, it can be a great comfort as well when one needs some inspiration or way to describe one's situation. I watched a movie the other night about Winston Churchill, and he was very often coming up with bits of literature that in some way spoke to his situation, as he saw it.

    This is very inspiring. Thank you!

     

     

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    • Like 1

    Why do memory work? And how to do it?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Read the book The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. It will explain the developmental and academic importance of memorization in early childhood and how it's part of the first stage of the Trivium in a Neoclassical Education. Also read The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers.

    Hmm guess I better go back and read it again! I even just got the newest edition.

     

     

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    Anyone use Scratch for computer programming for little kids?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    DS loves The Foos app but that's as far as he's gone with coding.

     

     

    DS, age four, uses the Scratch Jr App as well. He played Robot Turtles, The Foos, Kodable, Lightbot, and code.org module 2 before playing with Scratch Jr. I don't know about the main Scratch site but the Scratch Jr, and the other beginning programs, do not require a guide book at all. The programming is done with blocks rather than actual code. Of the beginning programs we've used, code.org was the best at actually explaining and learning what and how to use the different types of code blocks.

     

    Thanks! I will look into these other ones before making a decision. Very helpful!

    Anyone use Scratch for computer programming for little kids?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    DD loved the Scratch Jr. IPad app and played it when she was 1st grade.

     

     

    DS, age four, uses the Scratch Jr App as well. He played Robot Turtles, The Foos, Kodable, Lightbot, and code.org module 2 before playing with Scratch Jr. I don't know about the main Scratch site but the Scratch Jr, and the other beginning programs, do not require a guide book at all. The programming is done with blocks rather than actual code. Of the beginning programs we've used, code.org was the best at actually explaining and learning what and how to use the different types of code blocks.

     

    I can't find the Scratch Jr app. Is it called something else? I see Scratch Maze, Start Scratch, and Scratch 2 Games. None of those I saw got good reviews. I have an iPhone, if that matters?

    Favorite Phonics Curriculum

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I like OPGTR. I like that it's pick up and go and doesn't have all the bells and whistles that come with other programs. I'm on my second child using this program and still enjoying how easy it is to use. We got the magnetic letters to go with it.

     

     

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    Learning to read options

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We have successfully used (and loved) Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. It's just one book. No bells and whistles, however we did decide to use a magnetic letter board to go with it. Depending on where you live, you can order it from Amazon. Are you in Europe? If so, you can order from any of the European Amazon sites. I just checked and I see it on the UK site.

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