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Marie463

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Everything posted by Marie463

  1. For copyright reasons, the videos were moved to Classical Conversations Connected, which you can access if you are a member of a Classical Conversations Community (well, actually, anyone can subscribe to CC Connected, but it is expensive if you are not part of a Community). Hope this helps!
  2. I could use your advice....particularly if you have experience with FLL, MCT and/or Classical Conversations Essentials. DS7 is finishing up FLL2. FLL1 and 2 have been easy for him, but I haven't accelerated him. We've just been enjoying the simplicity (plus, he's young!) The lightbulb seems to have gone on, however, because he completely gets the content. He can easily recognize the eight parts of speech, has all of the lists memorized, etc. I introduced some diagramming - even though FLL2 doesn't require it - and he thinks that it is super fun. Here's my question: I recently looked through a friend's copy of FLL3 and realized that the little new content it contains could be taught to my DS in about a week or two. So....should we jump straight to FLL4? I haven't looked at it beyond the samples. I've also read a bit about MCT, but I don't know a lot about the program. FYI - In two years, we plan to enroll him in Classical Conversations Essentials program. Thoughts/suggestions?
  3. Ugh....so I do not suffer headaches nearly as severe of some of you, but I get two or three doozies a year. This morning was one of those days. Not just the headache, but sinus pressure and nausea too. Blah. So thankful for good medication!!! So I'm trying to figure out what may have brought this headache on. Last night, we had a birthday celebration at a hibachi place. They used a ton of oil and butter when cooking in front of us. Could it be a reaction to the fatty food? (FYI - the last time that I went to a hibachi restaurant nearly a year ago, I woke up the next morning feeling lousy too...you'd think I'd learn my lesson!) What says the hive?
  4. This isn't super funny, but I've gotta share...and y'all will understand! We are not studying US history/politics at all this year. Understandably, my DS7 had some questions about the election, so I gave him an upper-elementary nonfiction book about US Presidential Elections last week. I told him that if he was able to read the whole thing by election day and then be able to explain the electoral college system to me that I would let him stay up as late as he wants on Election Day to watch the results. Over breakfast this morning, he gave me an oral report about the electoral college that would probably rival any high schooler's understanding! So, guess who may be pulling an all-nighter tonight with her second grader?!?
  5. From the Trader Joe's thread....I think that we're neighbors! My name is Mendy. We're in Henrietta. I have two little boys ages 4 and 7.

  6. Trader Joe's is opening soon in our area. I've never been, but I know that they have a lot of unusual types of things. Any recommendations? :bigear:
  7. Overheard a conversation between my boys while they were cooperatively putting away the silverware: DS7: Remember, you need to pick up each piece of silverware, quickly assess what it is, and then place it into the correct category. DS4: Um, can I just look at it and put it in the drawer? :lol:
  8. Ha! I was just thinking the same thing earlier this week. I ordered an early elementary astronomy reference book for DS7 to use this semester. He read the entire thing before bed two nights ago! My planning looks like this: have a general plan (in my head) and then just go with the flow!
  9. I seriously need to update my wardrobe and need help! Are any of you on Polyvore? If so, mind sharing your username? I could use some inspiration!
  10. Speaking of RR, has anyone received their catalog in the mail yet?
  11. Congrats! What a bright kid! And I understand about not being able to chat about it IRL. Not to hijack your thread, but I am giving my 6yo an end-of-year test designed for 3rd graders and he's flying through it. So thankful that we have these awesome boards to meet some similar families. Brag away! :001_smile:
  12. So we recently stumbled upon Snap Circuits and my 6yo ds LOVES them! Do you know of other products like Snap Circuits that a young science-y guy would like? We haven't yet gotten into any of the Lego Robotics, but he's very interested in stuff like that. Is there some other awesome toy out there that you would recommend?
  13. I agree with you completely....I usually try to avoid talking about exactly what my ds is doing as well! Here's what prompted this post today....and it's pretty silly! Beautiful weather today and we had a great hs group field trip at a local park....I almost posted something on FB about what a great time that we had, but chose not to do so because I have several friends who wish that they could homeschool but can't for various reasons (unsupportive husband, fear, finances, etc., etc.) Is merely mentioning something that may be insensitive to a few considered boasting? Or, is this simply an example of that you can't control how others view something?
  14. Ok mommas of smarty-pants kids....I've been thinking a lot about boasting or bragging recently and would love hear your thoughts. Certainly, this is not an issue only for parents of kids who are bright, but you all will certainly understand. My question: How do you define bragging/boasting? Does it have to do with the intentions of the one sharing or the insensitivity that the one sharing has of their audience? Real-life examples: 1. a group of friends discussing a past or future get together in front of people who were not or will not be invited 2. a person posting something on Facebook about their lavish lifestyle knowing while knowing that others of much less means will be reading it 3. here's where you all come in --- participating in a discussion with other hs moms about what level of such-and-such curriculum you are using or maybe sending your advanced dc's math work along with him when visits another hs friend's house (and they are supposed to be doing work, not playing!) In all of the cases above, one can be truthful (and not boasting)....but does it cross a line when you know that your words may be perceived by the recipient as hurtful? Still working through my thoughts on this....hope that this makes sense! I'd love hear the thoughts of others!
  15. Our local elementary school's website has pages for each of the classroom teachers to list their curriculum, classroom updates, homework assignments, etc. I'm assuming that many public schools do this now. Once or twice a year, I "research" their site to see exactly what my kids would be doing if they were there. Anyone else do this? Or, am I the only stalker-type out there?!? :tongue_smilie: Honestly, what I've learned from my stalking (ahem, research) is just how very different the classical model is from whatever model it is that is used in public schools today. For instance, the lack of history instruction and the emphasis on social studies (4th graders making maps of their neighborhood, for example) is shocking.
  16. We're just about to mummify a chicken too! Would have done it earlier this week, but I haven't had a chance to make it to the cheap grocery store yet (and you better believe that I wasn't about to buy a fancy organic Wegmans chicken for this project!) One of my IRL friends used a cornish game hen last year instead of a full-size chicken and it worked great! One question about the sugar-cube pyramids. Do you think that if you coat the finished pyramid with white glue (or some kind of sealant) that it might keep the ants at bay?
  17. Any AAS users here who can convince us to stick with it? I really wanted to like this curriculum, but I'm just not. Ds6 is starting Level 2...he's doing fine, but both of us see it as a chore. He's quite advanced with reading (maybe a 5th or 6th grade level?) and seems to be a natural speller. Because he did not learn to read phonetically, I was hoping that AAS would help fill in the phonics rules that most kids study when they are learning how to read. Unfortunately, we're both a bit bored with the "rules" of AAS and he just wants to spell! I'm really tempted to just get a typical spelling workbook that focuses on lists (and is less expensive!) Any reasons why we should stick with AAS? Convince me! :001_smile:
  18. Do you have a world atlas that you love? Ideally, I'd love to find one that is spiral bound so that we don't lose 10% of the map in the crease! Any suggestions?
  19. Great ideas!!!! Thanks!!!!
  20. Not really a strict curriculum question....but a fun one! If you had an extra $100, what fun extras would you order for your kids next year? Games? Puzzles? etc.? We have young kiddos that are just moving beyond the preschool/baby stage (6 and 3) and we'd love to get some ideas about what fun things other families enjoy! Thanks
  21. A couple of tips: 1. If you plan on exercising in the early morning, lay out your running gear the night before....even sleep in some of your running clothes if you choose. It makes getting out the door so much easier! 2. Another :thumbup: for C25K. I have to admit that I modified it a bit. Without taking a cheat sheet with me, I simply couldn't keep remember how many/how long the segments should be. To simplify things, I deviated from the C25K plan, and made up my own....something like run 30 seconds, walk 4 minutes...and I did that 4 or 5 times. Then the next week, run 1 minute, walk 4 minutes, etc., etc. Eventually, you'll work up to the point where you are running more than walking (run 8 minutes, walk 1, etc.) I didn't have one of those fancy runners watches....so I just took my small kitchen timer! Good luck!
  22. Ok, so first let's talk about how funny it is that I'm even posting this....I'm still a relatively new homeschooler myself! However... I have been approached by so many IRL friends in the past few weeks asking about homeschooling, which curriculum we use, how to get started, etc. As a classically educating mama, my first instinct is to lead them down the classical ed path (it is the best one, right? :tongue_smilie:) but I want to respect each family's decision. It's tricky...because I don't have a lot of answers about other models, curriculums other than the ones that I've chosen, etc. The more that I talk to these newbies, the more that I realize just how much there is to learn (and how much I've gleaned from all of you lovely ladies over the past 18 months!) How do you help newbies IRL? Any suggestions....fabulous concise websites to point them to? Thanks! _______________ ds5 ds2
  23. Hi Susan, I could have asked the same question here a year ago about my ds (now 5, almost 6).....actually, maybe I did! For many of the reasons that you described, we ended up keeping him home during his Kindergarten year. He was enrolled in a great preschool for ages 3 and 4. He of course already knew the "material," but he had a great time with his friends and the teachers were fantastic. During his 4-year-old year, I started homeschooling gently....more for me than for him. I had never intended to be a homeschooler and I wanted to test the waters! So, I guess that you could say that we after-schooled pre-school! Going into Kindergarten, however, I absolutely did not have peace about sending him. Tales from his public school friends who are in K this year have confirmed my suspicions: the kids play on Starfall during class time (which my son completed all of the free levels at age 3), at the end of the year they are working on adding numbers whose sum is 6, each child is allowed to check out only one book from the school library each week, absolutely no differentiation in curriculum for students who are advanced/already reading....it's, well, Kindergarten! One of the best things about homeschooling, for everyone and gifted students in particular, is the freedom. Freedom that includes not needing to seek permission from teachers or the school for your child to work ahead. Someone once told me that having a gifted child in public school is like having a special education student in public school....you as the parent must advocate for that child just as a parent of a student with learning/physical challenges must do. That was something that did not appeal to me. As it stands now, we do not need to seek the permission of anyone (K is not regulated in our state) so we just plod along...we cover the essentials and then we have plenty of time to work on special topics as his varied interests dictate (for instance, for the past few weeks he's been working with a program called Scratch which is computer programming lite...google it...it's fun!) Ah, I'm writing a book. Sorry! I just wanted to welcome you to the boards and let you know that you're not alone!
  24. So now that we're nearing our official first year of homeschooling, I was recently reminded about some of the funny things that others have assumed about the homeschooling.... #1 - My mom asked me if my ds5 had finished all of his videos. I was confused and asked, "What videos are you talking about?" She replied, "You know, the ones that the school sends for him to watch of the classes." She honestly thought that our local public school taped the Kindergarten classes and sent the videos to local homeschoolers. #2 - I told a public school mom friend that we were attending our Classical Conversations year-end celebration. She said, "Oh, that's fantastic. Then he'll be able to use the certificate that he receives at his graduation to get into first grade." Huh? I couldn't help but LOL! :lol: So, I know I'm not the only one. I've got about 20 minutes until the baby wakes up and a hot cup of tea (really, it's just tea! :tongue_smilie:) ....share your funny homeschooling misconceptions!
  25. Here's a philosophical thread for the morning....grab your coffee! If this has been discussed before, please feel free to just point me to the right thread! Do accelerated learners progress through the stages of the trivium more quickly? For example, does a child who learns the "grammar" of a subject quickly ready to move into the dialectic stage earlier? Or, does maturity also play a role? Is this the very meaning of asynchronous development?
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