lotsofpumpkins
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Posts posted by lotsofpumpkins
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Stick with the CLE Math; your 2nd and 3rd graders will be able to do most of it independently. I haven't used their LA, but I would imagine it works much the same way. R&S English is fine though; I generally spend about 5-10 minutes on it with dc in 2nd and 3rd grade. 1st grade definitely takes the most time; we are using CLE Math and R&S Phonics/Reading. I've tried other programs in the interest of cutting back on the time, but I've found that it really doesn't matter what you use; 1st grade is a big year for learning new things and there's going to be a time commitment there! Kindergarten can be kept very simple. My 3rd and 4th graders actually jump in and help my 5yo with his math and phonics when I'm busy with my 1st grader. I am grateful for their help, and don't worry that it's not me teaching him. He'll get MUCH more teaching time from me when he hits 1st grade!
I'd combine all of them for history/science. Maybe even just read library books and get a couple of fun science kits.
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Praying in Florida!
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If you are planning on having to tweak, then I think you should start with Bigger for 2nd grade and go from there. You can always add the extensions if you want extra reading material. I have 3rd and 4th graders in Preparing this year, and I sometimes tweak it a bit for the 3rd grader. I can't imagine having a 2nd grader in the program, even an advanced one. The beauty of HOD is having the plans open-and-go, with increasing independence as you move through the guides. Check the placement guide at the HOD site, and see where your dc places. Only you know your child; maybe she will be ready for Preparing in 2nd grade. But I do think it's better to start a bit lower and jump ahead if you think they are ready, rather than frustrating them and having to slow down or back up.
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We've been using Apologia, and will use some God's Design next year. I haven't actually used God's Design yet, so I can't give an opinion on it, but just wanted to say it doesn't have to be a permanent switch or anything. I am going to buy just one of the God's Design books, probably Human Body, and start with that. If we end up not liking it, then we can move on to something else after that, either one of the Apologia books we haven't done yet, or something else entirely. If we do like God's Design, then I will buy more of the books. It's easy to try a little bit of it without spending a lot of money.
I have heard that if you don't prefer the wordiness of Apologia, then you'll like God's Design because it's more to the point. I like that it is broken down into age groups, because I will be combining K, 2nd, 4th, and 5th graders.
ETA: I was posting at the same time as the reply above. That reply pretty much sums up what I've heard about God's Design, and reminds me why I'm only buying a little bit of our science at a time for next year!
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I don't worry about skipping around in history and science in elementary. My main focus is on the 3R's. Once they hit middle school I'll make sure we are covering history and science in an organized fashion.
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Yes, you do need two sets of cards. I have had 1st and 2nd graders at the same time before; this year I have 1st, 3rd, and 4th. The 3rd grader still has to use the 2nd grade set sometimes (they review those facts in addition to the new multiplication facts). So, having two sets of cards was definitely necessary for us!
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We just watched a bunch of math videos on YouTube, including Golosia (sp?) multiplication. Now my 3rd grader is working huge multiplication problems for fun on the whiteboard. :D
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I don't think it needs supplementing, but I do have my dc work on some CWP once in a while. My 3rd and 4th graders have been doing problems on whiteboards together. In the name of simplifying, I'm probably not going to schedule CWP next year. But, it'll be on the shelf and they are welcome to work problems on their own time if they want to. (One of them probably will; right now he's working multiplication problems using cool tricks we saw on YouTube; he really loves math.) :)
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Thanks! I'll check those out now.
ETA: That first article really makes a lot of sense to me. After considering both sides, right now I'm thinking we won't do Latin, at least not this young. We'll definitely learn roots though. At this point, we are learning some roots as we come across them in science, plus they will begin a more formal study of roots in 7th grade spelling.
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I've been doing some reading at Memoria Press and Highlands, and I'm seriously considering starting Latin with my oldest two dc next year. But, I have some questions first.
1. Is it really that important to start Latin in elementary school, or can I wait until middle school or high school, when they can learn it independently? (I have a large family, so I'm nervous about adding more programs that require teacher time.)
2. My oldest two dc will be in 4th and 5th grade next year. I'll also have a Kindergartener and a 2nd grader, as well as two preschoolers. I'm thinking Latina Christiana 1, though if it would be beneficial to start with Prima Latina, we can. Would a 2nd grader who is still finishing up phonics be able to handle Prima Latina? If so, I'd think about teaching all 3 of the oldest together. If not, I'd do whichever program is best for the 4th and 5th graders.
3. How much time should I expect to spend on these programs? Are they done daily?
4. We use R&S for English and Spelling. I noticed that the spelling starts covering Latin roots in 7th grade. Considering the dc will learn roots eventually, do we really need to study the Latin language as a whole right now? (At least before high school?)
5. Are there any other programs that would be good in our situation? I did not take Latin myself, so I'll be learning it too. I need open-and-go, and preferably a program that becomes more independent for the student as they get older. Inexpensive is a plus.
Thanks!
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I'm planning on using it next year. I have a friend who looked at FL materials extensively, and this was one of her top picks. She ended up going with ACE FL history because her dd just wanted workbooks to do independently. But since I'm planning on doing the FL study with all of my dc together, she recommended the Florida Unit Study. I believe you do need to use the reproducible book that goes with it in order for it to be complete. I am also going to buy supplemental books (literature set in FL, etc) to spread it out over most of the year.
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The implication being that the modern study of anatomy is so shaky most scientists can't identify a human skeleton with a bit of rickets and arthritis. Yikes.:confused:
No, the implication is that most scientists interpret the science in light of their beliefs. They want to find a piece of the evolution puzzle, and their explanation of the fossils reflects that. AIG (and other creation organizations) interpret science in light of the Bible, so their explanations reflect that.
In a nutshell, we all have a bias. Even "facts" can be looked at differently.
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Wow. Obviously the person who wrote this spent quite a lot of time reading the wiki before they looked at the fossils and said, "Hey, it looks like an ape, so it must be an extinct ape!" It's pretty apparent the person has no anthropological training whatsoever.
So I suppose the Neanderthals were just extinct apes too, huh? Which is odd, given that some modern humans are carrying around a small amount of Neanderthal DNA...
Actually, Neanderthals were a group of humans who were most likely suffering from rickets and arthritis caused by the cold, dark climate of the world after the Flood.
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First, keep in mind that truth and fact are not interchangeable terms. I find a lot of truth in the Adam and Eve story but I don't think it's a factual account. I, on the other hand, believe that it is a factual account. So, for me, truth and fact are interchangeable when it comes to the Bible.
Second, for those who don't have a literal view of the Bible there are tools like textual criticism to decide what might be legendary/mythical/historical. There's also the gift of reason at our disposal. The gift of reason is nothing compared to the knowledge and wisdom of God. And yet so many people choose to pick apart His Word and view much of it as mythical. I'm sure that saddens Him.
:)
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One thing I would like to know is, for those of you who absolutely reject evolution, how in the world do you explain the Australopithecines?
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Without literal creation, we are without adam and eve, and therefore is no gospel. So to believe God used evolution for his creation is without a doubt, denying creation, adam and eve, original sin, and our need for a Savoir, which totally invalidates Christ's death at the cross as well as our saving from eternal ****ation. It also insists that death occurred prior to adam and eve, if you still believe in Adam and eve, meaning the "first bloodshed" of their sacrifice after their sin wasn't truly the first. And that the curse of sin, which caused death and made what was good, not good, is in fact not true because there would have been death prior to adam and eve. You've destroyed the whole basis of the Bible by suggesting the very central core of it is false, your own system of beliefs crushed, if you are old earth creationist. The Bible and Evolution do not fit one another.
:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:
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I understand perfectly. Your religious document says one thing, and science says another. The way you reconcile them is by choosing to believe that the document is not literally true.
I think that's more reasonable, in the face of the scientific evidence, than believing that the scientific evidence is false. And it certainly leads to an easier reconciliation than would a belief that the Bible is literally true in all respects; then you'd have to disregard some pretty compelling scientific evidence.
I think you've made an entirely reasonable choice in reconciling your belief systems, under the circumstances.
So it's okay to pick and choose which parts of the Bible are true? You're basing your salvation on the parts of this Book that you choose to believe, and yet you choose not to believe others. If the Bible is not 100% true, then how do you know the parts you choose to believe are true?
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You're right, you are viewing the world through different glasses-- completely unscientific ones.
If believing that the Bible is 100% inerrant and infallible makes me unscientific, then so be it. :D
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:001_huh::blink: That's exactly the sort of thing that stands to highly confuse the OP's children. Best to keep the religious doctrine separate from the science-- science could never, ever "prove that a biblical account is correct".
As Ken Ham says, we are viewing the world through different "glasses". My glasses come from having a strong faith in God, so the biblical account makes perfect sense to me. It sure makes more sense than evolution does. Look around you; do you honestly think all this happened by accident??? Religious doctrine has everything to do with science when you believe in the Creator.
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And if you want to know all the ways in which AIG is wrong and intentionally distorts scientific fact to make their point, the Pharyngula blog is a good place to start.
:leaving:
Nope, I am not interested in reading a blog that picks apart AIG. I think that AIG is an excellent resource for learning about both evolutionary beliefs and the true biblical account of creation. (Which is what the op wanted, right?)
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If you want one that truly informs you all about it and refutes the arguments against it with solid scientific information, Answers In Genesis has loads of excellent DVDs and books and curricula. It is wholly YE Creationist, and they are wonderfully educated about evolutionary beliefs and want us and our kids to know it well and know creation origins even better, and how to take the info from evolutionary beliefs and be knowledgeable enough about them to also be able to show where they are wrong.
:iagree:
(I know it's not the popular thing around here to be a Ken Ham supporter, but I am. And I'm a scientist too. :) But I'm a Christian first. I interpret science in light of the Bible, not the other way around.)
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Old Fashioned Education.
I looked at it, but didn't like all of the book choices, plus didn't want all of my dc on a different history/science. Plus, I prefer to just buy books already printed; I really don't like having to do all that printing. If I were suddenly in a situation with no books and no library and no money, and just a computer with internet, then I'm sure I'd take another look at OFE. But I still wouldn't use every single book suggestion; I'm sure I'd figure out a way to combine my dc for Bible, history, and science. There are so many free resources available on the internet these days; there's really no reason to use just OFE unless you just really like the simplicity of having it all scheduled out for you.
(Please note: I mean no offense to those who might happen to use and love OFE. I'm just speaking as someone with a large family and a desire to learn together. And in case you check my siggie, yes, we are leaving HOD next year so that we can all learn Bible, history, and science together.)
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We've tried everything from detailed schedules (with each child working on a different subject during each time slot) to the random pick-whatever-you-want-to-do-next routine. Dh and talked about our goals for the homeschool, and he helped me come up with a routine that works for us. So, here is what we are doing now:
8 a.m. Breakfast, then get dressed, make beds, brush teeth, etc. I get the kitchen cleaned up, get the baby dressed, and start laundry.
9:30 a.m. (or earlier) Start school. (Generally, my oldest two have already started an independent subject before this time). From approx 9:30 till noon, it's the 3R's block. We decided it was important to do those first each day. I prefer for them to start with math since it takes the longest. I help the 1st grader while the 3rd and 4th graders work independently. I do help them as needed. My 5yo has recently started K math, so I spend a few minutes with him too. This block also includes phonics for the 5yo and 1st grader, and reading, English, and dictation for the 3rd and 4th graders. If they finish early, they can play.
12:00 Lunch
1:00 or so (whenever the baby goes down for an afternoon nap) History, science, Bible block. This year we are running more than one HOD guide, so the dc take turns hearing their read-alouds. My oldest two work on timeline, vocabulary, written narrations, science notebooks, etc. Next year we'll be doing the content subjects all together, but it will still be after lunch. Except I might move Bible to first thing after breakfast.
3:00 School's out; play outside! Anyone who isn't finished has to stay inside and finish.
Sometime during the day when the baby is awake the oldest two also have to practice piano. They also have a few extra subjects that they work on together after everything else is finished for the day (Challenging Word Problems, Music Theory, Highlights Which Way USA).
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In my opinion, the single most important thing is an attitude of curiosity and habit of observation in the home. Adults too--kids model the adults' behavior and if the adults are engaged and excited usually the kids will be too. And that doesn't need to cost a lot of money.
:iagree:
We are always observing the critters around our home, and at least once a year we put a caterpillar in a jar and watch the metamorphosis.
Just this week we stuck celery in colored water to see what would happen. I sliced it lengthwise about halfway up and stuck each side in a different color and asked the dc what would happen. We did this with white carnations too. (The Janice VanCleave books have a lot of simple experiments that are fun for the dc.)
I told the dc we are having a family science fair, so they are all working on projects. We are keeping it fun, and they are learning a lot.
We have a digital microscope that connects to the computer, so they are always bringing me stuff from outside to look at.
We just got a telescope, and so far we've looked at the moon and Jupiter and its moons. They really liked that.
We like using experiment kits sometimes too; like Mind Blowing Science and Magic School Bus World of Germs.
The Apologia Elementary books are enjoyed in this house too; right now we are working on Botany. We bought the kit so there's no reason not to do all of the activities!
If You've Stuck With A Curriculum for 3+ YEARS...
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
We've stuck with:
R&S English
CLE Math