lotsofpumpkins
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Posts posted by lotsofpumpkins
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You can start baby sign language at this age, though it will probably be a while before baby really picks up on it. When my oldest was 6-7 months old I started showing her the sign for "milk" at each feeding, as well as "more" and "all done" during solid feedings. She understood them by about 8-9 months and could actually make the signs herself a while after that. So, that's something interesting you can work on with your baby while you are playing (signs for books, flowers, etc)
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I've never been able to get some of the stains out of my baby's clothes, even with multiple washings. I think sunning is your best bet.
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I agree. If it still works, then use it. I've used expired yeast before and it worked fine.
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My 2 year old started climbing out of his crib at about 20 months. There really was no keeping him in there. As for training him to stay in there, we certainly tried. We didn't have this problem with his older siblings. They all stayed in bed at night. We decided to switch him to the toddler bed because we didn't want him to get hurt (and at the time I was pregnant so we knew we'd have to move him to the toddler bed soon so that the new baby could have the crib. It just happened a little ahead of schedule!)
So, my advice is to go ahead and switch to a toddler bed.
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My dd will be using R&S English, spelling, phonics, and reading/Bible for 2nd grade. 3rd grade will be the same, except phonics will be over.
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Ok, indecision is over... While waiting for more replies I decided to go with my gut and order singapore for ds. He's getting ready to start 1st grade so it's a great time to try something new. Plus, he's only 80 lessons behind his big sister in R&S math, and I'm not sure how she'll feel when/if he passes her, so I had been considering keeping them in different programs anyway. I am going to have her watch me work with ds though, and if she really seems to want to try singapore, maybe I'll switch her too, or maybe since we school year-round, we'll do both! Some people do that, don't they? it'd be a shame to ditch R&S altogether since I just spent an hour coloring flowers and bees for the "blossom and bee" poster... :tongue_smilie:
Hopefully I can get someone to buy my Prof B set (had to list it somewhere else since I don't have enough posts here yet)! I'm starting to look like a math curriculum junkie... gotta get some of it back out of here!
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They do a lot of exercises where they write 158= 100+50+8, so that they can see the place values.
That sounds like the type of exercise I am looking for.
I'm torn; I have to spend more $ and learn a new program if I switch ds to singapore. I could just keep him in R&S and use teaching ideas from Prof B and Games for Math to supplement. But I really think he could benefit from a program like Singapore....
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My oldest is doing great in R&S math, so I'm going to keep her in that for now. My next child is doing great with filling in the answers, except I can tell that it's pure memorization for him and he's not thinking about it. He's been asking me for a lot of answers lately, even stuff like 6-5 (he does fine with addition, but the subtraction is getting him). I say stuff like, "What can we add to 5 to make 6?" He just gets totally confused when I phrase it that way, because all of a sudden I'm talking about adding. So, then I say "if you put up 6 fingers and take away 5, how many are left?", and then he's able to get it. Maybe it's just his age, because he is my mathy child (he's very good at adding multiple numbers in his head, and LOVES to count to high numbers; it's just subtraction facts that seem to be messing him up). Anyway, I am feeling like he could benefit from a different program for a while. He's only 5 1/2 and has already completed almost 100 lessons out of 180 in R&S 1st grade math, so we can afford to go to something else without feeling behind.
I already have book one of Professor B math here, and it's intriguing, and I did do some of the oral exercises with the children yesterday, and it just feels strange. I do like some of the tricks they have later on in the book though, and was wondering if Singapore teaches this way. For example, if you have 25+38, Prof B says 20+30 is 50, and 5+8 is 13. 50+13 is 63. Does Singapore teach the student to think about problems like this?
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I'm a lefty, and when I was growing up, the only lefty scissors they had at school were old and dull. So, I quickly learned to use the rh scissors, and have ever since. I'm not sure I could even use a lh pair now and do a good job with them! I think at one point my parents bought be a lh ruler, but I found it awkward since I was already used to the regular ones.
I have a 5-year-old lefty. I am not purchasing anything special for him, because he is actually quite good at using his right hand, mainly due to having his left arm in a cast for 2 1/2 months last year for a fractured elbow. He is even throwing and batting right-handed at T-ball because he has more strength in his right arm still. (Dh is actually wanting to work with him to eventually be able to bat and throw either way).
Even if he hadn't broken his arm, I'd still encourage him to adapt to a rh world. I remember in college it was a pain sitting at those tiny rh "desks" in the auditorium classes (if the 1 or 2 lefty ones were already taken). But, I dealt with it just fine!
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If I only had one child near that age, I would go with HOD.
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Someone stop me.... I want to order it.......:willy_nilly:
need. to. order. it.
:iagree:
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Is that the one that is in the new Timberdoodle packages? I was wondering about that one too (for the future). I never heard of it before today either.
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We don't follow a strict schedule here. I might try to get into more of a set routine still, but we are still on fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants mode since having a new baby 6 months ago.
My 4-year-old is doing some preK. Some days he doesn't do any at all, but on days that he does, it takes him about 30 minutes.
My 5-year-old is in K but using 1st grade math. He usually gets a math lesson done in about 15-20 minutes. Phonics lessons take longer, since I am trying to teach him to read. We are using ETC and Happy Phonics; the games in HP take a while. So, I'd say on average we might spend 30-45 minutes on phonics.
My 7-year-old is in 1st. She is able to do a lot of her work independently but I do have to help her some, as well as listen to her read her word lists. She gets distracted super easy though, so her work easily takes her 3+ hours a day.
This is all going on at the same time, and I'm going back and forth between them. Once the younger ones finish they go play. When I just have dd working, I go back and forth between her and housework or cooking or whatever.
We alternate science/social studies/etc on different days right now. Those are usually pretty quick lessons. I am working on lesson plans for our new schoolyear starting in May, which will involve everyone together and hopefully be more involved and more organized than right now. So, that will take more time than it does now. But even with that, we should be able to finish our schoolday within 4 hours. Though with dd starting 2nd grade and picking up English and spelling, her work might take a bit longer if she isn't staying on task. We'll see!
I hope this helped some! I saw that your children are pretty young. If my K-er were my oldest, our school day would be 1 1/2-2 hours probably.
ETA: None of this includes read-aloud time. I'm still trying to get consistent with that. For some reason it's been hard to do that, with 5 children going in different directions!
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I assign their grade levels based on what grade they would be in if they went to PS. That way when someone asks what grade they are in (happens ALL the time) they have an answer. Plus it keeps them with children their age for Sunday School.
What grade they are in isn't necessarily what level of work they are doing, however. We school year-round and immediately "start the next thing". For example, my 1st-grader just started 2nd grade math. We aren't waiting until September.
Since we school year-round, I decided to pick a day in mid-May to be promotion day. So, in a couple of months dd will finish 1st grade and ds will finish K (even though both are already working above grade level in some subjects). It's just easier that way, since they are finishing different subjects at different times in the year.
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The actual publisher does not have a website, but you can see samples at one of their retailers: www.rodandstaffbooks.com. Or you can call the publisher to ask for free samples (I don't have the phone # where I can get to it right now, but maybe someone else does).
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A math notebook is an interesting idea! (If you mean it in the context of "notebooking" like we do for other subjects. I could be totally wrong on what you mean though)
I've been pondering math a LOT lately. We are using R&S. My oldest just started the 2nd grade book. To keep things more interesting we are adding in Games for Math (Peggy Kaye book) plus I'm getting Professor B Math to check out.
As for a notebook, I'm not sure about your child's age, but for mine, I was planning on having her do a 1000 notebook- I printed off 10 pages with a 100 grid on them, and she'll fill in the numbers all the way up to 1000. My ds5 LOVES to count so I'll probably have him do this too.
I'm not sure exactly what a "math notebook" entails (especially for children who are older than mine) so I'll be watching this thread!
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Good news! I played some of the games from Games for Math (Peggy Kaye) with the 4, 5, and 7 year olds this evening. They LOVED it. I tried to make some of it extra challenging for the 7 year old, and at first she said "I don't know how to do that". When she realized she COULD, she was so pleased with herself.
I'm feeling tons better about all of this. I'm going to continue using R&S and supplement with Games for Math just to make sure they are really thinking! I still might get some of the Singapore materials at some point, but for now I think we're doing fine.
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Look at the table of contents of R&S math 7 and BJU math 7 and/or Saxon math and you'll see the difference.
I hadn't done that yet, but I guess it'd be a good idea!
Thanks!
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I'm pretty sure I know who you are:D:grouphug:
ds5 would love Singapore - I think.
Another option (that I have found) - is to use the RightStart Math Games and the Alabacus Manual to give explanations and drill, even though I don't use the whole RS curriculum.
My vote is getting ds5 SM Intensive Practice 1A and TB 1A, and CWP1. Sit down with M, N, and E on the couch for the little TB sessions and play it up like storytime;) M will get review, and E will catch on to a lot too.
Yep, you've got me figured out, LOL!
I just gave dd a placement test for the Standards edition. She took the 1A test, and she did very well on most of it, except when it came to questions that required knowing facts that go over 10. I had been thinking of putting ds5 in 1A and dd7 in 1B, but do I need to "catch her up" on facts first? Or does 1B have enough review that she'll be fine? (If I go with getting workbooks for each and keeping them separate).
One more question- why the IP and CWP instead of the regular workbook? Is that to keep it oral? I do like your idea of having sessions on the couch, since I'm there feeding the baby all the time anyway! (I guess if I go your route I'd have to stick with the Primary edition instead of the newer Standards edition. I don't really care either way, I suppose!)
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Thanks, Bill. That's kind of what I've been thinking lately. I was thinking back to my own education in public school and I think even that was more advanced than what R&S is requiring.
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We are about an hour west of Gainesville in Lafayette county.
Us too!!! I couldn't believe it when I saw that someone else lives in the middle of nowhere like us... :)
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Hi everyone! I've lurked here for a very long time. Since I'm on here almost everyday anyway, I figured I'd go ahead and register. I have 5 children (info is in my siggy) and my oldest two are currently finishing up 1st and K. We school year-round so we just start the next thing as we finish up books (my oldest just started the R&S 2nd grade math the other day rather than waiting, since it's all review in the beginning anyway).
My main concern lately has been about math. I know I've read that R&S "catches up" to other curricula by 4th grade or so. But right now it just seems TOO easy. Because it only covers the addition and subtraction facts up to 10 in 1st grade, it seems behind many other programs that go up to 20. dd has done very well in the 1st grade math, and the only time she struggled was on speed drills that combined addition and subtraction. She knew the answers, but ran out of time (I let her finish after the time though). Although she does well, she doesn't really enjoy doing her math work. As for my 5-year-old ds, I've always considered him to be my math whiz. At age 4 he was adding 3 numbers together in his head (like 1+2+3) and a few months ago he came up with this one: "5 plus 5 is 10, 6 plus 6 is 12, so 7 plus 7 must be 14." I started him on R&S math 1 right at age 5 and he breezed through the addition part of it, but now we are on subtraction (7's house, I believe) and he is suddenly struggling. When he can't remember an answer he flips through his workbook and tries to find the same problem somewhere else. I showed him how to use manipulatives to find the answer instead, and it was like he didn't understand that. So, I suspect that although he CAN figure out stuff in his head, it's more likely he's simply memorizing the facts without thinking about them. (His phonics supports this theory; he can memorize sight words very easily but is struggling with sounding words out).
I've heard some people say that at this age all that matters is getting those facts memorized and it doesn't matter if they are really thinking about them (the whole Grammar Stage thing). "Thinking" can come later. BUT, I wonder if I am doing my children a disservice by not using a different kind of program along with R&S. I would still plan on using R&S too, for the drill.
Anyone combine R&S and Singapore? Or R&S with something else?
Sorry that got long! :)
Professor B or Singapore?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
You, a curriculum junkie??? :D
I'm not sure if I'll try to line up the concepts between R&S and SM, or do one for a while and then the other for a while. I also ordered the SM Challenging Word Problems so we'll work those in too.