3browneyedboys4me
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Posts posted by 3browneyedboys4me
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I think I "LOVE" history odyssey! I can't explain it, but it just seems to click with me. It has a great format. I just love the way the lessons are laid out in a pre lesson , lesson, suggested reading, etc. It appears to be exactly what I am looking for....I still have many other sources I woud like to investigate.
Lovedtodeath...thank you SO much for commenting on All Thru the Ages. Someone mentioned that yesterday, but I couldn't remember it when I got home! Now, I can do even more research!;)
I have not used the AB w/SOTW. That certainly might be an option.:001_smile:
Bethany
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that has a list of good literature books to go w/the history. My kids adore listening to the cd's but I would like a bit more real history in there. Ya know?
Bethany
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I'm also going to look over Biblioplan. I think I might be ok with just a book that offers book lists for each cycle. Is there such a thing? :)
Thanks!
Bethany
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Ok, here is the problem:
I love teaching classical history w/ the cycles. I started this with Classical Conversations for two yrs. After two yrs, I decided I didn't like the rigour of the program and wanted something diff. but still enjoyed the cycled history. So, we did Tog last year. Loved TOG but felt it was too heavy for my kids (11,8,7). Basically, I just didn't know when to shut up- lol! I felt like it covered so much info, and I needed to discuss every, single aspect of it. This year we took a break to study the continents, but now, I'm looking at next year. I had planned on using MFW, but now, I've noticed HOD. It's very interesting! I see that they incorporate other subjects but it looks easy enough to work around if you choose your own curriculum.
So, my question is, are there programs out there that JUST teach history cycles? I have MOH, TOG, and SOTW, anything else? What I really like are the programs like MFW and TOG, but like I said, I think TOG is just too much for me, and MFW sounds great but also teaches so many other subjects that I don't need. I really like the structure they give and the book baskets w/great literature. I lean toward a CM approach for schooling. HOD has really got my attention! It looks great and they have a new RtoR cycle. However, it appears to be expensive and I don't really know anything about it.
Does anything else sound like it might be a good fit? We will be studying RtoR next year, if that helps!
Thanks in advance,
Bethany
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do more research on it. I think it looks very thorough. But, sometimes you dont' know until you hold it in your hands!
Bethany
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I am wondering about this curriculum. We've been using Horizons thru 3rd grade so far. I am thinking of switching b/c I am concerned it moves too fast. I've been looking at Math Mammoth and wondering if you guys think this is appropriate for a complete math curriculum or best used for reinforcement type work?
I love the concept and it looks great. I'm just stumped on whether it's enough or if I should add it to another math program like CLE or BJU?
thanks in advance,
Bethany
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:grouphug: Big hugs to you!! Wow, what a journey you've been on.
I appreciate your thoughts. I haven't actually implemented a 'diet' per se', but we've gotten really strict w/sugar. I, like you, cook 'from scratch' and think that alone makes a HUGE difference. I also buy organic when I can. I am thinking of adding better foods to his diet b/c he just doesn't have a really good diet. Mostly junk....popcorn, loves soda, chips, etc. He will eat a good dinner, but during the day he is SO PICKY! So, that is where i will have to get strict. I've known he needs to eat better but haven't really enforced that. I'm sure we will notice a huge difference with that alone.
Hugs to you on your journey!
Bethany
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at the support I've gotten from this board! I'm overwhelmed! Thank you so much!
Meet Me in Paris- I really do understand what you are saying. I do believe he is making connections. I see it every day. I've also seen him achieve things when HE wants them. It's interesting. His focus is there, and he is EXTREMELY excited about it. He will work all day on something if it's something that HE is interested in doing. I think I will try to be more positive about the things that he is accomplishing while we are making this journey together. I think that would make us both feel better.:001_smile:
Flaura Thank you for sharing the REWARDS info. I have quickly glanced at the website and will continue to look over it this evening. Did you use this for a child w/ Dyslexia? I was just curious how you came about the website, and how you implement it into your child's academics?
Romano Q Wow!!! That's just about all I can say!!! ;) Thank you SO very much for the tons of websites! I am so excited to look over these and see what is out there. I can't wait. Thank you for taking the time to share them with me.
Elizabeth B Thank you for sharing your spelling champ site. I haven't had a chance to look over it but will be doing that tonight.
Swellmomma- I am going to call Monday and see what services I have available. I live less than two miles from one of the top ten schools in my state- whatever that means. lol! Anyway, they are considered to be a very good elementary school. I realize my son will be in middle school next year but i will still call this school to get ideas and input. It might even be worth doing this year. I dont know? I'm hoping next week to have a lot more answers to my many questions.
Tracy R Hugs to you! I hope that the info I've received here might possibly help you too. It's a hard road and I've just been keeping at it year after year thinking that we will be on task-next year! It's always NEXT YEAR. But, it just isn't happening and as his work load increases, i am becoming extremely anxious about my other two boys. They need more of me. I have to be there more for them. So, I'm hoping to find some answers so that we can ALL get what we need. :001_huh: I hope that you are able to find some answers too. :grouphug:
Thanks again to all of you wonderful women. You all have given me such clarity and insight during a foggy time. I'm so glad to know I am NOT alone and that I have HOPE! You all are awesome!
:thumbup: Bethany
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We've already talked w/my son about his diet. He knows we are going to try a new diet to see if that will help his focus. I explained to him that everyone can't handle all foods the same way. I just had a baby and had to watch my sugar intake b/c of gestational diabetes. So, I think that helped him to understand. He wasn't too excited or happy about it b/c he does love coke! That will be a big one for him!
LizzyBee- thank you MILLIONS for the website info!! That is exactly what I needed. I needed a place to start!! I can't wait to pour over these websites tonight. I really appreciate you sharing this info w/me!
You all are a huge blessing, many thanks!
Bethany
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You and all the other wonderful,helpful moms have inspired me to seek help. I'm going to call today and see what services, if any, are out there in my community. I want to investigate testing again. Like you mentioned, I want a 'road map'. I think at this point it's necessary. I'm not sure what type of therapy we could afford at this point, with this economy, but we could check into it and see.
I feel so much better about things and I just want to thank everyone for understanding and being helpful. I usually don't reach out, but i am at a point of exhaustion....and, i'm so glad that I DID reach out! You guys are great!!!!
Thanks again!
Bethany
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I think I am 'getting' there. :) I feel like I'm letting go of my pride. :glare: I've realized this isn't all about me. It's about him and what works and what doesn't. He has to take some ownership in this. I dont' mean that it's blame, but rather, he has to really want to work at it too. That plays a huge roll in this. I think mabye the ADD/ADHD is a huge factor for us. That issue makes it so hard for him to stay on task which really makes me FEEL like he doesnt care, but in my heart, I know he does. It's just soooo very frustrating!
I'm just at a low point. I haven't ever really had a breakdown. This is the first time that I am just 'over it!' I just need help...that's a hard thing to ask for...well, for me it is!:)
Thanks for your support and encouragement!
Bethany
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I am at a place, this year, where I'm just not sure any of these programs make a difference *if* you have a son that has the issues mine has. I hate to say that, but i've been going at this for years and see very little, if any, changes. It seems to come down to mostly maturity issues for him. I think as he gets older two things have happened:
1. He WANTS to learn and know more.
2. He is a little embarrassed if his brothers can spell and write better than he can and tries harder.
Sad to say, but those two things seem to be the only motivating factor for him. I don't really see the benefit of hours and hours of teaching him rules. Not yet anyway. However, I guess that could change.
I think much of the problem is the ADD/ADHD problem. i am thinking I might go ahead and take him to the dr. for it. It's really good to know that you, and many others, have had this situation and found positive results from the medications. I guess it's worth more serious thought and not just a total dismissal.
Thanks again for your help.
Bethany
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I am not at all opposed to getting a diagnosis. I actually started down that road in Kindergarten, but b/c it was so expensive and I didnt' really see what difference it made, I didn't pursue it. From everything I learned at the time, it came down to using certain reading/phonics programs and REPETITION. That's all. Now, I guess I'm wondering if anything has changed? I've thought about PS, but I really don't want to put him in PS just so he can get a label and/or tutoring, especially if the tutoring would be the equivalent of what I am doing at home. ykwim? I would almost be inclined to think that would be going backwards. I just haven't been able to find a benefit for it yet.
I guess that's pretty much where I am at now. Are there any resources out there that would make a difference for me while I am homeschooling?
I appreciate your kindness and input. I will definitely be looking into resources in my area.
Blessings,
Bethany
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Thank you so much for your response. He does know the basic concepts of math. He just can't multi-step math. In other workds...take those basic concepts and starting adding to them. Like you do when you learn multiplication in the hundreds,thousands, etc. Now, he will do fine if he is multiplying hundreds or thousands by a one's number....but, make it a tens, hundreds- forget it...he can't keep up w/ the placement and steps. He 'understands' it, but he just gets lost in the process and makes too many mistakes.
He tested in K words. I've basically just decided to teach him the rules and phonograms and use spelling city to have him drill him on them and test him. I just am running out of 'time' in the day to work on all the subjects w/him, and I'm finding I just have to make some sacrifices along the way so that we can finish. I am at this place where we aren't able to do much more than core subjects b/c it takes too long. It was a miracle we've been able to add science this year. However, we should and need to be doing much more. (like history, latin, unit studies...logic...etc.)
For writing- Lord help me! I just can't bring myself to tackle it. We started IEW this year. And, I would say it went pretty well at first. Then, it became agonizingly slow. I don't know if he got bored w/the repetition or what. We started strong and i felt like he put forth good effort, but then, I think he just got bored w/the process.?? Not sure. I shelved it b/c it was taking 2 or more hours to work thru the process w/him. However, in answer to your question, I would say he would be slow. He's really bad about just writing things without order or understanding. He doesn't get the flow that he needs to make a paragraph and so forth.I think IEW was pretty good at getting him to understand that. I am hoping to start that again soon. I am finally just getting us back on track since the holidays. It's been painful to keep him focussed. I'm hoping once he realizes what he has to do that the routine will take effect and we can add more to it.
Thanks for your help!
Bethany
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I totally undersand you using meds. I guess i am really hesitant b/c my son had epilepsy when he was 3 1/2 and out grew it when he was 8 1/2. I've always felt horrible that he had to be on those meds for all those years. Ya know? I really just wanted to use it as a last resort.
I feel like we are in the same boat with our boys. It's intersting that you had to make this decision when your son was 12, and my son is approaching 12 this summer. I, like you, feel like something MUST be done now. We just can't keep going at this pace...for his sake, more than mine.
Also, this week I had the 'lightbulb' moment over the ADD/ADHD thing. I noticed that my husband was correcting my oldest son every night about not eating his dinner at the same time we were all eating, getting up and going to the bathroom, and talking...bascially, being the last one at the table every night. Then, it just hit me, and I looked at him and told him that this is EXACTLY what it was like to teach him during the day.It's constant correction, getting back on task, and he is ALWAYS last sitting at the desk trying to finish. I guess that's when I knew we had an attn problem that was not going away but possibly getting worse.
Anyway, we discussed it and are taking sugar out of his diet to see if that helps. He LOVES sugar, craves it uncontrollably. He would love nothing more than to munch on popcorn and drink coke all day! I have a book that I bought years ago on treating ADHD naturally. I guess I can dust that off and read it now. lol! I can try that for awhile and see if it helps. I do believe the meds would make a huge difference for him. That might be what we need to do. I guess time will tell.
Thank you for your insight. It's comforting to know that someone else is out there fighting the same fight.;)
Blessings,
Bethany
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I've basically used SWR for both the spelling and reading issues. We've also used explode the code books to help out too. What I've noticed with both programs is that he gets the 'logic' behind them. In other words, the rules, BUT he still doesn't get how to put the pieces together. OR, apply what he has learned. For example, when he has time to do free writing, he will revert back to phonetic spelling. He doesn't think to spell AT ALL. He just writes however it sounds in his head. BUT, I can have him sitting down doing spelling w/me and he will use the correct spelling rules and phonetics when it's spelling time. Does that make sense?
Other than that, and repetition...I haven't used any other programs. I'm not aware of programs. I guess that's where i am at now...what's out there for him? What can I use?
With math...we've just used regular programs like Horizons, I did Saxon last year which was NIGHTMARE, and this year we tried Chalkdust and quickly figured out that was way tooooo fast, and now we are using BJU5. He is struggling with it terribly. I just am taking it very slow and explaining thoroughly...what else can I do????
Any thoughts?
thanks,
Bethany
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Hello wonderful moms!
My oldest son has never been officially diagnosed as LD. He is almost 12. I HIGHLY suspect he is. When he was in K, I took him to a local psychologist for testing b/c he was writing words and sentences backwards! She explained the process to me which was going to be extrememly costly (for the testing) and we just couldn't affort it. She did tell me that his initial test results showed ld that leaned toward dyslexia. So, I have basically thought of him as 'some what' dyslexic and leaned toward curricula that was geared toward, or at least user friendly for kids with this problem.
Now...fast forward several years- I'm exhausted and at a loss as to what I should do! I need help! The problem is almost overwhelming to me. I don't consider him severe, but of course, he is my oldest and I have no idea what severe would look like! Let me just say this-
- He can barely write complete sentences. I still correct basic work for starting a sentence w/a capital letter and I STILL add a period to his sentences!! We've been doing this since K! Ugh!
- He is barely on grade level with math. I'm on our third math program this year.
- His grammar skills are very good, but he has NO idea how to apply them.
- Actually, now that I think of it. He is excellent at learning concepts but horrible at applying them. He can learn all the rules for math skills like multiplying thousands by hundreds but it would take moving heaven and earth for him to do one correctly w/out any mistakes!
- His spelling is absolutely horrible.
- His reading is at best grade level and he has very poor pronunciation with multisyllable words. He gets totally tongue tied. But, believe it or not, he is excellent at comprehension! Go figure!
So, here I am with tons of questions as to what I should do. I feel like I am at this fork in the road. I was totally 'hoping' and expecting him to be well on his way to independent study next year. Well, we aren't even close to that. I still have to stand over him and 'drill' the math lessons into him. I have to go over every single reading assignment (this would be for reading, science, Bible, anything that required READING) to make sure that he understands and that it gets cemented into his brain. Otherwise, the fly that is zooming around the room will grab his attn and he won't pay any attn to what is in front of him. He takes absolutely NO ownership or responsibilty for his work. I can't rely on him at all. If I walk out of the room, it's a guarantee that he will get up and start doing something that is not on his 'list' of assisgnments.
I have two other school aged boys that are in 3rd and 1st grade. I can give them a list and they are capable of going down the list reading it and completing the assignments in less than three hours. The only subject that they dont' have that my oldest has is Science! I feel extremely guilty b/c I know they are going to have gaps in their education b/c I spend all of my time in a room w/my other son- going over and over assignements. And, unfortunately, I know when he turns his work in that half will be wrong!
I just broke down last night. I just can't take it anymore. I feel like neither one of us are going anywhere, and I'm leaving my other two boys to fend for themselves. It's just not fair to them.
What should I do? I've never asked for help before now...I'm just absolutely exhausted by my son...at a time when I need him to step up and take ownership, I feel like MORE is being required of me. The school work is getting more difficult, and I understand that. I just didnt' expect to be continuing to review basic things for the rest of our lives! I expected him to 'want' to do well...to try. Instead, I see him acting up all the time. If I give him any freedom, I will lose him to something else that grabs his attn.
Pls dont' get me wrong. I am compassionate and understanding about my son's problem, or maybe it's my problem??? I'm not "really" comparing him to his other brothers. I want to make that loud and clear. My oldest has 'these' issues, but he is also extremely bright. I understand all the upsides to dyslexia too. I understand that they are very creative, intelligent ppl . I do! But, how do I survive teaching him! lol! What is the best 'approach'?
Soooo.....I suspect a couple things: Ld issue w/ADD or ADHD. I am not willing to use meds at this time. I just dont want to go that route. I spoke w/my sister last night and she mentioned a very nice private school that specialized in kids w/ ld issues. It's pretty affordable, but is that the right thing? Ugh! Should I have him tested and labled and go from there? Does that realllly change anything?
Anyone that has experience w/ this type of problem, I woud love to hear what your thoughts are. Should I test him? Will that change anything? I realize that w/LD it is all about repetition. I do really understand that, but am I missing something? I mean, is there anything that can make this better?????? A teaching style, a curriculum, anything?
Thanks so much!
Bethany
- He can barely write complete sentences. I still correct basic work for starting a sentence w/a capital letter and I STILL add a period to his sentences!! We've been doing this since K! Ugh!
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:D My boys put them in all the time.. They love listening to them and I do to. :)
Bethany
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I was a bit concerned that it might be overwhelming, but it sounds like if I teach him the concepts that he needs to know, he should do fine. So, I think I'm going to take the plunge! ;)
Bethany
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I feel like he can handle it. I just need to catch him up on the concepts he doesn't know.
Thanks for the replies!
Bethany
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Anyone else have an opinion to share?
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Can you help me decide on which level- History Odyssey?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
I have a 12,9,and 7 yr old that will be using this. I just can't decide which might be better- level 1 or 2? We will be studying the middle ages.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Bethany