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Noreen Claire

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Posts posted by Noreen Claire

    one income families and nightly family dinner

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    My DH is a public high school teacher by day and a college professor by night (twice a week). We eat dinner together as a family every night he's home; on the nights that he's not home, my mother is usually over and she eats with us.

     

    DS21 is here less and less but, if he's in the house, he's at the table with us as well. (I need to get a bigger table!)

    3rd grade, chemistry, & listening to Great Courses?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    If **I** were you, I would put the audio versions of those lectures on in the car for yourself.    I wouldn't schedule them.   I would just make it a point to turn those on when you are driving or doing dishes or anything menial this school year....for yourself.    Tell the child that YOU are interested in these lectures because you are really interested in chemistry and excited to get to study it this year, but do not require them to listen or pay attention in the car.   And I don't mean be sneaky or manipulative about it, I really mean just listen to them yourself for the love of it.   If you hear a neat idea, talk about it over dinner.     If your child happens to listen in while you are in the car, great!   But don't force it.

     

    This will accomplish several things:

    1)  It will model a love for learning and curiosity for your children.  It will show them that learning doesn't stop when school is over, and we can always follow our interest to learn more.   When I am excited about a topic, it seems to be contagious in my family.    

    2)   It will give you interests besides homeschooling.  I think that is always healthy for homeschool moms to continually self-educate, have hobbies, read, and expose themselves to new ideas/concepts.    Homeschooling can become all consuming if we let it.  

    3)  Your child *might* gain a lot from exposure...or start asking questions....or feel inspired and want to know more about a particular idea.    They might hear something mentioned, and you can do a quick google search and read more about it, etc.   And if you allow them exposure this way (as opposed to assigning the exposure), the child will feel more positive associations with the idea or concept.  (It was *their* idea to ask about this topic, or check a book out about it at the library, or whatever.)   And these positive associations are really the goal this first go-around.     You want them to get to 8th grade and say, "Chemistry?   I LOVE chemistry.   I remember the first time we studied this and it was awesome!"  

     

    FWIW...

    My fairly bright, precocious, science-loving child really just started really getting something out of the great courses this year.   (He is going into 5th grade.)   And even now, it is more exposure.   I don't assign the GC, I just try to remember to turn them on when I am in the car for myself.    I bet he would have listened in when he was in 3rd grade too....but that is just his personality.   His sister, on the other hand, tends to tune them out.   :)

     

     

    Some other video/lecture/website ideas for this age:

     

    We also went through the periodic table (using the basher book and the really pretty elements book) and watched this youtube video series.   They were fun and engaging to even younger kids.   Those were books my child would often carry off to his room to read in his free time.  (And he is dyslexic...so that is saying something!)

     

    We also played around with the PhET chemistry simulations:  https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/chemistry/general

     

    We also memorized the periodic table using videos from this site:  https://www.memorize.academy/   It was fun and painless.

     

    My kids also enjoyed the crash course chemistry videos paired with reading from their Usborne Science Encyclopedia.  (And the QR linked videos /websites from that book.)    We also watched the associated brain pop videos for all of those chemistry concepts.    (The Usborne Encyclopedia is another book my kids will often carry off to their room to read.)  

     

    We also watched a few engaging Ted Talks on chemistry concepts.   (See this site for some ideas: http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/50-awesome-chemistry-videos-for-blended-or-flipped-classrooms/)

     

    We also added in some memory work and recitation from our readings to help review things I didn't want them to forget.  

     

    Thanks for all this!

     

    I have been listening to a history course this summer, in preparation for SOTW3 (history was never my strong suite) while DH has been listening to one on Greek philosophy. I don't drive much, and rarely anywhere that takes 30 minutes for an entire lecture, but I'll start a chemistry one as soon as I'm finished with history. I'll put it on during dinner prep in the kitchen!

     

    I've preordered the 4th ed. of the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, and can't wait to give it to DS when it arrives in October. I'm looking into some chemistry board games, too. Thanks for the video/lecture/website ideas! 

    3rd grade, chemistry, & listening to Great Courses?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Personally, I would absolutely NOT recommend this approach.  TC lectures are college-like lectures.  They are very dry for a 3rd grader.  There are simply more engaging materials out there for younger kids.  

     

    My DH is always listening to Great Courses lectures - philosophy, history, religion, etc. It is a format that DS8 is familiar with, so maybe it won't be that bad? I'll keep working on other ideas, obviously. Thanks for your response!

    3rd grade, chemistry, & listening to Great Courses?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    DS will be using Fun With Atoms and Molecules for chemistry this coming school year for 3rd grade. I was thinking about fitting in some Great Courses lectures on Audible during his science time. He would probably listen 15 min x 2 days/week.

     

    I'm considering the following titles:

     

    The Nature of Matter (24 lectures on chemistry)

    or

    The History of Science: 1700-1900 (picking from the 36 lectures only ones that line up with history - SOTW3, 1600-1850)

    or

    The Joy of Science (there are 12 on chemistry topics)

     

    Have you listened to any of these courses? Would you recommend one over another for a 3rd grader with an excellent vocabulary who enjoys listening to anything if it involves headphones? Would you absolutely NOT recommend this approach?

     

     

    So sad.

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    One of my former students was shot to death last night.

     

    While making dinner I glanced at the front page of the newspaper and there was an article about a shooting in the next city over (about 2 miles away). Two shot, one dead. The name was distinct enough and the age was right; I emailed my former principal and she confirmed that it was him. He was only 25.

     

    I had him as a sophomore my first year at the vocational school in the poorest city in the state, nine years ago. I can still see his smile and hear his voice. What a shame. I'm so sad for him and for his family. If you're the praying type, please pray for his family.

    Lego Education Sets?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted · Edited by Noreen Claire

    We have both. The parts sets are not the same. The Simple Machines set was pretty simple - outgrown quickly. The Simple and Powered Machines set has more scope and depth. A technically inclined kid will be much happier with the The Simple and Powered Machines set.

     

    Also, for technic parts, check thrift stores. I have been lucky enough to find batches of random technic parts there.

    Thanks very much! I ordered a few sets of gears off of Amazon and we are trying to scavenge as many Technic parts as we can out of DS21's old Legos. I'm probably going to buy DS5 the simple and powered machines set for Christmas.

    DS 4. Had a seizure last night.

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I'm glad that your son is better and that you have a diagnosis.

     

    Two small items to pass on to you: long-term epilepsy meds can cause vitamin d deficiency and if your son was prescribed keppra a daily dose of b6 can help with the initial mood side effects. Good luck.

    • Like 1

    Our terrible health insurance

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    This discussion of whether single-payer will cost more or less than what is already 1/6 of the U.S. economy fails to mention that the reason insurance costs are so high is NOT due to the actual cost of medical services, but due to the fact that insurance companies, many hospitals, drug companies, etc are all FOR PROFIT BUSINESSES. Having a for-profit health care system is an abomination.

    • Like 19

    Lego Education Sets?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Most bricks in set 9686 are blue or white.  Set 9689 contains bricks of other colors. 9689 contains 4 2x2 round yellow pieces, 9686 contains 2 2x2 round white pieces.  For a complete comparison, look at the Elements Surveys in the Activity Packs for the two sets.

     

    Thanks. I'm working on a chromebook which won't let me download those files. I'll try on DH's computer tomorrow.

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