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susie

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Everything posted by susie

  1. Thanks everyone for your input!
  2. Hello All Anyone use Jump In middle school composition by Sharon Watson? Curious to hear thoughts and opinions from those who have experience with it. Thanks!
  3. Mystery Science. No prep required except the gathering of simple supplies or printing the provided PDF's. The way we did it is to watch the exploration portion on day 1, then I would preview the Activity and do any printing/gathering of supplies. Day 2 we would do the Activity. Day 3 & 4 my kiddos would do the Extras and/or read books from the library (or from what we own) on the topic. Extremely easy to implement, the kiddos loved it and learned quite a bit.
  4. My DS (12 yr. old) is finishing up Saxon 8/7 in a couple months. He typically scores 90% or above on the tests and 80% or above on the mixed practice. He is always required to correct any missed problems and does so with no trouble for the most part. Occasionally, I need to go over a concept with him but it usually doesn't take too much effort before he "gets it". I already own all the Chalkdust math (pre-algebra through pre-calc) from my older boys. However, for some reason, I'm concerned about him going straight from 8/7 to Chalkdust Algebra I. (maybe because my older boys always did pre-algebra first--math was not their strength) Has anyone ever done this? 8/7 straight to Chalkdust Algebra I? or something similar...any thoughts? how did it go?
  5. Can't believe #4 is in 7th! Pretty sure this is the plan: Keyboarding: TypingClub.com Spelling: Natural Speller Grammar: Rod & Staff 7 Writing: second have of WWS Level 1 & Killgallon Paragraph--He has REALLY enjoyed and learned so much from sentence composing! Vocabulary: Vocab. from Classical Roots book A Literature: he is a voracious reader so I'm still picking all the titles but will be pulled from early modern history Math: Chalkdust PreAlgebra Science: RS4K building blocks / probably join younger bro when he does Mystery Science because they love it so much History: crash course US History and some from world history, Human Odyssey, History Odyssey, books from the library...I can't give him too much for history...he's already watched all of CC for fun in his spare time. Tech: Alice and EV3 projects with his bro Language: Latin for Children book B Fine Arts Co-op: band & clarinet, choir, art class I really enjoy seeing other posts and getting new ideas and also reminders of curriculum we've enjoyed in the past.
  6. Still working out some things but here is what I am thinking so far: Keyboarding: Typing Club.com Spelling: Spelling Workout E Grammar: Rod & Staff 5 Writing: IEW B Vocab.: Wordly Wise book 5 Lit.: still have to choose titles but will coordinate with Early Modern History Math: Saxon 6/5 Science: RS4K & Mystery Science History: SOTW Vol. 3 and extra reading/resources from the library, maybe History Odyssey? Dropping logic for next year to do Tech: Alice & EV3 projects Language: Latin for Children book B Fine Arts Co-op: Guitar, Choir or maybe drama class, studio art, maybe percussion & band plus all his sports throughout the year
  7. I just did my first online/curbside pick up grocery order last week---finally took my husband's advice! Not having to do the 3 hour grocery shopping was SO NICE! I'd love to hear what kind of meals you plan that the kiddos can make. Getting that task off my plate, even a couple nights during the week, would be wonderful!
  8. My DS, homeschooled since Kindergarten, went to public school in 8th grade. As others have mentioned the academics were not an issue. The forms to fill out and the many rules took some getting used to. SO MANY FORMS! There were a couple times I had to come to the school to pick him up at the end of the day because the proper form to walk home or to take the bus wasn't filled out. (apparently we only turned in the "temporary form"...good for only one day...he needed the permanent one :glare: ...times like that created slight panic in DS.) He never used his locker...still doesn't in PS high school this year. He finds it easier to just keep it all in his book bag. He now has 2 book bags: one for "A" days and one for "B" days, which helps him stay organized, not carry such a heavy bag, and not forget books, work, etc. Almost all assignments are worked on and submitted using electronic mediums. He's learned to check and recheck teacher webpages, school homework sites, etc. for assignments. A couple times he missed assignments because teachers say they only post in one place but end up using multiple ways...now he just checks them all to be safe. He had to learn when was a good time to use the bathroom. The first few days of school he would come running in the door and zip straight for the bathroom from holding it all day :laugh: He hates group projects...precisely for the reasons others have mentioned...he ends up doing all the work because he doesn't wait until the last minute and cares about his grades and learning. Unfortunately, the teachers plan a lot of group projects. Despite all this, overall he has enjoyed having different teachers, meeting new friends, and now attends a STEM high school where he gets to specialize in his interests. He says he liked homeschooling better but is glad he gets the opportunities this high school offers. Good Luck on this new journey! And it always helped me to know that nothing is set in stone...if it ended up not working for him, he could always come back to homeschooling. :001_smile:
  9. Thank you so much for all the suggestions!! Now I can move on to the rest of planning for next year :hurray:
  10. Thanks for the suggestions! I had A Single Shard and Arabian Nights on my list for my older son but the other suggestions sound good too.
  11. I've started putting together literature for the my 11 year old DS (grade 6--avid, strong reader) and my 9 year old DS (grade 4--average, reluctant reader). We will be covering the middle ages next year. While I have a very complete list of European/Western literature selections for both ages, I really prefer to have a more balanced selection--I try to avoid the 'predominately Eurocentric history/literature slant' and could use some suggestions for non-western literature (and history supplemental resources) for the middle ages. I've been searching the web but have only found a couple options. Any one have suggestions?
  12. Thanks for the input... I was concerned about that same thing, EKS.
  13. I'm considering using Beast Academy to supplement our main math curriculum Saxon. We do every part of Saxon--every part of every lesson, test and investigation--and my boys, (using 5/4 and 8/7, next year) benefit from the spiral/repetition/practice problems. I really believe Saxon is a solid, thorough program but I'd like to supplement with something more conceptually based for my 2 very math-inclined boys. I'm thinking to just get the BA Guide books for their correct level and have them read through that once or twice a week. Has anyone used BA as supplement? How did you structure it? Would the guide books alone accomplish our goals of teaching math more conceptually? or are the practice books truly needed for that? I've never had the opportunity to look at either "in my hands" so I can only look at what BA has posted online as samples--not really helpful to me. I really don't want to invest a ton of money if not necessary in a completely new math curriculum.
  14. I'm trying to decide on vocabulary for my 11 yr. old ds. Not sure why I'm having a tough time deciding! This year he did Wordly Wise book 5--not challenging for him--easily completed assignments & aced tests. Should we continue Wordly Wise (maybe skip book 6 and do 7)? or Vocabulary from Classical Roots book A? Would love to hear opinions! Thanks. (I already own Vocab. CR book A---so that's a plus--wouldn't need to buy any vocabulary books!)
  15. Saxon for all 5 of my DS through 8/7. Solid--my older DS's scored very well on SAT and my ps high schooler is in honors advanced geometry his freshman year. Easy to implement. I know some home schoolers skip parts of Saxon lessons. We do everything the curriculum lays out, from all the fact practice tests, mental math, problem solving, lesson practice, and all the mixed practice problems--for every lesson--plus all the tests and investigations. It has prepared my kiddos very well. No regrets.
  16. Someone mentioned typingclub.com in another post. I've briefly tried it myself and my 3rd grade son did the first few lessons today. We haven't delved into it much yet but it's FREE! Seems easy enough to follow and it's FREE! :hurray:
  17. Thanks everyone for the replies. I think I just needed some confirmation that it's okay to deviate. I definitely will be looking through each skipped lesson that he tests out of to make sure everything is covered and he has a solid foundation. Appreciate all the input :001_smile:
  18. I'm thinking to have my 10 yr. old DS skip the first 30 to 35 lessons in Saxon 7/6 once he starts it this fall and wanted some thoughts from the hive if this is fine or do harm in the long run... some background: We are on a summer break right now (he does 20+ minutes on Khan Academy math to keep mind sharp) but when we officially start the new school year he will be picking up at Lesson 91 in 6/5 and completing the book. Once he finishes 6/5 (approx. 38 days) The plan is to move on to 7/6. I'd like him to be able to finish 7/6 by the end of the 2016/2017 year (May or June) so I was thinking to have him just take the first 5 or 6 tests in 7/6 and do the first 3 Investigations and skip the lessons entirely. Then if he scored 80% or higher on the tests we would just start at lesson 36. It seems as though the first few lessons are basic review. Another option I'm considering: have him just continue taking tests and doing investigations in 7/6 until he gets below and 80% then go back and start lessons where that test material is covered. Any thoughts?
  19. In the next few days, we are deciding 13 yr. old sons schooling for this coming year. I could use some input from those who have been through a similar situation, especially those with this age or older. Here is the basic situation: I am mentally, emotionally, and physically spent. The past 2 years of homeschooling have been difficult---we had a death in the family two years ago and since then I've had an extremely tough time adequately (in my opinion) staying on top of all the academics and not becoming overwhelmed and/or frustrated in our day to day schooling. While I really would like to continue homeschooling all my kiddos, I am concerned that it will just be TOO much. I really want homeschooling to be a positive experience for my kiddos and I don't feel like the past two years have been due to other life stuff. Here is what we are trying to figure out: I'm definitely going to homeschool my 9yr. ds and my 6 yr. old ds---they DO NOT want to go to public school. I'm also going to finish up by 17 yr. old ds, since he will be ready to graduate high school next spring and is taking most of his classes at the local CC!! My 13yr. old has shown an interest in trying out public school (maybe straight to high school for 9th grade or go into 8th grade to allow for adjustment) but he is unsure. (expensive online classes, private school, christian schools are not in the budget!) He is also considering staying home for school. IF he would prefer to stay home, I'd like to do an "easy" year (easy for me and for him...somewhat) He is ready academically for high school level work so I was thinking maybe he could do some free (or inexpensive) online classes or Khan Academy stuff and maybe just a couple things with me...he loves computer programing so maybe he could have time during the day to do something productive with that? I'd love to hear 1.) what resources, online or otherwise, would be good to look into and 2.) Am I setting him up for a tough time academically in high school if he does an easy 8th grade year? (he may go to PS for high school...not sure yet on that...most of his academic records I would give them would be what he did this year) 3.) IF he prefers public school, any input on whether it would be best to go into PS 9th grade (where he is academically) or PS 8th grade (where he is age wise) We've visited both schools and both are open to whatever we decide. Sorry such a long post....hope it's clear.
  20. LOL! The picking up dropped pencils...I can SO relate! I'm sure he must spend an hour each day dropping pencils, awkwardly leaning down to reach the pencils without leaving his chair...eventually falling off the chair...finally getting the pencil & sitting back down...repeat multiple times! Some days very frustrating...helps to laugh about it and realize we are not the only ones :lol: My little guy just finished 1st grade. We took about 2-3 hours start to finish. However, he had quite a few breaks to play and run around while I worked with his 3 older brothers. If we worked straight through everything we would probably finish in about 1 1/2 hours.
  21. Very exciting news! Definitely would prefer a conference on educating at home (academics!!) with out all the...hmm...extraneous fluff! YAH!!! :hurray:
  22. I have felt the exact same way, Garga. My 7th grade son is currently on Chapter 13 in Mr. Q and can't quite understand it. This is not the first time we've been lost and felt like Mr. Q has left out some important explanation! Repeatedly we've had to search other books we have at home and watch videos on Khan Academy in order to fully grasp the concepts that he is to supposedly understand after reading the very brief chapter text. We were so excited for Mr. Q Adv. Chemistry--especially since most labs involved cooking. We really loved the free life science a few years ago but the frequent typos, unclear/lacking explanations are beginning to make Chemistry a hated subject---quite the opposite of what I want my son to develop. Anyone have a similar experience with Mr. Q Adv. Chemistry and if so what other resources did you find most helpful so that your child could finish the curriculum with a good understanding?
  23. Hi all, I am trying to come up with the basic framework for the next two years--ds junior & senior year. I would really appreciate some input or advice on the set up for literature. Here is what is running through my mind...and I just can't settle on a decision: We are set up to study American History next year...I'm really very excited about what we have planned and have already spent time & money on the curriculum so I'm not changing the plans with it. It will cover from colonial to early 21st century. That being said, I'd like to have the Lit. & writing coordinate with the history but I'm open to deviating. I've been trying to make a list of the books I'd like ds to cover next year so I can prep the lessons/writing assignments, etc. I can come up with a list of Am. Lit from colonial to 21st century but my quandary arises because there are 1.) so many books that are left off that I feel strongly he should read 2.) some of the titles left off are not Am. Lit but would fall under world lit or british lit. So...would it be better to title the course World Lit 1600-1850 (something like that) so he can study Donne, Bunyan, Austen, etc. (we've done a strictly ancients--freshman yr & middle ages--soph. yr. so far) and then do World lit again senior year but 1850 to present? Or junior year--do American lit. covering titles from colonial to present then do World lit. senior year from approx. 1600 to present. Obviously, many great titles will need to be left off doing such a large span of time but great titles will be left off either way, I suppose. Maybe I'm over thinking it...just not sure which way would make more sense...suggestions and different perspectives welcome! Thanks!
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