JeanM
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Posts posted by JeanM
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You have my prayers and hugs. :grouphug:
My dh has been unemployed for 1.5 years now, so I know how it is. We were scraping by for a while, but I now have full-time employment.
Best wishes,
Jean
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I used 100 EZ lessons with both of my dc. It worked really well for both dc, although they both knew their letters and sounds before starting the program. Neither of them were confused at all by the "funny letters" or the lack of funny letters in other books. The pace varied a lot though, sometimes we'd do two lessons a day, but sometimes we'd take a break for a week or two if it was getting frustrating. The only supplement we used were easy to read books (Bob books, little books I wrote myself, and some other little books that I can't remember).
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My dc go to public school (not charter) for music only. We met with the principal last fall, and he offered to help ds1 any way he could. He could do any academic or enrichment classes at the middle school, but we decided that for the most part his time is better spent at home. He loves band though, and that has worked out really well.
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Here's something I wish I'd known a LONG time ago! Don't discount books that have tiny print. Go to the library and ask if they have it in a large print version. I didn't realize our library had an entire wall of the youth section full of large-print books until my read-y child was past the "no tiny print" stage.
Oh yes, I'd forgotten that I got some large print books for one of my dc. Also if you have an ereader, you can change the size of the print to make it easier to read.
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Here's the list I made for this coming year (my son has read Charlotte's Web also). Some of these are a bit higher grade level, but they'd probably be doable at some point in the year:
Detectives in Togas
Henry Huggins
Homer Price
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
The Sword in the Tree
The Minstrel in the Tower
Follow My Leader
Caddie Woodlawn
The Happy Hollisters
101 Dalmations (by Dodie Smith)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Redwall
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Book of Three
I haven't read ANY of these except Detectives in Togas, so I can't tell you about scary content. Amazon has samples for most of them so you can see text size. These are just suggestions I've picked up from here (I had a thread last week about this), Sonlight, HOD, VP, etc.
Others we've read this year:
Trumpet of the Swan
My Father's Dragon (trilogy - he LOVED this, and it's not scary)
The Chalkbox Kid
Stone Fox
The Boxcar Children series
And we read Tornado, but you already have that on the list (it's not as advanced as Charlotte's Web, but it was a good "first chapter book" for DS... I think he read Charlotte's Web 2 books later).
You've gotten great suggestions. I wanted to add a cautionary note for "Detectives in Togas." My sensitive boy would NOT have been able to read that book at that age. And he got scared by "The Book of Three" when we tried to read it out loud. "Redwall" is wonderful, but there is a lot of fighting in it. Your son may be fine with these books, but you might want to pre-read or just check them out a bit.
My son loved "Freddy Goes to Florida" and the other books in that series, but they might be a little more difficult in reading level.
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If he is a fluent reader, I honestly do not see why a formal reading program would be needed. He could just read books and discuss them with you, write about them within the framework of his writing instruction. My personal belief is that you learn to read by just - reading.
:iagree:
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well, make sure that you have EXTRA copies of your dog's vaccination records. I keep one in my wallet and one right in my car. traveling across state if there are any problems you will need proof of those.
Also having a copy of your vets number and fax number can help if you need to stop at another vet hospital.
Have enough food for your dog as sometimes you will not be able to find it when traveling.
Have extra leashes and collars as well for safety and I always recommend a well stocked first aid kit for human and canine problems specific to summertime.
:iagree:
I took a long road trip a few years ago with 2 dc and 1 labrador retriever. We drove from Michigan to Florida, then we went up to Virginia, and finally back to Michigan. I never drove more than 9 hours a day.
Things that helped were:
*I booked ahead hotel rooms that were pet-friendly.
*I booked in advance a kennel in Florida for the dog to stay in for 2 days while we were really busy with wedding and family events.
*Our dog was very used to car trips and was older at that point and didn't need that much exercise.
Things that were difficult:
*Managing rest stops without leaving the dog in the car for too long (car heats up VERY fast in the south).
*We had to skip some really interesting looking stops on the way, because I didn't want to leave the dog in the car.
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One thing that helped my dc with both division and multiplication was using notebook paper turned sideways. That way the lines run vertically, and you keep the numbers in columns.
Another trick that my writing-averse dc usually do with long division is to skip the subtraction step. The do the subtraction mentally and write down the answer. Then they bring the next number down. Does that make sense?
My DD has NO trouble solving division problems up to 1 digit into 4 digits or higher mentally, but even trying to solve the two step ones in 3A by writing them down and going through the steps really seems to upset her-and she ends up making a lot of mistakes-while already having the correct answer.I think it's partially immature motor skills and having trouble lining things up-I've recopied the problems for her larger and more spread out to help, but I can't figure out why she can look at 3/392 and tell me that's 130 r 2 without seeming to need to think about it, but when she tries to write it out step by step, she'll inevitably get it wrong.
Is there any good way to demonstrate understanding of a written procedure for solving a problem without having to write?
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Well my dh used to hint occasionally, but he was mostly joking. Then he lost his job, and now he's been unemployed for 1.5 years. I found a full time job, so now he really is staying home with the kids. :lol:
He is not finding it easy though, and I'm really hoping that he finds a job before he gives up and sends them to school.
. . . that husbands always ask or hint that we get a job and they'll stay home and school the kids? At least, this is a frequent occurrence at my house. Does this happen to you?I've been looking, mind you, thinking he'd stop asking. He hasn't. But I'm looking in a very specific field that is also very competitive.
The long and short of this, however, is that I'm TIRED of the requesting. I'm tired of the looking and getting nowhere.
It's not like I don't have a job already! :glare::tongue_smilie:
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I pick a day when we are done (180 days). We just move into the next book (grade level) when we are finished. Otherwise would have stopped doing Math in March when we finished the book and vocabulary in February.
We do school light during the summer.
:iagree: We do the same thing, including school (very light) during the summer. We're planning to finish around when the public schools finish.
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Not by choice but my dh is the one home with the 4 kids (5 to 15 years old). I miss being with my kids a lot but I also enjoy my jobs a lot, too.
I have had to give up a lot of control in how I would have done things but how he does things is fine, although different.
My 5 year old is used to saying Dad all the time so I frequently get called "dad" but that kind of stuff I don't mind. I'd rather it be him than someone else.
I definitely don't handle vomiting well at all, so I can relate. Even when I was home with the kids (10 years) I got him to do as much of it as he could. It was the only thing that I ever woke him up for to help me :)
:iagree: My DH is home full-time (not by choice, but due to difficulty finding a job). I work from home myself, so we're both home all the time. I love my job, but I'd rather he found a job and I got to homeschool the dc.
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This said, I find it important to clearly state that it IS a choice, and an irreversible one. There is a lot of debate in academia of how to retain women, and often it is glossed over the fact that the choice- whichever one- is usually not reversible and leaves a road not taken. And not to be taken "later" either."
:iagree:
I made the choice to leave academia when I was pg with my second child. In my field, it is very difficult to take any time off. I was hassled for taking 12 weeks at home with my first ds.
I'm working full time now, since my dh has been unemployed for over a year. I had a very hard time finding a job though, despite having a PhD and lots of work experience. I don't really count myself as a working homeschooler now, since my dh does most of the schoolwork with the dc.
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I think it really depends on the school, your dd, and other factors. I have a relative who is attending a public school for the gifted, and in addition he is placed ahead one grade. The school required a lot of writing before he was really ready for that, and he gets teased a lot for being short. He is not really being challenged academically, but school is challenging for him for other reasons.
I don't know if this helps, I just thought I'd share his experience in a school for the gifted.
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We started homeschooling in order to keep our oldest challenged/learning something new. By the time his younger sister was old enough to go to school we had come to appreciate other benefits of homeschooling. So, gifted or not (though all three oldest are), we are homeschooling for now.
:iagree: Except I only have two dc...
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I don't track what my boys read, but they read a lot of books. They can check out pretty much anything that they want (I can't think of anything they've wanted that I've turned down), but I check out books for them too. Some are non-fiction that I'll leave around and usually someone will read. Some are fiction that I think they might like. I also request a ton of books online, mostly inter-library loans. My dc are no longer surprised if they go to check-out and find books that they didn't request themselves.
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I have one issue with it, the answers being on the same page sometimes as the problems they have to do. Those that have used it before, how did you handle this part?
I usually put a sticky note (or more than one if necessary) on top of the answers.
Jean
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I also use an excel spreadsheet to help with planning. These are some of the things that we've used, I don't know if that will help you or not:
For spelling, I use AAS for my ds who has great trouble with spelling. For my natural speller, I use Spelling Power. It's quick, and it focuses on words he doesn't know.
We use a 4-year history plan with SOTW as the spine. I've found that both of my dc have acquired quite a lot of American History, without having formally studied it. They've read quite a few books on the subject, and we've visited lots of historic sites.
Honestly, I didn't start a formal science program for my older ds until 5th grade, and the younger hasn't started an official curriculum yet. We mostly got lots of library books on topics that interested them (or that I thought would interest them). We watched lots of sciency videos, like Magic School Bus, Nova, Nature, etc. We went to lots of science museums/zoos/aquariums, etc. Oh, and they had lots of science related toys/projects, like raising butterflies, snap circuits, etc.
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My older ds (just turned 12) asked if we could work more on vocabulary, and I hate to say no to that. His vocabulary is already quite advanced, just from reading. I showed him a sample of the MCT vocabulary program, and he told me that it would be waste of money that he could just use a thesaurus and/or dictionary.
I like the idea of an actual program, just because it is easier to track, and easier to review words. If he uses a dictionary though, he can pick words that he doesn't already know.
Does anyone have a plan for using a dictionary/thesaurus? Other suggestions? I could twist his arm and buy the MCT anyway.
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I think I'd tell him where he could put his downpayment.
Lisa
I put it in more polite terms, but that was basically my answer.
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I'm not sure what API scores are, but I'm not sure it would help our situation. It might just convince him that we shouldn't buy a house in this area...
And wow, I can't believe that anyone thinks that your DD should be bullied. That is extreme!
I don't think he is necessarily manipulative. I mean, to some extent, aren't we all a little with our kids :tongue_smilie:? I think he's worried and thinks that since the kids are doing so well, why not be top of the class at school. He's proud of the kids, but maybe wants it more publicly known that they are ahead. It's difficult when there is little family support. Do you think you could show him the API scores of your town's schools (unless of course they are in the high 900s)? I have people actually comment to me that I'm doing a disservice to DD because she is not experiencing being bullied. What?!?! According to these people, kids need to be bullied in order to survive as adults. Wow! -
I don't generally post in the "what is your x grader doing" threads, but I enjoy reading them. I know that is not very logical...
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Thanks to everyone! I'm wiping away my tears and trying to move on. :001_smile:
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Thanks. I sort of feel like he wants me to sell my kids. Not that public school is that bad, but that's how it feels to me.
Wow. Sorry he's trying to manipulate you like that. That is just so wrong. -
Oh, feel free to add your vents.
My father thinks that because my dc are doing so well, that they should go to public school so that they can be at the top of their classes. His main concern is that they should compete with other children. I've tried to show him that my dc have competed in sports and in academic competitions. To him, the only real way to succeed is to be at the top of your class in school.
ugh, how frustrating!!!! Have they said what their specific concerns are or is it just a general don't like homeschooling thing? It makes no sense to me when your kids are obviously doing well.I don't get the overt statements like that one from my relatives (possibly because I would really have words for them) but there is an unspoken disapproval from my husband's family and it really bugs me. We just got awesome news about a selective math program my son qualified for. My family all said way to go kid, and also way to go teach, you both worked hard!! My husband's mother said "he's always been good in math since he was little". And his father said nothing at all. Like my son hasn't done anything in the way of work since birth, and I had nothing to do with it at all, and it's no big deal anyway.
They never ask about the kid's school work at all, while my parents and step-mother ask to see their notebooks whenever they come over, talk to the kids about what they're doing, etc. Isn't that normal grandparent stuff?? Dh's brother is a high school math teacher and the cousins are fairly average public school students, and not into sports or any sort of activity at all... which is fine for them, we don't mind that they make different choices than us. But somehow that means they can't be excited for us about anything, and anything we try to achieve just means we are trying to be better than we should, wasting our time, crazy to spend our weekends doing X. Our personal choices are actually offensive to them. I really don't get it!!!! With the recent news on the math program, we only told dh's parents, not his brothers, even the math teacher, because we know they will judge us for it. It's so sad.
Oh I'm sorry, this is supposed to be *your* vent thread LOL!!! I got carried away; I didn't realize I was feeling so hostile about all this until I started typing! ;)
Has anyone's young child skipped a grade?
in Parents' Forum Afterschooling Board
Posted
Just to add to your data points, I have a relative who skipped in early elementary who went on to major in physics. Another friend from school skipped early and went on to get a degree in chemical engineering. The other person I knew from school who skipped a grade majored in music. All three were happy that they had skipped, and wouldn't have changed anything.
I'm definitely not trying to say that grade skipping works for everyone, but at least these people had very positive experiences. Also, I wanted to point out that it definitely is possible to skip early and still go into fields that require a lot of math.