Vintage81
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Posts posted by Vintage81
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If you have a look at the book "The Whole-Brain Child" by Dan Siegel there's a chapter and even a cartoon of this exact situation, except it's where a boy doesn't want to continue woodwork due to cutting his hand. They advise getting the child to narrate exactly what happened, eg "I was doing gymnastics, I was doing blah-blah move, then I fell, and hurt my back, it really hurt, then mum helped me, and then it stopped hurting".
It's a good book if you can get it. The idea is not dismissing what was a very scary incident, but also using it as a way forward - bad thing happened, you got through it, you will get through other things too.
Thank you for the book suggestion. I'll look for it at my library.
I'd just encourage her to keep trying and to trust her coach. As she watches the other kids, she'll begin to see that that piece of equipment or skill is safe and fun. And a good coach will gently work with her, teach her to trust, and coax her past her fear over time.
My dd started rec gymnastics at age 7 and was absolutely.terrified. of any high skill - zipline, high bar, uneven bars, etc. She just completely shut down and clung to her coach and refused to even try. But she loved every other aspect of the gym, so we stuck with it. At some point about a year ago, something clicked with her and now she has much less fear of heights. She all of a sudden was able to do the zipline, and it progressed from there. It took years of her coach working with her, modifying skills to accommodate her fear of heights, and pushing her past her comfort zone just a little bit more each time.
I wouldn't let her sit out - that makes it too easy to quit. Our gym will allow a hesitant child to go around the different areas with their class, even if they don't participate at first. The coach can still try to involve the fearful child and encourage them more.
Lana
I'm hoping the coach can help. I don't know him that well, but so far he seems understanding and supportive.
I usually stay and watch the class, but I'm wondering if I should leave. I feel like I might be a security blanket for her. Maybe if I'm not there, she'll push herself a little harder to participate.
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What was she doing when she fell? Could that particular thing be avoided for a bit?
I dunno. I see these things as just something fun to do so if it is causing anxiety I don't think I'd push it. But I get your reasoning too.
She was doing sort of a backflip. They use this barrel looking thing that's padded, then have the kids lay on their backs on it, it rolls, they put their hands on the floor, then kick their legs over their head. My daughter, who has done this many times before, didn't put her hands down, so when she kicked her legs over, her whole body landed on her back, near the neck. It's kind of hard to explain, so I hope that made sense.
She can avoid that particular activity, but so many other activities are similar. Right now she's afraid of anything like it (which is like 75% of the class).
I'll ask my just turned 8 yr old for you when I get home, see if she can provide any perspective hehee.
Last winter she just had begun snowboarding, it is a family sport. She fell back on her wrists on the bunny hill and it was obviously more than just a "shake it off" moment. The nearby ski rescue guy checked her out - she was fine, but the wrist needed ice and rest - I remember she could not write at school for a few days and at first was tearfully afraid she'd never be able to write again (!) let alone ever want to snowboard again for fear of injury.
My perspective: I immediately bought her wrist guards - should have had them for her from day 1. we had to take a very firm hand to get her through those tearful first attempts back on the hill. She was nervous, afraid, tearful at first. It was a bit hard for us too. I don't know if I could have done it alone. One parent is usually more quickly obeyed without question than the other. For us in our family that's the Daddy. Every family is different so for us, it was Daddy that had to get her through this stage very firmly, not me.
She is so so happy she pushed herself through that mental barrier. She is very very brave now and has told me many times how glad she is that she kept trying. Even though we did force her she is glad it happened. Putting on the wrist guards helped her feel braver. There is other padded equipment maybe you could look into to help give a mental boost.
I don't know if it'd help much but watching inspirational videos, athletes, seeing other people heal and keep trying may help?
Thank you for asking your daughter...another child's perspective would be helpful. :)
I totally understand what you're saying about kids listening to one parent or the other. For us, it's a 50/50 split. My older daughter does better with my husband. My 6 year old, who's having the issue, listens more to me. I think that's why I feel kind of stressed about what to do. I know gymnastics is a fun thing to do, but I'm just worried the quitting attitude will carry forward to things we do in the future.
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Backstory: My 6 year old daughter has been going to a gymnastics class for a couple of months. She really enjoyed it and looked forward to going each week. But, two weeks ago she fell and hurt her back. It definitely looked like it hurt, but I wouldn't call it a major injury. I think it may have knocked the wind out of her and she said her back was sore. We gave her Tylenol for pain and put cold compresses on the sore area. After two days, she was back to normal, running and playing with no discomfort.
Last week, before we went to the next class, she told me she was nervous to go, which I completely understood. I tried to keep it positive and just encouraged her to not be scared and try her best. Well, she made it about halfway through class and then just broke down crying (she didn't even cry when she got hurt). She wasn't having fun and she was afraid of getting hurt again. I convinced her to go back out there for the last few minutes of class, but now she's saying she no longer wants to do gymnastics at all.
My question: How do I encourage her not to quit? She hasn't complained about anything physically hurting, so I truly believe this is a mental struggle. I want to be compassionate and empathetic to her fears, but I don't want to set the precedent that it's okay to quit.
One idea I had was to let her sit out for the next week or two and watch the class (her older sister is in the class too). Maybe that would spark her interest again? Although if it doesn't, I'll basically have let her quit. The coach is understanding, but agrees the best way to get over this is to just keep pushing her to participate (and provide an extra spot when needed). I'm totally on board with this, but I don't want her to become a disruption to the class if she still feels uncomfortable.
Any advice, encouragement, personal experience, or words of wisdom would be much appreciated.
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I'm not sure if this is low-fat, but it's one of my favorite Paleo recipes...
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/144840228688/cherry-chicken
It's yummy and easy!
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My husband and I got a lot of ideas from Dave Ramsey. Here is a link to his 7 baby steps to get started:
http://www.daveramsey.com/baby-steps/?snid=start.steps
I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but I think it's important to create an emergency fund. Dave recommends starting with $1000 and then eventually work up to 3-6 months worth of emergency savings.
We also keep a spreadsheet that tracks the budgets we set and how much we spend. Different categories we include are - bills, savings/college/retirement, then all of the variable stuff (groceries, eating out, medical stuff, pets, etc). At the end of the month, anything extra is either spent on something we're working on (we do lots of DIY stuff) or it goes into a savings account if we're saving up for something big (vacation, car, etc). Once you know what you're spending, you can make adjustments as needed or plan for upcoming things.
Regarding extra spending, my thought is that you don't necessarily need to be so restrictive with your spending IF you don't have any debt, are able to pay all of your bills, and put an agreed amount into savings. Yes, it's hard work to earn that money, but after all of your financial obligations have been met each month, I think it's okay to spend money on stuff you enjoy.
FYI - We tried YNAB, but if I recall correctly there was one thing that didn't work with our "system." So, for instance, if you budget $200 for eating out, but only spend $150, it rolls that extra amount to the next month. For us, we put that extra $50 into savings, so we'd have to go into YNAB each month and manually adjust the budgets. There may have been a fix for that, but I didn't investigate. I think you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to see how it works for you.
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In our last house, we swapped most of the carpet for laminate. It wasn't top of the line, but it wasn't the cheapest either. It looked really nice and was pretty durable. I don't recall any scratches, but one time some sort of liquid spilled that we didn't notice right away, and it caused bubbling in the seams of a few pieces.
In our new house, the majority of the downstairs is stained concrete. It looks nice and is super easy to clean, but it's hard to keep looking clean. The master bedroom (downstairs) and all of the upstairs are carpeted. Someday I want to put in wood-looking tile over the concrete. With young children and a big dog, I think for us the tile would be more durable than hardwoods. The tile comes in all different lengths and if they are installed with really small grout lines and darker grout, it can look pretty close to hardwood.
Good luck to you!
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Does she get the headache first, then vomit, or vomit then headache?
Reading through some of the earlier posts, I was thinking it could be something like rebound headaches. I suffer from migraines and am at the point now that no matter what type of pain medication I take, OTC or prescription, my headaches feel worse and last longer.
If it's more of a vomiting issue, then I agree that a GI work-up would be the next route to go.
I hope you find answers soon.
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My 3rd grade daughter is just starting SWI-A, but last year we did Bible Heroes. All throughout Bible Heroes, I worked with her to create the KWOs. After we created the outline, she would recite the story back to me. I usually did it the same day, but I think it would've been better to do it the next day (when the original story wasn't so fresh in her brain). We would make adjustments as needed, and then we'd rewrite the story together. She would dictate the sentences to me, I wrote them on a white board, and then she copied off of the white board.
I think it just takes lots of practice and guidance. Now that we're starting SWI-A, she's much better at picking out the important words. She still requires a little help here and there, especially with longer sentences, but I no longer have to sit with her to do the whole thing. Learning how to make freebies (symbols, abbreviations, etc) is also easier for her now.
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If I were the teacher, I'd laugh and then rephrase my instructions..."If you need help, raise your hand." I'm all about the kids having fun during class, but if everyone else starts thinking they should be silly too, it could create a distraction.
If I were the parent, I would have a quick discussion about it with my child. Something to the effect of...it's okay to have fun during class, but be respectful. It just comes off a little smart-alecky.
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Another vote for Mystery Science. :)
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If you haven't already, you may want to consider having him read through the sample stories in each level. I found that to be more helpful than the placement tests. Here's a link:
http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/reading-resource-center
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Sonlight has readers that come with a schedule and comprehension questions (they call it a Study Guide). The Study Guide can be purchased on its own, so you'd just need to checkout the books from the library. I checked out the first couple of books off of the 3rd grade readers list and they were pretty short. If you're concerned about his comprehension, you could assign one of those books per week (or however often you'd like), then have a discussion with him about it using the questions in the Study Guide (that way you don't have to read the books too). Beyond that, I'd say let him read whatever he enjoys.
They have different levels, but here's a link to one so you can see it...
http://www.sonlight.com/homeschool/subjects/readers/readers-3/
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I like to be super organized with our school stuff, so I actually planned out lessons (although I think it would be easy to just wing it). I plan on doing 1 mystery per week, something like this:
Day 1 - Watch exploration video and do activity/experiment
Day 2 - Go thru assessment (if needed), read through additional readings, and do any additional activities
Day 3 (if needed) - I would like to do some sort of lapbooking/notebooking and checkout library books on the topic
The lessons seem to go pretty fast, so I'd rather get everything done in 2 days vs 3, but I'm willing to take an extra day if it's a topic that really interests us.
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I use this one for my whiteboard:
I haven't had any issues with it tipping over. It also folds up in case you want to put it away.
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I used Math in Focus for 1st and 2nd grade. I was able to teach it using mostly the textbook, not the teacher manual. It was a good program, but kind of expensive, so I decided to look elsewhere. (I'm not a very good bargain hunter when it comes to used curriculum.)
One of the programs I looked at was Primary Mathematics. It was similar to MIF, and less expensive. I found this article and it was really helpful in comparing PM to MIF...
http://singaporemathsource.com/resources/primary-mathematics-v-math-in-focus/
I ended up not choosing either one and went with Math Mammoth. I liked that I didn't have to keep track of a teacher manual, 2 textbooks, and 2 workbooks...everything is included in the student worktexts.
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Also everything you need iS NOT sent to you.....the Science supplies make NO sense...for example they will send a levers, and pulleys but not the string, the weights, the widget and the doodads to actually do the experiments. They will send random science supplies that are cool but you still need hundreds and hundreds of supplies to make it work. They no longer send art supplies, etc.
I stopped doing the Science experiments a long time ago, so I guess I forgot about the lack of supplies. We would just read the text book, watch a BrainPop video, and maybe answer a few questions. As I mentioned earlier, this was sort of boring, although the kids were entertained by the "Moby" (BrainPopJr) videos. So, we're trying out something completely different this coming year...Mystery Science!
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We do school 4 days a week and we're usually able to finish in 40 weeks (give or take a few). We take a few weeks off around the holidays, but other than that I don't have set weeks off. If we're sick, or go on vacation, or just need a little break, we'll take a week off when needed. During the summer, we usually have about 6 weeks off, so there's room for flexibility during the school year. I like to start in August and finish up early to mid-June....by then we're all ready for a break. :)
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I have used Calvert for the past 4 years (PreK, K, 1st and 2nd). I have mixed feelings about Calvert. I agree with PP who said Calvert is like public school at home. All appropriate subjects are included, but it's nothing super special or super fun.
Pros:
- By purchasing a grade level,
everythingmost things you need are sent to you. - Teacher manuals and workbooks are all easy to use.
- I liked the Math offered (we did Calvert Math for K, Math in Focus for 1st and 2nd).
- I also like the Reading part of the curriculum.
Cons
- Really expensive for what you get. If I'm going to pay that much for curriculum, I expect to love ALL of it.
- I did not care for the Science part of the curriculum...it's boring. Same for Social Studies.
- For my child, the Writing part didn't work either. She needed a more structured approach, so it was not good for her.
Needless to say, I'm moving on from Calvert, but I will say that using it gave me the confidence to branch out on my own. I'm so excited to have more flexibility with curriculum and have more fun. Additionally, for this upcoming school year, I've spent less than half of what I would've spent at Calvert.
If you really want to use an all-in-one curriculum, I would suggest looking at some other options out there before you decide. The WTM forums are really helpful with curriculum reviews and advice (the grade level planning threads have been helpful to me). Here's another good resource:
http://cathyduffyreviews.com/homeschool-reviews-core-curricula/unit-studies-all-in-one-programs
Good luck!
- By purchasing a grade level,
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As many others have mentioned, what you're doing now sounds great! I purchased a PreK curriculum for both my girls, but looking back, I wish I hadn't. But, it was our first experience with homeschooling and I had no idea what I was doing!
I taught a PreK class at our homeschool co-op last year, and if I could go back, I would've liked to do something like that for my girls. For the co-op, each week, we focused on a different theme. Then based on that theme, we read a few library books, did one or two crafts, and sometimes played games (all centered around the theme). Pinterest is where I got all of the ideas (apples, space, pumpkins, Thanksgiving, weather, habitats, etc.) I realize this would require some planning on your part, so that's something to consider, but Pinterest definitely makes it easier to plan.
Doing workbooks and worksheets would depend on your child. My youngest has always liked doing workbooks, so I would always keep some around so she could do "school" while I was working with her older sister. Plus, it got her started with numbers and letters, writing, and cutting.
If he likes his train set, then he might like wooden building blocks, tinker toys, and things like that. We have these blocks that came with picture cards, so the child has to make the blocks in the shape of the picture (similar to a tangram). My youngest is 6 and still likes doing that now.
Have fun!
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Mystery Science - aimed for kids ages 6-12, all online, no lesson planning required. Supplies for experiments are needed, but it's nothing too complicated. The videos are engaging and they could be watched by many different age groups (my kindergartner enjoyed them). How you expand on each mystery, whether it's through additional reading, lapbooking, additional experiments or whatever else is fun, is where you can customize based on age/grade. You can sign up for a free trial where you'll get to view some of the mysteries. There's also a deal on Homeschool Buyers Co-op right now.
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1) I just ordered AAR and AAS a couple of months ago. I went with the basic kit, but I also purchased the box for the review cards. The letter tiles, magnets, and divider cards come in both the basic and deluxe kits. The deluxe kit also includes the box, a tote bag, and stickers. Here's a comparison...
http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/spelling-interactive-kits/
By purchasing the basic kit + the box, I saved about $12. I didn't need the tote bag. If you don't want to purchase the box, you can use a recipe card box, but the box from them is nice and fits all of the cards perfectly.
2) My daughter is going into 3rd grade and she's an excellent reader and a decent speller, but reading and spelling are completely different. Starting in level 1 seems silly (especially since the words are car, dad, cut, red, etc.). HOWEVER, learning the phonograms correctly is really important. We had been saying several incorrectly. We're breezing through Level 1, but it's a good review. My goal is to finish Level 1 over the summer and work through Levels 2 and 3 this upcoming school year.
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besides Netflix and Hulu....
in The Chat Board
Posted
We have PlayStation Vue. So far, we really like it.