kilo90
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Posts posted by kilo90
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I'm looking into PP guides for American Lit for my 9th grader. I had planned to do a semester of American Lit and assumed we'd get though a book a month. Now I see that each guide takes 8-12 weeks. Their website says "As for high school credits, most Christian high schools to whom we have spoken have assigned a value of one-fourth credit to each study guide, and this also seems to be acceptable to colleges assessing homeschool transcripts." Hum...that's only 2 books for a semester!? Half of what I had imagined. Two questions...
1. I had wanted to do 1 semester of English/Grammer (BJU) and 1 semester of Amer Lit. Should I up it to a a full year of Amer Lit? That's a little more work that I had planned on dd doing for one of the semesters?
2. Can anyone recommend a good text that we could supplement the 2 PP guides with for the semester? Even if the guides are very good, 2 novels doesn't seem to be enough for a semester of American Lit.
Thanks for the help!
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mlktwins, I used the touringplans website and app. The first day we went to Magic Kingdom was suppose to be a 6/10 and it turned out to be an 8/10. It was busy. Second MK day was predicted a 6/10 and it was 7/10. The day we went to Hollywood was suppose to be a 6/10 and it turned out to be a 7/10. I forget exactly what touringplans predicted for AK and Epcot when we went, but they were one number too low on that one. (Overall I wasn't thoroughly impressed with their wait and crowd level estimates last week. I know it's impossible to predict accurately all the time, but last week wasn't great with predictions.) We didn't do Test Track so I can't say what the wait was there. Toy Story Mania is definitely one to either get a FP+ for or go right when the gates open. I don't believe I ever saw the wait under an hr once the park had been opened for a short time. I also kept an eye on Soarin' (it's my favorite ride of all :hurray:) First thing in the morning and the last hr Epcot was open was reasonable. The rest of the time it was anywhere from 50-80 minutes. We had a FP+ for that one.
I know now that I was spoiled during our last trip which was the last week of Oct a few years ago. The crowds were low and it was fantastic. Even though we beat the Spring Break rush last week, it was much busier than I anticipated. C'est la vie. It was still a fantastic trip. Just had to plan out our days a bit more and decide which rides/character meetings were worth the wait.
trinchick, even though the FP+ system has its cons and short-comings, you can make it work for you. I will also suggest that you head to FP+ kiosks that are further back in the parks because most folks stop at the first ones they see and they get busy very quickly. At Hollywood, I headed to the ones past the Star Wars ride and there was no one line at all. They have employees manning each of the screens to walk you through it. Very helpful.
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My sister is 8 years younger than I am and we are very close. We didn't "play" together while we were growing up, but once went to college, we missed each other like crazy. Been close ever since.
That said, I a friend of mine is one of 4 girls in her family. They were close in age and they have never been close/good friends as adults. You can't predict family relationships based on age. As other folks have said, it's yours and hubby's decision.
Also, it is fantastic to have the help of an older child/children when you have a baby! :hurray:
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We just returned from our Disney trip and I thought I would report back. Overall I definitely like the old fastpass system better. That said, I did like the fact that you could have your choice of times with the new system IF you were at the park first thing in the morning. We arrived at rope drop all but one morning. The mornings we arrived at rope drop, I went directly to a Fastpass+ ( FP+) kiosk and got our passes for the day. The one morning we arrived an hour after opening, the lines for the kiosks were long and time choices were very sparse. This may not be the case every day, but that was our experience. I did like being able to get my choice of times for later in the day. We could leave for the afternoon when things got busy, come back later in the day to use our FP+. . Also, when we passed FP+ kiosks mid to late morning, the lines were crazy long. 45 min to wait for your FP+?? Nuts.
Even thought I thought it would be a big disadvantage to not be able to reserve our FP+ ahead of time like folks staying on-property, I don't think that's the case. I think it would drive me batty to pre-plan my FP+ weeks/months ahead of time. I would feel so restricted. You can change your times and rides if you want but still. That's way to much planning for me. And I'm a planner!?
Another disadvantage that bugged me is that you can not split up your passes between parks in the same day. If you have the park hopper, you end up using them in the first park. If you waited to reserve any until you got to the second park on that day, the odds of their being any left would be slim from what we saw.
As I say, this was our experience last week. Even though, it might have been nice to just say "forget the FP+" and just do the lines, many of the lines were LONG last week. There's no way we would have waited in some of those lines without the FP+.
I came across this article yesterday that gives various perspectives on the issue.
http://money.msn.com/technology-investment/post--disney-bets-big-on-visitor-tracking-technology
As a side note, if your girlies want to meet the Frozen princesses, do your research and be prepared. The wait to meet them is 3-4+ hours long. I am not kidding. People arriving at 9:15 were being put in the 1:00 line. I let my 13 yr old know "it ain't happenin'" I told her she can meet them next time we go once the newness of the movie has worn off. The lines for meeting characters were longer and slower this time. My kids got about half the autographs this time compared to our visit 3 years ago. You can get a FP+ for some of the Character meet & greets. If you want to do a princess, I would recommend it.
Happy to field any questions.
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Hum...interesting idea on the personal finance course. That's hubby's area of expertise, so I could punt that over to him. :001_smile: Thank you for the suggestion!
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We have one more year in Washington DC before moving. I would like to do Government with my 9th grader but not sure what I would do the second half of the year. I think she needs to be a bit older before grasping Economics. Any recommendations?
Also, if you have used BJU for American Government, how difficult is it? Would it be ok for a 9th grader?
Thanks for your thoughts!
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Annie...That is fascinating about the tickets and the process years ago!
I will say, I am a HUGE planner, but not when it comes to Disney. We have traveled extensively (with kiddos) in Europe & Great Britain and I pride myself on smoothly run adventures due to lots and lots of planning. But Disney...no way. This is the first time I've read a book on Disney planning and I have to say if I planned our vacation based on many of the suggestions, I (and thus the fam) would be miserable. Not enough flex. Now, this is just me personally. I'm sure many folks plan where they are eating, schedule by the hour, and have a wonderful trip. Some folks can get off-schedule and not be bothered. I do not fall into that category.
THIS is why the fastpass thing has thrown me for a loop. That is the only "control" I like to have in our schedule. I know its Disney and I know theme parks have lines, but I will not wait in a line for an hr for a ride. (No, I don't have teenagers YET.I'm sure this will have to change.) Just not worth it to me to have a 5 yr old wait for that long for a ride lasting 3 minutes. We strategically grab fastpasses and it makes the day go SO much better.
I certainly don't want this thread to discourage anyone from a Disney trip. If you never knew the joy of fastpasses, you wouldn't miss it. And you could go and not worry a lick about the fastpass+ system. Trez testifies that, in the end, they didn't need the fastpasses they had reserved.
Dandelion, I would be very appreciative if you gave an update after your trip as to how it went for your family.
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I have read a couple books and several webpages dealing with the new system. The first place I read about the tiered fastpass+ system was the "Unooficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2013." (It is on page 238.) Won't take the time to type out the 1/2 page, but as I re-read it, it starts out by saying "The actual scheme has not been determined, but we hear it goes something like this..." then they go into the details of numbers. Some websites stated the tiered plan as fact, so I didn't think to question it. My sincere apologies for assuming this was already being implemented! The info is blurring?! :001_unsure:
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From what I've read, the beginning of March shouldn't be bad since Easter & Spring Breaks are a little later this year. We typically go during the off-season, but some rides always seem to have lines especially later in the day.
Mom/Heels...good luck sorting it out. You'll have the advantage of picking your Fastpass+ times up to 2 months out which will be nice. And then you have the option of changing times if you need, too. Definitely a perk to staying on-property. And the number of passes you are allowed depends on what resort you are staying at, too. You may get more than 3 a day. :001_smile:
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Thank you for the link. People's comments at the bottom are very helpful! Yes, I thought about local folk. We use to live in Tampa and had annual passes. I can't believe they wouldn't offer a better option for those families. Seems like they have been planning this for years, but I'm not sure if they've considered all the issues. I would think lots of folks would drop their annual passes.
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We are staying off-property. Now that they have done away with the old system, folks not staying on-property can get 3 fastpass+ per day, but not in advance. I WISH we had the old system option.
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We are heading to Disney World the first week of March. I use to have the fastpass strategy down to a science and now I'm reading about the new fastpass+ system. :confused1: Due to family size, we rent a town home downtown. To say I'm not thrilled about the fastpass+ is an understatement.
My biggest question...does the kiosk assign you a time and that's that or do you have a chance to accept or not accept it? My concern is if morning times are booked (since on-property guest book in advance), then we might only get mid-afternoon return times. We typically leave for 3 hrs in the afternoon to rest and if our fastpass+ times all fall in that window, we'll be up a creek.
Second question, can we kiss good-bye any chance of getting a fastpass+ for late in the day? (I'm sure this might vary on how busy the park is) I was reading on-line that many days they run out of fastpass+ times by early morning. I guess the idea of trying to get 2 in the morning and save 1 for when we get back in the afternoon is a poor plan. Yes?
Any tips/advice/warnings would be very much appreciated. This has rocked my planning-world and my excitement about the trip has taken a significant hit. :glare:
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Thanks for the idea. Since we just had a long break for Christmas, it's tough to think about taking more time "off". That said, if your suggestion changed her tune, it would time very well spent!
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My sweet 13 dd has been a good student, would read and draw all day if she could, and over the last couple months has had a less than stellar attitude about school. I know we're just getting back into the swing of things after Christmas break, but this has been an issue for a bit now. She's dreading high school because she knows the work will be harder and require more time. She's not over-worked. We have a reasonable school schedule/day. She's not having issues with her attitude in other areas. She's still happy-go-lucky in things unrelated to school so it's not a teen-attitude problem. It's just her mood towards school.
Could this be a temporary problem? Any way I can help her enjoy school again?? I know of no way to help her enjoy Math, she never has. But she normally digs other subjects but not any more. She's still doing well, but it is drudgery to her. :sad: My husband said he never enjoyed school so I shouldn't sweat it too much. (And he has multiple degrees, so he persevered) But to me, you "tolerate" the subjects you dislike and the enjoyable ones keep you going. Maybe I'm the a-typical school attitude, though.
Any tips are greatly appreciated.
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I really appreciate all the tips and advice. I really don't know if it's a poplar set. It's the Police Station. I think it's been around for a while. I wondered if BOGO 50% would be a sale, but that wouldn't help much since I'd have to buy 2 pricey sets.
Thanks for the website tip Erica in OR. Great site!
I did check the current TRU site and this is excluded from their 15% off sale.
Pretty sure I'll buy the thing today. How sad would I be if I let the possibility of saving $10 be the reason I'm in a jam in 3 weeks. :crying:
Thank you for the replies!
Gloria
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My son has recently grown very interested in Lego City sets. He is asking for a pricey one (at least in my book) for Christmas. I've checked Black Friday ads on-line, but only see very specific sets on sale. Am I better off just buying the one he wants now and be done with it or do stores typically have good sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas? I don't want to wait around hoping for a deal only for it to become hard/impossible to find. This is the one item he really wants so I don't want to goof it up. :001_huh:
Thanks for any insight. I'm new to the Lego set world.
Gloria
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We live in Northern Virginia. We are military and this is our second time to live here. For me the biggest con is the traffic. The pros are plentiful, though. Not only do you have TONS to do (Smithsonians, Mount Vernon, Monuments, etc) you are within a short drive to many other great places. Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Philly, etc are close by. From a homeschooling perspective this place is fantastic in my opinion! The cost of living is high and housing is very challenging for that reason, but if the salary would compensate for that a bit, then that would help. We also love our church which probably helps my attitude about the area. Even though it's VA, it does not "feel" like the south to me. It is not "southern-friendly." On the flip side to that, it is a very transient area so churches, homeschool groups, and such are very welcoming to new families.
I do think it's what you make of it. I think it also depends on where in NoVA you are. Some areas are not nearly as congested or expensive. That said, before you decide on a house/area, I would make sure the commute during rush hour is something you hubby is ok with. Some folks think the commute won't be TOO bad and then a few months later are kicking themselves.
The fact that it would make visiting family easier for you would be a great selling point. :001_smile:
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Our Dr said he can do allergy shots for the tree allergies which will lesson the OAS reaction....when he's less sensitive to the tree pollen.I had not thought/heard of allergy shots for tree allergies. Interesting that they could lessen the OAS reaction. Don't think I'd do it while he's young, but it might be an option he would like when he's older.
I think it's definitely time to head back to the allergist to see about more testing. Y'all have assured me that I'm not crazy(i.e. nuts) to be leery of experimenting with various nuts. :glare:
Thanks again, ladies!
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I really appreciate all the input from your experiences.
We do have an epipen. Typically 2 doses of Benadryl does the trick but we carry it just in case.
It is definitely something that is changing over time. Use to be carrots would just make him red around the mouth, then the itching started, and then the throat. :crying: Apples are becoming more problematic. The things y'all have shared just reinforce that I need to always be prepared. He knows to avoid apples and carrots, but you never know when something will bother him that hasn't in the past.
If I were in your shoes, I'd probably ask for skin tests for the nuts at least. Have you gone that route? Recently? You may want to re-check if it wasn't recent. I think I'd want more specific guidance re: nuts. Can you make an appt to talk about this with your allergist?I think I will. The nuts so have me a bit concerned and I don't like the trial and error concept.
Thanks again for the replies!
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That is very helpful information! Thank you so much. Funny thing with my son is even cooked carrots are a problem for him. Even diced carrots in ragu sauce, casseroles, etc. Since he hasn't had any other nut issues outside the pistachio maybe things containing cooked/roasted nuts are fine.
Birch is his biggest problem; however, not all fruits and veggies in that family are problems for him. I have wondered if it might develop over time.
I appreciate the heads-up on the possible latex issue!
Thanks for your time in replying!
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My son (7 yrs) was diagnosed with OAS last fall. The biggest offender are carrots and he can't have some type of apples. Carrots and some apples make this throat tighten up, swollen lips, itchy mouth, etc. A few months after his diagnosis, we found that pistachios gave him a reaction. Itchy mouth/lips, no throat interference. When I called the allergist to ask about it she said not a huge deal/some nuts may not bother him and some may. She basically considers it a trial and error thing. Since then, he's had things with various nuts in them but not whole nuts. Nutella doesn't bother him so I'm guessing hazelnuts are fine. But I'm not sure where to go from here. I don't want to avoid nuts that he may not have a problem with, but the idea of "experimenting" has me a little unnerved.
Those of you with experience with OAS, are there nuts that tend to problematic? I know all folks are different, but thought someone might be able to offer up some helpful advice. We do have an epi-pen, are armed with Benadryl, and are literally 2 minutes from the hospital. That said, I still don't like the idea of "experimenting"?!?
Thanks for any advice!
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We used BJU English for 7th this year. I'm looking at the 8th grade book and it seems to be nearly a carbon copy. My daughter has no issues with the basics so I'm hesitant to make her do more of the same. Feels like busy work to me. I looked at the suggestions of WTM. Voyages in English still looks very basic. R&S looks good; we've never done it. Even R&S looks easy for my dd, though. I suppose we need a grammar text next year, but I worry about it just being busy work with concepts she already knows. Is that the name of the game at this point? Repetition Repetition?
Thanks for any advice-
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Missy,
That helps a GREAT deal! So thankful to know that they are still in the picture for us. Thank you so much for the info!!
Gloria
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I know this is a very old thread, but I was searching for CoC info. This is the first college I've seen where one of the requirements is... Your homeschool curriculum should be from a fully accredited and recognized homeschool organization. If it is not, we require a GED. This is a pretty big strike against the school for me. Anyone found them to be flexible on this? Hubby is from Charleston and we plan to retire there in a couple years.
Thanks,
Gloria
Progeny Press Guides: 2= 1/2 credit?
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Thank you so much for the opinions! Since I have not flipped through any of the PP guides, I really have no idea how they arrived at their 8-12 week estimate. My dd is a very strong reader so I can't imagine spending that much time on one book!?! :confused1: Lori D, I love the components of your Amer Lit. That breakdown is very much what I am aiming for! As far as doing a semester of grammar, my dd is solid BUT, we took this year off because of that. Instead of doing Grammar in 8th, she has been doing a daily lesson in the Easy Grammar workbook so she wouldn't get rusty. I guess I'm nervous to skip another year of Grammar as she inches closer to the PSAT. From what I can tell, BJU Grammar doesn't do much with writing in 9th. We were going to go to revisit IEW-B along with the BJU Grammar. I actually haven't been too impressed with the BJU Lit from what I've seen. I guess the excepts chosen were a little random to me and I didn't dig her not doing whole books. I will look at it again and see if I can tweak it to suit our needs. Look forward to checking out your other recommendations!
If I can get past my concern of dd being 2-3 years removed from having a course in Grammar when she starts with the PSAT, SAT, etc. would it be a good idea to do a full year or Amer Lit as opposed to just a semester?
Thanks!