Coffeetime
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Posts posted by Coffeetime
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Yes and no.
A couple of years ago when I was struggling with getting my son to *love* reading, he read a lot of what I would consider fluff reading- The Dragon Slayer's Academy. There was no way I was going to take issue with it- I was just delighted that he was reading and enjoying books. Now, however, that he's developed a love for books and reading, I tend to keep a closer reign on what he reads. It doesn't mean that it all has to be classic lit.- but I will typically suggest a few books and let him choose one, after which he can pick a "fluff" book if he wants. My goal at this point is to introduce him to quality literature. Right now he's reading "Where the Red Fern Grows" and loving it. He's completed several other quality books from MY book list this summer and is wanting to finish the Gregor the Overlander books so I'll let him read those next. So, after all that rambling, for our family it just depends on what the current goal is in regard to their reading. :P
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I am completely comfortable leaving my 10 year old son home while a run a quick errand (30 min. or so in the middle of the day). I will leave the older two children with him, but I wouldn't leave the little ones. However, like previous posters it's not about age to me it's about individual maturity. He's a very solid, responsible, trustworthy boy, as are the two younger siblings. There are rules: the doors stay locked, the curtains closed, no using knives to cut food- they are only allowed to sit and watch tv. Oh, and I have a very protective German Shepherd that keeps watch! :D (This probably seals the deal for me)
There are no laws with regard to age in my state.
It's interesting how things change. My husband was a "latch-key" kid from the time he was 6 years old.
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1. My favorite part of having a baby is the subsequent hospital stay. It's like the best and most deserved vacation in the world.
2. I used to imagine that I would have 2 or 3 children. I have 5. (Still can't figure out how that happened...)
3. I love to run. It's amazing stress relief for me.
4. I married my husband after only knowing him for 4 months. We've been married for 12 years.
5. I've had the same best friend since I was 6 years old.
6. I've always been a bookworm, but I don't get a lot of time to read anymore. I miss it.
7. I love sushi. I mean, LOVE. I would eat it daily, if possible.
8. I have a giant German Shepherd puppy. She's smart and beautiful but it's like having a 6th child and I can't wait for her to grow up.
9. I don't like the taste of beer.
10. I am ridiculously OCD about my house. I even drive myself insane.
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It's agonizing, isn't it?
I went through similar feelings at the end of last year and we've therefore decided to send my oldest DS to private school this year. It's going to be a huge adjustment- but I really think it's best for us --at the moment.
I'll let you know if we survive. ;) In the meantime, just sending some empathy your way.
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Here's the Glossary:
Men in Kilts: Because we can; Because it disperses tension
teA: What you make, generally in the early morning or late evening, with your spouse. Kids are never a part of this particular teA, although they may be a logical outcome.
bOOks: Can come in many shapes and sizes: Coffee Table, Hardcover, Pocket Books, Brochure. Young bOOks generally have firm, perky bindings which will get lose and worn later, after babies seek sustenance therein.
Carpet removal: Adjusting the naturally-growing pelt in the area concerned with teA. This could mean full removal (hardwood floors) or some version of downsizing (area rug).
If you figure those out, you're in, but reading the original threads where these terms organically bloomed is worth the hours of admission.
I adore you people. :lol: Seriously. I wish I had more time to waste... er... spend here.
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I Second (or third?) Zaner-Bloser! :)
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Amy Pak has some amazing topical unit studies at http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com! :)
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I think if a man who is not my husband got close to my face to look at a nose ring, I would be equally freaked out. I mean, lots of things are exposed to the world, but aren't necessarily meant for a close up look. I can't imagine DH even commenting on a girl's earrings.
For real? Wow, maybe I'm just strange, because that would totally not bother me at all.
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OK, fair enough. Clearly I'm experiencing some PTSD about the other thread (and past ones) :lol:
I didn't even read the other threads... obviously I am missing out on something interesting, better get over there and read!! :lol:
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:iagree: Not that I'm insulting the OP. I don't think she "freaked". And I don't think she was dressed like a sl&t,
I just wanted to make it clear that didn't think she was dressed inappropriately at all. ;)
I just think it's a leap to assume that he just REALLY wanted to look at her belly, and from there that they are swingers lol. For all she knows, he was just curious because he wanted his wife to get one, too. :tongue_smilie: And I guess I was just making a more general observation about the double standard because I see it so often.
That being said, I would have advised the OP to go with her gut reaction and if there was an uncomfortable feeling, to decline. :001_smile:
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Then that's your answer (IMO). He made a move to step over a boundary that your husband and you were uncomfortable with him crossing. Your husband had to make him back down.
I'm trying to imagine my husband moving in to get a closer look at another woman's belly button....(in a non-medical situation). :confused: Nope, can't do it.
Question: Can you imagine your husband wanting to get a closer look at another woman's belly button? Leaning over her, breathing on her belly? While you were there? What would motivate that?
I'm sorry, I am really not trying to be snarky to anyone or rude to the OP- but I don't understand this double standard women seem to have- and I see it often.
Bear with me.... if you decide to expose a part of your body to the world, and you pierce that part of your body-something obviously designed to draw attention, then why get all weird and act like if a man notices he's a creepy stalker? I mean, by choosing to wear clothing that exposes your belly button you are clearly stating that your belly button is no more a personal, private area than, say, your nose. Correct? So would you freak out if someone asked to look at your nose ring? I'm not judging anyone's choice of clothing. I have no problem with belly button rings and if my stomach hadn't recently born 5 children I would probably wear a more revealing swimsuit than I currently do :tongue_smilie: I just really, honestly don't get this. :001_huh:
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I'm sort of amused at people suggesting "old" shows when your daughter's complaint was about connecting with peers -- not really about "more tv time".
:iagree:
My kids like Good luck, Charlie. :) It's cute. If you have Netflix, several of those shows are available for instant viewing on there and you could do some previewing. ;)
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:grouphug:
I don't have any experience with this or advice to share. I just wanted to reiterate that good, professional help is needed and I truly hope and pray that you are able to find it. It has to be so frustrating to be trying so hard and yet unable to figure out what to do. I know all of us feel this to some extent with our children- but you have definitely been given more than your share to deal with. My heart just hurts for you. You sound like an amazing mama. Stay strong!
:grouphug:
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This is an excellent article that nicely sums up my feelings on the subject. ;)
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But you don't know the full story - you're guessing it may have been for an extended period, but you don't know. I have done this with my own DS - we got to the checkout and he simply would not do as he was told (running off, taking things of shelves, screaming, arguing). He was warned and did not listen so I asked the checkout person to keep ringing things up and I'd be back shortly. I carried him out of the shop and locked him in the car (right in front of the shop) and went back in, paid and then went back out.
This was my first thought, too. If she did leave him it the car while she went in and shopped- completely unacceptable. However, I wouldn't jump to that conclusion without knowing the full story.
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I think it looks totally doable. You'll run across days where the little one's school won't get done, but that's ok. :) As long as you're fine with changing things up as needed you'll do great.
FWIW, I am the same way-I have to schedule everything out in detail. I am also going to be using Friday's for History, Science and Art and Composer studies. ;)
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See then the test is invalid. The student is supposed to work through the placement test on their own without explanation or having you redo the problem.
Yes, I realize that.:) I was using the test as a method of identifying where his "gaps" were, as suggested by another poster so I wasn't as concerned about protocol. I guess my point was that there were fewer problems we hadn't covered than I thought there would be. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was. We had actually covered most of the material, although he clearly wasn't at mastery level in all of the concepts.
I *think* (after agonizing about it all day) that I will use the 5th grade text I have to fill in the gaps I have identified using the placement exam. He has for several weeks been doing daily practice problems in long division, long division with a 2-digit divisor, multi-digit multiplication, addition and subtraction w/regrouping, and drills in math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). We'll continue those, of course, as well as adding daily practice in order of operations, Solving for unknowns, and operations with decimals. I'll have him work through LoF Fractions over the next month and toward the end of summer I will have him retake the placement exam. That's my plan... at the moment. ;) Any suggestions/opinions are still welcome, however!
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I guess at this point I need to just continue working through the MM book and my plan was to do LoF Fractions with him next month along with continuing his drills in Multi-digit multiplication and long division. Poor kid. Lots of math for the summer. :(
I'm actually changing my mind and thinking that I should focus on working on the types of problems he missed or needed extra explanation on on the Saxon placement test, instead of working through MM- and trust the placement test rather than try to cover a bunch of new concepts (that weren't even on the placement test) in such a short period of time. (I assume what's on the Saxon placement test is what they expect mastery of before moving on to the next level.)
Like I said, he only missed 6 outright, and the ones he needed prompting on were mainly topics we had covered before, but he hadn't seen in quite a while... I would continue his drill and may also let him do LoF Fractions. What do you all think?
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I don't have Saxon 7/6, but suspect it would be similar to TT 6 or 7, not TT 5, and that like all saxon books, the last 30 lessons will be quite advanced, and the first 30 quite slow...but not for a kid who just did TT4.
TT4 was really slow and easy for him- I wished I would have put him in TT5 last year as he could have done it easily. I sure would be less stressed out about this if I had! LOL
If the school thinks it will be ok, and recommended working on specifics, and those are going well, than I would trust a bit - but know that the schools often consider 80% mastery (which in our house would signal to me that the kid doesn't really get the subject matter...), so they may be saying "if you cover this we think your child can "get through" Saxon 7/6."
That makes sense. Thank you.
There will be many adjustments for your child next year, and it sounds like math will be one of them! As long as you have a kid who is willing to work really hard to keep up - you will be ok!
erin
Thank you! I need some encouragement, at this point. :tongue_smilie:
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We've only ever used Saxon (and we use it a "grade ahead"). I would give him the placement test at home so you can see for yourself what he misses. Since his computation is good, and he picks up on things quickly, I think he'll probably do fine. Definitely get him fluent in long division and multidigit multiplication. Be prepared to go over the lessons with him at night if he's struggling.
I gave him the Saxon placement test this morning. He completed the 5/4 and 6/5 portions and he only missed 6 problems total (they are allowed to miss 8), but approx. 10 problems required *some* explanation from me (either reminding him of what he had learned previously or asking him to look at it again and redo the problem more carefully) and I know the student is supposed to work independently. He actually had an easier time on the 6/5 portion because we've been doing some 5th grade math this summer. Argh! This has me so stressed out!
I think that after Abeka 3, my oldest tested into Saxon 6/5 and TT 6. (I have her do placement tests for other programs "for fun".)I think it'll be a huge stretch to go into Saxon 7/6 after TT4. I second the recommendation to use some of MM's math topics (dark blue?) to cover the material. Is your ds okay with afterschooling? It might be good to keep that option open for math for when he gets frustrated with Saxon. (At the algebra & up levels, I really despise how Saxon teaches the material. I'm not familiar with the 5/4-6/5-7/6 levels.)
Good luck!
I have the MM Multiplication and Division 3 topic book and have been working through that with him... it's just that our personalities aren't jiving when it comes to school anymore and it's really becoming a big stress in our lives. He does great when I just hand him a bunch of worksheets and he works through them on his own, but as soon as I sit down to teach him a new concept everything falls apart. :confused: I guess at this point I need to just continue working through the MM book and my plan was to do LoF Fractions with him next month along with continuing his drills in Multi-digit multiplication and long division. Poor kid. Lots of math for the summer. :(
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Is it on the back of his neck or in that area? It looks like a black fly bite to me. They are awful this year and my little one has been eaten alive by them. :( She also has an allergic reaction to them and gets a rash/hives all over her body.
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So my thought is its going to be a VERY BAD idea for him to skip 5th grade math, and in all actuality he'll be skipping 6th grade math as well as 6th grade math is techincally 6/5.
It is my understanding that 5/4 is 4th grade, 6/5 is 5th grade, and 7/6 is 6th grade. So he'll only be skipping 1 grade level, not two. :)
Her math computation was week because for many years I struggled to get her to do timed math drill. She dug her heals in terribly and I was never able to get her to memorize her math facts. So that came slow to her. There were many concepts that she couldn't wrap her mind around because the program itself was spiral and she was used to math programs like Bob Jones, Singapore, Calvert , K12 which all were mastery math programs.I do have to say that his computation level is high. We do a lot of drill. He's a bright child and picks up on things quickly, and we've used a spiral math approach and it seems to work well for him.
So I just don't believe in or think that skipping grade levels in math is a good idea at all. Each grade level introduces new math concepts that build upon each other.This is my concern, I've heard both that it moves quickly and that it's a very comprehensive review of previously introduced topics and I don't know which is more true, I guess. :tongue_smilie:
Have you tried the Saxon placement tests to see what level your DS would belong? He might be ok. But I just don't think a summer of practicing long division will cut that big of a leap. I think you should see if the school has some other ideas or you will need to be prepared for some long evenings of math homework.The school gave him the Saxon placement test along with various math sheets to complete. I didn't get his exact score from the school on the placement test, they just told me that he needed fluency in long division and multi-digit multiplication. These hadn't been covered at all in TT4. The thing is, it's not unheard of for this particular school to place children in lower grade levels- so I don't *think* they would just place him in 5th if they really didn't think he could do the work... :001_unsure:
Do you personally use Saxon? TT4 was super slow and didn't challenge ds at all and I was planning on switching him to MM5 next year (before we decided to enroll him). Looking at both those programs, MM5 looks pretty comparable to what I HAVE seen of Saxon 7/6, if not slightly more difficult- if you are familiar with those can you tell me if you think that's the case?
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Thank you, ladies, for commiserating and empathizing. ;) One of the reasons I think this is so hard for me is that I am a second generation homeschooler- I truly believe in it and it's hard for me to admit that it's just not working with him right now. He's a bright child, but I have a hard time keeping him motivated and more and more frequently he seems to just decide that he doesn't want to learn from ME. I think it's time for us both to have a break. However, the nerves set in when I think about what a perfectionist he is and how hard it will be on him if he struggles with something. I'm especially nervous about Math. (Posted in the other forum about that one...)
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My older ds will be attending a classical school in the fall. The school uses Saxon math but uses it a grade level ahead so he will be entering 5th grade and beginning Saxon 7/6. When he took the school's academic assessment at the beginning of summer, however, he didn't test into 7/6, and I didn't expect him to considering he was still finishing TT4. The school will place him in the 5th grade class because he did well in all other subjects, but during the summer they asked us to help him become fluent in long division and multi-digit multiplication. We've been working on these, along with keeping up with math facts, multiplication tables, computation of addition and subtraction with regrouping etc. and he's doing very well.
My question for Saxon users is: is it going to be enough for him to be fluent in those areas of computation or do you think he'll fall behind, considering the fact that he's basically skipping 5th grade math? I haven't seen Saxon 7/6 so I'm just unfamiliar with how much review there will be of concepts taught in 6/5. I've heard differing opinions and my main concern is that it will move too quickly for him to grasp concepts that may be new to him, but review to the rest of the class.
My idea was to also skim through a 5th grade text quickly this summer and just introduce things like divisibility, prime factorization etc... but every time I try to do so I just end up transferring my stress and doubt on to him (he's already a first born perfectionist who's afraid of failure:tongue_smilie: ) and then we're both stressed out! :willy_nilly:
Sorry, for the rambling...
Attn Mamas of big families: How do you afford groceries??
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I plan a menu at the beginning of the month and shop for everything all at once, with the exception of produce which I buy weekly. I cook from scratch. I limit snack foods, but not seconds at mealtimes. COSTCO. We eat a lot of meatless meals and soups. I buy mostly frozen vegetables instead of fresh. I really don't buy convenience foods at all. I stockpile when I can. My typical grocery budget comes to around $550/month including diapers, wipes and all personal and household items. I'm dreading the day when I have teenage boys!