plain jane Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) Ugh. Thing is, I have to agree with her. :tongue_smilie::glare: I need some ideas to spice things up a bit. I am open to (teacher) book suggestions on how to make things more interesting, other curriculum options, or just general ideas on how I can make things more appealing to her. I'm looking for suggestions for math and especially LA. How can I make LA more fun, interesting, engaging? I remember being young and doing posters and other things but can't remember what for or what purpose they would serve at this point. :001_huh: I really want some things like that for her. She's really putting up a big fight over her daily LA work and it breaks my heart. I don't want to kill her love of learning! Here's what we're currently doing: AAS Shurley 2 (am considering going with FLL2 instead) WWE2 and IEW SWI A (alternating, not on same day) CLE Reading 2 Reads aloud to me from various readers (she enjoys this) Literature ETA: I'm also doing science (Elemental+ extra labs), history, (SOTW + activities), geography, art, logic. We do projects and stuff for those and she loves those subjects. It's making LA (and math) more interesting is where I need the help. :) I think part of the problem is that it's the same thing day after day. Now that we're in the throes of January, it's becoming readily apparent that it's simply not that "fun". Not that school and learning has to be "fun" all the time but for second grade, I think I'm really falling short. :( How do I fix this? Edited January 30, 2012 by plain jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 How about adding in some other subjects? My dd's favorite subjects are history, Latin (especially Minimus), and art. Read-alouds are also very popular with all of my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Lapbooks!! My younger loves them. Unit Studies--so fun. Math games-RS's are great. History projects-we get large posterboard and use them to do history projects--shaped vocabulary words, major date minibooks that are then posted on the board, figures cut out and colored....Science projects-get creative. My boys had a lot of fun building kites and figuring out which shape was most effective. Above all, have fun-there's so much fun stuff in the younger grades :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 How about adding in some other subjects? My dd's favorite subjects are history, Latin (especially Minimus), and art. Read-alouds are also very popular with all of my kids. Lapbooks!! My younger loves them. Unit Studies--so fun. Math games-RS's are great. History projects-we get large posterboard and use them to do history projects--shaped vocabulary words, major date minibooks that are then posted on the board, figures cut out and colored....Science projects-get creative. My boys had a lot of fun building kites and figuring out which shape was most effective. Above all, have fun-there's so much fun stuff in the younger grades :D Sorry, I should have been more clear. I do projects and other things for history, science, geography. I'm looking for ways to spice things up with LA (and possibly math). I do feel strongly that she should be writing every day (as well as doing a short grammar lesson, plus spelling). I'm getting a lot of resistance though. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 To spice things up for our school is that I will have my kids spend Friday's doing only Reading. The rest of the subjects they get to pick from our "Friday Box"...which includes file folder games, math games, reading comprehension folder games, science activities, and LOADS of more fun educational things! They have to pick 3 things from the box aside from their Reading on Friday. I will also through-out the week toss Sheppard Software Fun to them for math if I'm pressing for time OR they are getting a bit overwhelmed with the lesson. So somedays instead of spending 45min just doing our math work on paper we spend 30min doing the math work on paper then I let them spend the rest of the math time playing math games online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Math: Games are fun. RightStart includes games and we play them sometimes. Oftentimes they are to help cement math facts and dd has learned those so we often only play those once, but others we'll play more times. DD also enjoys playing Monopoly and can do some of the adding and subtracting herself. We borrow living math books from the library and dd enjoys reading through Primary Grade Challenge Math on her own and doing some of the problems. Language Arts: For practicing parts of speech, we enjoy reading living books (mostly by Ruth Heller and Brian P. Cleary), Mad Libs, and labeling one or two specific parts of speech in a short passage. For spelling, she used to write sentences for some of her spelling words (just for fun). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Here's what we're currently doing: AAS Shurley 2 (am considering going with FLL2 instead) WWE2 and IEW SWI A (alternating, not on same day) CLE Reading 2 Reads aloud to me from various readers (she enjoys this) Literature Could you drop the grammar for the last half of the year? (You may be a die-hard grammar fan and may be appalled at the thought, but I thought I'd put it out there since that's what I'd do!) If not, maybe look into MCT Island level? We just started it and my 6 and 8 yos are enjoying it! Instead of WWE, could you have her narrate from history, science and literature that you are already doing? And then have her choose passages or poems or song lyrics to copy or have dictated to her? That way she'd have some say in what she's doing. Could you drop the CLE Reading and just let her choose library books to read each week? (I'm not sure what all is in CLE so not sure if that's an option...) I would let her have a little bit of say in what she does so she buys in a little more. Just some thoughts.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I think Lisa gave some great ideas. I would just say that sometimes kids just say this and although there is sometimes some truth in it we have to be careful not to react too much to it and just encourage them to hurry up and finish the hard stuff so you can get to the more fun stuff. Sometimes their complaints can cause us to switch programs and such b/c we have this idea that we want them to LOVE school when in reality no matter what program you use they aren't going to love every subject every day. I have found that I sometimes changed too often adjusting either to their comments or my own feelings that things weren't working when I just needed to stick it out. I have found that when I stick with something even if it isn't their favorite they eventually get used to it and settle into a routine and just know that is how it is and it works out fine. And I have caused problems by overly switching. I'm not saying you're doing this by any means.....just a bit of warning to watch out for that I've learned the hard way. I think the programs you're using look like excellent choices (I use many of those too or plan to) and I've found we need to stick to what we think is best and then try to find ways to make what we've chosen more fun. Right Start games are a great add in as Lisa said if you can find time for it. My kids love Mad Libs too now that they know how to do them. Classical Conversations can add fun in learning the grammar memory work and the math memory work by making them into games or lapbooks etc. and have the motivation of going to CC and knowing the other kids are doing it too. HTH, stm4him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Oh, another thing that we do for math is that we use two math programs, and instead of alternating days, we use only one program at a time. Then when we get stuck, bored, or to a good stopping place we switch back to the other one. She is always excited when it's time to switch. I see you are using two writing programs. Maybe you could try the same thing, and use one for a month or so at a time, then switch. The "other" program might seem more fun after a short break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Have her work a little each day on making a math and language arts mini office. There are a ton of sites with info so just google math or grammar\language arts mini office. Dd9 and ds5 are about to start a Part of Speech mini office while we read through Grammarland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 If you wanted to change up on math, McRuffy math is actually pretty fun with lots of games to reinforce the lessons. And plenty of manipulatives. Maybe you can use Spell City website to make your weekly spelling words fun. I am using The Sentence Family with my 3rd grader. It is told as a story, with art involved, and we do a type of sentence or a part of speech each week. And toward the end diagramming is taught. My ds actually likes this program. Those programs you listed are effective, but for sure not fun for a second grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) To add "fun" to the general atmosphere, check out this, and this for ideas to liven up your school days overall. In general, for the stuff that just has to happen and is hated, keep the seatwork short; follow up with a short (5 minute) break and intersperse with activities DD really enjoys. I had 2 "writing phobic" DSs, and found that it worked MUCH better if we did two very short bursts of writing in a day (5 minutes tops, each), rather than one longer period of writing, which always seems like an insurmountable mountain to a child with little hand muscles that tire quickly. Be sure to intersperse NON-pencil required activities in between math, writing, and other worksheet related activities. Getting to draw a picture to go with the writing, or to put a sparkly sticker on the finished writing page might be all it takes to help get through it! :) A lot of grammar, and math facts can be done orally rather than requiring a pencil to reduce the writing strain. One friend of mine wrote each subject on a slip of paper, and the child would draw out one slip and that was what got to be SKIPPED that day (set that paper aside, until all the slips of paper have eventually been drawn, then put them all back in the jar and start it again). Your list might include just the language arts areas: grammar; spelling; handwriting/copywork; vocabulary; phonics; writing; reading -- that is 7 subjects, so you would only skip a topic once in every 7 days. Ideas to "spice up" language arts: GRAMMAR - "Bite a Day" grammar, building into a story (all by Jan Kiester): * Eggbert, the Ball, Bounces by Himself (gr. 1) * Putrescent Petra Finds Friends (gr. 2) * Juan and Marie Join the Class (gr. 3) - Sentence Family grammar - Michael Clay Thompson language arts materials GRAMMAR supplements - books: * World of Words series by Ruth Heller * Words Are Categorical series by Brian Cleary * Grammar Land by E. Nesbit (free downloadable pdf file reprint or free downloadable audio of this book) worksheets to go with Nesbit's Grammar Land: http://www.hslaunch.com/mypage/file/3509 worksheets to go with Nesbit's Grammar Land: http://www.hslaunch.com/mypage/file/3662 - DVD * Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar Rock (parts of speech) - computer games: Bailey's Book House (Reading) Reader Rabbit (there are several levels) consumables: - Mad Libs (parts of speech) - Grammar Ad Libs board games: - Very Silly Sentences (parts of speech) - online games (some are for older students, so preview for DD's level): - Punctuation Paintball -- punctuation - Word Libs (Mad Libs on line) - Grammar Gorillas -- parts of speech - Flash Games -- variety of grammar topics - Game Zone -- variety of grammar topics - The Teacher's Cafe -- list of many online grammar games/resources websites Spelling Try practicing the words in different ways; maybe write each on a card and she draws one out of the hat and that's the practice method for that day: - play "hangman" or "wheel of fortune" with the spelling list - recording: say then spell each word into a tape recorder; then play back - use magnetic letters; pick them out of a pile and put on the fridge - find the spelling words in a simple wordsearch (here is a wordsearch generator) - type the words and print out on the computer - write the alphabet bit in chalk on the sidewalk; you say the word and she jumps from letter to letter saying each letter out loud - uses her finger in a tray of sand, cornmeal, pudding or shaving cream to spell out the words - paint the letters for each word -- with water and a paintbrush on the sidewalk; with a Q-tip and water or paint on construction paper - write the words on the white board -- or a glass window! -- using different colors of dry-erase markers; then erase by saying the letter and erasing in order using the fingertip to trace over the letter HANDWRITING / COPYWORK - keep it SHORT: * one short, silly sentence, with as many of the words as possible starting with the same letter of the alphabet * a short riddle * a sentence each day that builds into a story that has DD has the heroine * when the child is ready for several sentences, we did longer riddles and silly limericks from a giant book of kids' limericks I had - more ideas in this past thread WRITING -- really, 7 is still young to do much of any formal writing - use ideas from Games for Writing and Games for Learning by Peggy Kaye (our DSs -- who HATED to write! -- LOVED the game where you roll a die, and that's how many words you get to add on your turn as you all take turns writing a joint story -- they would BEG for a re-roll if they got a "1"! The fun lists idea was also very successful: list 5 things you would take on a spaceship with you; the 6 ingredients of a witch's brew; 2 reasons Frankenstein's monster went out after dark; etc.) - use ideas from Marjorie Frank's Complete Writing Lessons for the Primary Grades -- NOTE: do NOT try and do these in one sitting with 1st-3rd graders! Take a whole week, working just 5 minutes a day on ONE idea - have DD DICTATE a story to YOU, a little at time each day; you type it up, print it out (just a few sentences per page, so she can illustrate a page a day after the dictation) READING -- these are go-along activity ideas -- like the one you mentioned, of doing a poster, for example - First Grade Reading Activity Ideas - here are very "school teacher-ish" ideas for using books in the classroom -- but there are nuggets in there! - mega lists: "book report" and "book activity" ideas -- more for older students, but you could adapt Edited January 31, 2012 by Lori D. 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Mommy22alyns Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Have her work a little each day on making a math and language arts mini office. There are a ton of sites with info so just google math or grammar\language arts mini office. Dd9 and ds5 are about to start a Part of Speech mini office while we read through Grammarland. This is neat! I might need to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholsonhomeschool Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 So many great ideas! I'll just add that sometimes the smallest things seem to catch my boys' attention and get them back in the game. For instance, my 6yo is working on addition facts and was getting tired of flashcards. I needed him to stay at the school table, so I said, "Why don't you write the answers on the white board instead of saying them?" I don't know WHY this made a difference, but he's been cheerfully going through flashcards this week. I know it won't last, but my point is that it doesn't always take a big change. Also, I'll tell the boys early in the week that we'll have a math games day on Friday if we get four really solid days of work completed. Sometimes that inspires more focus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 We had a similar issue when my son was 7 also. I dropped WWE and added the MCT Island level materials. I had him write paragraphs about what we were studying in history and science. It perked things right up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I have a craft lined up and ready to go after all our schoolwork is done. We run run run in the afternoons, so if we don't finish school in time, we don't get to the craft. We immediately re-do any work that is done sloppily, so it encourages them to be fast, but still somewhat neat & careful. The goal of getting to the craft is huge for my kids!! It doesn't have to be anything fancy - cutting paper snowflakes and that kind of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Lapbooks!! My younger loves them. Unit Studies--so fun. Math games-RS's are great. History projects-we get large posterboard and use them to do history projects--shaped vocabulary words, major date minibooks that are then posted on the board, figures cut out and colored....Science projects-get creative. My boys had a lot of fun building kites and figuring out which shape was most effective. Above all, have fun-there's so much fun stuff in the younger grades :D :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 You could try doing a literature concept from Moving Beyond the Page. Ariel really enjoyed doing the first one in the 7-9 range, Tornado. We also did Sarah, Plain and Tall, and some of the activities were a challenge, but they stretched her, and she got to do things like make a turtle from an egg carton and construction paper. Another option is to try a unit from volume 4 of FIAR, which can be purchased and downloaded separately, instead of buying the whole manual. We did Higgins Bend Song and Dance several months ago, and Ariel loved it. I keep thinking we'll try another one or two, but it's one of those things that keep getting pushed to the side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Dump all that LA stuff except for AAS and do something really out of the box for a while. I always liked to do a unit study or something CRAZY in February when my dd was little, just to break things up. Like one year I found this website that had a different "holiday" for every day of the year. National Oreo Cookie Day anyone? We made a big chart and filled in bubbles with what we did. It was fun. One year we went all out for Groundhog Day and spent a week on it. Do something crazy and dump your regular stuff. I love Shurley, but you could utterly skip the rest of level 2 and it wouldn't matter a fig. Go on and do something fun. You're only 7 once. PS. Have you taught her to sew? Spool knit? Bake pies? Decorate cupcakes? She's old enough to sew straight lines (pillows, simple stuff) if you work together. Don't get a kiddie machine, and don't get one at walmart. Janome and Kenmore have nice machines for around $200 that should have a turtle/half speed. Put her on that and let her sew. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 For language arts: http://ebeth.typepad.com/serendipity/lively_language_lessons/index.html For math: http://www.arithmeticvillage.com/ You can use some of the ideas even without the books. I have the books, but the ideas are what really bring it alive. Yesterday I was working on division with my 11 yo who just needs more practice. His stuffed animals sat around in a circle while he divided up different amounts of gems for them. I swear, we laughed and had fun. I haven't been able to say that about doing math with him in......I don't know how long. Also, Five in A Row is good as an all around curriculum. You could continue with what you are doing and add in some FIAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Could you add something like picture study, composer study, art class, music class, etc to liven things up? My kids LOVE all of those and it breaks up the day. We always have something fun to do between math and handwriting. Maybe you could do a field trip to a local museum. Maybe you could do a week long Amanda Bennett unit study just to change things up a little. You could even let your child pick the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I have a craft lined up and ready to go after all our schoolwork is done. We run run run in the afternoons, so if we don't finish school in time, we don't get to the craft. We immediately re-do any work that is done sloppily, so it encourages them to be fast, but still somewhat neat & careful. The goal of getting to the craft is huge for my kids!! It doesn't have to be anything fancy - cutting paper snowflakes and that kind of thing. THAT is an excellent idea. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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