I'm surprised by all the little things my kids don't know!

[creekmom]

Sometimes I feel like we've got a lot of the big things covered, but then I'm really shocked at all the little things they don't know. Of course, these little things always come out around other people, and I'm always mortified that they don't know something so obvious to other kids their age! I start second-guessing homeschooling because they aren't around a lot of other teachers/adults/students who would be bringing more life experiences/different conversations into their lives. Is there a way to get them more "exposure" without sending them to school? Anyone else worry about this?

[DawnM]

:bigear:

 

You know what scares me? The things they know that I didn't teach them and when I ask how they learned it they say, "Oh, through my video game or through watching TV."

 

Obviously we aren't doing enough through my teaching.

Edited May 14, 2012 by DawnM

[Karen in CO]

What kinds of things are you seeing that they don't know? My kids are pretty deficient on popular culture, but I'm okay with that. It is hard to cover every kind of information, but if there is a specific kind then maybe we can help with ideas.

[stripe]

What sorts of things?

 

My kids (the age of your younger two) have gotten a lot of weird odds and ends from (of all places) Busytown shows. I bought two multi-DVD packs for very cheap, seriously way too many hours and hours of shows worth, they have seen most when one kid was sick (we had a rough winter!). We haven't even finished them yet! I've also found a couple of the Childcraft volumes contain interesting odds and ends, especially Look and Learn.

 

Other sources include reading lots of books, and picking up from them. I think things like fairy/folk tales sometimes deal with the ways of the world in a direct way that can be useful.

 

nmoira posted a couple of times that she has her kids read Gerinimo Stilton books for cultural knowledge.

Edited May 14, 2012 by stripe

[SailorMom]

Well - how little are the things and how much are you running in to?

Silly, trivial things, or info about tv shows, etc., I wouldn't worry about at all. Eventually the little trivia just adds up.

Actual knowledge of geography, historical events, current events, etc., sometimes the schools get to thing sin different order than we do. You aren't going to cover every thing the same way. As long as you cover it at an age appropriate time, they'll get it eventually :)

[nmoira]

nmoira posted a couple of times that she has her kids read Gerinimo Stilton books for cultural knowledge.

They also picked up a surprising amount from the Bunny Suicides books. :blushing:

 

Comics and humorous books = early and retention here. "Horrible" books (including science and geography, Dead Famous), Tintin, Asterix, Calvin & Hobbs, Jay Hosler, Y-Kids (human body, Greek and Roman mythology, biographies, etc.), Cartoon History of the World (Bailey), Cartoon History of the Universe (Gonick, these are not written for children, so pre-read), Ms Frizzle, the Good Times Travel Agency series, Time Warp Trio, Andrew Lost, and tons more.

[elise1mds]

My son loves The Far Side comics. They're a huge eye-opener for me on how much I have yet to teach my kids.

[Amber in SJ]

Just recently at park day someone commented on how proud they were of their pre-k dd who could tie her shoelaces. I realized I have four children, three of whom can tie shoelaces, and I have never taught anyone to tie shoelaces.

 

:eek: Bad Homeschooling Mommy!

 

I asked 17yo dd when & where she learned to tie her shoelaces and she mentioned the nice, elderly woman where my dds have spent several afternoons a week for the past 9 years. Then that dd taught the next one & so on. Duggar parenting in action, I suppose.

 

I mentioned that someone needs to teach ds. He is 7yo, after all. Slackers.

 

For cultural knowledge, we get plenty of that from PBS, library craft days, TKD & ballet friends, etc

 

Amber in SJ

[Amber in SJ]

Oh and I also recently discovered my youngest doesn't know our full address. Man, are his siblings falling down on the job! In my defense we have never done a "My Community" unit study type of social studies with him the way you do at public school. After all he is pretty much out in the community all the time.

 

I think this is becoming a True Confessions thread for me. :001_smile:

 

Amber in SJ

[jewellsmommy]

Dd was a young 7ish or maybe a late 6, and we were at a soccer practice. My girl yells across the field, "MOM, HOW DO WE SPELL OUR LAST NAME?" :blushing::willy_nilly: Seriously, it has 5 letters in it!!! Then I realized that as a homeschooled child, she had not had that many times where she had to write her last name. I fixed that real fast.

[Karen in CO]

My son loves The Far Side comics. They're a huge eye-opener for me on how much I have yet to teach my kids.

 

Calvin and Hobbes are good for this too - so are the Horrible Histories, except that now my older dd knows all kinds of things that her peers don't know. She started letting her best friend borrow them so that he could keep up with her.

[Cosmos]

Sometimes I feel like we've got a lot of the big things covered, but then I'm really shocked at all the little things they don't know. Of course, these little things always come out around other people, and I'm always mortified that they don't know something so obvious to other kids their age! I start second-guessing homeschooling because they aren't around a lot of other teachers/adults/students who would be bringing more life experiences/different conversations into their lives. Is there a way to get them more "exposure" without sending them to school? Anyone else worry about this?

 

I think some kids are just more observant than others too, regardless of their surroundings.

 

Yesterday my ds was talking to his buddy at church, who was wearing a Red Sox jersey. The friend turned around and said, "Look, it's a Youkilis."

 

My ds had no idea what he was talking about. He didn't know the player's name, which doesn't surprise me that much, but he didn't even know that the word on the back of the jersey was the name of a player. :001_huh:

 

Now, our family likes baseball, especially the last few years. We go to all the home games at the local college. Dh has taken ds to a few pro games, and we've watched dozens of televised games. Ds himself has played several years of Little League baseball (though they don't get names on their shirts). In all those years he's never noticed that every player has a name on the back of his shirt?

 

He's just a total space cadet sometimes. I try to make sure he picks up the important things (like how to get around town) but he definitely has gaps in some unusual places.

[SonshineLearner]

Dd was a young 7ish or maybe a late 6, and we were at a soccer practice. My girl yells across the field, "MOM, HOW DO WE SPELL OUR LAST NAME?" :blushing::willy_nilly: Seriously, it has 5 letters in it!!! Then I realized that as a homeschooled child, she had not had that many times where she had to write her last name. I fixed that real fast.

This!! :) My son had to ask me how to spell his last name... He's almost 9. He's never had to spell it. He knows our phone number... address.... his dad's phone number (we all have cells) Lots of other info... but his last name??!! :)

He knows stuff about wars, myths, math, but ask him other questions and it's just missed info :)

[Lizzie in Ma]

Calvin and Hobbes are good for this too - so are the Horrible Histories, except that now my older dd knows all kinds of things that her peers don't know. She started letting her best friend borrow them so that he could keep up with her.

 

Huge Calvin and Hobbes fans. Horrible Histories are great too.

We love trivia type books as well, 11 year old just finished, Do Fish Drink Water.

[mazakaal]

That's okay. I was public schooled and at 14yo, when filling out my first job application, couldn't spell my first name. :blushing: The name on my birth certificate is Margaret, but my parents have always called me Megan. I had only ever written Megan on anything - school papers, etc - and I spelled it Margret on the application. So embarrasing.

[katilac]

For "general knowledge" type stuff, we have found magazines to be very helpful. Almost said "adult magazines" but that sounds wrong, very wrong :lol:

 

Magazines for adults. General interest. Not kid-oriented.

 

My kids have always liked Reader's Digest, and it's generally appropriate. I learned the hard way to scan the cover; my dd didn't sleep well for weeks after they featured the BTK Killer :sad:

 

My oldest reads Wired now, but be aware that there is some language, and they don't shy away from controversial topics or mature themes. Great for in-depth articles that delve into the social and legal aspects of tech, and they often cover topics months before the "news" magazines.

 

When they were younger, I would sometimes scan the scope-and-sequence of schools online, b/c they cover lots of general knowledge and "little things" intentionally. It's a reminder of all those "oops, they really oughtta know THAT" things.

 

You said I start second-guessing homeschooling because they aren't around a lot of other teachers/adults/students who would be bringing more life experiences/different conversations into their lives. Is there a way to get them more "exposure" without sending them to school? and I personally do think it's important for all kids to get a wide variety of experience and exposure. I also think it's very easy to do; you just have to be intentional about it.

 

A truly easy way to start is to just make sure you are out there in the world, and not staying home all the time. When you do get out and about, don't fall into the trap of only attending events planned by your homeschool group. To start with, we often join likeminded groups, so getting together with them may be social but it isn't expanding our horizons or teaching us anything new. Also, planned events can make it difficult to chat casually with those you may meet, or go off on rabbit trails. You need both types of experiences.

 

So get out there on your own sometimes. Scan the newspaper for things you have never done before. Head out to the city with no great plans - walking around to see what you can discover and talking to whomever you meet is a vastly different experience than visiting a famous monument and going to the IMAX.

 

Read. Get lost. Talk to strangers.

 

Talking to strangers has truly been one of the great perks of homeschooling! You will be amazed at the conversations you will have, and the things you will learn, if you just get out into the world with and open mind, time on your hands, and no set agenda. Yes, anyone can talk to strangers, but hs'ers out exploring the world have the luxury of time - if you get into a great conversation with someone, it isn't cut short by having to get back to school in time for lunch, or by having to complete the official tour.

 

That's one of the things I loved about hs'ing right from the start: the lack of an artifical setting and artificial experiences. Homeschooling, imo, is truly the best opportunity your kids will EVER have to get out there and have different experiences, and talk to a wide variety of different people. Get out there. The world is your classroom :D

[momtoamiracle]

I am very curious as to what little things they don't know?

 

 

My son is 5.5 but doesn't know how to tie his shoes yet. We haven't taught him. One of these days.

 

He knows his address and how to spell his last name, but doesn't know any phone numbers - ours are all programmed into the phone so he just searches for the names. He knows to call 911 in an emergency.

 

I can't think of anything worthwhile that he's missing. We don't have network television so he doesn't know the latest shows or anything, doesn't know sports - I don't care about any of that stuff.

[hsmom2011]

Sometimes I feel like we've got a lot of the big things covered, but then I'm really shocked at all the little things they don't know. Of course, these little things always come out around other people, and I'm always mortified that they don't know something so obvious to other kids their age! I start second-guessing homeschooling because they aren't around a lot of other teachers/adults/students who would be bringing more life experiences/different conversations into their lives. Is there a way to get them more "exposure" without sending them to school? Anyone else worry about this?

 

:iagree: I thought it was just me, but I observe this with my kids every now and then. :001_huh:

[hsmom2011]

:bigear:

 

You know what scares me? The things they know that I didn't teach them and when I ask how they learned it they say, "Oh, through my video game or through watching TV."

 

Obviously we aren't doing enough through my teaching.

 

:iagree: I get a lot of this too.

[ssavings]

This happens to us every now and again, too... Always embarrassing!

[stripe]

For "general knowledge" type stuff, we have found magazines to be very helpful. Almost said "adult magazines" but that sounds wrong, very wrong :lol:

 

Magazines for adults. General interest. Not kid-oriented.

And for younger kids, I've found the magazines from Carus to be very good. Many libraries subscribe. They are fairly meaty and cover a huge range of topics.

 

My kids pick up odd and assorted things from neighbor kids with whom they play. Such as the use of the word "weiner" for a body part. And what a BB gun is. And (when they were much younger) "criss cross applesauce."

[hsmom2011]

I'm thinking this also applies to PS kids since nobody can possibly know everything. We are just sensitive to it since we are our child's only teacher. It all reflects upon us, and we can't just blame it on the PS system.

[creekmom]

For "general knowledge" type stuff, we have found magazines to be very helpful. Almost said "adult magazines" but that sounds wrong, very wrong :lol:

 

Magazines for adults. General interest. Not kid-oriented.

 

My kids have always liked Reader's Digest, and it's generally appropriate. I learned the hard way to scan the cover; my dd didn't sleep well for weeks after they featured the BTK Killer :sad:

 

My oldest reads Wired now, but be aware that there is some language, and they don't shy away from controversial topics or mature themes. Great for in-depth articles that delve into the social and legal aspects of tech, and they often cover topics months before the "news" magazines.

 

When they were younger, I would sometimes scan the scope-and-sequence of schools online, b/c they cover lots of general knowledge and "little things" intentionally. It's a reminder of all those "oops, they really oughtta know THAT" things.

 

You said I start second-guessing homeschooling because they aren't around a lot of other teachers/adults/students who would be bringing more life experiences/different conversations into their lives. Is there a way to get them more "exposure" without sending them to school? and I personally do think it's important for all kids to get a wide variety of experience and exposure. I also think it's very easy to do; you just have to be intentional about it.

 

A truly easy way to start is to just make sure you are out there in the world, and not staying home all the time. When you do get out and about, don't fall into the trap of only attending events planned by your homeschool group. To start with, we often join likeminded groups, so getting together with them may be social but it isn't expanding our horizons or teaching us anything new. Also, planned events can make it difficult to chat casually with those you may meet, or go off on rabbit trails. You need both types of experiences.

 

So get out there on your own sometimes. Scan the newspaper for things you have never done before. Head out to the city with no great plans - walking around to see what you can discover and talking to whomever you meet is a vastly different experience than visiting a famous monument and going to the IMAX.

 

Read. Get lost. Talk to strangers.

 

Talking to strangers has truly been one of the great perks of homeschooling! You will be amazed at the conversations you will have, and the things you will learn, if you just get out into the world with and open mind, time on your hands, and no set agenda. Yes, anyone can talk to strangers, but hs'ers out exploring the world have the luxury of time - if you get into a great conversation with someone, it isn't cut short by having to get back to school in time for lunch, or by having to complete the official tour.

 

That's one of the things I loved about hs'ing right from the start: the lack of an artifical setting and artificial experiences. Homeschooling, imo, is truly the best opportunity your kids will EVER have to get out there and have different experiences, and talk to a wide variety of different people. Get out there. The world is your classroom :D

 

 

Great advice! Thank you!! -It's hard to think of examples of the little things they don't know. It's not really pop culture, or skills but more like... What's a mayor?? What's a receipt? One time I told them they really needed protein with each meal, and one of them said - how about a bagel then? So, obviously we need to do more social studies and health, and I need to take them shopping with me more, but in my mind, I'm thinking, "oh my gosh what else have I not covered??!!!!" How can I cover it all?? When my 6 year old reads Amelia Bedelia, she doesn't "get" a lot of the humor. -My 10 year old is not "getting" The Phantom Tollbooth either. I'm trying hard not to panic. :001_huh: We obviously need to get out more!

[LibraryLover]

Most of that comes in time, and in ways we don't consider. We were in a new city on vacation, and my kids knew so much of the geography. I was about to pat myself on the back, but I asked, "How did you know that?" Answer: "Tony Hawks video game."

[nmoira]

Most of that comes in time, and in ways we don't consider. We were in a new city on vacation, and my kids knew so much of the geography. I was about to pat myself on the back, but I asked, "How did you know that?" Answer: "Tony Hawks video game."

Yup. Video games, Loony Tunes, and the Animanics/Pinky & the Brain. DD the Elder also knows *everything* about series 1-8 of The Simpsons. She hasn't seen even a single episode, but went through a period of obsessively reading an old episode guide. Oh, and Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom reader.

[JessReplanted]

My son is notorious for pointing out the things he doesn't know around other people. It makes me crazy! For example: He went on a trip to Philadelphia with my husband. I emphasized that this would be a great opportunity for our son to get some PA history in, so the two of them went to see the Liberty Bell and also toured Independence Hall. A week later, my darling boys says: "Mom, I didn't know Philadelphia was in PA?!" :banghead:

[suppleasthewind]

None of my kids remembers November when reciting the months of the year. I received a snarky remark for that.

[scrappyhappymama]

We have this experience often at Cub Scouts. I also had the embarrassing "how do I spell {last name}" question from my seven year old there. I found it can go both ways though.

 

Sometimes he amazes the other parents and kids on his knowledge of a subject. We've done a pretty extensive astronomy unit, so when his den leader asked what the kids knew about the moon, my son told them all about all the phases of the moon including waxing and waning gibbous. :D

 

Some subjects are also experience-related, regardless of public or homeschool. We are not a fishing family. All of the other boys in his den apparently come from fishing families. So while they were discussing the types of fish in a lake or river for their fishing beltloop, while the other boys were throwing out different types of catfish and bass, my son's guesses included tadpoles, goldfish, piranhas, and sharks. :lol:

 

I've learned to laugh off most of the gaps we discover this way and fill in the important ones after we get home. Of course, there are sometimes I find my boys' naivete to be refreshing and don't mind certain comments whizzing right over their heads. ;)

 

My boys pick up A LOT of information we haven't officially covered in their leisure reading. They both enjoy looking through our various science encyclopedias or kid magazines and often end up discussing things they've read in the car, where I can add input as necessary.

 

Probably the biggest gap I've found is in the "social studies" realm, especially with American History and cultural knowledge. They know some things, but we've not covered it formally yet, so we're about to start an American History and culture unit outside our normal history rotation to fill in some of those gaps.

[nukeswife]

none of my kids knows their address, I just never thought it was good to teach it since we're military and move so darn often. When my son was in PS for 1st and they wanted him to learn his phone number I almost had a knock down drag out with the teacher because I insisted he learn my cell phone number which hadn't changed in 8 years instead of the home phone which would change before he even finished the grade since we'd be moving just before the end of the year.

 

The older didn't learn to tie shoes until they were about 9 because before then most of their shoes had velcro and living in FL we wore a lot of slip on type shoes. My youngest is 7 and hasn't learned yet.

 

About a year or so ago (whenever Justin Bieber was huge) a bunch of the PS girls in my dd's gymnastics class were talking about him and my dd pipes up "What's a Bieber?" She had no idea, and even watches the channels that would have informed her of who he was. He just was nowhere on her radar. She'd rather watch an Animal Planet documentary about the darkest parts of the ocean.

 

I guess we all have our weak points so I don't let it bother me if my kids don't know something that it seems everyone else does. I just look as it as a way for me to learn about them and then I can decide if it's important enough to us to teach them about it.

[ClassicalTwins]

My boys both play sports so they learn a lot about popular culture from those kids & our neighbors. However, the neighbor kids taught my kids to spell the "f-bomb" the other day...how nice, huh! Those kids are 6, mine are 9, so it's not like an older kid shared their knowledge. My boys have heard me drop the word once in awhile & quickly knew that's not something they should say or spell. But, that's why we hs, so I can monitor & limit that wonderful "socialization".

 

As for names & addresses...mine seem to have just picked up on those. Their K teacher was crazy because they didn't know their address or phone number on the first day of school....we had just moved to the new house that day. We were closing on the house after we dropped them off for their first day of school..talk about emotional.

 

We teach things as they come up. I figure they will know all those little things before they leave the nest, and that's OK.

[Tammyla]

I think it's true of most kids in general. There are days when they are sponges and days when it all flies over their head. To be honest, I have those moments myself.

[Mimm]

My kids didn't know what breastfeeding was till last year. I was shocked and explained it in more detail and they thought I was lying. I googled breastfeeding and clicked on images and they saw an entire screen of babies breastfeeding.

 

"That... is disgusting," my older daughter said. :glare:

 

For the record, my oldest was breastfed for 10 months, but she self weaned when I got pregnant. Youngest daughter was breastfed for a couple months. So neither of them have a memory of it. But I guess I just thought they'd have picked it up along the way. Apparently not.

 

My kids watch some tv, play some video games and hang out with other kids. They ask questions when something comes up. They read Foxtrot and Calvin and Hobbes. It's funny how often a comic will spark a question about pop culture. You have to have a certain amount of working knowledge of the world to get the jokes. :) Anyway, I'm not too worried about it. Till something like breastfeeding comes up and kind of shakes me. ;)

[Renthead Mommy]

Well if it makes anyone feel better, I don't even know my home phone number!

 

When we came back stateside, we planned on only getting cells. After a few weeks the cable company offered us free home phone service (to 'thank us for all our loyal service" - all of 3 weeks worth! LOL!).

 

We have a house phone. I use it all the time when I'm home. I prefer it at home to the cell phone. It is just much easier and more comfortable to talk on while cooking or whatever. However the only people that call in on it are the neighbor kids, my mom and wrong numbers. I call out on it, but give the number to no one. Mainly because I just don't know what it is without tracking down my cell phone and looking it up in my cell contacts.

 

I have however made an effort to learn other phone numbers more. I don't have speed dial on that house line, so I've had to learn numbers that were just in my cell phone and I never knew anymore.

[PeacefulChaos]

My kids didn't know what breastfeeding was till last year. I was shocked and explained it in more detail and they thought I was lying. I googled breastfeeding and clicked on images and they saw an entire screen of babies breastfeeding.

 

"That... is disgusting," my older daughter said. :glare:

 

For the record, my oldest was breastfed for 10 months, but she self weaned when I got pregnant. Youngest daughter was breastfed for a couple months. So neither of them have a memory of it. But I guess I just thought they'd have picked it up along the way. Apparently not.

 

My kids watch some tv, play some video games and hang out with other kids. They ask questions when something comes up. They read Foxtrot and Calvin and Hobbes. It's funny how often a comic will spark a question about pop culture. You have to have a certain amount of working knowledge of the world to get the jokes. Anyway, I'm not too worried about it. Till something like breastfeeding comes up and kind of shakes me. ;)

 

My kids wouldn't know that, either. It just isn't on their radar. Funny story that is (sort of) related, though...

When we got out of the van the other night, DS6 pointed at my chest and was like, 'Mom, why do you wear those every day?' :lol: :lol: DS8 was like, 'That's not polite to ask a lady!' Then DS6 asked again yesterday, and I said they are just a part of my body. So he was like, 'Well, why do you wear that other thing? With the straps on your shoulders?' I pulled out my bra strap and said, 'This?' 'Yeah.' 'Oh, it's something that grown up women just wear.' He goes trotting out of the kitchen yelling, 'Ugh, I'm SO GLAD I'm not a WOMAN!' :lol: :lol:

That first night he asked, we were also looking at Mother's Day cards in the store. DS8 was reading a bunch of them. So there is one with a baby on the front and it says, 'Mom, for Mother's Day I got you saggy b@@bs and a mushy tummy' or something to that effect. So he's reading (out loud) and gets to saggy before I put my hand over his mouth. So then he turns to DH and asks quietly, 'Dad, what's saggy mean?' :lol: He hadn't gotten to the other word yet. It cracked me up.

I'm ok with them being naive about that stuff, though. I know that these answers won't work forever, but trust me, DS6 didn't care all that much what bre@asts are or what they are for. So I just gave him the simplest answer possible. :D

[stripe]

My kids didn't know what breastfeeding was till last year. I was shocked and explained it in more detail and they thought I was lying. I googled breastfeeding and clicked on images and they saw an entire screen of babies breastfeeding.

 

"That... is disgusting," my older daughter said. :glare:

 

For the record, my oldest was breastfed for 10 months, but she self weaned when I got pregnant. Youngest daughter was breastfed for a couple months. So neither of them have a memory of it. But I guess I just thought they'd have picked it up along the way. Apparently not.

 

That's kind of funny.

But you know, I breastfed for longer than that, and my kids don't remember doing it, either. They also don't remember wearing diapers. ;)

[Rivka]

My kids wouldn't know that, either. It just isn't on their radar. Funny story that is (sort of) related, though...

When we got out of the van the other night, DS6 pointed at my chest and was like, 'Mom, why do you wear those every day?' :lol: :lol: DS8 was like, 'That's not polite to ask a lady!' Then DS6 asked again yesterday, and I said they are just a part of my body.

 

My 7yo asked me the other day how long it took for br**sts to go away after you had a baby. She was a little perturbed to hear that I was going to have them for life, and so was she. "Didn't you ever notice that your 18yo babysitter has them?" She shrugged.

 

I also recently discovered that she thought Babe Ruth was a woman. Well, why wouldn't she, with that name? :lol:

[stripe]

I thought of this thread today when my son asked what a tater tot is.

[Guest submarines]

Great advice! Thank you!! -It's hard to think of examples of the little things they don't know. It's not really pop culture, or skills but more like... What's a mayor?? What's a receipt? One time I told them they really needed protein with each meal, and one of them said - how about a bagel then? So, obviously we need to do more social studies and health, and I need to take them shopping with me more, but in my mind, I'm thinking, "oh my gosh what else have I not covered??!!!!" How can I cover it all?? When my 6 year old reads Amelia Bedelia, she doesn't "get" a lot of the humor. -My 10 year old is not "getting" The Phantom Tollbooth either. I'm trying hard not to panic. :001_huh: We obviously need to get out more!

 

What about just talking to them and answering their questions as they come? One can never "cover" everything, but one can answer questions and talk about things--all the time.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Great advice! Thank you!! -It's hard to think of examples of the little things they don't know. It's not really pop culture, or skills but more like... What's a mayor?? What's a receipt? One time I told them they really needed protein with each meal, and one of them said - how about a bagel then? So, obviously we need to do more social studies and health, and I need to take them shopping with me more, but in my mind, I'm thinking, "oh my gosh what else have I not covered??!!!!" How can I cover it all?? When my 6 year old reads Amelia Bedelia, she doesn't "get" a lot of the humor. -My 10 year old is not "getting" The Phantom Tollbooth either. I'm trying hard not to panic. :001_huh: We obviously need to get out more!

 

For that sort of thing, we just talk all. the. time. about life as it is happening. I tell them they need more protein and then show them on various labels how much protein different foods have and tell them the types of food that have lots of protein. They are constantly looking at labels for protein or sugars or even gluten (and we aren't gf!) because we talk about every day life constantly. But maybe we're just a family of non-stop talkers. :lol: I remember talking to my oldest when he was a newborn. We'd be at the grocery store and I'd have a running monologue. Amelia Bedelia is tricky, because many of the expressions are outdated, but we just talk about them as we read them.

[stripe]

Great advice! Thank you!! -It's hard to think of examples of the little things they don't know. It's not really pop culture, or skills but more like... What's a mayor?? What's a receipt? One time I told them they really needed protein with each meal, and one of them said - how about a bagel then? So, obviously we need to do more social studies and health, and I need to take them shopping with me more, but in my mind, I'm thinking, "oh my gosh what else have I not covered??!!!!" How can I cover it all?? When my 6 year old reads Amelia Bedelia, she doesn't "get" a lot of the humor. -My 10 year old is not "getting" The Phantom Tollbooth either. I'm trying hard not to panic. :001_huh: We obviously need to get out more!

 

Childcraft really does come in handy, including the books about how things are made. My son read many of the volumes on his own in his earlier days of reading. They're interesting, not extremely long, and not super hard. But some things (like a receipt) probably are best learned by getting out and doing things and talking about current events, including, say, local elections.

[Hockey Mom]

I realized a few months ago, that while my boys know important phone numbers, they had no clue how to use my cell phone. It never even crossed my mind to teach them how to unlock my cell phone, pull up the dialer, and call someone. Cell phones are the only phones we have in our home.

 

My 8 y/o can't tie his shoes. I've tried teaching him. I even "banned" velcro shoes for a while in an attempt to force him into tying shoes. No go. *sigh* He'll get it eventually, right?

[sewingmama]

My son is 5.5 but doesn't know how to tie his shoes yet. We haven't taught him. One of these days.

 

 

 

My kids have always had velcro or pull on shoes - I guess I'll have to figure out another method for learning to tie bows.

 

My DS goes to Public Pre-K. Today he came home with some art and he had written his last name on it incorrectly ;) I realised I had never actually taught my kids to spell their last name :lol: I chalked it up as a win though - he had spelled it phonetically and only missed one letter -so at least I've taught him how to make up for my deficiencies :lol:

[scrappyhappymama]

My kids didn't know what breastfeeding was till last year. I was shocked and explained it in more detail and they thought I was lying. I googled breastfeeding and clicked on images and they saw an entire screen of babies breastfeeding.

 

"That... is disgusting," my older daughter said. :glare:

 

 

:lol: My friend's youngest daughter was curious what my son was doing underneath my nursing cover. I told her he was eating. She looked horrified and said "you mean, you mean... from YOU?!" When I nodded she turned to her mom and cried "I didn't know babies ATE PEOPLE!" We got a good laugh from that.

 

My 8 y/o can't tie his shoes. I've tried teaching him. I even "banned" velcro shoes for a while in an attempt to force him into tying shoes. No go. *sigh* He'll get it eventually, right?

 

I've tried teaching my sons to tie their shoes, but apparently the way I teach it does.not.work. Each time, after failing with several attempts, my husband eventually shows them and with him, they have it down in a few minutes. So, maybe have someone else give it a go?

[MtnTeaching]

It is not just the littles...

 

I was at a dentist appointment with dh today (I made both of our appointments right after each other so that I could make sure he went. I finally got him in there after 4 years.:D)

 

I called home to ask dd13 a question when she informed me that it was very hot in the house. I asked if she had turned up the air conditioning and she said, "I don't know how.":confused:

[ThisIsTheDay]

:bigear:

 

You know what scares me? The things they know that I didn't teach them and when I ask how they learned it they say, "Oh, through my video game or through watching TV."

 

 

LOL. My 13yods asked a question about Jane Eyre. I was thrilled he'd heard of the book--until he told me it was referenced on Phineas & Ferb.

 

He learned so much (more) about the Crusades while playing Assassin's Creed that I finally offered to buy him one that took place in Rome.

[J-rap]

Dd was a young 7ish or maybe a late 6, and we were at a soccer practice. My girl yells across the field, "MOM, HOW DO WE SPELL OUR LAST NAME?" :blushing::willy_nilly: Seriously, it has 5 letters in it!!! Then I realized that as a homeschooled child, she had not had that many times where she had to write her last name. I fixed that real fast.

 

I got a chuckle out of this! It reminds me of the things my #5 didn't know. I was very thorough and careful with the older three, and I think I let some of this kind of information slide a little with the last two. My #5 was probably at 1st grade level before I realized she had no idea what our phone number was. She couldn't tell time, either. (Why would she need to? Her older siblings could tell her when to do everything.)

 

I also didn't bathe the younger two as frequently. It just didn't seem so important anymore!

[Just Kate]

I realized a few months ago, that while my boys know important phone numbers, they had no clue how to use my cell phone. It never even crossed my mind to teach them how to unlock my cell phone, pull up the dialer, and call someone. Cell phones are the only phones we have in our home.

 

 

Well I just realized that because we only have cell phones my 8 yo ds has no idea how to use a regular phone! The other day at my mom's house he picked up her cordless phone, turned it on (hit TALK) and asked "What's that sound?" it was the dial tone! :lol:

[BatmansWife]

Well, my music major dd called home her freshman year, asking who the Beetles were... Yeah, we have gaps.

 

I guess so. It's actually....The Beatles.

 

;)

 

About a year or so ago (whenever Justin Bieber was huge) a bunch of the PS girls in my dd's gymnastics class were talking about him and my dd pipes up "What's a Bieber?" She had no idea, and even watches the channels that would have informed her of who he was. He just was nowhere on her radar. She'd rather watch an Animal Planet documentary about the darkest parts of the ocean.

 

 

Actaully, the Biebs is still going stong. We saw something with him on youtube last week and my youngest started giggling and said, "Why do they call him Justin Beaver?" I said, "It's Beiber." She looked at me :001_huh: . I said, "Beiber. Bei-BER. It's his last name." She's like, "Ohhhhhh". :lol:

 

Another funny......yesterday I was talking to her about the neighbors and how they really love their cat and dog. She said, "Oh, so they're vegetarians." :smilielol5:

[Baseball mom]

I just found out 14 yr old ds didn't know how to put the stopper in the kitchen sink. He was going to wash dishes and couldn't get the water to stay in the sink. He had the stopper upside down. :001_huh: :lol: I did not realise until that moment that I had always started the water when he was going to watch dishes.