AnnaM Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I am just indulging in a pity party at the moment. I keep finding things I think we will love that I think will work and they keep flopping. Both of my children have TERRIBLE spelling and my oldest is not retaining anything as far as simple math facts and basic grammar rules. My middle child is bored and her handwriting is nearly unreadable. I want to be eclectic, I want to be fun and interesting, but I am to the point where I have decided we will, at least for this year, use a scripted curriculum (BJU) until I can figure out what the heck I am supposed to be doing that I am not. /pity party Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey Mom Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I am just indulging in a pity party at the moment. I keep finding things I think we will love that I think will work and they keep flopping. Both of my children have TERRIBLE spelling and my oldest is not retaining anything as far as simple math facts and basic grammar rules. My middle child is bored and her handwriting is nearly unreadable. I want to be eclectic, I want to be fun and interesting, but I am to the point where I have decided we will, at least for this year, use a scripted curriculum (BJU) until I can figure out what the heck I am supposed to be doing that I am not. /pity party :grouphug: Hang in there, sweetie. I use the scripted BJU program, and my youngest still failed his English test. I figured it must have been me...so he's doing that one online, and is doing better with that. His handwriting is terrible. When he practices, he does better, but his day-to-day writing is just sloppy. I'm hoping that as he gets older, and has more patience (control is not his problem), he will get neater. I'm sure your kiddos will get the hang of it. Don't beat yourself up. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELITEANDLOVINGIT Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 (edited) I am just indulging in a pity party at the moment. I keep finding things I think we will love that I think will work and they keep flopping. Both of my children have TERRIBLE spelling and my oldest is not retaining anything as far as simple math facts and basic grammar rules. My middle child is bored and her handwriting is nearly unreadable. I want to be eclectic, I want to be fun and interesting, but I am to the point where I have decided we will, at least for this year, use a scripted curriculum (BJU) until I can figure out what the heck I am supposed to be doing that I am not. /pity party Your kiddos are so young... Here are my thoughts 1) Handwriting is not an intellectual skill...it is a fine motor skill. Something to remember is that as your child begins to focus on the content of the work itself (structure, wording, story) their handwriting will likely get worse as will thier spelling because they are focused on WHAT they are writing more and not how (especially in third grade). Handwriting has nothing to do with intellect, and I don't know anyone in college that does anything written by hand at this juncture. 2) Spelling is more concerning...I am not sure what to say there. It could be just a normal issue or something more serious like dysgraphia. Still no matter what this is...if other parts are coming along you shouldn't worry. Also...when was the last time you met a doctor or engineer with neat handwriting? Edited October 22, 2012 by kerryfrank73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Handwriting is fine motor--so if you want to get a little eclectic outside of your curriculum I'd add in some coloring or drawing. You may find that it will carry over into the handwriting. And it's something out of the box that may seem confining. Spelling-both of my boys really didn't take off with spelling until we developed a routine for spelling. Once we got into a rhythm with it, they were able to focus on the skill development. Simple math facts turned out to be almost the same as spelling. They did better once we developed a routine and daily practice. They are learning a good bit of grammar through their Latin and writing, and I retain KISS for practice. I think that getting it through the other subjects helps with the retention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I am just indulging in a pity party at the moment. I keep finding things I think we will love that I think will work and they keep flopping. Both of my children have TERRIBLE spelling and my oldest is not retaining anything as far as simple math facts and basic grammar rules. There is a lot of time for them to continue mastering these skills. We were at the exact same point with Grammar last year. We'd done half of BJU English and my daughter was still looking at me with a blank stare when I asked what a noun was. I was sooo close to dumping it and trying something else, but I held off and suddenly everything clicked. It was a good lesson for me because I am terrible for always trying to find a new book or method to throw at the situation! I still look for new stuff (hey, I can't help it!) but I'm really trying to just find things that have a solid foundation and stick with them. I tweak what needs tweaking and keep moving. For me, personally, I was trying something, tossing it and starting back at square one with something new, so my DD was never really making progress which in turn, panicked me. It's not a fail though, I think it's all part of the learning process. How long have you been homeschooling for? This is our fourth year and it's the first year that I've felt relatively confidant in our choices. TG's can be great, especially for times when we aren't feeling confident about our teaching skills! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 A LOT of kids are crunchy on spelling and handwriting at the ages yours are. It's the long slog people go through, wondering what they're doing wrong. Your mix looks pleasantly eclectic to me, and BJU is good stuff! Why don't you just put your eclectic energy and drive into doing creative projects with your MOH? It's really easy to bring some skills (writing, narration, etc.) into history projects. Then you'll have the structure you want in the skills stuff (BJU) and the more fun stuff too. You're going to be fine! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 We did our first day of BJU today. Of course we have the first day with a new curriculum thrills, but she really did well with it! I think she liked having me sit down and work through the strategies one on one with her and she picked up what we are doing quickly (+9 and near doubles) and was very excited to call her uncle to tell him what she learned LOL. We do a lot of the MOH activities but at their ages there is very little writing. I think for now I am just going to keep trucking along with mixing it into our other subjects and pick up something formal in the spring. Probably BJU again. Since both are reading well above grade level I guess I am not too panicked. I had the grade 2 BJU grammar that we started and stopped last year because I felt like it was too much for her. We did a page from that and it seems to be right on for her now. I think I am just at that point where I am ready to get what works and stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 With MOH, my dd tended to sculpt whatever we were reading about. Sculpting with polymer clay is really good for their fingers and might help her writing as a side effect. Or we would do things like making banners. We made one for the genealogies that was fun. I think I probably still have it somewhere, lol. The BJU is QUITE good. I'm using BJU along with TT, and I'm EXTRAORDINARILY happy with it. In the junior high and up books it's just killer now with these new updates. I haven't seen the new edition elementary. We did old edition, and it was good. They've bumped everything quite a bit, so I'm guessing the new editions are terrific. Definitely use the tm. My dd loved the stories in there. It seems silly, but those little things can really improve their day! Interaction is so good at this age. Enjoy your time! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 My son is 10 and I have beaten my head against the wall over handwriting. It's finally clicking with him. Everyone else is right about it being a fine motor skill. For my son, more practice wouldn't have done anything except frustrate him more. I wish I would have been more relaxed about handwriting. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 They're in grade two? three? Nothing wrong with going scripted so you can give your mind a break. Peterson Handwriting goes from gross motor skill practice and only gradually works down to fine motor skills. Failing that, teach her to type, and fast! Lots and lots of kids are terrible spellers at this age. I was a terrible speller until, um . . . I claim the fifth, okay? It's not a good thing, but you have time to sort that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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