3Blessings Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I know that some of you on this board have their child/children prepare for and take the National Mythology Exam. My question is: why? I ask because dd7 saw this over my shoulder and expressed great interest in it. I don't feel strongly for or against it; I don't know what to think about it. Is it simply a unique challenge? Does it prepare for something else? Anyone more experienced feel like giving a newbie some guidance here? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 We just did it for a fun challenge. Particularly for kids who had always been homeschooled it was something different and exciting to prepare for a test and to get awards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 It's fun. If you get another nearby or internet family interested, the kids might have fun prepping together, tossing questions back and forth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 My older took two sections last year and my younger will do it with him this year. It was so much fun! Prepping was really enjoyable and motivating cuz they knew they would have a test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Fun challenge. It was nice for the kids to have some outside recognition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Blessings Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 Ok, fair enough. Thanks for the replies. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Just FYI, it starts at 3rd grade and up, it does not go by age (I just noted that since you mentioned your 7 y.o.). That knocked us out this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 My daughter participated in the NME for many years, mostly for the fun of it (she's a mythology nut!) For high school aged kids, she'd recommend also looking at the Medusa Mythology Exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Just FYI, it starts at 3rd grade and up, it does not go by age (I just noted that since you mentioned your 7 y.o.). That knocked us out this year. But i can just say he is in 3rd right? He is working at that level. He took it last year, unofficially, after his brother (i kept the sheet he worked on, didnt mail it in) and he got just a couple wrong, so i think he would love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 But i can just say he is in 3rd right? He is working at that level. He took it last year, unofficially, after his brother (i kept the sheet he worked on, didnt mail it in) and he got just a couple wrong, so i think he would love it. I am planning to do it with my 7 year old. She turns 8 in Feb but would technically be in 2nd grade if we went by public school ages. I entered her in a spelling bee and math competition earlier this year for 3rd grade and up and both hosting organizations were fine with it. Generally moving up a grade is fine they just don't let older kids participate in a lower grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommylawyer Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 My older DD has been taking it since 3rd grade; this will be her third time taking it. She's actually looking forward to having an additional required section this year. I let her take it because she's OBSESSED with mythology - it gives her some recognition for her passion and some bragging rights in our house (she's the reigning mythology expert). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I don't know if you can just say "3rd" or not or whether you are limited to taking it 6 times for grades 3-8. I don't even know if they care, but I just figured I need to pick a grade and stick to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I am planning to do it with my 7 year old. She turns 8 in Feb but would technically be in 2nd grade if we went by public school ages. I entered her in a spelling bee and math competition earlier this year for 3rd grade and up and both hosting organizations were fine with it. Generally moving up a grade is fine they just don't let older kids participate in a lower grade. We started out as public schoolers and became homeschoolers. As a data point (not that it realllllly matters that much) DS would have been 8 in third grade and is now 9 in what would have been his 4th grade year in school-- he barely made the cutoff for Kindergarten, and was the youngest in his class, but he was legit-- 5 in Kindy, 6 in 1st, 7 in 2nd and 8 in 3rd. As a home schooler, you can promote your kids any time of year you like-- if my kids ask what grade they're in these days, I "knight" them into the next "grade" on their birthdays, so you can do the same if you like, and 8 years old makes a just fine third grader if you like, according to the PS's. (I don't track grades at all- for planning purposes, I look at "year of homeschooling;" the final four years will be their frosh, soph, junior, and senior years in terms of transcript generation). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 One thing I realized about my DD-competitions make her feel like she's not the only smart kid in the world and that it's NORMAL to be excited about spelling, math, mythology, Latin, and so on. So for her, the benefits are feeling like she's part of a group and that she's not alone. So, for her, it's something that she needs right now. It's not the medal or the trophy-it's the idea that there are hundreds of kids taking this same test who are "like her", especially when we can prep with a group or find online communities to prep with. She just turned 8, and is registered as a 3rd grader with our cover school (and is on her 4th year of being registered in a formal school program), so competes as a 3rd grader-even when she'd RATHER compete higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 In Texas the birthday cutoff for school registration is either August or September which means dd missed it by 6 months. She would have had to wait to register for Kindergarten until she was 5 1/2. She was reading at 3 so the birthday issue was just one contributing factor to our decision to homeschool. There's no registration with a district or charter or any of the other things that are required in other states so grade level really doesn't matter here. At the pace she is moving I imagine she'll move the the actual National Latin Exam instead of the exploratory exam before the number of years she has taken the exam becomes an issue but I figure we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For the other competitions (so far math & spelling) we've entered I specifically asked the people hosting it what to do and they said just enter her in to 3rd since she's younger and she could either stay in 3rd next year or move to the higher level. It is equivalent to the sports policy around here. It is acceptable to play "up" with older kids but not "down" with younger kids where you might have an unfair advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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