Juliegmom Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I was all set with plans to begin MFW ECC along with Apologia Swimming Creatures, but need to put these plans on hold. My mom was just diagnosed with cancer and we will be temporarily leaving the mission field to help her with her care and treatment. I'm guessing that we will be in the states for several months and need to simplify my 3rd grade plans. I plan to take our writing, spelling, math, grammar and literature books (Chronicles of Narnia guide) with us, but beyond that I don't know what to do for science and history. It's too difficult to take all of the books that go along with MFW ECC plus I don't want to use ECC unless I feel that I can put in the time to enjoy it with my dd. I'm thinking the same about Apologia. I know my dd is really looking forward to creating an ocean box, but I'm just not sure I can commit a whole lot to projects and such. Any ideas out there would be greatly appreciated! Honestly, I'm leaning toward just using ECC and Apologia for 4th grade. . . but what to do now for my history and science loving child? I'm thinking of using Mr. Q's science, but still have no idea of what to do for history. Prayers and ideas appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Would something like Veritas Press self-paced online history be an option? Maybe AHA! Science might be an inexpensive investment as well, so that he can still "do" some science even if you don't have the time\energy\or resources to devote regularly. Sorry about your mom. :( It's wonderful that you will be able to spend time with her though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 What do you have for technology and devices? Do you have money to spend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 So sorry about the cancer diagnosis! We walked that road with my precious Pops-in-law and it was quite a journey. I'd say that science and history aren't vital and so if you must you could simply forego them. ;) Or, do Apologia Swimming Creatures but save ECC for 4th. Swimming Creatures and a Narnia study sound like a ton of fun for 3rd grade and more than enough. :) Or, do two Apologia books alongside the lit study for the year; don't do history and enjoy the science studies to the fullest. You'd likely get through two quite easily. I like the Veritas self-paced idea if you have internet access and means to pay for the course. It's hands off for Mom if need be. If you intend to follow MFW's sequence then you may not want to go this route and disrupt your history cycle sequence. :) I think Heart of Dakota's Bigger Hearts for His Glory is a fabulous follow-up to Adventures. It's a different style than MFW but if your kiddo fits the placement chart it could be a great fit for a year. The guide looks at a variety of science topics (we really enjoyed the books and activities for the most part) and the history portion takes a biographical approach. There aren't a ton of books to haul around and many LA skills are woven right into the content making it pretty efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thank you for your suggestions. Money is tight, but we will be taking our kindle and laptop. The two musts that I will be taking are math and our Chronicles of Narnia study. If I don't have room to take our spelling, grammar and writing then I can incorporate them into our literature studies. Hopefully, I can make room for Apologia Swimming Creatures. Not enjoying the packing process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 So sorry about your Mom. :( Do you have access to a library where she lives? I would aim to get books from the library and if there's time to fit experiments and extras in, great, but if not, you won't be tied to a curriculum. Thoughts and prayers for you all. Enjoy the time with your Mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 English: All-in-one LA could be done with Primary Language Lessons. I think it's free online somewhere, or the hardback book is usually pretty cheap. It's one small book, very thorough lessons, totally open-and-go. Add reading, whether with free online readers (such as McGuffey) for your Kindle or with library books from your mom's library. Science: I also think you should just do Swimming Creatures and let the deficiencies be what they are. She'll still learn a ton with the book. If you can work in one trip to a beach, lake, pond, or zoo, that would be memorable and make up for some of the activities that aren't feasible. For the ocean box, maybe that could be done on the laptop so wherever you are dd can work on it. Ways to do it might be: 1. Use an art program such as Paint. Cut and paste the pictures into it, and save each updated version as your desktop background. 2. Create a Pinterest page of all the creatures. 3. Make a blog. At the end of each chapter, take a photo of dd's notebooking activities and add pictures of the Ocean Box creatures to your posts. I hope this helps. I'm so sorry your mother is ill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 We are doing swimming creatures right now. I have not had time and space for the ocean box so we made a modified version of the project. I bought a blue piece of poster board and hung that on the wall for our ocean. Now when we add creatures to our box we just google images of the creature, print them, cut them out, and tape them on. The kids still enjoy adding to the ocean, so I don't think it has taken away from the project too much. For the labs, could you have a lab box shipped to the place you are staying? This usually costs around $50, but if you can swing it it will help make the labs more convenient. Sorry about your mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Where will you be? Is the issue with taking things the inability to physically take them to another place? (high fees for books, etc?) Is there a library where you will be? Internet access? How well does your daughter read and write? How independent can she be? What have you done in the past? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 We live in Albania so shipping is very expensive. I'm bringing what I will fit in my luggage. I am looking forward to having library access again. We will have internet and my dd works well independently which us going to be a life saver! Thank you all for your help with ideas and prayers for my mom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm so sorry. Thinking about how to manage everything must be so very difficult. I wouldn't worry about science and history until you get settled. There is plenty at the library to read and watch for a third grader. There are even books with projects at the library or bookstore that have cool projects if you find you have time. My dd always says that Miss Frizzle was her favorite science teacher. It will work out. :grouphug: This might be a good time for some American HIstory. There is plenty of that at the library. Just get a basket of books every week and see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I would take only your strong musts and rely on the library or online resources for the rest. The space in your suitcases to bring stuff back from the us is too valuable, and it sounds like your budget is tight enough that you wouldnt just rebuy a duplicate copy for stateside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 If you want to do MFW ECC, you can probably do it using only what is in the library. Or you could just go and check out a bunch of books on different history or geography topics. 3rd grade is a great age for biographies, as well. Science can be the same way. If you want something more formal, VP Self paced history would work as would AHa science, but I think you can have a great year just reading books and checking out dvds from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 I would take only your strong musts and rely on the library or online resources for the rest. The space in your suitcases to bring stuff back from the us is too valuable, and it sounds like your budget is tight enough that you wouldnt just rebuy a duplicate copy for stateside. Exactly! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessj Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I am so sorry about your mom. Someone in a group I'm in had to make some major budget cuts this year, so they are going to use allinonehomeschool. com. It's free, and it's online. I haven't looked at the quality, so I can't speak for it, but it sounded like a possible resource for you. Most of all, give yourself that space and time you need with your mom. You have all the time in the world to make up for any 3rd grade deficiencies! If you don't have time to do history and science, there is nothing wrong with simply picking up lots of library books on history and science topics that interest her. It may be fun for her to be able to explore freely on things that interest her for a year. Often that's where the most learning happens anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Thank you, Jess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9Mommy Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I can't help out curriculum wise, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry about your mom's diagnosis. I hope her treatment goes as smoothly as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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