iamrachelle Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 This is my first year homeschooling. Actually it's my second week, so I am really out of my element here. To condense a really long and drawn out story and give you a little bit of background . . . We are a military family living overseas and thus, have limited access to purchase homeschool curriculum. My DD attended a DoDD's school on base (ie: public school) for the first seven weeks of school. We have pulled her out (I won't bore you with details, but it wasn't a good fit) but for now have left my son in kindergarten there. I'm hoping to homeschool both of them next year. I am using Rod and Staff for English, Science, Reading and Spelling. Horizon's for math and SOTW for History. I've found the English to be very labor intensive and am trying to figure out a way to soften it up a bit. We've tried doing some of the lessons orally but then have a problem with retention when I review the next day. Also the R&S spelling seems to be too easy for her so I'm looking for an alternative there. The reading is good but I feel like the workbook that goes with it asks for obscure little facts to be remembered. I do like some of the grammar that has been included in the reading workbooks. I feel like we are starting the year behind as we are only on lesson 11 and it's the end of October. My DD has always loved school and been a straight A student . . . she's had quite a remarkable personality change this school year. Lots of tears, negative attitude, etc. I don't want to push her too hard and want her to rediscover the joy of learning again. I'm just not sure where to start. Any advice, thoughts and or on-line therapy would be welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 How we do R&S spelling... I give dd a pre-test to see what she already knows. The missed words become her spelling list. She practices only those words 3X on a chalkboard each day. I still have her do the lesson - one section a day (A,B,C). After several days, she finishes the lesson and I test her. The ones she misses stay on her list and we move on to the next lesson. So, we don't actually spend an entire week on one lesson. We are moving at her pace. About English, we tend to run about a year behind R&S's grade level. From what I've read here on the board, I don't think that is unusual. BTW, is she glad about homeschool? Or, would she rather be in public school like her brother is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamrachelle Posted October 18, 2008 Author Share Posted October 18, 2008 I think she has mixed feelings about homeschooling. She is concerned about not having any friends homeschooling but likes the idea of being able to "do school" in her pajamas all day if she feels like it. In some ways it does make it difficult that our son is still attending school. I think she feels like she is missing out on something. However, my husband would like for our son to stay in school this year so I can provide the extra attention DD seems to need. Our DS loves school and I tend to think of it more as play time for him than anything else. We do have a small homeschooling group here but they are not very active. We live off base and consequently are a little isolated from other the other Americans that live in country. Having said all of that we have only lived here 3 months, so moving overseas has been a huge culture shock for her. I think homeschooling will provide some much needed stability as well as ground her in the Word and give her a firm foundation . . . something terribly lacking in the school on base, and our responsibility has parents anyway. We actually pulled her out of her current school, homeschooled a week, let her go back for three days (terrible mistake . . . too much negative socialization, and that is putting it mildly) and then finally decided to start parenting again (LOL) and have now brought her home again. Lots of changes in a short amount of time and she won't really have time to get settled here because we are scheduled to move again this summer. Thanks for the advice on the R & S spelling. I appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I have a comment....if you want your dd to develop a love for learning and a joy for life, unless R&S happens to be a good fit for her personality,which it must be for some, I would say its unlikely to be a good choice for so many subjects, because it is so intensive and dry. I have only seen the maths and the English though. We use the English some years, my kids do not like it but it is thorough- we do it mostly orally and I hope you didn't start her too high. R&S is advanced. But it is dry. I would make the most of homeschooling, research some Charlotte Mason ideas about short lessons, read on the couch together, do some outings, cook together, play some games, don't work all day, get outside each day, have some fun. Your dd sounds like she needs some healing- she's 8, she has some time- make sure you take time to de-school, which is a term for getting the damage of school out of her system. I would trust your gut feeling if you feel some of the books expect too much in the way of memorisation of insignificant facts etc. It take a while, but we all eventually find our own way with using curriculum in the way we choose- don't be a slave to the books- use them to teach your dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizyPenguin Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I have a comment....if you want your dd to develop a love for learning and a joy for life, unless R&S happens to be a good fit for her personality,which it must be for some, I would say its unlikely to be a good choice for so many subjects, because it is so intensive and dry. QUOTE] :iagree: We switched from R&S math and english to CLE and couldn't be happier!! CLE is like a workbooky version of R&S, IMO. Read the reviews of it on my blog. Be sure to read the comparison posts of R&S and CLE too. Just click "Curriculum Reviews" to find them. HTH and good luck with things. The first year is always tough. I'm on my 5th year and still have some hiccups ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 This is my first year homeschooling. Actually it's my second week, so I am really out of my element here. To condense a really long and drawn out story and give you a little bit of background . . . We are a military family living overseas and thus, have limited access to purchase homeschool curriculum. My DD attended a DoDD's school on base (ie: public school) for the first seven weeks of school. We have pulled her out (I won't bore you with details, but it wasn't a good fit) but for now have left my son in kindergarten there. I'm hoping to homeschool both of them next year. I am using Rod and Staff for English, Science, Reading and Spelling. Horizon's for math and SOTW for History. I've found the English to be very labor intensive and am trying to figure out a way to soften it up a bit. We've tried doing some of the lessons orally but then have a problem with retention when I review the next day. Also the R&S spelling seems to be too easy for her so I'm looking for an alternative there. The reading is good but I feel like the workbook that goes with it asks for obscure little facts to be remembered. I do like some of the grammar that has been included in the reading workbooks. I feel like we are starting the year behind as we are only on lesson 11 and it's the end of October. My DD has always loved school and been a straight A student . . . she's had quite a remarkable personality change this school year. Lots of tears, negative attitude, etc. I don't want to push her too hard and want her to rediscover the joy of learning again. I'm just not sure where to start. Any advice, thoughts and or on-line therapy would be welcomed. I'm sorry your dd is having a rough time. I'm so glad you're aware of it and are taking steps to help her! Here are my thoughts: She's 8. You cannot be behind. You have 9-10 more years to teach her how to diagram sentences and such, so don't worry about that part :001_smile:. I would seriously consider putting the formal books away for a bit (maybe until after Christmas) and spend the next several weeks reading good books together and exploring the culture. Spend time cooking with your dd, maybe learn to knit or cross stitch or sew or some other craft/skill. Get out and about if possible and watch the people and how they live and work and play. Then after Christmas pick the formal books back up again. I really don't think you'll regret taking the time to work on your daughter's heart and reassuring her that everything is okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I like all of your responses so far. I would just ease up quite a bit on school. Sounds like you have an idea what is working for you and what you and your daughter don't like. It doesn't have to be so cut and dried. I didn't even begin "English" until late. I mean we did phonics and handwriting, but the other writing was too much because the handwriting had plenty for him, and I knew we weren't ready to start grammar or spelling, so I waited on all of that until he was 8, and honestly I didn't do it very much until he became 9. (Now, I don't mean to suggest that you treat them like they aren't ready for everything, I have gradually stepped up our pace, and i think my son gets a pretty solid amount of basics in since he's grown up a bit). You have had so many changes going on this year so arrange your schedule to school lightly, do extra exploring, reading, and as someone suggested do a bit of cooking from local foods. I mean you already will be getting more social studies then most kids :). Also, try http://www.homeschoolingreviews.com. And you can take a look at Sonlight if you need some decent books. We only use their reading program, and then we make it our own. There is a reading guide, and then you order the books from them. I know that my son has mostly read what seemed like more "girl" books around the 3rd/4th grade level. He wasn't ready to read this stuff at 8, but he's alot better reader at 9. I'm just now figuring out what he likes, so although I have him read some books that people think are just for girls (Like In Grandma's Attic - which he really enjoyed), I think I'll have to skip a big portion of the books because they are from Beverly Cleary and he just doesn't seem to enjoy those. But he devoured Marco Polo, so quickly I couldn't believe it. So some of this is just figuring out what will work for you and your own child, and it will happen but it might take some time. Also take a peak at Winterpromise, they might ship to other countries. Personally, I thought Horizon's math was tough and advanced, so your doing pretty good if your in their 3rd grade program :). Good luck, Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamrachelle Posted October 18, 2008 Author Share Posted October 18, 2008 Wow, I am overwhelmed at all of the responses. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the encouragement. I think it is just what my heart needed. I hadn't really considered lightening up on her school work. It would be so nice to relax on the couch together with a good book . . . and she loves to cook. It may be just what the doctor ordered for both of us. :001_smile: We're actually planning a trip to China in three weeks so it might be fun to study up on their culture for a bit. Her heart definitely needs some healing. She was teased and ridiculed in class. It's amazing how much damage was done to her spirit in such a short period of time. I feel guilty because my husband and I actually allowed her to go back into that environment. I'm just praying that God will cover over all of our mistakes and simply remove the hurt from her heart. Thank you all (again) for the time you took to answer my post. I appreciate you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mims Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I would seriously look at Sonlight. It was originally designed for overseas missionaries so provides everything you need and has a broad worldview. It has wonderful book selections that can really pull the child into learning. The Language Art is a 'natural' approach. It is much more relaxed and yet the most kids really learn with it. There are other similar curriculums but that is favorite. There is really something to say for going very relaxed for awhile and picking up with something after Christmas. Spend time researching until then and enjoy life now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I don't use Rod and Staff, but for other programs we do use that I have felt could be kinda dry or maybe over-intense, I try to break up the monotony by turning things into games.. like I made a matching game for grammar terms -- basically making matching flashcards and putting bright matching stickers on the back so ds could self-check. It's a good chance for me to get some outrageous/silly stickers from the bookstore that make him laugh but also keep him interested in doing it, kwim? I don't think I would be overly concerned about day-to-day retention -- my ds 10 has been reminded almost every day of his life :tongue_smilie: that a sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a period, but to this day he still forgets it and has to go back and edit his work. We just continue on with regular, daily lessons and over the years he has really come a long way. hth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 One of the wonders of homeschooling is fitting the curriculum to the child, not vice versa. I agree with Peela that using R & S for so many subjects would be enough to drive many children batty, not all but some. There are many less dry but very good grammar programs; PPL, GWG, FLL. Instead of a reading program, how about just reading good books together? Also, I don't know that a science program is really necessary for young children. If you're dd is a strong speller maybe a spelling program isn't necessary? Really, make the curriculum work for you. Believe me, a third grader won't be ruined for life if she does grammar causually or doesn't do science at all. Doing a unit study on China sounds like a great idea. Remember, have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevadaRabbit Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I hadn't really considered lightening up on her school work. It would be so nice to relax on the couch together with a good book . . . and she loves to cook. It may be just what the doctor ordered for both of us. :001_smile: We're actually planning a trip to China in three weeks so it might be fun to study up on their culture for a bit. Her heart definitely needs some healing. She was teased and ridiculed in class. It's amazing how much damage was done to her spirit in such a short period of time. I feel guilty because my husband and I actually allowed her to go back into that environment. I'm just praying that God will cover over all of our mistakes and simply remove the hurt from her heart. :grouphug: to you and your sweet girl. It has taken us over a year to undo some similar "damage" - and God has graciously covered our errors and brought healing. Such joy. With your upcoming trip to China, you could do a China unit study - swing the pendulum away from feeling so "schooly" and just explore the culture through books, cooking, learn to count, make Chinese crafts, etc. Just a thought. :) Regardless of the short-term, give yourselves plenty of time to find your way. Some things will be obvious quickly; other things will dawn on you over time. Don't change things up too often, but don't hesitate to change something immediately when it's clear. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Be the tortoise. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Yes, read up on China! We took a month to read about Northern Ireland before going on a trip. The children learned so much and it all came to life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Ditto the others' suggestion to loosen up a bit and consider tossing some of the R&S stuff. In fact, as I look at your sig, it seems there's enough redundancy you could toss the R&S materials altogether. You have spectrum writing, so that overlaps the writing in R&S. You have spectrum and R&S reading, double. You have a spelling program and a roots/vocab program, only need one or the other. It might be you're trying to do TOO MANY things and hence not getting retention. It's better to do a little bit well and discuss it across the curriculum. Truly, the only things that are important this year are getting yourselves on track (emotionally, homeschooling-wise, etc.), a little bit of daily math, and writing something, anything, daily. I love the others' suggestion of getting out of the box and doing a China unit study! Do you math and the china study and dump everything else! After you do that for 2 or 3 weeks, you're going to have a much better feel for how she learns, what she likes to do, etc. Then you can come back at it when you get back from China and slowly add in things. But I'd be very judicious. Not only do you have a lot of duplication, but none of those things are essential if they're ruining your day. For instance, writing ANYTHING will do for 3rd grade. It doesn't have to be from the writing curriculum. Reading ANYTHING will do (within reason), doesn't have to be connected to a comprehension curriculum. So feel free to loosen way up this year and get out of the box. As long as you have her write SOMETHING daily, do math daily, and rebuild your relationships and sense of self, she's going to be fine for next year. Some of examples of things she can do for that daily something/anything writing: -free writes (just put pencil to paper for 5 minutes) -Anti-Coloring Book --available from amazon, very fun! -story starters--discuss a picture and let her write -story prompts -notebooking--draw a picture and write about what you read about or researched -narration--read a book or SOTW and then let her retell it -fable or fairy tale retellings--take your fav collection and let her work through them. You can integrate your grammar into this too. The week you cover verbs in R&S, go through the model fairy tale and circle verbs with a green crayon! Then include 5 interesting verbs in your retelling. See? If you want a curriculum to make this happen, Writing Tales is just awesome. But you can do it for free with anything you have available. Read the model, discuss, then let her retell and write it herself. It's ok to make creative additions, add detail, name the characters, change the time period, etc. Have fun with it! -dictation--Open any interesting book and start dictating it to her. Very age-appropriate and it can count as your spelling too! :) Loosen up a bit and don't be so afraid. You're not going to stay that loose forever, but if you do it for a few months, it will give you a chance to get used to each other, find how you like to do things, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 I just want to encourage you!!! YOU ARE THE BEST* and you are going to ROCK. Your kids are amazing! Whatever you need me to mail - call me and I'll send it!. I will call you later! YOU ROCK!! *I know, the poster is one of my VERY best-est friends in the universe!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Oh - this might be just what you need for grammar - http://www.dailygrammar.com/ Check out archives - maybe one lesson a day with finding some examples in literature that you are reading?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 And we had already done First Language Lessons. The retention wasn't there, and it was just too hard for her. I stopped teaching it right when we got to direct objects. I could see that she was going to self-destruct at that point, and although I had taught her all the other stuff up to that point, she really hadn't learned it. It was very hard for me to accept what I thought was the fact that she was not going to be able to master this grade level work, but I have since found out that many other families had the same experience, and that RS is usually either quite easy or quite hard for kids at that age. If it's quite hard, I don't see any real downside to backing off and trying again in a year. You might pick up FLL and work through just the grammar part of it very quickly -- it's intended to be a two year program, but is very repetitious. Since it's oral and intended for 1st and 2nd graders, I would drive through it faster than it calls for and skip all of the picture study and so forth. Just use it to teach the main parts of speech, and let that be your grammar program for this year. Then re-try RS3 next year if you think it's a better fit then, or maybe switch programs. Just make sure that in the meantime you're reading her the best children's literature you can find, you're helping her improve her reading, you're assigning copywork, and you're working with her on summarizing history or literature or science--orally at first, and later in writing if that makes sense for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 :grouphug: It can take *several* months of homeschooling to overcome the bad school experience, regardless of which teaching materials you use, so hang in there :-) Personally, I would drop the readers and workbooks and stick with the English. You might try having her do every other sentence/whatnot in each exercise, while doing the in-between ones orally. And be sure you and she read the instructions carefully so that she doesn't do more work than necessary; sometimes she might have to write just the subject of the sentence, or just the correct punctuation, or what have you. You could do the oral classtime in the teacher manual; it isn't required, but it will give you some warm fuzzy face time. Yes, the third grade spelling is relatively easy. I'd do it, anyway. The fourth grade book really picks up, so this is a good introduction. For sure, I'm thinking lots of mommy/child sofa time is mandatory, and getting ready for China. How kewl is that? No amount of Official School Stuff could ever equal the learning that will occur with this "field trip.":D Hang in there. Many baby hsers feel exactly the same way you are, regardless of which teaching materials they start out with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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