Woo Hoo! I am SO excited. I just received my Nancy Larson Science 1 kit via FedEx. The box was packed with amazing goodies (butterfly garden kit, ladybug land kit, x-rays, insect cards, field guides for kids...everything you need for 71 scripted science lessons.)
I used Saxon Math K-3 with my now 16yo and from what I can remember this seems to use the same format. I will admit that I did not continue to use Saxon Math with my younger children due to the fact that I was overwhelmed with life at the time, but my 16yo has fond memories of her math lessons. I think Nancy Larson's Science will be an even bigger hit with my 9yo.
Wait? Did I say 9yo? Yes I did : ) Their website states, "Nancy Larson Science 1 is recommended for ages 5-8 and is appropriate for older children with limited science experience." We definitely qualify since 9yo has had very little formal science instruction. I am choosing to start her with Science 1 to make sure she has a good foundation to build upon.
Most of all, I'm looking forward to having fun with my daughter. That is what happens to older mothers. They realize that being uptight didn't get them anywhere with their older children, so they might as well have some fun.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Filling gaps
It drives me crazy when people act "shocked!" that my kids don't know (fill in the blank.) All they accomplish is making my children feel stupid. And yeah, it is usually a family member. Come on, people. Everyone has gaps.
For some reason my normally confident 13yo seems to be the most susceptible to these attacks. She thinks she's dumb and that other kids her age know so much more than she does. I can't change how my relatives act, but I will do the best I can to help my daughter with her academic self-esteem. I think reading through the Core Knowledge series, What Your nth Grader Needs to Know, will be a good place to start.
For some reason my normally confident 13yo seems to be the most susceptible to these attacks. She thinks she's dumb and that other kids her age know so much more than she does. I can't change how my relatives act, but I will do the best I can to help my daughter with her academic self-esteem. I think reading through the Core Knowledge series, What Your nth Grader Needs to Know, will be a good place to start.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Week 1
Kiddo dragged her feet today even though she didn't even realize that it was Saturday. I pushed her because I needed to go Christmas shopping. It took us two hours to do:
multiplication: x1, x7(3), x2(7), x10, x11
addition: doubles, +0, +1, 3+2, 8+2, +10, 11 and it's parts
It certainly hasn't been fun, but it has given me hope. As long as we remain consistent I now believe that she might pass the test.
- hundred number chart (by 1's, 2's, 3's, 4,'s, 5's, and 10's)
- count by hundreds to 1,000
- calendar (sing days of the week, sing months, Today's date is...)
- flashcards (addition, multiplication, general math)
- R&S Math 2 lesson
- R&S Math 3 lesson
- R&S English 2 lesson
- R&S Reading (two stories a day and two sets of flashcards)
- Daily Reading Comprehension worksheet
- Grammar Minute 2 worksheet
- Beginning Geography worksheet
multiplication: x1, x7(3), x2(7), x10, x11
addition: doubles, +0, +1, 3+2, 8+2, +10, 11 and it's parts
It certainly hasn't been fun, but it has given me hope. As long as we remain consistent I now believe that she might pass the test.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Commence operation "Drill and Kill"
I introduced 9yo to multiplication (repeated addition, groups of) this morning and have added the x1 flashcards to her pile. She now has double addition cards and x1 cards. I'll add some geometric shapes, etc. type cards soon.
She's already finished her four grade 2 math worksheets and it's not even noon. I hope to split the grade 3 math over 3-4 small work sessions during the day. Don't want to fry her brain. : )
Edited to add: Long day. But, by the end of the afternoon I think she enjoyed having time with Mom.
She's already finished her four grade 2 math worksheets and it's not even noon. I hope to split the grade 3 math over 3-4 small work sessions during the day. Don't want to fry her brain. : )
Edited to add: Long day. But, by the end of the afternoon I think she enjoyed having time with Mom.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Teaching to the test
Yes, it is true. I have every intention of teaching to the test. Between the 9yo's delayed time line and my slacker personality, we have a mess on our hands. We are required by the state to have her take a standardized test before August 15th and she isn't ready. At all.
The overall plan? Be consistent.
We will be doing test prep (drill and kill) six days a week until the test.
Reading
Language
Math
The overall plan? Be consistent.
We will be doing test prep (drill and kill) six days a week until the test.
Reading
Language
Math
- math facts
- math lesson
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
First Day was...um....disjointed but good.
I don't know why, but I decided to start school today. I wasn't prepared. Hubby was home sick. Regardless, it was a good day. We didn't accomplish much, but it was still a good day. The girls balked a little. The balking was expected. The "little" amount was a good thing.
This afternoon I bought Halloween stickers to encourage 9yo to use Miracle Music in the morning. She colored a page showing the basic parts of a plant. I know, I know. It was way beneath her ability, but she enjoyed it. We did two lessons in 100 EZ Lessons (79 & 80). Gosh, I can't believe we are reaching the end of the book.
16yo and I were up early this morning to get our bodies ready for seminary (5:45am for me and 6am for her). Hopefully Thursday morning won't hurt so bad.
13yo started her daily checklist (handwriting - The Living Christ, chanting Latin, typing, etc.). I read about the beginnings of the Byzantium empire to both her and 16yo. Together they chose to watch a Teaching Company lecture on Shakespeare.
A relaxed start : )
This afternoon I bought Halloween stickers to encourage 9yo to use Miracle Music in the morning. She colored a page showing the basic parts of a plant. I know, I know. It was way beneath her ability, but she enjoyed it. We did two lessons in 100 EZ Lessons (79 & 80). Gosh, I can't believe we are reaching the end of the book.
16yo and I were up early this morning to get our bodies ready for seminary (5:45am for me and 6am for her). Hopefully Thursday morning won't hurt so bad.
13yo started her daily checklist (handwriting - The Living Christ, chanting Latin, typing, etc.). I read about the beginnings of the Byzantium empire to both her and 16yo. Together they chose to watch a Teaching Company lecture on Shakespeare.
A relaxed start : )
Monday, September 5, 2011
A month later....
I posted on a message board almost a month ago that we were going to start school. Hmmm..... What happened? Summer. Summer finally arrived in August and I decided to let my kids (and myself) enjoy the rest of it.
Never fear. School starts with a BANG! this Thursday. First, is early morning seminary (6:45am). At 10am we have a co-op(?) meeting. Shakespeare Conquest will begin at 11:30am for the 13yo and 16yo. Piano lessons with Grandma are at 2pm. Pizza for supper (Thank goodness for "take and bake"). And the last activity of the day will be the youth group at church from 7-8:30pm. Then we get to collapse into bed.
No matter what my girls do in life, I'm almost sure that they won't be able to afford a maid and/or cook. The older girls have been assigned a couple of nights a week to cook with me, my mom has been teaching them to sew, and they plan to ride the bus (public transportation) to town once a week. Life skills are easily forgotten in our quest to share "the great conversation" with our children.
Never fear. School starts with a BANG! this Thursday. First, is early morning seminary (6:45am). At 10am we have a co-op(?) meeting. Shakespeare Conquest will begin at 11:30am for the 13yo and 16yo. Piano lessons with Grandma are at 2pm. Pizza for supper (Thank goodness for "take and bake"). And the last activity of the day will be the youth group at church from 7-8:30pm. Then we get to collapse into bed.
No matter what my girls do in life, I'm almost sure that they won't be able to afford a maid and/or cook. The older girls have been assigned a couple of nights a week to cook with me, my mom has been teaching them to sew, and they plan to ride the bus (public transportation) to town once a week. Life skills are easily forgotten in our quest to share "the great conversation" with our children.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Files vs. Notebook
I noticed last year on the message board I haunt that many moms jumped on the filing bandwagon. The way I understand it - you assemble all worksheets into 36 file folders. If you are in your 12th week of school, you pull out the worksheets in folder #12 and do them. It helps you stay on track.
But, life happens and sometimes we get off track in one subject or another. Then what? You would need to refile all of the worksheets for that subject or skip some to catch up. Some moms/dads came up with the idea that you could instead put the worksheets into one notebook by subject and take out what you need as the year progresses. All your worksheets are together and ready to be used but it allows for a little extra flexibility.
I know me. Filing would fail me within the first week (we have frequent bumps and learning plateaus). I've decided to try THE NOTEBOOK (in caps because the thing is a monster). I thought today would be a good time to start filling it, so I've spent a good portion of the day copying Core Knowledge worksheets. For now I think I'll leave bound workbooks...well...bound. I think. We'll see what works.
But, life happens and sometimes we get off track in one subject or another. Then what? You would need to refile all of the worksheets for that subject or skip some to catch up. Some moms/dads came up with the idea that you could instead put the worksheets into one notebook by subject and take out what you need as the year progresses. All your worksheets are together and ready to be used but it allows for a little extra flexibility.
I know me. Filing would fail me within the first week (we have frequent bumps and learning plateaus). I've decided to try THE NOTEBOOK (in caps because the thing is a monster). I thought today would be a good time to start filling it, so I've spent a good portion of the day copying Core Knowledge worksheets. For now I think I'll leave bound workbooks...well...bound. I think. We'll see what works.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Why do I do this to myself?
Yep, I'm going to complain about science one...more...time.
I can't find a science textbook that I love, so I decided to pull info from several difference science books/encyclopedias. Of course, the order is different in each book which has me flipping all over the place. I'm making this harder than it needs to be. Shoot me!
Books I plan to use:
Why am I making this choppy, "all over the place" study of science? Because, I thought Rod & Staff's science textbook was ... too choppy. LOL!
I can't find a science textbook that I love, so I decided to pull info from several difference science books/encyclopedias. Of course, the order is different in each book which has me flipping all over the place. I'm making this harder than it needs to be. Shoot me!
Books I plan to use:
- What's Science All About (Usborne)
- The Concise Science Encyclopedia (Kingfisher)
- The Usborne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia
- The Kingfisher Illustrated Nature Encyclopedia
Why am I making this choppy, "all over the place" study of science? Because, I thought Rod & Staff's science textbook was ... too choppy. LOL!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
It has all fallen out of my head.
My brain is apparently a sieve. I went on a road trip with my parents for 10 days and when I came back I could barely remember how to play my favorite game (Runescape).
And then there is homeschool...it feels like something I may have experienced in a past life. LOL! It seems like a distant memory. How in the world am I supposed to jump back into planning for this fall when I can't even remember what we were doing prior to our summer break? Thank goodness I can look at the sidebar on this blog to jog my memory.
And then there is homeschool...it feels like something I may have experienced in a past life. LOL! It seems like a distant memory. How in the world am I supposed to jump back into planning for this fall when I can't even remember what we were doing prior to our summer break? Thank goodness I can look at the sidebar on this blog to jog my memory.
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