Homeschool Chat Part III

[MommyBell08]

Hi my name is Shonda and I have 3 kiddos Liberty 7, Teyla 5 and Landon 3. I have been homenschooling since my youngest was old enough to learn.

We use Bob Jones curriculum except for Math. We use the Saxon Math.

I am an avid Disney fan and was happy to see there was a homeschool group on here. I look forward to getting to know you all.

Welcome

 

[disneymom3]

Trying to get ds 6 to start silent reading and having no luck. He can read out loud just about anything you put in front of him, but ask him to read silently and he just stares at it. I'm not even sure he understands what I mean when I tell him to just read it in his brain without saying it, but it's not a skill that's easy to demonstrate. He loves to read out loud, so I don't think it's a "not wanting to do it" issue, as much as a "something isn't clicking" issue. Even when he's alone, like looking at a book in his bed at bedtime, he will read it to himself outloud.

He is just too little. My boys both read aloud when reading until they were very sure of their skills. I think it just helps them to hear it as they read it. I don't have a technical answer for you, just my experience with it. My theory is as long as they are reading I don't care how they do it. On vacations, I couldn't have my boys sit together though. The one who was in the reading out loud stage had to sit by their sister or the other one got too distracted. My daughter can zone out with a book in the middle of a stadium filled with screaming fans.

 

[disneymom3]

OOops. Meant to add:

If you live within 250 miles of a Six Flags theme park, you can get a free ticket for each of your kids for 6 hours of recreational reading.

Go here and there is a banner that says "free ticket just for reading." Buimmed that we are too far away but homepully some others can use this!

 

[momtoltl74]

I was wanting to know if any of you have used Math U See. I have come to a conclusion this week that Saxon math is just not for us. I feel like there is to much review and that we need to be further in what we are learning. This morning I actually had her take the assesments for the different Chapters and we are skipping 30 lessons. We probably could have skipped more too, but she needs a little refresher course on some things.

I have been looking around and have had some great reviews on Math U See and wanted to see if any of you had used it. TIA

 

[Nicolepa]

I was wanting to know if any of you have used Math U See. I have come to a conclusion this week that Saxon math is just not for us. I feel like there is to much review and that we need to be further in what we are learning. This morning I actually had her take the assesments for the different Chapters and we are skipping 30 lessons. We probably could have skipped more too, but she needs a little refresher course on some things.

I have been looking around and have had some great reviews on Math U See and wanted to see if any of you had used it. TIA

I don't know anything about Math U See, but I wanted to comment about Saxon. What level do you have her at? 90% of the kids I know using Saxon are 1 grade above. So for a 1st grader they'd be placed in 2nd grade. My son is 2 years above and could probably go another year but I wanted to focus on his facts tables this year.

We are in 5/4 this year and I have him do all the lesson practice and then odds of the mixed practice. If he misses more than 2 he has to do the evens. If he misses several of the lesson practice I assign him more of those. In the younger levels I would have him do just the first sheet. If he breezed thru that we would do another one as well.

I also have him test thur at the begining of each book. I have no problem with him skipping stuff he already knows. ;-) That gives us more time to spend on areas he struggles or we will start the next book if we finish super early.

 

[SCHBR'smom]

Homeschooling becoming more prevalent: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=1271214

 

[SCHBR'smom]

I was on the last thread, but missed the change to the new one. Things were crazy between homeschooling and the pregnancy. The sweet little baby was born Dec. 8, and things are getting back to a normal schedule. We now have 6 kids and are actively homeschooling 3 of them. DD3 is also anxious to learn, so she is doing some preschool, but only when she asks.

Now, I have to go read back and see what I missed.

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

I was on the last thread, but missed the change to the new one. Things were crazy between homeschooling and the pregnancy. The sweet little baby was born Dec. 8, and things are getting back to a normal schedule. We now have 6 kids and are actively homeschooling 3 of them. DD3 is also anxious to learn, so she is doing some preschool, but only when she asks.

Now, I have to go read back and see what I missed.

Congratulations! How exciting!

 

[graygables]

I was wanting to know if any of you have used Math U See. I have come to a conclusion this week that Saxon math is just not for us. I feel like there is to much review and that we need to be further in what we are learning. This morning I actually had her take the assesments for the different Chapters and we are skipping 30 lessons. We probably could have skipped more too, but she needs a little refresher course on some things.

I have been looking around and have had some great reviews on Math U See and wanted to see if any of you had used it. TIA

Math U See was not a hit at my house. Mine were annoyed by the manipulatives and it really didn't help them make the connections. 14yo has some math-lexia issues and she really hated it. Teaching Textbooks has been a much better option for mine.

 

[SCHBR'smom]

Congratulations! How exciting!

Thanks!!!! We couldn't have asked for a better baby. She's so sweet and so good and so beautiful and I could go on and on....

 

[robinsegg]

I was wanting to know if any of you have used Math U See. I have come to a conclusion this week that Saxon math is just not for us. I feel like there is to much review and that we need to be further in what we are learning. This morning I actually had her take the assesments for the different Chapters and we are skipping 30 lessons. We probably could have skipped more too, but she needs a little refresher course on some things.

I have been looking around and have had some great reviews on Math U See and wanted to see if any of you had used it. TIA

Math U See has been a great fit for our family! You can get a DVD with information about the program for free before you decide to order it or not

 

[dis-happy]

I was wanting to know if any of you have used Math U See. I have come to a conclusion this week that Saxon math is just not for us. I feel like there is to much review and that we need to be further in what we are learning. This morning I actually had her take the assesments for the different Chapters and we are skipping 30 lessons. We probably could have skipped more too, but she needs a little refresher course on some things.

I have been looking around and have had some great reviews on Math U See and wanted to see if any of you had used it. TIA

Not sure what ages/grades your kids are in. I'm a fan of Saxon, especially in the younger grades. Unlike a lot of math programs they come out knowing their math facts really well. And we also work up a grade after the Math 3 level (54 in 4th grade, 65 in 5th grade, 76 in 6th grade, skip 87--it's a review year anyway---and onto the Alg. 1/2 in 7th grade.)

If you have children that are really good in math naturally, try looking into Singapore Math. And as a PP said, Teaching Textbooks is well regarded, especially in the older grades. We use it for high school geometry.

 

[sl_underwood]

Math U See worked for us with our younger dd when saxon did not. However, it only worked until she got to Epsilon (Fractions) then she just couldnt get it. We used Key to Fractions, Decimals, and Percents until we were ready for Pre Algebra and we did Aleks for awhile as well. Now, we are using teaching textbooks for pre algebra and she likes it as much as anyone who hates math could. My son is only on Alpha so I do not know how long it will work for him. Both of them loved the manipulatives and it really helped them to get math. My oldest loved Saxon, did it all the way through high school. It is hard to know what will work for your child until you try it.

 

[figment3258]

Hey all we have hit a rough patch. With doing school work everyday. Does anyone else have a daughter around 8 she is acting pre teen throwing fits and well on those days itshard to get work done. I think we need a change of pace we follow alpha omega life paca and we do one book a month in the subjects and even with all the stress and fits we are not behind. Guess what I am asking for is a fun way to switch things up. Maybe a week involved with arts and crafts and then bringing the curriculum back any thoughts? Ideas? I just want everything to be fun and no stress if she needed stress she would bein school we do home school for religion too we are Christian.
Also my 4 yr old has no interest yet in writing or starting school anyone else in this boat? Thanks for letting me babble

 

[Mouseketeer67]

If you go to www.flylady.net, she has a whole site about life-organizing and her main tool is the "control journal". There is a student one on the right side of the page toward the bottom that we are adapting to homeschooling. I LOVE Flylady.

I've been homeschooling for 15 years now. My oldest 2 went back to PS in the 8th grade. Oldest (now 25) graduated from a PS, 2nd DD (now 22) did PS for a few years, hated it, went back to homeschooling and got her GED at 17. The younger 2 have always been and will always be homeschooled. They are 14 & 12 now. Technically, they would be 9th & 7th grades, but we don't go by that so much.

Thanks for the link to flylady!

 

[Mouseketeer67]

Does anybody else homeschool High School?

 

[dis-happy]

Does anybody else homeschool High School?

DD #1 was homeschooled from K-12. She'll graduate from college this spring--bio major w/ honors!

DS #2 is a junior in high school. Going strong! He's very self motivated and easy to homeschool. We'll try to make use of some dual enrollment with the community college next year.

DS #3 is in 4th grade.

DS #4 is still in diapers. He likes to sit at the table when I'm homeschooling DS #3 and draw pictures and throw out numbers during math.

 

[bellebud]

Hey all we have hit a rough patch. With doing school work everyday. Does anyone else have a daughter around 8 she is acting pre teen throwing fits and well on those days itshard to get work done. I think we need a change of pace we follow alpha omega life paca and we do one book a month in the subjects and even with all the stress and fits we are not behind. Guess what I am asking for is a fun way to switch things up. Maybe a week involved with arts and crafts and then bringing the curriculum back any thoughts? Ideas? I just want everything to be fun and no stress if she needed stress she would bein school we do home school for religion too we are Christian.
Also my 4 yr old has no interest yet in writing or starting school anyone else in this boat? Thanks for letting me babble

When I first started hsing 2 years ago, a veteran hsing mom told me that if the child is stressing too much or complaining too much about a subject, project, whatever... it's not a good fit for them. Assessing learning styles is, in my humble opinion, extremely important. There are so many ways to learn things. My ds9 is a perfect example. He needs to work things out in his head by himself before he can really learn something (like math). In first grade, his teacher called me in to tell me she was going to start marking his papers wrong (even if the answer was correct) because ds wouldn't/couldn't show his work. (He was doing it in his head and getting the correct answer, and just couldn't get in down on paper "how" he got it - it was either addition or simple subtraction.)

When we starting hsing, we dropped all textbooks and worksheets for math, and only played math-based games and did verbal math. He was great at math! But in school, he was going down hill very fast in math. Once he really gets the concept verbally and in his head, I can only then move on to paper to show him what it all looks like.

He's also a full body (kinesthetic) learner. My dd11 is pretty flexible in how she can learn (so would have done - and did do fine - in a school-type setting where there's a *curriculum* w/ workbooks, etc.)

perfect example - my ds9 (the full body learner), and my dd11 (the artist), were learning where the states are. DS decided he wanted to use the big map on our wall, and point to the states w/ a pool stick when I said the state. He LOVED this *game*. He asked to play it all the time. He learned the states so quickly and easily this way. For DD11, who loves to write and do art, I printed out a labeled map of the US and a list of all the states, and had her write each state 3x's (spelling thrown in there too, which she loves), and then color in the state on the map. She did about 10 states a day, and loved doing it like this. End result was they both learned all the states, but in completely different ways.

So if things really become an issue, it might be a learning styles thing.

For your 4yo, I wouldn't be doing too much of anything that look like "school", unless she wants to. There are so many educational toys, etc, that learning doesn't have to look like learning at all.

I myself don't use any one curriculum, and don't consider either kid 'behind' or 'ahead' in any subject. Some things they need more time w/, and some things are just easy. Then they sometimes just want to do things that wouldn't be on any "curriculum", but I cannot tell them 'no'. I just bought my ds9 one of those electric circuit boards that you snap things together and make different projects. He wants to do this right now so much, and will usually follow the books project, then make up his own. I would never stop him from doing his circuit board to say "it's math time", or "it's reading time". I let him go for hours, days, whatever. Then he's eventually on to something else. I'm not an unschooler, and I'm not a "school at home" mom either... I'm somewhere in the middle. I try to do the 3r's and a language (rosetta stone homeschool Spanish) on a somewhat regular basis, then the rest sort of just comes. The circuit board is a perfect example. Or when we use the telescope at night. Or when we go on a field trip w/ our hs group, or the things they learn for our science fairs, or when we travel.

So yea, I'd mix things up w/ your 8yo for sure. It can be really fun to 'let go' of what we were trained to consider being "real school", and just let her learn whatever for a little while. See where that leads you.

Good luck and have fun! I totally agree w/ you about not wanting to stress her. That's what school is for (lol)... (for my ds it was at least - my dd was just fine in school, and I know some kids Love school, and that's great for them). My ds was actually developing a couple of 'tics' from being so stressed. The way they teach in school goes against his natural learning styles so much, it was pure torture. No need for that at home.

(another example that just popped into my head about learning styles... ds learned his vowels by us writing the abc's really big in sidewalk chalk on the driveway, and he jumped on A/E/I/O/U (and we'd say "and sometimes Y" and point to it - and laugh). I had to say all the vowels first as he jumped to them (because he didn't know them), them he got it, and did it himself, and learned them in such a fun (and effective!) way for him. DD would have probably just written them on paper a few times (she left school in 4th grade, so she knew them). But there was just no need for me to make ds "write" the vowels, then test him on it. He learned them in his own, unique way. And I know he knows them because I'll periodically ask him "tell me the vowels", and he does. It doesn't need to be on a worksheet, knim?

Good luck and have fun... now I'm babbling!!!

 

[robinsegg]

Hey all we have hit a rough patch. With doing school work everyday. Does anyone else have a daughter around 8 she is acting pre teen throwing fits and well on those days itshard to get work done. I think we need a change of pace we follow alpha omega life paca and we do one book a month in the subjects and even with all the stress and fits we are not behind. Guess what I am asking for is a fun way to switch things up. Maybe a week involved with arts and crafts and then bringing the curriculum back any thoughts? Ideas? I just want everything to be fun and no stress if she needed stress she would bein school we do home school for religion too we are Christian.
Also my 4 yr old has no interest yet in writing or starting school anyone else in this boat? Thanks for letting me babble

Jan/Feb are *the* hardest months to teach in (ps or hs)! Yes, I would *definitely* look to get out of the routine and do a week of something *totally* different (set aside curriculum, do field trips, arts/crafts, home-ec, etc).

 

[bcbmommy]

I'm so glad to have found this forum, as I know no other mom who homeschool in my area. I took my 11 y.o. ds out of middle school at the beginning of the 2nd quarter this school year, so we're really new at this! To be honest, I really feel like I'm failing. We don't have a definite set curriculum....just some workbooks and printing sheets off the internet. I have, however, ordered Math u see and am expecting that to be here Monday or Tuesday. I'm praying he likes it! He's a kinesthetic learner, and is also quite inattentive, so I'm hoping it grabs his attention.

What makes our homeschooling situation a little more stressful is that my son has Tourettes/OCD/ADD (inattentive type). Lovely little trio of disorders. NOT! His Tourettes was fairly under control through the help of medication, but we started noticing more tics at the beginning of school. Now that he's home, his tics are even worse. I feel terrible, because that makes me think he's more stressed at home. However, I don't know what, specifically, the increase in tics is related to.

I'm rambling a bit, I know...but I'm just needing some advice as to how to manage our homeschooling day. I know my husband is really thinking that I'm doing our son a great disservice, because I really have no proof that he's learning anything. Can someone help me with ideas to organize our days?

Thank you so much! And again, I'm thrilled to have found this place!