Homeschool Chat Part III

[NHWX]

Is there an engineering firm around that he might be able to do an internship at? It would give him expierance and a head's up as to if that is what he wants? There is so much to pick from in the engineering field. My DD has done this for ballet, I count it towards school.

Sorry, Dawn. I have no clue about Legoland. Maybe contacting them directly to see

This year and last he participated an Explorer Post with BAE Systems so he did that. It's a good idea to try to get an internship though. I'm not sure if it's possible at another company. I know that ds18 (today's his birthday!) is trying to get one there but was recently told that there aren't that many for high school students. I'll definitely have to see if there's something to be had. I know one of the tech teachers at the high school; I'll see if I can't ask him about it.

NHWX

 

[desparatelydisney]

For all you lapbookers out there....

DD (6) will doing 2nd grade next year and is very artistic. She spends all day when not doing school, drawing, making her own books, etc. I have read ad infinitum about lapbooking - how, where, etc - but as a non-artistic person it just seems soooo complicated and time-consuming.

Please help me to see how this is not a monumental effort because I really think she would benefit greatly from these next and enjoy them tremendously.

 

[MineeBaby]

I've read that kids "on the spectrum" do *really* well with Charlotte Mason Method teaching. You may want to look up Five in a Row, Living Books Curriculum, or see if you can find a Charlotte Mason Method instruction book (her original writings on the subject fill 6 books, I think).

I'm not really sure what you're looking for in social skills. Are you members of a church where she could form lasting friendships? Could you choose one or two "field trips" to go on throughout the year so she becomes very comfortable with the place and staff to learn conversational skills? Does the local library have a summer reading program for elementary-aged kids where she could interact with others? Could you set up (or enter her in) a kids' bowling team, sport, dance, or scouts?

As far as interacting with other homeschooling families, you could ask the local librarian to give your name and contact info to the homeschoolers that come in. It's one of the most effective ways to get in touch with other homeschoolers I know about (since many homeschooling families make extensive use of the library).

Ambleside Online (www.amblesideonline.com) is also a very great Charlotte Mason based curriculum that seems very fabulous. We are ending our second year of homeschooling, during which time I followed a more classical approach based on the book The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. The Well Trained Mind is a fabulous book that really got me off on the right foot when putting together my children's education. I also learned a wealth of information on their boards, which you can check out at www.welltrainedmind.com under the forums link. We are going to mesh our current Classical methods with Ambleside Online starting this fall and I think it will be really great! The biggest focus of Charlotte Mason is small/short lessons (no more than 20 minutes), using real books (as opposed to text books) and a whole lot of interaction with the world and being outside.

Good luck in your searching and exploring all the different curricula!

 

[danjoealexis3006]

For all you lapbookers out there....

DD (6) will doing 2nd grade next year and is very artistic. She spends all day when not doing school, drawing, making her own books, etc. I have read ad infinitum about lapbooking - how, where, etc - but as a non-artistic person it just seems soooo complicated and time-consuming.

Please help me to see how this is not a monumental effort because I really think she would benefit greatly from these next and enjoy them tremendously.

We use Hands of a Child and Enrichment4you. We love both of them! They are not time consuming at all. My kids love them. The trick is to do a little each day. We have also used the Apoligia science series and used their lapbooks for science.

 

[dis-happy]

Hi all!

I'm trying to be organized and ds15 is trying to enjoy the spring weather so we're not getting a lot planned for next year.

So far we've got
physics co-op (Exploring Creation with Physics)
Latin 2 (state's virtual charter school, good teacher, free)
calculus somehow
maybe government using ????
some literature work for my writing hating second son
and I'm not sure what else

I know the calculus will be a lot of work for him so I'm not sure that else we should choose. He'll be a junior next year and definitely headed towards some sort of science or engineering career.

Any ideas? Lower cost is definitely a plus.

NHWX

I have a ds who is a junior in HS and a dd who is a bio major in college, both homeschooled. Working in hindsight with my dd, I am trying to give my ds more challenging science and math classes in HS. He just took pre-cal with a university prof. (who taught a group of homeschoolers) and next year he'll take calculus via dual-enrollment at community college. I'm also looking into some other on-line college courses. We covered gov't and US History with Sonlight's curriculum. We have a lot of co-ops around here for science so that helps but as of this year he's taken all the Apologia he can (Bio, Chem, Physics and he'll do the Advanced Bio--Anatomy---over the summer) so I'm looking toward dual-enrollment for more science next year too.

The other thing I did: the years he took Bio and Chem I had him take the SAT subject test in the spring. That way he has a concrete test score of how well he learned the material and it can be used for college apps if needed (some colleges require Subject Tests in addition to the SAT). He scored well both times and I'm glad we did this.

 

[MiniGirl]

For all you lapbookers out there....

DD (6) will doing 2nd grade next year and is very artistic. She spends all day when not doing school, drawing, making her own books, etc. I have read ad infinitum about lapbooking - how, where, etc - but as a non-artistic person it just seems soooo complicated and time-consuming.

Please help me to see how this is not a monumental effort because I really think she would benefit greatly from these next and enjoy them tremendously.

If you sign up for the newsletter from Hands of a Child, you will get a free downloadable lapbook. I think it covers the 17th century, but don't remember exactly. Anyway, it could give you a taste of lapbooking and you could decide if it is something you'd want to pursue. Also, here is a copy of an e-mail I received earlier today. I haven't used this company, so I can't really offer an opinion. We are new to lapbooking, too, and so far, both girls (5th and 3rd grades) seem to be enjoying it. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot more of it.

email is below.......

Looking for something to keep your kiddo's brain stimulated during the lazy days of summer yet not make them shriek in terror because they think they are "doing school?" Why not try lapbooking! Lapbooking is educational scrapbooking.
Now through May 20th get 50% OFF ALL of our lapbooks and other products! Hurry! Includes Apologia and Jeannie Fulbright lapbooks, TruthQuest History Binder-Builder lapbooks, and more!
This sale is available only through Currclick.com

 

[Nicolepa]

If you sign up for the newsletter from Hands of a Child, you will get a free downloadable lapbook. I think it covers the 17th century, but don't remember exactly. Anyway, it could give you a taste of lapbooking and you could decide if it is something you'd want to pursue. Also, here is a copy of an e-mail I received earlier today. I haven't used this company, so I can't really offer an opinion. We are new to lapbooking, too, and so far, both girls (5th and 3rd grades) seem to be enjoying it. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot more of it.

email is below.......

Looking for something to keep your kiddo's brain stimulated during the lazy days of summer yet not make them shriek in terror because they think they are "doing school?" Why not try lapbooking! Lapbooking is educational scrapbooking.
Now through May 20th get 50% OFF ALL of our lapbooks and other products! Hurry! Includes Apologia and Jeannie Fulbright lapbooks, TruthQuest History Binder-Builder lapbooks, and more!
This sale is available only through Currclick.com

I have used Currclick a lot this year. They run a lot of great sales thru the year. I keep a wishlist of things I want and then when there is a sale I check to see if it's on sale.

 

[Nicolepa]

For all you lapbookers out there....

DD (6) will doing 2nd grade next year and is very artistic. She spends all day when not doing school, drawing, making her own books, etc. I have read ad infinitum about lapbooking - how, where, etc - but as a non-artistic person it just seems soooo complicated and time-consuming.

Please help me to see how this is not a monumental effort because I really think she would benefit greatly from these next and enjoy them tremendously.

I am not artsy either, but I am starting to encorporate more lapbooks into our curriculum. Right now I'm doing mini-lapbooks of the states. Our curriculum has us do a state study of the states as they enter into our timeline. They wanted us to do a notebook but that was too stressful for my son and I found mini-lapbooks at currclick for each of the states. It takes us about 10 minutes a day and each state is 5 days. He is now dying to go to New Hampshire and see the sites. He doesn't want to go to New York though, because there's too much to see. At a $1 a book it's a bargain!

 

[desparatelydisney]

We use Hands of a Child and Enrichment4you. We love both of them! They are not time consuming at all. My kids love them. The trick is to do a little each day. We have also used the Apoligia science series and used their lapbooks for science.

If you sign up for the newsletter from Hands of a Child, you will get a free downloadable lapbook. I think it covers the 17th century, but don't remember exactly. Anyway, it could give you a taste of lapbooking and you could decide if it is something you'd want to pursue. Also, here is a copy of an e-mail I received earlier today. I haven't used this company, so I can't really offer an opinion. We are new to lapbooking, too, and so far, both girls (5th and 3rd grades) seem to be enjoying it. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot more of it.

email is below.......

Looking for something to keep your kiddo's brain stimulated during the lazy days of summer yet not make them shriek in terror because they think they are "doing school?" Why not try lapbooking! Lapbooking is educational scrapbooking.
Now through May 20th get 50% OFF ALL of our lapbooks and other products! Hurry! Includes Apologia and Jeannie Fulbright lapbooks, TruthQuest History Binder-Builder lapbooks, and more!
This sale is available only through Currclick.com

I have used Currclick a lot this year. They run a lot of great sales thru the year. I keep a wishlist of things I want and then when there is a sale I check to see if it's on sale.

I am not artsy either, but I am starting to encorporate more lapbooks into our curriculum. Right now I'm doing mini-lapbooks of the states. Our curriculum has us do a state study of the states as they enter into our timeline. They wanted us to do a notebook but that was too stressful for my son and I found mini-lapbooks at currclick for each of the states. It takes us about 10 minutes a day and each state is 5 days. He is now dying to go to New Hampshire and see the sites. He doesn't want to go to New York though, because there's too much to see. At a $1 a book it's a bargain!

Thanks, everyone. I've bookmarked all those sites to take a look at. Guess I need to dive into one and just give it a try.

 

[disneymom3]

For all you lapbookers out there....

DD (6) will doing 2nd grade next year and is very artistic. She spends all day when not doing school, drawing, making her own books, etc. I have read ad infinitum about lapbooking - how, where, etc - but as a non-artistic person it just seems soooo complicated and time-consuming.

Please help me to see how this is not a monumental effort because I really think she would benefit greatly from these next and enjoy them tremendously.

There are also a lot of yahoo groups on lapbooking. Lots of ladies out there with amazingly creative ideas. Another thing I have done is googled the topic we are studying and "lapbook" and gotten some great ideas that way. I did that for China a few years ago and got some awesome ideas. I have spurts of creativity but it's not reliable.

 

[MiniGirl]

<--------- is a wee bit jealous of the DIS Dads and their new sub-forum

 

[bellebud]

I'm sure a lot of you already know about this site, but I have to recommend it for any who might not.

Khan academy dot org

we're using it for math now, and it's AWESOME! Listen to the video of how it got started and what Bill Gates thinks of it (he's supporting it). Totally free.

amazing site!!!!

 

[Grammyof2]

Does anyone have any experience with Math Mammoth? I just started homeschooling in March my 4th grader. I was thinking of using it for summer to keep up on skills. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[chicagoshannon]

<--------- is a wee bit jealous of the DIS Dads and their new sub-forum

me too!

 

[Nicolepa]

Does anyone have any experience with Math Mammoth? I just started homeschooling in March my 4th grader. I was thinking of using it for summer to keep up on skills. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

We just started using MM in April. So far my son likes it much better than the Saxon that we'd been using. If you are just going to use it as a supplement for summer I'd get the blue or the golden (can't remember which). I got a package deal that had everything. I am using the regular right now but will be using the golden for by my children this summer.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Hello strangers! I haven't been on here in FOREVER!! My friend & went to the Homeschool Book Fair in Arlington on May 6th & had a blast. (Yes, we were QUITE overwhelmed, but we had fun!) Here's what I purchased...

1. My Father's World (ECC) for my 2nd & 5th graders. This will be their geography, science, reading, & Bible.
2. Shurley English Grammar for both (I hope we don't HATE this)
3. Character Building Booklets (set of 6) by Institute in Basic Life Principles--How to develop: Attentiveness; Obedience; Gratefulness; Truthfulness; Orderliness; and Diligence.
4. Several other random things like an art book with all of the famous painters & their works; piano books; recorder music books; multiplication games, etc...
5. I already had Rosetta Stone 1-5 for Spanish
6. _______ NO MATH YET!!!!
I'm still lost about math I was leaning towards Math-U-See, but I may like Bob Jones Math. I'm still not sure. At least I feel like I'm *somewhat* ready for August!!!

 

[yanni2]

I have 2 dds and I have been homeschooling for 7 years. My oldest is 13 (going into 8th grade) and my youngest is 10 (going into 6th grade). I feel we are doing a pretty good job of schooling, but we are struggling with writing. They dislike it (can't think of ideas...hate to do it...so on). What would be a good curriculum for a disinterested writer, that needs to write. I am concerned about them being able to write essays, terms papers (eventually), etc. I stink at teaching it, I guess.

We are using Excellence in Writing currently, but I'm not sure it is helping much. So I'm looking for any suggestions you may offer.

 

[jacksmomma]

I am going to my first homeschooling conference this weekend and I am so excited! It is a small one, but I am excited about having the chance to see and touch all of these curriculums before ordering for my DS who starts KG in the fall.

 

[Pimama]

For all you lapbookers out there....

DD (6) will doing 2nd grade next year and is very artistic. She spends all day when not doing school, drawing, making her own books, etc. I have read ad infinitum about lapbooking - how, where, etc - but as a non-artistic person it just seems soooo complicated and time-consuming.

Please help me to see how this is not a monumental effort because I really think she would benefit greatly from these next and enjoy them tremendously.

My creative DD really didn't care for lap books. Of course I didn't figure this out until I had bought, cut, and set it up. She prefers notebooking because of the freedom to draw and write about whatever she wants (within the subject of course). I was really glad I had only bought one instead of the whole years.

BTW- I'm new here. I've been homeschooling for 7 years and have five children- 2 school age and 3 wee ones. Hi!

 

[TwinPrincessMama]

Arg. Homeschool fairs are currently the thing that are driving me crazy. I forgot about the local one because that was first day of spring break and I just spaced. And I didn't make it to the one in PA because I was horribly sick this week. Hopefully I can make the one in VA in June (and drive that extra hour, yay!)