Homeschool Chat

[sl_underwood]

I am considering using Switched On Schoolhouse for my dd who is doing 6th-7th grade. So far, I have made my own curriculum but I am finding it to be way to time consuming these days as I am now homeschooling my son as well. She has a very good computer with Vista on it, does this program work well with vista? Also, do you need internet to use this program? We do have internet but lately its been on the fritz and though she loves Aleks, cant do it with no internet. Does anyone know how it compares to Aleks? Also, how time consuming is it to set up and maintain? Does it show her exactly what she needs to do for the week so that she can become more responsible for her assignments? I know I have tons of questions but I want to make sure it is what I want before I make the purchase.
Thanks
Lora

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

I am considering using Switched On Schoolhouse for my dd who is doing 6th-7th grade. So far, I have made my own curriculum but I am finding it to be way to time consuming these days as I am now homeschooling my son as well. She has a very good computer with Vista on it, does this program work well with vista? Also, do you need internet to use this program? We do have internet but lately its been on the fritz and though she loves Aleks, cant do it with no internet. Does anyone know how it compares to Aleks? Also, how time consuming is it to set up and maintain? Does it show her exactly what she needs to do for the week so that she can become more responsible for her assignments? I know I have tons of questions but I want to make sure it is what I want before I make the purchase.
Thanks
Lora

I had never heard of ALEKS but it looks like it is a math program. Have you tried Teaching Textbooks. No internet required. Great program. Falling asleep while typing so I can tell you more about it later-lol

 

[DawnM]

Our refi finally went through! Now I need to come up with another $200 per month (we went from a 30 year to a 15 and went from 5.37% to 4.37% interest with no points!)

Anyway, I am just thankful it is OVER!

Now to plan a Disney vacation for next week if DH can get the time off. he is asking today.

I may still go even if DH can't. I have a week's condo already paid through SkyAuction's blowout deal (haven't booked it yet but I have it paid for) and our APs don't expire until Jan. 18th. I am trying to squeeze in ONE MORE TRIP as I know we won't go for a while after this!

Dawn

 

[DawnM]

Is anyone planning to do the give a day, get a day program in January?

I keep wondering if it is a good deal. You can't use it towards a homeschool days pass and I don't think we are getting any APs next year and you would have to redeem them by Dec. of '10 anyway.

Just can't decide.

dawn

 

[MiniGirl]

Is anyone planning to do the give a day, get a day program in January?

I keep wondering if it is a good deal. You can't use it towards a homeschool days pass and I don't think we are getting any APs next year and you would have to redeem them by Dec. of '10 anyway.

Just can't decide.

dawn

We aren't. I'm a seasonal CM and my girls have seasonal passes, so we are set with tickets. The main reason we aren't though is because last time I looked there were no places listed in our area, and we're 90 mile from the Mouse.

Service is a regular part of our schooling though.

 

[DawnM]

yes, we do service activities often too. I just was wondering about this particular event.

I may at least see what is available. My youngest will be 6 in early March and you have to be 6 to participate. We thought we would wait until then to volunteer.

Dawn

We aren't. I'm a seasonal CM and my girls have seasonal passes, so we are set with tickets. The main reason we aren't though is because last time I looked there were no places listed in our area, and we're 90 mile from the Mouse.

Service is a regular part of our schooling though.

 

[KibbyCat]

I am considering using Switched On Schoolhouse for my dd who is doing 6th-7th grade. So far, I have made my own curriculum but I am finding it to be way to time consuming these days as I am now homeschooling my son as well. She has a very good computer with Vista on it, does this program work well with vista? Also, do you need internet to use this program? We do have internet but lately its been on the fritz and though she loves Aleks, cant do it with no internet. Does anyone know how it compares to Aleks? Also, how time consuming is it to set up and maintain? Does it show her exactly what she needs to do for the week so that she can become more responsible for her assignments? I know I have tons of questions but I want to make sure it is what I want before I make the purchase.
Thanks
Lora

I used SOS for my daughter last year. It is very self-directed. The lesson plans are already mapped out, so when she logs on, it tells her exactly the lessons she needs to do for the day. Ambitious students can even go ahead if they want. It also grades it for you. The objective questions, anyway. The subjective ones will be sent to your file to be checked. There is a parent file and a student file, so you can password protect it and keep your student from deleting assignments or giving herself straight As! It has capabilities for internet access but I don't think it's necessary. For example, if your student is learning about cattle farming, there will be a link to a website on cattle farms so that they can read/research more if they want. I disabled it so that my daughter wouldn't waste her learning time surfing internet websites that distracted her from her lessons. You will want to have *some* internet access, though, because that's how they send you software updates for the program. Anyway we loved SOS, and if my kids weren't in Christian school this year, we'd still be using it. Hope that helps.

 

[wvdislover]

While I like the idea of serving, the give a day, get a day just isn't a good deal. Unless you live near the World, you're most likely going to be going and getting multi-day passes. Once you get to a certain point, there's not much price difference in, say, a 6 or 7 day ticket. We usually go for 10 days, and if we were to buy a 9 day pass and then use the promo, we'd save less than $5 per person Where's the deal in that? Now, if we could volunteer for a day and get tickets to MNSSHP, I'd be all over that!

 

[disneymom3]

While I like the idea of serving, the give a day, get a day just isn't a good deal. Unless you live near the World, you're most likely going to be going and getting multi-day passes. Once you get to a certain point, there's not much price difference in, say, a 6 or 7 day ticket. We usually go for 10 days, and if we were to buy a 9 day pass and then use the promo, we'd save less than $5 per person Where's the deal in that? Now, if we could volunteer for a day and get tickets to MNSSHP, I'd be all over that!

I thought I read on the site that you could apply the one day ticket to the purchase of a multiday ticket?

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

If I have a valid multi-day ticket or Annual Pass or Passport , is there anything else that I can receive?

Guests who present a valid multi-day ticket or Annual Pass or Passport may choose from one of the following three options instead of receiving the free 1-day, 1-park ticket:

◦Disney's Special FASTPASS® cards for certain attractions for you and up to 5 additional members of your party.†
◦A collectible Ear Hat figurine with exclusive trading pins‡
◦Donate your free ticket to one of the select non-profit organizations designated by Disney Parks:


■Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern California
■Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
■Dreams Take Flight Canada
†Participating attractions are subject to change. Valid theme park admission required. The number of Special FASTPASS® Cards is limited and may not be available after 11 a.m. All Guests in your party must be present to receive the Special FASTPASS® Cards.
‡ Available at select locations.

Valid ID and a valid Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® multi-day ticket, Seasonal Pass or Annual Pass or Passport along with the voucher will be required at the time of redemption. No cash refunds or credits will be provided to Passholders or multi-day ticket holders who participate in the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day." program and choose not to redeem their certificate for admission or exchange it for a redemption alternative.

 

[disneymom3]

Hey, that fastpass thing sounds cool. I had forgotten about that. We are going during homeschool days so the ticket wouldn't do us any good. It does also say in the FAQs that you can use the ticket towards a multi day ticket or AP by just paying the price difference.

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

I knew that a had read that too so I went back again to look and here it is

"May I upgrade my free one day ticket to an Annual Pass or multi-day ticket?

Yes, you may upgrade the free ticket to another ticket type of greater value. However, the Guest is responsible for the incremental cost and the new ticket may only be used by the Guest"

 

[wvdislover]

Thanks, everybody! I guess I had missed these "details" about the promotion It does seem a lot more worth it, now that I know all of this. We may have to do this, after all!

 

[DawnM]

Well, DH and I talked last night and it looks like we will not go to Disney next week.

In some ways I am relieved.....we are so busy in January and it would be cutting into some things that we really need to be here for (practice for a play, scout events, etc....)

We will use our condo week (SkyAuction pre-paid) to go to Williamsburg, VA and Washington, D.C. in May.

I am really excited. We have studied US HIstory this year so this will be great. Our days in D.C. will be with the scout trip. Our boys get to participate in DOING the flag raising at Arlington one morning and get private tours of the Lincoln Memorial and the WhiteHouse.

Dawn

 

[sl_underwood]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am a little concerned about so much computer time but I am finding I lack the time to teach my younger child and he is not getting what he needs because I am so busy with my teenager who should be able to complete some work on her own. I want to give her more responsibility for her schoolwork. I assume 4 or 5 subjects on SOS would take a good portion of the day (4-6 hours atleast) Did you find that it was to much pc time for your kids?

I used SOS for my daughter last year. It is very self-directed. The lesson plans are already mapped out, so when she logs on, it tells her exactly the lessons she needs to do for the day. Ambitious students can even go ahead if they want. It also grades it for you. The objective questions, anyway. The subjective ones will be sent to your file to be checked. There is a parent file and a student file, so you can password protect it and keep your student from deleting assignments or giving herself straight As! It has capabilities for internet access but I don't think it's necessary. For example, if your student is learning about cattle farming, there will be a link to a website on cattle farms so that they can read/research more if they want. I disabled it so that my daughter wouldn't waste her learning time surfing internet websites that distracted her from her lessons. You will want to have *some* internet access, though, because that's how they send you software updates for the program. Anyway we loved SOS, and if my kids weren't in Christian school this year, we'd still be using it. Hope that helps.

 

[KibbyCat]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am a little concerned about so much computer time but I am finding I lack the time to teach my younger child and he is not getting what he needs because I am so busy with my teenager who should be able to complete some work on her own. I want to give her more responsibility for her schoolwork. I assume 4 or 5 subjects on SOS would take a good portion of the day (4-6 hours atleast) Did you find that it was to much pc time for your kids?

No, I didn't think it was too much. At the 3rd grade level, the daily lessons only took us about 90 minutes to complete. She doesn't know how to type yet, so either my mom or I would sit down and do the lessons with her (and type in the answers). For tests that were multiple choice, she was able to do it herself because all she had to do was use the mouse. Towards the end of the year, when she was actually able to do the lessons on her own, it took her between 2-3 hours to do everything.
I would say that for a middle schooler, it would definitely take longer, especially if you get some of the extra electives. You could let her take breaks between lessons, to get a snack, stretch, etc. That way, she's not staring at the screen for 5 hours straight. But it will definitely give you the opportunity to work with your younger child while she is doing the self-directed lessons.

 

[graygables]

Teaching Textbooks math...any thoughts? Math is a four letter word that starts with an "M" at my house, I am sorry to say. I feel like I've tried so many different curricula with the same result. Confused, frustrated, math-hating children. Most recently, we used Math U See, which I thought would be very good, but wound up not being so swell for my 2.

My time has been VERY limited, which has a lot to do with it. That's why I'm looking into a curriculum that does the teaching bit for me and leaves me just as a back-up or advisor.

Thoughts? Is the workbook necessary? Can the same program be used on 2 computers?

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

Teaching Textbooks math...any thoughts? Math is a four letter word that starts with an "M" at my house, I am sorry to say. I feel like I've tried so many different curricula with the same result. Confused, frustrated, math-hating children. Most recently, we used Math U See, which I thought would be very good, but wound up not being so swell for my 2.

My time has been VERY limited, which has a lot to do with it. That's why I'm looking into a curriculum that does the teaching bit for me and leaves me just as a back-up or advisor.

Thoughts? Is the workbook necessary? Can the same program be used on 2 computers?

Try some of the sample lessons that they have online. You should be able to use on more than one computer but the gradebook will reflect lessons completed on each individual computer. Which would be great if you have two different children using not so great if same child using two computers. The gradebook is a great tool. My daughter (Language Arts is her strength, math is the challenge) likes Teaching Textbooks best of all the programs we have tried. (I won't say she LOVES math but definitely the best so far)

 

[disneymom3]

Well, DH and I talked last night and it looks like we will not go to Disney next week.

In some ways I am relieved.....we are so busy in January and it would be cutting into some things that we really need to be here for (practice for a play, scout events, etc....)

We will use our condo week (SkyAuction pre-paid) to go to Williamsburg, VA and Washington, D.C. in May.

I am really excited. We have studied US HIstory this year so this will be great. Our days in D.C. will be with the scout trip. Our boys get to participate in DOING the flag raising at Arlington one morning and get private tours of the Lincoln Memorial and the WhiteHouse.

Dawn

I bet The DC trip will be really fun and very interesting. I definitely want to do that area of the country soon. Actually we are thinking spring of '11. You will have to share here what you do.

Teaching Textbooks math...any thoughts? Math is a four letter word that starts with an "M" at my house, I am sorry to say. I feel like I've tried so many different curricula with the same result. Confused, frustrated, math-hating children. Most recently, we used Math U See, which I thought would be very good, but wound up not being so swell for my 2.

My time has been VERY limited, which has a lot to do with it. That's why I'm looking into a curriculum that does the teaching bit for me and leaves me just as a back-up or advisor.

Thoughts? Is the workbook necessary? Can the same program be used on 2 computers?

Workbood depends on what level your kids are at. Up to PreAlg, they do not need to do the work book if you don't want. It is basically a duplicate of what they do online. It's just that the instructions are written out and then the problems are done in the book instead of on the computer, but the problems are all the same. At Pre-Alg and up, the lecture is in the book and on the computer. There are practice problems on the discs and you get a set of disks with all of the solutions which show the work to get their etc, but they student must use hte book as that is the only place the problems are on their own.

I tried many things with DS who has some learning struggles. Seemed like MUS would be great for him but it was a disaster! TT is perfect. My older one uses it as well. Did Math 7 and now is in Pre-Algebra. I am really really pleased with it. Youngest one is doing Singapore still, he is a little math genius. Next year he will be moving into TT Math 4.

 

[Denine]

I can't remember the last time I visited this thread.

We were just in DC the past 2-1/2 days. We spent 4 hours at the Natural History Museum and 6 hours at the American History Museum. Yesterday we went to the Air & Space Annex by Dlules airport and saw the space shuttle Enterprise, so cool. We saw the National Christmas Tree get lighted 2 nights ago.

We just made ressies today so we can go to HS days at Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown the first week of March. We are really looking foward to that.

Right now, we are still in Richmond, VA with friends and will be going back home to Ohio on Sunday.