Organization/time management
Beyond the Basics
I'm finding that as my daughter is getting the basics down, she is picking up a lot of extras from her big brother. She's become a strong competitor in math especially, sometimes beating him to the answers!
I am also finding that as the basics are learned, i.e. reading especially, I can teach them together more often than not.
History and science are especially easy to teach them together.
I was getting aggravated that each grade level taught the same things in history. Every year it's the pilgrims and there's so much more than that! I have come to the conclusion that history can be learned better simply by reading to them, out loud. They enjoy it and we can learn about so many more things than Columbus and the Mayflower!
I'm looking forward to combining more subjects in the near future and simplifying my life even more! | | myhalfpints |
Homeschool helps
The Best Early Readers: Bob Books
Just giving you a heads-up on a fantastic product I discovered 20 years ago on the advice of Ruth Beechick. (If you've never heard of her, Google her and read everything she's ever written. The woman is a home-schooler's educational gold-mine.) Bob Books have been around for a very long time, and I guess they go in and out of ''season'', so get them while you can. I bought a set at Sam's Wholesale Warehouse for my 4 year-old grand-daughter a few months ago. My daughter looked at them nostalgically, and set them aside ''until she's ready, Mom''. Imagine our delight when, in the backseat of the car on a 2 hour road-trip, my grand-daughter and I discovered the world of reading. She proudly announced to her parents, ''I can read now! Listen: Bob. Bob sat...'' and proceeded to read them the whole book. Ok, the books only have about 20 words total, but hey... she was thrilled. And so are we.
The magic of Bob Books is in their brevity. If a child knows the sounds of even a few letters, and demonstrates enthusiasm about learning to read, she can get started. | | trish-redd |
Lang arts: phonics
Starfall.com
If you have not tried this site for any children starting the reading process, give it a try. It is a wonderful tool, especially if you have more than one student that needs more mommy attention and is not quite working on their own yet. A computer with a set of ear phones and this site are invaluable to our family! | | hophr5 |
| | Special needs
Reading Problems
A few years ago we discovered that our youngest son is dyslexic. Although I had suspected dyslexia we didn't know where to start when we realized something had to be done to help him. We didn't know either that 1 in 5 or 6 children have this learning challenge. Now, after hours of research and finding valuable help for our son, I want to share with others that there is help and hope. YOU can teach your child to deal with this issue. The main source we have used is the Barton Reading and Spelling System. They have an online video you can watch about dyslexia.
IF you see your child struggling to read, or remember letter sounds, etc... it COULD be dyslexia. It may not be, but with 1 in 5 or 6 children having this problem, it may be a place for you to start. The sooner you can find the right help the better. Most children, IF they are ever diagnosed with this are not diagnosed until age 9 or 10. | | budikboys |
Handwriting
Never Too Early...
When your little three or four-year-old prodigy picks up her crayon to write her first note to Nana, pay attention to the way she begins her letters. She will remember how to copy most of them, but there may be a few that will require you to practice with her. Please, please, please... don't let incorrect habits form in handwriting because the error was ''too cute'' to correct.
Backwards N's, S's that begin from the bottom, Y's, K's, R's, b's and d's. Whatever the letter-making difficulty, find a phrase or ''script'' if you will, that your child can remember to associate with the letter, and repeat it out loud as she's writing the letter. A very good resource that addresses this is Romalda Spalding's The Writing Road to Reading. It is the absolute best phonics program I've ever seen, mainly because of it's simplicity and ease of use, and it will double as your handwriting curriculum, too! | | trish-redd |
Marriage & parenting
Double Standards
Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
If we want our children to continue practicing what we taught them, we must not have double standards. For example, if we taught our child not to eat junk food, we have to be consistent at all times, not to eat it. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no, there are no exceptions. We must also practice what we preach to them, or our words will have no meaning. Children are smarter than we think. They often follow our examples rather than what we tell them. Actions are stronger than words. | | hcinfo |
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