When you hear the word prefix....you think of getting prepared to FIX something like getting your tool bag, wall prep, paint brush out.....right?....not language arts!LOL At least in my book! While I am excellent at language arts...if you ask me to break down things like prefix, adverb, adjectives, etc. forget it!
We whizz through our daily language art activity or what we called English in my day.....until we get to one of these pages....and then we come to a screeching halt! Until I get one of the handy dandy webpages pulled up that explains the whatnot of who is who!LOL Thank goodness for the internet! Google is a staple in this house! If you do not know, GOOGLE it!!!
And you would think we would retain this info for future use...no. We use prefixes in our daily talking, writing, reading but to remember what is actually a prefix means something else in this Mom brain has to be lost.....because I don't know about you...but my Mom brain only holds so much so if something NEW has to be retained...it means something OLD falls out!
This is where things like prefix games come into play! There are some really great online games for your child to get a good background as to what prefix, adverb, adjectives are! And the fact that it is a game means they are learning while playing! So.....stop that panic moment(love the Sylvan commercial where the kids asks Mom for Math help and she takes off running because I feel like that some days!) and find a way for both you and your child to learn that prefix doesn’t mean getting prepared to paint!LOL
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Can we live without Math? The answer is NO...unfortunately!LOL
Can we just live in a world without MATH! Honestly....I hate it! I hate teaching it, I hated it in school, I hate that my son is struggling with it just like I did! I hate that even as a grownup, I feel stupid when we are working on it! I thought teaching math in homeschool, with the programs I found would be SO SIMPLE! It is and it isn't.....some days we want to rip out our hair and others we whizz right through high school math!
It doesn’t help that my younger son is brilliant at math! He gets it! But, due to his age....he can't explain how he gets it...AND his older brother definitely does NOT want help from his younger brother...the HORROR! Jeez, younger brothers carry cooties and germs ya know!LOL
It has become a daily challenge to make it through the math lessons for my older son! We both stress as we are opening the computer file... I assume we must look like we are opening an explosive, that turn away slightly and cringe as you push the button....will it blow up and consume us, or is it a simple cut the red wire and we are saved!LOL
We have turned more to working on life skills with math, rather than algebra for things that he will never use! Balancing the checkbook, keeping your savings intact, how much paint will you need for a room, etc.
I know then, that if nothing else gets through his skull about Math....he will have the skills it takes to go through daily life!
So....in reality....we cannot live in a world without Math... use it daily BUT we can simplify HOW we use or need it!
That is my theory!LOL
It doesn’t help that my younger son is brilliant at math! He gets it! But, due to his age....he can't explain how he gets it...AND his older brother definitely does NOT want help from his younger brother...the HORROR! Jeez, younger brothers carry cooties and germs ya know!LOL
It has become a daily challenge to make it through the math lessons for my older son! We both stress as we are opening the computer file... I assume we must look like we are opening an explosive, that turn away slightly and cringe as you push the button....will it blow up and consume us, or is it a simple cut the red wire and we are saved!LOL
We have turned more to working on life skills with math, rather than algebra for things that he will never use! Balancing the checkbook, keeping your savings intact, how much paint will you need for a room, etc.
I know then, that if nothing else gets through his skull about Math....he will have the skills it takes to go through daily life!
So....in reality....we cannot live in a world without Math... use it daily BUT we can simplify HOW we use or need it!
That is my theory!LOL
How we became accidental homeschoolers....
So.....if you are a reader of my blog... you know we are accidental homeschoolers! Though it seems so long ago that I forget we haven't always been homeschoolers.
What is an accidental homeschooler....well, if your child is attending private or public school on a normal basis and you suddenly either have an issue and decide to pull them and homeschool OR they have been kicked/removed from the school and you are forced to homeschool them to continue their schooling...that is considered an accidental homeschooler!
Ours was a combo of both! My oldest son was 5 weeks into 6th grade, his first year at middle school when it came to blows-literally! My son was over 6 ft. tall at 12! He was taller than most of the teachers and all but one other kid. We had already had issues with his Math teacher over lessons and her non-communication and/or help....so the day that my son was jumped in the school by 2 kids was the final straw. HE was punished for defending himself. HE was sent home and suspended for 3 days because HE was walking down the hall and attacked by 2 students and in defense, he punched one. The other 2 kids were NOT punished, the school did NOT call us to inform us of the fact that our son was in an altercation OR that they were suspending him, they claimed that they DID call us and number was disconnected when in fact all numbers they had on file for us were correct and working and I am a SAHM so there was someone here. We never got an official notice, they just sent him home on the bus and he told us. At this point....I am sure FLAMES were shooting out my eyes! I was LIVID, my husband was livid!! This tops off the week where he had turned in some REALLY stupid word problem to Math teacher, they had 2 weeks to work on it and it was this CRAZY problem that ended up in pages of written work to show how we came up with answer. It took all 3 of us to attempt to figure it out. He brought it home with a D. No explanation, no telling how she came about the correct answer, nothing. He was crushed. We sent her an email asking for help. She replied that she doesn’t help. WHAT? You are a TEACHER....that is your JOB! We said apparently he is not getting the Math you are teaching, is there a way to get assistance from you on this matter. She replied that she doesn’t help but suggested that he get a tutor and spend 3 hours a day after school in the library with the tutor, the front office had a list. WHAT! Really, that is your answer..... OMG!
So....we were already hot under the collar about that when the fight and suspension came about!
My husband took the day following the suspension off to confront the school. He left here with the words that if something was NOT fixed, he was bringing my son home to be homeschooled!
2 hours later, they were home with the contents of my son's locker and a refund check for his lunch account!
We were officially homechoolers....
And I am here to tell you, while it was the start of a crazy, wild adventure and there are days I want to pull out my hair and scream....it is also the best darn decision we ever made!!
What is an accidental homeschooler....well, if your child is attending private or public school on a normal basis and you suddenly either have an issue and decide to pull them and homeschool OR they have been kicked/removed from the school and you are forced to homeschool them to continue their schooling...that is considered an accidental homeschooler!
Ours was a combo of both! My oldest son was 5 weeks into 6th grade, his first year at middle school when it came to blows-literally! My son was over 6 ft. tall at 12! He was taller than most of the teachers and all but one other kid. We had already had issues with his Math teacher over lessons and her non-communication and/or help....so the day that my son was jumped in the school by 2 kids was the final straw. HE was punished for defending himself. HE was sent home and suspended for 3 days because HE was walking down the hall and attacked by 2 students and in defense, he punched one. The other 2 kids were NOT punished, the school did NOT call us to inform us of the fact that our son was in an altercation OR that they were suspending him, they claimed that they DID call us and number was disconnected when in fact all numbers they had on file for us were correct and working and I am a SAHM so there was someone here. We never got an official notice, they just sent him home on the bus and he told us. At this point....I am sure FLAMES were shooting out my eyes! I was LIVID, my husband was livid!! This tops off the week where he had turned in some REALLY stupid word problem to Math teacher, they had 2 weeks to work on it and it was this CRAZY problem that ended up in pages of written work to show how we came up with answer. It took all 3 of us to attempt to figure it out. He brought it home with a D. No explanation, no telling how she came about the correct answer, nothing. He was crushed. We sent her an email asking for help. She replied that she doesn’t help. WHAT? You are a TEACHER....that is your JOB! We said apparently he is not getting the Math you are teaching, is there a way to get assistance from you on this matter. She replied that she doesn’t help but suggested that he get a tutor and spend 3 hours a day after school in the library with the tutor, the front office had a list. WHAT! Really, that is your answer..... OMG!
So....we were already hot under the collar about that when the fight and suspension came about!
My husband took the day following the suspension off to confront the school. He left here with the words that if something was NOT fixed, he was bringing my son home to be homeschooled!
2 hours later, they were home with the contents of my son's locker and a refund check for his lunch account!
We were officially homechoolers....
And I am here to tell you, while it was the start of a crazy, wild adventure and there are days I want to pull out my hair and scream....it is also the best darn decision we ever made!!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Picking an Elementary Online Curriculum, so many choices...so little time!
Hard to believe that we are on our 4th homeschooling year, in fact we are about midway through it! It seems like we just started and yet that was Fall 2008! WOW! We were accidental homeschoolers then, now we are lifelong homeschoolers! But, I can still remember the panic feeling of WHAT DID I DO?! I was a childcare provider and a SAHM, not a teacher! I was luckily adept at finding things on the internet so the day after we pulled my oldest son from public school....I was online looking for a elementary level online curriculum. I knew that there was no way that I could piece together bits of this and that and create a whole for my son. No way! I was not that together, not that confident and not enough spare time! I had to find something that had ALL he needed to get a basic education as we waded into this thing called homeschooling! I am still thankful to this day, for finding Time 4 Learning! I tell anyone I know who is thinking of homeschooling to check them out! They were and still are my lifesaver! We are on our 4th year using T4L and I love it every bit today as I did Fall 2008!
They taught my son to become a better reader, learn Math and get up to speed for his grade level, learn that science can be fun or history silly! They taught ME to relearn all that I had forgotten about elementary education! It was amazing how quickly I picked back up on things! They taught him how to spell with their sister site, Spelling City. They taught both of my children that they can do things, they can be confident and they can learn at a pace that works for them!
So, I am telling you....if you are stumbling upon this blog as a newbie to homeschooling or as an old timer that is needing something new....check out Time 4 Learning, Time 4 Writing and/or their sister site Spelling City....you will not be sorry you did!!!
They taught my son to become a better reader, learn Math and get up to speed for his grade level, learn that science can be fun or history silly! They taught ME to relearn all that I had forgotten about elementary education! It was amazing how quickly I picked back up on things! They taught him how to spell with their sister site, Spelling City. They taught both of my children that they can do things, they can be confident and they can learn at a pace that works for them!
So, I am telling you....if you are stumbling upon this blog as a newbie to homeschooling or as an old timer that is needing something new....check out Time 4 Learning, Time 4 Writing and/or their sister site Spelling City....you will not be sorry you did!!!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Rolling down the highway...learning about America.....ROADSCHOOL TRIP!
Since we became accidental homeschoolers, I have wished we could roadschool. I think that concept is the bomb! Hope in the car, go hit the open road and learn along the way. You get to travel the places we live, stopping at your whim, learning what America is about. What better way to learn history than actually being at Custer's Last Stand, Battle of Bunker Hill or heck, even where Elvis lived because let's face it...he is The King! LOL
Unfortunately, with Hubby's job and mine....this is not a reality. But, we do take every opportunity to roadschool when we hit the road to Grandma's, take our family vacations or just travel around Portland while we run errands. We leave a little earlier so we have time to stop at our whim, or we plan stops into our schedule IF we know about them.
So..... as I sit at home with my 8th and 9th grade sons....working on yet another complex math issue....I dream of hitting it big on the Lottery and becoming a roadschooler.
I would love to hear from other homeschoolers who DO roadschool, whether like us...when you can OR all the time. I can live vicariously through you!LOL
Happy Homeschooling!
Unfortunately, with Hubby's job and mine....this is not a reality. But, we do take every opportunity to roadschool when we hit the road to Grandma's, take our family vacations or just travel around Portland while we run errands. We leave a little earlier so we have time to stop at our whim, or we plan stops into our schedule IF we know about them.
So..... as I sit at home with my 8th and 9th grade sons....working on yet another complex math issue....I dream of hitting it big on the Lottery and becoming a roadschooler.
I would love to hear from other homeschoolers who DO roadschool, whether like us...when you can OR all the time. I can live vicariously through you!LOL
Happy Homeschooling!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Becoming a book lover.....
Growing up, reading was second nature to me. I learned to read by 4, I was reading college level by 2nd grade and reading anything I could get my hands on for the rest of my life.
I worked and volunteered in the school libraries at any school I attended. In fact, my 9th grade year I worked as extra curricular the whole year and made a goal for myself to read at least 1 book per day. I ended up reading 380 books during those 9 months of school. Part of that was traveling on a school bus for an hour+ each way 5 days a week, the rest was I was a teenager and could stay up late and read until 1 am, get 4 hours sleep and function at school the next day! LOL
Before I even had my first child, I had a collection of children's books for them. By the time my oldest son was born....I had a huge bookshelf full and read to him daily. By the time my second son came along, that had doubled. When the military moved us for the last time, we had 10 boxes of just children's books... needless to say, I hoped my boys would LOVE reading.
Neither of my boys learned to read as early as I did but they did know by the time they finished Kindergarten. I worked with them at home and they had a really good reading program at their school. One of the few things that was good about that school....but that is another story. My oldest son was not a strong reader, he was not into reading and it was a chore for him. I felt bad, I really hoped that my boys would be like their father and myself....book devourers. I tried every trick in the book, I bought books that would appeal to his interests, I bought books that were companions to movies that he liked, I even bought comic books and cartoon books in hope that it would spark his interest more....nope. I hoped that his brother being a reader and sharing a room with him would help, nope.
I thought it was a lost cause with him......
Now that he is homeschooled and we have learned how poor of a reader he was and his lack of spelling knowledge....I am thinking that a lot of that was the issue. Over the past 3+ years of being homeschooled, he has not only become a better speller and reader but he has learned to read and LOVE IT! We have a hard time telling the boys to turn off the lights at bedtime because they are reading. They never go out of the house without a book now, just like their Dad. Because you never know when you will have to sit somewhere and a book will keep you busy.
I get requests from both of them for new books, companion books to the series they found at the thrift store, wanting to go to the library to look for new books..... it just makes both of us proud that they are now book lovers!
My motto is you can never have enough books. Every Christmas and Birthday, every one of our nieces and nephews receive a new book from us. My boys get multiples, especially if I find a new series I would think they like. I cannot wait until this Christmas because of the books I bought them! I love giving them, especially when it is to book lovers!
Have you read a good book lately?
I worked and volunteered in the school libraries at any school I attended. In fact, my 9th grade year I worked as extra curricular the whole year and made a goal for myself to read at least 1 book per day. I ended up reading 380 books during those 9 months of school. Part of that was traveling on a school bus for an hour+ each way 5 days a week, the rest was I was a teenager and could stay up late and read until 1 am, get 4 hours sleep and function at school the next day! LOL
Before I even had my first child, I had a collection of children's books for them. By the time my oldest son was born....I had a huge bookshelf full and read to him daily. By the time my second son came along, that had doubled. When the military moved us for the last time, we had 10 boxes of just children's books... needless to say, I hoped my boys would LOVE reading.
Neither of my boys learned to read as early as I did but they did know by the time they finished Kindergarten. I worked with them at home and they had a really good reading program at their school. One of the few things that was good about that school....but that is another story. My oldest son was not a strong reader, he was not into reading and it was a chore for him. I felt bad, I really hoped that my boys would be like their father and myself....book devourers. I tried every trick in the book, I bought books that would appeal to his interests, I bought books that were companions to movies that he liked, I even bought comic books and cartoon books in hope that it would spark his interest more....nope. I hoped that his brother being a reader and sharing a room with him would help, nope.
I thought it was a lost cause with him......
Now that he is homeschooled and we have learned how poor of a reader he was and his lack of spelling knowledge....I am thinking that a lot of that was the issue. Over the past 3+ years of being homeschooled, he has not only become a better speller and reader but he has learned to read and LOVE IT! We have a hard time telling the boys to turn off the lights at bedtime because they are reading. They never go out of the house without a book now, just like their Dad. Because you never know when you will have to sit somewhere and a book will keep you busy.
I get requests from both of them for new books, companion books to the series they found at the thrift store, wanting to go to the library to look for new books..... it just makes both of us proud that they are now book lovers!
My motto is you can never have enough books. Every Christmas and Birthday, every one of our nieces and nephews receive a new book from us. My boys get multiples, especially if I find a new series I would think they like. I cannot wait until this Christmas because of the books I bought them! I love giving them, especially when it is to book lovers!
Have you read a good book lately?
Friday, December 9, 2011
Is Spelling part of your homeschool day?
Anytime I hear spelling, I do not think of Tori Spelling..... but of winning 2nd place in the Siskiyou County Spelling Bee in 6th grade! That is my major accomplishment of my young life!LOL I lost the first place win with the STUPID word, mathematics. UGH! That should have been my first clue that Math would be the bane of my existence!LOL
I was really surprised when my own kids were in public school and I realized that spelling was not part of the curriculum. My oldest son was a horrible speller, he could barely spell his name. Something was wrong with this picture. So, when I started homeschooling them...I knew that I was definitely adding a spelling curriculum to our lesson plans.
Not only did they do the spelling on Time 4 Learning but I plugged in their lists on Spelling City so they could use them to take tests, play games and become better spellers.
It has worked because my oldest son went from barely being able to spell his name at the start of 6th grade to being able to send an email or chat with a friend via online and Mom doesn’t have to hover over him, correcting his grammar and spelling! I am so proud of him, because I know it was hard but I feel that if spelling were part of the every day curriculum in public school...kids would be better off. Nothing is worse to me, than reading a post or an email and it is written poorly, the spelling is atrocious and you know they could do better.
So, is spelling a part of your homeschool day? If so, what do you do to make it work best for you and your kids? I am always interested in other ideas!
I was really surprised when my own kids were in public school and I realized that spelling was not part of the curriculum. My oldest son was a horrible speller, he could barely spell his name. Something was wrong with this picture. So, when I started homeschooling them...I knew that I was definitely adding a spelling curriculum to our lesson plans.
Not only did they do the spelling on Time 4 Learning but I plugged in their lists on Spelling City so they could use them to take tests, play games and become better spellers.
It has worked because my oldest son went from barely being able to spell his name at the start of 6th grade to being able to send an email or chat with a friend via online and Mom doesn’t have to hover over him, correcting his grammar and spelling! I am so proud of him, because I know it was hard but I feel that if spelling were part of the every day curriculum in public school...kids would be better off. Nothing is worse to me, than reading a post or an email and it is written poorly, the spelling is atrocious and you know they could do better.
So, is spelling a part of your homeschool day? If so, what do you do to make it work best for you and your kids? I am always interested in other ideas!
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