tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.comments2010-12-29T03:36:19.339-08:00Eric Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276949894469836721noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-41870945108730284532010-12-29T03:36:19.339-08:002010-12-29T03:36:19.339-08:00While I emphatically agree with the two posts above, there is DEFINITELY something missed in most homeschool families when it comes to socialization. It takes A LOT of effort on the parent&#39;s behalf to involve children in groups and have them do group projects- and most homeschoolers are missing out quite a lot in that department by homeschooling. I want my children to be collaborating, presenting to a group, hearing different hypotheses and battling over who will paint the poster- all with other students, not always her siblings. I actually want for my children to be assigned a random group to work with- maybe even have a personality or two in there that doesn&#39;t suit them well- so they can learn how to deal with those situations that inevitably pop up in later life. Especially for the introverted family, or maybe the family new to the area without a lot of group contacts, finding a variety of project-solving group experiences can prove to be very hard to do. Those people making the socialization comments about homeschooling aren&#39;t entirely wrong. But homeschooling socialization advantages FAR outweigh the difficulties. I am quite happy we homeschool, even though it is harder to get high quality learning in a group academic environment, since schedules and proximity and such come into play. But it is possible. Best of luck to you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-7524934354076032492010-02-11T20:10:49.627-08:002010-02-11T20:10:49.627-08:00Just to clarify, Marci Messick from the parent group is the one who found the website and was gracious enough to pass on the information. It is a great website with lots of free printable file folder games.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16786698701396176264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-26628418601652244822010-02-11T11:45:34.392-08:002010-02-11T11:45:34.392-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16786698701396176264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-181726686035921392010-02-03T14:34:04.037-08:002010-02-03T14:34:04.037-08:00A parent recently sent me a link for Math practice, but it also has alot of great games in all academic areas. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/popup/popup_addition.htmEric Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276949894469836721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-53339516879216127922010-01-28T09:54:25.329-08:002010-01-28T09:54:25.329-08:00My favorite so far has been letteroftheweek.com. I used it for a lot of my preschool curriculum. I got the suggestion from a homeschool group on Cafemom and since many newcomers to the group have liked it as well. It may eventually get published since it seems to have started much like FIAR did.Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270336712290028549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-61307996805908574672009-09-15T20:00:57.667-07:002009-09-15T20:00:57.667-07:00Sounds great! Just what we&#39;re looking for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-57545234552864110602009-09-15T16:03:26.820-07:002009-09-15T16:03:26.820-07:00I can&#39;t wait until this class starts!<br /><br />SkipAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-46016087213234739952009-08-20T12:40:36.455-07:002009-08-20T12:40:36.455-07:00My perception, is that what people mean by &quot;I&#39;d worry they won&#39;t get socialized enough&quot; is &quot;Will they fit in with the current society? Would they be popular and assimilate into the current norms?&quot; This is not my goal. I want my children to love God and others and have a well-rounded education. I want them to avoid the petty childish competition (clothing, toys, looks) that most people get past once they are adults. If the concern is over the amount of time spent with those outside their immediate family, my answer is always &quot;We have MORE time with friends and to go to classes &amp; activities, because we can finish school a few hours earlier than the public-schooled kids.&quot;Melanienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-19334719868832402232009-06-14T08:51:56.087-07:002009-06-14T08:51:56.087-07:00I have homeschooled for 12 years. As a private homeschooler Math-U-See is the only program in any subject that I have been satisfied with for all of those years. The DVD is the key for me. One of the other reasons I stay with it is because they have learned math successfully. Steve Demme, the creator of Math-U-See, has a great slogan that he states during the DVD teaching material now and then. Math is life! How true.Candy Blairnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-18205026229154604872009-04-27T09:24:00.000-07:002009-04-27T09:24:00.000-07:00What a neat idea. I bet they really have fun with the whole process. Has it worked well for you?Eric Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276949894469836721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-36827778381945580572009-04-26T22:46:00.000-07:002009-04-26T22:46:00.000-07:00I scoured the internet for something that would work without much reading- I have young children that weren't able to use some of the older kids' organizing techniques. I ended up getting inspired by another parent's idea and tweeked it to come up with our spring to do pot. I took pictures of the kids doing chores and schoolwork- even asking them to come up with poses or props that would help them remember alphabet time or set the table or math work. Then we glued the pictures to snowflakes (just changed to flowers) and velcroed them to popsicle sticks. In the morning they have a flower pot that has their work to be done, and as they finish the task, they take the flower with the picture of what they completed out of their individual pots and put them into the larger family pot. Each child has a different colored flower to make sorting age-appropriate tasks easier for me. We get to choose special things to do (watch a movie, go for a walk, bake something gooey) when the flower pot is finally full. It encourages them when I can add or take away flowers throughout the day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-9865784237345951372009-03-30T16:54:00.000-07:002009-03-30T16:54:00.000-07:00I role played with my child, he was the teacher and I was the student. I would purposely make mistakes to see if he was paying attention and understood the school work. He loved it! He probably loved making me correct my mistakes more than anything else, but he was willing to do his own work more often.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-20254098732626751632009-03-20T13:07:00.000-07:002009-03-20T13:07:00.000-07:00I think that people wrongly assume that putting a student in a room with 25 other students causes socialization. All that teaches a child is how to act like other children his own age. From my experience, I have found that homeshoolers are the truly socialized kids. A homeschooled child can usually communicate well with adults as well as with kids his own age. He can also adapt well to working/playing with others who are older or younger than himself. Kids who are socialized in a school setting tend to not be comfortable conversing with adults and find it "babyish" to interact with those younder than themselves. They are only truly content when around their peers since that is who they are forced to be around for much of their waking hours.<BR/>If socialization is the biggest argument against homeschooling, the pro-schooling people need to realize that the tide is turning. Socialization is a great reason to homeschool! <BR/>Martine CoxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-4487714052735010642009-03-09T17:17:00.000-07:002009-03-09T17:17:00.000-07:00In my eight years of formal homeschooling, I have used three different math programs. My oldest daughter used Saxon Math from K-6th grade. I loved the thoroughness of the program and the constant review. I knew that my daughter would have plenty of opportunity to master a concept.<BR/>As my daughter prepared for algebra, my husband felt it was time for a change (reasons I will not list here). She is now using Teaching Textbooks. I highly recommend this program, especially if you do not feel confident to teach higher math entirely on your own! Every lesson is on a DVD as well as every single practice problem, problem set problem and test problem. No more being stumped by a stray homework problem! Each one is completely worked out and explained. Teaching Textbooks currently starts at Math 4 and goes to Pre-Calculus.<BR/>Two of my children have/had dyslexic type tendencies. They were doing well with the Saxon Math concepts; however, they would get most of their problems wrong because they would transpose numbers. As they were getting ready to enter third grade, I decided I needed to switch math programs because they would not be able to consistently copy problems from the math book to their papers. So, I searched for a workbook-based program that was thorough and would fit with a somewhat classical approach to homeschooling. What I found was Singapore Math which originally came out of Singapore where students excel in mathematics. Singapore Math focuses on teaching mathematical thinking instead of rote learning of mathematical facts. The student works through approximately two workbooks each year. There is a US edition (so that the student learns our measurements) as well as a Standards Edition which is aligned to CA standards. The best way to use this program is to supplement the workbooks with daily math fact practice (ie. multiplication/division fact cards) This program has worked well for our family and has now become the program I use throughout the elementary school years.<BR/>Martine CoxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-11789941615776896672009-03-04T11:42:00.000-08:002009-03-04T11:42:00.000-08:00I agree with Art that there is danger in switching curriculum's because it can create holes in the child's education. Different Math series can cover materials in different orders or in some cases entirely different years. The ideal situation is to find a curriculum that works well for your child and sticking with it. The challenge can be if a child or parent are not doing well with a particular curriculum, they may need to switch. When that happens it is critical that the child is placed in the right book and also that if there are missing concepts covered earlier, the teacher seeks to cover the holes.<BR/><BR/>Art, have you had any experience with younger children, our school is k-8th.Eric Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276949894469836721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-59037648189614639012009-03-04T09:26:00.000-08:002009-03-04T09:26:00.000-08:00HOW TO HELP STUDENT’S MASTER MATHEMATICS<BR/><BR/>John Saxon's math books remain the best math curriculum for mastery of the basics of mathematics on the market today. <BR/><BR/>That holds true only if you are using the correct editions, and using the textbooks as John intended them to be used.<BR/> <BR/>I have taught using John Saxon's math books from algebra 1/2 through calculus for more than a decade in a rural public high school, and I can assure you that continually switching math curriculum creates holes in the student's math basics. <BR/><BR/>Student's fail algebra because they never mastered fractions, percents and decimals. They fail calculus because they never mastered the concepts of algebra.<BR/><BR/>If you or your readers now use John Saxon's math books, or if planning on using them in the future, please take a moment and visit my website at www.usingsaxon.com before you purchase any Saxon math books.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.<BR/><BR/>Art ReedArt Reedhttp://www.usingsaxon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-4337907036554664042009-03-03T16:38:00.000-08:002009-03-03T16:38:00.000-08:00Thank you for your comments and ideas. We love our students and families.Eric Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276949894469836721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-34281240012519338442009-02-27T12:44:00.000-08:002009-02-27T12:44:00.000-08:00My son has done the same in 4th grade and 5th occasionally. I remind my son of the many benefits of homeschool by asking him to make me a list of why he liked homeschool-and why he did not like public school. He came up with the answers, and realized that being focused in class at homeschool is what keeps him out of public school. And believe me---WE LOVE MOUNTAIN HOMESCHOOL!!Debbie Ballnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-21426220448218558052009-02-26T09:22:00.000-08:002009-02-26T09:22:00.000-08:00I had the exact same problem with oldest child when she was in 1st grade. And I have talked with others who had the same problem around 1st - 2nd grade. I think it might just be a phase, maybe the children themselves are struggling with the idea of some new independance (even if it is the small independance of reading directions). Be Patient and try not to get too frustated. This too shall pass. Before we know it they will be grown and we will miss the day they wanted us to read everything to them. Try and compromise. Have them read a little and you read the rest (make them read the harder words if you think they are capable).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-38050230364191780182009-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:002009-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:00I usually let him pick, unless he's in a "restless" mood. Then I suggest a "creative" subject first then move on to the less favored topic once he is focused. But if he can actually see what he needs to complete, he knows what is required and there is no arguing about it! He really loves all subjects, but likes to put off math. Imagine that!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-91992622216332905502009-01-30T14:01:00.000-08:002009-01-30T14:01:00.000-08:00One of the simplest things I've seen: parents make corrections in their child's workbook or notebooks... and clip the corner of the page when their child's corrections are done! It's a quick visual at the parent's convenience.Joanne Cablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105960745343838700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-79024869487601029812009-01-29T15:10:00.000-08:002009-01-29T15:10:00.000-08:00Debbie, does he pick the order in which he does the work? Or do you set the schedule? I have had some families do it both ways. A parent may say, these are things we need to accomplish today - then they allow the child to pick the order, this may be a useful skill for them to learn.<BR/> For some children this may not work well for, they may put off the material they do not like or use it as a way to maintain control over the home school environment. So I was curious which way you use the dry erase board.Eric Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276949894469836721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-36020344343391767452009-01-29T12:35:00.000-08:002009-01-29T12:35:00.000-08:00Providing a structure in our home classroom works best for us. If I put my son's assignments on a dry erase board, he knows what is expected of him each day!Debbie Ballnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-12896856688856135842009-01-29T08:55:00.000-08:002009-01-29T08:55:00.000-08:00Thanks for bringing some of us "old dogs" into the world of technology!!! What fun and home schooling is all about new challenges. I'm happy to join you...Joanne Cablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105960745343838700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844598968430602653.post-23246530964453733512009-01-28T08:41:00.000-08:002009-01-28T08:41:00.000-08:00If you would like me to start a new topic of discussion, comment on this post and then I can start a new topic.Eric Hagenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07276949894469836721noreply@blogger.com