Things are moving along nicely. Now that we've gotten into some kind of rhythm that is working, I'm moving toward W becoming even more independent with his work. I'd say that at this point we do about half the subjects together and he does about half the subjects independently. His reading is now as close to perfect as can be with hardly any hint of dyslexia and processing issues. I'm shocked at how he's improved over the last 2 years since his diagnosis. So I feel he's finally ready for a lot of academic independence. He's definitely more independent than he'd be at school. I still read most of the literature aloud and we do math and geography together, but he does grammar, history, poetry, copywork, Spanish, and science independently - I just ask some questions, check it over, and/or he'll narrate when he's done.
As far as our curriculum this year - we love it. Ambleside Online, Saxon Math, Holt Science, Painless Grammar, GSW Spanish ... we love it all. I hope it stays nice like this, lol.
J has had an incredibly busy summer. She has been assisting her choreographer at numerous top competition-team studios. She demonstrates his hip-hop choreo for everyone and the best part is that she gets paid! It's so great that she gets to get paid for something she loves doing. She's grateful that she can continue dancing all summer and not be out of practice for when college starts. There is only one more month before college move-in day. She got her housing assignment already and cannot wait to be living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in her own single dorm room. B and J went to a get-together at the school and J already made some friends. We started dorm shopping already and we're about 1/3 of the way done. Her room is their standard 84 square feet and has a bed, dresser, desk, mini-fridge, big window, big closet, a/c, and vanity sink. Most rooms have a semi-private bathroom (toilet & shower) that is between 2 rooms (ala Brady Bunch) - that would be nice to have. We won't know her final placement until move-in day.
K graduated The Aveda Institue last week. The whole family went out to dinner at this amazing Greek restaurant in Astoria called Taverna Kycledes. I can't rave enough about this place - best food I've had anywhere in years. K enjoyed the school so much and is ready for a salon career. She already landed an interview next week at a very swanky, posh salon in Manhattan. Fingers crossed!
And I just realized that this is my... 1000th POST!!!!
Showing posts with label Dyslexia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dyslexia. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2014
Monday, June 09, 2014
Yearly Recap and the New Plans
On a message board recently, a question came up that asked what was not negotiable in your homeschool, besides the 3 Rs. In my house, it's not an option to have strong interests that are not encouraged, facilitated, and pursued in all ways possible. I think this is so important. Nothing is ever dismissed. How else can you know what you're good at? For example:
Math: W really wants to do Life of Fred (Beginning Algebra into Advanced Algebra) for 8th grade. We're using it now over the summer a few days a week. We also have Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 and Saxon Algebra 1/2 on hand along with Algebra for Dummies, Painless Algebra, and No Fear Algebra (leftovers from his sisters). They're always good to have for extra problems and different ways of explaining certain concepts.
English: I have so much leftover from my girls that it's silly to buy anything new. We'll be using a mixed bag of Wordsmith Apprentice, Jump In, Daily Sparks Spelling & Grammar, Daily Sparks Vocabulary, Painless Vocabulary, Painless Grammar, Simply Grammar, and Basic Series Grammar & Usage. It's a lot, but W likes to switch things up every so often. Nothing really builds on previous lessons, so it should work fine.
Literature: I'm sticking with Shel Silverstein poetry since W loves it and it helps with his reading. We'll also try to read at least 3 novels with narrations and discussions. I have so many on my shelf - we'll just choose what sounds good.
Science: We'll finish Apologia General Science over the summer - we really just do the great experiments and base the lesson off of those. For 8th grade I'll either get Apologia Physical Science (again mainly for the experiments) or use the Holt Science & Technology Series Physical Science since I already have that one on hand. W doesn't care for it, though. I'll see how the Apologia goes over the summer. If it's a real big hit I'll get the next one. He gets writing in with the lab reports, as well.
Geography: We're happy with Runkle's and will continue it through 8th grade. We're also starting Our Great Restaurant Adventure this summer where we'll go to a different ethnic restaurant every 2 weeks, then study that country for the 2 weeks until the next one. We're going alphabetically and starting with Afghan cuisine next Wednesday. Can't wait!
History: We'll finish K12 Human Odyssey 1 (Ancients) hopefully sometime in the fall and move on to Volume 2. We also have The Complete Book of World History which is a fun and concise supplement.
Spanish: Getting Started with Spanish is by far the best book for W. He does this completely independently. It's a spiral program that builds on the previous lessons. He reads, translates, and conjugates in every lesson. Love this.
Miscellaneous: Summer Bridge Gr. 7-8 and Summer Express Gr. 7-8 are great for a variety of subject work any time of year. Spectrum Gr. 8 Test Prep for basic skills, and Artistic Pursuits Junior High Book One for art, but W isn't really into this. I'll try it again over the summer.
Religion: CCD once a week and will make his Confirmation in the spring.
P.E.: Mixed Martial Arts 3 days a week (4-5 classes) doing Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu jitsu.
I'll put everything in my sidebar in case anyone wants to check out what we do.
K likes fashion and to sew - so she got a sewing machine, fabric, and lessons. She likes party planning, so she found an internship for a year doing just that. She likes doing hair, so she got to do all the hair for J's dance competitions, sought out the best cosmetology school in NY, and will be graduating in September.
J likes to sing. So for a few years she was taking private lessons and performing songs at dance competitions (where she even won a regional title for singing). She loves dancing. So, B and I made sure she has had every opportunity available - competition team, private lessons, outside and master classes, conventions, admittance into the best performing arts high school, and her dream conservatory, which she's starting in a few months.
W loves computers. So he does tons of research on what the best keyboards, headsets, mice, and programs are, and he's learned how to use Best Buy and online purchasing to his advantage. He likes martial arts, so he's tried karate, then switched to MMA, where he goes 3 times a week. He likes engineering projects and making YouTube tutorials and juggling and Myachi, and magic and claymation and Manga. We have helped him pursue all of these interests. He's met a ton of real Myachi masters and demonstrated with them, he's taken claymation and Manga drawing classes, and he is self taught with the projects and tutorials.
I think they've had such great lives - lives I would have given anything to have as a child. In reading some John Taylor Gatto (again) I really wish I found him right after my kids were born. One thing that would have got me thinking about homeschooling from the beginning was this quote, "...schooling itself is a highly questionable practice. It's possible to derive some value from it, but the damage is always, I think, much greater than any value that's possible. In many, many instances, there is no value offered. It's simply a confinement exercise." Powerful words that resonate with my own schooling experience. And now that both K and J have finished their high schooling at ("excellent") public schools - well, J has 1 more week - I have to agree even more. No matter what kind of school it is, it's a HUGE waste of time. K got nothing out of hers, except a few more friends and she learned some cool computer programs working on the yearbook. J got nothing out of hers except a few more friends and the fantastic dance education - which thankfully took up half her school day. The academics in school are a joke unless your child is REALLY into them, and even so, they're full of ridiculous busywork, tedium, classroom disruptions and poor school management, and unfortunately many children like that usually have to deal with added negative social consequences.
Here's a quote by Pat Farenga, "The only difference between a good student and a bad student is that a good student is careful not to forget what he studied until after the test." He also stated that "John (Holt) noted that a child choosing to attend school is in a far different relationship to that school than all the students who are there solely because of their age...If a child knows they can leave school at any time with their parents' support, it makes their choices easier and helps build bonds of trust and communication." I found this to be true. My girls, as much as they found school annoying and tedious, were there by their own choice, going in with a way different mindset than their peers.
W is choosing to homeschool for high school and I'm so glad. He will start college (or whatever he chooses) with such a different outlook on his future than I did (and that most of his peers will). These next 5 years of homeschooling are looking to be some of the best ever. Now that I finally got a new job (I'll be working weekday mornings and weekends) W and I can "do the town" once again and hopefully, way more often. There is so much out there for teens and he wants to do it all. This summer is going to kick it all off.
W took the California Achievement Test for 7th grade last week. He was so nervous, but I knew he'd be fine. When he took it two years ago, he did ok - way above the required 33rd percentile, but not as well as I know he could have. At that time I just handed him the test and said GO. But that was a month before he was evaluated for a learning disability. When he got his Visual Processing Disorder/dyslexia diagnosis he also got a list of recommended accommodations for a classroom and for test-taking. Alas, it was too late for that year. So, this time around I made sure to use some of those accommodations. I read everything out loud to him to make sure he fully understood all directions. But even with my reading I have a feeling he got some wrong in the language and reading sections. He crinkled up his face at the vocabulary section, but seemed confident with punctuation/capitalization, comprehension, and mechanics. He flew through both math sections. He even laughed at it and asked me if I was sure this was the right grade. I reminded him that he did this math more than a year ago. He said I must be a really great teacher since he could do a lot of the problems in his head. Then he said it was definitely the Times Tales and Saxon. He still recalls the Times Tales pictures when multiplying. I also swear by all the drill and mastery of the basic math we'd done over the years. He'd still like to stick with Life of Fred for now.
We're going to start working on a lot more reading to help him with vocabulary and spelling. He will read some things out loud to me and some things silently. We'll do more narrations and discussions and use these readings as a base for some writing. We'll bring back novels, too, shooting for at least 3 per year. I want him to appreciate a good story like he used to when we did Ambleside Online. He grew so attached to stories when we took our time with them, that he had a hard time getting rid of the books when we were done with them. I also have Painless Vocabulary, Painless Grammar, and Daily Sparks Spelling & Grammar to throw in here and there.
All in all, it's been a great school year. My kids have all achieved their immediate goals (K- top cosmetology school while working at an awe$ome job, J - graduating top performing arts high school and starting performing arts conservatory on scholarship, and W - overcoming reading issues/excelling in math and pursuing all interests). I couldn't ask for better.
Here's what's on the agenda for the summer through 8th grade. I think we actually have a real plan now, lol:
English: I have so much leftover from my girls that it's silly to buy anything new. We'll be using a mixed bag of Wordsmith Apprentice, Jump In, Daily Sparks Spelling & Grammar, Daily Sparks Vocabulary, Painless Vocabulary, Painless Grammar, Simply Grammar, and Basic Series Grammar & Usage. It's a lot, but W likes to switch things up every so often. Nothing really builds on previous lessons, so it should work fine.
Literature: I'm sticking with Shel Silverstein poetry since W loves it and it helps with his reading. We'll also try to read at least 3 novels with narrations and discussions. I have so many on my shelf - we'll just choose what sounds good.
Science: We'll finish Apologia General Science over the summer - we really just do the great experiments and base the lesson off of those. For 8th grade I'll either get Apologia Physical Science (again mainly for the experiments) or use the Holt Science & Technology Series Physical Science since I already have that one on hand. W doesn't care for it, though. I'll see how the Apologia goes over the summer. If it's a real big hit I'll get the next one. He gets writing in with the lab reports, as well.
Geography: We're happy with Runkle's and will continue it through 8th grade. We're also starting Our Great Restaurant Adventure this summer where we'll go to a different ethnic restaurant every 2 weeks, then study that country for the 2 weeks until the next one. We're going alphabetically and starting with Afghan cuisine next Wednesday. Can't wait!
History: We'll finish K12 Human Odyssey 1 (Ancients) hopefully sometime in the fall and move on to Volume 2. We also have The Complete Book of World History which is a fun and concise supplement.
Spanish: Getting Started with Spanish is by far the best book for W. He does this completely independently. It's a spiral program that builds on the previous lessons. He reads, translates, and conjugates in every lesson. Love this.
Miscellaneous: Summer Bridge Gr. 7-8 and Summer Express Gr. 7-8 are great for a variety of subject work any time of year. Spectrum Gr. 8 Test Prep for basic skills, and Artistic Pursuits Junior High Book One for art, but W isn't really into this. I'll try it again over the summer.
Religion: CCD once a week and will make his Confirmation in the spring.
P.E.: Mixed Martial Arts 3 days a week (4-5 classes) doing Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu jitsu.
I'll put everything in my sidebar in case anyone wants to check out what we do.
Monday, March 17, 2014
March 2014 & A New Era
What a turning point of a month for us. W asked about Teaching Textbooks again and that he'd maybe like to go back to that. I pulled up a demo of Algebra 1 and let him try it. He loved it so much, that we ordered it the next day. I looked at the PreAlgebra one, but it seems like we have covered most of that already. I remember TT starts off nice and slowly, so we're bypassing the PreAlgebra and going straight to Algebra 1. We'll also take our time with it and try to stretch the program into 8th grade. He also said he's done using the white board and will go back to notebook/scrap paper and pencil. I haven't seen him this excited about math in such a long time. He does the whole lesson independently - I keep myself in earshot in case he has a question. He was shocked at how fast he finished a lesson. When we last used TT (5th grade) he hated the CDs and just wanted to use the big workbook. That was the main motivation to switch to Saxon (since the TT people didn't sell the book alone) - and the fact that Saxon was way less expensive. Now he only wants to use the TT CD Roms without the book. I'm shocked because he has never liked any educational online stuff, just textbooks and workbooks. I've been waiting for this moment forever, lol.
With reading, we are switching gears now and going from novels to various comprehension passages/exercises and poetry. It's much easier for him to handle at this point more independently. The dyslexia symptoms vary in severity and certain ones just linger. I know this is not something that can be "cured". But I have noticed that occasionally changing the way we approach reading seems to improve these symptoms tremendously. Even if it's just a temporary improvement, W has still learned another way to cope that he can refer back to. Writing is still going well. We go over the lesson and he types up his essay portion on his laptop, emails it to me, and I print it and tape it into the workbook. It's fine with me if he prefers to do it that way. It's getting done and I really think his writing ability even surprises him. For history, geography, W takes handwritten notes. For science, we do experiments and he writes in the student notebook. All this writing is the best way for W to remember and review facts. He also continues to do one Spanish lesson every day (independently). Cursive and poetry are several times a week (I finally bought 3 more Shel Silverstein books!). A couple of weeks ago W randomly said he really likes this curriculum. That was very nice to hear.
This month, W has started taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes (grappling, ground fighting, submission holds). So, now he does Muay Thai 3x a week AND Brazilian jiu-jitsu 3x a week. He likes pairing up with new students to help them through their first weeks. These new students are usually in their 20s-40s and find themselves pretty impressed by W's maturity and knowledge. I'm thrilled that W has finally found something he truly loves.
It's interesting how a lot of changes in W have coincided with his turning 13 this month.
Speaking of which, the older my kids get, the less I can blog about. That's why I dropped the posts to once a month. W is focusing on academics, MMA, and computer stuff. Not much has changed since September. Field trips and homeschool group classes have lessened in frequency - he's been everywhere and done everything and he's focusing more on his own personal projects now. We still do wonderful things around NYC, but it's on a different level. J's dance life is fun and exciting, but it's hard to get too specific regarding her experiences. Once she's living at her new school, I won't know as much about what's going on as I know now. And K will be 21 this year and is already preparing for her career and adult life. When my babies were 3, 8, and 11 and I had just started blogging, life with them was so new and there were so many things to discover and experience. There are still so many new things to experience with the kids, but it's different now.
The good thing is that W will still be homeschooling in New York City all through high school, so there will still be stuff to blog about. I'm not saying good-bye, but I will be posting much less frequently. I still have high school IHIPs to post and achievements to brag about, lol. I want to say thank you so much to my subscribers - all 200+ of you. Many of whom have been with me since the beginning, and for that I'm so grateful. Til next time...
With reading, we are switching gears now and going from novels to various comprehension passages/exercises and poetry. It's much easier for him to handle at this point more independently. The dyslexia symptoms vary in severity and certain ones just linger. I know this is not something that can be "cured". But I have noticed that occasionally changing the way we approach reading seems to improve these symptoms tremendously. Even if it's just a temporary improvement, W has still learned another way to cope that he can refer back to. Writing is still going well. We go over the lesson and he types up his essay portion on his laptop, emails it to me, and I print it and tape it into the workbook. It's fine with me if he prefers to do it that way. It's getting done and I really think his writing ability even surprises him. For history, geography, W takes handwritten notes. For science, we do experiments and he writes in the student notebook. All this writing is the best way for W to remember and review facts. He also continues to do one Spanish lesson every day (independently). Cursive and poetry are several times a week (I finally bought 3 more Shel Silverstein books!). A couple of weeks ago W randomly said he really likes this curriculum. That was very nice to hear.
This month, W has started taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes (grappling, ground fighting, submission holds). So, now he does Muay Thai 3x a week AND Brazilian jiu-jitsu 3x a week. He likes pairing up with new students to help them through their first weeks. These new students are usually in their 20s-40s and find themselves pretty impressed by W's maturity and knowledge. I'm thrilled that W has finally found something he truly loves.
It's interesting how a lot of changes in W have coincided with his turning 13 this month.
Speaking of which, the older my kids get, the less I can blog about. That's why I dropped the posts to once a month. W is focusing on academics, MMA, and computer stuff. Not much has changed since September. Field trips and homeschool group classes have lessened in frequency - he's been everywhere and done everything and he's focusing more on his own personal projects now. We still do wonderful things around NYC, but it's on a different level. J's dance life is fun and exciting, but it's hard to get too specific regarding her experiences. Once she's living at her new school, I won't know as much about what's going on as I know now. And K will be 21 this year and is already preparing for her career and adult life. When my babies were 3, 8, and 11 and I had just started blogging, life with them was so new and there were so many things to discover and experience. There are still so many new things to experience with the kids, but it's different now.
The good thing is that W will still be homeschooling in New York City all through high school, so there will still be stuff to blog about. I'm not saying good-bye, but I will be posting much less frequently. I still have high school IHIPs to post and achievements to brag about, lol. I want to say thank you so much to my subscribers - all 200+ of you. Many of whom have been with me since the beginning, and for that I'm so grateful. Til next time...
Sunday, January 26, 2014
January 2014
Happy New Year! I have a feeling 2014 is going to be challenging. I don't know why. Maybe it's because:
- I'm nervous about J getting into her school of choice
- K will be starting a new school and possibly a new career
- W will need to start really preparing for public high school (if he still wants to go down that path).
- My unemployment benefits will end early this year
- I'll be looking for a new part-time job
- I'm finally starting regular doctor visits this year
- W is turning THIRTEEN
- My stepdad's physical and mental health is rapidly heading downhill
Well, I'm going to do my best to make this year wonderful regardless of my (hopefully irrational) worries.
This is the schedule we've been experimenting with this month. I'm going to give it another month then let you know how well it worked (and if we'll continue with it):
Current Events: Channel One News (Daily)
After watching the daily 10-minute video, we discuss what's in the news and W hand-writes one complete, perfect sentence from one news topic.
After watching the daily 10-minute video, we discuss what's in the news and W hand-writes one complete, perfect sentence from one news topic.
Math: Saxon Algebra 1/2 (Daily)
Moving along nicely here. W still loves this program and still uses the whiteboard to work out all the problems.
Moving along nicely here. W still loves this program and still uses the whiteboard to work out all the problems.
Cursive: Harcourt Cursive Practice (Daily)
He's 1/2-way through this workbook. His cursive is a little nicer than his print writing. Spelling is better and there are no letter reversals. Once this book is done, it's done.
He's 1/2-way through this workbook. His cursive is a little nicer than his print writing. Spelling is better and there are no letter reversals. Once this book is done, it's done.
5 min break
Literature: Lightning Literature 7 (Daily)
We just finished Tom Sawyer and we're about to begin a study of about 7 poems from Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages. This section should go fairly quickly. One poem, plus vocabulary and comprehension questions every couple of days.
Writing: Lightning Literature 7 and Jump In (M,W,F)
I'm not sure how much I like the LL writing exercises. W will do a few since we have it, but our main writing book for the rest of the year will be Jump In. Most of his writing will be typed. Jump In already seems like a keeper. W is not only doing the writing exercises, he's doing them really well! He even typed for 10 minutes straight, completing more than a whole page of creative writing. I'm in shock. There were a few spelling and punctuation issues, but damn, it was good. I knew waiting until he was older to start creative writing was the right idea. He has been preparing for it, doing small chunks of things, for years. Now, he's ready and it shows.
We just finished Tom Sawyer and we're about to begin a study of about 7 poems from Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages. This section should go fairly quickly. One poem, plus vocabulary and comprehension questions every couple of days.
Writing: Lightning Literature 7 and Jump In (M,W,F)
I'm not sure how much I like the LL writing exercises. W will do a few since we have it, but our main writing book for the rest of the year will be Jump In. Most of his writing will be typed. Jump In already seems like a keeper. W is not only doing the writing exercises, he's doing them really well! He even typed for 10 minutes straight, completing more than a whole page of creative writing. I'm in shock. There were a few spelling and punctuation issues, but damn, it was good. I knew waiting until he was older to start creative writing was the right idea. He has been preparing for it, doing small chunks of things, for years. Now, he's ready and it shows.
Geography: Runkle's World Physical Geography (T,TH)
So much information in this book. The short lessons are perfect. I try and make this very hands on, using maps, the globe, and the flashcards I printed out from another site.
So much information in this book. The short lessons are perfect. I try and make this very hands on, using maps, the globe, and the flashcards I printed out from another site.
Poetry: Shel Silverstein's Every Thing On It (Daily)
W reads up to 6 poems out loud. This alone has improved his reading so much. The rhyme, the tempo, and the humor all seem to work really well together to procure a wonderful reading confidence in him. He uses some of these poems to practice typing as well (with and without looking at the keys). W is actually sad that we're almost done with this book. I promised I'd buy 2 more, lol.
W reads up to 6 poems out loud. This alone has improved his reading so much. The rhyme, the tempo, and the humor all seem to work really well together to procure a wonderful reading confidence in him. He uses some of these poems to practice typing as well (with and without looking at the keys). W is actually sad that we're almost done with this book. I promised I'd buy 2 more, lol.
History: K12 Human Odyssey 1 (M,W,F)
I like this book a lot. W reads sections of it silently and aloud. It includes great photos, maps, and stories. I combine this with documentaries once or twice a month.
Science: (T,TH)
I love the Holt Physical Science book - W, not so much. Sigh. So, I'm going to try combining it with the Apologia experiments (I still have the Apologia books and lab kit - it's the only part of Apologia W liked), the Apologia textbook (for me to read and prepare the lab), and utilize the Holt CD Rom and various website for worksheets and video clips.
I like this book a lot. W reads sections of it silently and aloud. It includes great photos, maps, and stories. I combine this with documentaries once or twice a month.
Science: (T,TH)
I love the Holt Physical Science book - W, not so much. Sigh. So, I'm going to try combining it with the Apologia experiments (I still have the Apologia books and lab kit - it's the only part of Apologia W liked), the Apologia textbook (for me to read and prepare the lab), and utilize the Holt CD Rom and various website for worksheets and video clips.
Spanish: Getting Started With Spanish (Daily)
W likes this book and the short daily lessons are simple and easy. He'll probably get more out of the quick daily lessons than K did in all 4 years of high school. He reads this independently.
The interesting thing is that W retains a whole lot more when we keep the lessons short - from 5 to 30 minutes per subject. Dropping the subject time made them a lot more fun and interesting. Then he much more eagerly moves onto the next subject. Charlotte Mason knew what she was talking about when she said short lessons are important. I'm still concerned that W may plateau at the middle-school level when it comes to reading and writing. It's all too common with dyslexics. I plan on doing everything I can to make sure that does not happen. So, if it means we keep the lessons short and fun, then so be it.
W is getting more and more independent with his academics. He already is self-taught with anything technological and computer-related. Now he's starting to do more independent work in more than half his subjects. I supervise, correct, and encourage - which is all he needs from me.
Even though W will make his own decision about high school, I have to say, I do hope he chooses homeschooling. I mean, he already has an idea as to where he will start working/volunteering when he's 14, at which company he'd like to be an apprentice, what will be a "starter" job in his chosen field, and ultimately what to have as a career. Academics will be done at home, outsourced, and in organized groups of other homeschoolers. NYC is and has always been a homeschooler's dream due to the great homeschool community and all the resources available. I have hundreds of field trips and classes bookmarked that he hasn't even done yet. SAT and/or ACT tests will be taken and his transcript will look amazing. I just feel that public high school is an unnecessary, stifling 4-year holding bin. W doesn't want his future postponed like that. If he had his way he'd start applying for jobs now, lol. I can understand wanting to go to a top specialized or performing arts high school (with 3 or 4 classes each day devoted to a particular art, not 1 or 2), but that's really it - and only for certain types of children. Even the NYC high schools that focus on a certain field don't focus enough to make the rest of the nonsense worth it. But that's just my opinion.
Anyway, W will decide by the fall.
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J had a busy month. Here's a look at what she did. She:
W likes this book and the short daily lessons are simple and easy. He'll probably get more out of the quick daily lessons than K did in all 4 years of high school. He reads this independently.
The interesting thing is that W retains a whole lot more when we keep the lessons short - from 5 to 30 minutes per subject. Dropping the subject time made them a lot more fun and interesting. Then he much more eagerly moves onto the next subject. Charlotte Mason knew what she was talking about when she said short lessons are important. I'm still concerned that W may plateau at the middle-school level when it comes to reading and writing. It's all too common with dyslexics. I plan on doing everything I can to make sure that does not happen. So, if it means we keep the lessons short and fun, then so be it.
W is getting more and more independent with his academics. He already is self-taught with anything technological and computer-related. Now he's starting to do more independent work in more than half his subjects. I supervise, correct, and encourage - which is all he needs from me.
Even though W will make his own decision about high school, I have to say, I do hope he chooses homeschooling. I mean, he already has an idea as to where he will start working/volunteering when he's 14, at which company he'd like to be an apprentice, what will be a "starter" job in his chosen field, and ultimately what to have as a career. Academics will be done at home, outsourced, and in organized groups of other homeschoolers. NYC is and has always been a homeschooler's dream due to the great homeschool community and all the resources available. I have hundreds of field trips and classes bookmarked that he hasn't even done yet. SAT and/or ACT tests will be taken and his transcript will look amazing. I just feel that public high school is an unnecessary, stifling 4-year holding bin. W doesn't want his future postponed like that. If he had his way he'd start applying for jobs now, lol. I can understand wanting to go to a top specialized or performing arts high school (with 3 or 4 classes each day devoted to a particular art, not 1 or 2), but that's really it - and only for certain types of children. Even the NYC high schools that focus on a certain field don't focus enough to make the rest of the nonsense worth it. But that's just my opinion.
Anyway, W will decide by the fall.
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J had a busy month. Here's a look at what she did. She:
- is still in heavy rehearsal mode for the upcoming competition season and for Rising Stars
- was part of a filmed dance demonstration for one of her choreographers. He had it filmed like a music video and is featuring it on his new YouTube channel.
- rehearsed for and performed in her Senior Dance Showcase. This was a beautiful bunch of demonstrations of what the kids do in their classes. There was a ballet, Horton, and Graham demo, some Junior Projects, and solos from 4 kids who got "merit" and "honorable mention" in the YoungArts Presidential Scholars program this year.
- went to a friend's birthday party at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club
- was in a music video for another up-and-coming artist (who is also a friend from school)
- was asked by a celebrity photographer (who was at the aforementioned music video shoot) if she would like to be in a music video (for a young rapper) a few days later because she has "the look" they want. Wow. (and it was a paid gig)
Here is the first music video J is in - she's one of the background dancers:
Saturday, September 28, 2013
September 2013
My favorite month! Actually, at the end of August I stopped in Michael's and got some autumn decorations. I couldn't wait. September is the month I can have all the windows open and there's actually a wonderful breeze coming in. B is looking to start making soup in the crock pot and Halloween is next month!
W was all ready to register for basketball, when he said he might want to try MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) instead. So, I found a great place with a great reputation. We went down for a free trial. The first day was a consultation to see what W's fitness level was like. He did a circuit of rowing machine, sit-ups, pull-ups, bench pressing, and jumping onto this huge tire. Bottom line - he's incredibly strong with great form. They said to try both the kids and the teen/adult MMA classes to see which would be a better fit. Being 12, W is right on the outskirts of both age groups. The kids class was ok. There were kids of all ages, including several 12 & 13 y/os. He did fine. Then he tried the teen/adult class to see which he prefers. The older group is much more skilled and focused and I think that's what W needs. It was a Muay Thai class (a form of kickboxing). After warming up, they immediately went into sparring and combat. W seemed to take to it pretty well and would like to continue. The owner of the gym and 2 teachers agreed that he would do better in the older class. He now goes 3x a week. We just got him his own hand wraps and boxing gloves. I'd love to see where this takes him.
A new season of CCD and Boy Scouts began last week.
We started 7th grade this month. Saxon 7/6 we're almost done with - probably finishing up by the end of October. Lightning Lit 7 is a hit so far. W loved Rikki Tikki Tavi and enjoyed the literary discussion about it. We watched the cartoon on YouTube, too. Now we're reading Tom Sawyer. He still does narrations and I ask questions, so I know he gets it. I do worry about the dyslexia, but so far it hasn't been too much of an issue. I am noticing it more lately, though. When he reads, he gets so physically exhausted in such a short amount of time. I read that children with visual dyslexia and visual processing disorder exert so much more energy getting their brain to translate what they're seeing - no wonder he gets tired. I am so thankful that we live in the 21st century with things like audio books, digital recorders, spell check, etc. Even though he reads and writes every day, I'm glad those things exist to help him in the future.
The K12 Human Odyssey for history is just continuing from last year. We're still learning more about Sumeria. The new geography program is great, too, so far. It's a fun read. A lot of the stuff we're learning can be reinforced with a few field trips, too. And we're moving along nicely with Apologia General Science. We did a few experiments this month and learned about experimental variables, surface tension, control groups, placebos, and blind and double-blind studies. Here are pictures from our experiments:
We visited the Sony Wonder Technology Lab a couple of weeks ago. We haven't been there in a few years so it was all new again - they also had a huge renovation since we'd been there last. W created cartoon characters, programmed a robot car, performed virtual open heart surgery, and played some cool PlayStation games.
J is now a senior at LaGuardia Arts! She is taking English, Government, and Math, and 2 double periods (4 classes) per day of dance. This semester includes: Classical Ballet, Modern (Horton), Modern (Graham), and Career Management. This is going to be a crazy year filled with performances, applications, auditions, prom, and graduation.
Also this month, J:
W was all ready to register for basketball, when he said he might want to try MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) instead. So, I found a great place with a great reputation. We went down for a free trial. The first day was a consultation to see what W's fitness level was like. He did a circuit of rowing machine, sit-ups, pull-ups, bench pressing, and jumping onto this huge tire. Bottom line - he's incredibly strong with great form. They said to try both the kids and the teen/adult MMA classes to see which would be a better fit. Being 12, W is right on the outskirts of both age groups. The kids class was ok. There were kids of all ages, including several 12 & 13 y/os. He did fine. Then he tried the teen/adult class to see which he prefers. The older group is much more skilled and focused and I think that's what W needs. It was a Muay Thai class (a form of kickboxing). After warming up, they immediately went into sparring and combat. W seemed to take to it pretty well and would like to continue. The owner of the gym and 2 teachers agreed that he would do better in the older class. He now goes 3x a week. We just got him his own hand wraps and boxing gloves. I'd love to see where this takes him.
A new season of CCD and Boy Scouts began last week.
We started 7th grade this month. Saxon 7/6 we're almost done with - probably finishing up by the end of October. Lightning Lit 7 is a hit so far. W loved Rikki Tikki Tavi and enjoyed the literary discussion about it. We watched the cartoon on YouTube, too. Now we're reading Tom Sawyer. He still does narrations and I ask questions, so I know he gets it. I do worry about the dyslexia, but so far it hasn't been too much of an issue. I am noticing it more lately, though. When he reads, he gets so physically exhausted in such a short amount of time. I read that children with visual dyslexia and visual processing disorder exert so much more energy getting their brain to translate what they're seeing - no wonder he gets tired. I am so thankful that we live in the 21st century with things like audio books, digital recorders, spell check, etc. Even though he reads and writes every day, I'm glad those things exist to help him in the future.
The K12 Human Odyssey for history is just continuing from last year. We're still learning more about Sumeria. The new geography program is great, too, so far. It's a fun read. A lot of the stuff we're learning can be reinforced with a few field trips, too. And we're moving along nicely with Apologia General Science. We did a few experiments this month and learned about experimental variables, surface tension, control groups, placebos, and blind and double-blind studies. Here are pictures from our experiments:
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| Soap can propel a cardboard boat |
 |
| Surface tension floats a paper clip |
We visited the Sony Wonder Technology Lab a couple of weeks ago. We haven't been there in a few years so it was all new again - they also had a huge renovation since we'd been there last. W created cartoon characters, programmed a robot car, performed virtual open heart surgery, and played some cool PlayStation games.
J is now a senior at LaGuardia Arts! She is taking English, Government, and Math, and 2 double periods (4 classes) per day of dance. This semester includes: Classical Ballet, Modern (Horton), Modern (Graham), and Career Management. This is going to be a crazy year filled with performances, applications, auditions, prom, and graduation.
Also this month, J:
- Went to several hip-hop master classes
- Stood on line from midnight at Good Morning America in Times Square to see a band called R5. One member is Ross Lynch (from Disney's Austin & Ally and Teen Beach Movie) who J is in love with. Only 25 people were picked to watch them perform live in the studio and be on TV. She, K, and her best friend were all selected. The got pictures with several band members (including Ross!). I DVR'd the show and got to see them.
- Got her senior pictures. She looks gorgeous. I still can't believe she's a senior.
- Is getting ready for the new dance season. Lots of great things are in store.
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
The Start of May
J is looking so forward to summer. The music video she is in is shooting next weekend (finally!) and she just got a 285 out of 300 at a dance competition last weekend. She is competing again in a few weeks as an independent and will be choreographing yet another solo for it. Over the next few weeks she will be figuring out studio practice time (she has several options for various studio to use) and costume. Her Junior Project for school is also coming along nicely. She finished the choreography and just needs to practice practice practice. We get to view all of the junior class's routines in June. I can't wait.
W and I are speeding through Saxon 76. We love the book, but I can see how some families hate it. There are a LOT of practice problems. Each chapter has you do a 60-100 problem basic arithmetic drill, then about 10 problems they call "mental math", then you go over the 2-3-page new lesson, then do about 10 problems solidifying that new lesson, then 30 problems that are a mix of the last 10-15 lessons (the spiral). Whew. W and I are getting a bit worn out with all of that, so now we only do the new lesson, the 10 practice problems, and maybe 10-15 from the spiral. It's because of that spiral that W has gotten so good at math and remembers everything, so I don't want to cut out too much of it. I'll just pick and choose the examples he should do. We'll move through the book much quicker this way and he'll still retain his love of math. Any kind of busywork/tedium will kill a love of learning so quickly. It has to be strategically planned to have the intended effect, but keep the kids engaged at the same time. Thankfully, we are able to do that!
At theater class last week, W did a lot of cold readings. He called me when the class was over and was so proud of himself. He did it and wasn't even that nervous. He said he hardly stumbled at all. The other kids and the teachers complimented him on his delivery, too. This is just what he needs to build his confidence and believe he is great reader. He has come so far in only a few years - from even last summer! He's like a different kid. I am so grateful to be able to homeschool.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Science Classes
It's springtime, and we're getting our science on in full force. W has 1-2 classes each week at various places from now until June. The other day's class was all about the microscope. The kids put in a slide, manipulated the knobs and powers to adjust focus, and drew what they saw. They also learned what all the parts of the microscope are called, labeling them on their worksheets. This was a nice 90-minute class of all 6th-graders and up. Several of W's friends were in the class as well. He said he enjoyed it and is looking forward to next week.
Academics are going well. Saxon math is great - he is still doing the problems on his white board and it goes so fast. I love the Saxon spiral with all the review. W retains the math so much better and is so confident zipping through it. He's doing lots of decimals, fractions, and percents now. Sequential Spelling: this is his favorite. I write it, he reads it (twice), and every day is a test where he writes the words on the whiteboard. I realize I only need the teacher guide, rather than any of the student books. I'll remember that for 7th grade. His test is on 25 words and he rarely gets any wrong. This is a spiral program, too. Every day's list of words are variations of the previous words with a few new ones thrown in. Some are really simple, like "bats" and others are more difficult, like "splitting" - and both are in the same word list. It works amazingly well for him. I'm glad, too, because I keep researching his type of dyslexia and Sequential Spelling seems like the best program for him. The more I research, the more specific a label I can get. Dyslexia - Visual Dyslexia - Orthographic Dyslexia - Orthographic Dyslexia/Orthographic Processing Difficulties. A label helps me find what others have done and various things I can try.
W is also doing very well with Wordly Wise 6 vocabulary. I had no idea. He remembers word meanings after one read-through and gets everything correct in the workbook. I hate that I underestimate what he knows. Today he read an entire 2-page passage out loud. He read quickly with hardly any stumbles and had full comprehension. It was wonderful. Hake Grammar 6 we just zip through a couple of chapters a week. He finds it easy, so he neither loves it nor hates it. It's just there.
Right now he's getting his writing in with History, Science, and Poetry. With the former 2 he jots things down as we read. He is keeping a history timeline and is using the student book in science again. With the Evan-Moor poetry workbook he writes out the answers to the comprehension questions.
New things are going on with my job. I think I prayed too hard that I wouldn't have to work evenings anymore. The idea was to switch my shift to the morning (8am-12pm) so W will be able to go back to scouts and start basketball or soccer - all of which include weekday evenings. Instead, I'm getting laid off in 3 months - along with 120 other people. It seems my entire department is relocating to North Carolina and Albany. I'm checking around for other part-time morning work, but my company isn't hiring part-timers anymore, even though it would be an internal move. If I don't get something else within the next 3 months, I'll be fine with my nice severance package. I've been there for 7 years. I love my job. It will be sad come July, but hey, I'll have my evenings free.
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| W and the microscope |
Academics are going well. Saxon math is great - he is still doing the problems on his white board and it goes so fast. I love the Saxon spiral with all the review. W retains the math so much better and is so confident zipping through it. He's doing lots of decimals, fractions, and percents now. Sequential Spelling: this is his favorite. I write it, he reads it (twice), and every day is a test where he writes the words on the whiteboard. I realize I only need the teacher guide, rather than any of the student books. I'll remember that for 7th grade. His test is on 25 words and he rarely gets any wrong. This is a spiral program, too. Every day's list of words are variations of the previous words with a few new ones thrown in. Some are really simple, like "bats" and others are more difficult, like "splitting" - and both are in the same word list. It works amazingly well for him. I'm glad, too, because I keep researching his type of dyslexia and Sequential Spelling seems like the best program for him. The more I research, the more specific a label I can get. Dyslexia - Visual Dyslexia - Orthographic Dyslexia - Orthographic Dyslexia/Orthographic Processing Difficulties. A label helps me find what others have done and various things I can try.
W is also doing very well with Wordly Wise 6 vocabulary. I had no idea. He remembers word meanings after one read-through and gets everything correct in the workbook. I hate that I underestimate what he knows. Today he read an entire 2-page passage out loud. He read quickly with hardly any stumbles and had full comprehension. It was wonderful. Hake Grammar 6 we just zip through a couple of chapters a week. He finds it easy, so he neither loves it nor hates it. It's just there.
Right now he's getting his writing in with History, Science, and Poetry. With the former 2 he jots things down as we read. He is keeping a history timeline and is using the student book in science again. With the Evan-Moor poetry workbook he writes out the answers to the comprehension questions.
New things are going on with my job. I think I prayed too hard that I wouldn't have to work evenings anymore. The idea was to switch my shift to the morning (8am-12pm) so W will be able to go back to scouts and start basketball or soccer - all of which include weekday evenings. Instead, I'm getting laid off in 3 months - along with 120 other people. It seems my entire department is relocating to North Carolina and Albany. I'm checking around for other part-time morning work, but my company isn't hiring part-timers anymore, even though it would be an internal move. If I don't get something else within the next 3 months, I'll be fine with my nice severance package. I've been there for 7 years. I love my job. It will be sad come July, but hey, I'll have my evenings free.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
February
We've incorporated some of the big, yellow, 6th-grade Complete Curriculum book into our week. One thing we're using it for is some gentle math review. After months of only Saxon, this is like a little reprieve from the plain pages. The yellow book is a bit more colorful and the problems are nicely spread out on the page. This week we spent some time reviewing fractions: equivalent, reducing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, & dividing. In Saxon, he's up to percent & ratio.
The big, yellow book was also used for the reading comprehension section. W read some passages and answered questions. This is keeping him on his toes and is a nice break from narrating. The other thing we focused on this week was reading aloud. Since his acting class started in full force this past weekend, he wants to be confident in his reading skills - especially in front of others. So, we found the old Aesop's Fables book (Milo Winter) and he read to me. The trick was to use a story-telling tone and create the voices and personalities for each character. His first attempt was choppy - he skipped words, stumbled through it, and nothing made sense. Then I remembered the blue overlay. Once he read the words through the blue colored plastic, it was close to perfect. He only hesitated at 1 or 2 large, unfamiliar words. He decided to bring it to the acting class and use it with his scripts. Thankfully, he's not shy about things like that.
The acting class was fantastic. He got there a little early and decided to go up to the instructor he had for the past trial four weeks to tell her he has dyslexia. I guess he just wanted to get it out in the open so no one would wonder why he reads so stumbly for his age. She listened to him and then told him she had dyslexia too. She said that words get all mixed up and she reads slowly. W was so happy someone actually understood. I got all teary-eyed when I heard this. He'll be fine.
We got Sequential Spelling the other day. We're starting with the first book like the website says since it doesn't correspond with grade level. I like the multi-sensory way it's done. I might go pick up another dry erase board and markers - but crayons/colored pencils/markers and white looseleaf work fine, too. It looks like a good program and I've heard a lot of great things about it. He seems to like it so far, too. The daily spelling tests and various writing assignments in the Student Workbook are just what he needs.
I keep reading and researching everything I can about dyslexia and visual processing disorder and one thing that stood out to me was that these kids need a break every 15 minutes or so while doing academic work. I haven't been doing that, so I guess it explains W's eye-rubbing and yawning and glazed look sometimes. I certainly will be taking short breaks with him from now on, though. The article suggest he get up and walk around during the break. This is another reason I believe homeschooling through high school would be so much better for him. I keep going back and forth. He still has no idea what he'd rather do. Like I said, I'll go through the motions of applying to everything and whatever he's accepted to, he can decide then.
The acting class was fantastic. He got there a little early and decided to go up to the instructor he had for the past trial four weeks to tell her he has dyslexia. I guess he just wanted to get it out in the open so no one would wonder why he reads so stumbly for his age. She listened to him and then told him she had dyslexia too. She said that words get all mixed up and she reads slowly. W was so happy someone actually understood. I got all teary-eyed when I heard this. He'll be fine.
We got Sequential Spelling the other day. We're starting with the first book like the website says since it doesn't correspond with grade level. I like the multi-sensory way it's done. I might go pick up another dry erase board and markers - but crayons/colored pencils/markers and white looseleaf work fine, too. It looks like a good program and I've heard a lot of great things about it. He seems to like it so far, too. The daily spelling tests and various writing assignments in the Student Workbook are just what he needs.
I keep reading and researching everything I can about dyslexia and visual processing disorder and one thing that stood out to me was that these kids need a break every 15 minutes or so while doing academic work. I haven't been doing that, so I guess it explains W's eye-rubbing and yawning and glazed look sometimes. I certainly will be taking short breaks with him from now on, though. The article suggest he get up and walk around during the break. This is another reason I believe homeschooling through high school would be so much better for him. I keep going back and forth. He still has no idea what he'd rather do. Like I said, I'll go through the motions of applying to everything and whatever he's accepted to, he can decide then.
J started tap classes at her high school and is in the advanced group. Yay! Being in advanced anything in this school means a lot. She's also in a choreography class this semester. Soon they start their Junior Projects. These are student choreographed numbers that the kids perform and count as a huge part of their grade. I can't wait to see these. At the dance studio, she is still teaching and keeping busy getting ready for all the competitions coming up. As one of the teachers, she went with the studio owner to another dance teacher convention. She spent a whole day at various classes that teach how to teach.
K's internship is more than she could have imagined it would be. It's a small office and she fits right in. They even invited her out with them for after-work drinks (no she won't be drinking, lol). She is already corresponding with clients, tagging along on face-to-face meetings, writing dozens of promo spots for social media sites, and she landed 3 new clients for them on her first attempt! Needless to say they are impressed with her - she got claps and congratulations from everyone there. She loves being in Manhattan 3 days a week, too.
K's internship is more than she could have imagined it would be. It's a small office and she fits right in. They even invited her out with them for after-work drinks (no she won't be drinking, lol). She is already corresponding with clients, tagging along on face-to-face meetings, writing dozens of promo spots for social media sites, and she landed 3 new clients for them on her first attempt! Needless to say they are impressed with her - she got claps and congratulations from everyone there. She loves being in Manhattan 3 days a week, too.
Monday, December 10, 2012
I Love December
Yay! I'm so excited we got the book shipment last week. I normally wouldn't have ordered anything this close to Christmas, but I couldn't wait. I was just so impressed with both SOTW and Apologia General Science - the samples, the reviews, and the love of science and history they seem to procure.
We started the science first. On Wednesday we did 2 days worth of "Module 1" (according to the lesson plan) including the experiment. It was a brief history of science, including what science is, ancient Egyptian medics in 3000 BC, ancient Greek scientists in 500 AD, and the first ideas of atoms. When we did some questions, W remembered the smallest details of just about everything. He didn't even mind writing out a several-sentence-long answer to a question in his Student Notebook. He even wanted to look up more info about papyrus.
The experiment was fun. I'm glad I bought the lab kit so I have all the major materials for the experiments. I know I would never go out and buy the individual things we need. You can't just go out and buy one small balloon, or 1/4 cup of corn syrup, or 5 thumb tacks. I would end up spending a fortune on full packages if things. And each module's materials come in it's own labeled ziplock baggie! Fits my Type-A personality perfectly. So, imo, the $75 was well worth it. Anyway, the first experiment was called "Density in Nature". W poured oil, water, and corn syrup in a tall, clear glass. All 3 liquids separated right away. I remember doing a similar experiment when I was little, but it still fascinates me to see it. Then he dropped in a small rock, a peeled clove of garlic (we ran out of grapes, but this worked perfectly), an ice cube, and a cork. Each item suspended itself in a different layer. This demonstrated the density of each liquid, which told us how loosely or tightly their atoms are packed together. W loved it. Yay.
We are starting Story of the World 1 next week.
Math is still going very well. W is learning new concepts so quickly and his mental math skills are right on. I owe a lot of that to the 4 function drills we did over the summer. I believe mastering the basics has been the best thing we've done. So far W has been reviewing things like fractions, lines perimeter, graphs, place value, inequalities, and negative numbers. There are also a lot of word problems. He is learning to take his time reading through it so he understands what it's asking. This is a challenge. He has a tendency to either skip or insert words or completely misread words when they look like other words. Recent ones include "navigate" for "negative" and "ingredient" for "integer". Word problems do force him to be more accurate, which in turn improves his reading skills overall. We stretch 1 math lesson out over 2 days. At the rate we're going we should finish Saxon 7/6 by next December.
We're taking the Hake Grammar just as slowly: 1 lesson over 2 days. I refuse to rush. It is way more important for W to fully understand everything rather than hurry him through a book just to be able to say it's completed. For W (and my girls too), 30-minute bite-sized chunks chewed slowly and savored are much better retained than 1-2 hour cram and binge lessons. And on that note, we've also started breaking the dyslexia workbook lessons into 2 days as well. It's getting a little harder and the last thing W needs is to get frustrated about reading.
W had his show choir recital the other day. There are 6 kids, they sang 5 songs, and W had a solo part! He did 2 shows. J's studio performed a reinvented "Nutcracker" show on Sunday. They only practiced for about a month, but it was the cutest thing. J played the Arabian dancer and was in 4 other parts as well (party-goer, soldier, snowflake, candy something). All the costumes were from previous competition numbers. I loved it and I want to watch it every year, lol.
I think we'll be taking some more breaks throughout December. I want to get into Manhattan for the Christmas stuff: Rockefeller Plaza, FAO Schwarz, Columbus Circle, store windows, etc. Two other things I'm looking forward to this we are: Parent Observation Week and "Sweet Charity" at Laguardia High School! I can't wait!!
We started the science first. On Wednesday we did 2 days worth of "Module 1" (according to the lesson plan) including the experiment. It was a brief history of science, including what science is, ancient Egyptian medics in 3000 BC, ancient Greek scientists in 500 AD, and the first ideas of atoms. When we did some questions, W remembered the smallest details of just about everything. He didn't even mind writing out a several-sentence-long answer to a question in his Student Notebook. He even wanted to look up more info about papyrus.
The experiment was fun. I'm glad I bought the lab kit so I have all the major materials for the experiments. I know I would never go out and buy the individual things we need. You can't just go out and buy one small balloon, or 1/4 cup of corn syrup, or 5 thumb tacks. I would end up spending a fortune on full packages if things. And each module's materials come in it's own labeled ziplock baggie! Fits my Type-A personality perfectly. So, imo, the $75 was well worth it. Anyway, the first experiment was called "Density in Nature". W poured oil, water, and corn syrup in a tall, clear glass. All 3 liquids separated right away. I remember doing a similar experiment when I was little, but it still fascinates me to see it. Then he dropped in a small rock, a peeled clove of garlic (we ran out of grapes, but this worked perfectly), an ice cube, and a cork. Each item suspended itself in a different layer. This demonstrated the density of each liquid, which told us how loosely or tightly their atoms are packed together. W loved it. Yay.We are starting Story of the World 1 next week.
Math is still going very well. W is learning new concepts so quickly and his mental math skills are right on. I owe a lot of that to the 4 function drills we did over the summer. I believe mastering the basics has been the best thing we've done. So far W has been reviewing things like fractions, lines perimeter, graphs, place value, inequalities, and negative numbers. There are also a lot of word problems. He is learning to take his time reading through it so he understands what it's asking. This is a challenge. He has a tendency to either skip or insert words or completely misread words when they look like other words. Recent ones include "navigate" for "negative" and "ingredient" for "integer". Word problems do force him to be more accurate, which in turn improves his reading skills overall. We stretch 1 math lesson out over 2 days. At the rate we're going we should finish Saxon 7/6 by next December.
We're taking the Hake Grammar just as slowly: 1 lesson over 2 days. I refuse to rush. It is way more important for W to fully understand everything rather than hurry him through a book just to be able to say it's completed. For W (and my girls too), 30-minute bite-sized chunks chewed slowly and savored are much better retained than 1-2 hour cram and binge lessons. And on that note, we've also started breaking the dyslexia workbook lessons into 2 days as well. It's getting a little harder and the last thing W needs is to get frustrated about reading.
W had his show choir recital the other day. There are 6 kids, they sang 5 songs, and W had a solo part! He did 2 shows. J's studio performed a reinvented "Nutcracker" show on Sunday. They only practiced for about a month, but it was the cutest thing. J played the Arabian dancer and was in 4 other parts as well (party-goer, soldier, snowflake, candy something). All the costumes were from previous competition numbers. I loved it and I want to watch it every year, lol.
I think we'll be taking some more breaks throughout December. I want to get into Manhattan for the Christmas stuff: Rockefeller Plaza, FAO Schwarz, Columbus Circle, store windows, etc. Two other things I'm looking forward to this we are: Parent Observation Week and "Sweet Charity" at Laguardia High School! I can't wait!!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Time to Simplify
Now that we've pretty much gotten through the first third of the school year, I have a better idea as to what is working, what isn't working, and what new things I'd like to try with W. If someone a few years ago would have told me I would be using Saxon, Hake, Apologia, and Story of the World one day, I'd say they were crazy. But that's where we are now. Like I said before, if W decides to attend public high school, he wants to be completely ready. He's looking forward to some new stuff, and I'm looking forward to more structure. The good thing about what we've chosen is that most of it continues through high school. For now, though, here's our plan for the remainder of 6th grade.
6th Grade
I'm excited to try these new things and I hope W likes them as well. It's easier to stay with a program year after year rather than having to keep looking aimlessly for what might fit. We may hate everything after a few weeks or we may love it and use it all the way through high school. You never know what's in store for next year.
6th Grade
- Hake Grammar & Writing 6
- Daily Paragraph Editing Gr. 6+
- A Workbook for Dyslexics
- Spelling Skills 5 and 6
- Read & Understand Poetry Gr. 5-6+
- Classic Literature (various) with oral and written narrations
- Saxon Math 7/6
- Story of the World 1 (This will be independent reading and we'll be using the activity book with it)
- Apologia General Science (along with the Student Notebook, the Daily Lesson Plans, the companion CD Rom, and the full lab kit. We may stretch this into 7th grade)
- Artistic Pursuits Junior High Book 1 (1st half)
I'm excited to try these new things and I hope W likes them as well. It's easier to stay with a program year after year rather than having to keep looking aimlessly for what might fit. We may hate everything after a few weeks or we may love it and use it all the way through high school. You never know what's in store for next year.
In the meantime, W is doing very well academically. He is doing a lot more creative and dictation writing, aces his 2x/week spelling tests, and is a natural at math. He has always been great at reading silently - he is quick and has full comprehension. And I have noticed recently that his out-loud reading has improved tremendously over the last couple of months. This is huge. It seems he has learned to "fix" most of the reading issues he was having. He still does these things - but just a lot less often. It's wonderful to see his confidence now. That's one of the reasons I'm going to start with SOTW 1 - it's an easy independent read. I may even use it for more readaloud practice.
We're really looking forward to Christmas! I have about 75% of my shopping done and we'll be decorating the house this weekend. I have already decided that the new year will be all about simplifying everything in my life. I want to live as materially minimalist a lifestyle as possible. I'll begin with a huge decluttering this weekend. I'm so ready.
We're really looking forward to Christmas! I have about 75% of my shopping done and we'll be decorating the house this weekend. I have already decided that the new year will be all about simplifying everything in my life. I want to live as materially minimalist a lifestyle as possible. I'll begin with a huge decluttering this weekend. I'm so ready.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
The Future
As structured and prepared for high school that I want to be this year, I'm taking into account that W still does have a learning disability. I got the report the other day. In a nutshell, it states he has severe visual processing and visual-motor difficulties. Auditory and perceptual skills are in the superior range. So that pretty much lines up with what I thought it was - visual dyslexia. It seems he has dysgraphia, too. I'm going to speak with the neuropsych this week to go over the results in more detail. I can't imagine what being in school is like for kids like this. What a frustrating situation. At least at home W has kept his intense curiosity, enthusiasm for life, and love of learning. He reads (and retains) on grade level, writes legibly, can type up a proper story, is great at math, and knows a helluva lot about a helluva lot of things. The freedom to move at his own pace without deadlines and demands is what works with him. How on earth can a school - especially a high school - accommodate W effectively? I feel without a doubt that homeschooling has always been the best option for him. I have a feeling it may be the best option for high school as well. I'm leaving the choice up to him, though. Whatever he decides is fine and he has my 100% support.
So, after doing a ton of research I realize that many of these types of learning disabilities tend to only be an "issue" in a school setting. Yeah, W reads slower and writes with more difficulty than most other kids his age, but his creativity and self-motivation are through the roof. Throwing rigid structure at a kid like that every day just isn't going to work. Getting that neuropsych report was almost like a slap in the face, telling me to stop worrying about a structured curriculum and let the kid just learn. I think from now on I'll just present him with the books and tools scheduled for the week and he can choose what (if any) he'd like to use. Pushing my agenda on him if he is not interested in the subject will stress us both out and he'll learn nothing from it. Now that I know what the official diagnosis is, I have a better sense of what will be more effective.
He likes workbooks, most readalouds, science experiments, consumer math, art, field trips, gaming, making films, building things, and skill toys/games (Rubiks cube, yoyos, cards, miachi, diablo, cats cradle, cup stacking, etc). But most of all he likes independence. The unschooling side of him always shows through no matter what I try. I'm ok with that. W's real education is going to only come from what interests him, anyway. My old unschooly self is telling me it's the only way to do things. I'll loosen up and see what happens.
I don't know what each day will hold but I'm looking forward to finding out.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
A New School Year
K started her sophomore year of college on Monday. Her first day of school always makes me teary and emotional. She has a clearer idea as to what she wants to do with her life and she's on the right track. I'm so proud of her. She has a great work ethic and is determined to succeed.
J starts school next Thursday. I told her that Junior year of high school is going to be the toughest one yet. Besides her regular high school classes (4 academic, 4 dance), there's the SATs, her Junior dance project, school performances, a Sunday afternoon theater jazz & tap workshop in Manhattan, and also a full load at her dance studio. She will be teaching and choreographing on Saturdays as well as having around 8 hours a week of technique classes and choreo. We're going to Nationals next summer, so we're carefully choosing our Regional competitions this year. I'm excited for another school and dance year!
W is enjoying what's left of summer. He's outside playing every day with his friends on the block and going to the playground for some soccer and basketball. We are doing pretty well with academics, too. He's still doing math drills, the dyslexia workbook, listening to some Narnia (almost done with LWW!), and we've started some AO Yr 4 books. We're stepping into academics slowly and should be ready to go full-force next week. I'm still waiting for his evaluation report. I guess this is what goes along with it being free. But after spending a couple of hours researching more things about dyslexia yesterday, I've figured out that W has "visual dyslexia" or "dyseidetic dyslexia". This is different from "dysphonemic" or "auditory dyslexia". So technically, this means I don't really need to be doing any type of phonics work with him. The workbook I have touches on everything, and since he likes it and I'm seeing a great deal of progress in him, we're going to continue with it anyway.
I can smell Fall in the air!
J starts school next Thursday. I told her that Junior year of high school is going to be the toughest one yet. Besides her regular high school classes (4 academic, 4 dance), there's the SATs, her Junior dance project, school performances, a Sunday afternoon theater jazz & tap workshop in Manhattan, and also a full load at her dance studio. She will be teaching and choreographing on Saturdays as well as having around 8 hours a week of technique classes and choreo. We're going to Nationals next summer, so we're carefully choosing our Regional competitions this year. I'm excited for another school and dance year!
W is enjoying what's left of summer. He's outside playing every day with his friends on the block and going to the playground for some soccer and basketball. We are doing pretty well with academics, too. He's still doing math drills, the dyslexia workbook, listening to some Narnia (almost done with LWW!), and we've started some AO Yr 4 books. We're stepping into academics slowly and should be ready to go full-force next week. I'm still waiting for his evaluation report. I guess this is what goes along with it being free. But after spending a couple of hours researching more things about dyslexia yesterday, I've figured out that W has "visual dyslexia" or "dyseidetic dyslexia". This is different from "dysphonemic" or "auditory dyslexia". So technically, this means I don't really need to be doing any type of phonics work with him. The workbook I have touches on everything, and since he likes it and I'm seeing a great deal of progress in him, we're going to continue with it anyway.
I can smell Fall in the air!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Raw Food & W's EEG
Summer is half-way over and it's been good. The NYC heat waves I can do without, though. I think in August I'm going to start decorating for fall. It's my favorite time of year and maybe I can get it here faster by the power of thought (and orange fabric leaves and scarecrows). I've decided to throw myself into the holidays this year. Last year I was a pill and avoided most things. I don't know why. I mean, I wouldn't even listen to Christmas music. So, now I'm ready to decorate, blast music, and do some fabulously fun holiday things with my family. Bring it on!
The other evening I went to an amazing raw food demonstration given by Dayna Martin and Christina Cretella. One of my homeschool mom friends hosted the event at her home. It was so fun! I've always been interested in a raw food diet and this inspired me again. We had chocolate desserts, pad thai, soup, smoothies, wine, nachos, pancakes, and salad with a wonderful creamy dressing - all raw. I'm planning on making a lot of these for my family, especially the desserts. I love that the chocolate torte we had was actually healthier than eating a salad. And you can eat these all day long without worry. That's my kind of eating! I am going to start out with only a few things that I'm almost positive my family will like: a chocolate dessert - raw cacao nibs inside dates & coated with coconut, the salad dressing, green juices, and fruit smoothies. I have to get all of us eating better. The kids are wonderfully receptive to this. Dh, on the other hand, needs a LOT of time to adjust. I just have to be determined and focused and not give up. Slowly we may be able to evolve into 50% raw. That's the goal for now. We'll see.
W completed his part in the dyslexia study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. We were there over 6 hours. W put on headphones, rested his chin on a strap, and watched and listed to certain images and videos while his eyes were being tracked and his hearing tested. In an adjacent room there were several large computers showing extreme close-ups of W's eye. It was fascinating. The next part of the study included putting what looks like a swim cap (with dozens of small plastic-rimmed holes) on his head. They squeezed a bit of gel into each hole, and attached an electrode to each hole. Each electrode had a long wire attached to it that plugged into a machine. They studied his brain waves and recorded which part of the brain is used during each task. I was watching all this from another room and through glass, so it's hard to get specific. They sprung for lunch again, too. I worried for W since he was performing tasks for over 2 hours at a time, but he came out in great spirits. At the end he was tired, but the $78 cash they gave him perked him right back up again. We still weren't told anything about the initial testing. It may be another month, they said. I'm totally fine with that since this really was a gift for us.
Academically this week, W continued with the Saxon math addition drills, we're up to chapter 6 in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and we started Wordly Wise 6. This summer is just a light taste of what we'll be doing in the fall, when everything gets more rigorous.
The other evening I went to an amazing raw food demonstration given by Dayna Martin and Christina Cretella. One of my homeschool mom friends hosted the event at her home. It was so fun! I've always been interested in a raw food diet and this inspired me again. We had chocolate desserts, pad thai, soup, smoothies, wine, nachos, pancakes, and salad with a wonderful creamy dressing - all raw. I'm planning on making a lot of these for my family, especially the desserts. I love that the chocolate torte we had was actually healthier than eating a salad. And you can eat these all day long without worry. That's my kind of eating! I am going to start out with only a few things that I'm almost positive my family will like: a chocolate dessert - raw cacao nibs inside dates & coated with coconut, the salad dressing, green juices, and fruit smoothies. I have to get all of us eating better. The kids are wonderfully receptive to this. Dh, on the other hand, needs a LOT of time to adjust. I just have to be determined and focused and not give up. Slowly we may be able to evolve into 50% raw. That's the goal for now. We'll see.
 |
| Dayna and Christina |
W completed his part in the dyslexia study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. We were there over 6 hours. W put on headphones, rested his chin on a strap, and watched and listed to certain images and videos while his eyes were being tracked and his hearing tested. In an adjacent room there were several large computers showing extreme close-ups of W's eye. It was fascinating. The next part of the study included putting what looks like a swim cap (with dozens of small plastic-rimmed holes) on his head. They squeezed a bit of gel into each hole, and attached an electrode to each hole. Each electrode had a long wire attached to it that plugged into a machine. They studied his brain waves and recorded which part of the brain is used during each task. I was watching all this from another room and through glass, so it's hard to get specific. They sprung for lunch again, too. I worried for W since he was performing tasks for over 2 hours at a time, but he came out in great spirits. At the end he was tired, but the $78 cash they gave him perked him right back up again. We still weren't told anything about the initial testing. It may be another month, they said. I'm totally fine with that since this really was a gift for us.
 |
| The Lab |
 |
| Getting fitted with electrodes |
Academically this week, W continued with the Saxon math addition drills, we're up to chapter 6 in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and we started Wordly Wise 6. This summer is just a light taste of what we'll be doing in the fall, when everything gets more rigorous.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Dyslexia Testing
This was finally the week that W got his dyslexia testing. We drove up to the Bronx, met with the neurophysiologist, and started the 4+ hours of testing. W sat in a small air-conditioned room with the tester while I watched through a 2-way mirror and filled out a ton of forms. He did all kinds of tests: spelling, listening, blocks, writing, word sounds, logic, patterns, etc. He got a few 5-minute breaks and about 45 minutes for lunch (which they generously bought for us). When he was done, he was given $54 cash, which he was thrilled with.
The neurologist told us she has to sit with the tester and go over all tests. It could take a while. The next step would be to take part in a brain wave scan as part of a dyslexia study. We already met the EEG guy who went over what it is he does and what W would do if he's eligible for the study. It's basically just performing a bunch of tasks and computer activities to see which parts of the brain is used while wearing something that resembles a shower cap that they attach dozens of wires to. The only kids eligible for the brain wave study are dyslexics. The neurologist said she won't have a full diagnosis for a week or 2, but just by a quick once-over of W's responses, she thinks he's a candidate. And the next day the EEG guy called me to schedule an appointment.
Sigh. I knew since he was 8 that W did in fact have dyslexia. There's a big emotional difference though, between a mom-diagnosis and an actual neurophysiologist diagnosis. I guess I still just held onto the idea that W's reading/spelling/writing issues would just go away one day. When I do get the full report, it is going to be very bittersweet. I mean, I'll be so glad and relieved to finally have it in writing that this is not something I did to him, that there is a name for what he is going through, and that he is entitled to certain accommodations once he's in school. Also, I'll be able to know specifically what the issues are and research the best way to teach him. But on the other hand, I feel like omg, my son has a learning disability and there's nothing anyone can do to cure it.
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