This blog dates back to 2006 and there are a lot of archives here, but to check out my more recent posts, please visit my new blog at www.baptisthomeschooling.com
As always, thanks for reading!
Raani Starnes
Homeschooling Information
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Curriculum Choices for the Next School Year
I haven't bought anything yet, but this is what I'm planning to use when we start back up in September:
Jessica, my ninth grader, will be using all ACE School of Tomorrow curriculum. She loves it and works almost completely independently.
Jonathan, who will be in sixth grade, will be using ACE for all subjects except for history, which will be Abeka. He's somewhat of a history buff and A beka has a lot more content.
Erika will be in first grade and I plan to use either BJU Press or A beka or maybe even a combination of the two depending on price.
The great thing about ACE for older kids is that they are able to do most of their work independently. This makes homeschooling a large family easy, and the kids enjoy working on their own.
Note about independent learning: Even though the ACE system allows students to "score" their own daily work, you need to look at their work each day to check their progress and to make sure they are writing neatly. Some children will have a tendency to procrastinate or write sloppily if you don't stay on top of things.
Although ACE is by far the easiest curriculum to use, I don't like it as much for the lower grades. One of the things I don't like about it is that they often insert an ellipsis(...)in the middle of the memory verse. Thankfully, this is not the case in the higher grades. If you do decide to use ACE for very young children, you can simply help them fill in the rest of the verse where the dots are. Younger kids need to be taught everything anyway, so I don't mind using other workbooks for Erika that are considered teacher/parent directed. I'll probably set her desk up near the kitchen since that is where I spend a lot of my time.
Click here to read another post on Homeschooling with ACE
Jessica, my ninth grader, will be using all ACE School of Tomorrow curriculum. She loves it and works almost completely independently.
Jonathan, who will be in sixth grade, will be using ACE for all subjects except for history, which will be Abeka. He's somewhat of a history buff and A beka has a lot more content.
Erika will be in first grade and I plan to use either BJU Press or A beka or maybe even a combination of the two depending on price.
The great thing about ACE for older kids is that they are able to do most of their work independently. This makes homeschooling a large family easy, and the kids enjoy working on their own.
Note about independent learning: Even though the ACE system allows students to "score" their own daily work, you need to look at their work each day to check their progress and to make sure they are writing neatly. Some children will have a tendency to procrastinate or write sloppily if you don't stay on top of things.
Although ACE is by far the easiest curriculum to use, I don't like it as much for the lower grades. One of the things I don't like about it is that they often insert an ellipsis(...)in the middle of the memory verse. Thankfully, this is not the case in the higher grades. If you do decide to use ACE for very young children, you can simply help them fill in the rest of the verse where the dots are. Younger kids need to be taught everything anyway, so I don't mind using other workbooks for Erika that are considered teacher/parent directed. I'll probably set her desk up near the kitchen since that is where I spend a lot of my time.
Click here to read another post on Homeschooling with ACE
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Ever Wonder Why They Call it Birth Control and not Pregnancy Control?
Hormonal birth control methods including the pill, the patch, and NuvaRing, not only prevent ovulation, but also prevent implantation. If you read the package insert you will find that if a woman ovulates and a baby is conceived, the fertilized egg (baby) will not successfully implant in the uterus. Instead, the baby will die before the woman ever knows she is pregnant. This "back-up mechanism" which changes the lining of the uterus into a "hostile environment" is the reason that hormonal birth control is so effective.
IUDs and IUCs (Mirena) kill even more babies because they primarily prevent implantation. Since the woman still ovulates regularly, there is no telling how many children are conceived in the fallopian tubes and then self-aborted by women using these devices. Now that's something they won't tell you on their cute little TV commercial.
If you don't believe any of this or want more details about the science behind it, please read your package inserts or simply Google "How Birth Control Methods Work".
IUDs and IUCs (Mirena) kill even more babies because they primarily prevent implantation. Since the woman still ovulates regularly, there is no telling how many children are conceived in the fallopian tubes and then self-aborted by women using these devices. Now that's something they won't tell you on their cute little TV commercial.
If you don't believe any of this or want more details about the science behind it, please read your package inserts or simply Google "How Birth Control Methods Work".
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Ju-Ju NO MORE!
Weaning a Toddler
I didn't nurse Joseph last night. At first he screamed for "ju-ju" and it was hard not to give in. I got him to sleep by sitting and holding him in the recliner while talking and singing to him. He woke up about three times during the night (he still sleeps in bed with us), and I stuck a bottle of milk in his mouth which he finally accepted after my husband snapped, "Ju-ju NO MORE!". All liquids are ju-ju (juice?), but in that instance, JoJo was asking for the REAL ju-ju. I'm thinking I'll switch him to a spill proof sippy cup or pacifier at bedtime in a couple of days once he stops asking to breastfeed. He's 20 months old and doesn't normally drink a bottle, but it was the only thing that worked so I'm using it just to get through the transition.
You always hear about babies being weaned gradually by eliminating one feeding at a time, but this only worked with my oldest child who I switched to a bottle at six months of age. My next two kids were breastfed for 8 and 9 months and, like Joseph, didn't want to stop. I tried to implement a "don't offer, don't refuse" policy with him for awhile, but he constantly asks to breastfeed when we are at home. He drinks diluted juice from a sippy cup with meals and when we are out and about, but he gets extremely upset when he's tired and wants to nurse. I've found that sometimes "cold turkey" is the only way to quit.
I didn't nurse Joseph last night. At first he screamed for "ju-ju" and it was hard not to give in. I got him to sleep by sitting and holding him in the recliner while talking and singing to him. He woke up about three times during the night (he still sleeps in bed with us), and I stuck a bottle of milk in his mouth which he finally accepted after my husband snapped, "Ju-ju NO MORE!". All liquids are ju-ju (juice?), but in that instance, JoJo was asking for the REAL ju-ju. I'm thinking I'll switch him to a spill proof sippy cup or pacifier at bedtime in a couple of days once he stops asking to breastfeed. He's 20 months old and doesn't normally drink a bottle, but it was the only thing that worked so I'm using it just to get through the transition.
You always hear about babies being weaned gradually by eliminating one feeding at a time, but this only worked with my oldest child who I switched to a bottle at six months of age. My next two kids were breastfed for 8 and 9 months and, like Joseph, didn't want to stop. I tried to implement a "don't offer, don't refuse" policy with him for awhile, but he constantly asks to breastfeed when we are at home. He drinks diluted juice from a sippy cup with meals and when we are out and about, but he gets extremely upset when he's tired and wants to nurse. I've found that sometimes "cold turkey" is the only way to quit.
Fun With Food: Raggedy Ann Salad
Tonight we're going to make Raggedy Ann Salads to go with our dinner. There's just something about making food into faces that gets kids eating their fruits and vegetables--especially if they make it themselves. Here's the recipe for one Raggedy Ann Salad:
* 1 canned peach half, pear half, or avocado half
* 1/2 hard-boiled egg
* 4 small celery sticks
* 1 leaf curly lettuce
* 1/4 cup finely shredded cheese
* 1/4 maraschino cherry
* Raisins
* Salt
1. Place peach in center of salad plate
2. Positon egg for head, celery sticks for arms and legs and lettuce for skirt
3. Add cheese for hair, cherry for mouth and raisins for eyes, nose, buttons
and shoes
4. Lightly salt egg (and avocado half if you used one for the body)
Yields 1 serving
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
