I was just wondering if anyone has used Real Science 4Kids? Dd is 9.5 and ds is 6.5. I was also considering SL but read a few reviews that didn't recommend it. Any thoughts? Also on another subject, how do you get dc to do the work? We are new to hs and dd wants to go to ps in fall. I told her we would discuss it at a later time that we are hsing through the summer. When I get the stuff out she argues with me and refuses to do it saying it's stupid. I have grounded her and taken things away. I want the learning to be fun. I don't want to punish her to do the work but on the other hand I can't let her call the shots. I would almost say she has a very mild form of ODD. Any suggestion? Thank you
Well, this might be just me... But my personal inclination would be to tell her right now that she's doing homeschool in the fall and she's got this summer to resign herself to it. Then start teaching the younger child, but ignoring the older - allowing her to listen in if she chooses. Maybe kind of like Tom Sawyer whitewashing that fence....
Have you looked at McRuffy Press for science?? I LOVE IT and so do my kids! As far as your daughter.. well she is young enough yet where you should get the final say, but you also need to (at least make it look like ) you are listening to her side of things and then expect her to listen to yours. I do agree with the start doing FUN things with your other kiddo and I really do mean FUN, do what ever you have to to make homeschooling not look like school... because it honestly works best when it doesn't even resemble it!!
Tell her she needs to do her work. She can CHOSE if she wants to do it NOW or LATER. If she wants to do it LATER, that's fine; by CHOSING to do it later, she is CHOSING to spend her now-time in her room (or in a chair or whatever). Have her stay there for however long it would realistically take her to do the work assigned (say, a half-hour). Tell her exactly WHEN she will be doing it later...like at the same time her favorite show is on, or the time she's usually playing with her friend. (With Rachael, she thought that was great, until she realized that 6:00 was the same time she had soccer practice. My response: Oh, REALLY? Well, I guess you'll have to call your coach to explain to him why you can't make it to practice....) Also, since we're talking about the summer, do you have a pool ticket? I want to go swimming today, but can't until the work is done. And if it takes too long, well, we simply don't have the time now. Maybe we can go tomorrow if your work gets done quicker....
Thank You. I am grateful for the support!!! I am usually firm with her and since this soo new to all of us I wasn't sure how firm I should be at this point. I am trying to ease into hs but I get no support from her dad or my family.I get soo upset with her dad because he almost laughs at me in front of the kids making it seam hs is a joke. He really gets my blood boiling at times. I even printed of lit. for him to read in order to make an educated decision. But its what he says and how it acts in front of the kids! Men!! Luckily my husband is on-board even though he has not read anything on HS. He promised me he would . I think he will be my biggest supporter and then maybe he can talk to my ex. Who knows. I know my ex can make it hard for me if he doesn't agree with the hs decision but knowing him he will let me do what I want....he will just continue to make ignorant comments! I have rambled enough. Thanks Again!!
I love Real Science 4 Kids. I have used it for Physics and will use it again for Biology this coming fall. It is a solid program in my opinion. I love how the text is easy for the child to read yet does not water things down. I also love that the lab books follow the scientific method nicely. It really trains young people to think like scientists. As far as your dd, I agree with what Jackie said. Sound advice. Making school fun is great. I think you should provide an education that is stimulating and provokes a curiosity about the world. I love to develop critical thinkers and creative minds. However, that does not mean education is entertainment. your child should be expected to do the work. She may not take it seriously because she is used to school and used to the grade book and stuff. You know...like school is real and you are just faking because in her mind there is not accountability or teacher saying this is your grade...I am not explaining that right. Anyway...you are in charge. The sooner she gets that...the sooner you can get to the business of education. It is vital that you are not in a position of having to entertain her just to do the work. She should do it because that is what is expected. Not all school is fun and it shouldn't have to be for it to be given her full attention.
We are going to be doing Considering God's Creation with a 7th grader and a 5th grader. It is geared to 2nd-7th graders, but I would do it for even younger ones. For older ones like the 7th grader I have homeschooling in the fall, I will prob add some other resources to it. It is a well rounded all-inclusive Science curriculum. It is also affordable. I did a full review with sample pages here: http://heartsathomekids.com/store/index.php?main_page=page&id=29 What I like about it is you can use it for both kids! Also, if you are going to be homeschooling in the fall, your daughter just might be upset about "losing her friends" she has a ps. If you join a homeschool group or co-op she could meet other kids and also do fun field trips. Might make it more appealing!
Yes, CGC would work with your ages. But there's LOTS of tedious cutting. The secret of CGC is to make it work for you; don't let yourself become a slave to it! When the cutting is very small and involved, I would take it to Staples, Kinkos, wherever, and enlarge them. That made it easier, especially for your 6yo. Some I copied onto cardstock.
So you did CGC? Did you like it? I liked the detective pages alot! Do you think it is pretty thorough?
I used RS4K pre-level Chemistry last school year and my boys loved it. My wiggly 6.5 year old would not be ready for the regular RS4K. My 8 year old would not get enough from the regular level of RS4K. I'm separating them for science this coming year. We are spending the year on cells, human anatomy, and genetics using living books and activities. They will use different books according to their level.
I just got Considering God's Creation in the mail today. I plan to use it for my 6 and 9 year old boys next year. I think it may be a bit much for my 6 year old, but we will do any reading and talking together and see what pages are appropriate for each child.
Yes, CGC worked well for me, though I spent more than a year doing it. My children were 4, 8, and 10 (I think?) when we started. I would like to do it again with Phillip. sometime. I thought I would next year, but realized that he has covered a good bit of the topics in the science class I taught to him and his friends this year.
The publishers/writers of CGC are SO nice! Homeschoolers like us...well most homeschool curriculum publishers are, but I have a good relationship with them. I am looking forward to using their curriculum this coming year!
Ange, like I said, Phillip was four when we did CGC. For Mother's Day, the kids and I bought flowers and planted them for my mom. Dad brough a pail with water, dumped a handful of powder in it, stired it, and then dumped the liquid on the flowers we had planted. Phillip asked, "What's that, Grandpa?" "Plant food!" my dad replied. Phillip looked up and replied, "Oh, no, Grandpa! Don't you know plants make their own food from the sun?" LOL! Dad was amazed! So even though your younger one is only six, I've no doubt he'll still pick up quite a bit!
What a cute story, Jackie! Nick isn't ready for many of the worksheets, but I think he will soak up alot of information. In some ways he may like it better than Andy will since Nick is much more science oriented. He is one of those look at every bug, leaf or animal kinds of kids. At this stage his goal is to be a zoo keeper when he grows up. Yeah, he just turned 6 last week so there are alot of years for this to change, but he has been saying this for at least two years now, so who knows.
You might not want to buy a workbook for Nick. I bought one for both girls, but not for Phillip. There was too much I felt he wouldn't be doing. Then I went and copied the pages that I did want him doing. And the author does give permission to copy like that, too!
Cool, I just ordered one when I ordered, not really even knoweing what I was getting. Just making copies of the pages I want him to do sounds like a good plan. I need some time to look at CGC and Galloping the Globe and figure out what is at each boys level and how we want to use it. BUt luckily we don't start until Sept. so I have some time, I am just excited becasue it is new and looks fun
