About 2 weeks ago, I began using http://www.myfittnesspal.com/ to help me track my calorie, fat, protein and carb intake. Also, I use this website to track the amount of calories I burn when I exercise.
First, I set up my profile account by entering my age, height, current weight and how many pounds I want to loose. The website has a feature that calculates what a healthy, yet minimum, calorie, fat, protein and carb intake for each day would be for a person of my age and height. Each day I plug in what I'm eating and any exercising I do.
It calculates the nutritional info (calories, fat, etc...) that I've had for the day and also how much more I can have for the day OR if I've exceeded what I'm allowed in order to loose weight.
Once I plug in the exercising for the day, it then tells me how many calories I burned that day. If I have not exceeded my calorie intake for the day, I can have those extra calories that I "earned" through exercising that day.
I had been trying to loose weight, but have had SO much trouble loosing more than 4-6lbs. over the past *decade*. My best friend and hubby began using the My Fittness Pal website and encouraged me to give it a try after I had a VERY discouraging 2 week start to my new diet and exercising plan.
I was keeping a loose track of calories in my head while I was dieting, but my dh thought I might be eating to many carbs. My Fittness Pal helped me see that this WAS the case! Once I was able to monitor my carbs, I begn dropping lbs. like crazy!
It's been 3 weeks and 5 days since I first started my dieting and exercising program. I've lost a total of 9.5 lbs.!!!!! I can't remember the last time I lost more than 6lbs.
Yesterday, I decided to set up an account for my 11th grade son. We set his profile information (had to fudge on his age...the website technically allows only 18 and older:) I helped him plug in everything he ate yesterday and the exercising he did. He was floored at the amount of calories and carbs in some things, like the sweet tea he loves and the big ole bowl of sugar free applesauce he has EVERY SINGLE day of his life (3 CUPS!!!).
He goes to a PE class 2 times a week for 2 hours each day. Those classes get in some vigorous exercises for him. On the other 3 days of the week and also one weekend day, I've been requiring him to take a 30 minute BRISK walk. Well, his idea of brisk is really pretty slow (his pace at EVERYTHING in life is wayyyyy slower than everybody else's pace:).
I used the following website to help him see how many more calories he'd burn if he picked up his walking pace just a teeny-tiny bit! He got it! Finally.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned_list.asp
One of the big things I am learning (and my son will also) from using My Fittness Pal, is what a real "serving" looks like for many foods. We are measuring everything (or as much as possible) for a while until we get to the point where we think we can "eyeball" a *real* ONE serving of all the regular foods we eat.
Most of what we have to eat for meals and snacks at our house are good, healthy choices. We are now seeing that it's not so much the foods we are eating that's causing us to gain weight or not be able to loose. It's actually the AMOUNT of these healthy choices and lack of truly *vigorous* exercising.
If you or your teen happen to have a smart phone, My Fittness Pal has a *free* downloadable app! This has been a great help to my hubby, who travels and has to eat out a LOT and my best friend who works full time and eats on the go for dinner more often than I do.
My son and I do not have smart phones, so we just use the website.
One other thing I've been doing (and will have my son do also) that has helped me, is to plan ahead for what I'm going to eat for the day. Most nights before going to bed, I go ahead and plug in my breakfast and midmorning and mid-afternoon snack (fruit) for the next day, which is easy since I eat the same exact thing every day (and so does my ds).
Then, I think about what I want to make for dinner the next night. I do this *before* choosing my lunch foods (I have about 4 different lunch options that I usually choose from...kinda have always done this). If I decide on a dinner that is higher in carbs (like gluten free spaghetti with meat sauce), I choose one of my "regular" lunches that is lower in carbs.
Usually, the night before I have already plugged in what I *plan* to eat the next day. I also go ahead and plug in the exercising I *plan* to do. If any of this changes the next day, I just go in an make the changes.
If you or your student likes to have a "to do" list and is *motivated* by checking things off the to do list, then this system I'm using to plan ahead might be a big motivator. I like checking things off my planned to do list, so this suits me well:)
I'm seeing (and think my son will also) that I need to PLAN for my diet and exercising or else it just doesn't get done *properly*. Kinda reminds me of homeschooling and housework!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
School Year Update
We are almost two-thirds of the way through our first 12 week term. Of course, I've had to do some tweaking here and there just like all the school years past.
Here's the tweaks I've made for Zach my 11th grader...
-dropped Age of Revolution by Churchill
-substituting The Struggle for Sea Power by Synge
-Miracle at Philadelphia dropped
-Gulliver's Travels on hold until next term
-added The Invisible Man
-added Dating With Integrety
-dropped German Demystified
-dropped IEW's The Elegant Essay
-substituted Jensen's Format Writing, The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well and creative writing prompts from Jump In
-Shadow of the Almighty put on hold until later in the school year (or maybe even next summer's reading list)
And his homeschool PE class has also started back up again. We didn't think the gym that offered this last year was going to offer it again. We are both SO pleased the gym decided to offer this again. It pushes him to exercise vigorously on a regular basis.
Now for my 8th grade Jake's tweaks...
-dropped IEW's All Things Fun and Fascinating (keeping this on hold until either later in the school year or maybe next year)
-replaced the above mentioned IEW program with writing from KWOs (no IEW dress-ups) using simple paragraphs found at the IEW yahoo group files *and* dictation
-Just *today* ordered First Language Lessons level 3 and Writing With Ease level 3...will replace the above mentioned mom-created grammar and writing lessons
-dropped Draw Squad (wayyyyy tooo easy for him)
-added Artistic Pursuits (but still looking...he doesn't really like Artistic Pursuits...he's asked for a "live" person to teach him art...looking for someone affordable:)
Jake has been running with a local small private classical Christian school's cross country team again this year. Their regular season ends tomorrow (regional and state championships next month if we qualify). He will be playing basketball again this year with the same school. Practices for basketball began a couple of weeks ago.
Between school, the boy's outside activities *and* mom trying to exercise herself a LOT each day, we are staying very busy. Not too busy. Just busy enough to take our minds off the fact that my dh is having to travel an extreme amount for the past 3 months for weeks at a time.
Here's the tweaks I've made for Zach my 11th grader...
-dropped Age of Revolution by Churchill
-substituting The Struggle for Sea Power by Synge
-Miracle at Philadelphia dropped
-Gulliver's Travels on hold until next term
-added The Invisible Man
-added Dating With Integrety
-dropped German Demystified
-dropped IEW's The Elegant Essay
-substituted Jensen's Format Writing, The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well and creative writing prompts from Jump In
-Shadow of the Almighty put on hold until later in the school year (or maybe even next summer's reading list)
And his homeschool PE class has also started back up again. We didn't think the gym that offered this last year was going to offer it again. We are both SO pleased the gym decided to offer this again. It pushes him to exercise vigorously on a regular basis.
Now for my 8th grade Jake's tweaks...
-dropped IEW's All Things Fun and Fascinating (keeping this on hold until either later in the school year or maybe next year)
-replaced the above mentioned IEW program with writing from KWOs (no IEW dress-ups) using simple paragraphs found at the IEW yahoo group files *and* dictation
-Just *today* ordered First Language Lessons level 3 and Writing With Ease level 3...will replace the above mentioned mom-created grammar and writing lessons
-dropped Draw Squad (wayyyyy tooo easy for him)
-added Artistic Pursuits (but still looking...he doesn't really like Artistic Pursuits...he's asked for a "live" person to teach him art...looking for someone affordable:)
Jake has been running with a local small private classical Christian school's cross country team again this year. Their regular season ends tomorrow (regional and state championships next month if we qualify). He will be playing basketball again this year with the same school. Practices for basketball began a couple of weeks ago.
Between school, the boy's outside activities *and* mom trying to exercise herself a LOT each day, we are staying very busy. Not too busy. Just busy enough to take our minds off the fact that my dh is having to travel an extreme amount for the past 3 months for weeks at a time.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Writing
IEW's The Elegant Essay is a wonderful program, but was not a good fit for Zach after all. He *hates* writing programs that break the writing process down into tiny little steps. This type of program is extremely helpful for many students, but is like a straight-jacket for other students.
After he talked to me about writing again, I took a longer look at the writing books that AO suggests for Years 9-11. Since Ambleside Online is working incredibly well for him in all other areas, I've decided to fully follow their writing recommendations.
I immediately pulled Writer's Inc., which is recommended for Year 9 *lite*, off our bookshelf. I also ordered The Book on Writing: the Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque, which is recommended in Year 10. Since I had Writer's Inc, I scheduled a few select readings while waiting on the book by LaRocque to arrive.
While on the topic of writing, I have to share how much progress Jake has made with writing just over the past few weeks while using IEW's All Things Fun and Fascinating. I tried the IEW method last year with him, but he didn't get past simply writing from a key word outline with no "dress-ups". When a student is ready to learn a new concept or skill, it takes so little time (usually:) for them to get it and get going. That's exactly what is happening with Jake and the IEW writing this year. Whoohoo!!:)
After he talked to me about writing again, I took a longer look at the writing books that AO suggests for Years 9-11. Since Ambleside Online is working incredibly well for him in all other areas, I've decided to fully follow their writing recommendations.
I immediately pulled Writer's Inc., which is recommended for Year 9 *lite*, off our bookshelf. I also ordered The Book on Writing: the Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque, which is recommended in Year 10. Since I had Writer's Inc, I scheduled a few select readings while waiting on the book by LaRocque to arrive.
While on the topic of writing, I have to share how much progress Jake has made with writing just over the past few weeks while using IEW's All Things Fun and Fascinating. I tried the IEW method last year with him, but he didn't get past simply writing from a key word outline with no "dress-ups". When a student is ready to learn a new concept or skill, it takes so little time (usually:) for them to get it and get going. That's exactly what is happening with Jake and the IEW writing this year. Whoohoo!!:)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Whew...
We just ended our 2nd week of school. It was our first *full* week. We started a little slow, got into a good pace mid-week and ended on high note! Well....we did have a VERY slow start to the morning this morning, but when we all got to work we fell back into the groove nicely.
I've only had to change a couple of things so far this year. Usually I know within the first few weeks if something is probably not going to work out well. We might continue one with the program or book in question for a few weeks, just to make sure, but I usually have it pegged those first few weeks.
Zach, my 11th grader, LOVES the Uncle Eric series of books. He's reading his 3rd book from the series. It's the only Uncle Eric book I have schedule for the year. Early in the week, he asked me how many books are in the series and what their titles were. Once he got all the info on the entire series, he asked to read them all.
I'm taking the How to Win Friends and Influence People off the list for right now. It may end up on the list again later in the year, but for right now I'm going to replace that with more reading from the Uncle Eric series.
Another book I replaced was Six Easy Pieces, which is a good introduction to Physics. He just needs more math under his belt before tackling this one. I can hold off on that one until next year. Science Matters is the replacment at least for right now.
Jake, my 8th grader, is doing very well with everything I had planned for him. The only complaint was about Draw Squad. I had a feeling it would be too easy for him. I just ordered Artistic Pursuits Jr. High book one for him tonight. Maybe it will be just the right amount of new material for him.
I've only had to change a couple of things so far this year. Usually I know within the first few weeks if something is probably not going to work out well. We might continue one with the program or book in question for a few weeks, just to make sure, but I usually have it pegged those first few weeks.
Zach, my 11th grader, LOVES the Uncle Eric series of books. He's reading his 3rd book from the series. It's the only Uncle Eric book I have schedule for the year. Early in the week, he asked me how many books are in the series and what their titles were. Once he got all the info on the entire series, he asked to read them all.
I'm taking the How to Win Friends and Influence People off the list for right now. It may end up on the list again later in the year, but for right now I'm going to replace that with more reading from the Uncle Eric series.
Another book I replaced was Six Easy Pieces, which is a good introduction to Physics. He just needs more math under his belt before tackling this one. I can hold off on that one until next year. Science Matters is the replacment at least for right now.
Jake, my 8th grader, is doing very well with everything I had planned for him. The only complaint was about Draw Squad. I had a feeling it would be too easy for him. I just ordered Artistic Pursuits Jr. High book one for him tonight. Maybe it will be just the right amount of new material for him.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Weekly Report...Week 1
The big assignment for me, the homeschoolin' momma:), is to blog about our week at the end of each week. I think having this will bring joy to me after our homeschooling years are complete and will keep me accountable while in the middle of this journey. Hopefully, it will also be a blessing to some reader who's homeschooling middle and highschoolers:)
For this first weekly report, I'll keep it simple and just report what we did. Other weeks, you might get some stories about adventures we have.
Being the first week of the new school year, I scheduled a light load. Monday and Tuesday were very light. I added a bit more for the rest of the week. Next week is a full load week from the get-go!
11th grader:
-Math: Key to Fractions (about 5 1/2 hours total for the week...He works for 45 min., stops to check the work then makes corrections).
-Bible:
* Exodus Intro-ch. 3
*Shadow of the Almight ch. 1
*Mere Christianity part 1, ch. 1
-History:
*History of the Am. People about 5 pages
*Witch Hunt: The Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials: ch. 1
*Age of Revolution: about 8 pages (read 2x a week)
*John Adams biography 4 or 5 pages
-Literature:
*Count of Monte Cristo ch. 1-3 (read 3x a week)
*Scarlet Letter ch. 1 & 2
*Gulliver's Travels part 1, ch. 1
-Driver's Ed: TN Driver's Handbook ch. 1 & 2 (read and oral quizing)
-Government:
*Are You a Liberal, Conservative or Confused? ch. 1 & 2
*Miracle at Philadelphia 10 pages spread over 2 days
-Science:
*Short History of Nearly Everything 10 pages spread over 2 days
*Evolution: The Grand Experiment ch. 1
-Writing:
*Essay about experience working with Urban Ministries
*Free writing for 2 days
-PE: went to the gym 2x, worked out at home 1x
***He's 17 1/2yo and his maturity is showing this year so far:)
8th grader:
-Math: Worked about 3 1/2-4 hours total for the week.
-Bible:
*One Year Bible for Kids 4 days of readings
*But Don't All Religions Lead to God ch. 1
-History/Biography:
*George Washington's World about 15 pages of reading spread over 5 days
*Abigail Adams bio one chapter spread over 2 days
*Trial & Triumph read 1 chapter
-Literature:
*Kidnapped 2 chapters (read 2x a week)
*Age of Fable: one chapter
-Science:
*Food and Nutrition for Every Kid ch. 1-3 and SL activity pages
-Guitar: practiced daily
-PE: XC practice 3x (2 hours each)
***He'll be 14yo in a few weeks. 'Nuf said!LOL;)
For this first weekly report, I'll keep it simple and just report what we did. Other weeks, you might get some stories about adventures we have.
Being the first week of the new school year, I scheduled a light load. Monday and Tuesday were very light. I added a bit more for the rest of the week. Next week is a full load week from the get-go!
11th grader:
-Math: Key to Fractions (about 5 1/2 hours total for the week...He works for 45 min., stops to check the work then makes corrections).
-Bible:
* Exodus Intro-ch. 3
*Shadow of the Almight ch. 1
*Mere Christianity part 1, ch. 1
-History:
*History of the Am. People about 5 pages
*Witch Hunt: The Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials: ch. 1
*Age of Revolution: about 8 pages (read 2x a week)
*John Adams biography 4 or 5 pages
-Literature:
*Count of Monte Cristo ch. 1-3 (read 3x a week)
*Scarlet Letter ch. 1 & 2
*Gulliver's Travels part 1, ch. 1
-Driver's Ed: TN Driver's Handbook ch. 1 & 2 (read and oral quizing)
-Government:
*Are You a Liberal, Conservative or Confused? ch. 1 & 2
*Miracle at Philadelphia 10 pages spread over 2 days
-Science:
*Short History of Nearly Everything 10 pages spread over 2 days
*Evolution: The Grand Experiment ch. 1
-Writing:
*Essay about experience working with Urban Ministries
*Free writing for 2 days
-PE: went to the gym 2x, worked out at home 1x
***He's 17 1/2yo and his maturity is showing this year so far:)
8th grader:
-Math: Worked about 3 1/2-4 hours total for the week.
-Bible:
*One Year Bible for Kids 4 days of readings
*But Don't All Religions Lead to God ch. 1
-History/Biography:
*George Washington's World about 15 pages of reading spread over 5 days
*Abigail Adams bio one chapter spread over 2 days
*Trial & Triumph read 1 chapter
-Literature:
*Kidnapped 2 chapters (read 2x a week)
*Age of Fable: one chapter
-Science:
*Food and Nutrition for Every Kid ch. 1-3 and SL activity pages
-Guitar: practiced daily
-PE: XC practice 3x (2 hours each)
***He'll be 14yo in a few weeks. 'Nuf said!LOL;)
Sunday, August 7, 2011
2011-12 Plans
Two more years. Five more years. These are the years I have left to be the main educator in my sons' lives. Wow. How time has flown.
Zach is now an 11th grader and Jake is an 8th grader. I'm lovin' every minute of these ages and grades. Reading and discussing books with them is my favorite part of homeschooling!
I've been busy making plans for their first 12 week term. They have been doing some math and literature reading for the past two weeks. Monday, August 8th, we will add in history. Wednesday, we'll add in more classes. By the following week, I hope to have most classes up and going. Easing into the year slowly keeps us all from feeling so overwhelmed.
Zach will be using Ambleside Online's House of Education Year 9 *lite* with some substitutions here and there. Term 2 of AO's Year 4 is where Jake left off at the end of this past school year, so he'll start there.
Here's a sample of their Term 1 (12 weeks) daily schedule, which, of course, will be tweaked and tweaked when we get up and running!:)
Zach's line up...
Daily:
-Key to Algebra
Mon:
-ESV Study Bible (Exodus)
-History of the American People
-Draw Squad
-World's Greatest Composers (listen to 1 piece)
-German Demystified
-Count of Monte Cristo
-Driver's Ed.
-Fallacy Detective
-Short History of Nearly Everything
-Getting Started with Latin (book and website)
-Elegant Essay
Tues.
-ESV Study Bible (Exodus)
-Witch Hunt: The Salem Witch Trials
-Poets Corner (book and audio cd)
-German Demystified
-Scarlet Letter
-Driver's Ed.
-Are You a Liberal Conservative or Confused?
-Seven Pillars of Health
-Getting Started with Latin
-Elegant Essay
Wed.
-Shadow of the Almighty (Jim Elliot biography)
-Age of Revolution
-Draw Squad
-The World's Great Composers cd
-Count of Monte Cristo
-Driver's Ed. Online
-How to Win Friends and Influence People
-Short History of Nearly Everything
-Getting Started with Latin
Thurs.
-ESV Study Bible (Exodus)
-John Adams biography
-Poets Corner
-German Demystified
-Annotated Mona Lisa or The Gift of Music (alternate weeks)
-Gulliver's Travels
-Miracle at Philadelphia
-Evolution: The Grand Experiment
-Getting Started with Latin
-Elegant Essay
Fri.
-Mere Christianity
-Age of Revolution
-Count of Monte Cristo
-Driver's Ed.
-Six Easy Pieces (Physics Intro)
-Friday Free Write
-Driving practice: Every Saturday and Sunday for this first term.
-PE: Gym
-Cooking Skills: Learn to cook an entire meal (simple meal) from start to finish each month.
Jake's line up...
Daily:
-Math (lots of review and cementing some "holes" this first 12 week term)
-George Washington's World
-Megawords
-SL Science G
Mon-Thurs.
-The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos
-IEW's All Things Fun and Fascinating
Mon.
-Kidnapped
-Draw Squad
-World's Greatest Composers cd (listen to 1 piece)
Tues.
-Abigail Adams biography
-Usborne Book of Art
Wed.
-Robinson Crusoe
-Draw Squad
-World's Greatest Composers cd
Thurs.
-Tales from Shakespeare
-The Complete Book of Marvels: The Occident by Richard Halliburton
Fri.
-"But Don't All Religions Lead to God?" (bible)
-This Country of Ours or Trial and Triumph
-Friday Free Write
PE:
-Fall: Cross Country (while training for 1/2 marathon that's in October).
-Winter: Basketball
-Spring: 5K season (with dad)
It sure looks good on paper! We'll see how it all goes TOMORROW!:)
Zach is now an 11th grader and Jake is an 8th grader. I'm lovin' every minute of these ages and grades. Reading and discussing books with them is my favorite part of homeschooling!
I've been busy making plans for their first 12 week term. They have been doing some math and literature reading for the past two weeks. Monday, August 8th, we will add in history. Wednesday, we'll add in more classes. By the following week, I hope to have most classes up and going. Easing into the year slowly keeps us all from feeling so overwhelmed.
Zach will be using Ambleside Online's House of Education Year 9 *lite* with some substitutions here and there. Term 2 of AO's Year 4 is where Jake left off at the end of this past school year, so he'll start there.
Here's a sample of their Term 1 (12 weeks) daily schedule, which, of course, will be tweaked and tweaked when we get up and running!:)
Zach's line up...
Daily:
-Key to Algebra
Mon:
-ESV Study Bible (Exodus)
-History of the American People
-Draw Squad
-World's Greatest Composers (listen to 1 piece)
-German Demystified
-Count of Monte Cristo
-Driver's Ed.
-Fallacy Detective
-Short History of Nearly Everything
-Getting Started with Latin (book and website)
-Elegant Essay
Tues.
-ESV Study Bible (Exodus)
-Witch Hunt: The Salem Witch Trials
-Poets Corner (book and audio cd)
-German Demystified
-Scarlet Letter
-Driver's Ed.
-Are You a Liberal Conservative or Confused?
-Seven Pillars of Health
-Getting Started with Latin
-Elegant Essay
Wed.
-Shadow of the Almighty (Jim Elliot biography)
-Age of Revolution
-Draw Squad
-The World's Great Composers cd
-Count of Monte Cristo
-Driver's Ed. Online
-How to Win Friends and Influence People
-Short History of Nearly Everything
-Getting Started with Latin
Thurs.
-ESV Study Bible (Exodus)
-John Adams biography
-Poets Corner
-German Demystified
-Annotated Mona Lisa or The Gift of Music (alternate weeks)
-Gulliver's Travels
-Miracle at Philadelphia
-Evolution: The Grand Experiment
-Getting Started with Latin
-Elegant Essay
Fri.
-Mere Christianity
-Age of Revolution
-Count of Monte Cristo
-Driver's Ed.
-Six Easy Pieces (Physics Intro)
-Friday Free Write
-Driving practice: Every Saturday and Sunday for this first term.
-PE: Gym
-Cooking Skills: Learn to cook an entire meal (simple meal) from start to finish each month.
Jake's line up...
Daily:
-Math (lots of review and cementing some "holes" this first 12 week term)
-George Washington's World
-Megawords
-SL Science G
Mon-Thurs.
-The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos
-IEW's All Things Fun and Fascinating
Mon.
-Kidnapped
-Draw Squad
-World's Greatest Composers cd (listen to 1 piece)
Tues.
-Abigail Adams biography
-Usborne Book of Art
Wed.
-Robinson Crusoe
-Draw Squad
-World's Greatest Composers cd
Thurs.
-Tales from Shakespeare
-The Complete Book of Marvels: The Occident by Richard Halliburton
Fri.
-"But Don't All Religions Lead to God?" (bible)
-This Country of Ours or Trial and Triumph
-Friday Free Write
PE:
-Fall: Cross Country (while training for 1/2 marathon that's in October).
-Winter: Basketball
-Spring: 5K season (with dad)
It sure looks good on paper! We'll see how it all goes TOMORROW!:)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Ambleside Online Year 4
As Jake was finishing some of the books he started the year with, I began to think about "what's next" for him. I have to say that I like having a change of materials the last 1/3 of the year. Since starting these new books, I've noticed a renewed excitement for learning in Jake also.
He finished Story of the World II in February. I had planned SOTW III next for him, but kept being pulled toward American History instead of world history. The History of US by Joy Hakim came off my shelf first for him to try, since Zach had enjoyed reading most of this series when he was 14/15yo.
Studying indept American history was what Jake wanted, but his enthusiasm was quickly lost shortly after beginning HofUS book 1. He wasn't complaining about the book, but I was hoping the excitement he had for learning more about American history would continue, but instead it seemed to fizzle rapidly.
Since Zach has been using Ambleside Online's House of Education year 11 lite this year with great success, I began to read over the lower AO years. After much research and reading at the AO site, I decided to have him try AO year 4.
Over the past couple of weeks, he's been slowly adding the AO year 4 books to his daily schedule. Honestly, this child has NEVER been this excited to do his schoolwork until now! I'm hoping his excitement continues. Even better than his excitement for learning again is the fact that he IS *learning* SO much! His detailed narrations have been amazing, although best of all, there is excitement in his voice when he narrates. Written narrations have also improved over the past two weeks.
He's doing a slightly modified Year 4 Term 1 for our last 12 weeks of school. I've modified it so he can read everything himself, which is what he prefers. Listed below is what he's reading...
-History: This Country of Ours (TCOO)
-History Tales and/or Bio: Poor Richard & Trial and Triumph
-Geography: Minn of the Mississippi
-Litertature: D'Aulaire's Greek Myths, Amos Fortune Free Man and The Incredible Journey
(This is where most of the modifying is coming into play. He is just NOT ready *at all* for the regular year 4 literature selections, so instead I choose one book from the regular list, one book from the free reading list-which is always a list of easier to read books compared to the regular literature selections-and then D'Aulaire's Greek Myths instead of Age of Fable).
-Science: It Couldn't Just Happen
I honestly cannot tell you which of these books he enjoys the most. This is my struggling reader who is enjoying his readings!
He is reading TCOO, D'Aulaire's Greek Myths & It Couldn't Just Happen daily, but the rest of the books are read 2-3 times per week. Trial and Triumph is read only one time a week in place of bible reading (The One Year Bible for Kids) for that day since T&T is a church history book.
In addtion to these readings, he does a written narration in one subject reading daily and oral narration for the other subject readings. Then he alternates doing Megawords 3 times a week with an online English program the other 2 days. Oh, and of course there's daily math lessons. ALEKS Online is the math he's been using for the past almost 3 months.
He finished Story of the World II in February. I had planned SOTW III next for him, but kept being pulled toward American History instead of world history. The History of US by Joy Hakim came off my shelf first for him to try, since Zach had enjoyed reading most of this series when he was 14/15yo.
Studying indept American history was what Jake wanted, but his enthusiasm was quickly lost shortly after beginning HofUS book 1. He wasn't complaining about the book, but I was hoping the excitement he had for learning more about American history would continue, but instead it seemed to fizzle rapidly.
Since Zach has been using Ambleside Online's House of Education year 11 lite this year with great success, I began to read over the lower AO years. After much research and reading at the AO site, I decided to have him try AO year 4.
Over the past couple of weeks, he's been slowly adding the AO year 4 books to his daily schedule. Honestly, this child has NEVER been this excited to do his schoolwork until now! I'm hoping his excitement continues. Even better than his excitement for learning again is the fact that he IS *learning* SO much! His detailed narrations have been amazing, although best of all, there is excitement in his voice when he narrates. Written narrations have also improved over the past two weeks.
He's doing a slightly modified Year 4 Term 1 for our last 12 weeks of school. I've modified it so he can read everything himself, which is what he prefers. Listed below is what he's reading...
-History: This Country of Ours (TCOO)
-History Tales and/or Bio: Poor Richard & Trial and Triumph
-Geography: Minn of the Mississippi
-Litertature: D'Aulaire's Greek Myths, Amos Fortune Free Man and The Incredible Journey
(This is where most of the modifying is coming into play. He is just NOT ready *at all* for the regular year 4 literature selections, so instead I choose one book from the regular list, one book from the free reading list-which is always a list of easier to read books compared to the regular literature selections-and then D'Aulaire's Greek Myths instead of Age of Fable).
-Science: It Couldn't Just Happen
I honestly cannot tell you which of these books he enjoys the most. This is my struggling reader who is enjoying his readings!
He is reading TCOO, D'Aulaire's Greek Myths & It Couldn't Just Happen daily, but the rest of the books are read 2-3 times per week. Trial and Triumph is read only one time a week in place of bible reading (The One Year Bible for Kids) for that day since T&T is a church history book.
In addtion to these readings, he does a written narration in one subject reading daily and oral narration for the other subject readings. Then he alternates doing Megawords 3 times a week with an online English program the other 2 days. Oh, and of course there's daily math lessons. ALEKS Online is the math he's been using for the past almost 3 months.
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