The Time4Learning program continues! This will be the second week, and the girls seem to like it so far. Madison is doing 8th grade math and she says it's about a perfect level; Ella is doing 5th grade math and *I'm* loving that, while she is not, not so much. Here's the reason: It's not the conceptual issues that present impediments, but the requirement for PRECISION. There are word problems in this that end up being addition or subtraction problems, but with the words spelled out in the hundred-billion range. ("There are seven hundred sixty-seven billion, four hundred thirty million and two grains of sand on this part of the beach, and three hundred four million... etc.") She doesn't get the problem right unless she gets it ALL right, and those sorts of problems present endless opportunities for tiny mistakes. If *I* were to be giving her the problems to help her practice precision, she would rebel, but the fact that the program gives them to her, and the fact that the computer-based reward is so cute when she gets them right, is really working for... well, it's really working for me.
The "Language Arts" (I must put "Language Arts" in scare quotes not because it's teaching illegitimate concepts but because it's such a silly way to refer to an English curriculum) section seems equally appropriate for each. I have Ella doing 4th grade and Madison doing 7th grade, and that seems to be working out. They're both liking the science part, and I have told them that if they want to do history for fun they may, but we're going to be doing Ancient History this year via two audio programs, so they needn't.
So, call it the lazy way of home schooling if you like, but as I'm going to be really REALLY busy this fall, I think it will work.
Math: Time4Learning supplemented by David's conceptual work with them
English: Time4Learning plus lots of reading as usual
Science: Time4Learning, plus U of R monthly classes, plus lots of discussion as usual
History: Ancient, two audio programs (Gretchen Riley and Scott Powell). We'll also do architecture units on ancient history.
Spanish: Visual Link Spanish
Writing: Madison's class will continue Wednesday afternoons
Karate: For both through December, then Ella will drop
Logic: Chess class at Rochester Chess Center
Acting: Probably a Shakespeare class at Spotlight Theatre Arts
Dance (for Ella): Musical Theater dancing at Spotlight Theatre Arts
Singing: Bach Children's Chorus
Music: Piano for both, Flute for Madison in Honeoye Falls, Viola for Madison at Hochstein
Computers: Programming here and there as usual, video editing, audio editing
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's time to start the day.
"Mariposario" means "butterfly sanctuary" in Spanish and is the name of our home school. My two little butterflies are Madison (10 1/2) and Ella (9). This blog records the minutiae of Madison and Ella's learning, mostly for me to keep records of progress, but also so that others can add their two cents.
2 comments:
I'm another one that has recently 'found' Time4Learning. I first saw it about three years ago but thought I would NEVER have my children doing an online curriculum. Then this past Spring it was either find something they could do independently for part of their day or check myself into the local mental hospital.
I was actually amazed that they liked it as much as they did and the big jumps they made in a couple of months.
We are mainly using it for Math and LA (reading comprehension and writing activities); grammar and spelling I'm still using workbooks. We're combining it with unit studies for science/history, except using T4L in those areas where it makes sense.
The only downside we have found is that the girls occasionally get bored working on the computer, so we do some games or paper activities for a few days and then they are ready to get back online again.
Amy
Thanks for the feedback, Amy! Glad to know I'm not alone in how I'm feeling about this.
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