Melissa in Maine
Wendy Silver
Hi,
I also have an 8 year old daughter. History, geography are easy subjects
to pick up just about anywhere one goes. Hikes, walks around town, trips to
the zoo, science centers, historical monuments, the news, American Girl
books,any historical story book, etc.
Grab a map at the zoo, mall, museum, amusement park, wherever. If you are
using directions to go somewhere, see if she will help you by reading the
directions as you drive. I print maps at mapquest.com when I go places, and
my daughter likes to help read and get us to where we need to go. Scavenger
hunt around the neighborhood.
A favorite game at my house lately- I take prisoners, usually a stuffed
animal, so the young spies (I also have a 6 year old) can go to work. I
usually tie up a teddy bear,or hide a surprise, and make a map and clues.
At the request of my husband, I tested my daughter last year, and with no
formal instruction, she scored very well just from living.
I hope this makes some sense, I am so sleepy!
Wendy Silver
wew99@...
I also have an 8 year old daughter. History, geography are easy subjects
to pick up just about anywhere one goes. Hikes, walks around town, trips to
the zoo, science centers, historical monuments, the news, American Girl
books,any historical story book, etc.
Grab a map at the zoo, mall, museum, amusement park, wherever. If you are
using directions to go somewhere, see if she will help you by reading the
directions as you drive. I print maps at mapquest.com when I go places, and
my daughter likes to help read and get us to where we need to go. Scavenger
hunt around the neighborhood.
A favorite game at my house lately- I take prisoners, usually a stuffed
animal, so the young spies (I also have a 6 year old) can go to work. I
usually tie up a teddy bear,or hide a surprise, and make a map and clues.
At the request of my husband, I tested my daughter last year, and with no
formal instruction, she scored very well just from living.
I hope this makes some sense, I am so sleepy!
Wendy Silver
wew99@...
[email protected]
On Fri, 7 Dec 2001 02:28:53 -0500 "Wendy Silver" <wew99@...>
writes:
remember is that she doesn't have to learn any history or geography this
year, or next year, or for a long time.... I finally learned where all
the US states are a couple of years ago, when we found this game at the
thrift store called State to State that she wanted to play over and
over...
I've noticed that Cacie seems to learn what would traditionally be a few
year's worth of knowledge in the schools all at once, or at least in a
big burst. A really simple example - I know that in the state standards
for ths state where we live, they have a standard in 1st grade for adding
2 digit numbers with regrouping, then in the 2nd grade it's 3 digit
numbers, then I think the 4th is 5 digit numbers... maybe the third is
when they add 3 different multi-digit numbers... I don't remember
exactly, but it was all chopped up. So, Cacie figured out how to add
numbers in her head when she was pretty little, like 4 or 5, and she
could easily add any 2 digit numbers, and if she was motivated she could
add any 3 digit numbers that way, and sometimes she used tricks to do
larger numbers but basically, something like 45,678 + 32,967 would be
beyond what she knew or wanted to attempt. It wasn't really a problem,
except for scorekeeping in games, especially games with big number, like
Life. But, okay, I scorekept those.
A few months ago she started getting curious about the way I added the
numbers - the traditional way, carry the tens, all that. She asked me to
show her what I was doing - she already understood the basic idea,
because she added in her head, so when I explined that this one meant one
ten, and all that, she got it. Still, writing down anything was not
something she wanted to be doing, so she never really tried it herself.
Then in September, we spent a looong time in an airport, and we were
playing 5 Crowns and she asked to keep the score. I saw her carefully
writing out the numbers and then adding "my way", carrying the tens over,
rather than doing it all in her head. On the way home, she asked me to
write some more "plusses" for her to figure out, and I would write 2 or
3, and she would gleefully solve them all and ask for bigger ones, harder
ones. By the end of the trip I was writing 10+ digit numbers for her to
add, and she had it down pat. I also started writing 3 or more numbers
for her to add, to see if she could figure out that sometimes you would
carry a 2, or a 3, and she had no problem with it.
So, here she was at 8, starting out at the beginning of the week doing
what kids in first grade are expected to do, and ending the week by doing
things a lot of schoolkids her age wouldn't be able to do. That seems to
be how it goes with a lot of things, she gets interested and learns
things in big chunks.
Dar
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.
writes:
> Hi,subjects
> I also have an 8 year old daughter. History, geography are easy
> to pick up just about anywhere one goes. Hikes, walks around town,trips to
> the zoo, science centers, historical monuments, the news, AmericanI have an 8 yr old daughter, too, and one of the things that I try to
> Girl books,any historical story book, etc.
remember is that she doesn't have to learn any history or geography this
year, or next year, or for a long time.... I finally learned where all
the US states are a couple of years ago, when we found this game at the
thrift store called State to State that she wanted to play over and
over...
I've noticed that Cacie seems to learn what would traditionally be a few
year's worth of knowledge in the schools all at once, or at least in a
big burst. A really simple example - I know that in the state standards
for ths state where we live, they have a standard in 1st grade for adding
2 digit numbers with regrouping, then in the 2nd grade it's 3 digit
numbers, then I think the 4th is 5 digit numbers... maybe the third is
when they add 3 different multi-digit numbers... I don't remember
exactly, but it was all chopped up. So, Cacie figured out how to add
numbers in her head when she was pretty little, like 4 or 5, and she
could easily add any 2 digit numbers, and if she was motivated she could
add any 3 digit numbers that way, and sometimes she used tricks to do
larger numbers but basically, something like 45,678 + 32,967 would be
beyond what she knew or wanted to attempt. It wasn't really a problem,
except for scorekeeping in games, especially games with big number, like
Life. But, okay, I scorekept those.
A few months ago she started getting curious about the way I added the
numbers - the traditional way, carry the tens, all that. She asked me to
show her what I was doing - she already understood the basic idea,
because she added in her head, so when I explined that this one meant one
ten, and all that, she got it. Still, writing down anything was not
something she wanted to be doing, so she never really tried it herself.
Then in September, we spent a looong time in an airport, and we were
playing 5 Crowns and she asked to keep the score. I saw her carefully
writing out the numbers and then adding "my way", carrying the tens over,
rather than doing it all in her head. On the way home, she asked me to
write some more "plusses" for her to figure out, and I would write 2 or
3, and she would gleefully solve them all and ask for bigger ones, harder
ones. By the end of the trip I was writing 10+ digit numbers for her to
add, and she had it down pat. I also started writing 3 or more numbers
for her to add, to see if she could figure out that sometimes you would
carry a 2, or a 3, and she had no problem with it.
So, here she was at 8, starting out at the beginning of the week doing
what kids in first grade are expected to do, and ending the week by doing
things a lot of schoolkids her age wouldn't be able to do. That seems to
be how it goes with a lot of things, she gets interested and learns
things in big chunks.
Dar
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.
Diane
> So, here she was at 8, starting out at the beginning of the week doingThat's what I've been sitting here thinking should be added! Kids learn kind
> what kids in first grade are expected to do, and ending the week by doing
> things a lot of schoolkids her age wouldn't be able to do. That seems to
> be how it goes with a lot of things, she gets interested and learns
> things in big chunks.
of like they grow. They stay sort of the same and then eat everything in
sight and shoot up--not at all like the charts in the doctors' offices. They
tend to learn like that, too--sit and read, or build, or draw--whatever they
do--for months and then suddenly multiply, write, read (if they hadn't) or
whatever.
--Diane
Lori
I get the digest version of Unschooling, and I save
them til I have a block of time to read , so I'm
catching up for December--now that it's Jan. 1!
Perhaps you've already found this out, and I missed
the loop, but hsing in Maine is not difficult. I live
in Waterford, ME, and I unschool my 13 yo and will be
"official" next year when my 6 yo becomes 7, the legal
age for schooling in Maine.
Maine does not require testing. It is optional at
grades 4,8, and 11. Most of the hs groups(and there
are secular and religious, curriculum oriented and
unschooling groups) have a certified teacher review
whatever the parent/child chooses to submit as
evidence of "educational progress" and sign a letter
to that effect. Most of the time at the "annual
review" is spent trading ideas about what the children
have been enthusiastic about.
175 days of "learning" are required between Sept. 1
and Aug 31 of the following year. You submit your
"letter" after the porfolio review, along with your
application for the following school year. This year,
I lost my application so I just downloaded it.
Melissa may write privately if I can be of further
help,so as not to bog down the list.
Lori
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
http://greetings.yahoo.com
them til I have a block of time to read , so I'm
catching up for December--now that it's Jan. 1!
Perhaps you've already found this out, and I missed
the loop, but hsing in Maine is not difficult. I live
in Waterford, ME, and I unschool my 13 yo and will be
"official" next year when my 6 yo becomes 7, the legal
age for schooling in Maine.
Maine does not require testing. It is optional at
grades 4,8, and 11. Most of the hs groups(and there
are secular and religious, curriculum oriented and
unschooling groups) have a certified teacher review
whatever the parent/child chooses to submit as
evidence of "educational progress" and sign a letter
to that effect. Most of the time at the "annual
review" is spent trading ideas about what the children
have been enthusiastic about.
175 days of "learning" are required between Sept. 1
and Aug 31 of the following year. You submit your
"letter" after the porfolio review, along with your
application for the following school year. This year,
I lost my application so I just downloaded it.
Melissa may write privately if I can be of further
help,so as not to bog down the list.
Lori
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
http://greetings.yahoo.com