Posts by domesticidyll

Can you look at the state's standardized testing? Our state has tests available online, which was helpful to me as a homeschooler to catch things I wouldn't otherwise have. For example: DS didn't recognize the drawings of coins,...

Key to Geometry was one of my favorite math books as a child. I loved historical cover illustrations and the discovery method, but I especially loved all the white space on the page. To me, that was much better than paragraphs of...

As hard as this may feel, I'd plan in small increments. It's hard to predict when the leaps will happen, and what direction their interests will take.   Off the top of my head, a few things we've liked that would work at that...

My hypnobirth instructor told me she always goes up with her heart full of compassion for the mother, and says, "Some days are really hard, aren't they?" She tries to do it in a way that's genuinely wanting to offer non-judgemental...

Or, there's always the Lucy Van Pelt approach:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZEmxby8g8A   (Sorry, OP, I don't mean to make light of the teacher's crummy response. Do you think that she wants him to already know...

The piece that was most helpful for us to bring to school officials was proof of mastery of a particular set of learning objectives, even though my own understanding of learning is broader. "Achieved 95 percent on a 5th grade exit...

As far as what kind of math to do, I think Miranda and Geofizz are right on, both in terms of getting interesting mathy math and in terms of working alongside rather than in advance of the curriculum. I'm taking notes on both of those...

Weaving, clay, felting, painting classes might be good outside of class. DD likes sewing with a plastic needle and yarn through screening or burlap. I wouldn't send little tiny beads into a kinder classroom, but some kind of workbook...

"Real growth is social" could be code for a number of things. Does the teacher see her as a child who has a lot to learn socially? (Struggles with peers/struggles with classroom setting?) Does the teacher see her enjoying time with...

Really interesting. That's been my sense, that it's not art in itself that is a consuming passion, but intensity expressing itself in art. It's hard for me to know, though, which intensities to feed, and how. (At this age, DS wanted...