Wow! Can't Believe They Did That

OUR AMAZING VIEW WHILE RUNNING ERRANDS

A two week review and rewind.

SPEED RACER's WEEK

12 yrs

BIRTHDAY PARTY
Yep, we celebrated his birthday with a whopping 10 kids to celebrate at a Dave & Buster's party. He was so happy to have that many friends party with him.

But the work doesn't stop. He even finished work on his birthday (which was during the week) so he could have fun at his party on Sunday.

STILL THE BABY 
*he fell asleep in our bed watching a movie*
It's times like this that make my heart swell knowing he's still my baby boy. Usually, he is the hardest kid to get to sleep. He hardly sleeps in his room. When he does, it's with the TV, game controller or he just crashes in the living room.

But this night, he slept like a baby next to me. I even was able to sneak a kiss.

Overall:  Sliding into 3 months of school! My gosh SPEED RACER is SO EFFICIENT at getting his work done these last two weeks.

HOW? Well ... bribery of course. He wants his brother's old Iphone 6. I told him he has to focus and finish his work daily without moving work to 'weekend homework'. He asked for a '3 strike' program. This child is very good at negotiating.

His TEMPER has been in check and he's actually been polite (maybe because his birthday party is around the corner - hum...)

CHALLENGES: Scheduling for all the sports has been a MONSTER these last few weeks. Now it's time for basketball (which I wasn't going to sign him up for). However, his dad and older brother are coaching. So...

We didn't get Friday's work done last week due to PARTIES and DISTRACTIONS, but no worries. We made Monday of this week 'Make Up work Day'. It's when we get off track and don't want to give up weekend activities to get back on schedule. This means I'll combine some assignments this week and cut out some 'floating classes' that include our online work.

Day Classes that he is doing Independently

(7am-8:30am) [MON and WED]
Landry Academy Classes [October Break started this Monday-this schedule is last week's]

Writing ER: is live on Monday's.  His grade is a solid C+, mainly because at times he gets lazy and does subpar work when I'm not looking over his shoulder or he knows I don't plan to check his work.

Python Programming is live on Wednesday's: He is getting better at finishing the assignments without his sister helping. He hates reading though, so we are working on him slowing down and reading the chapter assignments.

(8:30am-9am) Snack Break

(9 am-11am) DAILY Independent

Psychology, Sociology, Macro Econ, Physics and Information Systems (Study.com) he is getting into a easy rhythm with these classes. The quizzes and test are easier because now he either watches the video or 'speed reads' through the notes to get the information.

Body Language (Udemy) is 10 minutes a session and is only 5 sessions. I make him tell me what he's learned.

Online Classes takes 15 to 20 minutes
IXL (Language Arts - Review) is on Monday and Wednesday he is lazy with grammar, but scoring about 70 on his sessions before he stops.

Prodigy (Math Game - Basic Math Review) Tuesday and Friday I have to get him to time himself on this game. He enjoys it enough to not complain about doing it. I have it set to review Decimals, Fractions, Exponents, and Long Division which are his weak spots.

CTCMath (Algebra 1 - Supplement): on Monday and Friday. He does this before his Study.com work and says it helps him to understand or review anything that he didn't do well on with the Saxon/Dive lessons.It takes him about 30 minutes.


(11am-12:30am) [THU only] Online Live Class Independent
Landry Academy Classes [October Break started this Monday-this schedule is last week's]

Spanish live is on Thursday's: This teacher posted a Quizlet list for the kids to go over daily with homework. He started working through the list on Monday. He does a bit of the weekly homework a little each day.


(12:30-1:00pm) - lunch

(1pm-2pm) DAILY Independent

Membean (Vocabulary Builder) has helped him with his vocabulary and deciphering of words. He is still on Level 2.

Geometry (Teaching Textbooks as our Math Lab) he is on schedule and making higher grades in the 90s.

Ace Reader (Speed Reading & Comprehension) he is almost finish this tool. I will have to find him another Speed reading activity tool at this rate. We will probably use (7 Speed Reading after this completes)


(2pm-2:30pm) DAILY Independent


Copy work is doing Great Writer's Quotes in cursive, he writes so well in cursive and to think he's a lefty! It takes him 10 minutes

Wordly Wise he finishes these pretty quick and have been making between 75% and 85% on his test.

(2:30pm-3pm) Snack Break

Mom or Dad 'Assist' with these courses

(3pm-4:45pm) DAILY with Mom / Dad or Sibling assistance.
Geometry AbekaAcademy has him taking at least 2 quizzes a week and 1 test every other week. He is really learning to do proofs much better than his siblings. Also, he takes rather good notes.

Sequential Spelling  The daily test are going well. He knows the words but we will see how he does at the next test.

Algebra 1 (Saxon with DIVE dvds): The growth and solidification I see of his understanding has been amazing. The Abeka Alg 1 didn't work out as well it got advanced way to early. He does 4 lessons a week and has 1 test a week.

(5pm) Martial Arts  or Soccer
PE (Soccer & Martial Arts) I am ready for Soccer to be over. It seems we overbooked and the getting him to games has become stressful on Saturdays.


(6:15-6:30pm) 2 days a week with Mom / Dad or Sibling assistance.
3-minute devotional for guys is on Wednesday and Friday's. We now have allowed him to lead in nightly family prayer.

(7-7:30pm) Dinner

(7:30pm - 8:15pm) DAILY with Mom / Dad or Sibling assistance.
Chemistry his Abeka he did well on his open book quiz. I had to print out his formulas for him though.


(8:15pm-9:15pm) 3 or 2 days a week with Mom / Dad or Sibling assistance.
English Literature and American Literature He is doing a 'light' version of this class. I am not making him do the read outloads - yet. He does the assigned homework and test and quizzes. This actually has a grammar and language part to it so he does it for both classes - essentially getting a double teaching. It's working too.

Weekend Plans: Both CAP and YOUNG EAGLES programs were cancelled as was his SOCCER game.

Tiger Lilly's Week: High Schooler /Dual Enrolled 15 yrs old

All her classes are in full gear and we made some additions to her schedule.

CHALLENGES: So glad we are done with the Hackathon obligation. Calculus is proving difficult and I had to hire a tutor. Also, she is stumped with her Unity 3D class and I found a tutor for that course too.

Tiger Lilly has some distractions during the day. I haven't pinned them down, but she is still slipping on getting work done by Friday.

I haven't been checking her work daily, and that's one of the problems. So, back on track for mom.

(9 am-10:30am) DAILY
Landry Academy [October Break started this Monday-this schedule is last week's]
Network Pro she has class on TUESDAY . Her 'TESTOUT' is going well. The teacher just meets with the students and chats, but outside of that, testout is doing all the 'interactive teaching..

10:30am-11:30am - 2 days a week
Software Development class (Homeschool Class by mom) Udemy course (1) Learning Unity 3D by creating Games (2) Unity 3D Basics. Also, she gets 1 hour with her tutor. She watches the video, then takes 1 week to build the game. Also, she has to write a Framework Comparison Paper.

See the Light Art Class 2 days a week and now she has grown more in her art by using 'Perspective'.

11:30am-12:30pm- 3 days a week
Calculus with Saxon & Dive and CTCMath This is where she has a roadblock - on both! I employed her former math tutor who is now away at college as her tutor. I'll be paying her via paypal.

1:30pm-4:30pm- 3 days a week [Dual Enrolled College Courses with UMUC.edu]
Nutrition Just 2 more weeks left in this 8 week class. So far she's had lots of projects and a quiz every other week. There was a glitch with the quizzes and she had to email the teacher to correct it.

Relational Database Design Also on week 6. We are having problems connecting the Oracle SQL Developer. She had to call tech support to walk her through her account set up.

Technical Writing Finishing up week 6 of 8. Now she is writing a Technical White paper which is giving her some trouble with the alignment of pictures in the document.

Information Application Management This class just started. She is only 2 weeks in. They had her doing an excel budget project and several discussion post.

5pm-6:30pm - 3 days a week - PE
Soccer and Martial Arts . She basically quit soccer. So I am planning to add to her martial arts. She does go to the gym with her dad.

7pm-8:30pm - 4 days a week
Japanese she doesn't like the immersion CDs. So we are working on how she can get the immersion experience.

Build Video Game using Unity 3D It's an Udemy course. And she will be working with a tutor from IDTech to help her when she gets stuck creating her games.


8:30pm-9pm - 2 days a week
3-minute Devotional for Girls we are having some good conversations because of this.

WORKING PARENT's LOG

Meals I haven't had time to freezer prep meals, so we went to Sam's and Costco to buy meat that I just prepped every night.

Cleaning. This has been under control this past 2 weeks. It seems as though having company is a good way to encourage cleaning.

Work & Life Balance. Ahh! Catastrophic failure of our servers and databases at work meant - I HAD TO STAY LATE and RECOVER OUR SYSTEM on FRIDAY O_o (I am screaming inside). This type of problem rarely happens and when does it decide to happen? Just when I am ready to walk out the door for the weekend. Well, hubby came to the rescue and got off work in time to take the kiddos to their activities.

Lesson Planning. Updated it with the adding of some classes. Still on track.

Rest. Not good. I had a toothache and stayed up late watching movies with my husband.

Marriage Check Up. We are back on track. I started making his lunches again (I think he was jealous that I made lunch for my son and not him).

Method To Madness-Teaching Textbooks, Abeka and Saxon

Three Maths - One Challenge

My son started the school year doing a combination of Abeka (Core Curriculum) and Teaching Textbooks.

Here's My Challenges With Both
Then the curve ball with another - SAXON Math

Speed Racer's Starting Point:

*Triage and Sharpening in the below skills are needed*

Multiplication and Division Quick Recall

Fractions (Adding or Subtracting Mixed Numbers, Multiplying, Dividing)

Decimals (Multiplying and Dividing).

ABEKA MATH 6
Speed Racer uses this as his core Math Curriculum.

He watches the video instructor (this is his favorite class to watch) and does workbook 'seat work' with the class. Then every other day he has either a Speed Drill of old facts and 5-10 'homework' problems and homework. Truth be told I should've gotten him Math 5 since he isn't really ready for 6th grade math.

We are 50 days into these lessons and for Abeka Academy.

Findings:
- He can't 'cheat' the system
- What he doesn't know is easily revealed in (1) the speed drills (2) the homework (3) the hand written quizzes and test
- He can call the video teacher or speak to a tutor provided by Abeka Academy when he gets stuck

TEACHING TEXTBOOK 6
Speed Racer uses this as his supplemental Math Curriculum.

This he does completely independent.

I check his scores everyday when I get home. He's been scoring 70s and 80s.

We are 86 days into this curriculum as he was doing it for summer.


Findings:
- My kid found a way to'cheat' the system
- What he doesn't know is  not easily revealed unless I (1) disable the calculator function on the computer (2) keep a watchful eye on his scoring - which questions he got wrong or right

I'm putting this curriculum aside for Summer Learning since he isn't retaining his math facts from it. It's too easy for him to 'cheat' the program and neither one of us likes their book that much. It's not helping him to master some core concepts.

SAXON MATH 6/5
This will be Speed Racers NEW Core Math...

Saxon! Boy have I heard mixed reviews on this one. However, after realizing my Speed Racer had problems with his core math facts - memorization or knowing the answers cold, I thumbed through a friend's copy of this Math curriculum she swears by. We are using Math 6/5 which means it's for an average 6th grader and an advanced 5th grader. We got the paperback bound books so my kid who hates writing can write directly on the page the answers to the problems.

He does bulk at the number of problems he has to do:

(1) Math Drills (50 to 100 problems) timed - takes him about 5 to 10 min.

(2) Mental Math Practice - another 5-10 problems - takes about 5 min with me.

(3) New Lesson Practice where he and I read the lesson direction and he does problems in the lesson review: 25-30 problems - takes another 30 min.

It is recommended that the child complete ALL problems for the best success. This though may be the reason lots of parents and kids 'hate' it. However, this was the way I learned math when I was a kid and it worked wonders for me. Not only that, it solidifies his learning.

There is a test every 10 lessons.

We are 15 days into this curriculum and - HE IS MASTERING HIS FACTS. A great improvement. Whew!

Findings:
- My kid can't cheat this system.
- He finishes it and with each lesson I see him doing it faster (although he complains) so I time him.
- I do make him finish all the questions - but we break it up during the day. He does the Drills and mental math sections in the morning, then after snack/lunch he finishes the new lesson after his favorite class - reading.



OVERALL MATH with HIGH SCHOOL

and ELEMENTARY

SAXON gets it done and goes all the way up to CALCULUS

ABEKA is very RIGOROUS and triage is difficult for younger grades. The upper grades in HIGH SCHOOL Algebra is VERY challenging, but on par with SAXON.

TEACHING TEXTBOOKS is a 'light' math curriculum, good as a supplement if you have plans for your kid to enter engineering or science fields - try one of the above maths (SAXON or ABEKA). The Algebra 1 and 2 is 'very' light compared to the other two curriculums.

CTCMath.com is a REALLY good option to TEACHING TEXTBOOKS as it offers SPEED DRILLS, ALL GRADES up to CALCULUS and is online with parental controls.

 

BENEFITS TO USING 2 TYPES OF MATH CURRICULUMs?
Or Even Changing Them.

It's easy to find places where your child is having the most challenges.

There is no 'perfect' one fits all Math Program out there. So build one of your own.

Using both has shown me the 'strength of each'.

We still use supplements like XtraMath.com and flashcards just to mix things up.


WEEKLY WRAP UP

Tiger Lilly is really cramming for her CLEP test in English COMPOSITION. I really hope she passes it. So I've been timing her on essay writing, having her take sample test, and reviewing her flashcard memorization progress.

Her other classes we cut back on since we are using a 'block schedule' it works well with moving around stuff.

Speed Racer had a mini-tantrum (pouting & tossing himself around - at 11 yrs old - really! Sigh.) while working with his sister Rose. So, he had to recite the CALM DOWN list 2 times that day and spend some time doing jumping jacks while reflecting. After that, he was back on track. His scheduled subjects have had a bit of a change around, but he adjusted fine.

Report Cards were given to the kids. Overall both are doing well, but there are areas of needed improvement (mainly for me to find what works best for them). I asked them to advise mom/dad (teachers) on how we can make them successful in some of their more challenging subjects. Speed Racer needed better direction in (Math & Spelling). Tiger Lilly wanted a more interactive Language program and wanted out of Abeka Spanish because she doesn't have a 'passion' for that language. So we updated her Japanese and added French.

WORKING PARENT's LOG

Meals. Didn't do grocery shopping on Sunday or meal planning. So...did some of it on Monday while my home helper (sister Rose) ran the kiddos to their sports.Then I sent hubba to the store on Tuesday to get the things I forgot (he was happy since I took over his evening of schooling to send him on the errand). I planned plain ole meat with veggie meals for the week. One crockpot dish and rice as a side.

Cleaning. Still haven't had a chance to wash my clothes. However, the kids close are somewhat caught up (still have 4 loads). I did wash clothes during 'schooling hours' and put on the 'baby monitor' that lets me make sure the kids are still on task when I cleaned the upstairs bathrooms.

Work & Life Balance. A bit off kilter since I am working extra hours to be off early next week. So getting up at the ungodly hour of 3:45am to work a few extra hours for the week while getting off work by 2pm to start school is madness.

Lesson Planning. Had to rework courses on my excel spreadsheet for them, but that went well. I only did a week in advance though since I will be rolling off some of the online courses for the kids that end soon.

Rest. So, this I'm doing better now since my Hubba is taking his night shift with the kids back over. I get to bed at 10pm (as long as I don't get side-tracked working on my side-business). Except on Tuesday. A bedtime at 6 hours a night has been doing wonders for my complextion and disposition. Also, I do sneak in a 30 min. power nap 3 days a week while the kids are at their sports. Even so, I must not be getting all the sleep I need since I am sleeping in until 11am on Saturdays. But hey, I'm not complaining.