Toddler school / Your baby can read

Have you seen those commercials for the "Your Baby Can Read" program? I was highly skeptical when I heard of it, and I still am, but I watched the whole info-mercial one day and it was pretty convincing. My main objection was that the kids are just memorizing the picture and/or word on the card, but then parents were shown introducing new words to the children, they could "read" the new words also, based on the phonics they had memorized from the previous words.

My husband also saw the commercial and suggested that we buy the program. I scoffed (like I always do when he wants to buy something from an info-mercial), and proceeded to tell him how - if I even wanted to do the program- I wouldn't buy it anyhow because it is fairly spendy and would be much cheaper just to make it myself. Its just cards, pictures, and a video (showing words and pictures of things). The program is based on the concept that kids learn best through a multi-media/multi-sensory approach.

Now, I don't think its necessary for a child to learn to "read" as a baby. But I do like the idea of multi-media/multi-sensory learning. It occurred to me that I could do something similar at home, without even buying anything new at all. I already had word cards (with removable pictures). I've already been teaching her sign-language with a Baby Signing Time dvd (not shown) and sign-language flash-cards. So, I figured I could be just as successful teaching her through a multi-media approach using my word cards (written word and picture), video (including her participation with the sign-language), and flash-cards (which show the word and the picture on one side and how to do the sign on the other side).

The thing is, 18 month old WakeLee loves playing "school" and I don't have any expectation of her learning to "read" at this stage, but extra learning doesn't hurt, and I really think the multi-media approach is really helping her learn the signs better. I can show her the picture and ask her to show me the sign. I can show her the sign and ask her to tell me what it means. I can show her the word (with picture) and ask her to tell me the name or sign (and I demonstrate sounding out the word).

Brag Alert

Its time for my annual bragging - if you don't like bragging, please avert your eyes!

We got Kendall's 5th grade standardized test scores today...she did really well. Something that is really nice is that they give a grade level equivalent in each category so you can tell what grade level they are actually working at at the time of the test:

Vocabulary- post-high school level
Reading Comprehension - halfway through 6th grade level
Spelling- halfway through 11th grade level
Language Mechanics- halfway through 12th grade level
Language Expression- post-high school level
Mathematics Computation- 9th grade level
Math Concepts- post-high school level
Study Skills- halfway through 6th grade level
Science- post-high school level
Social Studies- post-high school level

So, John and I were talking about how to improve her skill her "weaker" subjects and I realized that its a pretty bizarre to have when the scores for her "weak subjects" are still above grade level... I'm really lucky to have a student that picks things up easily - it really makes things easier for me!

15% off at JoAnn for teachers

I noticed a while back that JoAnn craft stores offer 15% discount cards for teachers (yes, they actually include homeschoolers, unlike many retailers!), but I didn't remember to sign up until today. Go to JoAnn.com and go all the way to the bottom of the site to find the link called "teacher rewards." Now, before you get frustrated by their statement that you must be a certified teacher and their request for an ID number, read a little further and you'll see that they also accept members of PEAH (which I'd never heard of, but apparently stands for "Parents Educating At Home"). I went to the site to see what joining entailed. Looks like they charge about $30 to print your own PEAH membership cards (uh, no thanks) - but never fear! There is a loophole!

Go to this page of the PEAH site- http://peah.com/joann.php* and if you state that you're a homeschooler and give a few pieces of info (name, home state, etc) they will give you a one-time code number to use for your PEAH number on the JoAnn registration page. They will also offer you a free newsletter and stuff like that, but thats optional of course. I filled out their form and then returned to JoAnn.com to submit my registration for a teacher discount card - no problems at all! (*you can also find a link to this same page on the JoAnn registration page for those who aren't PEAH members, so this is legit)

There is a note on the registration page of the JoAnn website that states that you may be asked to show proof of present current teacher identification to the store manager prior to first in-store purchase. I'm not sure what exactly that means for homeschoolers, since they aren't requiring PEAH membership for home educators to get the card. I guess I'll bring along a copy of my "declaration of intent to provide home-based instruction" form that the school district requires us to fill out every year and my homemade business cards in case there is any trouble.

Unit Studies

For a classic literature group that we're participating in (starting next week), we've been reading "The Song of Hiawatha"

Without intending to, reading and talking about the stories have led to other discussions. We've talked about our Chippewa heritage (related to some of legends) and how I visited Minnehaha Falls (discussed in several of the stories) during my mission to Minnesota.

That got me thinking about related enrichment activities that could be used to supplement her reading. Art projects (make a canoe like Hiawatha did, or draw a book cover)? Creative writing (a poem in the style of "Song of Hiawatha")?

"If you went to public school..."

Now there's a phrase you'll hear from time to time in our house, especially at back to school time, when jealously rears its ugly head.

"Yes, but if you went to public school, you....

• would have to get up earlier in the morning and go to sleep earlier at night
• would have to get dressed as soon as you woke up
• would have to do schoolwork even if you wanted to take a break
• would have to sit in a desk
• would have to be quiet and raise your hand if you wanted to talk
• would have to ask to go to the bathroom (thanks "Mean Girls" for pointing this one out)
• would be at school most of the day, then do homework & chores when you got home
• probably wouldn't get much one on one interaction with your teacher
• probably wouldn't be able to work ahead when you had mastered the material
• wouldn't get to watch TV at lunch time
• wouldn't get to do things during the day, like go grocery shopping or to the library

I could go on here, but you get the idea. I can rattle off a hundred reasons why she wouldn't like going to public school, but if I'm short on time I get right to the "deal-breaker" - the ultimate argument in favor of homeschool....

"You wouldn't be able to spend all day with your sister"

...and that puts an end to it!

When does school start?

We have school throughout the summer, though I have to admit that its a lot more casual than the rest of the year (and we're pretty casual to begin with). Having a baby that has just learned to crawl has made the usual annual planning more difficult that usual (I haven't exactly gotten around to it yet...). So, for the most part we've been doing book reports and reviewing math. If I have our real curriculum planned out by the time public school starts, then I'm "ok".

Since we started homeschooling, we've practiced dialogues that come up at this time of year. Well-meaning adults at grocery stores and in the neighborhood are always interested in talking to her about "back to school". At first, she didn't know how to answer their questions, which tended to make it kind of awkward. So, we practice. I ask things like, "Are you excited for school to start?" or "Do you like your new teacher?" so she has a chance practicing how to respond. These days, she has figured out that she can answer just about every question with "I'm homeschooled" (and then no further explaination, so I feel obligated to jump in with a cheerful "Ya, we have school all year round, but she's excited to start a new grade" or whatever is appropriate).

$9.00 worth of school supplies?

I've seen some Wal-Mart commercials that advertise school supplies and claim that you can get all of the school supplies you need for $9.00. Now wait a minute Wal-Mart - all the supplies for just $9.00? I've seen the school supply lists the school put out. $9.00? Is that for one day's worth of supplies? Well, I've seen those commercials dozens of times, but apparently didn't read between the lines well enough to understand that they mean "$9.00 each", as in each item. $9.00 back-packs, $9.00 t-shirts, $9.00 lunch-boxes, etc. I haven't been over to their school supply section yet, so I had to figure this out for myself on their website.


Some "factoids" I found on youthnoise.com when searching for info on the average back-t0-school costs for students:

Factoids: Back to School Costs
(It ain't cheap!)

• $483 • The average amount of money families with school aged children will spend on back to school items
• $219 on clothes
• $90 on shoes
• $73 on school supplies
• $101 on electronic/computer equipment

• $14,790,000,000 •The total amount parents/guardians will spend sending elementary and high school students back to school

I also found some "average" amounts that were even higher. Again, YIKES!