www.ecoledesmax.com

my kids got a subscription through the french school , wonderful selection of french picture books that m kids love . the site helps with extensions and more activities for the books .
viv

thank you so much for your update lindsay . I f i can ask you and other parents you mentioned you are reading Narnia with your six years old . Could you tell me please which version of narnia books your child is reading . i do have the chronicles of narnia which my eldest daughter read ( 15 ) , the print is quite small , very little black and white illustrations . I am wondering if there are better unbridged versions more wuitable for young readers .
xx
viv

daddude do you use window version of super memo ?? or ipad ??
viv

this thread is very important to me . My six years old ( same age like H ) can read and you often see her flipping through a book but her choice like H is the simpler short picture books , or the usborne illustrated series . She picks so many chapter books from the bookstore , we have a big colleciton , also some kindle books , magic tree house books , raol dahl , rainbow fairies, those are very easy readers for her but she won't read them on her own , she tells me i am waiting for you mama so we can read together , i read few pages you read few . I didn't mind doing this before , but now i like to spend more time reading with her younger brother 3 years old and she is happy sitting with us and listening to me reading , when i know it is true what manda said she is not wasting her time and still learning but i like her also to spend this time reading to herself and learning new stuff in her reading on various subjects .I don't know if i have to make her do it , or it will come when she is ready and just continue what we are doing now .
She does lots of independent reading with various curriculum we are reading like first language lessons , writing with ease , story of the world , she is happy reading those short selections , then follows it with narration , but still she needs me as audience and i doubt she would just read it on her own and carry on the exercises .
viv

i also checked with our post office and found out postcards would cost me more as postcards than if i put few in an envelope and send . Also because i really wanted to send more than one to a family . i hope the ones i sent arrived . I also didn't here from the other side if they receieved them or not . Manda ?? did you get anything from Gambia ??
viv

If you are looking for the BEST DEALS ON THE PLANET for award-winning math curriculum,check out this page :
!http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool-math-curriculum/

hope it can help somebody
viv

good to hear from you Tamsyn .
A big chunk of my time still goes to my specialneed quadriplegic daughter which recieves from me intensive therapies , added to daily regular care , feeding . She is a super smart young girl doman was great success for her but physically it is like caring for a 3 months old .
don't worry about peter writing ,i did with tina and now i laugh and decided to be more relaxed with matti .Tina never sat with a pen and paper , i had an easel for her and she would scribble draw , write, well she always said mama look i am drawing my letters  on the easel , i often got the camera out and took photos of her work so i can have something to remember from her work . SHe had a very close friend who went to school , completely different character, at the french school they focus so much on coloring in and graphism , and writing , a child would have amazing handwriting by six but probably still doesn't understand what he is writing   ,...she was a quiet little girl happy to sit and make puzzles , color in beautifully . Tina is very physical , vocal , great reader . i found those girls complement eachothers , her mum would say i pray that T ( my daughter )would encourage Z ( the friend ) to speak and read ,... i hoped Z 's company would calm down my daughter inspire her to do more table work puzzles , writing ,...
hmmm they will both choose a beatiful picture to draw , girls love princesses right , Z would sit and put in beautiful details my girl would grab one color pencil color in and shouts mum i am done can we go on the trampoline now ,

fast forward , age 5 i was desperate wanted to teach tina to write , i mean she could write all her letters , she has amazing narrative skills , i tell you this girl can talk , but when she writes a word would fill a whole page . i just bought a full sheet of plywood , painted it with chalkboard paint and made a massive chalkboard on our veranda , i spent few minutes every day while playing ( she likes to play teacher  modelling writing letters . After discussing with a french teacher , i decided since she is a reader already , i don't need to work on her perfecting her print and work with cursive instead . She could see her other friends writing in cursive and she herself was attracted to this beautiful style of writing.
I cannot tell you how it happened but honestly like alight bulb turned on in her head , a friend came visiting from canada and got her a very nice fairy coloring book , i always felt those coloring books are wasted in her hands , not this time , i had to ask her to stop , she would sit for hours working on all those small details wiht so many different colors . by this time we were already reading french from book that uses lots of cursive writing , we already went through many lessons but skipped the workbook because i felt she is not ready , when i saw her sudden interest in writing i photocopied the workbook and gave it to her , and you cannot believe it it is the first thing she asks for in the morning , and i mean it is not just alphabet writing book , it is advanced second grade work with comprehension grammar ,... all i had to do is print a page with the alphabet in both print and cursive and laminated . she used it as reference if she didn't know how to write some letters , but now when i ask her if she needs it she says no . She is now doing all her work english and french in cursive , she has beautiful handwriting .
the only thing i introduced was not writing worksheets but a special book recommended by a mum who created a blog about teaching boys. the book is : write from the start , i highly recommend this book . it doesn't have you trace letters instead gives you series of exercises mostly drawing that would help develop perceptual skills to lead to good handwriting . there are two books , we worked half way through the first one , and of course not unusual in our house we dropped it completely , i think her taking off with writing and us spending more time doing it made us stop this book , but this week i was flipping through it and decided to continue from where we stopped , i thought it would be something to keep her busy with while i am working withe the other kids .
i really recommend this book . you should check it out .
hmm this post turned out to be a post about writing , will write some more later about my struggle teaching more than one and the crazy ideas i am coming up with , like sending one to preschool for half a day , giving me a chance to focus on one in the morning , then work with the other after school , crazy i know , i love the time they spend together , their bond , the way they play , how unfair would be for the one sent away , because i do know the little they are getting with me is still much more than what they could get in available schools around us .
I try to do it like you start with easy readers simple books then once the little one goes for his nap read more interesting chapter books with Tina . Unfortunatly our little man decided he is too big for naps now and reading before nap can drag for ever , taking away what used to be precious teachable time for Tina ,
which brings me to reading and hope mums of older kids join in the thread .she is an amazing reader and she is capable of reading chapter books , but she still prefers to go for short illustrated versions , and only read chapter books with mama , taking turn i read one chapter she reads the next one , she would be in tear when i tell her i need to stop and encourage her to carry on if she really wants , she won't she would prefer to wait so we can read together . i just miss the long hours we used to sit and read and how much material we could go through . We are still reading but considering i have to read two sets of books different interests, different level ,.. i feel we are doing so much less . i feel bad when she waste an hour sitting around listening to me reading simple stories for her brother when she could be using her time in a better way . She does read for him some though .
and talking about school , you often hear me threatening them with sending them to school if they don't work with me  i know it is bad i made it sound like going to school is a punishment , i will be in trouble if the day comes and i would really need to put them in school . She is six and on our agenda : history , geography, science, spelling , grammar, french , writing and narration , math ... i am just unable to fit all of it anymore during little brother nap , or early morning before he wakes up . I set up some school time for her but little bro sudenly becomes loud demanding my attention and hers , physically holding us by our hands to come and see what science experiment he is doing , what lego house he built ... or he doesn't stop chatting loudly with us. So poor tina doesn't have quiet peaceful time to focus on her work , not sure how bad this is for her learning but i know myself i am unable to teach in loud chaotic environment which my little boy is able to produce . We tried working in the evening when papa comes from work and can take care of little brother , tina found it unfair that she doesn't get to do things with dad when he comes from work and has to do school  instead .
woops electricity went off , will continue venting later. looking forward for more on this please xxx viv

Anna the website says there is hands on equatioon for ipad .
viv

i got this today in my inbox . many of you know Erica from confession of a homeschooler and her amazing expedition earth curriculum , her preschool letter of the week curriculum , and many others she created and shared on her blog with the hoomeschool community .. SHe with few others homeschoolers are offring a big bundle of many interesting ebook titles worht over 300 dollars for only 25 dollars . I copied and pasted all the details in to this post. enjoy :


http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/08/ihomeschool-omnibus-bundle.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConfessionsOfAHomeschooler+%28Confessions+of+a+Homeschooler%29

It’s finally here! The iHomeschool eBook Omnibus! See below for all of the juicy details!

omnibus-laptop-500

 

Click here to get your bundle before time runs out!

…  …
Omnibus: a book containing reprints of a number of works
French, from Latin, for all, dative plural of omnis, a combining form meaning "all," used in the formation of compound. First known use: 1829


 
What is the Homeschool eBook Omnibus?

A digital stockpile of books to carry you through the school year with encouragement and practical how tos. There are 53 eBooks in the collection, valued at over $350. The authors want to bless you by offering the entire collection for only $25. That is less than 50-cents per eBook.
How long will this sale last, exactly?

The sale will begin at 12:01am ET on Tuesday, August 21st and end at midnight on Saturday, August 25th.
What eBooks will I receive?

    Truth in the Tinsel : written by Amanda White from Impress Your Kids

    Pursuit of Proverbs 31 : written by Amy Bayliss from Cajun Joie de Vivre

    Road Trip USA Geography & History Curriculum : written by Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler

    Expedition Earth: A Journey Through God’s World : written by Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler

    Boyschooling: The Fine Art of Homeschooling Boys : written by Jamerrill Stewart from Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling

    Notebooking Success : written by Jimmie Lanley from Notebooking Fairy

    Essay Tune Up : written by Jimmie Lanley from Jimmie’s Collage

    Designing Your Language Arts Curriculum : written by Jimmie Lanley from Jimmie’s Collage

    Weekly Homeschool Planner : written by Jolanthe Erb from Homeschool Creations

    Simply Homeschool: Having Less Clutter and More Joy in Your Homeschool : written by Karen DeBeus from Simply Living…for Him

    How to Have Your Cake and Eat It : written by Mandi Ehman from Life, Your Way

    Back to HomeSchool : written by Misty Krasawski from Encouraging Beautiful Motherhood

    31 Days to a Better Spouse : written by Ashley Pichea from Ashley Pichea.com

    What Your Child Needs to Know When : written by Robin Sampson from Heart of Wisdom

    Plan It, Don’t Panic : written by Stephanie Langford from Keeper of the Home

    Advanced Penny Pinching : written by Tabitha Philen from Meet Penny

    So, You Think You Wanna Homeschool? : written by Tiffany Manley from Sweet Phenomena

    Mindset for Moms : written by Jamie Martin from Steady Mom

    The Classic Housewife’s ABC’s of Eclectic Homeschool : written by Amber Oliver from Classic Housewife

    Homeschooling with Purpose : written by Amy Roberts from Raising Arrows

    Organize Your Homeschool : written by Bethany LeBedz from Bethany LeBedz.com

    Homeschool Your Preschooler on $1 a Day : written by Cheryl Moeller from Mom Laughs

    Aunt Sarah’s Alaskan Cookbook with curriculm : written by Cheryl Moeller from Mom Laughs

    NaturExplorer: A Fungus Among Us : written by Cindy West from Our Journey Westward

    ABCs of Encouragement : written by Dawn Perkins from The Momma Knows

    Classic Literature Unit Study Mega Pack : written by Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler

    51 Frugal Father-Daughter Dates : written by Ashley Pichea from Ashley Pichea.com

    Help for Heart of the Homeschool Mom : written by Jamerrill Stewart from Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling

    Planner Perfect eBook : written by Jenny Penton from Planner Perfect

    Circle Time: Plan the Best Part of Your Day : written by Kendra Fletcher from Preschoolers and Peace

    Nurturing Creativity : written by Renee Tougas from FIMBY

    Princess Training for the King’s Glory : written by Richelle McFarlin from Under the Golden Apple Tree

    Cut Your Homeschool Day in Half : written by Tamara Chilver from Teaching With TLC

    321 Stop: Stop Running and Start Living : written by Lorilee Lippincott from Loving Simple Living

    Girl Power, God’s Way: Living Out Biblical Womanhood : written by Angela Parsley from Refresh My Soul Ministries

    Managing Multiple Ages in the Homeschool : written by Christine Field

    Preplan for Your Best Homeschool Year Ever : written by Bethany LeBedz from Bethany LeBedz.com

    Blogger Behave : written by Laura Booz from 10 Million Miles

    K4 Curriculum : written by Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler

    Letter of the Week : written by Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler

    Lexi’s Homeschool Diary (a novel) : written by Cheryl and MacKenzie Moeller from Mom Laughs

    Baby Saves Christmas (a novel) with curriculum : written by Cheryl Moeller from Mom Laughs

    Counting and Numbers Notebooking Pages : written by Melissa Telling from Lilliput Station

    Geometry Notebooking Pages : written by Melissa Telling from Lilliput Station

    Honoring the Rhythm of Rest : written by Daniele Evans from Domestic Serenity

    Copywork for McGuffeys Eclectic Primer : written by Amy Maze from Living and Learning at Home

    File Folder Games : written by Lauren Hill from Mama’s Learning Corner

    Training Your Children in Home Economics : written by Angie Kauffman from Many Little Blessings

    Bedtime Learning Book : written by Richelle McFarlin from Under the Golden Apple Tree

    The Ugly Duckling : written by Richelle McFarlin from Under the Golden Apple Tree

    Hands-On Learning: Cross-Curricular Projects to Make Learning Come Alive! : written by Kris Bales from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

    Homeschool Road Map : written by Alyse Scicluna Lehrke from Write Foundations

    Unplug Your Mind and Recharge Your Soul : written by Karen DeBeus from Simply Living…for Him

Why are you selling this collection so cheap?

The authors are all homeschool moms like you who have just bought a multitude of school supplies and curriculum for the new academic year. They know that money can be tight at this time of the year. That’s why each of the authors wants to give back to the homeschool community with this ridiculously discounted eBook Omnibus.
Is there any other information I need to know before purchasing?

Yes, the download links for the eBooks will be valid for only 2 weeks. You must be sure to download all files before September 8th. Please remember to back up your files as well. iHN and the authors cannot send you copies of eBooks that have been deleted. Each of the eBooks in the Omnibus is copyrighted by the original author. Your purchase does not entitle you to share the files or upload them anywhere online where others can access them.

Manda exactly what happened with number 3 Matthew , i didn't do what i did with Tina for special family circumstances and i am teaching him to swim the traditional way , how you did also , and i do put armbads for him if i am not able to get in the pool with him , but i can see i need to work on teaching him to swim and he is not as natural as Tina in the water . my post to poker dad was about infant swimming . I realize not everybody could put their tiny babies in water from day one but if possible it would be great then no teaching is necessary , babies would take to water like fish . babies can swim before they crawl .
It is like with reading eventually all kids would learn to read , but those mamas who succeeded with their babies reading so early  before 1 , Unfortunately mine didn't , i had to work on it after they were 2 , of course early exposure to flashcards and reading tons of books  helped them have a very early rich vocabulary but none of them could read before i taught them phonetically , asked those mamas they would tell you they cannot remember the time their kids could not read . I had to work with mine and it wasn't all the time fun , hey didn't like it all the time only because they were older and they wanted to do something else . Now of course we forgot all about it and tina is amazing reader, but i am going through the same with Matti , i will need few months and he will be a reader also .xxx viv

poker dad , please don't wait till January . Babies are born swimmer , you can start in your bathtub , or a good size paddling pool . i actually used my inflatable birthing pool . And regarding floating devices I actually think they are not good . Somebody mentioned it is hard to get older kids to relax and float in the water . that is why an infant will naturally relax , didn't develop fear yet . I waited till my kids were like 3 months old to take them in a public pool but they swam in our  paddling pool daily from day one and went under water . it comes naturally and infants know how to hold their breath the longer you wait you'll need to retrain them . ANd infants learnr to swim under water first , I did the institues program in philadelphia for physical excellence and i followed heir recommendations together with the baby swimming dvd i got . The video actually encouraged me to do it after watching other tiny babies underwater .
oh and congrats for your new blessing
viv

my ina swam from infancy . i heard about baby swimming classes but we live in Gambia and no such classes are available . I got instead a baby swimming dvd that was amazing . I got tina also an infant wetsuit , she was born in cold period and the pool water would not be warm enough for her . Tina is six now and is like dolphin in water .
viv

i enjoyed reading all those replies . I hope somebody would address the issue of homeschooling more than one child . I have a six years old very good reader, good handwriting  who is really interested in learning but obviously still need mama help to advance . and we have also a 3.5 years old . I really find it very hard to juggle between both of them . My thre years old is happy doing short activities but then he would want to go out and play which what his sister did at his age ( no formal long hour schooling ) . She is six and she obviously need and can do more , but little brother wants mama to go out with him , get ont he floor and play cars with him , dig in the sand pit ...i did it all with his sister and i find it very normal for a 3 years old to want to play with his mummy . but how can mummy do that if she is big sister teacher also .We tried schooling during his nap time , but it is not enough anymore .I can seen him getting jalous from the one on one i give his sister. As soon as we sit for a lesson that needs me , he would be happy playing , he comes over and asks for things constantly , sometimes pull me away to show me something , or brings his oen books for me to read to him . And i feel this interruption is preventing my six years old to really focus and get the most out of her work . an example of our work would be a chapter from story of the world , followed by some activities, coloring pages and map work . i would like us to read the chapter together wih her then she can do the activities on her won . Our lessons in rightstart math are also teacher intensive and need one on one . i often give him few things to do while i am working on her lesson . He doesn't get it that she needs my hel . he ofen says mama you need to show me too , work with me . he won't do anything alone
and i think because he sees me workign with his sister.
Oh and read aloud is a struggle . Reading 2 sets of books because they are at different level and got different interests .
i hope somebody would share how they are doing with their own kids .
thanks
viv

also i kinda of gave up on you tube , i couldn't get organized . Can you recommend how you do it best way to download and how you save them for easy access ??
viv

oh thank you so much for sharing those websites . one question , are you able to play them directly from the site or you download them to your computer ?? any recommendations ??
viv