Gifted

2010 Homeschool Year in Review

January 3, 2011

It’s New Year’s Day, and I’m mulling over our second full year of homeschooling. Was it successful? Overall, yes, I think it went pretty well, though many of our days weren’t as productive as I would have liked. We got off track more days than I care to admit, and certain useful activities seem to [...]

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We Heart ALEKS: Math Curriculum Review

December 16, 2010

For some reason, finding a good math program is tricky. We’ve tried several on our journey, and I am pleased to say, we’ve finally found success by combing two programs: ALEKS and Life of Fred. Along the way we tried Singapore Math, Stanford EPGY and ThinkWell with mixed results. Today I’m going to talk about [...]

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“Joy of Learning is Overrated,” Says Cheapskate, Hypocritical Mom

November 16, 2010

Well, maybe I didn’t quite say that, but right now it feels like I did. You know, my goals for Scout in her homeschool journey are simple. On any given day she should feel proud of some accomplishment (large or small) and have learned something interesting. I want her to develop interests, learn to plug [...]

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NaNoWriMo: Day 5

November 5, 2010

THE STARTING LINE Renee: 5,398 Scout: 2,562 Scout’s word of the day for my novel: BUNK BED My word of the day for her novel: CELADON 10:22 am Wrimos need to average 1,667 words per day in order to hit the 50,000-word goal by midnight on Nov 30. According to that schedule, I am lagging [...]

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NaNoWriMo: Day 4

November 4, 2010

8:52 am Renee: 3,501/50,000 (Scout gave me the word: STEAK SAUCE) Scout: 2,251/10,000 (I gave Scout the word: TERMAGANT) A funny thing happened yesterday morning. I woke up just as the radio was broadcasting a gushing NPR interview about T.H. White, author of The Sword in the Stone. The guy being interviewed, a book reviewer [...]

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NaNoWriMo: Days 1 & 2

November 2, 2010

Short and sweet. That’s how I’m blogging during National Novel Writing Month. (Earlier I wrote about NoNoWriMo here.) I need to focus on my novel and will blog as I go. No editing (in either case). First, a little about me. I have never written any fiction, except for required and uninspired school assignments back [...]

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When to Ditch the Homeschool Schedule

October 25, 2010

It’s a sodden Monday morning here in Vancouver, and homeschooling today isn’t working out like I’d planned. Rather than focusing on her grammar, my daughter is going bonkers, laughing hysterically and trying not to fall out of the chair into a convulsive heap on the floor. I’d like her to get back to work, so [...]

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Mehndi – Sparkly or Straight?

October 16, 2010

Glitter mehndi??? How long has this been going on? Scout had this done over the summer at the county fair in Tillamook, Oregon. Here’s what went down. Immediately after entering the fairground, we came across a mehndi booth with no queue. My mehndi-loving daughter’s eyes bugged out, and she made a beeline for the tent. [...]

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The Bermuda Triangle of Homeschooling

October 8, 2010

Planning. Organizing. Scheduling. I’ve never been good at them. Ever. Which makes homeschooling a challenge, because these things are important if you want to create a semi-effective learning experience. Even sparky and creative free spirits like Scout and me benefit from routines, plans and an organized environment. Unfortunately, being aware of this and making it [...]

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Amazing Journeys: Five Visionary Classics by Jules Verne

September 25, 2010

Scout and I are currently reading an absolutely wonderful book, Amazing Voyages: Five Visionary Classics by Jules Verne. It contains Verne’s most famous adventures, including Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, Circling the Moon, 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, and Around the World in 80 Days. I can’t [...]

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