My littlest is 7 yo. She is a sweet child. Most times if she's gone on a playdate, the parents will tell me what a good girl I have, how polite and considerate she is. She makes me proud.
However, one of her friends brings out the worst in her. In the last month, I've found out that at sleepovers she's watched movies that were totally in appropriate, The Mummy, Twilight saga, and others. Now I have no issues had this been a teenager, BUT SHE'S SEVEN. I have spoken to the family before, that we don't let her watch these types of movies. But it has happened again and again. So I said no more sleepovers or playdates over there.
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Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Budgeting for next year.
I'm assessing all we've spent and looking ahead to predict what we might need for next year. This was our first full year homeschooling. So there was extra spent, some trial and error. I now have a good sense of how it will go.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I went over by about $100. Next year I don't want to do that!
I'd love to have the girls participate in a homeschool co-op but the only one here we're looking at $800/child, PLUS 15 volunteer days. I run a home daycare and it would be excessive days off. I could pay out those days.... but it would be way too costly. It would cost me $2400 plus payout for volunteer days. Not going to happen.
We'll be content with the workshops and what not that are offered through the school board($10 per workshop per child), and through the various others venues. It would be nice to have them out and about for a day a week, meeting other kids, but not at the cost they are offering it. This is the only co-op that is in this city.
For next year, we will be getting the curricula for dd14 and dd12 from the school board, it will cost $500 including registration. For dd7, I don't use the school curricula, but handpick what I want to use, it would be much cheaper to go through the school($120), but I don't care for it. I have most of what I need already. We purchased 2 grade levels at once this year, we've already progressed into the next books in some areas, and do plan to work through the summer, but slowly. So for the fall, we're not in need of much at all. Her registration is $50. Thankfully it isn't out of pocket in August, they hold off until the government sends out the first disbursement of funding. It is deducted directly.
I've started setting aside $50/mo for next year. It won't amount to all that much, but it will create a working budget for me to use, so it doesn't sit on my credit card until I'm refunded. So come September I'll have $300 to work with for class registrations, consumables. In October I submit receipts, and continue building my school fund. Once November hits, I'll have gotten my refund, and added another $100 to the fund. So when January comes and I need to order items for the second semester, I'll have a good working fund again, approx $500. I intend to build this up as a $1000. Then I can leave it as a cushion. I think now, we're pretty much set and don't require much more for reference books. I have most of what I need for other curricula too. I have AAS to the 6th book(from older dd), so dd7 doesn't need anything more now. As well as Math Mammoth, we have all to grade 5 now. So only one more in a few years if we don't get it for dd12. So there is some wiggle room. The costs for her go down as we re-use some of the curricula we had for the older ones.
NEEDED:
DD14 - One Year Novel, Bible study
DD12 - Bible Study, possibly next Math Mammoth,
DD7 - McRuffy Science 3(I think)
SOTW 2 activity guide(pdf)
So we're in pretty good shape for the fall in terms of curricula. My spending budget will cover all of that
This will allow for some really creative things for next year, and I'm excited about that. We'll be exploring what is out there for workshops and field trips for next year. I may register the kids for cross country ski lessons next year. Apparently the kids that did it this year had a riot! I am determined not to go over the budget next year. But by the looks of it now that I've written all down.... looks good to me!
As I mentioned in my previous post, I went over by about $100. Next year I don't want to do that!
I'd love to have the girls participate in a homeschool co-op but the only one here we're looking at $800/child, PLUS 15 volunteer days. I run a home daycare and it would be excessive days off. I could pay out those days.... but it would be way too costly. It would cost me $2400 plus payout for volunteer days. Not going to happen.
We'll be content with the workshops and what not that are offered through the school board($10 per workshop per child), and through the various others venues. It would be nice to have them out and about for a day a week, meeting other kids, but not at the cost they are offering it. This is the only co-op that is in this city.
For next year, we will be getting the curricula for dd14 and dd12 from the school board, it will cost $500 including registration. For dd7, I don't use the school curricula, but handpick what I want to use, it would be much cheaper to go through the school($120), but I don't care for it. I have most of what I need already. We purchased 2 grade levels at once this year, we've already progressed into the next books in some areas, and do plan to work through the summer, but slowly. So for the fall, we're not in need of much at all. Her registration is $50. Thankfully it isn't out of pocket in August, they hold off until the government sends out the first disbursement of funding. It is deducted directly.
I've started setting aside $50/mo for next year. It won't amount to all that much, but it will create a working budget for me to use, so it doesn't sit on my credit card until I'm refunded. So come September I'll have $300 to work with for class registrations, consumables. In October I submit receipts, and continue building my school fund. Once November hits, I'll have gotten my refund, and added another $100 to the fund. So when January comes and I need to order items for the second semester, I'll have a good working fund again, approx $500. I intend to build this up as a $1000. Then I can leave it as a cushion. I think now, we're pretty much set and don't require much more for reference books. I have most of what I need for other curricula too. I have AAS to the 6th book(from older dd), so dd7 doesn't need anything more now. As well as Math Mammoth, we have all to grade 5 now. So only one more in a few years if we don't get it for dd12. So there is some wiggle room. The costs for her go down as we re-use some of the curricula we had for the older ones.
NEEDED:
DD14 - One Year Novel, Bible study
DD12 - Bible Study, possibly next Math Mammoth,
DD7 - McRuffy Science 3(I think)
SOTW 2 activity guide(pdf)
So we're in pretty good shape for the fall in terms of curricula. My spending budget will cover all of that
This will allow for some really creative things for next year, and I'm excited about that. We'll be exploring what is out there for workshops and field trips for next year. I may register the kids for cross country ski lessons next year. Apparently the kids that did it this year had a riot! I am determined not to go over the budget next year. But by the looks of it now that I've written all down.... looks good to me!
We came in just over budget and thoughts on the year so far.
Here, in AB, we get government funding for homeschooling. I'm more than happy to provide work samples to show learning, so that I can homeschool. Our household budget is stretched thin with six of us, even without having to get curriculum. So the funding is a true blessing, and it even allows for the kids to do things we never would have been able to before.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I can't wait until next year!
I can't wait for a fresh start. Only because I can apply all we learned this year to next.
This year was our first full year of homeschooling. We pulled our 2 youngest children out of a Catholic school last March and finished their year at home. This fall, our eldest daughter also came home. It's been chaotic, to say the least. There is a pretty major learning curve.
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This year was our first full year of homeschooling. We pulled our 2 youngest children out of a Catholic school last March and finished their year at home. This fall, our eldest daughter also came home. It's been chaotic, to say the least. There is a pretty major learning curve.
Read more »
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
CLE LA...love it
Last week we received our new LA program from Christian Light Publishing. We started it the next day. We are loving it! We did the first quiz on Friday. She achieved 100% on it :) She is so excited to get started on LA each day. It's a blessing.
My daughter didn't read or write in English until April of last year. She wasn't reading or writing in French, either, despite being in a French school. She'd learned a little vocabulary, but she was shy, quiet and non-disruptive, and she was left to wither in the background. We didn't start homeschooling for her, but she has benefited so much from it. We started her at the beginning of grade 1 last April 2010. She was missing so many basic foundations. She's considered grade level now(2), in everything, or surpassed it in some areas. She is making leaps and bound progress. She reads above grade level, we're just getting her to par for writing, but it could be my expectation is too high. She's doing fantastic. We're so proud of her.
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My daughter didn't read or write in English until April of last year. She wasn't reading or writing in French, either, despite being in a French school. She'd learned a little vocabulary, but she was shy, quiet and non-disruptive, and she was left to wither in the background. We didn't start homeschooling for her, but she has benefited so much from it. We started her at the beginning of grade 1 last April 2010. She was missing so many basic foundations. She's considered grade level now(2), in everything, or surpassed it in some areas. She is making leaps and bound progress. She reads above grade level, we're just getting her to par for writing, but it could be my expectation is too high. She's doing fantastic. We're so proud of her.
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Monday, February 28, 2011
Fun with French.
After fussing for most of the year, trying to find a French program that will work. I've resigned myself that there is no perfect curriculum. I'm cobbling together my own.
We are using a few different things, workbooks for basic vocabulary, dvd - both learning and movie, to expose to spoken language, cd with work pages to learn the written language, match the oral word to the written word.
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We are using a few different things, workbooks for basic vocabulary, dvd - both learning and movie, to expose to spoken language, cd with work pages to learn the written language, match the oral word to the written word.
Read more »
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Receiving a parcel is like being given a gift!
Today we received 3 packages! It was like a surprise birthday party!
One was the replacement cd we've been battling with the company about for over 3 months. It finally came. Done, I'll not be ordering from there again.
I also received a French program through The Book Depository. I LOVE the Book Depository. EVERY thing is free shipping, and most of the books beat what I can get locally.
And....
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One was the replacement cd we've been battling with the company about for over 3 months. It finally came. Done, I'll not be ordering from there again.
I also received a French program through The Book Depository. I LOVE the Book Depository. EVERY thing is free shipping, and most of the books beat what I can get locally.
And....
Read more »
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