Heather in MN (2/22/04 6:05 pm)
My kiddo is finishing up her American History workbook. She has not forgotten that I promised we would do the History of Rock and Roll next and is very motivated in these end stages. The H of R and R is a 7 part video series I found at the library- probably produced by A&E. I think we'll just watch them everyday for 2 weeks during history time. I need to start combing the library videos for other rewards.
I have also rewarded when she has finished meorizing math problems with days out to Camp Snoopy or a burger at a 50s restaurant. I think that it was a good system and certainly 'cheap' considering the effort she put in. But I like the idea of rewarding her with a new subject very much. I like that the videos will be fun and informative but she really doesn't have to work hard to get something out of them. Does anyone else know of good rewards like this?
DianeS (2/24/04 5:21 pm)
Have you asked her what else she'd like to study? She may be interested in a topic you'd never think of - like astronomy or the continent of Antarctica.
I know some people who offer to let their children "skip" a subject for a week - the only catch is that topic must be replaced by a different topic of the child's choosing. For example, finishing a hated math topic by a certain date could reward the child with double reading and no math for the remainder of the week.
If there is a museum near you (and if she likes museums) that might work, too. A day trip just for the two of you, lunch at a fun restaurant included. It could be a history museum, or art, or something else. As a reward for completing a unit of work similar to the museum's theme, it could help her see the work in real world context.
You could choose a trip to a zoo or aquarium as a reward for completing a science requirement, maybe with the agreement that she write a report about it afterwards - something about seeing her science stuff in real life. Sometimes those have special events for homeschoolers, including the ability to interview people who work there.
A book report on *any* book of her choosing could be good, too. Even a fluff book as long as it keeps her reading.
I think she's probably still too young for this, but my physics class in high school took a field trip to an amusement park. We could ride all the rides all day, the only rule was we had to take the publically-known information about the ride (like length and time it ran) and compute something from that (like it's average speed). At the front of the line we told our answers. If we were right, we could ride. If we were wrong, we had to go to the back of the line and try again. It was a typical field trip for my area - the park provided the correct figures on a handout at the beginning of the day.
Something like fractions could be rewarded by working to double (or halve) a difficult recipe without your help - then the two of you bake it and see if she got it right.
Of course, I don't know how much stuff like that you do as a normal part of schooling. It sounds like you enjoy being creative!
Heather in MN (3/7/04 12:06 am)
My kiddo is constantly asking for new books. Not just fiction, but natural sciences, history, and REFERENCE books. She doesn't even know how to really use the reference books but she loves them in that way that book people do. She asked for and received a world atlas for her gradeschool graduation.
Your list of rewards was fantastic, but I'm really looking for video series specifically. She is frequently 'inspired' by videos and begins to ask a lot of questions that she wouldn't have otherwise. I'm sure because the videos play to so many different ways of processing information at the same time.
It is interesting what kids ask for when you ask them what they would like to learn. My language delayed kiddo really wants to learn Spanish. (which I'm agreeable to I just havne't figured out which wya I want to do it).
kkl5 (3/7/04 4:08 pm)
I also suggest ebay for documentaries. We have been amazed at what the boys are liking. Especially since they aren't distorted by television programming.
I can't remember if I have recommend Dover and DK (Dorling Kindersley) yet. But Dover history coloring books are fantastic.
Heather in MN (3/11/04 10:22 pm)
Reply dover books
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Teh dover books are great. We got a King Arthur one, but she doesn't want to color at all any more unless I assign it as homework. I also liked their first maze books. She needed to start at the very beginning with mazes and I know it was so good for her little brain.
kkl5 (3/12/04 7:07 am)
Simple watercolors are faster. Assign it as homework. The stained glass ones using markers are a big hit.
Australorpe (3/12/04 9:12 am)
Reply Coloring
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My almost 16 yo dd loves to color. She found years ago that this was an acceptable way to spend your time while in a lecture, church service, etc. She needs to have something to keep her hands busy. She loves all of the coloring books you have suggested. We buy most of ours through a company called Rainbow Resources, private homeschoolers. She colors at high school and amazingly other high schoolers ask for certain of her pictures. They are amazed at her coloring not critical. I have even ordered coloring books for other high schoolers.
kkl5 (3/12/04 9:53 am)
Reply Re: Coloring
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Well, since we are so honest on this forum, I turned 53 last week, and I still love to color! No kids in the house, and I will have crayons...
Years ago, I was living in a village in Bali, Indonesia--a very poor in cash place (630 rupiahs to the buck, grown man lucky to make 600/day). Anyway, i ran an errand to the capitol and saw a box of 64 crayolas and bought them for some of the kids. You know, in America, a trivial gift. I also, bought a big stack of about 200 poster -sized sheets of paper (about 20 cents worth).
When I brought them home, everyone was amazed. Even the teacher--1 room/1 teacher school. She had a box of 24 that had lasted her a long time. It was a key teaching tool.
So, EVERYONE in the village colored for days. I had to go back for more supplies. When I left, I gave every child and adult a box of crayons.
My kiddo is finishing up her American History workbook. She has not forgotten that I promised we would do the History of Rock and Roll next and is very motivated in these end stages. The H of R and R is a 7 part video series I found at the library- probably produced by A&E. I think we'll just watch them everyday for 2 weeks during history time. I need to start combing the library videos for other rewards.
I have also rewarded when she has finished meorizing math problems with days out to Camp Snoopy or a burger at a 50s restaurant. I think that it was a good system and certainly 'cheap' considering the effort she put in. But I like the idea of rewarding her with a new subject very much. I like that the videos will be fun and informative but she really doesn't have to work hard to get something out of them. Does anyone else know of good rewards like this?
DianeS (2/24/04 5:21 pm)
Have you asked her what else she'd like to study? She may be interested in a topic you'd never think of - like astronomy or the continent of Antarctica.
I know some people who offer to let their children "skip" a subject for a week - the only catch is that topic must be replaced by a different topic of the child's choosing. For example, finishing a hated math topic by a certain date could reward the child with double reading and no math for the remainder of the week.
If there is a museum near you (and if she likes museums) that might work, too. A day trip just for the two of you, lunch at a fun restaurant included. It could be a history museum, or art, or something else. As a reward for completing a unit of work similar to the museum's theme, it could help her see the work in real world context.
You could choose a trip to a zoo or aquarium as a reward for completing a science requirement, maybe with the agreement that she write a report about it afterwards - something about seeing her science stuff in real life. Sometimes those have special events for homeschoolers, including the ability to interview people who work there.
A book report on *any* book of her choosing could be good, too. Even a fluff book as long as it keeps her reading.
I think she's probably still too young for this, but my physics class in high school took a field trip to an amusement park. We could ride all the rides all day, the only rule was we had to take the publically-known information about the ride (like length and time it ran) and compute something from that (like it's average speed). At the front of the line we told our answers. If we were right, we could ride. If we were wrong, we had to go to the back of the line and try again. It was a typical field trip for my area - the park provided the correct figures on a handout at the beginning of the day.
Something like fractions could be rewarded by working to double (or halve) a difficult recipe without your help - then the two of you bake it and see if she got it right.
Of course, I don't know how much stuff like that you do as a normal part of schooling. It sounds like you enjoy being creative!
Heather in MN (3/7/04 12:06 am)
My kiddo is constantly asking for new books. Not just fiction, but natural sciences, history, and REFERENCE books. She doesn't even know how to really use the reference books but she loves them in that way that book people do. She asked for and received a world atlas for her gradeschool graduation.
Your list of rewards was fantastic, but I'm really looking for video series specifically. She is frequently 'inspired' by videos and begins to ask a lot of questions that she wouldn't have otherwise. I'm sure because the videos play to so many different ways of processing information at the same time.
It is interesting what kids ask for when you ask them what they would like to learn. My language delayed kiddo really wants to learn Spanish. (which I'm agreeable to I just havne't figured out which wya I want to do it).
kkl5 (3/7/04 4:08 pm)
I also suggest ebay for documentaries. We have been amazed at what the boys are liking. Especially since they aren't distorted by television programming.
I can't remember if I have recommend Dover and DK (Dorling Kindersley) yet. But Dover history coloring books are fantastic.
Heather in MN (3/11/04 10:22 pm)
Reply dover books
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teh dover books are great. We got a King Arthur one, but she doesn't want to color at all any more unless I assign it as homework. I also liked their first maze books. She needed to start at the very beginning with mazes and I know it was so good for her little brain.
kkl5 (3/12/04 7:07 am)
Simple watercolors are faster. Assign it as homework. The stained glass ones using markers are a big hit.
Australorpe (3/12/04 9:12 am)
Reply Coloring
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My almost 16 yo dd loves to color. She found years ago that this was an acceptable way to spend your time while in a lecture, church service, etc. She needs to have something to keep her hands busy. She loves all of the coloring books you have suggested. We buy most of ours through a company called Rainbow Resources, private homeschoolers. She colors at high school and amazingly other high schoolers ask for certain of her pictures. They are amazed at her coloring not critical. I have even ordered coloring books for other high schoolers.
kkl5 (3/12/04 9:53 am)
Reply Re: Coloring
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, since we are so honest on this forum, I turned 53 last week, and I still love to color! No kids in the house, and I will have crayons...
Years ago, I was living in a village in Bali, Indonesia--a very poor in cash place (630 rupiahs to the buck, grown man lucky to make 600/day). Anyway, i ran an errand to the capitol and saw a box of 64 crayolas and bought them for some of the kids. You know, in America, a trivial gift. I also, bought a big stack of about 200 poster -sized sheets of paper (about 20 cents worth).
When I brought them home, everyone was amazed. Even the teacher--1 room/1 teacher school. She had a box of 24 that had lasted her a long time. It was a key teaching tool.
So, EVERYONE in the village colored for days. I had to go back for more supplies. When I left, I gave every child and adult a box of crayons.
