Friday Finds

I recently found a great resource for Montessori elementary math materials from Montessori Kiwi.  I purchased quite a few downloads on the topics of place value, addition and number bonds for Lillian and adding with 10’s and multiplication for Ethan.  Everything I’ve downloaded has been wonderful and the kids are loving the all the new math materials!

I also listened to a great podcast from The Knowledge Project – Decoding Difficult Conversations:  My Interview with Negotiation Expert, Sheila Keen.  Sheila is an author and lecturer at Harvard Law School on the topic of negotiation.  She talks about the art of negotiation with your children.  I learned a lot!

My kids have been LOVING these sticker mosaic books!  Seriously, they will sit for hours with them working carefully and quietly!

Quarterly Reports

Soon it will be time to file the 4th and final quarterly report in NYC.  The quarterly reports are how the NYCDOE monitors attendance and the progress of homeschooled students throughout the year, similar to report cards in traditional school.

You report the subjects and material covered and then issue a “grade” or written evaluation.

This year I reported on the subjects of :  Arithmetic, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies/ History, Physical/ Health Education, Visual Arts and Music.  Personally I provided a brief written evaluation as opposed to a letter grade.

As the year went on I found it helpful to set a reminder in my calendar two weeks before the report was due to write it, then the week before it was due to mail it.  I also mailed everything via Certified Mail so I could have a record that the report was delivered.

You do not receive anything in return from the NYCDOE that they have received or approved your Quarterly Report but I’m assuming they would reach out if there was a problem!

 

 

What We are Reading Wednesday: Classic Chapter Books for Young Children

My kids have been so eager to listen to chapter books over the last few months.  They are currently 6.5 and 4.75 years old and both equally enjoy this read aloud time.  I read aloud from our current chapter book every day at lunch and I bring it with us if we are out and about and have any waiting time.  Thanks to NYC parking regulations from time to time we have to sit in our parked car and wait for the street sweeper to come by which is another opportunity to read aloud.  They have loved these books so much that they also ask me to read at other points of the day when we are home.

Here are the books we have read between January and May:

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

The Mouse in the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary

Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary

James and The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Now, some of these books were written in the 1930s and ’40s.  Obviously parenting practices have evolved since then.  I was concerned about some topics in these books such as spanking in Mrs. Piggle Wiggle or the physical and verbal abuse endured by young James in James and The Giant Peach.

I even considered skipping over these parts or changing the words.  And, in full disclosure I did skip over a few words here and there (words like stupid, for example). We also talked about the words Indians and Native Americans and how in the past people used words we don’t use today.  

However, the books have opened up some interesting conversations and they have handled these topics beautifully.  They were not scared or traumatized.  

With that said, the kids and I highly recommend the books on this list!  

Here is a sneak peak at the next few classic children’s chapter books we plan to read:

The Littles by John Peterson

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin

Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White