Is it okay to add things in preparing?

[tbarr12]

Now that I am starting to feel that ds may do okay with Preparing, I am finally starting to enjoy it! I had a question pop up today. Is it okay or desirable to add a little extra work in a couple areas - namely, handwriting, and grammar? My son is doing Cheerful Cursive. HIs printing is very messy, but I don't see a point in making him practice that, as he is 9. But I don't want his cursive to turn out the same way, so would it be okay to tell him perhaps to write a page of one letter as additional practice?

Also, is it ever advisable or desirable to add worksheets from R&S Grammar (this would be with both my kids). I do most of the work orally or on the whiteboard with them - I almost never give them a written assignment, and I'm wondering if that's adequate.

I can really see that this curriculum is a treasure, and I just want to use it to its maximum potential. I get the feeling from the many posts I've already read that the answer will be "don't add to the manual!", but I just thought I'd ask anyway. Thanks.

Tracey

[my3sons]

Yeah, you pegged it, I probably wouldn't add to the manual. But, I would in lieu of having ds do more R & S written work, instead have him write a third of the R & S English work he is already doing. That does seem to really help my ds stay focused on what good written English "looks like". As far as your ds's "Cheerful Cursive", how is it looking so far? If he's really working hard on it, and it's looking pretty good (he IS a boy ), I'd probably let it ride. I know it's hard to believe, but "Cheerful Cursive" really was enough for my oldest ds's cursive to be quite neat. Especially since your ds doesn't seem to love printing so much already, I think I'd foster the love of cursive by not adding to it. It is oh-so-tempting to add to things when they are going right, and you surely can if you want to, but I'd encourage you to just enjoy things going right. From one mom to another, I used to be a chronic "adder", and it rarely caused more love of learning. One other thought - it's kind of neat to encourage dc to become self-directed in their free time too. Rather than adding to school, maybe it would be fun to offer some non-school related avenues of interest. My ds, for example, loved latch-hooking one l-o-n-g winter. Both of our oldest 2 sons loved 500+ jigsaw puzzles one winter too. Another time, they took up exercising "bootcamp" as they called it, doing a kind of circuit training to push themselves to get in shape. (I should have joined ). They took up gardening and gave that a shot for awhile. Anyway, maybe you could talk to ds about some self-directed things he'd like to try. Not everything is a winner, but sometimes one is, and that can become a lifelong love. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[tbarr12]

Well, it's not that ds has nothing to do with his free time! He's a Lego fiend, and there's a Lego table on the other side of our playroom/schoolroom, so that, or the trampoline, is usually where he is on breaks. However, I am thinking of getting some activities like you mentioned just to broaden their interests when they aren't doing school. Thanks for the input.

Tracey

[my3sons]

Oh no - I didn't mean he doesn't have free time things! So, your ds is into legos too, huh? Ours are nuts for them too - any size - the itty bitty, the medium, the megablocks, and even the HUGE ones! I just meant it seems like it helps them to try out something kind of different now and then. I've had a hard time finding some things like this for them to do. There was the birdhouse - done in a day and not so pretty. The cross-stitch - put aside indefinitely. The origami tear off calendar - a hit for one and not the other. You get the idea. But anyway, the planting/maintaining of the garden has been a huge hit (though I've had to let go of controlling it). The latch-hook and puzzles another hit, but only in the long winter months. I just meant maybe something like that may spark an interest! The garden, especially, has been a hit 3 summers in a row now. Anyway, finding an interest like that is gold. I just thought that may be fun!

In Christ,
Julie

[Tree House Academy]

I actually own the worksheet for the R&S Grammar and sometimes I use them. I have two reasons for using them...1. is if ds is not getting the concept...the worksheet gives more practice (without me having to make up a practice sheet) and 2. If I decide that ds has had enough writing for the day, I will let him do the sheet to save him from, say, writing out sentences and such. My having the worksheets and using them when I feel the need has never seemed to detract from the HOD manual at all. English is scheduled, along with the lesson to do, and we just do the lesson as we see fit (with or without the sheet).

As for handwriting, I think the reason that Carrie doesn't schedule handwriting in certain guides is because there is enough practice in the copywork, etc. that is done. To add handwriting would probably be a big overkill. Can you sit with him as he does his copywork and instruct him on the writing? My little ds will sometimes make a letter that I think is not done well and I will often have him redo it or even practice a line of them below the copywork. We do it on the fly and it doesn't add more than a few seconds to the day when it has to be done.

The less you add to HOD, the better it is. Resist the urge to add stuff, if you can...especially stuff that takes more time thus adding to the length of your school day.

[John'smom]

Well, it's not that ds has nothing to do with his free time! He's a Lego fiend, and there's a Lego table on the other side of our playroom/schoolroom, so that, or the trampoline, is usually where he is on breaks. However, I am thinking of getting some activities like you mentioned just to broaden their interests when they aren't doing school. Thanks for the input.

Tracey

Well, it wouldn't necessarily broaden his horizons, but here is a free independent study called (link removed per board rules) Learning with Legos. You can see a completed version of it (link removed per board rules) Looks like fun for a lego loving kid.