What Doug is Learning
Friday, August 13, 2010
We completed our homeschool journey on May 24, 2010. He is still learning many, many lessons. Right now, he is learning via the school of hard knocks. I hope he always remembers that Jesus loves him and so do I.
Friday, June 13, 2008
It has been a LOOOONNNGGGGG time since I wrote here. Doug is now finishing 10th grade. And we are more often than not arguing about what he hasn't done, than celebrating what he has learned. Oh, for the days when we were still new on this journey, and I was more sure of myself! I have allowed doubt to creep in, and it has clouded the both of us.
It's time for me to start celebrating what he's learning again. And I need to apologize for not doing that for the last year or so.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
It's been a while since I last posted. Our school year formally started on June 27 - when Doug went to summer camp at Lost Pines. I allowed this to be counted as school because he worked on the Environmental Science merit badge as well as his Camping merit badge, both of which are Eagle required. He then went to Buffalo Trails for another session of summer camp, and I allowed that to be school, too. There he earned Indian Lore , Archaeology, (social studies), Astronomy, and Lifesaving (another Eagle Required) merit badges.
We started back on Algebra about two weeks ago, but we didn't count that as school. But we did start this past Tuesday on some of the rest of the subjects. He started doing American History, which, interestingly enough, starts out with the Indians - so should be easy because he just did his Indian Lore MB. We didn't start right into his science curriculum yet because he wanted to do a bit of aviation studies. Fine with me, because it talks about principles of physics. This weekend we'll do a few experiments, and next week we'll start on the science program. We also started spelling and grammar. He is using "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" for a leadership class. Next week, we will also introduce Latin.
Here's what Doug ISN'T learning - that he shouldn't answer the door when he's home by himself unless it's somebody he knows. He just answered the door for the ABC pest and lawn guy. Course, I read him the riot act, but now he's embarassed.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
This has been an interesting week because Steve is out of town, and I have to work. Nonetheless, Doug is still learning a lot. Tomorrow, he starts learning more about Rome. I am also having him work a bit on his grandma's website about dolls. Gloria's Dolls.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
Doug helped Steve today with getting the measurements ready for the new castle extension. Practical math at its finest. On Monday and Tuesday, Doug took the 6th grade TAKS test that was released last year. He passed both exams. On math, the ones that he seemed to miss the most was dealing with Ratios. We'll deal with those a bit more before the end of the school year. On reading, he was only 2 off from being Exemplary, so I don't have much of a beef with that. I had him watch movies in the afternoons of both of those days. One was a forgettable movie called "Exploring our Universe." It was so outdated, it was laughable. On Tuesday, he watched Imax: Cosmic Voyage. This movie was a lot better. It discussed the outer cosmos: Galileo's invention of the telescope, discussed the concept of a light year, stars, supernovas, and black holes. This movie also discussed the inner cosmos: the perfection of the microscope, DNA, subatomic particles, and a host of other concepts.
Today, Doug is watching the Standard Deviants Nutrition, in addition to doing his math, spelling, vocabulary, and spelling. We are making a complete study out of it, although he has already done an 8th-grade science unit on health last semester (using one of the LifePacs). So a lot of this is review, but I do think that it is important. Also, after Corey gets done with his health chapter for Thompson High, we will reuse it for Doug. The concepts covered today are: Nutrients, calories, nonnutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients), Nutrition Standards and Guidelines, RDA, Food Pyramid, and Food-Borne illness, the digestive system - parts and processing, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. There is a section about energy balance and weight control, too, and I hope that Doug will take this to heart. Finally, the unit wraps up with a section on how good nutrition can be helpful in disease prevention. There is a quick blurb on eating disorders, although I don't think we have that issue with Doug. You never know, though, so I'm glad he'll be learning a little bit about that, too.
Friday, February 27, 2004
Doug's Boy Scout Resume:
Attended Junior Leader Training - February 2003 - Patrol Leader, October 2003, Assistant Patrol Leader.
Leadership Duties:
Patrol Leader - February 2003-October, 2003
Planned and led patrol meetings and activities, including varnishing chuck box, creating patrol flag.
Updated patrol members on Troop news
Assigned patrol members specific duties on campouts, and followed up to make sure that they were done, or help the patrol member if there were problems in completing his task.
Represented the patrol at Patrol Leader Council meetings.
Doug finished his vocabulary and spelling sections early this week, so today is Movie day. He is watching the movie "Shackleton", which is about Ernest Shackleton's expedition across Antarctica. It's more about survival, than anything. There are three DVDs in the series, and he watched the first one today. He has to answer some questions on it, though, so that I know that he watched the whole thing. One of the things about him watching a movie and having to answer questions is that he is also learning how to take notes, which will help him in other situations later on when he goes to college.
We went and saw "The Passion of The Christ" and I gave him some World History credit for that. It inspired some questions not only about Christ and the Bible, but about history, too.
I need to start keeping track of some of the duties that he performs as part of Scouts, and start getting a resume going for him. I think it will be great if he can get some kind of a job that doesn't involve fast-food or retail.
Monday, February 23, 2004
Doug went camping this weekend at Inks Lake. He learned how to cast a fishing pole instead of tangling the line up like he did last time. For me, though, the thing that I liked about him going on this last campout was the caving that they did. He learned a lot about geology and cave formation, a little bit about the animals that would go down in there, and about water tables.
We have been working on a new spelling program in addition to a new vocabulary program. We're using Spectrum Spelling now, and he seems to tolerate it well, if not enjoy it. And he blew me away last night with how well he was able to pronounce his new vocabulary list (this, from a boy who was reading at a third grade level only a few months ago)! The vocabulary book we're using is supposed to be for 7th graders. He seems to enjoy that, too. We're about halfway through the "Elections" book. He has been working on that for a while, and what is cool is that he is involved in his troop elections tonight at his Boy Scout meeting. So he will probably spout off a little bit about what he has learned, and that's okay. We got the Handwriting without Tears books in the mail. I can't say that I'm totally impressed, but we're working on it, anyway. I am also starting to give him some crafts to do that will help him develop the strength in his index fingers so that he has better small muscle control, which will help when he is writing. Of course, he already has REALLY strong and coordinated thumbs thanks to all of the video games that he plays.
The other new thing that we are going to add is the first 24 lessons from the Rosetta Stone Latin program. If he enjoys that, I will buy the rest of the package. If not, then I am only out $10.00. I played with the program for a few minutes this evening, and it was amazing how easy it was, because I could think about some of the root words that I already know and recognize them in latin. Anyway, I think he will have a fun time. We may go ahead and do the one in Greek, too, so that he can be comfortable with some of the Greek words, which will in turn help his vocabulary. I'll post again soon!
Toni Dolls
