Anonymous
Post 03/29/2019 12:30     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
For ELA/writing - we do Writopia Creative Writing workshops. The kids' writing improved tremendously from the author-instructor comments. We started while oldest was at Hardy and the only class in which there was any writing was Art, which had a research paper due each month on a different artist.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2019 11:15     Subject: Re:s/o How do you supplement?
We casually supplement during the year with museums, travel, experiences. We require our kids to read every day, but make sure they have materials they enjoy reading. During the summer, we let them pick some fun camps but we make them go to a few more academic camps. We also require some workbook/computer programs to keep their skills up.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2019 10:11     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't do Kumon. I actually like the math curriculum. We "supplement" with weekly trips to the library, museums, nature centers, zoos, and musical performances. We have books all over our house and we encourage and facilitate reading (and while I suggest and provide classic literature and books that might provide a bit of a stretch, she is allowed to read whatever she wants. Reading is a skill that improves with practice, and I think a love of reading serves her best in the longer run.) We read together and talk about books. We watch documentaries.

I think that kids tend to need more time for independent play, to use their imaginations, and outdoor time. Running around on the playground, exploring our neighborhood, hiking, etc., are really important to us.

As for grammar and writing, we encourage journal writing and letters to grandparents. We also tell stories together and write them down into books. For assigned writing projects, she writes a first draft, I review and discuss it with her, choosing a few key things to focus on, and then she re-writes it, so everything goes through an editing process.


How do you have the time to do all this with your kids? Do you stay at home, work part-time? Do you kids not go to after-care or participate in structured extracurriculars?


I work full time. My kid reads in the morning before school, at aftercare, in the evenings and on weekends. Most Friday nights, we watch a documentary. We go to museums and the library on the weekends. "Fun" writing is done in the evenings and on weekends, as are lots of drawing and other craft projects. She's in a structured activity twice a week. I don't think of it as taking that much time, really. We don't have her in tons of stuff, because I don't think that's good for kids, so we have free time to play and read and so forth.


I'm sorry, but this just doesn't seem real. At our house, and most other families, the morning is pretty much hand to hand combat to get the DC dressed, eat breakfast and out of the house. And I can tell you this, there is nothing "fun" about trying to get an exhausted, cranky 8 year old to write a journal entry or a friendly letter to grandma. I think the PP is right - they are subcontracting out most of the parenting because I just don't see how they can have the energy to do all this. A piece of advice - it's fine to be doing something other than parking DC in front of the iPad but you need to savor some downtime as well. Not everything should be geared towards advancing the education - and here's another secret, if DD doesn't go to Harvard her life is not over.



Good grief. I have 3 upper elementary kids and we are two working parents. Each kid plays a travel sport which takes them (and us) all over the DMV. Each kid takes music lessons weekly and 2/3 also sing in a choir. They also play in an off-season (different sport). They all read daily and they write in journals. We supplement with other instruction both in the home and during the summer (kids take a weekly writing class and during the summer will take a few 2 week classes). We go to museums locally and we travel internationally 1-2 times per year and they go to more museums on these trips. If you are completely overwhelmed getting a single 8 year old out of the house in the morning then you need to restructure your household and the expectations you have for your child. An 8 year old should be coming down to breakfast fully dressed and ready to go.
There are a TON of hours in the day, even outside of the school and work day.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2019 09:54     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't do Kumon. I actually like the math curriculum. We "supplement" with weekly trips to the library, museums, nature centers, zoos, and musical performances. We have books all over our house and we encourage and facilitate reading (and while I suggest and provide classic literature and books that might provide a bit of a stretch, she is allowed to read whatever she wants. Reading is a skill that improves with practice, and I think a love of reading serves her best in the longer run.) We read together and talk about books. We watch documentaries.

I think that kids tend to need more time for independent play, to use their imaginations, and outdoor time. Running around on the playground, exploring our neighborhood, hiking, etc., are really important to us.

As for grammar and writing, we encourage journal writing and letters to grandparents. We also tell stories together and write them down into books. For assigned writing projects, she writes a first draft, I review and discuss it with her, choosing a few key things to focus on, and then she re-writes it, so everything goes through an editing process.


How do you have the time to do all this with your kids? Do you stay at home, work part-time? Do you kids not go to after-care or participate in structured extracurriculars?


I work full time. My kid reads in the morning before school, at aftercare, in the evenings and on weekends. Most Friday nights, we watch a documentary. We go to museums and the library on the weekends. "Fun" writing is done in the evenings and on weekends, as are lots of drawing and other craft projects. She's in a structured activity twice a week. I don't think of it as taking that much time, really. We don't have her in tons of stuff, because I don't think that's good for kids, so we have free time to play and read and so forth.


I'm sorry, but this just doesn't seem real. At our house, and most other families, the morning is pretty much hand to hand combat to get the DC dressed, eat breakfast and out of the house. And I can tell you this, there is nothing "fun" about trying to get an exhausted, cranky 8 year old to write a journal entry or a friendly letter to grandma. I think the PP is right - they are subcontracting out most of the parenting because I just don't see how they can have the energy to do all this. A piece of advice - it's fine to be doing something other than parking DC in front of the iPad but you need to savor some downtime as well. Not everything should be geared towards advancing the education - and here's another secret, if DD doesn't go to Harvard her life is not over.


Seriously? First of all, my kid has plenty of downtime. The point of not having her in a million ECs or doing a ton of worksheets is precisely so that she has lots of downtime. Her life is massively under-scheduled compared to her peers. I don't subcontract out my parenting--I clean my own house, do my own laundry, go shopping for my own groceries, and cook my own meals. And I don't give a shit if she goes to Harvard or not. I'm sorry you don't have time to take your kids to the library or museums on the weekend, but please stop projecting your shit onto me.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2019 09:50     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't do Kumon. I actually like the math curriculum. We "supplement" with weekly trips to the library, museums, nature centers, zoos, and musical performances. We have books all over our house and we encourage and facilitate reading (and while I suggest and provide classic literature and books that might provide a bit of a stretch, she is allowed to read whatever she wants. Reading is a skill that improves with practice, and I think a love of reading serves her best in the longer run.) We read together and talk about books. We watch documentaries.

I think that kids tend to need more time for independent play, to use their imaginations, and outdoor time. Running around on the playground, exploring our neighborhood, hiking, etc., are really important to us.

As for grammar and writing, we encourage journal writing and letters to grandparents. We also tell stories together and write them down into books. For assigned writing projects, she writes a first draft, I review and discuss it with her, choosing a few key things to focus on, and then she re-writes it, so everything goes through an editing process.


How do you have the time to do all this with your kids? Do you stay at home, work part-time? Do you kids not go to after-care or participate in structured extracurriculars?


I work full time. My kid reads in the morning before school, at aftercare, in the evenings and on weekends. Most Friday nights, we watch a documentary. We go to museums and the library on the weekends. "Fun" writing is done in the evenings and on weekends, as are lots of drawing and other craft projects. She's in a structured activity twice a week. I don't think of it as taking that much time, really. We don't have her in tons of stuff, because I don't think that's good for kids, so we have free time to play and read and so forth.


Ah, only one kid.
Do you outsource a lot of household chores?


No, we don't outsource anything.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 18:14     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Khan Academy is great if you are consistent. Dreambox is good as well for fluency
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 16:54     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't do Kumon. I actually like the math curriculum. We "supplement" with weekly trips to the library, museums, nature centers, zoos, and musical performances. We have books all over our house and we encourage and facilitate reading (and while I suggest and provide classic literature and books that might provide a bit of a stretch, she is allowed to read whatever she wants. Reading is a skill that improves with practice, and I think a love of reading serves her best in the longer run.) We read together and talk about books. We watch documentaries.

I think that kids tend to need more time for independent play, to use their imaginations, and outdoor time. Running around on the playground, exploring our neighborhood, hiking, etc., are really important to us.

As for grammar and writing, we encourage journal writing and letters to grandparents. We also tell stories together and write them down into books. For assigned writing projects, she writes a first draft, I review and discuss it with her, choosing a few key things to focus on, and then she re-writes it, so everything goes through an editing process.


How do you have the time to do all this with your kids? Do you stay at home, work part-time? Do you kids not go to after-care or participate in structured extracurriculars?


I work full time. My kid reads in the morning before school, at aftercare, in the evenings and on weekends. Most Friday nights, we watch a documentary. We go to museums and the library on the weekends. "Fun" writing is done in the evenings and on weekends, as are lots of drawing and other craft projects. She's in a structured activity twice a week. I don't think of it as taking that much time, really. We don't have her in tons of stuff, because I don't think that's good for kids, so we have free time to play and read and so forth.


I'm sorry, but this just doesn't seem real. At our house, and most other families, the morning is pretty much hand to hand combat to get the DC dressed, eat breakfast and out of the house. And I can tell you this, there is nothing "fun" about trying to get an exhausted, cranky 8 year old to write a journal entry or a friendly letter to grandma. I think the PP is right - they are subcontracting out most of the parenting because I just don't see how they can have the energy to do all this. A piece of advice - it's fine to be doing something other than parking DC in front of the iPad but you need to savor some downtime as well. Not everything should be geared towards advancing the education - and here's another secret, if DD doesn't go to Harvard her life is not over.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 13:35     Subject: Re:s/o How do you supplement?
We supplement in a variety of ways by hosting au pairs (have done for 9 years now). More privacy at home and lower costs would rock, but the au pairs supplement in ways we can't for lack of time. No substitute, unless perhaps my mom or mother-in-law lived with us.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 13:24     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't do Kumon. I actually like the math curriculum. We "supplement" with weekly trips to the library, museums, nature centers, zoos, and musical performances. We have books all over our house and we encourage and facilitate reading (and while I suggest and provide classic literature and books that might provide a bit of a stretch, she is allowed to read whatever she wants. Reading is a skill that improves with practice, and I think a love of reading serves her best in the longer run.) We read together and talk about books. We watch documentaries.

I think that kids tend to need more time for independent play, to use their imaginations, and outdoor time. Running around on the playground, exploring our neighborhood, hiking, etc., are really important to us.

As for grammar and writing, we encourage journal writing and letters to grandparents. We also tell stories together and write them down into books. For assigned writing projects, she writes a first draft, I review and discuss it with her, choosing a few key things to focus on, and then she re-writes it, so everything goes through an editing process.


How do you have the time to do all this with your kids? Do you stay at home, work part-time? Do you kids not go to after-care or participate in structured extracurriculars?


I work full time. My kid reads in the morning before school, at aftercare, in the evenings and on weekends. Most Friday nights, we watch a documentary. We go to museums and the library on the weekends. "Fun" writing is done in the evenings and on weekends, as are lots of drawing and other craft projects. She's in a structured activity twice a week. I don't think of it as taking that much time, really. We don't have her in tons of stuff, because I don't think that's good for kids, so we have free time to play and read and so forth.


Ah, only one kid.
Do you outsource a lot of household chores?
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 13:03     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't do Kumon. I actually like the math curriculum. We "supplement" with weekly trips to the library, museums, nature centers, zoos, and musical performances. We have books all over our house and we encourage and facilitate reading (and while I suggest and provide classic literature and books that might provide a bit of a stretch, she is allowed to read whatever she wants. Reading is a skill that improves with practice, and I think a love of reading serves her best in the longer run.) We read together and talk about books. We watch documentaries.

I think that kids tend to need more time for independent play, to use their imaginations, and outdoor time. Running around on the playground, exploring our neighborhood, hiking, etc., are really important to us.

As for grammar and writing, we encourage journal writing and letters to grandparents. We also tell stories together and write them down into books. For assigned writing projects, she writes a first draft, I review and discuss it with her, choosing a few key things to focus on, and then she re-writes it, so everything goes through an editing process.


How do you have the time to do all this with your kids? Do you stay at home, work part-time? Do you kids not go to after-care or participate in structured extracurriculars?


I work full time. My kid reads in the morning before school, at aftercare, in the evenings and on weekends. Most Friday nights, we watch a documentary. We go to museums and the library on the weekends. "Fun" writing is done in the evenings and on weekends, as are lots of drawing and other craft projects. She's in a structured activity twice a week. I don't think of it as taking that much time, really. We don't have her in tons of stuff, because I don't think that's good for kids, so we have free time to play and read and so forth.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 12:56     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
We read A LOT, writing practice daily, Beast Academy for math critical thinking, museums, theater, violin, sports, educational trips (like Williamsburg, Philadelphia), and international travel for geographic exploration. On weekends they play outside with the neighbors.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 11:35     Subject: Re:s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We're OK with the DCPS math curriculum, it's ELA and humanities that's weak to the point of being paper-thin. We're OK with what our first grader is learning at school in an EotP DCPS, but bribe our 3rd grader with awarding her "challenge credits" she can cash in for treats like trips to indoor rock climbing places and sleep-away summer camp. Credits are rewarded in return for learning a good deal of geography/world cultures, preparing and competing in in-house spelling bees, and rewriting school essays with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. The school couldn't care less if the kids can write grammatically. We watch a lot of historical dramas on PBS and talk about what we can learn from them.


I feel the opposite way. My child tests well above grade level in teading, but is being adequately challenged in ELA. His school (EOTtP DCPS) does teach spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The math curriculum isn't bad per se, but moves way too slowly. We do extra math (workbooks, Prodigy app)


I love the Eureka math curriculum and it's actually one of the main reasons I chose DCPS over several charters. It really stresses the fundamentals, and now that my son is in 2nd grade, I can already see how he has grasped basic addition, subtraction, multiplication & division in the way that will make upper level math infinitely easier. We use the I-ready, Zearn, and Reflex math apps (all available through DCPS) to supplement.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 11:30     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our kids go to a public charter in DC and honestly it’s all they can do to keep up with the daily homework. We “supplement“ by taking them to sports practice and music lessons, but not even travel teams or anything like that.


Yikes. Which charter?


I don't know that it's "yikes" worthy--I just meant that since my kids seem to be plenty challenged by the school work they're assigned, I don't feel the need to sign them up for Kumon or anything. They're very happy there and I think they're learning a lot. Washington Latin.


Isn't the new trend to not have homework?


Not at middle schools. I mean, I wish that were the trend because it would make evenings more fun and peaceful. But pretty sure most DC middle schools have homework.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 11:21     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our kids go to a public charter in DC and honestly it’s all they can do to keep up with the daily homework. We “supplement“ by taking them to sports practice and music lessons, but not even travel teams or anything like that.


Yikes. Which charter?


I don't know that it's "yikes" worthy--I just meant that since my kids seem to be plenty challenged by the school work they're assigned, I don't feel the need to sign them up for Kumon or anything. They're very happy there and I think they're learning a lot. Washington Latin.


Isn't the new trend to not have homework?


Not at every school. My child had homework beginning in 1st grade, and most parents at our school support it. I do too because it's a chance for me to see what he's learning at school, and how well he's learning it. But there are other schools where the parents don't want homework in the early grades, and so the school administration supports that. One of the good things about school choice is that you have a better choice of choosing the philosophy that suits you best.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2019 11:04     Subject: s/o How do you supplement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our kids go to a public charter in DC and honestly it’s all they can do to keep up with the daily homework. We “supplement“ by taking them to sports practice and music lessons, but not even travel teams or anything like that.


Yikes. Which charter?


I don't know that it's "yikes" worthy--I just meant that since my kids seem to be plenty challenged by the school work they're assigned, I don't feel the need to sign them up for Kumon or anything. They're very happy there and I think they're learning a lot. Washington Latin.


Isn't the new trend to not have homework?