Do all large families combine for history and geography? Somehow it doesn't seem to be working here. Oldest likes to be read to though and I often feel like there isn't enough of me to go around. I don't try to read everything aloud. I wonder sometimes if I should hand off history to the 2 oldest and just read aloud good books..... We have 6. Youngest is a baby oldest is 12;) Any large families want to share schedule or thoughts?

@homemommy83 Are you liking MFW Animal Train? I am thinking about it for a 3 yr old next year. He's 2 now. I could write my own he is preschooler #5 but I've got other fish to fry;) I want special productive time with Mama.... I'm not in a hurry for academics. It's a bit pricey though....

@Momof4sweetkids Yes blending seems somewhat developmental. I had one child who struggled with it alot and 1 a little (both dyslexia incedentally). I really found either the Abeka blend ladders or the CLE sound slider to be helpful. These 2 needed practice with Vowel consonant and consonants vowel blending for a long time before they could do 3 letter words. Also yes to saying please get me a /d/ /o/ /g/ or run to the /t/ /r/ /e/ excetra for fun practice. Also drive your truck or hop your frog up and down the blend ladder...

We switched to interest led science reading from our well stalked non fiction bookcase. It's going well for the 2nd grader and the 5th grader. It's faster and interesting. We added Memoria Press cursive to learn cursive this spring. 2 times a week a notebook page for history or science for writing/ narration. We also added art in with I Can Do All Things. A book we had started a while ago. It seems perfect now;) Math, phonics spelling, language, and history are going well. It's been a good 2nd grade year.

@Momof4sweetkids My kids actually like the Alice and Jerry 1st-3rd grade readers. Nice calm interesting stories about kids. Also Animal Stories (or something like that) by Emma Seral is quite nice. Fairchild Family Series is good too. Schoolroom in the Parlor, Up and Down the River ...innocent and interesting.

Rod and staff is recommended by Kate Snow as a good math for kids who struggle....I know that memoria press used it k-6 also. You could try grade 7?? Maybe... Rod and staff is very traditional but solid. I think you can go from grade 7 or 8 into Algebra We tried math mammoth this year...grade 7 is HARD and visually cluttered. My 12 yr old went back to right start middle school. He did not get the bar model way of problem solving. Bar modeling is also the basis of some explanations in other areas. It did not work for us to jump into...even from super conceptual Right start. Also yes to 1 he of math...use a visual timer perhaps. That's what I've gone to. Anything not done is for tomorrow if he's been diligent or is homework. Like done after all other school and chores. It isn't really a punishment just natural consequences. Could your husband help inforce this. 12 yr old boys need daddy back up;)

I really like Alice and Jerry readers for this sort of practice. They are republished and available from rainbow resource. The pictures are lovely! The stories are generally kinda rural and you have 1940s gender roles but they don't have the religious overtones that Pathway has.... My kids have all loved Alice and Jerry. Even the really early books are not too boring probably because of the lovely water color pictures. 1 middle book is all about nature on a farm-- making syrup watching birds hatch...The latest books are mostly history stories.

Ok so science in the beginning is going very well. Big sister joined us.... experiments are even easier now;) she likes it better than what she had been doing.

Science supplies bought or found for Science in the Beginning unit 2 water.....2nd grader and siblings are excited for the mentos and diet coke one..... We made a thankful tree today (A Year of Playing Skillfully) and sourced or bought supplies for November for AYOPS too. The younger ones all painted big pictures on cardboard after we painted our tree. As it cools off we're doing more art and fun play stuff. The kids play outside alot in nice weather. Diggers and tractors in the mowed off garden, swing set play, cowboys or pioneers with stick horses ....very undirected. I also had the 2nd grader start reading the Alice and Jerry preprimers again. He can sound out many of the words and the few sight words left are ok. He likes them and is gaining confidence and fluency. We have 2 reading times Phonics (AAR and AAS) and Reading (Alice and Jerry).

This sounds like a great idea....I kinda didn't this am! This puts it into words though. I'll do it more purposefully tomorrow!

My kids like Dr Seuss ABC book for silly first sounds

I don't remember any phonemic awareness but it's been 8 yrs since I used it. Lots of letter recognition tracing and letter sounds...maybe first sound in a word kind of thing.

I think at least most is. I'll try to look and give you some time examples tomorrow. Beginning and ending sounds are I'm sure as well as counting words /syllables. Also blending and segmenting words and saying the wrong 1st sound for child to correct ..... I've added in more of similar stuff for a child who really struggles but I really liked the plans. Like I said they are independent from the letter recognition stuff.

It's all planned out. It's the back side of each lesson page

I'm not Clarita;) Here are my thoughts take them or ignore them if they're not helpful;) The All About Reading pre reading book has lots of them. You can find the manual used for cheap the cards Are nice but you could make your own and you can totally skip the student book if your child isn't crafty. The readers aren't strictly necessary either find them used if you want them. The zigzag zebra is more useful I think. It's alphabet rhymes. Lizard Lou is just a Book of poetry you can use any poetry.

I have a bin. I check the list every month ...it goes on the grocery list or I collect it if it isn't an always around thing like a flashlight. I do the same for my 7th grader....he studies mostly independently though;) We generally do science right after lunch.....today was great we did it at like 11:15 while leftovers heated up. The reading is really short and the experiments are not usually too time-consuming.(though here in the fall at least I have not been able to get white paper to light with a magnifying glass.... I've tried several times..... black lights super fast though .....not the lesson point though;)

@Nm. Preschool math at home is good. I've used it 2X...never all the way through but until the child was ready for kindergarten math. I also really like a rod and staff book Counting with Numbers (like 3-4$ new a 2 pg spread for each# 1-10 then a bit of patterns? In the back). Those 2 books are my 3 or 4 yr old math ( the age depends on child). My current 7 yr old was totally uninterested in school at 4.... I do suspect dyslexia and you see where he is now. Incidentally he likes to draw and has decent handwriting despite the reading challenges. ( He's barely interested now...) Maybe try to do 1 math or phonics thing each day. So hit each 2-3 times a week You could try AAR prereading it's super gentle playful ear and other training and then a coloring picture with something little added to it like yarn or marker finger prints extra. My littles have enjoyed it about 3 or 4 also

Well the last light lesson went well.... Papa cane down and expanded on it....now he's interested in the optional lesson on light transmitting information.....so it looks like we'll continue;)

Math with Confidence 2 is going really well. It is a great fit for this D's. So are First Language lessons and writing with ease, though may go back to copy work and narrations based on history. It takes so little time to add in WWE though and he likes the book selections.... this child needs the promps some too. Beyond little hearts history and geography are great! Science in the beginning is good and bad ..we will see we may change this? We'll see. He is tired of light but we have only 1 lesson left.... AAR is slowly plodding on. Maybe dyslexia child 2... AAS is perfect. Extra reading practice to someone 4-5 times a week is necessary.

Nature on a nutshell Exploring nature with children Both of these have given me many fun how nature works investigations.

Thanks all. Writing skills is really basic but a good addition now to analytical Grammer. It's getting them writing more at least. Once AG is done I think we'll do select lessons out of write with the best then perhaps start Writing with Skill 1.

I like all the pictures and primary source books that Notgrass has, but the reading might be a bit dry....then there is always a time for git er done 😉 stuff though I've learned to appreciate efficiency in some subjects as I've added kids to our Home school and the big ones are older. You could just hand big ones a text Book tell them to read it to themselves and all meet 1x a week to discuss it.... written chapter summaries or workbook pgs due from anyone not finished with chapter X by Fridays discussion.....hmm this may work here some year too... I'm stretched pretty thin currently. History is over for the year once book is done...hay maybe they will work ahead. Adults like a goal too. Can you tell that I've failed on the instill the love of school in my kids bit;)? They would all rather play with little siblings, work (like real boring jobs....weed triming, wiring a chicken run together, cooking folding laundry....). School here is a job we do together. If you like it great! If not do it anyway...we can pick a different book next year.

I don't know about either....sorry. Another option is Notgrass middle School so Adam to Us I think is the title. Some people use each 1/2 for 1 year I think. I'd read sample chapters and have the students do the same then just pick one and make a pact with yourself to stick it out till the end of the year;) I tell myself that same thing.... I do know that mystery of history is more multi age read aloud style right??

Thanks green bean. I was just looking at this. I found that sample earlier today before I'd just seen Rainbow resources shorter one. I also remembered I have School Composition by Maxwell a vintage book 8filltheheart mentioned..... If we do WWS I will not try to necessarily finish in a year. I am big on teaching the students in front of me and building a solid foundation. I want to educate kids who can continue to learn on their own.

You're not too pushy Lori. I looked at Jump In again. When I looked at it last summer with DS he didn't appreciate the informal tone and I really like more imitation type writing. That is still how it looks to me.... Maybe Writing with Skill would fit better? Or IEW.....I don't like the style instruction in IEW at all though and we have trouble with video based instruction.....(though daughter is doing Spanish for children on her own with videos and it's going well). I do Grammer with the he 2 of them for 15-45 min 4-5 times a week, so I figured I had time to actually do writing with them too if we do it together. Yes DS 12 is oldest. He has 5 little siblings. I want him to learn to outline and take notes from reading and then write a paragraph from notes. Also I don't like too much formula for writing....like not each paragraph has an obvious topic sentence to begin it.....not too say that each paragraph isn't 1 topic though ...