Make some homemade gaucamole and eat it on cucumber slices. ETA: Also bell pepper with hummus.

I have a son who hated handwriting in K. I thought he would drop out of school the very first day of 1st grade when I pulled out his handwriting book....major meltdown. So, I put aside the handwriting book, and I let WWE count as handwriting/writing. It helped. Now, as we enter 2nd grade, there is still a lot of resistance to writing. Honestly, I don't know if he will ever like the actual physical act of writing. So, I just try to encourage him and remind him that we all have to do things we don't enjoy.

I have my Masters of Science, but it is in a specific field. So, having an M.S. doesn't help me in teaching my children writing or literary analysis or history or... In order to teach those subjects, I read, read, read.

Last year, my five year old learned to read a few sight words and CVC words using MFW K. We enjoyed every bit MFW K.

I clearly remember college professors putting limits on what online resources we could/could not use. For example, the teachers often limited online references to 2 or 3 per assignment, with the other references coming from books, papers, etc. Some teachers even required that online references end in ".org" and one other (I can't remember at the moment). However, that was several (cough...ahem) years ago. FWIW, my kids are young. We are no where near the research paper stage. However, I do make my 2nd grader look up vocabulary words in an actual dictionary...as opposed to saying "Ok Google, what does amiable mean?" I think it is important to have kids "dig" for information.

First day of school! Fun breakfast School work Martial arts Lunch School work New recipe for dinner

I normally do it in K. We work on the calendar, weather, and personal information.

Thanks for your thoughts. I went ahead and ordered it. Since the books are recommended for a couple of grade levels (I ordered grade 2-3), I think we will work on one poem for two weeks... completing the lessons and memorizing.

Anyone using this to teach poetry? Thoughts?

I googled "timer" or maybe "stopwatch" and that's what we use on our laptop. ETA: Because of this thread, I did an app search for visual timers and just installed one for free. It looks like one of those expensive store bought timers with the red dial.

Flying makes me anxious, but I just flew to and from a city, and it was great. I even arrived early to my destination.

How many of you use critical thinking books, such as Critical Thinking Co. or Prufrock Press with your grammar students? We used a couple of books last year, and I felt like they were expensive and not all that challenging. My son had fun doing them, however. Am I missing something? Are there workbooks that are more challenging and less expensive? Are these types of workbooks even necessary? I remember doing some of the same type of problems as a child in the gifted program in PS. Thoughts?

We used Apologia Astronomy for 1st, and it went well. We did not use the junior notebook. We read, narrated, and did all the hands on activities in the textbook.

My son has had some type of virus. No vomiting, but stomach pain, gas, chills, headache.

Berenstein Bears Old Hat New Hat

Richard Scarry Cars and Trucks A to Z, Turn the Key What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

My kids love the cash register, too!

My kids love to play with calculators. The pretend that the calculators are computers, cell phones, and who knows what else.

Yes, it is On Demand.

I let my kids fuss with one another to a certain extent in order to give them an opportunity to try to work it out. I don't allow unkind words, stirring up trouble, or hitting. If the disagreement is headed downhill, then I will say something. We talk a lot about being peacemakers, being kind, forgiving...

Has anyone been watching the Nat Geo series Genius? I have found it quite interesting. Thoughts?

I don't have a budget for homeschool. I do carefully consider each purchase and try not to buy new curriculum and additional resources impulsively. I also try to buy used curriculum and general books if possible. I rarely buy new picture books or chapter books (to go along with things like FIAR, MFW, VP). I hit the used book store frequently to look for those type books. It would be hard for me to even guess a number.

Added it to my cart 😀

There is something about IEW that feels overwhelming to me. DVDs, multiple books, I feel stressed thinking about it, but maybe I just need to break down and do it.

...teaching writing. I've read The Complete Writer. What other books would the hive recommend for teaching writing.