You are right in that looking at The Well Trained Mind (WTM) can make your head spin, especially if you have more than one child. Are you currently hs'ing or planning for next fall?

Since you are using OM, you may want to try Melisa Nielson's Waldorf Math book, it covers grades 1-5. While I don't use it as our spine, it certainly brings lots of smiles to my children's faces when we do use her ideas. It helps the children understand the concepts in a much deeper level than some of the other programs we have used.

Since there are so many abbreviations it might be better if you just post the ones you are interested in and someone will quickly answer.

Thanks for the reply. We own, but did not really use LOF Algebra, that might be something to consider doing tag-team, once AoPS gets a little more challenging. Just for classification, do you just work for 30 minutes, no matter how many problems he does, or does it take 30 minutes for you son to do a section?' Thanks.

I would recommend Art of Problem Solving Intro to Algebra, especially if he likes math. There is not much history/literature (ok, none), but the math aspect is great.

We are currently using AoPS Intro to Algebra with my 13 yo. We both are enjoying it, but I am wondering how long others spend on daily lessons. My ds spends about 30 minutes daily, then we review, then done. Sometimes this seems as though he could be moving a little faster, as the online class (which we are not taking) moves much faster than this. Thanks.

Like many posters have said previously, you have at least two decisions to make: curriculum choice and logistics. We have not used RS (although I keep looking at it), so I can't help you with the first problem, but I do have 4 children, so perhaps I can help with the second. In scheduling our entire school day, I try to rotate individual time, with all-together time, as well as provide sufficient outdoor play/exercise for the younger children. I also make sure that the little ones have had their time with me first, so that they have less of a need to interrupt. As someone else mentioned, make sure the littles have had a snack, or at least have it easily available. We have a daily 1 hour math block daily where we do math. Note that the 2 older kids work in a different room than the 2 littles. Hourly Breakdown 0 - 15 minutes - 7 yo - direct instruction - 4 yo - at same table, playing with tangrams, dice, pattern blocks, C-rods -un-notched :), etc - 9 yo math drills (worksheet or online), logic puzzles - 13 yo logic puzzles, review yesterday's lesson 15 - 30 minutes - 7 yo math games (at table), or do a few more pages indy, - 4 yo direct instruction - 9 yo review yesterday's lesson, play with manips for today's lesson - 13 yo start today's lesson on own Break - quick snack 30 - 45 minutes - 4 and 7 done with math, free to play, - 9 yo direct instruction - 13 continue on own 45 minutes till done - direct instruction with 13 yo, 9 yo finishes up indy work at table. HTH Nicole

Dr. Nebel of Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding just posted a write-up in the files section of his yahoo group regarding the purchase of microscopes and said specifically NOT to buy the Brock microscope. It may be helpful to read what he has to say. Note that he does not provide specific brand names to purchase, but just a recommendations on what to look for when making a decision. HTH

I also use CM, mixed in with Waldorf for my younger children (grade 5 and under) and live in a state with minimal documentation requirements. Though it is not necessary for me to keep all of their work, I have found it personally beneficial to keep some of it. Keeping a reading log, weekly journal, and special work completed by your children seems quite sufficient to me. I do not think it is necessary at all (for elementary school) to purchase a planner. Later, a planner/scheduler might make lesson planning easier, but for the record-keeping aspect, I see not reason to do more than what you are already doing.

Just as a reminder, http://www.donnayoung.org has tons of homeschooling planning forms and suggestions.

You absolutely without a doubt need the rods. I especially like the wooden rods. This is our 3rd go round with Miquon, and I just love it. It does however, take some getting used to. Please don't use the worksheets, just a worksheets. The authors say to use the sheets in ADDITION to the suggestions in the Lab Annotations book. She also says to use worksheets as a learning tool versus a testing tool, i.e., it is ok if the child doesn't get the answer right, you are supposed to be teaching with the ideas, rods and worksheets, not testing their knowledge. It is a fun, discovery based program that can be complete. I have supplemented with other programs based on the child's needs. HTH

My children have all used or are currently using phonics pathways as our primary phonics instruction. None of them actually ever "finished" the book. By the time we got near the end, they were reading regular books. I would surround the child with real books and lots of them. Let your son create his own readers, look at the Sonlight list (or others) for suggestions. If he is finished the book, he is reading on at least a 3rd grade level, so I would select books on a 2nd grade level to build fluency. Please do not worry about the spelling, especially for a 5 yo. Mine have learned to spell through reading (not all kids do, but mine did). HTH

<<We used some stuff from http://www.learner.org >> Thanks, I had completely forgotten about this fantastic site. We have used some of the online open courseware from MIT and Stanford with wonderful results. Also don't forget about Khan Academy for math. I do think that it (homeschooling) can be done with much less money than we actually spend, and we are on a budget. Even the high school years can be accomplished successfully, though it will absolutely take time and creativity.

If you join the livingmath yahoo group, you will find that there are tons of suggestions there. This is a topic that comes up frequently. See also http://www.betterworldbooks.com (I think that is the correct website) and I was able to get Math Power - excellent and some of the M Burns books there for $3 Nicole

MEP is designed to be a complete program, though some people use it as a supplement. It can be used with all types of learners, just adjust the pace accordingly. For example, with my 9 yo we spend about 30 minutes doing math, sometimes we get through an entire lesson, sometimes not. Search the archives for lots of discussion about this program, as well as checking out the mep yahoo group. Nicole