I am doing Singapore MAth earlybird B for my 5 (turned 5 in August) - but I think I will add Abeka 1 workbook soon. I am thinking we will start Singapore 1A by the middle of this year.

Thank you Heather and Donna for explaining the religious background of VP to me! They may have missed quite a bit of the orthodox religions going on in the Byzantine Empire - big religion even today in Eastern Europe. They have their own saints, etc...

I just got some card for Middle ages history from VP and have the TM, but have not had a chance to go through many - is VP more catholic bent? I a just wondering from the 5 minutes I had to look into it. We are not catholics, but cannot finger why they study so many of the catholic saints in the medieval age? Can anyone explain?

My boy turned 5 in AUg. We do Phonics pathway with reading a page from Handbook for Reading every time. What they do a lot is endless blending - these ladders with la le li lo lu, ba be bi, bo bu, and then combine ke, la, mu, ne, etc etc etc - they try to teach them to read these 2 together, so I will be easy to say lo lo-t lot, Ma, ma-p, map. Anyway, he can read words like that, and mill, mess (double consonant). I am doing a page each day from these 2 books, plus some extra for blending.

My 7 yo has always drawn things on her worksheets - to the point of my exasperation - because of the time it takes. Unless I sit there with her and look at her sheet, I will end up with a flowers, bunnies families, carrots, and 2 the problems done (or partially done) from the SIngapore CWP, or anything else. Done correctly, but it is just not as exciting as drawing. It is SOOOO exasperating to me.

All I can think of is the good literature, and the fact that sometimes she copies the narration after you write it down.

I do not think that is too much, but I tend to go on the other side of the spectrum and do too much math... that's my background. When I started RightStart B in first grade it was just too simple for dd. So I switched back to Singapore - Singapore is more advanced, so now in second grade we are finishing up 1B, and to my surprise they are doing things like... 57 + 14 - even mentally. I think this goes beyond public school, but I was never in public schools in the US. My dd was 7 in June. I also do the CWP, and 2 pages of Abeka workbook (too easy, but some different concepts there) a day. Usually 4 times a week. When I will finish 1B, I will do every day RightStart activities sheets, IP for SIngapore and continue with Abeka 2 pages a day. I also need to do more mental math.

There, Heather already explained everything much better and faster :-)

I use the manipulatives showed on this book - not the book: http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/Base+10+Block+Activity+Book/008010/1283979885-935842 I don't know if it would help to have a "stick" of 10 that you cannot take apart. My dd needed another piece of paper to do all the mental math exercises. She learned to draw the 2 parts of the number (3 and 5 out of the 8) and then add the 3 to the 27 and then the 5. It was not easy. But now she does exercises up to 100 with no problem, mentally. I think crucial for my dd was to know VERY well, all addition facts to 20. 7 + 8 is 15 - this is how she does 67 + 18 now - she addes the tens and keeps them in her mind, then adds 15. I do not know when all this became easier, she forgot some over the summer, but is doing great now - we are finishing up 1B, and CWP. Will continue with IP and RIght start for a month, and then go to 2A. It is not easy, I had to sit there with her and explain over and over, and then she took off.

My children are young 7 and under - usually during breakfast, while they eat, we go through some of Veritas Press Bible cards - we are doing NT at this time - and look at the painting, and discuss, and read the back, and then read the BIble verses (given on the back). We do this or Storytime with the Millers, Bible verses, plus Proverbs for Parenting talking about the character quality the Stortime book talks about that day.

Yeah, it is terrible... and I just ordered another history curriculum yesterday...

Thank you for the suggestions! We have a wii, I have to check those out. We don't have cable and don't watch tv, so not sure about Elmo.

I used Abeka K 2 years ago for my dd. It has some pics and it is cute, my dd has a great reading foundation. But she did not like it - she does not like any kind of school, or anything that reminds her of school. I am using it now together with Phonics Pathway for my current 5 yo boy, and he loves the workbook and the big cards, he wants more. He reads from the Handbook for reading and the little readers. Just different kids. Don't know about the other one, but my cousin who is using it says it's boring for the child, but solid.

Thank you for your suggestions. Wow, that Insanity looks way too hard for me. I was thinking something milder, postpartum. I am not looking for yoga at all. More like cardio for the winter time when it gets too cold to run and play outdoors. I didn't see any children's workout dvds at the library - but maybe will check on netflix.

As winter is getting closer, I am starting to think of some exercising Dvds young children might enjoy - I have a 7 yo, 5 yo and 3.5yo. We have one for kids with Billy Blanks (I think - it is the kickbox kind) - my 7 yo girl would do 20 min, but not my 5 yo boy... The 3.5yo boy does whatever mommy does, still :-) Another suggestion I am looking for - a Dvd for post partum - I am due in December and have no dvds that help in the post-partum period, like up to a year after baby. I like to do Leslie Sansone, but there is not much muscle conditioning in there. Thanks!

I just started ELemental Science - Earth Science - 2 weeks ago - we are in week 3. It is good. There are some experiments. Some projects, too. We do some of them. There is a weekly quiz. No reference to God, so I was wanting to add some Apologia Astronomy - but decided against it, because for 7 yo who is taught the Bible, Elemental Science is probably enough. We learn a lot from youtube, too - my kids loved watching a couple of solar eclipses. Really made an understanding of what I was trying to show them in the Usborne book. I also rented a couple of DVDs about the Earth from the library. Coloring pages, etc... so far so good. I wish I did not have to do the experiemnts - some are outdated, as in you would need 2 mercury thermometers, not the digital ones, and I don't have those - but there is no way around it, kids like experiments.

Oh, you are nice :-) Still, I found it for a good price, I think.

Thank you, what a thorough review! Did you buy the cd? They did not have the cd at the homeschool store. We actually like biblical content, I did not realize it had it. Thanks again!

I took my 3 young children (7 and under) to the cul-de-sac in front of our house during "school hours" yesterday - from 11 to 12 - to play on their bikes - and a neighbor came and was wondering why I let them play when they should be doing school! I wonder if people think we homeschoolers should not get out of the house until 2:30pm...

I will do latin next year, and found a teacher manual an student book at a homeschool store that is going out of business really cheap ($9 for both) - no cd or dvd - is this a good course? They also have Latin Road - looked through it and it seems more complicated. Also Latina Christiana 1. Don't know if I should buy any of these for next year. Any input?

Yes, I feel like that, too, and I have 3 children at home, so people are talking to me ALL the time. Short people, that is. But the few friends I have rarely call - I noticed other hs moms love it when I call them and love to come over, but don't really do the same in return. Don't know why. Yes, the homeschool group helps. Wherever children take classes I meet hs moms also. I like to take classes for that reason, too (dd takes the classes, I just wait for the older one with my 2 littler ones). But even if I make friends easily, once the class is over, or the year is over, people are not interested to keep in touch. To me, this is very hard. Oh, well...

What is this? Never heard of this before... When do you start this, and what is so great about it? I am teaching my 5yo to read, but not grammar, etc... so not sure if he would be in level 1.

Thank you for the detail!

That negative review does not sound good for children. Unless the whole page can be torn without losing something else.

Yes, you are right Siloam. I spend much more one-on-one than you with my 7 yo and it may be too much. We have to count 1000 hours of instruction, at least 600 of which are core subjects. Good thing dd loves read-alouds. I think I am probably too strict on math. I will have to see how I will adjust that. Thank you.