Hello and Welcome! I'm also a newby and will be starting PreK with my one and only ds (just turned 4 on July 27th). It's so funny, when I read your post I saw myself right away... especially this part... and this... I started researching curriculum at the beginning of the year and talk about OCD... well, I'm right there with ya! :tongue_smilie: I'm afraid some may think I'm insane for starting at my ds's age with what we are going to be doing, but we love it. Of course I will adjust our schedule if need be for my ds... I'm just very excited and know his abilities, but I too don't want to push him. We have also chosen Saxon Math K and SWR for PreK. You're welcome to pm/email me anytime you like if you want to share stories and such. It's nice to find someone starting with a ds around the same age using similar curriculum choices. It'll be interesting to see how you progress and change in your homeschooling journey. I'm sure I'll be looking at your posts. I've enjoyed TWTM forum and have gleaned so much information already, I only hope that I am able to contribute. God Bless and have fun! Melissa

...as I'm barely just starting our HS journey, but I'm so glad that you started this thread. That is exactly how I felt and thought I was the only one. I went to a HS Group meeting in June and was very disappointed. A few people thought that my researching and planning at this point was a great thing to do, but I too felt like I was an outcast. I guess I had high expectations as well and although I had hoped not to, I too encountered the common ailments of the general homeschooler that you listed. Also, just as you stated I felt like if I was honest about what we're doing and plan to do, which is so different from what their comfort zones are (using ABeka, Bob Jones, etc.) I will alienate myself from potential friends. I talked about it with my dh and said the EXACT same thing to him that you wrote... I then went to a Homeschool Curriculum Fair put on by the same group and actually found someone that I was on the same page with in regards to the classical method, but her kids are grown and she's almost done HSing, big bummer! I have been praying about this... finding another homeschool family/families to share Christian Classical curricula ideas, a friend(s) for me and a playmate(s) for my one and only ds. Seems almost to good to be true. Then, the Lord opened a door for us with a family where we fellowship. Ah-ha, so that's what you had in mind, Lord! Anyways, I understand your situation. I definitely don't think this HS group is for us, but I may give it another try in the future since it was at the end of the year and many were not present at the time. Although, I believe I'll probably be resolved to the following stated by Sweetpeach, which will be just fine with me. I do like the curriculum fair though! Everyone else who posted on this thread also has great advice for you and it has helped me as well. Although I am newbie as well, I too have learned so much here on TWTM forum, things I think take others YEARS to learn or experience. I love it! Thank you everyone! Melissa

I recently purchased a 1991 World Book encyclopedia set left over from a garage sale. I found them on craigslist.org for $15, but I'm also on a list at one of our local libraries to contact if a newer set becomes available - although, I'm not sure how much it matters having an older set especially at this point since we're just starting our HS journey... however, my ds and I already enjoy having this reference resource easily accessible instead of having to boot up the computer all the time. BTW... thanks again OhElizabeth (if you're reading this) for the helpful tips on this matter. Now, I still need to figure out where to put them, LOL! They are neatly divided into two stacks, sitting on the floor in front of my full book shelf and waiting for a home. Melissa

I want to add Health into our schedule. I'm going to alternate Health with CB/Manners. I'm looking at Prudence and the Millers. Any other suggestions? I know this may seem like alot for us, but it's really not. We love it! Melissa

I just have to share this...One of my very first purchases for preparing to homeschool was the Canon PIXMA MP520. I bought it in April, 2008 and have not been disappointed! My husband was the Chief Photojournalist for many years at a local newspaper (made a career change a few months ago) and now just does freelance work on the side so we have a Canon i9900 (cost around $550) for his photography needs - high quality photos, etc. Wanting to save the expensive photo printer and needing a scanner/copier as well, I had my husband help me research for a printer/copier/scanner that was high quality but also durable and long lasting... oh, and priced right. He prefers Canon products. We found the Canon PIXMA MP520 on Amazon for $129.99. I really like the separate ink cartridges so you're not wasting money replacing a whole ink cartridge set when you only run out of one ink color. So that printer would be my vote. Here are a few links if your interested... Apple Store Amazon Test Freaks review of the Canon PIXMA MP520 Have Fun! Melissa

Wow, thank you and you're right... somehow I transposed that what one. I have only planned on 3 lessons and then the review - correction made. Definitely something to consider. Also great advice. Thank you ladies! Melissa P.S. I made some changes to the initial post.

Thank you ladies for your feedback and comments. I want our days to be fun, enjoyable and something to look forward to. I hope most of all for my ds to continue to enjoy learning. As Trivium Academy, JudoMom, Closeacademy, and KIN stated, I'll adjust where I'll need to for my ds's needs and easily cut most of the times in half, but I wanted to have a starting point. Also, I agree with KIN about cutting back to 1x daily phonogram review instead of 2-3x... that IS too much, what was I thinking. I guess I'm just very excited and know his abilities, but I don't want to push it. I may very likely alternate Art and Science (that's a great idea), but I can't combine Art with RA because ds likes to snuggle while I'm reading and usually wants me to join in or help with the art projects (depending on what it is). Thanks again... you have all been a great help! Melissa

Well, I think I'm close to fine tuning our PreK weekly schedule. I know it's only PreK... but I'm a planner and if I don't have a basic plan then I fear that I may do too much or not enough. I could surely use some feedback to let me know if I'm on the right track or not. It may look like a lot when typed out, but it doesn't seem like it. In fact, I wonder if I need to do more. Although, please keep in mind that the schedule is in addition to normal daily activities such as chores, cooking together, magnetic letters on the fridge, singing, dancing, playing outside (park, bikes, yard play, w/dog), legos, etc... oh, and our nightly bedtime stories and bible study. So without further delay, here it is... Monday 09/01/08 - Thursday 09/04/08 8:00-8:30 Devotion - Leading Little Ones to God (also, Big Truths for Little Kids, My ABC Bible Verses) M: Our Hearts Ask for God T: We Cannot See God W: We See God's Works Th: God Talked to People Long Ago 8:30-9:00 Math - Saxon Math K M: Lesson 1 T: Lesson 2 W: Lesson 3 Th: Review 9:00-9:15 Phonics - Spell to Write and Read M: Review 26 single letter phonograms, SWR game-How Sound are Made T: Review 70 phonograms, SWR game-Guess the Word W: Review 26 single letter phonograms, SWR game-Unglue the Word Th: Review 70 phonograms, SWR game-Count the Syllables (ds knows all 26 single letters and some multi-letter phonograms) 9:15-9:30 Handwriting - Cursive First M-Th: Clock Letters - a,c,d,g,o,qu M-Th: Game - clock letter relay M-Th: Large Motor Skill- trace flash cards, sandpaper letters, salt box, white board (ds already knows how to form some of the alphabet in cursive) 9:30-10:00 Science - Answers in Genesis (various materials) / Scienceworks: Learning About series by Evan-Moore M: A is for Adam (DVD or book and color) T: Life Before Birth W: Learning About My Body Th: Learning About My Body 10:00-10:15 Snack 10:15-10:30 Recess 10:30-10:45 CB/Manners/Health - Child's Book of Character Building (also, Big thoughts for Little People, God's Wisdom for Little Boys) / Prudence and the Millers (Miller Family series) M: Attentive in the Bible / Attentive at Home T: Prudence W: Attentive at School / Attentive at Play Th: Timmy and the Lion 10:45-11:30 Read Aloud - B4FIAR, FIAR, SL, BHI, and 1000 Good Books lists 11:30-12:00 Art (also, finger paints, water colors, play-doh, moon sand, etc.) M: ABeka Readiness Skills / Art Projects K4 (Misc.) T: Alphabet Art by Judy Press (Alphabet) W: ABeka Bible Activity Book K4 (Bible) Th: At the Zoo! by Judy Press (Animals) Please let me know what you think. Thank you, Melissa Just FYI... some other materials that I'll be using that I purchased from AiG for our Science time are: Life Before Birth Dinosaurs of Eden Dinosaurs by Design Dry Bones and Other Fossils Skeletons in your Closet Children's DVD pack (A is for Adam; D is for Dinosaur; Dinosaurs, Genesis & the Gospel; A Jurassic Ark Mystery; Six Short Days, One Big Adventure - my ds loves this one!) Riddle of the Dinosaurs DVD 3-Guide Pack (Zoo, Museum, Aquarium) Science & the Bible Noah's Ark Series Set God's Dinosaur Series

I just picked up three small lift-a-flap board books from our local $1 store... - USA (States and Capitols) - US Presidents (President name, term in office, political part, and a fun fact) - World (Continents, Countries and fun facts) Melissa

I suggest calling AiG and asking someone in their education department for more details on it Melissa.

...that is impressive! I wish I could do that. Unfortunately, I don't know if that was him or not. I just remember that he was on a talk show or 20/20 or something and he was explaining how he bases his calculations on 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, etc. instead of how most people calculate by 1-10, 11-20, 21-30 etc. I'm having trouble explaining it...but does that make any sense? I know he's out there, but I just can't find any info on him. I also remember that he was starting to teach math classes to kids and the kids would just catch on to the concept in no time. I'm really not set on finding him as much as I am wondering if there is any math program that uses/teaches this concept? Melissa

Ok, I'm not sure exactly how to ask this question. Quite a while ago I remember seeing some math genius on TV who can do huge math problems in his head in a matter of seconds. He said the key to it was thinking of primary numbers 0-9 and figuring out the problems that way... instead of 1-10, how most children are taught today. I remember that it made perfect sense to me when he explained it and I'm sorry but I'm not sure how to restate it. Does anyone know anything about this? Melissa

You may already know this, but if you wanted to stay with Saxon... I've seen that some using SM2 for first grade supplement with either Singapore 1 Challenging Word Problems or Veritas Press's suggestion of using Evan-Moore's Daily Math Practice 2. Melissa

Although I'm glad to know that I am not the only one, I am so very sorry to know that you have these sensitivities even ever so much more than me... I can't even imagine. I understand exactly what you mean by having to fix some of your other problems first and then knowing what was left is obvious...also, some symptoms being immediate and some delayed - depending on the source... and some sources causing different symptoms. Fortunately, my dh is very understanding as well and is really the only one who believes me without a doubt - he too accomodates me in any way possible. I'm curious, now that some of your issues have been resolved/subsided (headaches, nine years of infertility, etc.) because of the changes you have made and in addition to having to deal with these sensitivities for the rest of your life... such as having a special room built and special clothing, etc.... do you have any permanent damage as a result of your sensitivities? Just like percytruffle previously stated, for what it's worth, please know that I believe you 100%... and can relate to a your condition. Melissa

I recently read an article by Dr. Mercola entitled... Are You Allergic to Wireless Internet? As strange as it may sound, I have serious problems with this very thing. I am very sensitive to many things, especially in this case... because of it and without going into detail, we no longer use an airport (wireless) with our laptop and when our budget permits someday we will reinvest in a desktop computer (Mac of course ;) ). Also, I make sure that when I using my cell phone and have to hold it, I keep air between my ear and the cell phone or put the speaker on and set it down away from me whenever I can. So, my question is... Are You Allergic to Wireless Internet too? Does it effect you when your on your laptop for longer periods of time? Do you have these sensitivities as well? I'm very interested in knowing who has this problem too. Melissa

Whether a veteran or a newby... I am very interested in knowing what others are doing or using this year for preK/Kindergarten this year? Melissa

Thank you, I'll have to look into the World Book encyclopedias. I think I was partially expecting to see someone suggest Encyclopedia Britannica... as those are the only ones I knew of or remember from school and I really don't even know much about them either, just the name. Melissa

We would like to purchase a set of encyclopedias as we begin our christian classical home school journey. Does anyone have any recommendations or preferences? Any details you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Oh, also... what do you use for a children's dictionary? I have a brand new 1828 Noah Webster dictionary, but do you recommend anything in addition/instead. Thank you, Melissa

Many years ago back in high school, I worked at a video rental store and we had to clean the case of every video that was checked in with windex. I wonder if libraries have some sort of procedure for cleaning books when they are checked in. Hmm, something to ask my local librarian. Melissa

... what do you use so as to not damage the books? Do you use just a damp towel... soap and water... windex... lysol... etc.? Melissa

I just bought some used books and thought that maybe I should get in the habit of cleaning/sanitizing them before I put them away on my ds's book shelf. Does anyone else do this or I am I the only germ-a-phobe!:willy_nilly: Melissa

As for letter recognition and tracing... I taught my ds uppercase and lower case at the same time, but starting this way he was mainly retaining only the uppercase and wasn't recognizing all of the lowercase unless it was next to its uppercase. Maybe it was the way I did it... I'm not sure... but once I realized that he completely recognized the uppercase, then I focused only on lowercase until there was full recognition of those as well. Although he now recognizes both with no problems, if he randomly draws letters on a white board/paper he writes them mixed - some in uppercase and some in lowercase. If I were to do it again I would definitely start with lowercase letters first. As for learning to write the alphabet from here on... I'm using Cursive First with the language arts program I've selected, called Spell to Write and Read (SWR). Presently, he is learning cursive lowercase letters by writing them in a salt box, on a white board, or tracing sandpaper letters w/his finger, etc... these are for large motor skills. He says the sounds of the letters as he writes them in cursive. My ds learned the letter sounds after letter recognition... but is still in the process of learning all 70 phonograms. BTW, even though I'm just starting out... I highly recommend SWR and Cursive First. Melissa

I ask because I'm just starting out (preK in the fall), but I've already invested money in curriculum for both now and in the future... although, nothing past 1st grade w/the exception of SWR materials. I had a very small bulk of money that I purchased these initial materials with but looking to the future I'll have to budget it in... so I'm just curious... how much do you spend on curriculum each month? We have debt like most everyone, mortgage and a credit card payments. I realize everyone's budget is different... but, I wonder what is a reasonable amount to budget for curriculum... $25/month, $50/month, etc? Melissa

I am in the process of doing this exact thing. I've had some items in my shopping cart on Amazon, Christian Book, and Answers in Genesis for a few days now. I've been updating my lists over the course of these past few days... added, deleting and prioritizing. I love that some sites have the wishlist feature so you can save your selections for later... this helps me with the prioritizing. BTW...who posted the christianbook.com free shipping code... they're in big trouble with my wallet! With these lists I was just typing about... I finally decided to have my husband review them and give his 2 cents. Most times he agrees with what I've selected, but he is definitely my voice of reason when I can't make a decision. I bought a few new/used things from an all-in-one curriculum, decided it wasn't for us and have sold most of it. As someone had suggested, it isn't the worst or the best way to accomplish what we want to do - just unnessessary. I even went to a showing, but it wasn't till I had it at home and could look through it that I made this decision. I then got a look at the bigger picture and realized how much more and better is available out there. Hence, my online shopping carts and wishlists waiting for some attention. I have been researching curriculum ever so much that my brain is on overload at times... but oh, how fun! As Peela stated, at least I know what people are taking about around here, and what most of the acronyms are referring to. I'll be utilizing the library ever so much more and trying to check out books for our future curriculum before buying. BTW, did I mention that we are just going to be starting our homeschool journey? - PreK in the fall - So I can see that I will be in the same boat as many of you on this topic... it's already bittersweet! Melissa

I'm preparing to homeschool my one and only ds starting w/preschool this fall. I plan on using the classical method in our homeschool journey so I've been researching, researching, and researching all sorts of curriculum for preschool and beyond. That said, this forum has been a wealth of knowledge for the classical approach... as well as homeschooling in general. I am so thankful for this resource and all of you who contribute your wisdom. I need all the help I can get since my journey is just beginning and I still have oh so many questions. I love TWTM forum! Thank you and God Bless, Melissa