I do like the simplicity of SL core plus level-appropriate LA and math. We already have so many of the books (once a homeschooler, always buying out the library book sales). I'm also naturally inclined to tweak, but knowing my other inclination to fizzle I think I need a core of something to return to. 🤔 I hadn't looked at Well Trained Mind's LA so thanks for the excellent tip. The German will be tricky, out of the full immersion environment, especially since I don't know much at all. Extra TV, as long as it's always in German? 😂

Hmm, I'll have to look into Oak Meadow. For some reason I thought it was super-Waldorf, but I see now that it's not. I think some kind of academic rigor is something l'd like to head toward (maybe later grades) because Dad's a university professor and that's just the home atmosphere, but I can see that we might really need a gentle year to ease into homeschooling. Mom-as-drill-sergeant is not going to work for any of us. Is there an upper limit to audiobook saturation?? we're starting to wonder, as the kids lay on their beds for hours, listening to Mary Poppins for the eleventy-first time. I watch RAR's audiobook deals, and we've got quite a library of quality books, but the oldest is especially reluctant to struggle with the printed word for anything but Harry Potter (she can; she won't). I won't be too worried till we're back home to our books and the land of English language libraries, but we do get a little concerned with their lassitude.

So I'm strongly considering homeschooling this year for my daughters who will be 3rd and 1st grade, but I'd love curriculum advice! Background: Older one did a year of public afternoon K4, then K and 1st at a public German immersion school, and now 2nd at an actual German school with lots of creative independent work and about 5 recesses a day. Younger also did K4 and then a year of German kindergarten, which is all play and no academics. So neither has done any school in English, and the younger hasn't done schoolwork at all. For this age, I think that's a great trade-off for fluency in a foreign language. But now here we are, wondering how to do next year in the USA again. Both are bright, self-taught readers. The older one thrives in school environments - workbooks, and group projects, and writing and performing plays (hence some reluctance to bring her home). She also resists my instruction, so independent work is important. The younger one is only just showing signs of readiness for deskwork, and really could use basic handwriting instruction, so writing-intensive programs would be a challenge. We also have a high energy 3yo who sabotages everything I do. I was myself homeschooled but I doubt my ability to stick with a plan, so a boxed curriculum (with tweaks?) for the first year sounds attractive. I admire the rigor of Memoria Press, but wonder if the appropriate grade levels (1 and 3) would be a rude shock for my kids with no warm up. Maybe a slow pace at first? Sonlight/Bookshark is perhaps my preferred style, as we're a heavily read-aloud family, but in reality we've struggled to read together since the 3yo tornado was born (she's only getting older right???). And is it actually impractical to do two grade levels and a preschooler? That's a lot of books to coax them through (combining grade levels in general would not work) MBTP has good reviews, but I have ex-homeschooler baggage about self-published or unprofessional-looking materials, so you'd have to really convince me. I have more questions/thoughts but I'll stop there for now. 😉 Thanks!