For my 3yo: 1) A set of these wood pieces for making letters. They are pricey, so feel free to be inspired by the shapes, and make your own set out of fun foam. When we do a letter, I then cut out paper strips and curves for dd to glue the pieces on construction paper. We save this work in a 3-ring binder that she is proud of. 2) See if your library has "My Sound Box" series by Jane Belk Moncure. There is one for nearly every letter of the alphabet. (XYZ are combined). When we read a book from this series, we say the sound to turn the page. The page will not turn unless the child says the sound. Here's an example (I made up) of the style of the books: "Little P had a box. I will put things in my box that start with the letter P." Say "Puh." to turn to page. "She found pickles and pizza. Did she put them in the box? She did!" Say "Puh" to turn the page. If your 3yo is pre-writing, see if she will write 3 p's on any sheet of paper when the book ends. Put it on the fridge, or make sure she goes and shows daddy when he comes home, so he can make a big deal about it. 3) Print or buy CVC flashcards. Put one or two on the fridge each week for her her spell out using refrigerator letters. 4) Starfall We pay the money for the extra content each year, but you certainly don't need it at this age. 5) If your child needs to learn how to use a mouse, get Reader Rabbit Babies and Toddler. 6) Use the dltk letter templates to make letters and inspire letter activities. We did apple prints for a, beans for b, a cat giant rubber stamp for c, dots for d, eggshells for e, and feathers for f. This is also saved in her 3-ring binder, along with a coloring page of a subject for each letter. Just google "Free coloring pages ant" or "Free coloring pages bear" or "free coloring pages cat." ETA: 7) I'd also splurge on a Little Pim Language of your choice (Spanish? Chinese? Italian?) if I could afford it. Watch Educents or Homeschool Buyers Coop or something for a deal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love the Well Trained Mind, but don't be a purist. Choose what is best for your family. That is the strength and the joy of Homeschooling. When you do start officially homeschooling, do as many others have suggested, and add one subject at a time. We started at age 4 with Saxon K Math, which is all manipulatives and no workbook, although there are optional worksheets (writing numbers, counting objects) at the end of the TM, I think. For Phonics, there are MANY good programs to choose from. Use this time to visit with others and ask what they like (and don't like) and why they use it. If I had it to do over, I'd consider Cursive First. I have used Abeka, which is an EXCELLENT program. We are currently using Saxon Phonics, which is acceptable, but not outstanding. It does the job. And it's secular. I have used the PAL Writing portion of IEW's PAL Reading program. I have heard only good things about PAL Reading. Also, FTR, many of us start every school year this way, with just one or two subjects the first day or week, then adding extra subjects as we get back into the swing of things.

1) We are not super at having our kids do chores at this age. Our oldest just turned 7. The kids are expected to help clean up when we pick up the living room together; and the oldest helps to set the table when asked. 2) There is no allowance in our household. My children will know the value of a dollar. 3) I pay for grades. :ohmy: Or rather, I pay for schoolwork. Disclaimer: This is not the best choice for every family, but it is what works for us so far. Yes, I know the research that demonstrates both the strengths and the research that shows the risks of paying children to learn. When my older sister turned 16, she got a job working at Perkins Restaurant. She often worked the (post) bar shift for $2.01 plus (lack of) tips from drunk people. She saved her money carefully for college. Her best friend Heather wanted a job, too. "Your job is school," her parents told her. Guess which girl earned a full ride scholarship to Baylor University in the Honors Computer Science program? Guess which girl has never finished college? Guess which group I want my kids to be in? Older dd earned 5c/subject or page for Kindergarten work. She earns 6c for 1st grade work. It makes sense that harder work should pay better, and more education should pay better. In this way, when my younger starts K and says, "Why do I only get paid 5c when older sister gets paid 9c?" I can explain that 4th grade work is harder. If younger dd wants to work double-time to get up to 4th grade and a higher pay grade, I will help her however I can. This system also works well because if a child is doing 2nd grade math, but all other subjects for 1st grade, the child will be paid accordingly. This pay system also internalizes that more education = better pay. As in: those with a high school diploma get paid better than those who don't. Those with a college degree get paid better than those who don't. Those with a graduate degree get paid better than those with just a B.A. or B.S. This system also teaches a work ethic. If daddy doesn't go to work, he doesn't get paid. If you don't do your work, you will not be paid, either. 4) I also pay 25c/ practice for piano, and a nickel each for math facts and typing. There is also a 25c bonus for getting everything done by the end of the day. This is extra incentive to get everything done, and it helps to keep us on track. 5) When we go to the store, and the kids want to buy something, I ask, "Did you bring your money?????" Most kids when ask that think, "Oh.....I didn't want it badly enough to spend MY money on it." My dd7 already budgets her money and determines whether she has enough money to make the purchase, or whether she needs to go home and do a bunch more schoolwork. 6) The first year we did this seriously (age 5ish), dd spent everything she earned. She was tearful when she didn't have enough money to purchase something. Age 6, I got smarter. I divided her pay into 3 parts: a) impulse buying, because everyone finds good deals on short notice b ) short term savings (saving for something specific) c) long term savings for one year (we put it in a box with a lock, and I wrote the date on the back) At the end of the year, dd had an epiphany about saving money. Part of this was age-appropriate maturity, too. We also talked often about how, "It feels good to have that money saved." THIS IS A KEY LESSON THAT I WOULD LIKE MY CHILDREN TO LEARN. It IS fun to spend money. It IS fun to get new things. But I want my children to take joy in saving, too. This year, dd is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to schoolwork. She is driven to get everything done by the end of the day. She understands the 25c bonus, and she understands having money for things she wants when we go to the zoo, science center, or any other local events. In the future: By the end of this year of saving, I am hoping that dd will have ~$100. I am hoping to steer her toward investment opportunities for children. Possibly U.S. Savings Bonds, or we'll have a talk with the investment counselor at the local credit union. If anyone knows of a system where young children can invest minor amounts in the stock market, let me know. In the next decade: IF dd has any "job" income (teaching piano lessons, babysitting, lifeguard, summer internship in high school), I will encourage her to bank EVERYTHING in a Roth IRA. Kids don't generally have enough income to pay much in taxes, so no almost no taxes going in; and earnings on Roth IRAs are not taxed, so no taxes coming out. 40 years from now, her investment from a silly high school summer job could yield some serious retirement cushion. As soon as they can file a 1040EZ, they should qualify for a Roth. Different states have different rules, so check with your state for details.

Welcome.

1) I would not use public school as a punishment, but I would use it as a "What we're doing isn't working; let's try something different." 2) I would ask my dc what the solution is. Example: Dd7 complains whenever she needs to do math facts (on XtraMath). I'm sorry, but math facts are something that are important to learn. I list what we have used: flash cards worksheets math board games (4+) math computer games (3+) games on the Nook (2+) And she complains about every.single.one. So I've told her that she isn't allowed to complain unless she comes up with an alternative for learning her math facts. I've come up with, and invested money in, several (listed above). If her friends (in public school or as homeschoolers) are doing a different method for learning math facts that is effective and she won't complain about, I would love to hear about it. Until she can offer a solution, on this subject, I refuse to change to a different program. 3) Link a reward to schoolwork. We used tv and money. If dd7 wants to watch extra tv (she gets 30 minutes free/day), she must complete a certain amount of schoolwork. (For us, this is 4 subjects, but different families have different expectations). If she is complaining about this, I tell her that I am not the one to complain to; I'm not the one dragging my feet about schoolwork.

Some years, we make ornaments from kits. This will get easier as the kids get older. This year we made ornaments out of the leftover clay from making our history ziggurats. Then we painted them. Other sources of ornament ideas: Oriental Trading Mary Maxim Herrschners Cracker Box -- gorgeous, but EXPENSIVE! ebay Amazon Pinterest Ornament Blog DLTK -- for young kids

Prairie-Phlox -- Send your daughter to the College of the Ozarks. Tuition is in exchange for working in campus; it's a Christian community; your dd would learn many skills on campus; and they have a Nursing program. I'd contact them now to learn the requirements for admission. And I can't agree more with what betty says: I'm sure you could find a dozen women in the hive right now who have personal experience with bad luck when it comes to death/disability/abuse with a spouse....and no education. No one wants that for your daughter.

I'm not strong enough to resist..... Loverboy has a deep fryer, and once a year (usually New Year's) we have a day or two of Heart-Attack Day. Mmmmmmm: Deep fried cheese nuggets! Pizza bites. Jalopeno poppers. Onion rings. Chicken nuggets. Once I get off the computer, I'll make some Hoppin' John to cleanse our systems off all of the cholesterol.

1) Balloon Volleyball -- I lay a jumprope across the living room to divide it, and we bat balloons up in the air. 2) Foam balls 3) For the littles: Trampoline -- we have one similar to this one. Two can jump at once. Worth every penny.

Dd is in first grade and has JUST turned 7yo. We have been watching Salsa episodes over lunch. I don't push the Spanish too hard because we are also doing Chinese, too. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A couple of weeks ago, I pulled out FlipFlop Spanish. We are starting with the age 3-5 book, and it is very gentle. I have made a couple of games to go with it. 1) Dd made faces on index cards to answer the "Como estas?" question. --Estoy bien. --Estoy mal. --Estoy asi asi. 2) Color flashcards to match or play Memory. example: rosado with rosado roho with roho azul with azul

Play board games. Pull old ones off the shelf to play. Do big jigsaw puzzles as a group. Cook together, even if it is just to make a few freezer meals. (Taco meat freezes well; spaghetti sauce freezes well). Make all of those Christmas cookies you never got to. Do some "enrichment" activities for history or science. We're mummifying one of dd's dolls this week, putting together a cut-out of mummy coffins, and doing Egyptian paper dolls. Learn something new: -Chess -A language: There are free video lessons on youtube. You don't need to learn a whole language. Just some greetings or body parts or how to say, "I'm sorry." -Knitting, crocheting, etc. Then sit and do it while watching Lord of the Rings. -Buy clearance Christmas fabric and use it to teach everyone to sew gift bags for next year's Christmas. (It's like sewing a pillowcase). I use this for wrapping; it's green, fast, and beautiful. I tie them shut with ribbons.

:grouphug:

What did your family like? What did they not like? Our family: Hits: Halloween costumes for dress-up purchased after the season. [90% off the price ($1.90 - $2.40)]. Misses: (Other brand) Viewmaster that wouldn't advance the film. We all fiddled with it, and none of us could get it to work. The second one purchased (with fish pictures) worked fine.

I have been using the Wii Fit to work out....but it gets boring. We opened presents last night (Christmas Eve), sooooooo This morning, I used my brand new heart-rate monitor to workout to the Wii Sports Resort. My heart rate only went up a little, but I'll try a Dance game tomorrow morning.

--Dd7 is in 1st grade. I have no idea what reading level she is at. --I do not require independent reading from her at this time, but I am also blessed with a child who reads a lot on her own anyway. Things that support independent reading in our home: 1) All reading is good. I have never harassed her about the "quality" or level of books she is reading. Currently, she is going through a phase where she is reading a ton of Graphic Novels. We are lucky to have such a good library that keeps a healthy stock of Graphic Novels. The couple that she has roped me into reading aloud to her, *I* have truly enjoyed. 2) Weekly visits to the Bookmobile, where she can pick out books and movies. (Because of the movies, she looks forward to the Bookmobile. It's an imperfect system, but it works). She comes home with a stack of books of her own choice to read. 3) We read books above level together. We do this to s-t-r-e-t-c-h her reading abilities. When I read aloud, she is introduced to new vocabulary, complex ideas, and subtle concepts within the books. Every page or so, I ask her to read a sentence or paragraph. Again, I do not expect her to read the whole book, but she is stretched to read text on a page with no pictures. 4) Dd7 can stay up as late as she wants in bed to read. If she feels she cannot sleep, she is welcome to turn on her light and read to herself. The caveat is that she must be functional and pleasant the next day. Disclaimer: we also read for "Reading Class." We are reading together through as many award winning books and discussing the literary aspects (characters, setting, problem or surprise, etc). In this way, I reassure myself that she is being exposed to "quality literature."

K5 Computer Lab Dance Mat Typing -- free, gentle; dd7 used this a pre-cursor to Mavis Beacon. We also have friends whose boys are K and 1, and both boys are obsessed with Minecraft. The younger one is learning to read/spell because of this program. (He wants to learn how to program his world). But I don't know anything else about MInecraft.

We have plenty of pencils, but I just went out to buy more cap-erasers. They seem to fall off, or the new pencils wear out their erasers quickly. A part of this is because we are at the age of "know how to write, but got a lot of stuff to fix."

Documentation is my friend. I plan to save at least 2 years worth of stuff; then toss the rest as it becomes irrelevant. Our state does not require this documentation, but if there was ever a question (possibly in transition to public school), there would be ENOUGH documentation to protect my girls. Also, one never know when one may move to another state. Job transfer? Divorce? Housing instability? Hopefully we're covered. ---------------------------------------------------- I also may save (for her personal reference) some of the subject notebooks dd7 is assembling. She is making a history notebook, a science notebook, and is just about finished with a Dinosaur notebook. (She wrote about the KT Boundary today). I'm not committing that we will save them forever; just for the next few years as a reference until she has --absorbed all the information --replaced it with something more recent/more finished --or learned to find similar information from other sources than her self-made one (Google, Wikipedia, other online sites, non-fiction books, etc).

Age 6 is the time to cast a wide net at trying things. We've done gymnastics, tennis, swimming, softball, and a multitude of camps. Most have been successes. Some have been failures. We do have a rule that "We finish our commitments." (Time, money, others counting on us). This is a good age to try many things. It's easy to find beginning level classes, and everyone else is a beginner, too! It's tougher to be 10yo in a class with 5yos learning to swim. Ask me how I know. If there is an issue of financial investment for equipment (says the mom who just finished searching Craig's List for beginner guitars), then expect a commitment of a commensurate period of time; or ask the child to contribute 50% towards equipment.

No real advice for an 11yo, but I lay a towel down on the floor bring in a 9x13 cake pan of snow for the kids to play with. They get ONE pan/day. (This gives the carpet a day to dry out in between). I'm not sure if this makes me a good mom or a bad mom. --------------------------------------------------------- Also, just a reminder: When dropping someone off, MAKE SURE THEY GET INTO THE HOUSE. http://gawker.com/college-student-could-lose-limbs-after-passing-out-on-f-1481095662

I would only buy insurance if the value of the item was greater than what an average package would be expected to be valued at. For example: I could mail a box of paper clips to you, or I could mail a family heirloom (4+ generations) amethyst ring to you. Both would be about the same size, weight, and cost to mail cross-country. However, if the ring goes missing or damaged, replacement costs are going to be a whole heck of a lot higher than to replace the damaged paperclips. Another example: I could ship a fancy modern bookshelf to you (made with bamboo, so very hip, green, and strong), or I can ship a particleboard bookshelf to you from Walmart. Again, both probably cost about the same to ship (for size and weight), but the value inside would indicate insurance in one case, but not another. The responsibility is the seller's to replace if a package is damaged. If a seller is unhappy (and has to replace too many packages) because of a poor delivery system, then it is the seller's responsibility to not offer that delivery choice any longer. It is not unusual at all for nearly all companies to ship solely by USPS or solely by UPS, and the buyer has no choice. If the seller is unhappy with too many items needing to be replaced for damage, they need to package their merchandise better, buy insurance on everything, or change their shipping options. The consumer has no power over the company to dictate that any of these three things happen. Only the company can make these decisions. Likewise, if a delivery service has too many damaged packages, they will lose business, and their market share and profits will take a nosedive. Go, Capitalism!

I am grateful for --healthy kids and a healthy partner. We marvel at how few doctor's appointments our kids have ever had, and we know that some of this is dumb luck. There are many with health issues in their family, and the family revolves around it every day to keep their family members alive and functional. --Loverboy. He is supportive in all ways, good with the kids, and handy around the house. I hope I can be the partner and support he needs me to be. --a full refrigerator. I wouldn't be surprised if we had people in our own neighborhood that suffer from food insecurity. --cars that start when we start them. For years, I drove old cars, and this was not the case. You wake up in the morning, and you wonder if you will be able to go to work without your car breaking down and destroying your meager savings (saved for the express purpose of getting the car fixed when it breaks down). --a garage. We store extra stuff in it, and we don't have to scrape windows in the cold! --a warm house. We just live in a trailer, but, as I tell my family members, we own it; we can paint the walls whatever color we want; we can have pets. Many people are envious of these things in life. --the opportunity to homeschool, and a partner that supports the crazy ways this affects our life. I know many moms that would just love to be SAHMs, or to have a work schedule that allowed them to see their kids off to school and meet them at the bus at 3pm, or that would be flexible when their kids are sick. I am lucky enough to be able to homeschool and be with my kids all day. Whether we are learning Chinese, or making Sumerian Princess costumes, Loverboy is in 100%. --a town that has many opportunities for children. Swim lessons, affordable children's theater ($4/ticket), great parks, schools, and homeschool support, Nature Center, and a local university with all it offers. Many local free events. It is clean and low crime. --a country that is based on the Constitution and has limited corruption. In the U.S., if you offer a bribe to a policeman, you ARE going to jail. In many countries around the world, if you don't offer a bribe to the policemen, you are going to jail. --infrastructure of roads to get us where we are going, electricity, clean water out of the faucet, police and fire protection if needed.

Please note that I did not START with all of these things. We started with the Piano Adventure stuff, and added things one at a time as we needed them. Influences: For books, we use: My First Piano Adventures (listed here on Amazon, but please support your local music store. They most likely have them on the shelf or would be happy to help you order them. Also, you may find a music system you prefer to Piano Adventures there). There is a Lesson Book and a Writing Book. At first I didn't think that I liked this series, but the two books dovetail VERY nicely. At the bottom of each page of the Lesson Book, corresponding pages in the Writing book are listed. At the bottom of each page of the Writing Book, corresponding pages in the Lesson Book are listed. At the beginning of the Lesson Book is a table of contents that lists the the songs in the Lesson Book with its Writing Book counterpart. There are also Christmas Books for each of the beginning levels (A, B, C). There is an advent calendar in the back of each book that I photocopy each year. Disclaimer: The first year (A), dd played all the songs in the Christmas A book. The second year (B ), dd was too overwhelmed with the Christmas B songs, so we relearned all the A songs, then moved on to a few B songs, as time allowed. This year ©, we have played through all the A songs, dd is learning the B songs, and I expect we will learn a couple of C songs. -------------------------------------------------------------- Two summers ago, I listened to a workshop about teaching piano to young children at the local homeschooling convention. Her answer: GAMES. And she shared that there are many game ideas on the internet for teaching music. I have a couple of files of games I'd be happy to send to anyone as a resource for teaching music. Just pm me with an email address. The files are too big to copy and paste in the Hive pm system. ------------------------------------------------------------- Enchanted Learning website has a musical calendar one can print off. I wouldn't join Enchanted Learning JUST for the music calendar, but if you already have a membership, print it off. Dd6 colors in each day that she practices. If she misses a day, I color in the missed day black. This is also a good way to keep track of how many days in a row your child has practiced. We are challenged to practice 100 days. After 10 days, I pay dd $1. After 20 days, I pay her $2. After 30 days, I pay her $3. She is on day 37, and the amount she has learned in the past 37 days is tremendous. Each month is a different musical topic, so that is our "enrichment" and a challenge to learn something new. Disclaimer: It's the same calendar each year, so next year, I may make my own music calendar. Currently we practice 30 minutes a day. This is a lot for a 6yo. We did not start at this level. Also, with 30 minutes, if dd6 goofs around for 5 minutes (telling me unrelated things, plinking out her own songs, etc), I don't worry about it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Internet: We are so lucky to live in a time with the internet. Whenever there is something I don't understand musically, I research it online, ask my music-savvy friend, or seek out Amazon and our public library for music theory books. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Dozen a Day -These are warm-up exercises. We use them to explore playing things in different keys. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music history and theory-- Because dd6 has been playing daily for 37 days in a row, I feel good about taking a day here and there to expand on music history. The first of every month: we read about a composer or musical story. The Piano Adventures series has taught us about Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms,and Tchaikovsky so far. I have the corresponding books from the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series. It's not hard to buy them one at a time. I also have: Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times, (And What the Neighbors Thought). Last time we read about "The Nutcracker" in Tales from the Ballet (since we are learning about Tchaikovsky). We will also read the tragic "Swan Lake" story soon, since it is in Book C of Piano Adventures. Disclaimer: OOP, but there are many other good books to tell the ballet stories. Of course, there are video clips on youtube for the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, parts of Swan Lake, and professionally played versions of the better known songs by these composers. If the clip is long (15minutes), we just watch/listen to some of it. After all, dd is only 6. These Classical Kids CDs. We've listened to the Tchaikovsky one and the Mozart one in the car. We get them from the library. ---------------------------------------------------- Because dd6 has been playing for 37 days in a row, I also don't have a problem with taking a day away from the piano to just play music theory games. We are going to start doing this on the 16th of every month.

We started dd at age 4ish. She is now nearly 7. 1) For a child this young, you may need to sit with him for daily practice. Basically, you may need to "teach him how to practice." Not all 6yos know to read the teacher's notes in the assignment pad and how to go over trouble parts. Loverboy was saying just last night how much he appreciates that I sit with dd to get as much out of the piano as we can. This is what works for us: a) When introducing a new song, I play it for dd6 several days in a row so she can get the tune in her head. I start doing this a week ahead of time, plus daily as she is learning songs. b ) We divide the song into 4 parts. Dd plays each part 6 times in a row (because she is 6). c) We play Dice. Of. Dooooooooooom! (must be said in a thunderous voice). I put a 6-sided die in a cup. She rolls it. 1 -play section 1 2 -play section 2 3 -play section 3 4 -play section 4 5 -play whole song 6 -done with this song for the day, even if it is the first roll We usually do 5 rounds when playing this game, unless she rolls a 6 (which cuts the game short). d) we play the song daily, then weekly, forever. 2) An educated piano teacher would be great, but I would prefer one with experience teaching YOUNG children. I have no musical degree. I have no college degree beyond a 2-year community college degree in liberal art. My musical education is spotty. I have been teaching dd (nearly 7) since she was 5. We use lots of games, and I sit with her daily for practice. I use the internet and reference books and musically-savvy friends for things I don't understand. I know my limits; I know the time will come that dd will surpass what I can teach her musically; and I know that there are some things I am bad at teaching. Shameless bragging part: And yet, dd6 can set and play with a metronome. She can play in a duet. She can move her hands from one place to another on the keyboard without prompting, as the music requires. She knows about pentatonic scales (and can play them in a couple different keys). She uses inverted chords spontaneously. She know how many sharps/flats are in C major, D major, E major, and F major, and can play the 5-finger scale for them. She is starting to take a song she knows, and move it into a different key. We are starting to discuss the values of the Tonic and the Dominant notes on the scale. My point is that one does not need a degree in music to teach beginning piano to young children. Unless you are driven for your child to have the same piano teacher for the entirety of their musical career (one who can expand with your child's growth in music beyond what I know I can do for dd6), start with someone who will play musical games with your child and teach them what they need to know before moving on to the next level of a more challenging piano teacher or trumpet lessons.

I read the Usborne version to my dd6. A 4th grader would understand more, and could read it to you!

Keep modeling (as you have done) and don't make a requirement of loving gestures. You are a good mom to want to teach language of love and to be aware of where he is, but we all love in our own ways. And you especially don't want him to learn to use I Love You for manipulative terms. My dd6 often says, "I love you." My dd3 is going through a phase where she will not let me kiss her. We snuggle and nurse, and I kiss her on the top of the head, and she rubs it off, and scolds me, "No kisses, Mom!!!" It is hard to not kiss her. When I was a kid, I had a pastor that would force me to hug him, to the point of grabbing my arm and almost pulling my arm out of the socket to stop me from getting away. After sitting quietly for over an hour of church, I just wanted to run outside and play with the other kids. As an adult, I sincerely believe that the pastor just really loved kids; no funny business intended. At the time, my parents didn't allow complaining. The problem was mine to solve alone, so I just capitulated to get it over with as soon as possible so I could go out an play with the other kids. As much as I want to kiss my dd3, I REALLY want to respect her wishes of "no kisses" at this time. I tell her, "I love you no matter what!"