I think it depends on the 5yo, and it depends upon the curriculum you are using. I am not familiar with the scope and sequence of it, so I can't comment specifically on it. Our experience: Oldest dd will be 6 in December. We are more than halfway through Saxon Math 1. Saxon Math 1 has a full sheet of facts to do in each lesson. We did flashcards in addition to the lessons introducing new facts and these worksheets. A month ago, I realized that dd was not keeping up with mastering the facts she was supposed to know so far. This caused stress for dd to complete these sheets or to do the flashcards. And I realized that from here to the end of the curriculum, the cycle of learning new facts was only going to increase in speed and difficulty. We quit doing curriculum, and only worked on facts for a couple of weeks. At this point, we have resumed curriculum, but I have challenged dd to use an electronic game 3X/day for 10 days to see how her flashcard facts improve. So, in my opinion, it will depend upon where your curriculum is taking you, and what kind of challenge this is for your 5yo. No matter the subject, we don't want our kids to be expected to complete a task for which they do not have the resources. We are using a Flashmaster (checked out from the public school homeschooling program). The car is a good place for her to practice this. However, there are many, many apps, computer programs, boardgames, and file folder games for math facts if you choose to supplement. Many are free or low cost through the internet. I'm sure you would get many good ideas if you started a thread on that.

Currently Reading: Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween (nonfiction) It's not particularly compelling, but it IS appropriate reading for this month. It's not really difficult reading either. ------------------------ If you want Light and Fun reading: The Bubbles Mystery series, starting with: Bubbles Unbound With a heroine like Bubbles Yablonsky, you know you're in for a ride! ---------------------- Undead (Queen Betsy) Vampire series, starting with Undead and Unwed --------------------- Just about anything by Harlen Coben is a page-turner. Harlen Coben

This is what works for us: Once a month I rent the clubhouse of our trailer court (for $10) and I go sew or scrapbook. Once a month is not unreasonable to ask. My friends are invited to join me for creative time, but often I am the only one there. I make it clear that it is a "no kids" event, unless you are specifically crafting WITH your kids. I lock up at lunchtime, and make an "emergency run" to Joann's Fabrics or Hobby Lobby, and I get a yummy burrito from Fighting Burrito. If Loverboy needs me in the meantime (the toddler is still nursing), I am just a phonecall and a 5-minute-walk away. I can run home to take care of the baby, and be back in less than 30 minutes. ------------------- What will work for you? Some women are part of a creative circle through their church. I know my sister would go every Thursday night to her church for crafting. (She always took along ironing because that is what relaxed her. :w00t: ) Do you belong to a church that could/would start an activity like that? Would it work for you to take a day off once a month to go to a movie, eat lots of popcorn and soda pop, and spend the rest of the day reading in quiet bliss at the library? Would it work for you to ask your dh to take the kids once a month to the zoo or science center or park plus pizza to give you 3-4 hours uninterrupted at home? Oooo! You could take a nap!!! In any case, it's time for you to negotiate for a certain amount of recreational time for yourself at least once a month.

--Our local Science Museum has a "demo" with discussion about some of their friendlier critters. Usually they have a snake, a salamander, and a turtle. --The Science Museum and the Zoo each have a collection of reptiles and amphibians. If I was planning a unit on snakes/lizards, I would make personalized books of the animals at each location. (I have done this for birds for dd). 1) Fold several sheets of printer paper in half, and staple them together with a colored cardstock cover. 2) Using the internet, print off photos of each organism. Have your child(ren) cut out the photos to glue into their books: one organism/two-page-spread. 3) Record (or have your child record) the common name of the organism and the Latin name. Consider including information of where the animal is found, whether it is endangered, and two or three fun facts. The resulting bird book for us is perused by dd in the car on the way to the zoo; then it is used as a reference once we arrive to identify birds walking freely within the building. This process takes a lot of paper; I have made enough of these books with dd (Volcanoes, Geology, American History, etc), that I have a template for making the books. It uses less paper in the long run, but I'm not sure that dd learns as much as she does by discussing things as she is cutting out and pasting. You could also make lapbooks out of the information.

I see it is listed, but unavailable through netflix. If you have a Netflix account, request it. Maybe they will make it available for us!

The USA geography (self-created) is popular. Also, dd looks forward to Snap Circuits.

One more thing we are doing: I have printed off coloring sheets for dd. The Spanish word or phrase is on each one. (I have modified them on Powerpoint, but really you just need a black crayon to write the word). When we have enough colored, I will staple them together into a "book." Dd colors one every time we do Spanish. And we review the ones she has colored previously. If you are more on the ball than I am, you could do Spanish daily. 180 days of schoolwork = 180 words or phrases of Spanish your Ker would know. You could do sets of animals (farm, jungle, pets), foods, feelings, things in the yard or park (slide, swings, butterfly, flower), toys (blocks, stuffed bear, bike, train, dishes), places to go (library, store, school, church, park, pool), or things in a specific room (bed, rug, dresser, closet, toys, blanket, pillow, pajamas).

This is a second vote for Carol's Affordable Curriculum. Another version of this is Shirley's Crafts.

I have made flashcards for Spanish and either the English word or a picture. Some things you can do: 1) Put the cards in order to make sentences. (Please note I am not well versed in Spanish, so mistakes may appear below). Me gusta las manzanas. No me gusta los fideos. (I like apples. I don't like noodles). Necesito ir a casa. (I need to go home). Ella necesita correr a la piscina. (She needs to run to the pool). Quiero caminar al parque. (I want to walk to the park). El quere ir a la tienda. (He wants to go to the store). 2) Play concentration with the cards, but lay them all face up. 3) Use an old game and modify it for the cards. Yesterday, we used an old Chutes and Ladders board with the cards. Dd would pick a card and she got: --3 spaces for reading/identifying the card. "Quiero" --3 spaces for translating the card "I want" --And 3 spaces for creating a sentence in Spanish using the word. "Quiero ir al cine." (I want to go to the movies). ETA: Forgotten rule: Mom plays, too, but only gets 2 spaces for each achievement. 4) Make flashcards of words in a room. Play scavenger hunt to put each card on its item. Examples (bedroom): la cama (bed) el osito de peluche (stuffed bear) la munica (doll) la ventana (window) el libro (book) la alfombra (rug) la lampara (lamp) el peine (comb) 5) Make flashcards for colors in the following way. The Spanish name will be colored. The English name will be black. Match them. rojo/red anaranjado/orange amarillo/yellow azul/blue etc, etc 6) Make flashcards for the colors, but this time write the Spanish name in black. rojo anaranjado amarillo azul etc, etc Use it to play scavenger hunt, but this time the child can find ANYTHING that is green for verde, ANYTHING that is white for blanco, and ANYTHING pink for rosa. 7) Pull out your child's collection of little plastic animals. Name them. la vaca (cow) el caballo (horse) el caracol (snail) You can do the same for the stuffed animals on the bed: el pinguino (penguin) el tiburon (shark) el raton (mouse) 8) If your children receive children's magazines, sometimes they have silly little games in the back. Appropriate them for Spanish practice. Or you can just run to your library with a pocket of quarters to copy the games. In May 2012 High Five magazine, there are cards with parent animals and babies. So we learn: el pato (duck) el patito (duckling) el gato (cat) el gatito (kitten) el perro (dog) el perrito (puppy) la rana (frog) la ranita??? (froglet/tadpole....need to look this up!) September 2012 High Five has a little "going back to school game that matches sets of: backpack (el mochila) scissors (unas tijeras)? crayons (el crayon) pencil (el lapiz) markers (los rotulador)? lunchbox (la lonchera)? 9) High Five magazine also has a bilingual story in each issue. It introduces 4-5 new words/phrases each story. 10) Board games around the house. Play Candyland saying the colors in Spanish. Play UNO saying the numbers and colors in Spanish. Play Sorry, but say Lo Siento! I'm sure that you can use lots of creativity with the games in your game closet.

Lots of good advice here. Does she have any friends who homeschool? I believe in the positive power of peer pressure. My 5yo daughter was not entirely on board with homeschooling, although not as difficult as your daughter. Exposing her to friends who homeschool, and pointing it out after a playdate helped to "normalize" homeschooling for her, and to make her want to be like her friends. Also, on days she sleeps in, I point out that "Thank goodness we homeschool. Your friend Callie had to get up at 6am this morning!" Other times we say, "Thank goodness we homeschool. We can skip stuff you already know." or "Thank goodness we homeschool. We can work on stuff you need extra work on, and skip other stuff." or "Thank goodness we homeschool. After math and phonics, we can work on stuff in the order that we want to."

The closest would be "Buying on Contract"? I don't know anything else about it except that my dad sold a house under those circumstances once....and then he got the house back because the contract fell through. He didn't really want the house back, so he had to sell it again. ETA: As I understand it, Buying on Contract 1) doesn't usually have a lease clause 2) doesn't involve the banks 3) must be agreed to by the seller. Most sellers want their money up front.

Here is my set of quotes. Some are just aphorisms. I'm not sure where most came from. I want to believe they carry wisdom. I collect them in a word file. Ignorance more frequently begets confidence, than it does knowledge. –Charles Darwin Perfect Practice Prevents Poor Performance. or Perfect Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. May you live in harmony with exactly who you are and may your creativity and talents light up the world with love and peace. "Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire." William Butler Yeats "Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand. " ~Native American Proverb~ Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, “Oh, crap, she’s up!†Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But everyone is not entitled to their own facts. – Patrick Moynihan Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it. The truth is the truth even if no one believes it. Remember the tar baby; you are attached to what you attack. Do unto others 20% better than you’d expect them to do unto you to correct for subjective error. –Linus Pauling Procrastination is the natural assassin of opportunity.

Story #1: Loverboy is from New Mexico. He grew up there, went to college in Utah, Nevada, and Michigan, before coming to Iowa for a postdoc. We met while he worked at the university. Loverboy's Uncle Harry lives a couple of hours north of here, and goes to the same church that my Uncle Melvin goes to. Story #2: One of Loverboy's best friends from undergrad (Utah) coincidentally took a job at the local USDA at the same time that Loverboy committed to his postdoc at the university. And a third friend from their undergrad years has been in town just as long at least! Story #3: When we were dating, one of the science textbooks on the shelf in my apartment contained a photo of Loverboy's from some of his research in Michigan. (He knows how to impress a gal!!!)

I have not had this problem. I use Xyron 9" Creative station. You can read reviews here: http://www.amazon.com/XRN900-Creative-Station-Function-Crafting/dp/B000CBSNGK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346673016&sr=8-2&keywords=xyron+9%22+creative+station But the best price is on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=xyron+9%22+creative+station&_sacat=0 You have to buy cartridges, which can be pricey. The cartridges can be $30, but, again, the best prices seem to be on ebay (as low as $11). Advantages: --You can get a lot of laminating on a roll. --The same machine can be used to make stickers or magnets. You just need to purchase a different cartridge for that function. Make sure you purchase the right cartridges!!! And label them with a sharpy so there is no confusion of what is in the machine!!! Disadvantages: --Initial price can give you sticker shock compared to other laminators. --This is not heat sealed. It is basically high-quality contact paper sticking together. Whenever I laminate, I waste ~6" turning the crank to make sure the laminate has no wrinkles in it before I add my paper to the machine. Otherwise it can wreck what I printed. If I have a lot to laminate at a time, then 6" is not a big deal. If I have only one item, it is a necessary evil to this sort of laminator. I have been very happy with mine, but I hope you find what works best for you.

They recently raised the prices, but it is still a bargain for our family. We can get movies that we can't get anywhere else, and they are in good condition. Whenever a problem disk arrives (broken, nonworking, happens about once/year) , Netflix addressed the situation as soon as they are aware of it. We don't have to pay the prices of rentals, and we don't have to run out to the store with two kids in carseats. Just a quick search on Netflix: PBS videos: There are over 200 videos to choose from, including Ken Burns "The War" on streaming. ~180 videos under the search "National Geographic." (I counted for you). Animal planet is a little more complicated to count (and my kids need some supper soon.....) As far as general documentaries, it is the one place I feel I can go to get documentaries (political, non-science, general). Will they let you use their search engine on the site to look around and look up stuff before you commit? To see if it is a good choice for your family?

VL has a homeschool code??? I wish we had known that!!! We have purchased it for this year. It's still a little old for dd5, but mom has been getting lots of good use out of it :D; and I have dd do what she can on the computer. We are happy with VL so far. You will need some sort of a microphone for the program. Languages are tough. It's really hard to do well with them without another person to practice with. How is your Spanish? Could he do the lesson, then come and teach it to you? Speaking aloud is a very important part of languages. The understanding part and speaking part of our brains are in two different parts of our heads! (Okay....that explains a lot about some people! :D) As my old Spanish teacher put it (when we didn't want to do classroom participation): "I can't learn a language without speaking it. How about you?" VL also has a certain number of free lessons. I highly recommend that you try them out as a try-before-you-buy. The lessons are much more bare-bones than the actual software. The software includes some pretty fun games for reinforcement. If you explore VL, be sure to check out their video blog. Spanish Dave (yes--Spanish Dave!!!) shows you how to use the software to get the most out of it. You can find the video blog through the VL website or by searching for it on YouTube. I would also like to add that we have had a couple of episodes already with needing customer service. The customer service has been very prompt and VERY helpful! I'm pretty tough on customer service, but I have to say that they have been great! --In one episode, they sent us disks as a backup. --The other time, they explained, "This is how that part of the software works." P.S. In Iowa, 3 years of a language are required to have it waived as a requirement at the state universities. It has been this way for a couple of decades. I hope you find what works for you!!!

Lots of good advice here. I hope you find what works for you. Motivation is important...and tough. Some kids are easier to motivate than others. We're lucky with dd5. Some kids are like dd's cousin. He wouldn't potty train for the world. His younger sister potty trained before he did. Loverboy's brother and sil tried EVERYTHING. Some kids just cannot be motivated by external factors. OTOH, he's the kid I least expect to submit to peer pressure. It's all internal with him. So if he messes up...you know it all lies with him. But most kids CAN be externally motivated. With dd5, we use tv and money. She earns a set and specific amount of money and tv time for achieving work...and it must all be done correctly. No sloppy work allowed. She gets paid for each subject, and after 4 lessons, she earns tv time (and a break). Etc, etc. If she is having a meltdown, I send her to her bed to rest for awhile. (She can read or play quietly). I don't consider myself to be a parent who demands absolute and immediate obedience, but politeness is nice. No reason to yell at me if I am not yelling at you. If the end of the day comes, and dd doesn't have any tv time...well, that's not my problem. I know that I gave her every opportunity to work on her schoolwork. If she was too busy complaining an having meltdowns, what can I do? This is the natural consequences of not doing a job as an adult. You don't get the privileges the rest of us get if you have not done your job (schoolwork). If you want to sit down and do some schoolwork now, you may. Likewise, when we go to the store, and she wants to buy something, it's not my problem if she doesn't have the money. If she is an adult and doesn't have the money, maybe she should work more. I have no problem being tough in this way. She can work at nearly any time day or night, and we, as her parents, are willing to help her in any way. She is the only one stopping herself from accomplishing her goal of owning a _________. If you want to go home and earn some more money by doing schoolwork, let me know. The amount I pay is pocket change. A little more than $1/day if she does EVERYTHING! PM me if you want more details of how we do this.

I agree that you got a great deal! If I understand correctly, all of the poems in the book are public domain, so as a PP mentioned, you should just be able to print off the poems as you need them. The nice advantage is that you will only need to print what you need, instead of lugging around a book or poems, or worrying about misplacing the book.

--I've misplaced my Drawing with Children book TWICE in the last month, and I feel intimidated about teaching drawing. I am tempted to dramatically call it a "sign" the next time I misplace it, and just use general "art" projects from Teaching Art to Children. --We purchased Visual Link Spanish, and I like it a lot, but it may be more than dd5 can do, even with me sitting with her. I think we will still use it, but I will use lots of flashcard games for her to do the learning part, and just introduce and follow up with the Visual Link program. --We are learning Spanish this year. We're on our way. And it should be noted that we have a full and ambitious schedule planned this year. Then I made the mistake of emailing the local Chinese Language School. Traditionally, they teach the children of the Chinese international students from the university. They teach within their own community. Their classes are geared for ages 5+, and for children that have lots of support at home. (Interpretation: their parents speak Chinese). Possibly because of my question, the principal is organizing a parent/teacher class. They need 2-4 families to make a nice "learning team." To me, Chinese (like Spanish) is one of the languages to know in the next century. Would I be a bad parent if I didn't offer it to my children? I would hate to miss this opportunity, but we have so much other stuff planned for this year already!

We never finish before noon, and sometimes dd even works into the evening, but....... --We never start before 9am, and usually that is piano practice, not math. --We have a 30+min break in the morning when the baby wakes up, and I nurse her. --An hour or so after baby nurses, we have late breakfast/early lunch (10:45am or so). Baby won't eat before then. Dd5 can have a snack before then if she wants it, but isn't usually a morning eater. Also at lunch time, I am washing dishes, moving the laundry along (the girls play outside while I hang laundry on the line or fold off the line), and possibly prepping supper. This break could be as much as 2 hours long. --After working a little more, baby asks to nurse to sleep....but she is not serious. So there is another 20-30minutes blown. --Then baby will finally be serious about laying down for afternoon nap, and that takes awhile. --Dd5 is only 5, and is not terribly motivated to "finish this page of math facts" or "finish this copywork" independently. --We have an ambitious list of schoolwork to finish. --Dd can take a break at any time, and go lay down if she is tired. Sometimes she goes to sleep; sometimes she just needs a break. --Any work after Daddy gets home is optional, no matter what we have or have not finished. Sometimes dd is motivated to work to a certain point because that is how she earns extra benefits (more money and more tv). My life will not always look like this. Eventually the baby will wean. Eventually dd5 will be motivated to work independently on at least a few things. We do what works for us.

If you are familiar with the ETC series, there is also the "Beyond the Code" series that allegedly works on comprehension. Disclaimer: we have not used this series yet. I bought the books for this year, but I'm not sure how we will fit them in. --------------------------------------------- We also do a similar suggestion as a pp stated, especially for nonfiction. We read one page. Sometimes I have dd read the first sentence of the page (She is an emerging reader). Before we turn the page, I ask ONE question on comprehension to see how well she understood the material. This works well as long as she is not too tired.

Leg Warmers. If the baby is a summer baby, I wouldn't get the smallest ones. Baby will get the most use out of regular legwarmers. Legwarmers: --are also awesome for changing diapers (no reason to put pants on-pants off 15 times a day) --keep baby's legs warm in winter --make a great fashion statement --protect knees from carpet burn when baby is crawling across the floor --are probably not something they received from anyone else This is my favorite place to purchase baby legwarmers: http://www.babylegs.com/ You can also make your own baby legwarmers. I've never made them, but there are many tutorials online of how to do this. Some are print and some are video. They don't seem very hard to do.

We've always ordered, and we've had good experience with that. I can't remember from whom we ordered, but I know that they sent up replacement ants when all the ants died in my hot mailbox....so watch the weather when you are expecting them!

1) Clap out the syllables. We have done a year of doing this on-and-off with Saxon Phonics K, and it does take practice. 2) Rules from the Saxon book: a) Look for the VCCV pattern in a word. Divide between the two consonants. Example: napkin is divided nap-kin. b) If you see the VCV pattern, If accent is on first vowel and first vowel is long, divide after the first vowel, like in baby. ba-by If accent is on the first vowel, and the first vowel is short, divide after the consonent, like in rivers. riv-ers c) If you see the VCV pattern and the accent is on the second vowel....I'm not sure what advice to give. I can't figure it out by just looking at it. Examples are ago, erase, hotel, and July. Sorry! English is such a mongrel!

I plan to teach Home Ec. It will be called "4H" for us. The final will be held late July each year, at county fair time. :D:D:D Bravo for all you have taught your young man! I can only hope that my girls know as much by the time they are 13!!! How about Consumer Economics? That was part of our Home Ec in Middle School. --how to write a check (You'd be surprised how many don't know!) --how to keep a budget --how to balance a checking account --how to save for a rainy day (10, 15, or 20% of income gets paid to savings FIRST!!!) Sooner or later, it always rains; and even in the desert it floods! --how to save for big ticket items --online banking??? --how to protect against identity theft (If someone telephones to ask for your SSN or bank account number, HANG UP!!!) --being safe online --how (car and health) insurance works --how taxes work (payroll tax, sales tax, social security, history and why, what is paid by employer, and why there are different tax rates for different levels of income). --how OSHA works in the workplace, and why --how worker's comp (for workplace injury) works, and why (This one I especially wish I had known as a young adult. When I had a major burn from a workplace accident, my own father was so pro-management, he wouldn't give me heads up that I could actually get medical care instead of wrapping it in a rag while continuing to work, and hoping that it didn't get infected. You don't want that for your child.) --sexual harassment in the work/schoolplace (Again, as the generation before Anita Hill, "things I wish I had known." Likewise, I have male friends who "didn't mean any harm," but used bad judgment and lost jobs over sexual harassment. We don't want that for your young man.)