I can't believe no one has posted Abeka! The program is thorough, and creates REALLY GOOD READERS. The workbooks are color, and beautifully done. There are lots of fun little games to play! I like the system of how they teach phonics. -------------------------------- I came soooooo close to choosing Abeka for my own kids. I had used it as a nanny, and I have even bought a few of the supportive books to have in my own library. However, it is from a religious company, and as an atheist, I struggle with how much religion to introduce to my children. So we have Saxon. Black and white, lots of repetition, Saxon. Saxon is working out fine, but I still wonder if I have made the right decision.

We started Saxon Phonics 1 a few days ago. It sounds like your little boy could sit right next to dd5 for Phonics this year! BUT...... Writing is an issue. I would plan for Phonics 1, but before we got there, I would do ETC until he can write his lowercase letters without stress. Consider teaching some "coding" for how to mark words for pronunciation. Saxon K uses: --a breve for short vowels --a macron for long vowels --second consonant at the end of a word is slashed out with a diagonal line (in words like wall or hiss). --s that sounds like z has a horizontal line through it (in words like rose and has). --vowels not followed by a consonant are marked with a macron (in words like no, so, hi, and we). --I can't remember if the curriculum covered "silent e." You could also do Saxon K, but do several lessons a day. That WILL give him the lowercase practice.

:iagree: At least you have a good plan: using small pieces of chalk or crayon. 1) Make sure he writes his name at least once a day. 2) If you need re-assurance, check in with the local public school for input. --In our state, a visiting teacher is required for first grade and higher. (This is actually one of three choices for documentation). Find a visiting teacher and ask. --Stop by the school and talk with a K or 1st teacher. --If there is a homeschool coordinator in your town, ask for input/referral from them. ***Disclaimer: We are really lucky in our town to have exceptionally good relations between the school system and homeschoolers. Actual results may vary.*** 3) Have your son write with crayon while talking to him about his grip. Transfer to short pencils, and remind him about good grip down by the point of the pencil. I have marked pencils with a permanent marker or scotch tape (horrid in the pencil sharpener!) to show where it will be held.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Your number one priority is to take care of YOU right now. Your children are young enough that it will not matter if your second grader learns subtraction in the fall of 2012 or the spring (or summer) of 2013. Or even later. There are tons of veteran homeschoolers that will tell you stories of how one year, or even a few years, didn't make that much difference to their kids in the long run. This would be different advice if your kids were in 9th and 11th grade, but they aren't. Three more things: 1) We had a baby 20m ago, and my pregnancy wasn't exactly "complications," (no hospitalizations, no spotting, no high blood pressure), but it was miserable (vomiting for 9 straight months, sore hips so only crawling instead of walking, gestational diabetes, exhaustion). The biggest piece of wisdom from the hive about having a baby and homeschooling is that, "You WILL fall behind. Everyone falls behind wiht a new baby in the house. Don't worry about it." We did fall behind with the new baby....but we're still homeschooling, and my girls are still just fine. You will say the same thing 2 years from now. 2) I have most of my stuff ready for this year, but not everything. I lamented it to my homeschooling mentor (and veterinarian) when I took the cats in for shots last week. She said she used to worry about picking the right curriculum and having everything on day one until another experienced homeschooler told her that as homeschoolers, we don't need to be on time. We are always adding things, cutting things, changing things. There is no reason why you can't just take care of yourself now, read lots of books to the kids after the baby is born, and do math next summer. 3) Just pick one thing. In your circumstances, for sooooooo many reasons, just pick one thing. If finances are tight, just get a bunch of library books, and read them to the kids. If you want it to by curiculummy Look for BOB books at the library. Check out Caldecott winners. Work through a list of Zolotov award winners or Geisel winners. Play games to teach math skills. Use two dice to teach your daughter addition...or subtraction when going around Chutes and Ladders. Go in the yard, and draw pictures of what you see: flowers, trees, leaves, insects, bunnies. Write the name of item and date on the picture. Collect the pictures in a notebook for comparison later. Example: leaves of the Ash Tree in August vs. leaves of the Ash Tree in September vs. leaves of the Ash Tree in November. Our yard (August) vs. Our yard (December) Bark of the Ash Tree vs. Bark of the White Pine Tree (rubbings) There! You've done scientific Nature Studies. But you don't get to pick all three. Just one for today. Just one.

If there are SEVERAL words in your books, then define it at the moment, and keep reading, but you may consider: 1) Start a book of new words. Let your dd pick out a spiral notebook with her favorite color cover, and start writing down the words. She writes the words as you spell them, and you write the definition if that is more words than your second grader can do. 2) Consider Spelling Power as a spelling system. This spelling system incorporates vocabulary words from your other subjects into your child's spelling needs. The book is expensive, but it is the last spelling program you will ever buy; it can be used through high school. However, I would check out a copy from the library or borrow from a friend to learn the system before you plunk down money. Reviews here. 3) Play "Magic Word" at dinnertime with your spouse. Put one new vocabulary word on each index card. Every night, as supper begins, choose a word. Sometime during supper, Mom or Dad will use the word in conversation. Whichever child notices the pre-chosen word, they announce "Magic Word!!!" and define the word properly to win.....something. A nickel? An extra cookie for dessert? The opportunity to eat dessert at dinner? The pick of an after dinner game or tv show? We do this with a set of SAT vocab cards with our oldest daughter.

This is us exactly....except I do not have "extensive piano training." But I know enough to teach a 5yo. Eventually dd will outgrow me as a teacher, and then I will find the money, or she will switch to a different instrument (outgrowing me), or she will drop it for other activities because of time.

Just arrived: 10 Days in the USA (game for geography) World Geopuzzle Set of 5 Continents Geopuzzles A couple of books of graph art. I opened them with the girls and hid the booty in the back room. When Loverboy took out the trash, he asked, "What is all the packing paper from???" .....busted..... "Uh, just a few more things for school......."

:iagree: When dd was 4, she started in group piano lessons, we were introduced to this book. We were given just the Writing book, which was a little silly. I think whoever made the decisions was not the same person who was teaching the 4yos. I bought the Lessons book on our own, and within a few months, I had pulled dd4 out of group lessons to teach her myself. The more I work with this series of books, the more I like them. There is even a Christmas book of songs for each level A, B, C. Dd is now 5, and we continue on our own. We just re-started Book B after a summer break from piano. --------------------------------------- If you are going to teach piano at this age, whatever book system you choose, I recommend that you teach with GAMES. Here are a few of our favorites: 1) Learning the piano keys: Look at the set of two black keys. This is a doghouse. The DOG lives there. He has two friends: a CAT and an ELEPHANT. Over here is the big house. *Gesture to the set of three black keys.* One day, the dog, cat, and elephant decided to go into the big house. They go into the FRONT door. On the table is a bowl of GRAPES, and the dog, cat, and elephant eat up all the grapes! But they are still hungry, so they see some APPLES on the table, and they eat up all the apples! Then, they hear someone coming home--so they run out the BACK door!!! Wouldn't it be silly to come home and see a dog, cat, and elephant in our kitchen eating all of our grapes and apples??? CAT DOG ELEPHANT FRONT door GRAPES APPLES BACK door all stand for keys on the piano. 2) Race to Middle C: Label poker chips with the key notes 4X: ABCDEFG. Put them in a baggie. Take turns choosing chips with your child. Each starts at opposite ends of the keyboard. Place your chip on the keys and move towards Middle C to win! 3) Secret Code cards: Use the blank side of index cards. Put 3 good sized black dots (with a marker) on the card. Make the dots a little smaller than a centimeter in diameter. Dots can go up in a line as they go across the card (indicating notes going up), repeat (indicating repeating notes), or down across the card (notes going down). Cards may also go up and down, or repeat then rise or fall, just as notes do. Make about 10 of these. Child will then play music on the notes. For example, if the notes are 3 repeating notes, child can pick ANY KEY on the piano, and repeat it 3 times. If they are going up, child can play any notes of increasing pitch, whether they be next to each other on the scale, or all in different octaves. Child can pick a card for you to do, too, and tell you if you are doing it right or not. PM me if you need more ideas for games.

For time away from home, is there a "fewer days co-op option"? Dd5 will attend the public school co-op this fall. Kindy meets 1 afternoon a week. She is also advanced, but I'm sending her for social time. You could also find a good extracurricular for him (to tire him out). We are hoping to sign dd5 up for a Swim-and-Gym through the local college. It is considered and "afterschool program" and meets 2X/week for 90 minutes. Is something like that an option?

Placing at Saxon 3 means that he is needing work somewhere within the 140 or so lessons of that year. Does his independent proficiency end at Lesson 14, or at Lesson 107? Photocopy a few of the Friday (5th day) review pages and have him do those as a "test." If he can get 90+% correct, then skip the prior 4 lessons. For example, if he can correctly do the math for the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th lessons, but crashes and burns on the pages for Lesson 30, then start teaching at Lesson 26. Tempt your son by telling him that if he does well on these "tests," then he can skip a certain number of lessons. ***It is up to you if you want to use those unused pages as review/reinforcement, but just speed up the work and skip the "sit down and listen to the lesson" part until lesson 26. Or you may just want to skip to Lesson 26. You are the parent and you can always go back and do just the concepts you think he needs if you missed something.*** Caveat: Allegedly, Saxon is notorious for introducing important concepts in the lesson a few weeks before it actually shows up on paper. If you skip lessons, you may want to watch out for sections labeled "New Learning." ***You can also use this strategy when your child begins any new Saxon year to determine if the beginning-of-the-year weeks of review is necessary or can be skipped. ***

I did babysitting while my older daughter was 2. Usually it was just she and little boy C, who was a few months older than she. We used Letter of the Week, BUT I knew that I needed to have reasonable expectations of two-year-olds if we did this. Every day, we reviewed our weekly poster. One can find letter coloring pages at DLTK. Each day, we read the appropriate "My Sound Box" book by Jane Belk Moncure. The library may have a set you can use. Since dd was barely talking at that point, I decided to teach her the sounds. Every time I turned a page, we said the sound. If it was M week, we read the M book, and every time I turned the page, I said, "Okay, we're turning the page. [Dd2] say MMMMMMM." [[response]] "[C] say MMMMMMMMM." [[response]] We also read other books with the subject of the week. We also did a ton of crafts for each letter. See DLTK. If you don't feel like doing a lot of footwork for crafts, check out Carol's Affordable Curriculum or Shirley's Crafts. I also made picture flashcards with CVC words for the fridge. Halfway through the year, I would put 2 on the fridge each week, and the kids would spell a word (match the letters) using refrigerator magnets. We reviewed former words at lunchtime.

:iagree: I want to believe that most administrators are honest and helpful, or simply in a bind based on rules that others have made, but there are a few that don't have the same ethics as the rest of us. Others may just be ignorant of the actual policies. Take a tape recorder. It changes the whole tone of the meeting with administrators. Ask me how I know.......

Thanks for posting! This should be a good year for us to view! The peak night is a weekend night; and because it has been so dry, the mosquitoes will be at a minimum!

Our family has started utilizing "recycled" food from a local charity. The food distributed is food that would have been discarded by local grocery stores, restaurants, and growers. We go twice a week. One goes through the line and can choose what to select or reject. Everything offered so far has been usable in some form or another. For example: past-their-prime bananas for banana bread, mushroom stems that I just shredded for homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup, and cooked potatoes (probably for "potato skins") that we refry for hashbrowns. We have also received whole pizzas, fancy bakery cakes, frozen sausage, yogurt, and lots of fresh produce (corn on the cob, greens, tomatoes, lemons, and zucchini). This charity requires no paperwork or proof of financial need. Several regulars make use of this "free market" for environmental reasons. The food that is not distributed at the set times (M & Th, 4-4:30) is carted over to the sponsoring church where free meals are offered several nights a week. The food that is not claimed by the end of the night is given to a farmer to feed his pigs. I would not label our family as "food insecure," but this does stretch our food dollars. This frees up money to save for a house...or to spend on homeschooling curriculum. :D ***Note: In some communities this service would be illegal because it would be considered exploitation of the poor to offer past-date food.***

--Seymour Simon as an author. --Gail Gibbons. --DK has a youth series. I think it is "DK Readers." http://us.dk.com/nf/Browse/BrowseStdPage/0,,231457,00.html Titles seem to go from Pre-readers to ??Level 4??, whatever that means. ***Some titles are fiction, and tied to Star Wars, Lego, or even Pokemon.*** --Let's Read and Find Out Series I know of at least one mom who used this for homeschooling. She just had her child pick one out from the library each week until they were all read. Level 1 Level 2

No, we're not starting back tomorrow, but I did threaten that it would! Swimming lessons (the last of our planned summer activities) ended 4 days ago, and dd5 and I don't do well when we don't have a plan for what will be done. Oh, and electronics. I have warned that, "Spongebob's days are numbered!!!" Maybe next year I'll plan return to school sooner than when the public schools start up.

I have not done 50 states in a coop, but About.com has a homeschooling course/resources for a 50 state study. You should check it out for inspiration. http://homeschooling.about.com/c/ec/1.htm Downside: You would probably be printing off a lot of pages for reference for the students. Imagine 50 states X minimum 4 pages/student X 10 students = YOWZA!!! You could get around this by sending links to each family one week ahead of time, and and each family is responsible for printing off each week. If class is every Monday, then Monday night, you send out links for the next week. Upside: There are a lot of fun states games to play in a group.

1) Play games. There are a lot of phonics oriented games to shore up this step of knowing sounds before your child learns to read. Try: Teacher Created Resources Scholastic (if you have book orders coming from the school system) Lakeshore Learning Resources Usborne books, Discovery Toys, and Simply Fun have a few educational games, too, but will probably be more expensive and less selection. You can also make your own educational games. 2) Do you have letter magnets on your refrigerator? Put one or two flashcards on the refrigerator at a time for your child to read/spell. You can purchase flashcards or make your own CVC ones with clipart.

Dd5 will be a superhero. She's unstoppable this summer! Or a banker. That kid finds money on the ground EVERYWHERE we go!!! But I suspect that she will follow her Dad into science. She seems to be drawn to all things natural: plants, insects, rocks, birds, and ecosystems near and far. She has a good eye for details. Dd1 will be a comedian. Or a cat burglar. At age 1, her dad sets her on a chair inside the front door with his keys, and she is coordinated enough to put them in the lock. It's one of her favorite activities. Or launch rockets into space. She's not necessarily into rockets. She just likes to push buttons. Or she'll do whatever her older sister does; because dd1 wants to do EVERYTHING her older sister does.

Schools today are pulled in so many directions, it is difficult to be rigorous as the better schools of former generations may have been. Our society is so much more complex, and in so many different ways. For example, in past generations, kids were extremely talented at doing math in their heads. --Could they imagine a standard of typing 40wpm to achieve an A? --Or how to do a search on the internet? (My parents still don't own a computer. My mom may know how to turn one on.) --The concept of "critical thinking": What is a good source and what is not? Do some sources have a hidden agenda? What are the motivations (good or bad) of others? This is especially important when SO MUCH information is available at our fingertips. --Multiculturalism: It could be good to know that there is a difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. It could be good to learn how other countries deal, and have dealt in the past with issues of pollution, health care, taxation, transportation, etc. It could be good to understand how our purchase of product X affects people in country Y for good or bad reasons. Since we live in such a global society, no matter how you feel about these topics, knowledge about them is power. I'm not sure that ANY of these were even on the radar for public school 100 years ago, and yet these topics, and others, are all considered part of growing and educating a student that will be a good and effective citizen today. The expectation of what kids need to know is just different than in past generations, and, if anything, our society is moving too fast for our starved education system to catch up. ------------------------------- I also can't help but think about one of my college professors that I worked for in the lab. When he retired, I learned that when he got his PhD in the 1950s, it took only 2-3 years to earn a PhD. That is possible today with brilliance and if one is independently wealthy.....but not probable. Now the expectation for grad school (science) is 5-6 years, with a maybe to graduate, and not a lot of job security or job future in either education or the private sector. What changed between the 1950s science grad school and now?

:iagree::iagree::iagree:, but warning: some content may be too graphic for squeemish stomachs or younger children (cannibalism for stranded sailors). Nothing is shown, but it is talked about. I still highly highly highly recommend it, but you will want to preview it and censor parts of it for younger or especially sensitive kids. ETA: Cliffs Notes are my friends. I would never have read or enjoyed nearly the amount of lit that I have for free reading without Cliffs to hold my hand, emphasize plot points I missed, and explain all of that "symbolism"and "theme" stuff that I just am not wired to figure out on my own. Cliffs Notes IS my high school Lit plan.

I have flipflop, and, as a book, it seems to cover all the basics. Beware of the ratings on Amazon, however, as many of those ranking Ms. Gose's program seem to be from her classes. Using the book during a preschool Spanish class with group activities run by another adult are different from going it alone. Reasons we failed at FlipFlop: 1) I had hoped to do FlipFlop Spanish (age 3-5/Level 1) with dd5 last year when she was 4.5 years old. I questioned if she could do the amount of required writing for the book. A 7yo would have no trouble at all, but I struggle with "the right amount of writing for a Ker." (As I check the book now, we got through 3 pages, and I did 2/3 of the writing). 2) When I attempted FlipFlop Spanish, dd5 was not as strong of a reader as she is now. Reading in a foreign language was more than was reasonable to expect from her. 3) So to compensate, I planned to create a lot of extra games and activities for Spanish that would be verbal only. But those take time, so it never happened. Your situation will be different. Your children are older and more capable of reading and writing. I DO recommend that if you go with this program that you purchase the flashcard sets, or possibly 2 flashcard sets. You could use them to play memory or other games. -------------------------------------------------------- I also have a lot of Spanish ideas listed in this thread below. My post is #5. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=410173&highlight=spanish

Loverboy collects coins. One easy way to start is to find a penny from each year going back.....as far as you can. Loverboy hoards pennies so that if the girls ever do a coin collecting badge, they won't have any trouble finding "old" ones (from 1975 or so).

IMHO, age 7 is a little young to have actual and developed hobbies. This is an age of many abilities, but for most kids, specialization doesn't usually occur until they are older. Just the same, try: ----------------------------------------------- If he likes legos, see if this book can challenge him beyond the kits he has. Check it out from the library. http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Ideas-Book-Daniel-Lipkowitz/dp/0756686067/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343696306&sr=8-1&keywords=lego+idea+book --------------------------------------------------------- There is also Junior Lego League. (Registration of teams for the next "season" is August 1st!!! Woohoo!!!!) ---------------------------------------------- How about photography? As cheap as cameras are getting, we are considering getting one for dd5 within the next year or so. I was stunned when I learned that the last "family camera" Loverboy bought for us was $70. Photography is an easy hobby because you can set him loose with rechargeable batteries, and only print the pictures that are good. 1) Make him responsible for recharging the batteries. 2) Give him a budget of how much you will spend on developing each month, or let him earn pictures by working them off. (Picking up sticks in the yard, folding laundry, dusting or vacuuming). 3) Teach a little bit about scrapbooking/presentation. 4) If your son is a part of 4H/CloverKids, this would be an easy entry for the fair. ----------------------------------------- If your daughters like creating things with crafts, maybe your son likes creating things, too. Set him free with the craft supplies to make stuff. As long as it's not pink, I'll bet he'd be open to it. Help him to sew a set of jammies with Buzz Lightyear on them. I know boys who knit and crochet and even tat! They are awesome! -------------------------------------------- Kits: Pitsco Education has many building kits for Balsa wood. http://www.pitsco.com/store/default.aspx?pt=3&pl=24&t=3-2&l=24-1&lp=0&page=2&s=32 I also got a chance to look through their "Engineering Idea Pack" and their "Engineering with Paper Idea Pack." Both look like fun! ----------------------------------------- Robot kits: Do a search on Amazon for robot kits. He can build the kits; then play with them; then race them; then let them battle to the death!!!! Mwahahahahahaha!!!!! ------------------------------------------ Someone on this site recommended Postcrossing recently. He could collect postcards. http://www.postcrossing.com/ ------------------------------------ Sports: Is there a sport he practices in his free time? Baseball? Swimming? Tae Kwan Do? Archery? ------------------------------------- Drawing: Try books from the library by Ed Emberley. Big Green Drawing Book Big Red Drawing Book etc etc -------------------------------------------- Many interests come out of Cub Scouts. If you are not morally opposed to Cub Scouts, your son's hobby could be "earning badges." And hobbies could develop as a secondary aspect of earning badges. For example: Earning the hiking badge may spark interest in hiking. Earning a wildlife badge may inspire an interest in bird watching. Speaking of, here is the best book for this age for beginning birdwatchers!!! http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/005415/b60f370c2513f62313fc8541 (Dd5 has developed into a birdnerd due to earning the birds badge for Frontier Girls). --------------------------------------- Music: Instruments make wonderful hobbies. IME (and I have worked and lived in a LOT of households that do it all different ways), instruments are appreciated when a certain level of proficiency is met; so if you purchase an instrument, make sure your son practices a little each day. Plus, lessons are expensive!!!

For starters, I'm probably one of the biggest nipple nazis you'll ever meet. Things are not always black and white. I made it clear during both deliveries that I wanted to bf each of my babies. With the first delivery, something went wrong with my spinal block. I could feel the cutting of the C-section. So the anesthesiologist knocked me out quick! After the baby was born, her glucose levels started to fall, and she needed nutrition. (This was after she had been clean up and checked and properly apgarred.) I was still knocked out. The nurses were concerned for our baby girl. They sent Loverboy up to recovery to check one.more.time. if I was awake. At that moment, I did awaken and asked the attending nurse to if I could nurse the baby. She hotfooted it to the phone, and the nurses in the nursery sent Loverboy to recovery with our beautiful baby girl. Dd5 has nursed ever since. (Yes, I'm one of THEM.) ------------------------------------ For baby #2, she lost weight while in the hospital. For whatever reason, she was not getting enough breastmilk. The hospital sent us home with their free sample can of formula to supplement through the Thanksgiving holiday (bf first, then formula). I was grateful for it. They also sent home an industrial strength breastmilk pump. Formula helped us through those first weeks until our baby girl gained weight properly. We were lucky in another way. I'm crazy enough to tandem nurse, so dd(4 at the time) kept my milk supply full and gave her little sister all the time she needed (a couple of months) to learn how to nurse effectively. ***Note: Dd4 did not nurse while I was in the hospital birthing her little sister.