I pay my daughters $. Older daughter is in 2nd grade, so she gets paid ~7c/page or lesson. It is Mom's discretion of what a "lesson" consists of, and it has evolved over time. She earns 8c/page for math, because she is in Saxon 3 (3rd grade work). I pay her 30c/30minute piano practice session. We started at 10c for 5-10minutes, and it has changed as her practice becomes longer and her pieces more complicated. I pay this much because it is important to me for her to have piano instruction and to practice every day. Even if you pay for lessons out of the house, paying an extra 25c/day ($1.50/week) will ensure that you get the most out of your weekly financial lesson investment. ETA: 25c x 7 days = $1.75. :blushing: She earns a 25c bonus if she completes everything on the day's list. Younger daughter does some pre-K work. I pay her 25c/lesson for the reading program we are doing because IMO, reading is soooooooo important. Any additional work earns 4c/lesson or page. K work will earn 5c/page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- With this system of varying payments for varying levels of work, I subtly teach that more education = better pay. It also eliminates complaints of the older sister that younger sister's work is so much easier. Yes, it is easier, but it also pays half what yours pays. This system also encourages older dd to prioritize what to work on first. Whether she likes it or not, piano pays the best, so she should do it first. Math next. There is NO ALLOWANCE in our home. But there is ALWAYS opportunity to earn money. At 7c/page, dd works hard for her money!!! She must do over 14 pages to earn a dollar. She must do over 71 pages for mad money to impulse buy a $5 stuffed animal. This system also emphasizes that "School is your job," and "We value the work you do." ----------------------------------------------------------- When dispersing funds, I pay older dd in 3 sections (for 3 different banks). 1) 1/3 goes into a metal bank with a lock. I write the date on the bottom of the bank and we open it once a year. The first time we opened the bank, dd learned the value of saving (rather than repeated impulse buys that left her constantly broke). Now she sees the big picture. When we open the bank, she can make any big purchases she wants, but we also talk about: a) how good it feels to "own" that money. (It feels good to spend; our society never emphasizes how good it feels to have money saved). b ) once the money is spent, it is gone for good. This year, she opted to spend some, but ultimately shoved the rest into her locked bank. :hurray: c) the next step is to help both girls invest in some U.S. Savings Bonds with this money. It is one of the few investments that children can invest in without an adult co-signer. Yes, I want my children to understand investing at a young age. 2) 1/3 goes into a bank (or ziplock) for "impulse buy." Everyone needs a little mad money. 3) 1/3 goes into a bank (yogurt container with a hole cut in the lid) to "save for something specific." She's on a fossil kick now, and she has bought at least one really nice specimen. These are items that will last her beyond a lifetime.

I don't know about any of the specific curriculum you have mentioned or any I can recommend that would fit what you need. :( The best advice I have heard (and done) is to assemble several labs at once in successive shoeboxes. If you need things from lab #1 for use in lab #2, put a post-it note in either box. Example: "Will need rocks we collected for the next lab." If there are extra supplies that you cannot afford to have buried in a lab box until you can get to it, put a post-it in the box: Example: scissors, masking tape, little bears I hope you find what works for you.

My two daughters are 4 years apart. The older one fully weaned a year ago at age "early 7." I am so grateful that we weaned naturally. It was the right choice for us. Once you wean, you can't go back to those days. I've spoken to so many moms who wish they had nursed just a little longer. Age 7 is not the right choice for everyone, but if you are willing to nurse longer, then Good for You!!!! He's down to only one nursing/day?????? That's a lot less than my older dd was at that age! 1) Your milk may come in anytime after 25 weeks. Mine came in in the 28th week. I remember this because nursing was soooooooooooooooooo painful that week. Older dd knew that we would wean if she wasn't gentle. It gets better, but it's okay if you wean your older this week, too. The new milk also reflected in older dd's bowel movements becoming a little softer. We observed this when cleaning out the training potty. 2) Even nursing two kids, I often slept in a wet bed (leaking breasts) for the first 6 months after birth. 3) They system that worked for us was for older sister picked the breast that was her favorite. That was her side, and she only nursed on that side (unless mom was TOO full and the baby was asleep). The baby can nurse on BOTH sides. Once our baby because a toddler, she became very cagey about jumping out of the tub promptly and asking for breastmilk. She would "scoop" sister and drink all of the milk on big sister's side before big sister got out of the tub. I pretty sure that she did this conscientiously and strategically for a number reasons. Sibling Rivalry!!! :laugh: 4) Little sister didn't gain weight as we left the hospital. Loverboy went to purchase formula to supplement and pick up a breast pump from the hospital while I cried a lot. BECAUSE older sister was still nursing, we had all the time in the world to identify and fix the problem without fear of my milk drying up.

1) Our goal is to get better; the sooner the better. 2) We use it for time to read from our stack of library books (if I am well). 3) We watch a LOT of PBS (from PBS Kids to Nova and Nature). I love the Tivo!!!! 4) If you need to go lay down to sleep, then sleep is the best thing for you. I may schedule a "lay down" time if I think the kids are too glued to the tv. You don't need to sleep (you may read, draw, or play quietly with your stuffed animals), but you need to not bother others during rest time. 5) If you need to yarp and don't have a bowl or garbage can, then run and do it on the kitchen floor (the only floor we have that is non-carpet)!

Is it fluency that is a problem? And then learning more phonics rules on top of that? Kids LIKE to do what they CAN do; they WANT to do what they THINK they can do; and they DON"T WANT to do what they DON'T THINK THEY CAN DO. This helped us with fluency: Take your easy readers (from the library, or BOB books, or little books from whatever curriculum you are using. Put a post-it in the back of each one. Write the following list: 1) Mom 2) Dad 3) [sister's name] 4) [brother's name] 5) Pet or Grandpa or friend ***If siblings are younger/non-readers, that is the best! They listen to the story with no criticism. If siblings are older, give them strict orders to just listen; not to criticize. Have your child read the book each day to a different person on the list. Cross the names off the list as your child does this. By the time your child has read the book 5X on 5 different days to 5 different people, they are a pro with reading the vocabulary of that book. My dd earned 25c for each book read in this way. To me, 25c is worth my dd learning to be a good reader. However, some families don't like to reward with $$$, and that is fine.

Congratulations! We love babies!!!! I'm sorry to hear about your track record with morning sickness. With my last pregnancy, I did daycare AND a bit of early K homeschooling. I couldn't walk (hip pain), so I cared for my daycare kids by crawling around on the floor. I yarped every.single.day. from before the pregnancy test through nearly puking up the anti-nausea drugs on the delivery table. At the age your kids are at, they will not be far behind if you take it easy. 1) Read many good books from the library. Does your library have home delivery for the elderly or disabled? You may fit into this category for the next 10 months. 2) Watch lots of PBS Kids. My kids are constantly telling me things I didn't know (Kratt Brothers), to which I can only reply: "I should let you watch more tv." 3) If you do not have a DVR, this may be a good investment for your household. No, you don't need cable or a satellite dish for a DVR. We purchased ours as a "reconditioned" unit from TIVO over 5 years ago. It has outlived its original contract and is still going strong. Current cost: ~$200 for the box, + $15/month. My kids (and I) can watch their educational shows any time. I love this device so much, I nearly named my second child "Tivo." :laugh: 4) You don't need to homeschool every day. And you are wise to prioritize what you want to cover, and don't sweat the rest. 5) Ask Dad for help. With as many littles as you have, he may be most helpful to take some of them out in the yard to play for 30 minutes while you do uninterrupted lesson with the older. Or, he may walk your oldest through what you want covered. 6) Buy a set of BOB books (or similar readers if they come with your curriculum). Put a post-it in the back of each with a list of --1) Mom --2) Dad --3) Sister --4) Brother --5) [the pet] Send your Ker off to read her book to each person on the list. She can only read it to one person/day. By the time she has read it 5X on 5 different days to 5 different people, she will be a pretty good reader of that book. Put the books she has completed in a shoebox under her bed. These are books she gets to "stay up late" and read at bedtime. 7) Puzzles are good for brains. Do ones that are one step too hard for your dd5 with her.

1) "School is your job. What would happen if Mommy didn't do the work for her job? What would happen if Daddy didn't do the work for his job? What would Daddy say if he knew you weren't doing your job?" 2) "Not all parts of your job are glamorous, but they do all need to be done, and done well." In our household, Loverboy works in a laboratory. Yes, he needs to wash dishes, which is NOT glamorous. However, if your glassware is not cleaned properly, nothing else in the lab will work. I do not subscribe to the attitude that school must be fun. If it is, that's great; but we're here to learn. 3) Ask your son what he thinks the solution should be. He DOES need to learn Phonics. Is Phonics Pathway not a good fit? Is a part of it not a good fit? Is there a part that he could learn from a secondary source, like an app, worksheets from online, a specialized workbook for that part of Phonics, or a game that he could use to demonstrate that he knows that part? Often kids have the solutions inside of them. We just need to listen. We also need to be willing to play, "Let's make a deal!" if the proposal has merit and will meet your basic goals. Disclaimer: In our household, dd7's idea that she doesn't need to practice her math facts does not have merit. However, I am open to any suggestion she has of games or computer programs or gizmos that will help her do so. 4) :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: Disclaimer: If one part of schoolwork doesn't get done today, it is the first thing we do tomorrow. You don't get to shirk it by putting it to the end of the day every day, then running out of time.

I would teach Spanish, since most likely my children will live and work in the U.S. Since you took Spanish in high school, you probably know enough Spanish (or could relearn enough Spanish) to play games with your dear child. Teach colors by: --playing Candy Land --Make a set a cards with the words written in their color and in black. Match them. rojo and rojo azul and azul amarillo and amarillo Teach just a few at a time. Teach numbers by playing HiHo Cherry-O, Uno, Bingo (use a set of numbers up to 20), Dominoes, or playing with multi-sided dice (from any gaming store). Pull out the little plastic animals your child plays with, and identify them one at a time. Take turns picking them up and naming them. Play restaurant, and order something in Spanish. Limonada, por favor. Leche, por favor. Una hamburguesa, por favor. Use the play food in the play kitchen. Te gusta una limonada? No, no me gusta. Organize a set of family pictures. Put them in a little photo book. Identify them: madre, padre, abuelo, los primos. General vocabulary: Play Concentration. Lay the pictures face up, and you can collect it if you can say the word in Spanish. Play Scavenger Hunt: Find the cama (bed). Find alfombra (rug). Find el gato. (Hopefully the cat isn't in his hiding place!) --------------------------------------------------------- We have friends with 1st and 2nd grade boys who are learning German with Rosetta Stone Homeschool. They were speaking German phrases to me last week after swimming. In talking with their mom: --They follow the Rosetta Stone schedule that comes with the Homeschool pack. --Each boy works on the computer for less than 15 minutes most days. --You can put more than one account on the RS program. --Apparently, (according to the schedule), they will do RS 1,2, and 3 in successive years, then repeat the series; then repeat the series again. --RS can be bought for a discount through the Homeschool Buyer's Coop.

I've been knitting on and off for 35+ years (since I was 8). I'm working through Next Steps in Knitting #1 (8 in the series),to try to fill in some of the holes in my knitting education. Aran Sweaters? No problem. Socks? Never done it successfully. Making my own mitten patterns? Sure! Fair Isle Knitting? Huh? I'm knitting the "Garter Stitch and Stockinette Stitch Sweater." It's been an easy and fast sweater to knit with young children in the house. I've never knit with two strands of yarn simultaneously!

I'm so glad that you and all in your family (2 AND 4 legged) are okay!

Blue Death-Feigning Beetles When you pick them up, they fall over, pretending to be dead. This is because in the wild, when a spider catches them, the spider wants to eat live food. The spider loses interest in the "dead" beetle. Once the spider is gone, the beetle rolls over and wanders off. We started with 3 bdfb. Dd7 has noticed that they have different personalities. The big one plays dead every time he is picked up. One of the smaller ones is not nearly so timid, and he will crawl all over her hand. We have now added Black Death-Feigning Beetles and Darkling Beetles to our aquarium. This made a nice display for dd3 to take for "Show-and-Tell" at preschool. --The Black Death-Feigning Beetles are dumb. They keep trying to climb the walls of the critter keeper. When they fall over, they need help to be put upright (~ once/day). The bdfb (that we have) don't have that problem. --The darkling beetles were sooooo hungry when they were unpackaged after shipping, they fell upon the beetle jelly like teenage boys on pizza. I think they ate for 4 days straight! Advantages: --They are happy within a critter keeper. --But if you take them out, they don't bite. --They don't bite. Our 3yo handles them regularly. --They don't even smell. --I have never had to clean out the cage (other than the occasional dead bug). Do these guys even poop? --Feed them beetle jelly. You can feed them little scraps of fruit (I put little bites on a jar lid), but it is not necessary. As long as they have the beetle jelly, they are fine for a few weeks. --No vet bills. --If they die, you don't have to dig a big hole in the back yard. You can dissect them and discuss the parts of an insect with your boys. --Comparably less expensive than a cat or dog. --Much less of a time commitment (in care and in duration) than a mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian. --More Information in this Pet Bug Philosophy Disadvantages: --You have to pay $23 for overnight shipping. They are, after all, live animals. --They are most active at night, so your kids may not see them being very active. If you have any other questions, Peter Clausen of the Bugs in Cyberspace has been very prompt and very helpful in answering my questions and giving our family the guidance we need in exploring bugs as pets.

--opportunity to dabble in several languages as a elementary student --opportunity to explore science topics in depth, and with an occasional custom lesson from Mom that she knows will "pull it all together." Example: Recent "earth science" lesson we had discussing basalt, it's volcanic origins, and the sea floor; granite, its frequency as continental rock, and its quartz, feldspar, and mica components...all of which she was doing hardness and other identifying tests on the day before. --exposure to art: dd watched a silly movie called Gay Pur-ee last week. At one point, the cat has her portrait painted by all of the famous painters. Dd listed off Seraut, Gauguin, Van Gogh, daVinci, and Rousseau. I hadn't known how much she paid attention to our irregular art appreciation lessons. Really, we just use the Usborne Art cards, and read what the public library has in the children's section. --exposure to music: dd identified Swan Lake from a practice phrase I played from my piano practice book before I did. --opportunity to work ahead in math

My daughters were late talkers, too. We were, however, very lucky to have a local organization that evaluated (for free) dd#1 at 22 months for any speech issues. We were told that kids were supposed to be saying 5 words by age 1. Dd was approaching age 2, and could say 4. (We also did massive amounts of baby sign language). We had simultaneous concerns and referrals from both our Pediatrician and an Outreach Worker we had at the time. We just wanted to rule out if there was anything we were missing that needed to be addressed for her speech. No red flags were raised by the testing, but we were offered support programming anyway because of how few words she was saying. We opted to delay intervention for 6 months and just give dd a little more time (because everything else in her life was good: stable home, no physical issues, good nutrition, SAHM, and she rocked the testing!) The organization graciously agreed, and dd started talking on her own in that window of time. ----------------------------------------------- One thing I did at the time was read the My Soundbox series to her and a fellow toddler I babysat. Your library may have a set. The text goes something like this: "Little M had a box. I will put things in my box that start with the letter M. Little M found mittens. Did he put the mittens in the box? He did!" Every time we turned the page, we said the sound for that book. "Okay, it's time to turn the page! C, say 'mmmm.' J, say 'mmmm.'" Start with the sounds he seems to know: M, D, etc, to give him some success right out the gate while learning the system of saying sounds to make the turn page. My philosophy was that if dd could vocalize the sounds, eventually the words would follow. You could also try this when reading an alphabet book, but it wouldn't provide as much practice for a specific sound; whereas the Sound Box books would provide a dozen times to practice a specific letter sound.

When did you start teaching them? PreK, but not with an established program. We mostly read books, watched Muzzy, and played a few games. And how are you doing it? Home? Tutor? School? I am teaching Spanish at home because: --There are good resources to do this with small children. --I learned Spanish in high school and college. --It is very similar to English, which is my native language. I am learning Chinese with dd7 at a parent/child class because: --I have no experience with Chinese. --It is a tonal language, so very different than English. --There are limited choices for ANYONE to learn this language, especially with children. ***In the past several months, we have supplemented Chinese using the online program Petra Lingua (for the kids), and Rosetta Stone and a practice buddy (for me). I'm glad that you have started sending your children to learn your native language. I know that you may not feel as if you are seeing any progress, but the kids are certainly still taking it all in. It is time for you to start adding words of your native language into your vocabulary. At the very least, know what they are learning in Saturday School, and use those words with them. There is no evidence that it will "permanently confuse" the kids or delay them. Your 3yo will use mixed sentences; your 4yo may or may not; but all evidence shows that kids sort the languages out on their own by age 5 at the latest. Your oldest child (age 6) shouldn't have any trouble at all with confusion. With my 7yo, we sometimes play the game of naming all the ways we can say something. Squirrel: English: squirrel Spanish: la ardilla French: l'ecureuil (m) Russian: belka Chinese: songshu And ASL. Disclaimer: We are not actively learning all of these languages. For most of them, we dabble. Fluency is great, and if you are a native speaker of a second language, you may be able to help your children reach fluency. My goal is not fluency, but competency. --colors --numbers --greetings --how to ask for help --basic conversation --lots of vocabulary Just my philosophy: I would rather that my children had competency in several languages than fluency in only two. Several languages can send my children around the world, and open the door for fluency later (If they choose). At this age, however, we don't know if my children are even going to leave the U.S. I don't want to make my 7yo miserable by trying to make her fluent in something she is not passionate about and may never use. Before high school, I DO hope that each of my daughters will choose at least one language to pursue in depth. We play a LOT of games. The advantage is that our 3yo can join us for at least some of the games. I have posted the games that I have used for Spanish in the past. I believe that the games can be modified for any language. Some are posted here. Postings #4 and 10. Another listing is here. Posting #8. There are some repeats or variations in the games, but some new ones, too. ----------------------------------------------------------- I have friends whose boys (first and second grade) are learning German through Rosetta Stone Homeschool. The best price I have seen is through Homeschool Buyers' Coop. They run specials all the time. They report (we discussed it two days ago): --With Rosetta School Homeschool, one can set up multiple accounts. --Dad learned German in college, but mom has an account and is trying to keep up with the kids. --The kids are motivated to do each screen correctly. They will repeat screens that were incorrect in the past because they like "a checkmark in each box" which shows that the work was satisfactory. --They follow the schedule recommended in the literature that came with the program. The boys work about 10 minutes/day on their German. They can do this independently, and don't need mom standing over their shoulder. --Their younger boy has a talent for languages apparently. --They purchased three levels of Rosetta Stone German. According to the schedule, they will do one level each year, then repeat the series in the 4th, 5th, and 6th years; then repeat again for fluency. --------------------------------------------------------------------- We explored Russian last summer. Dino Lingo was the best beginner's fit for us. Duckens' Review: DinoLingo is a preschool video that teaches very basic vocabulary. It is pricey, but it was effective for us. This would be a good option for the OP's younger children.

Marzi: A Memoir From the Amazon blurb: “I am Marzi, born in 1979, ten years before the end of communism in Poland. My father works at a factory, my mother at a dairy. Social problems are at their height. Empty stores are our daily bread.I’m scared of spiders and the world of adults doesn’t seem like a walk in the park.†Told from a young girl’s perspective, Marzena Sowa’s memoir of a childhood shaped by politics feels remarkably fresh and immediate. Structured as a series of vignettes that build on one another, MARZI is a compelling and powerful coming-of-age story that portrays the harsh realities of life behind the Iron Curtain while maintaining the everyday wonders and curiosity of childhood. With open and engaging art by Sylvain Savoia, MARZI is a moving and resonant story of an ordinary girl in turbulent, changing times. Duckens' review: This would be an easy read for the OP's daughters. Some of it is not relevant. Since it is from the POV of a child, the beginning of the book discusses childhood games like pushing elevator buttons and such. For those of us who know the whole story, we see the big picture of the daily standing in lines, the black market, rationed gas, and Chernobyl. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Wall by Peter Sis Another Graphic Novel of living in Communism. An easy read for the OP's children.

--We like Bill Nye, the Science Guy, but sometimes his stuff has evolutionary content or old earth information. Not an issue for us (we're Freethinkers), but I know you are a serious Christian, and content of that sort may bother you. ***My apologies if I am mistaken about your sensitivities.*** --Disney has a series of awesome engineering videos. Here they are. We love the host, Asa. No issues that I know of with content. We found ours at the library. --The Kid Should See This is a website of cool videos of all sorts for kids. My kids could spend hours on the site if I let them. There are videos on automatic cake decorators, dances, homemade Rube Goldberg machines, and sloths. My favorite is the dominoes. Of all the videos we have viewed (and it has been a LOT), I have only heard one or two references to Evolution. --365 Starry Nights. I see that your three oldest kids are doing astronomy this year. Use this book and send them out into the back yard to look for constellations. Buy a green laser pointer so whoever finds a constellation can point it out. Constellations are like chips. You can't have just one. I can't remember if there were any lessons in this book on the age of the earth; you might want to check it out from the library first. --More astronomy online: Star Gazers is a weekly 5-minute program that tells what is in the night sky THIS WEEK. You can also get it from your local PBS station. --Use the evenings to read aloud with your oldest three. Trade off a chapters with your oldest three: DS1: 1 Chapter DS2: 1 Chapter DD3: Every other page, trading with Mom Mom: 1 Chapter The littles, and everyone not reading can play with toys, legos, craft (knit, color, etc), or do anything else that is quiet, but busy. When you finish a book, look for a movie version. --Old tv series from decades in the past. Not educational, but hopefully with a moral or lesson. Everyone loves Little House on the Prairie. What about Happy Days? Or Mork and Mindy? I Love Lucy Gilligan's Island The Brady Bunch The Cosby Show Leave It to Beaver

My apologies if this is (politically) inappropriate. Post-Glasnost philosophy (from my Russian friends): "Everything Marx told us about Communism was a lie. Everything Marx told us about Capitalism was the truth."

You just can't continue this way. Public school "as is" is not a good fit. Either a modified public school model or homeschooling are your choices. 1) If you have given the choice to her, then give her a deadline for making the decision. One week from today, or at the end of the month. (And she needs to school SOMEWHERE until that deadline or a decision is reached or a decision is made). We have all had experience of being happier once a decision has been made. 2) Make it clear that if she chooses Option A for this year, she can try Option B for next year if she chooses to. Different year (age 14 vs. age 13), different schools (high school vs. middle school), and different levels (9th grade vs. 8th grade) may be a better fit for her. 3) I'm curious what the teachers and Principal say. Would they be willing/able to offer a half-day school solution for her in spite of then general ban on this as a solution (you won't know if you don't ask)? Are there things that need to be addressed in the environment that may help her to be happier in public school? Most teachers and principals I have met are sincerely caring of their students and want them to succeed.

Chinese because --1.2 BILLION people in the world speak it --China is rising --We are a science family and dd7 is a science girl. China sends a lot of students to the U.S. to study science. If either of our daughters become scientists, it is likely they will have peers who are either Chinese or of Chinese ethnicity. --Dd7 wants to be a paleontologist, and there are a lot of dinosaur bones in China. Spanish because --most likely, my daughters will live in the U.S. when they grow up, and Spanish is the language to know. --Spanish is the official language for dozens of countries in Latin America. If either daughter travels, knowing a little Spanish may be helpful. --there are a ton of really good resources for children learning Spanish French (just a little) because --I took it in high school --dd learned some friend through K1 Coop last year, so we built on that --there are many good resources for children learning French Russian --PetraLingua was having a REALLY good sale last spring, so I listed the languages. Dd chose Russian, so here we go!!! --I am old enough to remember "The Evil Empire," and I have always been intrigued by the language, culture, and people of Russia (vs. the propaganda).

Thank you all so much for your insight! You have all helped me to think much deeper and in different ways than I had even considered! What would I do without you all??? Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ------ I think for now, we will attempt the metronome for our finger exercises (Dozen a Day book). It will keep her familiar with the metronome, but she will be able to grow and mature at her own pace through the next Piano Adventures book. By then, she may outgrow me as a teacher!

:iagree: 1) This could be time lost or time gained. Use it as time to heal yourself. Use it to heal any issues in your marriage. And you have a baby in the house. Hold him a whole bunch (not that you aren't now)! Read to him and give him enrichment activities every day (not that you aren't now)! Take a nap when he does! Use this gift of time with your baby, time for yourself, and rest. 2) I have had my fair share of mental health issues (severe depression/anxiety) in the past. As much as I love homeschooling and being with my daughters, I would put my girls into public school in a New York Minute if I felt that my mental illness was not in a "manageable" place. 3) I depend on Loverboy to be a Firewall in this sort of situation. If he ever worries about my behavior interfering with the care of our girls (from homeschooling to giving them a PBJ sandwich in the middle of the day), he has my permission and knows the phone calls to make to ensure I get the help I need, and our daughters have the care they deserve. We have discussed this many times, and although I may resent it at the time, I ultimately trust him to make the best decisions under the circumstances for our girls. 4) You are NOT a failure. You gave your children the gift of homeschooling for longer than most people do. This is amazing if you are in a community without much homeschool support! Saying, "We're going to try something different now," doesn't make you a failure. It means you are open to trying new things...which is good. Amazing moms make the best decisions for their kids, and amazing homeschool moms know when it is time to take a season in public school. Be amazing! 5) We don't know what the future holds for your family for homeschooling. I'll bet these boards are full of people who have gone back and forth with the public school. I dare you to start a thread asking for peoples stories of homeschooling, then not, then homeschooling again. :laugh: However, I'm pretty sure that if you don't take care of #1 on this list, homeschooling will not be likely.

At what age do you recommend use of the metronome? Our situation: --We have a metronome, and we have played around with it, but not seriously. --Dd is 7. She has been playing ~3 years. She is in the Piano Adventure Level 1 books. --I teach her. I am not a professional musician or trained music teacher. --I do not require things to be played perfectly before moving on to a new song. She passes when she misses less than one note/staff on a "cold play" (has not played that song yet today). As we continue through the book, we play former songs on a regular basis. This allows for improvement of songs over time. --I have no plans for my child to be a professional musician, play at Carnagie Hall, or be the next musical child prodigy. Our goals are to learn a skill and enjoy the music. --She CAN play with the metronome, but not for her newer or more complex songs. My questions: 1) At what age did your children (or do you recommend for children to) start using a metronome regularly? 2) What does "regularly" mean to you? Daily? Weekly? 3) At that point, how seriously do you take the use of the metronome? If the child is not playing with proper tempo to match the ticking of the metronome, how much time (or percent of time) for each practice time would you/your student work on it? 4) Are there ways to ease into using a metronome? Perhaps only worrying about one phrase of a song; then putting the metronome away? Disclaimer: I'm not planning on making my 7yo miserable over a metronome at this time. I'm just looking for some guidance to plan for the future since this has come up recently in our homeschool. Thank you in advance to all replies. I appreciate your experience and your input.

I have not read the other responses yet. I would not punish for bad grades, but I would have "natural consequences." Natural consequences: --Fixing the errors until they are correct. --Remedial work. (Mom finds extra videos, workbooks, projects until she is convinced you understand what you need to know). --We live in a "pay for grades" household, so, of course, no $$ until Mom is satisfied. I don't pay for things half done, and it's not done until every problem is correct. --If it takes you longer to learn/relearn something, then it will eat into your playtime.

Be wise enough to make different choices for different kids. a) Send the younger back. Unless the school is really bad, they will not tolerate her late reading skills without major intervention. This may mean testing, but most likely will include simply extra time. Some kids just need more instruction or more intensive instruction to learn to read. There is also the potential for positive peer pressure. If her friends are all reading "Buddy the Dog" books, there is a good chance that she will pick one up, too. b ) Keep the older at home. This will cut your homeschooling workload in half, plus your 11yo is at an age that she can do SOME things more independently. Make it clear that she needs to work seriously on her math. BE SPECIFIC. Don't say, "work hard!" Say, "This much must be accomplished by the end of each week; your scores (in flashcards, on worksheets, and on tests) must all be above this specific percent, or you will do remedial work. Make it clear that if she cannot meet these academic standards, you will have no choice but to send her back. ------------------------------- I would be unafraid of discussing this with your children, too; especially the older one. Make it clear that they do not get to make the final decision. That is up to Mom and Dad.

Define "reading on their own." 1) Dd7 did 100EL at age ~4-5. She could read easy readers (BOB books, etc) by the end of the 100 Lessons, but wasn't particularly motivated to seek out books to "read" on her own. She WOULD look at books on her own, but I'm not sure that she would read even the "easy readers" on her own unless we read them together as "shared reading" at reading time. 2) For us, 100EL is a part of a continuum of good reading and comprehension. --We started with a program called PAL that my best friend (a reading specialist in the public school system) gave me. This is NOT the PAL Reading from IEW; it is at least a decade older than that. --We do 100EL. --Onward to Saxon Phonics. Not fancy, but effective. --For the next step, I am looking at Logic of English. 3) Dd has completed Saxon Phonics K, Saxon Phonics 1, and is now in Saxon Phonics 2. This year, she is breezing through the program, doing several lessons a day, and easily completing my required 5 lessons/week. Her reading has zoomed ahead since even last spring. However, dd7 discovered Graphic Novels last year, and our library has an enviable collection of them. Plus they will order her almost anything she asks for. So now she DOES read on her own, and I can tell how advanced her reading has become when we read together now: either for Phonics Lesson or for fun. And once in a while, I catch her reading a non-graphic novel type of book.