I've filed the past couple years, but this year am doing the notebook method as well. We started this summer and it's working great! I use sticky notes so they know where they left off. My 10 and 9 year old get sheets that tell them what pages to do, but I always go through it beforehand with them. My 2nd grader needs me to show him the pages and he does math with me. My youngest still works right with me all the time. I think your kids are pretty young to just set loose... have you tried binders? I made up all our binders for the year and I'm finding it to be wonderful! No big filing up front, no tearing apart workbooks and no weekly filing or more likely.... refiling! :D

Lapbooking only works for one child here. It's really quite amazing how when my dd gets to do a lapbook she'll read/record just about anything! She loves crafty fun. For her it's a technique that hits her learning style well. The boys have no interest in doing lapbooks. I only use lapbooking for science. I use the ones Paige has already made up for ES. It would drive me nuts to be having to design them all the time. I'm not a crafty person. ;)

Personally, I would go crazy trying to get all that in. I would suggest sticking with your plan, but maybe have an hour set aside a day where they can focus on something they'd like to do extra, kind of a "project time"? Or, just let her pursue those things in her free time.

FWIW... I'm not doing a time line with my 1st or 2nd grader. I don't think they really get a lot out of it. I am doing one with my 4th and 5th graders though. (My first grader can't even tell time during the day... I don't think he will get much out of a timeline!);)

Just remember WWE says "LEVEL" 3, not "GRADE 3". ;) In the hsing world we must re-adjust our thinking to levels, not grades. Keep in mind grade levels are an organizational feature of a public/private school. They must be able to organize all those kids into groups of some sort. Grade levels do this. As hs'ers we don't need to do that! Yeah! :D I just wanted to address people not liking/needing WWE4. Personally, I would not skip it. I believe there is a lot to be had in that level. It is tough and that's why a lot of people don't like it. My ds did struggle through some of it, BUT... we finished it and I would have to say I wouldn't do it any differently. The dictations are terribly long for the most part and not simple vocab either. I did everything I could to help him through it some weeks. Other weeks he'd have a "break through" and have little difficulty with it. It's probably the toughest thing he had to do last year, but it was worth it. He was so proud of himself once he figured out he really could hold most of a paragraph in his head. His writing has improved 100 fold since we started the WWE series. Remember that our kids are young and we are forming their thinking patterns. Yes, it may be difficult, but most things that are worth learning for the long-haul are difficult up front. To us adults some of these things we're asking of our kids seem impossible to us, but their brains are still growing and still being trained! They CAN DO IT!! (I'm not speaking of kids with any learning disabilities here, I'm speaking "neurotypical kids). I try to keep in the back of my mind the pay-off down the road that will come to fruition for my kids since they have an excellent basis in writing. No public or private school around here can boast of that! (Writing is the one subject I hear parents of school children complain about the most in our area). For that reason I wouldn't rush the process. Okay, I'm stepping down now! I just don't want you to throw out something of great benefit because some people have scared you away. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it's because it's what's best for your child... not because someone convinced you that's the way it should be. ;)

I agree, but then again, TV was FREE and actually worth watching! :D

It will go away, or mostly! Every year so far (we are starting our 4th year) I've had periods where I've questioned our decision. But, this last year I still questioned, but knew deep down I will not even consider school of any kind outside our home until HS. Even at that I don't want them in HS, my dh needs time to come around! ;-) I think at some point (probably a few years in) you realize you CAN do this and it really is the best thing for your children. (I say this to only those who deep down feel hsing is right for their family.. not trying to say hsing is right for everyone). Part of it is confidence and part is experience. You'll get there! :001_smile:

This is exactly what I do. Actually, I'm going through SOTW 1 and 4 this year with different kids so I really need to be organized! I'm sitting down right now doing 6 week chunks at a time in each book writing in pencil next to the books listed whether they are at our library or if I have to get them from ILL. I use the online catalog to figure this out. Then, I'll probably order books 2-3 weeks out depending on how I need to get them. All done from my computer at home and one trip to the reserve shelf at the library! Easy peasy!

We took 3 weeks off in June and I used that time, plus weekends and evenings. Maybe you could find a way even to take a week off (or go down to just minimum basics) to give yourself a little time...

I'm planning a state study for next summer. My kids will be 11, 10, 8 and 6. We'll probably do another summer study when they are older too. I'm not too worried when we do it... just that we do it at some point. We'll probably wait and take a visit to the capitol during the year though when things are buzzing a bit more.

If you mean either WWE or WWS and HO, I don't think that's overkill. That's what we're planning. We're using HO Level 2 ancients and hopefully WWS. If you are planning both WWE and WWS and HO... that would be overkill in my house! ;)

For what it's worth... my dd reversed b, d, p, q and z until she was about 8.5. Because she doesn't write "z" very often she still sometimes reverses that one. It took her FOREVER to get b and d right. She will occasionally still mess up those, but corrects it right away now (she just turned 9 in May). It really bugs her when she does it too. If you don't have any other reason for concern I would just gently correct his reversals if he doesn't notice it and not make a big deal of it. Sometimes I'll read the word to her with the reversal to help her see it if she doesn't (did you mean to write "dat"? If she was writing "bat"...) I think some kids just need a little more maturation time. I notice this with her in other areas too. Sometimes if I know she needs to write a "b" or "d" I will remind her before she starts to think carefully about which way her letters go. She does fine then. Again, this is from the perspective of the fact that this is the "only" thing I see. If there were indicators of further problems I'd address it differently. I have no other worries about her learning abilities so I'm chalking this one up to maturation time needed! ;) ETA: It could be things are getting worse because he's not thinking as much how to form his other letter either... so the ones that gave him more trouble are popping up because in general writing is not such a chore so he's relaxed a bit more. Just a thought....

:lol: I have Fractions and Decimals Fred. My ds really loved the story, but I think that overshadowed the math. He worked through part of the book and then just read the rest...:001_huh:. So now, he has no motivation to do the math in the rest of the book! I'm debating selling them... I think my dd might enjoy them though when she gets to that point so that's what makes me hold onto them. Oh... and those books weren't intended as a stand alone curriculum and I wouldn't use it that way. I guess the higher ones are... I haven't seen those. I haven't seen Elementary at all, but it doesn't grab me enough to even look. We use MM and I am completely happy with it... no reason to look elsewhere at this point.

We use Handwriting Without Tears here. Worked very well for all 4 kids.

Singapore is a good choice. I think there are some math curricula out there that aren't as good, but most of the curricula you see mentioned on this board are high quality math programs that most people should do fine with. I think the most important thing is to decide what YOU want in a math curricula, find one you can teach and stick with it. We use Math Mammoth here and we won't use anything else until after 6th grade. It's an excellent curricula that I actually do teach differently to each of my 4 children who are using it. My oldest independently reads and completes his math with very little help from me. My dd needs things explained to her, but after going through it with her, works independently. She also needs extra time on concepts that are difficult for her. My next ds needs me to intricately explain every detail of every instruction and we use manipulatives. I work a few with him, then when he feels ready he works at my elbow independently. My littlest ds I work through everything right there with him. So, yes... my kids all have different instructional needs, but one math curricula does it for us! I just wish I had this math experience growing up!

This is very interesting! Logic is something completely new to me (don't laugh too hard... my dh would agree! :lol:) I'm loving this thread! It's giving me some good things to research! How come I've NEVER been exposed to this? What did they teach me in HS/College/Graduate school????:confused:

Why not just keep it fun with Logic Countdown and some online free puzzles or board games that emphasize strategy? It promotes the kind of thinking that will be great practice for more formal Logic in a couple years. My 5th grader loves logic and I believe will do really well, but we're not going too deep too fast. He LOVES many of the strategy board games and many of the puzzles online or for his ipod touch. Why not start there? We're planning on the CT books when he gets a bit older....

Lots of great ideas already. I'd echo Mudpies to Magnets and add Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out about the Human Body and The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions.

Ours is up... link in sig

My ds10 is starting Spanish this next year. He's had 2 year of Latin. We'll just add it in like any other subject... although we plan to speak Spanish more than we do Latin. We really don't speak much Latin around the house. Spanish however, we'll put more effort into speaking!

Yup, sorry I reversed those...

We like Grapevine materials. They have an Old Testament and New Testament overview that might be good for you. It has memorization as well.

I follow the methodology very closely and some of the curriculum recommendations. For instance, I don't love FLL so we don't use that (we use GWG and R&S instead), but we do use WWE. The curriculum that I've chosen not specifically mentioned in WTM follows the methodology though. I find when I veer away from WTM things get complicated really fast. If I stick with WTM things stay simple and get done! ;)

Personally, since he's only 7 I would give him a break. It's amazing what a little time can do. Let him keep up his multiplication and division facts by playing some fun computer games or such over the summer... then try again. I'm guessing his brain just needs a little maturation time!:001_smile: And I'd 2nd Math Mammoth. We love it here!

We have used Logic Liftoff and I have Logic Countdown for my upcoming 5th grader. I think they are great. They have a variety of activities and teach concepts well. Another bonus is you can photocopy them for in-family use so I don't have to keep rebuying them. My 10 year old zoomed through Mind Benders A-B and went into C last year. While he liked them, they got a little old because they are all the same type of puzzle. I'll have my 4th grader do some this next year, but probably not as many as my older did (unless she really likes them, which is doubtful knowing her!) Those are the only things we've really had experience with. I'm eager to see any other feedback you get as I'm looking for some more things for my 10 y/o. :lurk5: