Fun! I just started running 5 weeks ago. My oldest (9) has started running too. We don't run together because the only time I can run is 6am and he's NOT a morning person! (we tried... it didn't work!) However, we are thinking of doing a 5k together in Feb.... however Feb in MN is not fun running weather! We'll see.... my dh and I are excited about creating a "family running environment" come spring. My bf is trying to get me to do a half with her next Oct.

There is so much out there! Wondering if you have favorite **free** ie. not DEMO educational computer games that you like? Our kids range in age from 4-9. I can find quite a lot for the younger end, but I'd like some things for the older couple... I found a free trial of Jumpstart and they all really like that, but that will be up before long....

I think I'm in the minority! I use PP for reading... I have 2 kids in it right now. I love it for reading! I did not like it for spelling though. I moved to All About Spelling for spelling and like that much better. When I tried PP it seemed like a lot of rules... difficult for the kids to remember them all. AAS teaches the rules too, but in a more fun/easier way.

Wow, I envy the parents of self-governing children when it comes to computer/TV! We call it "radiation" in our house! LOL! We have to strictly monitor or the boys would play video games or be on the computer all day long! All the kids get an hour a day of their choice videos/computer/video games. They each have an opportunity to earn 15 additional minutes each day by completing a specific task to each child... (ie. the oldest needs to get piano practice in before school, next one her neatness counts in school work, next one needs to earn all his "behavior stickers" for the morning during school and the littlest one needs to complete all his chores before school starts). We have a nephew who got to the point that all he ever does for fun is play video games... I didn't want that to be my kids (it was my husband too!) so that's why we limit the time. Like I said, I wish I didn't have to...

Thanks everybody for your great input! At least I know I'm not the only one struggling to get this in! Some good ideas to look at....

I'm having the hardest time getting art instruction in! First of all, it's not my forte so I'm not all that excited about it. Second of all, by the time we finish all our other things, I am worn out! I haven't gotten in one art lesson this year! One thought I had to catch up is do a concentrated art time over the summer... do 2-3 art lessons/week. Are you all able to get art in? And don't even talk to me about music! Piano lessons are going to have to count for that now.... What do you use for your grammar aged kids for art? I have ARTistic Pursuits. I do like it because it combines art appreciation/history and actual art projects. They aren't crafts either, they are "real" projects. What other ways do you have to teach art to your grammar children? I know that art and music aren't a huge emphasis in WTM so I'm not too worried, but I do want my kids to have some exposure! Especially since I revert to stick figures when I draw!

Thanks for this thread! I have one of these at home too! She's stuck on Magic Tree House... she whips through them in a couple hours, yet refuses to read anything else unless forced! Once she starts a new book she loves it, but getting her to read anything new is like pulling teeth! Funny, just today at the library I picked up the Pippi book illustrated by Lauren Child! It's a beautiful book! If she won't read it on her own we're going to read it for school when I get to pick the literature! Kylie has also liked the Little Pear books by Eleanor Frances Lattimore. They are about a little Chinese boy living in China and he gets into all sorts of innocent trouble. We chuckled a lot at him! Right now we are reading Rabbit Hill together and all the kids enjoy that. It has animals as main characters. Surprisingly, she is even liking Raggedy Ann.... the dolls all have fun adventures....

I have a 7 yo too. These are the things she does independently: Math (she comes to me if she doesn't understand something and when it's her turn to work with me I correct her work while she's sitting there so I can catch any problems with understanding) Handwriting (cursive) Growing with Grammar (Grade 2) Reading for 20 min. (She reads a choice book from approved "school" books... then she reads 10 minutes out loud to me when we work together from a book above her reading level to challenge her) The rest is one on one work with me... we do science together. I wouldn't give up teaching that. Too much interaction that goes on during that learning time. History is the same way. I would highly encourage **some** independence... otherwise you may end up with a child who strongly opposes it later on. Even my K child is starting to do some independent work... his choice and I'm not going to discourage him! We use workboxes and it's easy to organize their work with that method.

Yeah! Looks great! I find the more we do it, the better the kids get at it (like anything). It really is a learned skill.

Thank you so much again! I've looked more at the Nothing New Press stuff and it looks really good! Have you used it? I'm wondering if it may be more "young child" friendly than MOH... I could still use the MOH to make sure we cover everything I want to... I do have level 2 and it seems like a lot more content. I may post a thread to see if others have used this series. Again, it looks super good!

Thanks for this feedback Heather. I really love so much how she incorporates a Christian world view with world history. I will take a closer look at Level 2 and see what I think... I will take a look at the one you mention here too... My oldest I'm guessing could handle it (he's an adult in child's clothing!), but I wonder if I'd lose everyone else! ;-)

Thanks for the photos! I like this idea!

That looks great for American History... I'll certainly check into that, but what about world history?

What are you doing until the 4th book comes out? We are going to start Book 2 in January. I figure on us finishing that up by the end of the summer. We'll be in book 3 next year... but it sounds like it's going to be "several" years before book 4 is out. If you use this series, what have you done for the 1700's to modern times? I'm guessing I'd just switch to SOTW for that era? I haven't looked to see if these book series line up well....

Wow, thanks for all the ideas everyone! I'm going to explore these options!

Last year, and finishing up this year, on the Ancients we are completing a wall timeline. We built it on a sewing board so it folds up when we're not using it. We pull it out to add things to it every few lessons. I like it, but for one.. we ran out of room in certain time spans and two it doesn't promote narration. I'm thinking about doing notebook timelines next year. I will want the older two to do more narration and I think this would be more easily accomplished and actually **done** if we were working in a notebook. My fear in doing this is that they wouldn't really get the "overall" big picture of where things fit in history if they can't see everything all at once. Is this a valid concern? If you do history timelines in notebooks please let me know how it works for you! Do you have a favorite template? I'm expecting my 9 and 7yo would mostly do writing next year. The younger two would still be drawing pictures with maybe one sentence.

Blending is a developmental stage... sounds like your child is getting there! Have patience it will come... it's something you can't force or rush!

There are some reviews out on Amazon some people may be interested in reading...

We had Indiana Jones, an angel, Harry Potter and a caterpillar. The older three my hubby gathered everything for at second hand stores. The youngest one we found his caterpillar for a good deal on ebay... Weather was horribly cold.... but the kids had fun.

My daughter has 2 nylon and netting stacked compartment things that hang in her room. They work for the littler animals. Then her big ones are on built in shelves in her room. She has a zoo in there! We got the hanging compartment things at Ikea...

We don't hear a lot from our family about our choice to homeschool. What we do hear usually includes the word "bubble or shelter" in the statement somewhere... Well, yesterday a family member called me after listening to a talk on the radio about what's going on in public schools. She called to say, "Keep doing what you're doing! If you ever doubt what you're doing, don't!" It meant so much to have someone actually encourage us and say they think what we're doing is right. That will take me a long way! I hope there is someone in your life who encourages you to "keep on keeping on!"

I have a few questions... 1. We're doing Noeo this year. It's good for my youngers, but my older ones need more, so I'm looking at a change in Science next year. We like the "real" books in Noeo so I want to stick with that, but more "beef". 2. I don't know that I can afford two levels (which I'll need next year). Is it easy enough to check some of the books out from the library? How long (about) is each book used? Are there any books you would say "You must own this one!" Besides the teacher's guide of course! 3. Are the DVD's necessary? 4. Do you see yourself being able to stick with this for awhile? I want to try and find something that will take us possibly until high school so that I'm not skipping around all over curriculum and having to fill holes. 5. What are the pluses and minuses you can see? 6. My 9 yo. is VERY science orientated (needs some real challenge... he wants to become a chemist!). Next year my youngest will be 5. Am I right to expect this is too big an age range to cover with one level and therefore am I on the right track in purchasing two different levels? Thanks for any input you can give! :-) If I were a "box curriculum" person I think I would like Sonlight!

Thanks for the recommendations... I guess I remember right that we needn't start it now. I think we'll hold off on a formal program... anxious to try some of those authors someone listed... thanks!

I'm not sure what HST is, but I just print my own planner pages. My friend and I came up with a template on legal sized paper. We bought legal sized binders and put the sheets in there. I have the subjects along the left hand column and 5 columns going across the span of two pages (portrait). I have two books as I put two children's work in each book. It has big boxes so lots of room to write. If anyone is interested in the template I could email it to you. I used to be a teacher in the public schools and was trying to replicate the plan book I had!

If so, what do you use? I think I read in WTM that we needn't study vocab until logic stage? Maybe I'm wrong in that.... in any case it seems a lot of vocab programs I've looked at start at 3rd grade, but we aren't doing a "program" this year with my 3rd grader. He reads challenging literature with me during his time with me each day and I stop and explain words to him he doesn't understand (or we both look them up!) so I guess that's our "vocab" for now! I think I may want something more formal for next year though...