[What do you think BFE means?]

I’m from California and BFE is common to say. Although now that I think of it, I don’t hear many people outside my family say it. 🤷🏻‍♀️My mom used a lot of colloquialisms growing up that none of my peers seemed to know. I use it to mean something way out of the way or in the middle of nowhere. 

[Where to Go After Math 7]

2 hours ago, silver said:

I did a thread with pre-algebra options when I was looking for what to do with one of my kids. I wound up going with MM7. We're currently partway through. My kid recognizes that a lot of it is review, but seems to like the confidence boost. 

 

 

Very helpful, thanks for this!

[Where to Go After Math 7]

5 hours ago, Ellie said:

"Math 7" is a pretty generic term, so it's difficult to know whether he's ready for pre-algebra or not.

Personally, I wouldn't use Saxon as a supplement, especially not isolating lessons. Saxon should be all or nothing, because it teaches differently than other math texts. I wouldn't use it as a supplement to another math course, either, for the same reason, besides the fact that it would be double math, and surely it would be too much.

If you're going to have him continue with the learning center, have you talked to the teacher about your concerns? She may have suggestions that will work better.

Thank you! He will definitely be ready for pre algebra; in looking at other pre algebra programs, what he is doing currently is pretty much pre algebra. (This is why I reached out to the teacher because I couldn’t tell much of a difference between Math 7 and pre algebra).

We wouldn’t be using Saxon as a supplement; he would be doing either of their pre algebra programs in full OR MM7 (in MM7, I would be comfortable skipping or skimming some topics that he has already mastered). I have the luxury of time since he’s a year “ahead” in math currently and am in no rush to get him to algebra prior to 8th grade, so I’m just wondering what the best course for his 7th grade math year is. He definitely will not be continuing math with the learning center; it is expensive, time consuming, and I’m having a hard time fitting in all the things I want him to do because of all the assignments. 

[Where to Go After Math 7]

Just now, MiddleCourt said:

Thanks for your response. Yes, he is capable of taking an online class. The class he is taking now is online videos/assignments most of the week, and going to class once a week. He still likes the reassurance from me that he’s understanding it correctly, but maybe with one more year to mature he’ll be more independent in this area.

Oh and to be clear, I do not mind helping him at all! In fact, I like to explain it in a way he can understand and keep up with the class to ensure he is progressing. But I’d like to have him do something where he can feel confident doing work on his own.

[Where to Go After Math 7]

2 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Most math has placement tests to confirm areas that need strengthening.

MM worked very well for one of mine. I am not a Saxon fan but, as always, ymmv.

Would your student do well in an online course? Several boardies @mom31257 and @Jann in TX teach PreA and there are other good providers. That could take you out of the primary teaching role. 
 

Thanks for your response. Yes, he is capable of taking an online class. The class he is taking now is online videos/assignments most of the week, and going to class once a week. He still likes the reassurance from me that he’s understanding it correctly, but maybe with one more year to mature he’ll be more independent in this area.

[Where to Go After Math 7]

I’m thinking ahead to next year’s math for my oldest and would appreciate any advice! I know it’s only December and next school year is a long way away, but it’s on my mind. I’m trying to include pertinent math background without writing a novel.

My 12 yo son is in 6th grade. He currently takes Math 7 at a learning center. TBH, I don’t really know what the difference between Math 7 and pre algebra is, but I asked the teacher what comes next and she said pre algebra. She said they’re very similar but not exactly the same. I’ve looked at different pre algebra curricula online and it looks like many cover the same topics he’s covering currently in Math 7.

For various reasons he won’t be taking math at this learning center next year. This year’s math has been very intense and time consuming for him and for me to help him. He does not struggle in math, but is not a math whiz either. He has some confidence issues with math, so he likes me to sit with him while he completes his lessons which kind of defeats the purpose of him being in this math class and freeing up some of my time for his younger siblings.

Which brings me to my question. Since Math 7 and pre algebra seem so similar I’m hoping to use next year as a review and confidence boosting year. Im interested in a pre algebra course that he can do mostly independently and will boost his confidence in math. Im looking at math mammoth 7 and having him do the units that he needs practice in, or Saxon 8/7 or algebra ½. I know MM and Saxon are very different, but both offer something I want (MM- doing the units he needs extra practice . Saxon- video lessons from Nicole the Math Lady to shore up pre algebra skills before going to Algebra in 8th).

If you got through all this, thank you. What would you do if this was your child?

[Medieval History Options]

1 hour ago, 2_girls_mommy said:

SOTW and activity guide is the way to go!! I have used the activity guide to do art all the way to high school in co-ops, and used the scope and sequence of it to plan history lessons there too, assigning other texts to older students instead.  

If it is the unstructured-ness of it that you find overwhelming, find a way to structure it for you. I always have a plan on how it works.  This year, I am just reading a chapter a week to my 1st grader.  At the time that we read it she colors a picture and does the mapwork.  If there is what I consider a super easy project suggestion that I can do right then i do it.  (Like some are board games or something.) Other projects I think are doable, but I need a Pringles can or something.  So I just add Pringles to the grocery list, and we do it the next week.  I do not always line the project up with that week's reading. We can be moving onto something else, but review Alexander the Great as we make a quick lighthouse the next week.  

I feel the same about library books.  I have a library day.  I try to reserve the next coulple of week's books once a week.  You don't know when they will come if if someone else has them checked out.  In a perfect world, there will be a book on Greek mythology in my library basket the week of Greek mythology in SOTW. But it doesn't matter.  We read those books at bedtime, as supplemental.  So we may read something about the Trojan Horse a month after we studied it, but we can talk about remember this.  Here's a great book about it. 

Also, sometimes I get too many books on a topic, because I reserve all that my library has.  Then I might just pick one that looks good and return the rest.  

So I don't plan out my readings or projects.  But we do them. 

 

When my bigs were little, and I had two at once.  I was more structured.  I had to plan projects in advance and I read through the books a little more in advance.  Back then I read one section of SOTW at a time instead of a whole chapter, so we did history twice a week instead of once a week like I do it now with LO. (reading the library books as part of bedtime reading means we are actually doing history every night anyway.) 

The main thing is to make a system and stick with.  Tuesdays are read the chapter and do mapwork day.  Thursdays after math are project days.  Pick up library books every Saturday so that new ones to tie in are coming in constantly.  Just make a plan and do something in that time period!  

I do think I am over complicating it. Maybe there’s no premade history only study of this because most people do what you do! My problem is that I work from home. While it’s extremely flexible, it’s still a responsibility and very hard to make a consistent routine like you mentioned. So I spend all this time planning and may actually have very little time to execute it week to week. But I am praying to be able to quit.

[Medieval History Options]

1 hour ago, caffeineandbooks said:

Is your enrichment day focussed on reading, so you are wanting to add structured activities, or is it activity based, so that you want to add in some reading? 

Your kids really are the perfect ages for SOTW 2, so my first instinct would have been to go in that direction.  You could get the audiobooks and listen when driving, or you could read to them and ask them to narrate what they remember.  The activity book provides a bit more structure in an open-and-go way: a coloring page to keep their hands busy while they listen, comprehension questions to check understanding, and sample narrations to help you gauge level as well as activities.  It's up to you whether you want to get them to create narration pages as well.

Another option, similar to the SOTW activity guide but not as obviously broken into weekly bites, might be Days of Knights and Damsels: https://www.amazon.com/Days-Knights-Damsels-Activity-Guide/dp/1556522916/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=days+of+knights+and+damsels&qid=1616383045&sr=8-1

If you have scope to stray into literature, there are loads of fun things in this year: Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Vikings, knights, castles, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Aladdin, Sinbad.  If you just got a big stack of picture book versions and read your way through it, it would be time well spent!  It would give the "flavor" of the era as you say, and still be easy and enjoyable for everyone.  Again, the SOTW activity guide has lit suggestions, but the Amazon search feature is pretty good too 🙂  Brother Hugo and the Bear is my current favorite picture book for this era!  James Rumford and Eric Kimmel both have lovely picture book versions of Beowulf too, and Trina Schart Hyman has illustrated several beautiful knights and castles ones - the Kitchen Knight and others. Stone Giant by Jane Sutcliffe is a lovely one about Michelangelo's David.  If you wanted to add output, you could ask the kids to keep a book journal: they copy the title and author and draw a picture, then write (or dictate) an age-appropriate length summary of the story.  

If you were happy for your history to stray into the area of art, you might get some mileage out of Artistic Pursuits' K-3 program - there's a medieval book and a Renaissance book, each designed to take a semester, that would have you look together at a masterwork each week and create a project inspired by it.  You could check it out here (scroll down and check out books 3 and 4): https://artisticpursuits.com/k-1st-2nd-3rd

A picture study type option could be Picture That! Knights and Castles - large famous artworks on a double page spread, then zoomed in on the next page to point out interesting details you may have missed.  This link is to Amazon for the reviews and description, but you might purchase on Thrift or Abe books or something instead: https://www.amazon.com/Picture-That-Knights-Alex-Martin/dp/1587284413/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_13?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5KQ0NCZQQ3AY69GPGMZK

At that age, we enjoyed Usborne Mosaic Sticker Castles.  It looks like busywork, using little sticker squares and triangles to make mosaic pictures, but it was quite a good spatial reasoning workout too as they figured out how to flip and rotate pieces and images: https://www.amazon.com/Mosaic-Sticker-Castles-Nayera-Everall/dp/1409581306/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=usborne+mosaic+sticker+castle&qid=1616383270&sr=8-1

It sounds like time and energy are at a premium for you.  I try to send the kids to my mum for a day before we start the school year, and I spend the entire day with my laptop, a vertical file and the photocopier.  We do SOTW with another family, so I'm committed to keeping a schedule.  I photocopy the coloring and map pages for my family and split them into manilla folders, numbered 1-42, and stick them in the suspension folder.  I add any other coloring pages I might have and create a master list of accompanying books or projects (eg art projects, novels, picture books, primary source studies; at different times I've found free mom-made timeline cards online so those go in too).  When we sit down to read the chapter, I pull out the manilla file with the matching number, the kids color if they want to while I read, then we use the activity guide questions and narrate, complete the mapwork, and appropriate aged kids do the timeline.  On other days of the week I pick and choose from my list of accompanying stuff.  If we have both time and resources we might spend literally hours across several days exploring deeper, but if it's a busy week for us (or a resource poor chapter) I read the chapter, they narrate and we move on, no guilt.  The basic skeleton is there before the year begins, so week to week I just spend ten minutes looking over the coming week on the calendar and highlight the things from the master list that I want to try to get to.

Medieval and renaissance history has so much fun stuff for these ages!  I hope you find exactly what you're looking for and have a blast ❤️

 

So many awesome suggestions, thanks! The enrichment program is an art school that studies one time period a year, and learns of it through art. They encourage families to follow along their SOTW schedule, but it’s totally optional. So, I was thinking of using SOTW as my spine and adding in lots of books and activities to go with it. I usually have lots of ideas, but then get overwhelmed at all the books/fun things to do, that I have a hard time doing any of it. I think I could really benefit from laying the year out this summer as you suggested. 

[Medieval History Options]

My kids attend an enrichment program one day a week. Next year they’ll be studying medieval history. We don’t always follow along with what the program does, but medieval history sounds super fun, so we’re going to focus on that next year. Im kind of maxed out in all areas of life right now, so I’m hoping to find something spelled out for me (I know I can just read SOTW and choose activities out of it, but I want something more structured). All the medieval studies I’ve found are part of an all in one program. MFW, wayfarer’s, etc. I don’t need science or Bible, since I have that covered already. I want ONLY history stretching from medieval times to the reformation. Does anyone know of something like this that already exists?

I like a lot of the hands on activities in MFW from Rome to Reformation, but it spends the first 13 weeks on Rome. Which is interesting, but again, I want to focus on medieval history and I’ll be paying for a science and Bible that I most likely won’t use. Is my only option to spend the summer making units based on topics that will come up during that time period (monasteries/monks, castles, famous kings and queens, etc.)? 🤪

As a side note- we do not do a 4 year chronological history cycle. My kids are 7 and 9 (with 5 yr old sis joining in next year), so I just pick a history that sounds fun for us to do on a year to year basis. I’m not too concerned with them memorizing lots of details at this point; I just want to get a flavor of the medieval/Middle Ages/renaissance world. The kinder will be doing her own thing so this will be focused on a 2nd and 4th grader. Thanks!

[Fun Kinder Curriculum]

1 hour ago, My4arrows said:

I’m another for FIAR. It’s an all time favorite for our family. I’m starting all over again with Before FIAR with my preschooler and 1st grader and ALL my kids come and decide to sit in and recall our days of FIAR. 
The new manuals are more expensive so I’d buy the old ones used. They are the same content just with a few added things like worksheets.  Most of the books are easy to find at the library or used. Anything out of print I just skip over if we can’t find it except for one favorite I splurged on when I found a “good” price. I’m planning our volume 1&2 for next year and I love the memories that keep coming up. 

I do own the first volume already, so this is definitely an option. 

[Fun Kinder Curriculum]

These are all great ideas, and I now have lots to think about. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond, I’ve been quietly reading along.

[Fun Kinder Curriculum]

3 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Or, maybe Five in a Row??

FIAR was my original plan, so that’s also a possibility. I think both my girls would enjoy it, if I go that route. 

[Fun Kinder Curriculum]

8 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Brightly Beaming Resources - Letter of the Week = FREE online lists of ideas and overview lesson plans; lots of ideas
- lesson plans
- booklist -- children's book with the week's letter in the title
- suggested daily activities + list of possible alphabet books to enjoy

She also has free online lesson plans for:
- Science of the Week -- based on the Let's Read and Find Out About Science series
- Country of the Week (geography) -- (in progress) done by letter of the alphabet so it can be combined with Letter of the Week, if desired


Also, you might just have fun pulling together weekly or monthly themes:
September
- Labor Day
October
- autumn
- Halloween
November
- Thanksgiving
- 100 Day = 100th day of school
December
- winter
- Christmas, Chanukkah, Kwanza 
January 
April
- Arbor Day

Your list is exactly what I’m looking for, but I want someone else to do it for me, ha! I’ve just found that when I do it myself, I let it Peter out. I’m finally admitting to myself that we all do better when I have a curriculum I can loosely follow. I’ll have a third and fourth grader to work with, plus I work for an online charter school, so it’ll alleviate a lot if I can have it laid out for me. Thank you for your input!!

[Fun Kinder Curriculum]

My third and last child will be in Kindergarten next year. I already have her phonics and math picked out (I think), but I am looking for something fun to go along with it. I created my own thing for my oldest and my second did barely any kindergarten due to low interest, so I feel like I’m starting over. 

I’d like something that has topics that change throughout the year (like, no US History for the whole year) that covers fun little kid topics of interest, like pumpkins, weather, holidays, etc. Because I’m homeschooling two others and do have to work a little throughout the week, I’d like it as open and go as possible.

I’ve researched tons of different curriculum but there’s so much out there, maybe someone knows of one I’m missing. I think My Father’s World is the closest I’m looking for, but I don’t really want to focus on animals all year. 

Maybe the best bet would be to do a letter of the week type thing and incorporate themes? This is my last kindergartener so I want it to be FUN!