here's mine...its a bit old but still cute www.hazelnutacademy.blogspot.com

Sing Spell Read Write 1st Grade (comes with great readers) Some Spelling Workout A at the end of the year and will finish in the summer Saxon Math 1 Story of the World Ancients (she loved this) Nature Study with nature journal...started this the latter half of the year Read Alouds by Mom Winnie the PooH original, The Lion, The Witch The Wardrobe, A Cricket in Times Square etc. She also had an art and music class once a week at co-op

You raved about what you are doing for explorers..care to share..I'm planning this out right now. Thanks, Sheryl in GA

Kids (6/3) color coloring page related to chapter that I read aloud to them. DD6 and I complete the map exercises and look on the globe. I check out as many of the literature suggestions as possible and try to do at least one activity for each chapter. Some chapters we have skipped the activity part. For example this week she colored a pic of Julius Caesar, I read the chapters to her, we played the Ransom Caesar game, completed the map and even did some make believe play like we were searching for the pirates that had kidnapped Caesar. DD has also completed oral narrations and illustrations for some of the lit. books we read this year. For older kids you could have them narrate back the chapter you read. Next year I will be letting dd listen to the cd and color her page. Her co-op will be handling the maps and activities. I am going to work in American History for our time here at the house. I will be using The Childrens Encyclopedia of American History along with many living books related to whatever topic we are on. I hope to work in a few projects as well.

I am going to be using Language Lessons for Little Ones with my PreK 4yr. old. He will also have some Sing spell read and write components (handwritng, songs, games) and a have the get ready get set for the code books from Explode the Code. I think having several things to switch back and forth will help keep him interested. I will be using Language Lessons for The Very young with my first grader. I am thinkning about figuring out a way to combine this with FLL. Not sure how I will do this yet. I needed an easy way to bring some Mason into our days and felt this was a good starting place. We'll see how it goes next year.

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MominBC My kids have enjoyed the programmed. They like the games and the songs. If you felt your 4 yr. old was ready for letters andd that the PreK would be too simple you could always do something like Five in A Row..this is a wonderful program and if you have a good library its not expensive. The FIAR book has you read a story to your child during the week..we did three days instead of five and it comes with really fun activities that are related to science, geography, math etc. This would be a way to work in literature which SSRW does not have ( I think they suggest some books to go with each letter) and to add it that punch of extra fun. My dd at 4 loved fiar and it still sticks in her mind as some of the best schooling we've done.This year I'm teaching my son3 yr. old a letter sound each week.I come up with fun activites to do..we had crazy hair day when we learned the letter H, and this week we will be jumping on the bed for letter M...monkeys jumping on the bed book I just felt the PReK program would have been a waste of time and money for my son. He is only 3 and knows his abc's, can count to around 29 , knows his colors and shapes...I just don't want to spend money and time on something he can do already. Hope this helps.

I use SSRW combo K/1 Here's my thoughts -the K part has two books.. the first book covers the letters and sounds and writing these letters. The second book gets into simple blending and small words -the 1st grade part has two books...the first book covers the same as the Kinder first book..letters sounds writing the letters ..the only difference is the child is expected to write smaller and be able to cut out smaller shapes for the pasting exercises. I used the Kinder books for my PReK daughter who was 5 and have used the first grade books with her for her Kindergarten year. My son 3yrs old has been using the first Kinder book to learn his letters and sounds...he does the coloring and the pasting pages. I am saving the handwriting pages until he is 4 next year. SSRW can be used in so many ways. The only downside I have to it is that it requires alot of writing/copying of words in the first grade book #2..my dd is doing this in Kinder so I only have her copy a set number and not the whole lesson. I love that this kit comes with so many options. I don't know your child but for me the first Kinder book can easily be used with a 4 year old. Have them do the pages for the letters and sounds and start them on the phonics A - Z song. I also use the letter bingo and card games with my son and he is only 3. We did letter recognition first and now we are doing some bingo with the letter sounds instead of me saying the names of the letters. I hope this helps you. I would be happy to answer any questions. Sheryl in GA

I think choosing a math program is like picking a hotel for vacation. You can read tons of reviews and hear the good the bad and the ugly. One person says its the best place to stay and gives it 5 stars...then scroll down and you'll find another that says it was dirty and the staff unkind. Truth is what one hotel is to one person is different to another. Same goes for math. I am a Saxon user. I have read more negative reviews on these boards in relation to Saxon than positive. But it is working for my dd6 who is in Kinder but we work in Saxon 1. So I have gotten over my new to homeschooling so everyone else knows better than me attitude and am learning to make choices for myself based on what works. I hope it works with my ds but if not then I can always find something that does. I do still read the reviews and enjoy the wealth of information. I guess I'm just saying that it doesn't freak me out as much as it used to. And my husband and I just booked our vacation for next October in Disney. The resort had both good and bad reviews but I made a choice and with only minimal nail biting. :) good luck with your math adventure. Sheryl

I went to there website but could only find the cd downloads. do they sell actual hardcopies of the different books? Where do you purchase History Scribe? Thanks Sheryl in GA

Hey Jennefer, There's a series called Draw Write Now...I think it has several volumes and you can pick one that would appeal to your son or one that correlates to something you are studying. I think these are more of a learn to draw versus a program that teaches about line, perspective, etc. I looked for something for DD6 ...the more recommended books just seem to much for her and ME! I decided to go with Artistic Pursuits and throw in a Draw Write Now that correlates with something we are covering, like birds or trees to go along with our nature study. Hope you find the perfect book and if you do pass it on! Sheryl at Hazelnut Academy

Jill, I will also have a first grader doing American His next year. I have been reading WTM, SOTW Activity book 3, Beautiful feet and other websites and I'm trying to compile a list. Try this link http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/history.htm Good Luck Sheryl

Here's the pic www.hazelnutacademy.blogspot.com

I have read your replies and researched the suggested highly sensitive child and the suggested personality types...well...they both fit her like a glove..and even fit myself which is kinda scary. I am going to pray about this and read up on this. Thank you for your help...somehow I don't feel so alone anymore. Sheryl

Dd6 at this point in her life wants to live in Narnia and if she can't do that then she wants to write books like that. My ds3 cries if he can't help make dinner with me..so maybe I have a chef in the making. Who knows what next week, month or year will bring. Sheryl

I don't know if I've come to the right place or not. I want so badly to keep from labeling my child anything...slow, accelerated, gifted, sensitive...I was labeled gifted at a young age and well it had its ups and downs. But here's my issue...my dd6 ...I feel lost how to help her lately. She is what I call an old soul. SHe feels deeply...joy and sorrow. She carries the burdens of others upon her. She talks to herself ALOT and is now spending much of her time in her room in an imaginary world. She is in Kinder...reading on an upper 2nd early 3rd grade level. She was once an outgoing toddler and is now becoming overly shy..she wants to do things but her fear/shyness something holds her back. She cries alot...not whines or anything like that. She obeys us and hurts more when she does wrong. She cried alot as an infant...colic for sure. She loves history and science and gets bored easily which I think is why she retreats to her imaginiary world. I know this is long and its hard to get a picture from this of who she is. But lately I feel at a loss as to how to relate to her. ..how to help her through hard times. We are a family of four. She is close to me and her Papa..he's a very involved dad. She loves her little brother (3 1/2 ) even though he pesters her alot. The latest thing she told me was that she felt different. She wouldn't expand on this. I am starting to see a divide between her and her friends and girls her age. Not as in arguments but in how they play, what they are interested in . Anyone out there that can give me some advice or wisdom. I am praying about this and wanting so badly to trust God with her. On a spiritual note (not intendeing to offend anyone) God has saved her and she is very keen to spiritual truth ...she's like this moral compass ...anyone? Sheryl

DD6 will be going into first grade. During our 6-8 week break I will provide her with math fact drill sheets, some math review sheets and have her read read read from library books. That's it here. I will be planning for next year which will start in July for us.

dd5/6 Kinder: Sin gSpell Read Write 1st (includes readers), reading to me from library books, trying Spelling Workout A to see if we like it, copywork related to history or poetry 1st Grade LA plans: (dd reading on a second grade level) Language Lessons for the Very Young (includes copywork, picture study, grammar etc) Independent Reading and read to Mom 15-20 minutes a day(books I choose) Read in bed at night for 20 minutes books her choice. She will also make narration pages related to books she reads, history lessons, science lessons and some writing with nature study. I also want her to start writing letters sometime next year. Visit us at www.hazelnutacademy.blogspot.com

If you decided to go with Sing Spell Read and Write you could get the K/1st combo. Your 5 year old could do the K letter pages along with the older child doing the 1st grade letter pages. Do the same letter each week/day with them. They both would love the songs and the phonics games. I used SSRW ( I did tweek the writing..felt it was too much). My dd6 is finishing up the 1st grade part and my ds is starting to use the letter pages (coloring, pasting etc.) to learn his letter sounds. They both like the songs and the bingo/card games. Hope you find what works for you. Sheryl in GA

DD will be doing SOTW 3 with co-op next year but I wanted to go more in depth with American History (early history) at home. I plan on using lots of living books and fun activities but need a spine that is only American History/Discovery to reference from. Any great ones I should know about? Thanks so much. SHeryl in GA

My dd6 and ds3 loved Cricket in Times Square. I believe it is written on a 4th or 5th grade reading level. Its a chapter book with little to no pics but even kept my 3 year old intrigued most of the time.

Thank you everyone for the input. Except for a few minor tweaks I feel good about the choices. Here's hoping I can pull it all together during summer break. Sheryl in GA

Link to my blog is www.hazelnutacademy.blogspot.com Thanks for any and all input and sorry for a couple of typos...it always happens with kids sitting in my lap during computer time. Sheryl

Does anyone have a number to call about this? Also I have heard it is free if you are in GA? Is this true and who do I contact? Thanks Sheryl

I am starting ds who will be 4 in July on the first volume. He is three now and is learning letter sounds...he has letter recognition down pat. I know vol. 1 will be review for him to some degree but I think that will be good after a summer break and it will give him some confidence as we start out on this road. He is already bothered at times that his sister 6 can do so much more than him. If we move quickly (his ability will set the pace) we may move into the phonics volume 2 somewhere in the school year. Hope this helps. Also related to this ....anyone unbind these books so the writing exercises are easier for the child. Or even use handwriting paper instead? Sheryl in GA