I'm looking forward to using the Core Knowlege sequence for exposure to major musical works. Quick question. Does anyone know of any free online playlists by grade that have been compiled? There is always the CD option (sort of pricey when shipping to Canada) or just google-piecing it together, but that can take awhile sometimes :).

My 5th grader? Easily! She could not have done it in 2nd though, maybe in early 3rd. My current 2nd grader - no way. Reading abilities change so much and so quickly from K through 3rd, children can be all over the map in reading ability even in 2nd and 3rd.

Thanks CW! The reason I brought this up was NOT to trumpet homeschooling academic success, but rather to toss another idea into the mix, that of individualized parental care and attention. Socioeconomic limitations are so often touted as limiting educational factors. I find it depressing to be honest. I don't believe that parents without a college education or much money will fail to educate their children adequately when they prioritize time with their children rather than relying on external parties alone for that education. Rant below: Customized, tutor-style education (methods often utilized by homeschoolers) goes FAR to prevent gaps in literacy and other basic foundational skills. When children don't learn to read on the class schedule (my husband) or they miss important mathematical building blocks (myself), it is far too often a game-over scenario. How are such children ever to progress well if basic foundations are missing? Teach children where they are and build for there. Do not force them on into more advanced skills and subjects when basic building blocks are not in place. More affluent families may be able to hire tutors, but this philosophy of self-paced learning is not limited to specific income and educational brackets (or curriculum choices and educational venues for that matter).

I think this is it: http://www.nheri.org/HomeschoolPopulationReport2010.pdf the rest is my bunny trail to find it, feel free to ignore that. I am an infograhic a fan. I'm also fairly sure someone has shared this one here, I traced it back to its origin: http://www.topmastersineducation.com/homeschooled/ For visual types. there is also a list of references at the bottom, both on the image and in the text o ly version, including, most notably: http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/ray2009/2009_Ray_StudyFINAL.pdf Also very visual, see figures 5 and 6 re: socioeconomic variances. They say to contact these fellows for the original data (for the most part): http://www.nheri.org/ I'm trying to hunt down an exact link, but I have a baby who needs attention. Does anyone have a direct link bookmarked?

Hmmm, that same study also shows that it isn't just income though, that the children of homeschooling parents also generally do well despite the education levels achieved by their parents. Between my husband and I we have little formal education together with a very small income. Our children are doing very well.

Wow, my 7-yo is MUCH this way :), along with articulation delays.

I'm using What your nth Grader Needs to Know for that :).

Re: socioeconomic variances. Why are these so pronounced in public education yet virtually negligible in homeschooling populations? It's not just about $$, but rather more about parental attention.

We are just trying this now. Basics each day plus one content subject. I'm using ACE for content, so we're doing 1 PACE until done (around 1 week since its the only content subjection the plate) then starting a new PACE in a different subject. Makes it a bit more unit study feeling actually.

Even the KJV retains interesting references to guts, I the first chapter of Phillipians, "...in the bowels of Jesus Christ.". Yep. Beechick even wrote a book emphasizing how the heart is a thinking organ based on biblical references to it.

Oh sweet mommy, don't burn out when your oldest is 5 :). My 3rd born is 5 and I have littles too (and some olders). I also use ACE for some things (not all, just science, social studies, CW/Lit, and sometimes WB) for my girls who are reading, but I don't/wouldn't use it for K because it is a bit more complicated looking than it needs to be, too expensive etc. for that level. I don't like the way they do initial phonics instruction either. It isn't independent anyway until you have a confident reader/printer, nothing really is! My 5th grader works mostly on her own (and did last year too), but my 2nd grader still needs me for most things. So. Big hugs. If you are burning out, stop everything. Pick one nice picture book to read aloud to all of your children each day. After you do that for a while, take a look at what CLE recommends for K. It is easy, gentle on YOU and little one, and developmentally appropriate. It's affordable too. Do 3-4 pages daily and you are done. Keep reading those picture books. That's it. That's mostly what I'm doing for my 5-yo this year, with some extra Bible and a Canadian history read aloud everyone does together. Let her play the rest of the time - dress ups, play dough, Lego etc. Really. Don't overburden yourself. It is EASY to do with your oldest child, but not necessary or fruitful. Take good care.

CLE is written very clearly, super easy to use if you're looking for a switch. What subjects are you thinking of?

Whew howdy. I hear you, and I only have 5 so far. First of all - it is OK if you only get skills covered some years. Honestly. Hey, you can even skip some skills some years and it will be OK. Ask me how I know ;). That might not be what you want to hear, but sometmes it just gets tough. Get them reading and dong some math. Use open and go curriculum for skills that encourages independence. (My pics are in the signature link.) Get them reading and watching some educational documentaries. If you want to, get ONE book and read it together for content - pick history or science. Do one for a while, then switch. Talk to them. It will work out :).

I'm doing the Hebrew Primer from Sarah David. Slowly. Trying to keep up with my 5th grader in grammar (CLE LA) - she now knows more than I do :(. Doing a bunch of scripture memory lately.

That's so helpful Lori, thank you!

I wonder if there is a recitation S&S somewhere...off to check.

Thanks! I was actually thinking of grouping all my kids in say, K, even though they are all different ages. Circle time style. Call it extra practice for the older kids (who haven't had much memory work), then move on to the other grades (say, up to 3rd) and cycle everyone through every few years.

I am SO bad at getting memory work done! SO - MP recitation lesson plans? Only $3? Can this work without the rest? Maybe I could pull it off if it was preplanned and scripted for me. Thoughts? Have you used them on their own?

We like it. 1st and 2nd are very simple. Short bible story followed by an activity/coloring page (my DD was asking for more coloring). it builds up and gets pretty meaty by 5th with map work etc. What I really like is the emphasis on Bible culture with vocabulary and common objects/buildings etc. drawn and explained in grades 3-5. Currently doing 1st, 5th, have 2nd on hand, have done 1 LU of 3 and 4. Very nicely laid out and designed. Open and go. Affordable.

I did use it last year for 2 in school, 2 littles and a newborn. Now I have 3 in school, a little, and a crawler :).

Sounds like you might want to check out CLE. Teacher session followed by independent work. Works towards independence in a big way. Traditional, spiral, saving my bacon for the second year :).

We tried supplementing with MM, then just MM. Eventually we just sent over to CLE with MUS manipulative at times :). My kids NEED spiral! MUS is neat conceptually but cell out of their heads without ongoin review.

Mine does a lot of Nancy Drew :).

I took this past week off too. Hugs. WTG on 20!

Whew! I've found the Little House books to be an excellent remedy for life in unconventional situations :). Do we get time to order? ;). I don't own all of these right now!