With my younger kids I sometimes tell them, "Look, I think you are right, but if I let you do it now it looks like I'm giving in to your whining which I can not abide by. So I need you to stop so we can work this out." It sounds like you have a plan, but this could be another angle to approach it with. I'm sorry you are sad.

We got ours when they were 4.5 and needed their own beds. We were clesr about the safety concerns and never had problems. Of course younger dd loved the challenge of climbing the ladder as soon as she could reach. That felt dicey for a while but we made it through without injury. I do know of a 9yo who recently sustained a compound fracture to his arm exiting the top bunk in an unapproved manner. It all depends on your kids and your gut.

In addition to a few of the ones mentioned, my 4yo likes Whizzizzle Phonics (like Uno but with reading) and the Richard Scarry Cars snd Trucks game (numbers to 12, greater and less than, basic addition and subtraction).

My library has a decent collection of spanish boardbooks. They are a nice way to add vocabulary. We also like Pocoyo on youtube or video, less educational, more "Spanish is fun!"

It sounds like you are already doing what you need to do. Continue with the phonics program, keep having him read from other library books, and keep doing some reading out loud. Look at the progress you have made since January! If you continue working on reading through the summer and he keeps making progress you should be in good shape in the fall. Maybe find out from his teacher what range of levels she expects for the end of first grade. I think you should be able to check his reading level online over the summer to see how you are progressing.

Mine is National brand and I've been using it happily for...huh...a long, long time, about 20 years. Aack. *time out for mini-crisis* Its dupoosed to be able to steam veggies, but I've never tried it. Zojirushi brand has been around forever, I don't think you would go wrong either way.

I haven't done it (accidentally at the start of a top-down sock doesn't count), but thinking about a paper mobius it does kind of make sense that you would get alternate rows of knits and purls. I say do two more rows then stand back and look it over. OR do a youtube search...

I second Jack Prelutsky. We also like Poetry Speaks to Children. I just found the book A Kick in the Head by Paul Janeczko at the library. It has examples of 29 different types of poems and a brief definition, I think I will buy this one! Our library has a large collection of kids poetry books that I've been thumbing through, don't forget to browse yours!

Caution, venting: We are finishing Meet the Masters level 1 shortly and the scripting makes me batty (I am happy with FLL, so not anti-scripting). Even the project is scripted. The scripting is occasionally also annoyingly patronizing. There is little to no review of the topics focused on in the projects from one to another which I find unfortunate. The projects don't always seem to mesh well with the artist, despite the scripted claims. If your child is naturally artistic they may feel constrained by this program. If I didn't have it, we probably wouldn't have done much art this year or last year - there are enough artists that it took us 2 years. But I'll be checking out the postings here for which direction to head next year.

Geoboards are limited by pin placement and size. Our cheap boards did not stand up well to use. I might replace it with a gallon ziplock and a cup of colored hair gel next time

The video game Timez Attack has a plus/minus option (despite the name) and a basic free version if you are open to computer games. We've been playing around with it a bit along with other games.

Don't panic. :-) I find MM to be fairly independent. All 3 could listen to the same read aloud (?), piano practice is obviously solo, perhaps the memory work could be common, or at least all happen at the same time. Keep in mind that the littles will slowly ramp up their work load giving you time to adjust. Good luck!

Thanks! I'm a few years away fron needing it, but electronic files are easy to store (harder to remember...) You were more productive with your down time than I was! :-) I just kept asking over and over, "Is it there yet?"

I substituted some poems, but just based on my own preferences...

Was it a disgruntled homeschool student? Government conspiracy? China? That Rand Paul curriculum guy? Do you get an alarm? A klaxon? Red twirly lights? Overtime pay? :-) Thanks!

Don't forget to check your library. I read everything they had. In addition to WTM I got a copy of Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp. There are a ton if books out there. Good luck!

I found some nice human skeleton resources online - label the skeleton, layers in bones, fun facts, how muscles work, etc. Normally I would use that to supplment other reading, but in your case add some Youtube videos as Farrar suggested and call it good? Although there is upheaval in animal classification it was still useful to talk with my kids about how scientists classify ( and the fact that some of the groups are changing) and what kinds of features some animals might have in common - even though they are not always closely related. You could also ask for some titles via inter library loan - if the books are unavailable for more than a few weeks.

For us, it was helpful that we already had the habit of cleaning up all the toys at the end of the day. This is NOT to say that they did it independently, just that they knew it needed to be done and what the outcome would look like. It was also nice that we eased into it. First just reading work every morning for 15 minutes, then alternating with math days for a while, eventually doing a bit of both.

Freeze them in the portions you will use them. So if you eat half a loaf at a meal, freeze them in that size. It helps keep you all from eating "too much" and doesn't leave you with half a loaf that needs to be consumed in the next three days. I like this idea, especially to take up space as we eat the freezer-pork.

Ooh, ooh! I think you are talking about Kitchen Table Math. They are kind of like the outline of a math program. They suggest a loose order of topics to cover and thoughtful ways to introduce each new idea. There are also sections in the back with games you can make or buy for reinforcing. I must tell you that my dc are youngish, so I don't know if it will carry you all the way to 8th. Worth a look, though!

I'm just finishing the first book with my 2nd graders so I don't have btdt experience to share. BUT the .pdf of the first book is available for $5 so I say download that and start with book 2. As partof getting ready for the next lesson you can read through the prerequisites. Most of book 1 is pretty basic but you may find a few knowledge gaps you want to backfill, or even just see how the earlier material was presented and to what level. Good luck!

Another SusanC chiming in with a sympathetic ear. And the thought that you should bump that meal thing up on your priority list and see if that can help free up more little bits of time. Or at least reduce some day-to-day stress.

We moved into a house with two and I almist exclusively use the small one. The big one has been used less than 5 times in three years. On the plus side it doesn't get dirty... We are a family of 5 with an extra two or three for holidays, and noone is upset if we decude nit to have a whole turkey on T-Day. YMMV!

Welcome! Lori D. is very wise, I wanted to add that if you weren't going to be in Europe for a full cycle you are certainly allowed to focus on European history. With a book like SOTW (Story of the World) you could select the chapters you want to study. I imagine other curricula would work the same way. If you are overseas with the military you can homeschool, even in Germany.

Before I move I ask them to tell me where they have already looked. That has helped a lot.