I struggle feeling overwhelmed, worrying I'm not doing enough, worrying my children will get behind...but try to enjoy. Don't worry so much about curriculum!

Check out Guesthollow! It is free and literature based--the author is a Christian, so she includes some things for discussion that might come up in a study of history.

LOVE it! Great ideas!!!

I read it after finishing The Chronicles of Narnia because it was on the shelf. I didn't "get" it, but I read again in high school and for a college course. It just gets better with time!

I life in Missouri, and we need to keep track of total hours as well as number of hours for core subjects. It appears that Scholaric allows you to set multiple "goals"--but as I've been playing around with it, I can't seem to get it to differentiate between core and other kinds of subjects. I've set up both core and other subjects (art, PE) in the lesson planning category, but I am unable to list ONLY core subjects in my "core" goal section. Any experienced users that can help?

My DD is showing interest in learning cursive. Her handwriting is very nice (when she wants it to be...) Is there a suggested grade or age or stage of development that is recommended for learning cursive? How do I know when she's "ready"? And is it the latest edition (6th) of WRTR that has the lovely cursive instruction. I have the 5th, and I don't think it goes into cursive at all (I could be wrong because I am depending on my memory here...)

Ooh, good idea! I don't want to "miss" something, but I feel so much angst about science because it is the very last things we ever do. It would be freeing to just "read through" the textbook and not worry about retaining every little thing. (I know my girls remember things from Wild Kratz and The Cat in the Hat Know A Lot About That!) :) Another good idea. Need to invest in those, instead of worrying about the shiny science curriculum that I never crack open! WHEW! I can't tell you how much of a relief that is! Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way...:lol:

Really? Can we just do that? For second grade and K4? What if we don't narrate and only occasionally do an experiment/demonstration??? Will the science police come get us? :) But, seriously, will they?

We are using RS, and I plan to continue with that for second grade. We used Singapore, a little, for first grade, but since RS doesn't introduce subtraction until the very end of the book, I really didn't want to get out of sync with RS. We did about half of 1A. I think we will do the rest of 1A and 1B for summer math. I have a really hard time juggling all the books for SM. It's just a personality thing. I'd really like to just use the workbook and CWP for 2A and 2B to supplement RS level C. Can I do that, or am I going to be really missing out if I don't get the HIG?

There are several apps with that name; could you be more specific? Flashcards+ FlashCards++ Flashcards* FlashCards Flashcards[+] Flash-Cards etc :) Thanks!

EZMath...you don't pick what they review, but it is FREE! :)

I'll admit it...I'm clueless...what do you mean?

:iagree:especially with the second paragraph. I printed off the 52 free Sam books for my second DD. She is 4, and she is reading at a K level thanks to those books. They are phonics based and provide that "I read a book!" satisfaction. You can find them at http://readinglessons.com/. You just have to register with your email address, and you can print out as many books as you'd like :)

It's cool to just read the condensed version in SOTW; it covers the basic storyline...

So...I shouldn't be worried that ky first grader doesn't have the facts down cold yet? I still want her to figure them out? It seems agonizing sometimes to have her come up with the answer for 7+6. She knows the facts to make ten cold, but she is still having trouble transferring that knowledge to some problems, such as the one above. So I shouldn't drill facts yet, but instead focus on building the knowledge and understanding? Ok, sigh. Maybe of relief, maybe of realizing I have a lot of work a head of me :)

Thank you forever! Do you have a blog where we can follow your progress or another way to receive updates?

Just to update anyone all of you kind souls who gave great advice... We have kept going with school, but I am trying to relax a bit more, trying to read aloud more (challenge Charlotte Mason), do things she likes to do...it has helped a lot, and it has helped me to re-evaluate what I want our 'school' to look like. I don't want it to be "school at home." I want us to enjoy each other and learn from each other. Thank you, thank you for lending your experience and all the virtual hugs!

Thanks for the replies. I never thought much about lit analysis with elementary kids until I read Deconstructing Penguins. I think it would be fun to analyze some picture books, just to help my girls see that there are reasons for writing literature. Some people my think you are beating a book to death, but I always like digging deeper into a book to help me appreciate it more. If anyone else has used it with elementary-aged kids, I appreciate the feedback! :)

specifically WHY I might want to use it with my children--eldest in first grade currently. What do you use? What do you need to purchase to make it worth-while?

Can I ask two questions, mommymilkies? We use RS math as our main program, but I do like to supplement with Singapore. I found that I couldn't stand using the textbook and workbook and HIG...can I just use the workbook and CWP book? Will I miss anything if I don't use the others? :) Also, I just discovered the Teaching the Classics website. Have you used it already? Any advice on how to use/what to buy? Thanks for any insight you can give!!

By complete language course, do you mean a complete language arts course: spelling, grammar, writing, literature? If that is what you mean, then no, it is not complete in that sense. WWE helps build skills in writing. For an 8th grader, you might want to check out the new Writing With Skill (WWS) program that Susan Wise Bauer is writing--it builds on the skills learned in WWE. I know there are several levels of WWE, and I am using level one with my first grader. You can look at samples of both WWE and WWS on the Peace Hill Press website.

I don't have boys, but my eldest found OPGTR to be unbelievably boring...and I have to agree! It is so great that it is all-in-one...but I guess we just needed some more "frills." :) I am using the I See Sam books with my four-year-old, and she LOVES them! You can teach them that "ee" says the long sound of "e," and they are able to read through a book! We like them much better than the Bob books. The Sam books are very systematic in approach, and they are based on phonics as well. You can download and print the first 52 books for free from http://www.readinglessons.com/. You can sign up for free. We did not use the phonics lessons, just read the books, but the website is very nice and systematic as well. My six-year-old still isn't reading as much as I would like her to, but her ability has come a long way in the last year. It is hard to be patient when you want them to read SO badly, but I think five-year-old boys are probably best served by a good dose of tree climbing and mud splashing :) Hang in there, momma!

:bigear: I taught high school English is the ps in my former life, so I think *I* know how to analyze literature. But as for leading a discussion with my six-year-old, that is another proposition altogether!

Math: RightStart C with MEP and Singapore to supplement LA: Phonics Road 2--our main component, others to supplement: WWE 2 Easy Grammar 2 various read alouds based on history and CM lists :) History: SOTW 1 and Artistic Pursuits Science: still deciding Latin: School Song Latin or I Speak Latin Classical Conversations, PE at the Y Feels like I am overlooking something... At least I have some time to figure it out!

Glad to know I am not alone, and my DD isn't the only one who acts this way. Misery loves company, right? Today we took a little break from the usual and just read most of the morning and did a little LA and math games. It was very peaceful, pleasant, and relaxed. I think I needed a little perspective and to relax a little bit. I know we will struggle with this, probably for a long time, but I want to enjoy the time we have together. Thank you SO much for the encouragement!!!