I will be going to the library this evening to pick up a copy of Time Cat because my dd10 fell in love with the story from her excerpt on Monday. I can't say my dds' love WWE but we seem to always have to finish the story. :) Amy

The opthamologist called me back a little while ago and I now have an appointment for next Wednesday. I wouldn't be surprised if she was far sighted, as I am and my mother also, but like I said her previous exam her eyes were 20/20 with a slight astigmatism...nothing that warranted glasses. Thanks

The last couple of days when my 7 year old has looked up from reading or writing I have noticed that one of her eyes is tracking in, alot. Prior to this I had made a comment to DH that she seemed to be blinking a lot when she was reading and was taking her in for an eye exam this spring. Of course, now I am waiting for the office to call me back to try for a quicker appointment. We've done yearly doctor visits and had her eyes examined when she was 5, nothing has even showed up. I have never noticed this before. Is this something that can just suddenly show up? Should I limit the amount of reading and writing until we see the doctor? I should add that over the last two months she has also begun complaining about her work being too hard or long, which is unusual for her. Thanks Amy

This year I am basically doing two threads of history, US History to Civil War and SOTW 3. I am using The Story of the USA Vol 1 & 2 from EPS as a supplement. DD10 likes workbooks, so it is just an extra thing. Some weeks we focus on US History and some weeks are focus is on World History, but I have managed to line up the two threads fairly well. I have a page on my blog where I lined up our history for this semester - US/World History. I'll probably us vol. 3 & 4 next year just because they are working for us. Amy

Bump...:)

I have been reading & re-reading WTM (both my 1999 ed. and 2009 ed.), and I have listened to SWB's lectures on writing for elementary and middle levels. It has been very helpful in clarifying our goals for the next few years, but I would like some help making sure I pick the best material for my daughter. My situation is this: I started off with a WTM focus when my oldest was 5, but when she hit a brick wall with phonics & reading I kind of faltered around in different hs approaches only to come back to WTM this year for her 4th grade. We really like WTM and I see how well it works and I want to stay as true to it as possible. Dd10 struggles with reading and phonetic blending. She loves books & stories, but finds reading tiring. She is currently going through Elizabeth B.'s online phonics lessons and seems to be getting quite a bit out of it. As it is she is reading at a 4th grade level and every month is making progress in speed & fluency. While she struggles with reading, she is really perceptive and is cognitively working at a "Logic" level in her content areas. She also learns new material easily, especially with a direct teaching approach. I would like to start focusing on writing, another struggle of hers. This year we are working through WWE3, but it is not easy for her. As soon as I am able I want to purchase "The Complete Writer" and make up my own assignments. We've floundered around in grammar. She knows basic parts of speech and how to write a sentence, but not much beyond that. For 5th grade, if I want to follow SWB as closely as possible, does this look okay? I would like to get her ready for beginning logic-level writing in 6th grade. CLE Level 300 (Grammar & Spelling) WWE 3/4 (Complete Writer instead of workbook) Elson Reader Books 4/5 (she enjoys reading from these for read alouds) Reading selections from SOTW 4 Writing/Narration suggestions from WTM following history & science She will also be finishing her history and science rotation this coming year so it kind of makes since to keep her at grammar level for an extra year. In other suggestions, ideas. Am I coming at this from the wrong way? TIA Amy

At home I would do whatever you feel is best for your child. On paper I would keep her at whatever grade she would be in public school. Later, if you decide to enroll her in school you can make the determination where to place her. My children have always gone through lags and leaps in both emotional maturity and academic growth. Dd 7 has a September birthday, but she would be in 2nd grade in ps. After a not so good 1st grade year (she really just wasn't ready) I decided to restart 1st grade this fall with her. My reasoning was thus: We are 'expecting' to enroll them in high school in 9th grade, which means she would enter as a 13 year old. I've decided she will not start high school until she is almost 15 anyway...so it gives me a whole extra year homeschool. Anyway, she flew through the 1st grade material this fall and by Christmas was solidly and comfortably working at 2nd grade level. We've had a great year this year because she was more ready for the expectations. As far as outside activities that are grade-based we've kept her with her peers and she has done fine in those activities. Amy

With my first grader I am generally near her when she does her math, just because she sometimes needs the encouragement, but I'm not having to teach her for a long period of time either. Like dd10, we'll go over the new material and do several problem sets until I am sure she understands. Then, I can sit with her and help if she is stumped, but also be working with dd10 or dd5 at the table. I really like how MM is presented with every step of math laid out. Both my daughters have not only enjoyed and learned more in math this year, but are understanding why the math works. Amy

I was wondering if anyone has taught OPGTR as a group to their children? I 'found' my copy when I was cleaning out a cabinet this weekend (I really thought I had sold it after my oldest hated it when she was 6). My girls can read at grade level, but the older two need some phonics remediation. I talked it over with my oldest and she is okay with 'helping' dd5 learn to read by participating in a phonics class (big deal because she HATES when we work on phonics one-on-one). I have a white board and am copying the reading portions out so that everyone has a copy at the table. Anyone else used OPGTR to group of different ages and abilities? Any suggestions? Amy

I'm using Math Mammoth with my 1st & 4th graders. My older daughter loves it because there isn't a lot of me teaching to her. The examples at the beginning of each section are very explanatory and it moves into multi-step calculations slowly through the lesson. Most days we go through the example together and then I pick one or two other problems that we do together and then she finishes the lesson on her own. Other days she will pull out her math lesson and just do it alone. Then we go over it together after she has finished. If she seems to be stuck somewhere we will stop and spend sometime working together until she 'gets' it. I do not spend a lot of time 'teaching' math. Amy

I'm a product of the NC school system, and I can say what one studied really depended on the teacher one has. I did not get 20th Century History (World or US) until college when I took it as an elective. The furthest I ever went in history was my NC History class in 8th grade - and we got through the Civil Rights movement. I think 20th Century history is important and relevant, as is parts of US History prior to 1877. But, I don't think US History HAS to be studied separate from the World from 1877-Present Day. Now that so many high schools here are on the block schedule with 4 classes/semester they could easily add in an extra history requirement. Break World History into two classes, and cover the US in its relations to the world. Also, I think a lot of time spent studying US History is spent on interesting, but largely irrelevant topics. Spending six weeks studying all of the battles of either the Revolutionary War or the Civil War is not necessary. Why we went to war and the results are much more relevant and take only a few weeks to study. Just my thoughts as I will probably having children affected by this in a few years and my goal is to try to give them the history I would have liked them to have before then. Amy

I just wanted to give an update on my planning. I thank you all for your suggestions and ideas. I've spent the last couple of days thinking through everything, re-reading some of TWTM and talking to my mother (our educational consultant). I've decided to keep the two older girls together for history next year, but my 2nd grader is going to focus on the US History through biographies & the "If you..." type of books. We will also do a separate Literature study that is just DD7's. My mother (a retired ps librarian with a love of children's books) has already sent my about seven pages of book recommendations for the two girls. The K'er is still going to do her World Cultures and Folk Tales. I've just found this to be such a good stepping stone to studying history and geography later. The next year we will all be back on the Ancients together. And, we are are all going to study physics next year. Going back through TWTM I saw that it recommended a book, Physics Experiments for Children, that I had bought several years ago on a whim for extra "fun" science for us. I spent today reviewing it and think that it will work well for all three. I've got some ideas for making sure the girls make their studies 'their' own and separate. Now, just to work on making it work. ;) Thanks again!! Amy

<Why not do SOTW 4 with all of them? Then your older one could do the historical reading to enhance it. > This is where I struggle. Dd 7 is supposed to be doing Early Modern/American History with Dd 10 this year. But, there is no retention going on unless I absolutely work with her separately. Which, is fine... I have a box of DD10 history books and a box with dd7's books. When we do history though, I find that dd10 and I get caught up in discussions, which end up totally over dd7's head. Also, I am working with dd10 to build up her comprehension/writing skills. So, I'm left feeling like dd7 gets the short-end of the stick. It isn't just the knowledge, but the time with me. If I do something totally different than the other two, she will be assured of at least some focused time from me. And it won't feel like just a tag on (my feelings, not hers). My original plan was to wait until Dd10 was in 6th grade and restart the rotation all over again with everyone ( Logic-level Ancients w/ 6th & grammar level with a 3rd grader & 1st grader). But, what do I do with dd7 next year? I don't know many resources to teach Modern History to a 2nd grader. I don't like RS4K Pre-Level Chemistry (I tried it a couple of years ago) but will think about having dd7 do Elemental Chemistry also.

Here is a link to my blog where I talk about the World Culture study for my K'er. It is a combo of things I did with the other two in K/1st grade. Just trying to organize it a bit to make it easier for me. Still working on all the pieces...I use google a lot to find worksheets and coloring pages. Also Enchanted Learning has a lot of pages I can use for this age. It is pretty basic: a story each day, a coloring sheet (because they like those) and finding out where the country or countries are on the world map. Chinese New Year is on Feb. 15th and the girls are already asking when we can start making the lanterns and dragon puppets. It really is easy & fun...we read, she colors and every now and then we do something really messy. I don't have much goal for this study other than that. :D Amy

I've added my plan of the days I would do certain subjects, because I think everyone thought I was going to do all of this every day. I like to schedule and plan, but don't have to get everything done in tidy periods. We 'school' 24/7 I say, because sometimes it just makes sense for us to do history at 7:30pm or a science lab on Saturday. The 10yr old requires some guiding from me, especially was we are working on writing assignments, but otherwise prefers to be independent - so we have check in sessions for each lesson and then she just sits in the same room in case she has questions. But, do you think FLL and WWE for the 2nd grader is too much? I've never done both at the same time. FLL never seemed to take that much time for the older one (although we did skip some exercises). I was going back to FLL with the oldest because we had been doing ILL and it takes so much direct instruction and hand holding, and dd10 needs more directly grammar work. I really do appreciate everyone's responses...I'm trying to see if this will at all work. Amy

I guess, I would like to know what might be the too much? Is it just having the two history rotations, or the list of other curriculum?

Thanks for the replies. I'm not creating a new curriculum for dd5, all of the things I am doing with her is a repeat of what I have done with the other girls. Actually, it is my 1st grade list, but she has driven me batty this year wanting more than 'pre-school' so I am doing 1st grade with her at a slow 2-year pace. I would love to have two of the girls work together, but having tried it in different ways this year, it just doesn't work. I'm burned out on trying to make one thing fit two different ages & learning styles. Not to mention the ongoing competition between the 3 girls. I've started working on developing a schedule that rotates the girls through working with me, working independently, and break time. Hopefully it takes and we all improve on the interrupting aspect. I know it seems like a lot, but I've already been through trying to combine dd7 into SOTW 3 with dd10 and that was almost like having to balance two different curriculums since there is such a difference in interest and abilities. I've looked at Sonlight, but i'm kind of ehhh on it. They do love SOTW and the WTM method. I would like to stick with it if possible. If I don't do it this way, I'm not sure what I should do with the 3 of them next year. Amy

I'm looking for some feedback regarding my planning for next year. I have found that my girls just do not work well together (personality and retention reasons). I really think that they will do better with their own separate studies for everything. So, I am planning next year that each girl will start their own history/science rotation. Does this look like too much for one mom to try to do? I do plan on buying materials this Spring and spending the summer scheduling everything out. Dd10 (Grade 5) ~ SOTW 4 ~ The Story of the USA 3&4 ~ History-based literature reading ~ Elemental Chemistry ~ Math Mammoth 5 ~ Finish WWE 3, begin WWE 4 ~ FLL 3 ~ Vocabulary from Classical Roots 4 ~ Elementary Spanish ??? Dd7 (Grade 2) ~ SOTW 1 ~ Elemental Biology ~ Math Mammoth 2 ~ Finish WWE 1, begin WWE 2 ~ FLL 1 ~ Phonics ~ AO Literature List Dd5 (K5) ~ World Culture study (self-created, used with other 2 for K) ~ General Science activities ~ Handwriting Without Tears ~ Phonics ~ Sight Word Cards ~ Readers for reading practice ~ MEP Math Level 1, when complete Math Mammoth 1 And, of course there is DS3 who will also have some preschool activities to entertain him. I know that some on here do have different rotations going at the same time. Are there in issues I need to think about? TIA for any feedback. Amy

We took our then 9, 7 and 4 yr olds to Jamestown/Williamsburg this past fall. We did the trip in two days. Everybody loved Jamestown. We visited the original settlement (National Park) where there is an active archeological dig and archeological museum. Stopped by the glassblowers, which is a don't miss. Then visited the Virginia State museum that has a wonderful interactive indoor museum and recreated villages (Native American and Jamestown), along with three ships to walk through. Everything is hands-on and touchable. My children still talk about the things they saw and did there. Colonial Williamsburg was okay. More walking, talking and less experiencing. The oldest was the only one who got much out of that visit. The Governor Palace tour was good (we had a very humorous docent). Before we headed home we drove out to the Yorktown site (20 minutes) and visited the Virginia State museum there. Set-up much like Jamestown, this was very interesting and hands-on. It covered pre-Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, and post-war farming in Virginia. Pictures from our trip are here: Williamsburg Part I Williamsburg Part II Williamsburg Part III Amy

I have and are using the light blue series for grades 1, 2 and 4 and most lessons (not all) have a page of word problems to do. Grade 1 did a really good job of explaining how to work word problems and the words to focus on. Amy

A short, easy to read book is "George the Drummer Boy" by Nathaniel Benchly. I also have read "The Reb and the Redcoats" by Constance Savery which is set in England and involves a family 'keeping' a rebel soldier. Amy

I've homeschooled in the Raleigh, NC area for the last six years and have not had any problems. Homeschooling is generally accepted as an educational choice and there is also a large number of ps students in year-round schools. So, there are always children out and about during school hours for one reason or another. It means a lot of daytime activities are offered. In 2008-2009 there were nearly 3,800 homeschools operating in Wake county alone. The Dept. of Non-Public Education (NCDNPE) has a website with all the information about setting up a homeschool in NC. My children have participated in gymnastics, piano lessons, choir and science classes set-up for homeschoolers. I know that there are a multitude of other choices available. The past couple of years we have taken advantage of our local rec center for classes. Dd10 and dd7 will be taking a meteorology class there for the next three weeks. NC Wildlife offers free wildlife classes throughout the year during early afternoons. In Western Wake County, there are a number of inclusive homeschool groups and co-ops that families from Raleigh join. The library system is large and I have found it to be very homeschooler friendly. In the past they have lent space for classes and book groups to meet. A large shelf space is devoted to homeschool materials. But, they do not have DVD loans, yet. :( Raleigh also has a homeschool bookstore that buys & sells used curriculum. It is nice to be able to go to in order to look though material before I buy. Raleigh is in the middle of the state and is surrounded by many museums. The NC Zoo is only 1 hour away and one of the three aquariums is a two hour drive to the east. There just always seems to be something to do around here. Amy

I am a long time lurker who was gained an invaluable amount of information from these boards over the last 5 years. I am trying to work out my road map going forward for the next few years and was hoping I might get some suggestions. I have four children; dd10, dd7, dd5 and ds 3. All of them have very different personalities and learning styles. My first few years I spent trying out different methods and styles, knowing that by mid-elementary we would move into a classical approach. And, what has worked best for us was a gentle CM style through 2nd, followed by adding in more Classical. I am very happy with my plan for the 10yr old. She is currently doing SOTW 3 and a parallel US History thread, which we will continue next year for SOTW 4. Then we will restart the cycle using HO Level 2. But, dd7 does not sit in on our world history portion. She has been following along some in the US History portion, but mostly with her own books that I read separately. I don't think this is going to work so well as we move into SOTW 4...she just is not ready for the big jump into Modern History. And, my 5 year old, who is probably my most motivated, academic child, is begging for more history and science. I think unit studies would work here, but the idea of adding one more education approach to schedule and plan makes me exhausted. I also thought of going ahead and starting SOTW 1 with the two younger girls next year instead of waiting another year to restart ancients with everyone. Each of the girls learns so differently (and are so competitive with each other) that I have found that working with them one-on-one has been the best way, but that is with us all studying the same general topics. Any suggestions? amy