I know this isn't easy and might not be met with a lot of woohoos from others, but one way that has helped is spending less time here. Come when you NEED a review of something or are looking for advice on something but try not to just browse. I was driving myself crazy looking at it all, so I quit and just started using what I had already. If that isnt working for a subject I will come back to the drawing board at that time. Try what you already have and see if you Need to switch. Kinda a don't fix what isn't broke mentality I guess. HTH. Just my 2 cents

My husband is working road construction in the area for a month and we are staying with him at a local campground. I was wondering if anyone could reccomend some activities to meet other families with Kids and a good church for while we are here. We come from a baptist church but would check out almost anything. TIA for any info you can give.

I realized last week that a lapbook per book wasnt realistic. We just did our second one and whew for a 3 and 4 year old it was a lot of work. Instead I think I will do one like every fifth book or something or maybe one lapbook for five books and just two activities per book. Thanks for all the ideas!! Tara

the submission thread in that we are defining date in a million different ways. I think we all realize that for a marriage to thrive we need time to talk to each other, make love and be alone as husband and wife. Wether or not thats at a restaurant or after the kids go to bed, at a movie theatre or at the kitchen table doesn't make much difference to me most of the time. And for those who say "why wouldn't you include your kids in ...." Its the same reason you don't invite your kids to participate in other areas of your "married" relationship if you kwim, some things are just intimate between you two and while I like the idea of eating out as a family on your anniversary for others, to ME it can be both, celebrate it as a family, but I want to also celebrate it intimately with my husband in a way that it is not appropriate to share with the children. And I feel like the "this was brought on by our culture thing" is only true to a certain extent, I think that healthy marriages throughout the ages have taken time aside in various ways that fit each family to discuss their marriage, the intimate secrets that a husband and wife share. The "date" idea as it is presented here may be new, but the purpose is really the same and to each their own how they accomplish the final important goal of husband and wife intimacy! It shouldn't be something to argue about!

I am not sure if you have only one child, but I started out printing both the lesson plans and the student pages and letting her use the student pages like a workbook. I started worrying about the cost so I put all the color pages in page protectors so I could use them over for my two younger girls. She like that she gets to use the dry erase markers, it makes it less like a workbook for her and I feel better about the cost with two more using it!

When you use multiple file folders how do you attatch them together? Can someone show me a link. We have so far used one file folder and added fold-ins with pieces of file folder because they are sturdy. Tara

This thread has been full of good ideas. Thanks everyone. I also have littles and have wondered how to add a little structure to the school process. I am planning to figure out how many lessons need to be done per week to finish by the start of the next year (schooling year round) and shoot for that. (3x per week to finish Horizon K before Oct. 1, 2011.) Right now I just plan day to day, but when we get our fiar stuff next week I will plan out the week on Sun eve. and I just write it right in my to do list, looks something like this: dishes, clean bathroom, school:100ez lessons and MEP, FIAR day 1, game, general clean-up .... then I just cross things off as I get them done. As the kids get older I am interested in Chechking out one of the tracking programs that adjust as you go, that is just awesome!:lol:

My kids are a little young, but my husband works road construction and we will be living in a camper all summer. Last year we stayed in a hotel and my oldest, now 4.5, did some light preschool work. She is doing all the basics now and I am excited to see how its going to work out for the summer. Because my husband is home all winter our life is a little different and we plan to school all year round with smaller breaks. I am interested to hear what others have done for storage and stuff.:bigear:

Thanks! I thought they would hold up for a year at least, but these are an odd design that is falling apart, the recommended ones look more like just a simple board. I love the idea of having the writing lines on them as my 4.5 year old does better with guides when writing numbers or letters. Its like she has to fill the whole space otherwise. :D Also love the cheaper idea too, I will have to check them out and decide. Thanks again!!

I just talked to a friend that scrapbooks a lot and she said they have a $30 tool box and Menards that a lot of her retreat friends turn into scrapbooking storage. She says its hard vinyl like material with a big enough drawer on the bottom for file folders to be used with some modification and lots of other drawers and a top that opens up. Gonna check it out next time i am in town! I will post pics if i get one for others.

I am having trouble oraganizing my supplies and books. My husband works road construction and we will be traveling with him and my everyday supplies need to come and go with me easily. i was thinking that a large scrapbooking tote might be helpful. Anyone done this or have one and think it would work??? any other ideas???

I bought two personal size white boards at walmart and the are getting really scratched up and one is breaking. We travel around a lot and they use them in the vehicle sometimes, but the surfaces are scratched just from writing and erasing. I was wondering if anyone had a good recommendation for better quality ones that weren't outrageously priced. Thanks

Nice that pretty much everyone agrees, makes it easy for me:tongue_smilie:

I am considering FIAR once more and I was wondering which one is more appropriate for a 3yo AND a 4.5 yo. TIA!

I just got my TM and 1st LU for CLE LTR in the mail so I am not an expert on how fast this goes or how well it works yet, but it looks like exactly what I wanted. I am currently using 100 EZ lessons and I am going to use CLE LTR to cement what she is learning in 100 EZ lessons and to introduce her to the CLE methodology and make sure she is ready to go into the 1st grade readers and LA when the time comes. I am probably going to go at a very relaxed pace because of the writing unless she wants otherwise. You sound like you are in about the same boat as I am, I am hoping this works to kind of fill the time between now and 1st grade and help cement her writing skills ???:confused: JUST FYI: I am not going to quit 100 EZ lessons as it is working for reading, I am using LTR for phonics reinforcement (it was either LTR or explode the code) and handwriting work

As my friend TracyP said, I have this problem with my DD4.5 also and almost posted a Q about it awhile back. What you said about her wanting to count real money and still write the answer in the book sounds about right to me. Usually if I have the patience:tongue_smilie: and the foresight to see this, I can avoid the fidgetiness by adding in a manipulative or flashcards or her favorite, the white board. She just isnt into the math workbook, or the 100 EZ lessons that day, so I need to remember to try to improvise. I also appreciate the ideas for adding in a little more time every day. A lot of times I just wing it and dont realize how long we have been just sitting in our seats doing workbook pages so she gets irritable for that reason too. I need a kitchen timer! Thanks for the tip!

I have a 4.5 year old daughter that is on lesson 35 of 100 ez lessons, I dont know what to do with her along with it and between now and 1st grade in 1.5 years.:D I have thought of Explode the Code with readers from Pathways or with just the BOB books. I plan on her going into CLE LA and CLE reading for 1st so I thought maybe I could use the LTR readers and thought about using the lightunits to help cement the concepts and give her handwriting practice, do you think this will be too boring or monotonous for her, or would it help give her a good foundation. I would use this for K. Also, would you recommend the flashcards or slider. I have two more to teach to read eventually and think that I will start them with the CLE LTR program to begin with, so the TM and readers will get reused. Thanks for your help. Also, do you have to do CLE LA 1 with LTR or would it work to use the LTR then the LA. If it should be done together, then will a 5 yo be able to do it??

Ok, so which do you prefer, cuisenaire or math u see blocks. Any suggestions for a brand of geoboard and tannagrams. And where do I find the counting bears???? Edited to add: Also which right start games would you reccommend???? Thanks, that is why I asked, I was wanting to just set up like stations or the ziploc bags with manips for them and thought it was a way to get started.

I am wondering what manipulatives you veterans have bought and love love loved and which ones barely got taken out of the packaging. I am asking especially for like Prek through 2nd grade. Anything that you would especially recommend that would be used throughout all these grades. I am looking for any subject, not just math. So like is there a set of phonics cards that you have worn out, etc.??? TIA for all your experience.

:bigear:

Thanks for all the information everyone. I dont think I will move her to Y1 yet as I want to stretch out what shes learning for K over the next two years, but maybe I will let her finish R this year (We plan to school jan through nov) and move into Y1 next year with Horizons K book 2. Thanks for the info! :D

I have been looking through the MEP website, I have printed off the first ten lessons of reception and plan to start using them as a supplement to Horizons tomorrow. My first question is has anyone used the reception year and have any tips or good suggestions?? Has anyone ever supplemented Horizons K with MEP? Are there any suggestions for manipulatives with this program and if there are where can a person get them? TIA for all your help!

I dont think it is necessary, but it is definately helpful. Somethings would definately be missing and I would definately buy it if I had to do it all over again.

My DD 4.5 is doing Horizons K now, and we are doing well so far. It is more than shapes and counting, but I think you could just add in extra practice and slow it down some if you are worried about it getting too difficult. This is what I plan to do if she gets stuck on something. And I dont usually make her do it if she doesnt want to. HTH Tara

My DD4.5 is doing Horizons K right now, she is on lesson 18 or so and doing pretty well. I would recommend starting with this as we really like it because its more than just learning shapes and to count like so many other K math curriculums. I plan to buy CLE 100s over the summer and start alternating the two in the fall. Horizons seems a little advanced, so I think this will help slow down both curriculums. Kinda just planning to use them together however it works out and then decide which I wanna continue with, Probably CLE.:tongue_smilie: