Thank you so much for the fantastic suggestions! ByGrace3, I cannot believe I forgot to look at the Sonlight readers and read alouds. I really appreciate that reminder!

Hi all! I would LOVE to see your recommendations for fun/interesting chapter books my eight year old son might enjoy reading while studying American history this year. **Bonus points for anyone with Virginia history chapter book suggestions** :001_smile: So far my list is the following: Ben and Me, The Matchlock Gun, and Cinnabar the One O'Clock Fox. I am feeling overwhelmed with the vast selection of books and thought my hive friends could point me to some gems. ^_^ Thanks!!! ~Carrie

How fantastic! I am definitely putting this at the top of my Christmas wish list. Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions and ideas. I feel so much better equipped to introduce Sudoku in ways each of my kids will best understand. Yay!!!

THANK YOU for this link! I used to print off krazydad mazes for my kids all the time, but this summer my laptop died and I lost all my favorite bookmarks (I can never remember the addresses on my own :) ). These puzzles are just the type I was hoping to find to start my older two with getting how Sudoku-type puzzles works. Thank you!!!!!

Thank you for the suggestions! The jigasawdoku one especially looks like a good start for my kids. I feel like I need to clarify my wording in my first post - I am just looking for assistance in introducing Sudoku to my kids so they understand how the puzzle works and can complete it on their own, at their own levels. That is what I meant by "complete Sudoku Puzzles." I am not looking for ways to teach them short cuts. :001_smile: I'm hoping to add Sudoku puzzles to activities they can do when I need to do school one-on-one with another. Thanks again!!!

Hello! I've been searching, with no success, for a good website to assist me in teaching my kids how to complete Sudoku puzzles. As you can see from my signature, my kids are early elementary ages, so a site that has easy puzzles that graduate into harder ones would be a great fit. So far, I have mostly come across sites with one level puzzles. Anyone have any suggestions? Or experience introducing Sudoku at these ages? Thanks!!!

Hello! You can see in my signature most of the programs my second grader is using. He also uses an MCP Phonics book & HWT. We are using All About Spelling . . when I remember to use it, slacker mom that I am. ;-) I also wanted to throw in that we started using Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett over the summer. It was my attempt at having fun but keeping "school" going without my kids realizing it. :-) Anyway, my second grader in particular has enjoyed the ones we have used. I am working on a plan to incorporate more unit studies into our science time.

Sent you a PM!

Thanks for sharing! We are having fun with this

I am so sorry but very glad you and your family are safe! I am sending you a PM with some books I'd be happy to pass along if you could use them. ~Carrie

Hi Laura, I sent you a PM. My 8 year old loves the same things! :001_smile: ~Carrie

Cool! I will definitely have to check them out when a first edition copy is free at my library. I SO understand what you said about needing them for confidence. I know that experience/time will help me build my confidence but great resources can boost it, too! Thanks for sharing!

I'm so curious about these schedules! How are they different than what is listed in the chapters on schedules in the second and third editions? Of course, both copies of the first edition are presently checked out at my library. :)

I really needed this thread today! It is a wonderful reminder that right now my job (via WWE & FLL) is laying the foundation for my kids to really learn how to write and, hopefully, write well. Sometimes I get too caught up in comparisons. I'll see school work posted on my friends' refrigerators and start worrying that I'm not doing enough with my kids. Thank you momsuz123 for posting your question and to all those who answered!

Both my six year old son & my almost-5 year old daughter greatly enjoy playing the Crayola Treasures Adventures DS game. They also enjoy Mario Karts. And I enjoy that these are games they don't need me to set up or help them play!

I cannot believe we do not have that book! But I'm also glad so now I can gift it to my bug catcher! :001_smile: Thanks!

How cool is this?! Thanks for sharing.

This made me truly laugh out loud! Parenting/homeschooling is quite the adventure! Dirt and all! :)

All great ideas - thank you SO much! I appreciate your suggestions and look forward to using them over Christmas and birthday gifts! Yay!

Hello friends! I am trying to find some neat (okay, yes, maybe educational-ish) gifts to support the interests of my boys. My six year old is all about bugs. And my eight year old has been adding to his rock collection for several years now. Of course, we have tons of books on each subject. :) I was wondering if anyone else had kids with similar interests and could suggest ideas or activities I could turn into gifts. I'm not feeling very creative with my gift ideas so I need some help! Thanks!

We've been referring to this list (for SOTW 1): http://www.welltrainedmind.com/historical-movies-and-documentaries-to-supplement-the-story-of-the-world-volume-one/ Granted this does not cover all of history. The redshift.com link looks like it does. I look forward to using it!

Hi Marcy, I just read your post and wanted you to know that I will keep you & your family in my prayers. It takes a lot of courage to reach out and ask for help, so I wanted you to know that someone heard you & cares. I'm sorry for your pain. Big hugs to you!!!! ~Carrie

That is so funny to me. Probably not so much for you at the time, but it gave me a much needed laugh this morning! Thank you for sharing! JenniferB, this year I am (finally!) finding that resolve and its been quite freeing for me, but I am still getting used to it. I have this lovely tendency to stress out so when our school time would stretch into the late afternoon I would, well, stress out. ;) For me having the mindset that homeschooling IS my full-time job has really helped me. I now expect our school day to be a full day - sounds kind of simple but it made a big change for me (who thought we'd have our afternoons free to frolic & be like homeschoolers in a glossy magazine ad). :) We do take plenty of breaks during our school day - their ages kind of dictate that. Now if only this resolve carried over into house stuff and helped me tackle the laundry piles . . .

I did not see an option to purchase the letter board separately on the Peace Hill Press site. I searched and found one on amazon.com (I also already owned the OPGTR). I believe it's called "fun with letters magnets" or something along those lines. I've found an extra magnet board for letter storage unnecessary. I store the letters in labeled sandwich bags ("capital vowels", "lowercase vowels", etc). I also chose to make my flashcards using index cards and permanent markers. But I think the flash cards are reasonably priced. So, we do use the "extras!" :) With my oldest I did not use the letter board every time it was suggested. He liked creating the words and I'm glad it was available for reinforcing what he was learning. My younger two often request to use the letters & board with their reading lessons - especially since they watched their brother use it.

Just thought I'd share my two cents. :) After reading all these great replies to your questions, I realize there are so many ways I can utilize and incorporate my iPad into our homeschooling. It's exciting! Presently I use my iPad to keep one or more of my kids occupied when I need one-on-one instruction time with another. My rule is that it has to be an educational app or show. My kids love Rocket Math and Dinosaur Chess. My younger two also enjoy abc phonics. I try to set them up with something that will reinforce what they are working on that week. I make use of the Netflix app (since we subscribe to the instant streaming) so they can watch a nature or animal show - esp if my one-on-one time needs to run longer. I do not just use the iPad for keeping the kiddos occupied though. I use it with my read alouds for history, science, and art & music. It is fantastic to have quick access to real photos of Ancient Egyptian art or the solar system, how to properly pronounce names and places in The Odyssey, or explore & listen to classical music sections. I am looking forward to loading my PDFs to my iPad and trying out how the stylus works. Thanks for posting your question. I've learned much from all the responses! :)