Between 3 and 3.5 hours, depending on the day and projects/ activities that we do. That also includes some read aloud time. If I counted crafts and all our read alouds, it would be much more than that.

Great idea! This morning I was just looking for resources for doing a unit on owls as part of our upcoming animal study. I'll definitely be purchasing that kit!

Me too! It WORKS!

EcclecticMum, thanks for sharing this (especially when you have a headache)! I'm in the process of creating a binder for the next year, and will probably use some of your ideas.

:iagree:This is absolutely the most important factor! My mil is trying to teach herself Chinese so she can use it when she visits us. Although she has memorized lots of vocab and grammar, her pronunciation is (to be honest) horrible and not-understandable. The tones are essential!!! They change the meaning of the word. And, there are also new sounds that you have to practice making before you can correctly say anything. Especially if you are going to be talking to a young child, you want correct pronunciation over a wide range of vocabulary. I notice that young kids here rarely understood me until my pronunciation had significantly improved. Her English will improve much more rapidly than your Mandarin, but I think it is wonderful that you want to learn it for her sake! I'm sure your efforts will be rewarded and help smooth her (and your) transition.

We use Saxon, but I would have guessed Singapore or MM would end up as favorites! These polls always make me second guess myself, but Saxon seems like the right choice for us. Don't be too influenced by what everyone else likes the best:001_smile:!

Audio Memory has a States and Capitals cd that we are using. The songs sing the name of the capital before the state, ie. Dover, Deleware. They are divided by regions (Eastern, Northern, Southern, borders and Middle). Then there are also songs teaching the geographical order of the states, going along the borders and in the middle again. We also do flashcards once in a while, but I agree that learning through a song is much less stressful and more engaging. Not that these are the most exciting songs in the world, but they work :001_smile:.

This year was a hybrid of K/ 1 and we used: FLL 1 SWO A Saxon 1 copywork Elemental History Astronomy Next year will be a mix of first and second grade work and plans are: R&S 2 for grammar SWO B,C HWOT cursive Saxon 2 copywork, dictation SOTW 1 Anatomy, then Earth Science

Let's Read and Find Out science books (I've been typing that a lot lately. :tongue_smilie: My dc just eat them up!) Thornten Burgess books like "The Adventures of Reddy Fox," "The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel" I second the Little House on the Prairie collection E.B. White's books Art books, like Usborne's Art Treasury, Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists... Writing With Ease (textbook)

I'm thinking about buying some of the Science Works eBooks to add to our science. My dc can't get enough of their literature pockets, so these might be a hit with us as well. My question is how do you store these? Do you just pop them into your science notebooks, or do you make something like a "pocket" book (like the lit/ history pockets)? I don't like having random papers/ things that don't fit neatly in our bookshelves:tongue_smilie:!

I would not be able to resist the temptation to go if there was a conference anywhere nearby (East Asia anyone :glare:?). BUT, if I did go I would probably spend $ that I shouldn't, and re-think my already over-thought curriculum plans, so it's probably for the best ;).

:iagree:Me, too! I was surprised to see these. Are they fun/ interesting?

My dc both like the Evan Moor Literature Pockets. We have done both the Nursery Rhymes and Fairytales ones. I get the copies made ahead of time, and let them work on their pockets for awhile each day. When they finish one, they choose another. It does take a little help in stapling, giving instructions, but it is mostly independent.

:iagree:Also, Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little, and the Misty of Chincoteague books.

I was totally excited in the beginning. I printed off a bunch of cute, colorful pages that I found on some blogs, laminated and attached velcro, and got started. My kids loved it... For about a month or so, then the excitement dwindled. We kept going for a few more months, but eventually I was sick of it. We do our meeting strip now with math (had previously skipped that part), and graph the weather there, too. Other than that, we are officially done with moving our velcro pieces and singing our Days of the Week song. Yay!

I agree with all the replies. They are two different skills and can be worked on separately at the same time. We use Spelling Workout with ETC, and it has never felt too repetitive to me.

I was an early reader, and am far-sighted. My dd was a very early reader and is also far-sighted. IMO, if there is any connection, it's worth it in my mind! I was never forced to learn reading, and neither was my dd. We both LOVE books, and at 6 she spends literally hours each day reading wonderful, quality books completely at her own choosing. I can't imagine trying to limit her to 20 min. a day to save her eyes! Not to sound harsh about it, but her mind and heart are more important to me and I'm thrilled with her passion for reading. I'm not trying to downplay bad eyesight. I would love for my dd not to have to wear glasses, but I'm not actually convinced that there is a direct correlation between the two issues. It seems very hereditary in my family (who are also all avid readers :tongue_smilie:)! Who knows?

Spelling Workout, but that is because dd is a natural speller and is accelerated in language arts. If she struggled more, I would use either How to Teach Spelling or AAS. I like AAS a lot, but it's too pricey and time- intensive for a kid who is already a good speller (IMO).

I'd say around 4 or 5. I'm sure they often understand the concept before they can use the vocabulary correctly. My ds 4 often gets yesterday confused with other days, but he definitely knows it already happened and it was recent.

I have chosen some read alouds from the SOTW AG, but the majority of our reading will not be tied to history. After ancients, that will change because there seem to be (IMO) more interesting choices for your kids in later years. I have stocked up on books that we want to make it through (such as those in WWE), and we'll just go at our own pace rather than follow a schedule. As a minimum, we read aloud one chapter each school day. Often, dc beg for more than that and we end up reading the book over the weekend, too. That just makes it too tricky to schedule, so we finish one and then start another.

You can just add phonics and handwriting and stop there for now if you want! We like The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and Explode the Code for phonics, and Handwriting Without Tears for beginning printing. I'd recommend reading aloud longer chapter books, like Charlotte's Web. You can also do some fun science experiments, from Science Play or Mudpies to Magnets. Let's Read and Find Out science books are awesome for K!

:iagree:We did their Intro program last year with a 5 and 3 yr. old, and it was a huge hit here.

I miss her! I LOVE her blog and use it all the time to see the curriculum reviews. So many creative ideas, too!

I made something like that in a MS word table. I have subjects listed across the top and grades down the left hand side. In each box, I have either the curriculum I plan to use or the topic of study. Some boxes are blank because we won't do that subject every single year (Latin, logic, typing). I'm sure it will change tons as I go along, but I like to have a visual of where we are going.

Books, books, books.... Coloring books, science kits, binders, art supplies, curriculum... Almost everything I have is from amazon!