I'm in Ohio and we're required to do 900 hours a year. We aren't required a certain number of days.

:iagree:

I agree with poster's suggesting a different cut of bathing suit. Boy shorts, skirt, or board shorts over. That's what I prefer and my 10 year old dd prefers to be covered too, not that she needs to worry over shaving or being teased for it yet. I'd offer to take her shopping for a new suit if you can afford it.

:lurk5: Watching because I'm interested in the answers. My schooling kids are older and I plan to use WWE and Simply Grammar next year with them, but when my youngest is of an age to start schooling I'm thinking of using PLL with her in the beginning.

I agree with the suggestion to start with Level 1 WWE workbook. The copywork will likely help with Spelling, but do you have a Spelling program picked out for him? I'd like to suggest AVKO Sequential Spelling. It teaches spelling rules by having the student spell words by word families. The lessons are short and sweet at 15-20 minutes. My kids actually enjoy it. You can view samples of it online at their website. I will warn you the author's conversation at the very beginning of the sample was a bit annoying to me, but I love his approach to teaching Spelling and the short, enjoyable lessons.

Step Into...the Roman Empire by Philip Steele. I like all of the Step Into...series by Philip Steele. Hands On Ancient People; Art Activities about Minoans, Mycenaeans, Trojans, Ancient Greeks, Etruscans, & Romans by Yvonne Y. Merrill I found both of these at my library. :)

No btdt here either, but I plan to supplement SM with Miquon and Kumon workbooks next year.

I answered option 2. It sounds like you have what you need and know what you want. :) If you buy Oak Meadow you'll likely feel pressure to use it, yk? What you have planned sounds wonderful. Our library has loads of books on crafts and nature and nature crafts, lol. Maybe you can see what is available at yours? Then you can feel free to be as flexible as you want. 6 is so young! I'd still be planning lots of off time and out and about time, definitely not 2-4 hours of structured learning. But that's just me, I tend to be student led to a point.

Yes we are blessed! Its so great to breath in life's little moments like this. :)

I'm always changing my mind, or as I like to see it exploring new possibilities!

I don't own The Well Trained Mind (yet!) so I can't flip through and read the age specific recommendations. I've checked it out from the library twice and read most of it. I like a lot of the ideas. So here's my opinion with that in mind. If you are talking 4-5 hours (especially all in a row or with only one break) of focused seat work for an active 6 year old boy, yes I think its too much. Is he writing? Is he reading? Here's what I would do. Writing With Ease Level 1- This should only take about 15-20 minutes a day and I'd probably do lessons 4-5 days a week. He'd be working on good listening skills and summarizing as well as handwriting. The handwriting is minimal. Most of the lesson is oral. There is some grammar to this as well. This is very gentle and short, but my children have been gaining a lot from it. Sequential Spelling Level 1- If he is already reading and writing I'd recommend starting Spelling. If he isn't I would wait. This Spelling program is also short and sweet. My kids enjoy it. The like to see the word family patterns and get to correct any mistakes themselves immediately which helps retention. I use a big white board and they each use a small whiteboard. Paper is fine too, mine just enjoy using the board and it saves paper. The lessons should take 15-20 minutes. I'd do this 3-5 times a week depending on how much he likes it. Math- It sounds like you've got something that is working for you so stick with it! If he isn't reading I'd consider doing The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. If he isn't writing I would still do the Writing With Ease. You could use the copywork to teach him. Or you could do something focused like Handwriting Without Tears. Honestly HWT didn't work for us, copywork did. Science- lots of nature study and books. My kids enjoyed the Let's Read and Find Out Series. I was able to check these out from the library. Each has several simple, related experiments. History- I wouldn't worry over this too much. If he's interested do a unit study approach to geography, study one country at a time. Or maybe read him Story of the World or listen to the audio cds. But only so much as is interesting for him. That and I would read to him as much as he'd like, involve him in chores and cooking, and take him out into the world, nature and everyday errands. Most six year olds have lots of questions. They learn a lot when we take the time to answer them, even if it means we have to research it ourselves. And I wouldn't necessarily do all that at once, but broken up throughout the day as it fit in. Between active play and normal life.

I agree with the previous poster. You can probably find loads of great Science books at your library and some with experiments. We have used two Science books that are similar to each other this year. Both have colorful pictures, short text explanations, and lots of experiments with household and easily found materials. The experiments are illustrated step by step and easy to do with good results. Aside from the linked books below I've also checked out books from the library about specific animals and habitats, etc., to correspond what we're reading about in History to flesh out the Science. I've also checked out some books on nutrition and the human body. My kids have enjoyed the Let's Read and Find Out series, but I'm not sure if this is 'too young' for your girl or not. My daughter is in 4th and still likes them. My library has a lot of them and each has a few related, simple experiments. The Way Science Works a DK book 101 Great Science Experiments by Neil Ardley These books are very similar with lots of the same, similar experiments. If buying I'd recommend one or the other. I found both at my library.

Well, I haven't been there done that, but I plan to start WWE 1 with my 8 year old son this coming school year. I borrowed the WWE text from my library and have been doing some of the Level 1 lessons as a trial. It has went very well and he actually enjoys it, gasp! I've decided to begin at the beginning and I am purchasing the WWE 1 workbook for him. I like the practice with dictation. The students are practicing orally skills that will help them become better writers. Forming complete sentences and summarizing passages by answering questions you ask them. I'd say, no you don't have to start with 1, and you could jump into 2 if you wanted. They might get more out of the program if you start at the beginning though. This thought is why I've decided to start with 1. Also with 1 you can choose less writing if you want. There are shorter and longer copywork sentences to choose between. Level 2 has either longer sentences or more than one sentence for each copywork lesson. If they aren't writing much it may be easier and more enjoyable for them to start with the shorter copywork sentences in Level 1. They'd still be gaining tons from it.

Very nice! Thanks for sharing :)