YAY!!! Congrats!!!! :)

Hahaha... LOVE it!!!

I used OPGTR and ETC last year with Rylee in K and am now using it with McKenzee Grace!

RSO looks GREAT!! I'm between that one and Real Science 4 kids. I forgot I don't have science figured out.

I have spent SO much time over the last month researching and planning and it's all coming together. Well, everything except ART... lol! And yes I'm stressing over it :tongue_smilie: I love the looks of atelier art but I need 2-3 different levels and it's just a lot of money. But... I need SOMETHING! I just want them to do some artist studies and I want them to start learning various art techniques. I am clueless when it comes to proper techniques. I can follow a book, I can read it to them... but I still have no clue. LOL! Which is why I think this program would be perfect. But... what if we don't like it and I've spent all that money :glare:

I have been wondering about this as well. My 6 year old REALLY wants to learn to play but I would like to start her at home, if possible. I read about the program that is mentioned in TWTM (The Violin Book that the pp linked to) but wasn't sure about it.

I would ask at the gym for their suggestion. For us I had decided to wait and start gymnastics at the age of 5. That is when I started Alexis. She flew through levels and started level 5 at 8 years old. We also started Austin when he was 5. He is still going and enjoys it and is pre-team tumbling. Before Rylee's 3rd birthday she was able to do decent cartwheels, round offs, handstands, back bend kickovers, etc...! I had no idea what to do with her so I went against what I had originally said and put her in a 3 year old gymnastics class. She was on the young side (a month from turning 3) when she started that class... but I did not want to do the mommy and me class and was not worried at all about her listening/following directions/behaving. Considering what she was capable of... she was BORED in the 3 year old class! LOL! They didn't do much. Kids ran all over and the instruction was mostly for them to learn how to act in a class setting (which was fine, Rylee did not need this instruction though). They moved her to the 4/5 year old class. Still, she was bored. She was capable of standing in line, listening and doing what she was told and very advanced skill wise for her age so at 3.5 she was moved to a pre-team class. At 4.5 she had all of her skills for level 4 team (including a round off back handspring) but considering her age she stayed in pre-team. At the age of 5.5 she was moved to team. However, our gym does not start competition until level 4 and USGA rule is you have to be 6 to compete. So she was on team but not able to compete. January 30th she turned 6 and that weekend she was able to participate in her first meet. She took first place. She's preparing for level 4 state and working level 5 and 6 skills at the gym. She is CRAZY about gymnastics. She lives and breathes it. Now, my McKenzee Grace is 3 and we just started her in class. I don't do the "mommy and me" type classes. Just not my thing. We can work on those types of thing at home together... haha. So she goes to a 'gymnastics class' (and I use that term very lightly) twice a week. She loves it. And I love that she is learning to listen to someone other than me and dh, she can follow directions and participate in a group setting. But that's basically what she is getting out of that class! However, if I wasn't already there 6 days/week she wouldn't go. Skill wise... you will not miss out on anything by not sending them before the age of 5 or so.

My kids are involved in a lot. It's how we work best ;) My husband works from 8am until 11pm Monday-Friday so it's just me and the kids. We do school work all day, we are out of the house around 3:30 to all the activities. If we did not homeschool there is NO way we could do all of this. It's just one of the many benefits of homeschooling for us :) Alexis ~ Level 5 Gymnastics Team, Novice Tumbling Team, Swimming Lessons, Horseback Riding Lessons Austin ~ Pre-Team Tumbling, Baseball (summer), Football (Fall), Soccer (Spring), Swimming Lessons Rylee ~ Level 4 Gymnastics Team, Sub Novice Tumbling Team, Swimming Lessons McKenzee Grace ~ Gymnastics Classes, Swimming, Tap & Jazz, Soccer (Fall), Preschool Connections (she participates in this one morning a week... they get together and do a craft, play some games, read some books, etc... it's just for two hours and the other kids and I sit in the cafeteria and work on their school work). I give Alexis, Austin and Rylee piano lessons. They do a variety of other things through an organization here. This is not stuff they do EVERY month. They each participate in one or two of these classes each month... what is offered changes from month to month though so we get the schedule and they pick a couple things they are interested in. Here are some of the things my kids have participated in... Art workshops (9+ learning to paint, use watercolors, etc ... under 9 they have monthly themes and do art projects around the theme and introduce various techniques... both classes get in some type of small artist study) Choir Breakdancing (!!! My kids LOVE this... haha); Jazz Cooking and etiquette classes (one class... in April) Beginning gardening (one class... in May) All about BUGS (one class... in May) Drama/Theater Golf lessons Rock climbing Young Elite Athlete Program

:iagree: LOVE this program!!!!

We are in the middle of our year... my kids are 3rd, 2nd, 1st and PreK. My days are .... interesting :tongue_smilie: I just keep reminding myself that even in all the craziness these are days I will never get back. I combined my older 3 for history/science. I felt like it was just to far of a stretch for my PreK child. I do something different with her. Other than that it just takes me a lot of time. But we make it. Our curriculum includes ETC, BTC, Singapore, MEP, LOF, FLL, GWG, WWE, WWW, LOTS of reading/comprehension, RSO, SOTW plus some other thrown in there. I have a schedule and we have to stick for it to make the day/weeks 'work' right. I have breaks scheduled in, snacks, reading times, I work with math with this one while you complete your language lesson and you study your spelling words, etc...! Lots of learning toys, art supplies and coloring pages, playdoh, sensory bins and manipulatives available to keep my little one busy. I also spent some time putting together file folder games and take it to your seat centers (Evan Moor) that I can hand one of the kids if they finish something sooner than I had planned. I have 'stations' set up too ... writing, ABC sort, audio books, math games, building spelling words, building with blocks, computer games, lego table, etc, etc... to send them too as they finish. Thankfully, all 4 LOVE listening to chapter books. I know my littlest is not fully grasping the story... but she does sit and listen. So when it's time to read we are all together for that. I read to her a couple times a day... but I also have scheduled times for the other kids to read to her. This helps them to continue to build fluency... and she is getting read to :) We do a 'circle time' a couple times a day. We are all together... we go over the calendar, read our bible story/lesson, work on our memory verse and books of the bible, read about our artists/composer/poet of the month, work on math skills (depending on the level this would include skip counting, counting money, clock work, math facts, etc...).... We do school work in the car like studying spelling words, going over math facts, etc... (every night of the week we drive 30 miles away for gymnastics/tumbling practices), there are times we do school work on the weekends (actually we do this a lot and it really helps with the weekly work). Fridays I do keep more simple. We do school work of a morning... afternoons are spent doing an art project, reading books, putting together a lapbook, playing games, etc...! I also schedule a library trip or other outing for Wednesday afternoon. One day a week my PreK'er does a little PreK Connections class. She has SO much fun with the other kids... they read a book or two, do a craft and play games... things like that. I cannot leave the building ... so the other kids and I head to the cafeteria and we get in anything that I needed to do 1 on 1 without a distraction (AKA McKenzee Grace). Or they can read quietly or whatever. We do not follow a typical 36 week year. There's just TO much going on for me to be able to do that. We school year round and break it up a little more so I don't feel like I'm going so incredibly crazy :001_huh: I can only fit so much in to each day. By doing this I have noticed that I am able to add in more games/hands on materials so my children are fully grasping concepts, which makes the whole process easier for me. Anyways.... somehow... it all gets done :D

Thank you SO much for that code... I saved $22.50!! I did end up going a little crazy... but I'm sure we will get lots of use out of everything I bought :) Thanks!!!!

Thanks! Last time I just bought a few to see what we thought of them... LOVE what I bought so now I've got a cart full :tongue_smilie:

3 hours/day, 5 days/week

5 hours 5 days/week.

1-3... Abeka; Math Mammoth; Evan Moor Resources (supplement/fun) For K we use living books, manipulatives, games...

I thought this would be fun :) Curriculum, manipulatives, science kits, games, magazines, online subscription, etc..... what is on your wish list for k-4th? I am getting a decent chunk of our refund to use on homeschooling... so I'm looking for ideas. :)

Oh I LOVE this!!! PERFECT! We do skip counting every morning during our circle time and this will be great! Thank you!!!

We start off together for our "morning circle" ... covering bible, a read aloud or poem, calendar/temperature, clock reading, skip counting, some other math games and phonics games. Then we start rotating... I start 1 on 1 with my oldest on language instruction for 20 minutes while my 7y/o and my 5y/o do their handwriting (once they are done I have stations set up they can go to), then I move to my 7y/o for phonics/language instruction while my 8y/o works on her language assignments and my 5y/o reads independently. Then I rotate again and I work 1 on 1 with my 5y/o doing math while my 8y/o finishes up her language assignments (including writing and spelling) and my 7y/o does his language/phonics assignments. After this we have a short break followed by a snack and read aloud. Then it's back to rotating... lol! At this point I really do have to do a lot of 1 on 1 with each of them. My 7 and 8 year old are both doing 3rd grade math though so that helps. I also have a 3y/o... I have scheduled a lot of 1 on 1 time with each... I am usually done early and work with her or set her up with a new coloring page, motor skill activity, educational dvd, a game, etc... I don't sit down from 7:30 am until we are done at 3... but it all gets done and that makes it worth it. It took me a few weeks of trying schedules to come up with one that really works for us... this past week was AMAZING! The schedule worked awesome and everyone was so happy.

My oldest is 8 and in 3rd grade and she does this too. It's like she doesn't know when to breathe while reading. She is constantly pausing between words in a sentence to catch her breath.

LOVE this! I have many "get your wiggles out" times planned throughout the day!! LOL!

Looks like we do a lot of the same things! Here's our circle time routine... MORNING CIRCLE TIME * Pledge * Prayer * Bible Story (or review/questions/discuss) * Books of the Bible Review & Song * Weekly Bible Verse Review * Calendar & Weather * Picture Book (THEME) * Singing * Skip Counting; Reading a clock * Special Sounds Review

My McKenzee Grace is 3 and *loves* her school time :) She watches her older siblings all having lots of fun while doing their school work so it only makes sense that she would want in on the fun! She can recogize all capital/small letters and knows the sound each letter makes. However, she is not ready to begin blending at this point. We are doing our own version of letter of the week. Each week we concentrate on a new letter.... review name/sound and try to hear beginning/ending sounds. We are using Evan Moor alphabet puppets and she LOVES them!!! I also print additional worksheets off from various websites for additional review. We play letter games, do a letter craft, have a letter of the week poem, color and read book, etc....! For math I am not using a curriculum... she is learning enough through play. We concentrate on number recognition (currently through 20), counting (through 50), playing with different items and being able to count out the correct amount, greater/less than, she loves pattern blocks, frogs, etc...! I have a list of goals and we just work towards those. I do occasionally print out a worksheet... circle the correct number, color this number.... Currently instead of handwriting she is just working on those fine motor skills. She is working through a pre handwriting book.... draw this line, this curve, etc...! She also loves the *I can* series.... for pasting, gluing, cutting, etc....! Each week she has a new theme.... I keep this simple. We read books, do a craft, sing some songs, motor skill activities, play a game, math activity..... anything to make it fun for her and easy for me to put together. The themes are always science/history related. Besides that it is LOTS of reading to her! My other kids are 8, 7 and 5.... they each read at least 1 book to her each day. She also loves playdoh, putting together puzzles, building with blocks, using stamps, stringing beads..... all that type of stuff can keep her busy for hours. We are also using some of the evan moor lit pockets.... she LOVES those!

Finally got my order through :) Spent $13! I am SO excited about these!!! * Lift-the-Flap Timelines: American History * Hands on History: American Revolution * Hands on History: Civil War * Hands on History: Pioneers * Hands on History: Colonial America * Hands on History: Explorers * Easy Make & Learn Projects: Colonial America * Easy Make & Learn Projects: Penguins * Easy Make & Learn Projects: Human Body * Follow-the-Directions Pocket Chart Activities * Learn the Alphabet Arts & Crafts * Mega-Fun Fractions * Math Skills Made Fun: Kaleidoscope Math * Instant Map Skills: World * Instant Map Skills: United States * Algebra Readiness Made Easy: Grade 1 * Algebra Readiness Made Easy: Grade 2 * Algebra Readiness Made Easy: Grade 3 * Pre-Writing Practice Pages * Fun To Solve Map Mysteries * Quick Practice Writing Skills: Grades 2-3 * Instant Habitat Dioramas * Funny Fairy Tale Math

Here's mine... not the most creative but it's not the best day here today... Wordless Wednesday: Sick Kids :(

This will be our 3rd year to do a K graduation :) We always invite family/friends. We have a little graduation cap/gown (from Oriental Trading a couple years ago) for the graduate to wear... I play music for them to 'march in' to. The kids all sing a song or two, we talk about a few things the kids did {we also have a display with some art projects, science/history projects, etc...) and they will read a story or something that they wrote. And I hand out a diploma to the K graduate and some other type of certificate to the other kids for their hard work. We also have some type of meal for everyone followed by cake. The kids LOVE it! Next year I won't have one graduating from K... so we'll just have an 'end of the year' party :)