The inspiration, oh my! I am percolating some ideas, but I can't wait to read everyone's plans and ideas.

We do if we have enough for sledding. I can say that because we don't generally gets mounds and mounds of snow. Typically, it snows, we enjoy, and then it melts within a day, maybe two. Our local schools have all been cancelled since Tuesday, but we have plugged away. They still got to go out and enjoy the small amount of winter weather we received, but we also completed our work. If we lived some place with significant snowfall or had a winter that was particularly harsh, I would make some amendments to our "policy", but in 8 years this has served me well. I also tell my kids, "They are making up those missed days, sometimes on the weekend. Are you interested in doing that?"

Generally, I don't let mine win, but my husband does when they are smaller. I figure it balances out. ;) I will sometimes forget one of the matches in matching, but really my littles one is almost as good at matching as I am. My new six year old does still have difficulties when he loses, but he has gotten better. I use phrases like, "Today was your/my day to win" (we seem to hit a winning streak some days where one person wins over and over), "We had fun, didn't we?" "It wouldn't be fun if one person always got to be the winner." I am very competitive, but have really toned that down since having kids. I try hard to model losing well. I try to keep games up beat. It helps that we have many games that my little one can play and have a good chance at winning. He is pretty good a Rat-A-Tat-Cat and often beats me. I was playing a game with a friend's child this summer and happened to win at Chutes and Ladders. The child promptly burst into tears. I went through my usual litany, but I felt really bad. We were playing a game a few weeks later and the child was helping me, when we lost she looked at me and said, "That's ok, right?" It is disappointing to lose, and I think it helps to acknowledge those feelings and dialogue our feelings both when we lose and win.

Yes, we have one. Yes, we love it. Our dining room had been our school room, and I am so glad we were able to do a little jiggling and a home project to free up the space for a dedicated room. When I see pictures (from many years ago, where did time go??) of our dining room in all its school glory, I shudder a bit...and I like school stuff! Our DR is the only place to eat, so it was a room trying to do too much. We were able to take an old bedroom on the first floor with a large closet and use it as our dedicated space. It is located right next to the downstairs bath and has a door that closes the space off from the rest of the house, but is still in the hub. It would never work for us to all work in there simultaneously, so my kids don't have individual desk spaces or anything. We have a large chalkboard and wall mounted pull down maps, a medium sized table for working 1-1 or small group things, a smaller kid sized table, book shelves with our science and history books and space for each kid's school materials. It has a sort of funky layout and I am probably not utilizing the space to the fullest, but it gets great sun and is a good place to learn. I can see a future when the kids are bigger that that space may not be necessary, but for this season it has been a gift.

This is a perfect description of my feelings on all things high school. I want to like this a hundred times!

Thank you!

So very tentative for 9th... Math: Geometry (online) English: Finishing WWS 2, Lit study, Vocab OR just hand it over to somebody else (maybe Blue Tent?) Hesitating on handing it over because spelling remains a huge challenge for this child, and we have seen some great progress over the last year and I don't want to it to become really overwhelming suddenly. This would be my last year of teaching English for this child, so I kind of want to spend it talking about our selected books and really focusing on the areas I know still need growth, but I have three other kids, so that may be a pipe dream... Science: Miller-Levine Bio w/ Kolbe syllabus, if they get the Macaw aligned one completed History: OM World Geography Spanish: La Clase Divertida (Anyone know if this is happening? I emailed, but haven't heard back) or we may do this locally. We have been working on Latin since 6th grade, and this child is eager to give Spanish a go! Health/PE: We will work on Health this summer and PE will be on going. I have a plan for PE where some different lessons are taken, a physical activity journal is kept, exposure to some different life long physical activities are given and participation on the club swimming team this summer. Elective: considering a semester of Art Appreciation and a semester of Creative Writing This child does not have a lot of extra curricular activities, although there is some volunteer work and theatre troop participation. We keep waiting for something to ignite, but it hasn't happened yet.

Ha! I just asked a question along this line over the weekend, as I am contemplating the history sequence right now. Actually, i am contemplating all things related to high school; it seems so big and huge! I am considering a year of World Geography using OM's syllabus, partly because I need something that is done for me, but also because I really feel like we need to focus on a couple of key areas in 9th grade. Realistically, I probably shouldn't make every class very full. That will not be a good fit for my particular student, so it seems like a year of World Geography might be a nice way to keep moving forward, but also give us some breathing space. But really, I don't know. I have spent way too much time on the computer researching and thinking about this. I think this post is actually useless. I will be sitting by reading others' thoughts and insight.

Thanks for your thoughts. I am already planning on going through Algebra I with him after class wraps up in May. We will work through the whole summer. I definitely want mastery. When we went into this year I felt he was right on the cusp of Algebra I. I felt another year of pre-algebra would not have been challenging enough for him, but Algebra would be a bit of challenge, but not too much. Maybe another year of pre-algebra would have been a better choice. Hindsight. Elizabeth, I like your idea of sitting in with him on class and will give that a go. He is doing well on the homework; it seems to be the quizzes and tests where he is scoring very average to slightly below average.

We are moving forward with the my son's desire to homeschool for high school. We have some other options I am looking at, but he is just going along for the ride on those. He strongly desires to be home, so I am starting to line up outside classes and the plan for 9th grade. Eeep! I don't really want to spend a lot of time perfectly lining things up and planning out the next four years because if motherhood has taught me anything, it's that kids should come stamped with "subject to change". However, I am trying to give some thought to what we need to cover in the coming four years and how that could be accomplished. So, my questions... I am considering doing OM's Geography for 9th grade history. Yay? Nay? Can we do World History in a year in 10th? Or should I plan on two years? I was thinking he may want to take APUSH in 11th or 12th grade (but who really knows? He will be in a totally different place in 3 years, so I am trying to leave options open), and then Government/Civics in 12th. My thought on Geography is that I don't want to overwhelm him. We have done history a fair amount. This year has been a bit more of a hodge podge, but we have covered the Revolutionary War with a biography on Abigail Adams and some primary source document work. WWI and WWII will be covered in similar fashions by the end of the year, although we are using some DBQs for those. We will also be doing a couple of other areas dealing with Industrial Revolution and the Civil War. He is a diligent, but slow worker and I am trying to be mindful that I don't need to pack it on next year, just because I can. Now, for my math question. He is taking Algebra on line and doing ok. Most of his errors are due to him rushing through his work and simple computation errors. He seems to have a solid grasp of what they have worked on thus far, but he is super distractible and attention to detail is not his forte. I think we are seeing that on his tests and quizzes. I have told him if he does not pass Algebra with a solid B, he will need to retake it next year. I have signed him up for Geometry because I wanted to be sure he got a spot, but what if he needs to. Can Algebra and Geometry be taken concurrently? I am not sure where he will land at the end of the year with Algebra, and maybe it will be really obvious what we need to do in several months when class is over, but I am trying to forecast just a bit on the math front and thought someone might have some good feedback. Thanks for any feedback. The unknown can be paralyzing, and I always appreciate the insight those of you that have BTDT.

My recent 14 year old was given books, a unicycle, a Lands End hoodie, Sharpie set with carrying case, Lego Minecraft set and an etch-a-sketch for his birthday. He loves his Sumo grip pencil he was given for Christmas, and my daughter wholly endorses hers, which was a birthday gift. Rip sticks are popular at our place. Frisbee golf discs and a frisbee golf cage, fabric frisbee (my son got one for Christmas), camera, snorkel set, headlamp, Monopoly Deal (card game), waterproof playing cards, Rubicks Cube and a small handheld copter type thing (given by a friend fro Barnes and Noble) are some other gifts he's enjoyed or would enjoy. I know you said no tech, but my son has appreciated nice headphones for his MP3 player, as well. I just saw some of these are repeats, sorry!

I got one for Christmas and can't wait to use it! I appreciate the heads up on watching a video before I use it; I would be super bummed if I broke it right out of the gate.

Santa wraps in white tissue paper. It is only 3 gifts or so, always a calendar for the coming year and something small and creative to do until Mom and Dad are up and ready to go. No sweet faces downstairs until 7:00am, and they are allowed to unwrap and enjoy stocking gifts while they wait. Santa always brings some food to enjoy, including two small boxes of sugar cereal for each kid (a huge treat!). Then we commence to opening the tree gifts. We do go one person at a time, usually going from youngest to oldest, cleaning up our trash as we go. It is very peaceful and calm and everyone gets to oooh and aaah.

This is just the thread I needed! I have just a tiny bit left, although I am a chronic under estimator of time, so maybe it is more than I think. I need to finish up ds's and one last little sewing thing for one of my dds, but I do have her other gift made, so if I just can't get it done, I am covered. I think I can, I think I can...

Hunter, I totally agree with you, especially on the bolded. Lots of good suggestions and thoughts to pursue from all. I think she would definitely benefit from hitting some arithmetic concepts again, but I'd like to find something other than MM to present those concepts. She has always done MM and I think it would be great to bring in just a little extra practice via something else.

Here are some of our favorite non-board books: All the Places to Love Roxaboxen My Great Aunt Arizona Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile Woody, Hazel and Little Pip (actually, just about any Elsa Beskow is a hit at our house) The Magic Hat I like to give my children a hardback book inscribed to them every year, so that's why I included a few hardbacks. A couple of board book/toddler friendly books: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601690207/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (there are several in this series, so cute!) Silly Sally (by Don and Audrey Wood) Usborne had some lift the flap that were large and enjoyed (as a matter of fcat my six year old just pulled them out and wanted me to read them to hi again). Happy reading!

She did all of the reviews: chapter review, cumulative, mixed. She did them all independently and then I check and go over with her. Multiplying and dividing are definitely problematic for her. She is not seeing it, but she didn't completely miss it on the reviews and we reviewed it again as we were going over the reviews. Even on the test she didn't completely miss sections. EoO, I am afraid of the exact situation you described. She started the multiplication portion of the chapter with, "I do not understand this at all." We had a few tears, which is pretty atypical at this point. I feel like she started with this attitude of this is hard and has not gotten over it. Anyway, thanks all for the thoughts.

She definitely did not feel good about this chapter. This was the first chapter of the year that she seemed to struggle with, but we worked through every problem and every error, and I thought she was getting it. The last few weeks seemed to come together, but she scored a 62% on the test, so clearly this topic is not mastered. We are heading into break, and I am trying to decide how to proceed when we return. Do we continue forward and hit that decimal chapter again at the end of the year? Or should we remediate those decimals with something else (what? Key to workbook? something else that is wonderful and fabulous?) upon our return? I know this chapter is very important and lays the foundation for so many things, not just in math, so I really want her to be rock solid; I am just not sure what is the best course of action. Thanks for helping me work through options. (and yay, it's break!) edited to add: This is grade 5

Can you give me some feedback on the religious content of the Geometry class? I understand it is a Christian centered program and teaches from a biblical worldview, but I am wondering how this comes through in the Geometry class. Thank you!

I have a baby doll loving 8 year old! She had a Bitty Baby when she was little, but I made her a Waldorf style doll when she was about 4 and she adores that doll. She liked her Bitty Baby, but she said they are not good for snuggling and loving because they are hard, so I would vote for a cloth doll. She saved her money and purchased one of these doll about a year ago: http://www.magiccabin.com/Handmade-Dolls/Rubens-Barnand174;-Baby-Dolls-Collection.htm I have noticed younger children (around your daughter's age) are very drawn to this particular doll when she takes it out. It is kind of big, but toddlers are very intrigued and enchanted and always want to hold and play with it when they see it. Actually, whenever she asks me to hold this particular doll, I snuggle up with it! It really is cuddly and sweet. I agree with the above post on skipping the bunting style doll at her age. She is close to 18 months, and will quickly outgrow a bunting style doll. I think it is good to get a doll that she can grow into. Hope this helps! Happy doll buying. edited to add a word

I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughtful responses. Lots of good strategies and time management areas to focus on for the remainder of the year. I definitely needed to hear 'don't over schedule' (again!). I think that is part of the issue this year. He has a pretty full academic load and I need to be mindful of that for next year. I think we are finally getting into our groove. He was in school for almost a month before coming home, so this fall has been a bit of adjusting (going to school) then readjusting (coming home). He is able to work for a stretch of time, but he is very social and likes the interaction, as well as highly distractible, so he let's himself get sidetracked quite easily. Somedays, an hour (or more) is no problem, other days I see him 3 times in an hour for inane little things (I need to sharpen my pencil/get my (fill in the blank) book). EndofOrdinary, that is definitely something we are working on, and I suspect will be an area of continued struggle for a while still. He has not really made the switch to independently creating his own personal process of learning (I love that, BTW). I am not really sure how one does that, but I will be thinking about ways to let him create that space for himself. I mean I go over what he needs to do and then he goes off and does it. He does take regular tests in science (an outside class, using a HS physical science text), Latin, math, and some home created subjects. I think some kids really work better for some external motivation, and I think my kid may be one of those people. He is taking an outside math class, and does handle that pretty independently. He sometimes comes to me when he has a question, or he gets in touch with his teacher for tutoring. As I sit here thinking about it, he does manage several outside things pretty independently. It is just really hard to know, "Is it enough?" Poor first kids in the guinea pig position! Ok, lots of self musings happening in this post. Thank you all who replied and gave such concrete and tangible suggestions. Really good stuff and all aprreciated!

We are hitting the halfway point of the year and I am (always!) looking ahead to the next year, but as I look ahead to next year I will have a (gulp) high schooler. I have always intended to homeschool high school, but as I am looking at actually doing it, I have some concerns. My concerns center around the how with a large family. How will I meet my high schooler's needs, as well as my first grader's? It seems most people expect their hser to be largely independent, but that does not mesh with my education philosophy, nor what I really want for my child. My child needs a lot of interaction at various points through the day. He is a bit scattered and disorganized, so he needs a lot of scaffolding to be successful and often my younger kids get the short end of the deal because he needs a lot of attention. Really it is my little guy that gets the short end, I am very diligent and mindful of educating the middle two, but what happens next year when we are really tackling reading with the littlest learner and it is four kids in the mix!? We did give school a try this year, but it wasn't a great fit for the amount of time I was spending in the car. He was academically prepared and able to keep up, but said he definitely learned more at home. He has a strong desire to continue homeschooling. He works very hard, so it isn't that he is unmotivated or unwilling to work hard, it really is more of an issue with me. He is taking an on-line class, but says that is not his preferred modality of learning, so I am not sure that is a great fit for more than one or two classes. How do you provide a quality high school education, while still honoring and allowing your younger children to have a quality education? I have read so many high school threads, and I am really struggling with what I think will be the involvement necessary for the high school education I hope to provide for my child. Truly it is a matter of having four people that need and deserve a quality education and my ability to provide that to everyone. I have been doing a lot of introspection and having a heart to heart with myself, so I'd love to open the conversation for more input. Thanks for any thoughts and insight.

Excellent. Thank you all for clarifying.

A friend and I were discussing science for next year, and she said she was told there was a movement to replace Calculus based Physics with Algebra based Physics. I had not heard this and was curious about the accuracy. FWIW, my child will only be in 9th grade next year, so I am not planning on having him take Physics. She is considering it for her child, although her child will not begin Algebra until next year and is not (at this time) interested in a STEM field, so she isn't sure her child will get much out of the class. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity. :001_smile: edited for word choice

According to our local high school, students are required to have 28 credits to graduate. That is a minimum of 7 classes per year. I do live in a state that uses that zany block schedule, but 7 classes seems like a lot to accomplish in a year with depth and attention. I am really starting to worry about the feasibility of homeschooling high school, particularly with a larger family.