Maybe she needs more drill in the simple math, one digit adding and multiplying. I find that when my ds12 starts making mistakes in doing higher math, a week or two of drillpages added to his regular math helps to resharpen those skills and reduces steps. I tell him that since he ismaking mistakes in the simple math, he needs more review. Either he really does need the review or else he starts being more careful so as to stop doing the drill sheets.

My dd8 talks to her best friend on the phone about every two weeks or so, more often if they haven't had time to see each other lately. But they have known each other since they were infants. My ds12 rarely talks to his friends on the phone and usually has a specific reason to call and keeps it short. ds6 rarely talks either and always with either grandma or his friend where the mom and I were pregnant with them together. Once again short and doesn't say much other than I wish we could have a playdate but Mom is busy type talk.

Art projects, cooking, board games, dress dolls, sing along with music. My daughter and her friends love to pull out the dress up box and play pretend. They come up with elaborate stories that incorporate practically everything in the box (3/4 of which is boy stuff). Maybe use blankets and let them camp under the table.

My dd was like that, the only way she would sleep in the day was in the front pack or curled in bed with non moving mom. My boys took regular naps. My ds6 would sleep all day, only waking to eat or get changed for the first 3 mos. It seems like. Even now at 6 he still takes irregular naps.

My great-grandmother dies when I was 18. Other than a few tears at the funeral, I was fine. Until about 6 mos. later, in the middle of an argument with my bf(now dh), I broke down and cried for hours over my grandmother and how she would never get to meet him.

Ds 12- loves to read, especially science fiction and fantasy. Comes up with ideas for all kinds of machines, but no followup. Tends to look for the negatives. using MUS, SOTW, Grammar with a giggle, Kingfisher science encylopedia w/outlines, Natural SPeller. No favorites. DD 8-very much do it myself. Most of our battles are when I try to teach her and she doesn't want to do it my way. Loves MUS cause she can watch the vidoe and skip the mom stepmost of the time. SOTW, Comprehensive Curriculum for grammar, Natural speller, library books, HWT. Ds6- very methodical, wants to do every page, every problem, even when told it's ok to skip it. Thinks very different from the other two, forcing me to discover new ways of doing things. Likes HWT, doesn'tmind Comprehensive Curriculum for Grammar, slowly mastering MUS, also listening in on SOTW(likes coloring pages more than maps), modified Natural speller, library books. Ds2- another one that is learning on his own way before mom is ready. At 2, he has learned to open doors, help himself to the fridge, count to 3, letters make sounds(but not which ones). No curriculum, but he keeps us hopping.

I have two girlfriends that have birthdays the same month as I do. We usually leave the kids with the dads for a full day at least and go do something fun like a water park. We are thinking about trying a night out this year since the youngest of the crew will be 2 1/2 and is mine. I'm perfectly willing to leave him with dad overnight. :)

I was friends with a girl in my 5th grade class in Jacksonville, FL, who moved in the middle of the year (both our dads were Navy). When I was in 7th grade we moved to Key West, FL. Guess who was living right down the street? Yup, same girl.

When my two middles were toddlers, we went to lunch at an older lady's house. My dh knew her well from work, but I barely knew her and her house was all breakables. I spent the time before lunch terrified they would break something. Come lunchtime, guess who breaks a plate. Yup, Me. She was great about it though.

We will be using LL7 next yeat which covers Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, Helen Keller, All Creatures Great and Small, and various short stories. I have a list I have gathered from the WTM and various posters here that he will be reading from but not doing any special study from.

Thank you very much.

I find myself spending more now than when they were younger. My oldest is heading into 7th next year and I want him to get in more writing and basically ramping up for high school in a few years. I am also spending more on my younger ones than I did on my oldest at their age: because of personality differences, time available, and seeing where my oldest is weak(may have nothing to do the curriculum).

swim suits, sun lotion, bug spray (can be bought here is needed). Shorts and tshirts mostly. My kids like to have tape players with head phones in the van, they can listen to their own music or books on tape without having to listen to siblings choices. Snacks for traveling. We take a cooler and plan at least one meal to eat at a rest area wear the kids can run while we eat and then they can eat when locked back in their seats. Coloring sheets, word problems, blank paper. With my guys a blanket for each one, because invariably one is cold when the others are hot. That's all I can think of right now.

half.com sometimes has stuff, but is better for college type books.

At the beginning of each week, I list the assignments for the week separated by day and subject on a table that goes in the front of their binder. My ds12 and dd8 can usually follow that and go on to the next subject, requesting help as needed. My ds6 usually asks what he does next except for like his workbooks where he does the next page(even if scheduled to skip a page).

Into the Woods was a big hit with my kids a while back.

April in NC: Yeah, my two middle ones will be in 2nd and 3rd next year and I am at a loss for what to do for science. My oldest was satisfied to just read library books and do simple experiments, but these two, especially my dd8, want to know why something does what it does and basically wants to know much more than my limited scientific knowledge can go. I need something that explains what and why in 3rd grade terms or at least in terms I can use to explain to her. And once I get this figured out, they'll throw something else at me. Must keep mom on her toes.

Is this a pick up and teach type curriculum or is it a read ahead and get things ready type?

I second this. My 3rd ds, almost 7 now, was a big crybaby about 5. Although I would tell him to tough it out or go to his room, I also started giving more attention when he wasn't being a crybaby. Taking time to just let him know we loved him for himself and not as one of the pack helped a lot. At nearly 7, he still has some instances, but most of the time it can be traced to late nights or oncoming cold, or other stress issues.

I am planning on using Writing Tales for my dd8 for 3rd next year, WWE for my ds6, 2nd grade next year, and Jump In for my writing-phobic ds12 for 7th grade next year. I'm not sure how it will work out, but that's the plans.

We're slowly turning our dining room into a school room that we can still eat in. It is 11'x15' approx. along the 2 long walls we are building 9' long bookshelves from floor to ceiling with built in desktops that fold closed into the bookshelf. There is also one 3' on a short wall between the doorway and the washer. When it's finished, each of the kids will have their own desk and I will have one for my stuff. And best of all, the table still fits in the middle of the room, so we turn the chairs one way for school and back around for eating.

I have tried the timed drills on mathusee, but I find my kids take twice as long to find the numbers on the keyboard as they do to figure out the problem. They are dd8 and ds almost 7.

Does the 4th grade section cover outlining?

http://www.dailygrammar.com/ has daily grammar review sheets that I have used in the past for short quick reviews.