I bake bread, by hand (aka no bread machine or Kitchen Aid mixer) daily with my kids. Everyone loves the process and the results!

Funny...I was just thinking the same thing! I will be paying attention to this thread 

I don't have level A, we started with B, BUT...just email the author. I wanted a calendar sheet for a year that was not included in the text and she not only replied within the hour, but included a PDF of the calendar sheet I wanted. I've been more than happy with RS customer service! HTH, Val

In my previous life (prior to HS) I was a teacher for the deaf/ hard of hearing, so I am particularly sensitive to your issue. We used all kids of neat manipulatives including: Mini erasers (buy in bulk from Oriental Trading Co) Rubbery dinosaurs/bears/sea animals/fruits (Lakeshore Learning) Foam blocks (Target) Vinyl cling shapes (use on small dry erase boards/windows/even walls) Small food items (cereal, Nerds candies, Mini-M&Ms...) Beads (wooden/plastic) Plastic ants (this was a favorite!) AL Abcus...though if the kids don't learn to use it calmly/respectfully, the sliding sound of the beads did bother some of my students. HTH, Val

I have done this as described above. You CAN delete the whole lesson from the gradebook page where it shows the total correct for the lesson. Right next to the lesson number there is a little "D" for delete. Hit that and you're all set to redo the lesson.

My daugter hates word problems as well. I love these suggestions...keep 'Em coming!:bigear:

We all get dressed, eat breakfast, do the "teeth-face-hair" routine and the kids practice piano with dad before he leaves for work in the morning. Then we start school.

No good reason, in my opinion. We don't do them. I do have my dd(9) tell me the "gist" of a book (orally) after she's read it and without any direction, has turned this into a narration exercise. Perfect application of the WWE we do and I didn't even suggest it! That is it for us.

I can't speak to R&S, but my 9yo dd started with FLL 4 (this is our first year of hs) and is doing just fine. She is "language-y" and has learned a great deal, but it is not overwhelming at all.

:lurk5: Thankyou everyone! I am getting very mixed reviews of this program. I'm still thinking I will give it a shot, though, and resell if necessary. Something has to work better than what we're doing...

I make handmade (not machine made) bread almost daily. What type of bread are you referring to? If it is Struan or some other sandwich/toasting type bread, after you have sliced what you want for that meal, immediately freeze the remainder of the loaf. I've found that this works best to maintain the original texture of the bread. HTH, Val

Please tell me about this program. I'm not happy with SWR and I'm considering making this switch. Any input appreciated!! Thank you! Val

I've been having the same problem, but when I just pull the book out and do it, I find it really isn't taking THAT much time. My kids really like it, maybe it's just that I have never LOVED history and so I, somehow, avoid it? Bad mom...I know. Lately, I have decided that I need to teach it. I don't feel good about skipping it, so it has become what we START with in the morning two days per week. That way we (I) can't say we didn't have time...and somehow all the other teaching I always do still fits in on those days, too...huh. So, for my kids (1st and 4th) I think it's really important.

RIghtStart! My DS (6) is over half way through B and my DD (9) has been doing Teaching Textbooks and watching her little bro have fun with RS. She begged and begged to ADD RS (she's still doing TT) to her schedule. We are almost done doing the transition lessons and she will start level E in February. FWIW, my DS is "mathy" and my DD is not...she is artsy and hands-on. They both like RS. (Oddly enough, he wants to do TT as a supplement as well...I'm going broke buying math curriculum!)

Brock Magiscope! We got the complete set for Christmas, with extra slides and the field bag and my kids can't leave it alone! Well worth the $250 I paid for it. They have already played with it more than the Wii we've had for 2 years!

You sound just like I did, not too long ago. I was a long-time, diehard public school teacher and my mother is still an elementay school teacher. The pressure was enormous! I say...GO.FOR.IT! You have thought long and hard and have some terrific choices laid out. You are really ready. I would not add anything at all until you have your groove going with your dd and managingthe littles at the same time. That will take a few months, so don't freak out when it's hard at first. Then I would add some other interesting supplements that you both enjoy...museum visits, extra classes (we enjoy two science classes offered for homeschoolers once per month at different venues in our area), art classes... There is no reason to freak out. You can dothis and will feel much better when you follow YOUR heart. HTH, Val

Read the graphs in the article. The article is sarcastic, but the truth is in the graphs.

I have used this curriculum before, but in a classroom setting. The workbooks are quite neat, actually, and would make it much more cohesive, though the handbook is useful in and of itself. I plan to use both the handbook and skills books as a supplement next year with my 9yo.

Right Start! My daughter started the year with Teaching Textbooks. My son started with RS. THEN my daughter did a learning style scale and came out very kinesthetic so I tried some of my son's RS games on her...she took off!!! So now I've ordered levels C-E to cover the two kids for a bit. Expensive, but it really works! The TM tells you exactly what to do. Not much planning at all.

Wow! Thank you all very, very much for your responses. I am going to check out Phonics Road and see what that is about. Is it possible to only use the spelling/phonics portion of PR??? I do WWE, and FLL and do really like the results I see with those programs. I also to OPGTR with my DS6...will using PR supplement this without too much overkill? And thank you for the SWR supporters out there, too. I know SWR works, but I just get this yucky pit in my stomach and big sighs from my kids when it's time for spelling...so I do think I need to make a change. If PR is really SWR in a box, then I think it will be $200 well spent. Now...do I just start both of my kids with the first level?

The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. Love it!

I need some help. I have spent hours and hours reading the books, watching DVDs, and have gotten a fair way into this program with both of my kids...but I hate it. I feel like I'm always struggling to understand the program and what spelling rules I'm supposed to teach when and why. I am a confident teacher, but not with this program one bit. Is there a magic solution? I feel like I've dedicated so much time to this and I really WANT to like it and use it. Any of you who have found success...please help me! I want to start fresh in January with a good attitude about SWR. TIA, Val

Thanks for sharing! I think my kids would love that kit. It's on my B&N shopping list.

Sure! We are on vacation right now, but when we get home I will post those three recipes. I will also get you the names of the books that are my favorite bread books. My small library has copies of them, so you should be able to check them out from anywhere. I always try out the library for bread books, then go buy them if they are a hit :) Val

Hi Jen, We make all kinds of bread, but we regularly make French bread, Struan (wonderful toasting/sandwich bread), and an Italian country loaf. We make sourdough weekly, occasionally try a recipe we've never tried or heard of, just to see what happens and try some new techniques. Our family favorite, which we only do monthly, is biscuits made from scratch...TONS of butter and lots of patience needed, so we limit this...and it also makes for a very early morning :) I'd love to hear how it goes at your house! Val