Thank you all for the suggestions!

Ok, so I have quite a few ebooks that I'd love to print out. Having them spiral bound would be ideal. Do I just save it on a flash drive and take it to an office store? Thanks for any tips/suggestions. I've never done this before.

I forgot to mention that I purchased the teacher's manual and abacus used. I bought the worksheets and RightStart games during one of their Black Friday sales. I made my own place value cards and used Popsicle sticks for the sticks that they use. I bought the other manipulatives used over time as they were needed. So, it wasn't very expensive for me.

Absolutely! I've only done the first version, so I can't compare the two versions. However my son has a great understanding of place value because of RightStart. We started with Righstart B when he was almost 5 and went through it at his pace. We finished RightStart C when he was 7. He has a great understanding of conceptual math and can do mental calculations easily. We did switch to Singapore because RightStart was beginning to be a bit slow for him. However, if I had to do it all over again, I'd still start with RightStart. I plan on starting my youngest with RightStart B when she is ready.

My 8 year old would love to learn to play the piano/keyboard. I've been reading various articles about the best keyboard to purchase. We don't have any room for a piano (and we may never have the room for it). I'd love to hear experiences for those that started their kids on keyboards. Did you purchase one with weighted keys? How many keys does your keyboard have? I'd like to save money, but I want it to be a good decision, also.

I agree with Farrar! My son did a combo of Miquon and Rightstart at that age. It was the perfect combination. Also, we used the games Sum Swamp and Rat A Tat Cat. Very fun!

It used to be typingweb.com. Now it is typing.com. It's free and easy to use. My 8 yr old enjoys it.

Just wanted to add that my son didn't enjoy writing at that age either. It was like pulling teeth. So, I backed WAY off. We did everything orally or I transcribed for him. It wasn't until he was about 7 years old that he had the stamina to write. Then at 8 years old, when we started using Bravewriter's Partnership in Writing, his writing soared. I think it is developmental. The lack of writing won't hinder reading at all! My son was a VERY early reader (learning to read CVC words just prior to his 3rd birthday on his own). The two require very different skills.

I love Vitacost, and since I am in the same state as one of their warehouses, I get it next day or two days at the most. $49 gets you free shipping. The prices have always been cheaper than Amazon for the products that I buy.

This is what I'm afraid of! Especially with two of the families, I remember hearing comments about this sort of thing. We just wouldn't be able to afford a birthday party with 35-40 kids when he's really only inviting 10. I know this won't be an issue with his non-homeschooling friends from church. He wants to go to a specific sports recreation center where you have to pay per kid. The package includes 10 kids. Decisions...decisions! I wouldn't expect anyone to invite my kids to the same birthday party, but they are 6 years apart. He would be so hurt if some friends didn't come just because all of the siblings weren't invited. I wish our back yard was big enough, but it is tiny. Maybe I need to rethink this. I appreciate all of the comments so far.

My kids (8 yr old and 2 yr old) haven't had birthday parties for the last 3 birthdays except with family. This year, we are planning a party for my son's 9 year old birthday. We are friends with at least four homeschooling families that have 4 or more children in each family. Although, we do things together as homeschool families (occasional field trips, park dates, etc), my son wants to invite his closest friends whom are closer to his age. For example, I have a close friend with 7 kids. He only wants to invite the 9 and the 7 year old children, even though that family has kids ranging in age from infant through 15 years old. For those of you with larger families, does this pose problems within your families? For those with smaller families like mine, do you invite all the children in each homeschool family? I plan on having the birthday party on his actual birthdate which falls on a Sunday this year. I'm hoping a Sunday afternoon birthday would make it easier to just invite some kids in a family instead of all. I'd love your thoughts.

I came on the boards this evening to ask this very same question. I'd really like something similar to this to start with my almost 3 year old. I've thought about BFIAR (Before Five in A Row), but I'm not sure yet.

As I am planning for next year, I found this review of Treasured Conversations that I thought might be helpful for others. I haven't used it yet, but it is top on my list for next year. http://thesunnypatch.ca/treasured-conversations/

Thank you! I'm always so ready to start school with the oldest, that I do move things along with the youngest as quickly as possible. However, 30-60 min with her while he does independent work is a great approach! And thanks for the reminder for Wee Folk Art. I bookmarked it a while back. It will be perfect for her!

I'm realizing that my dd who is turning 3 years old this summer wants more and more from me. She sees her big brother doing school, and she wants to join in on the fun! :) I used to be able to give her a tub of legos, a couple of puzzles/tangrams, and some kitchen/food toys and that would keep her busy. I always start off the morning giving her some mom and me time by reading, singing, dancing, etc. However, she wants more. Today, she asked for a piece of paper and pencil and sat at her little table just as her brother does at his table. She came back to me with the biggest grin and told me that she wrote the letter H. And surely, she did! All of my local homeschool friends have more than 2 kids so it is easier to pair up an older one with a younger one. I'd be interested if anyone has experience or even ideas on a routine for a very precocious 3 year old and 9 year old.

Thank you! This is the type of information that I'm looking for!

I'm not the original poster, but I'd love to talk with you more! I'm considering math tutoring, and our backgrounds are very similar. I, too, have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, but I haven't worked in the field in 20 years. However, math was always my favorite, and I use to joke that I should've become a math teacher instead. Instead of hijacking this thread, would you mind if I pm'd you with some questions about getting started with tutoring and what resources you use?

I've considered becoming a math tutor for some time now. I'd love to get advice from others on how you got started, how much you charge and any other tips/advice that you'd like to share? Thanks!

I'd love your help! I tried to respond a couple of days ago, but the website must have been down. I spoke with my son to try to get some ideas from him. He says he is interested in everything related to science. In other words, not a very helpful conversation. He did mention trees and birds. However, he always defaults to nature and animals. I'd love to stretch him just a bit. Perhaps, we could start off with an observation project to get our feet wet. Then do one that is more elaborate. One of the things that you mentioned in the kite project is persistence, and that is something that I'm trying to encourage. He tends to give up easier than I would like. He knows a little about all the areas of science, but it is definitely time to dig deeper. Please ask me more questions so that I can give you enough information so that you can help us. I really appreciate your time!

I third this! I thought the book gave a great general glimpse of science as a whole. The experiments were quick and easy. However, the reading was very repetitive, so I begun summarizing the lessons. We eventually dropped it, too. My 8 year old devours science books. So, this wasn't a great fit for him. I still think I'll keep it to see if it might be a good fit for my daughter when she is about 7 or 8 years old.

Has anyone actually incorporated any of lewelma's ideas?! I think what she does with her children is phenomenal, but I'm wondering who else has actually done what she recommends and how they went about doing it. She should write a book! :)

I'm thinking about science for my almost 9 year old, and I just need some input for those that have already gone down this path. A little background - Prior to this year, we didn't do anything formal. We just enjoyed books, took informal nature walks and hikes, visited museums, science centers and nature museums, etc. This year we tried a formal curriculum, and it just wasn't a good fit, so we dropped it and continued doing what we've always done. Science is his favorite subject by far! He devours science books. I believe he's ready to go deeper, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about it. I'd love to work on a long term project with him and get him acquainted with the scientific method, but I honestly don't know where to begin. Any advice? ETA - If there are any other threads that would give me some ideas, please link them. Thank you!

I'd love to hear more about the kids being in charge. Thanks for your second comment as well. I have a few primary reasons for even trying to spearhead a start-up co-op, and building community is definitely the main reason! This whole thread has completely revamped the way I plan to go about this. I am truly grateful for everyone that responded!

Thank you so much for your detailed response! I sent you a PM last week. I just want to make sure you received it. Let me know, and I'll resend. Again, thank you!

We started out just reading a poem everyday for 1-2 weeks. The first day we discussed the poet and the poem itself. But the rest of the time, it only took a few minutes per day. He memorized some and recited them for Dad. Then we added poetry teas and poetry smoothies 😃 thanks to Bravewriter. We would read poems to each other from various anthologies. He really gravitated to poetry and I would catch him reading poetry in his room, at the kitchen table, on the toilet! 😳 Then I checked out "R is for Rhyme" from the library which explains different types of poetry with an example (A is for acrostic poem, B is for ballad, etc.). Now, my 8 year old thinks he is a poet. It only took a month or two for him to really appreciate and love poetry.