We're actually doing it in a semester and we don't do science every day. We are skipping a few things that we had covered in the fall and not doing every single activity listed. I think it's a very flexible book and can be stretched or condensed as needed.

It is very easy to get overwhelmed. It happens to all of us. It sounds like you've read the Well-Trained Mind and hopefully you will remember that in addition to all of the wonderful suggestions, Susan and Jessie also advise that you don't have to do it all. Second grade is still very young and depending on her previous school experience, you may need to take it easy for a while to get caught-up in some areas and adjust to the new environment. It is vital that you focus on the basics of reading, handwriting and basic math. All the rest is gravy. But of course a good pot roast is much more enjoyable with gravy. :) We have stuck pretty closely to the WTM recommendations with only a few changes: History--Story of the World with activity guide Math--Saxon Spelling--Spelling Workout (although I'm going to try Sequential Spelling with DD next year because of her vision issues) Handwriting--Getty-Dubay Italics Science--mostly WTM but used Christian Liberty Science a few years ago and using Apologia this year and next Reading--Phonics Pathways, Bob Books as well as listening to audio books and read alouds at every opportunity Incidentally, DS' spelling improved 200% once his reading took off. Bible study has most often consisted of daily Bible reading. I haven't yet found a devotional that I really like. Best wishes! This forum is a wondeful resource. Take advantage of it!

Thank you Cindy! I was just about to defend the books from the label "Twaddle" and I think you summed it up beautifully. WTMindy may be right that they aren't "Great Literature", but they certainly promote great literature with all the references to Herman Melville, Anna Karenina, T. S. Elliot, etc, etc, etc. Our family has listened to the series over and over and over. DH and I read the books first and thoroughly enjoyed them. We found ourselves giggling over the narrow definitions of unusual words and literary allusions such as this from The Slippery Slope: You can get a feel for the books from the Wikipedia articles about each of the titles and the author "Lemony Snicket"/Daniel Handler. I also noticed a unit study from Rainbow Resource called "Fortunately For You" based on these books, though I haven't seen it myself to recommend it. Apparently the author is quite liberal and the books could be viewed as promoting moral relativism. But DH and I actually see many opportunities to discuss our Christian faith as it relates to the story: a classic conflict of good and evil, the possibility of redemption (and what it means to accept or reject it), betrayal, love, kindness, nobility of character... and the importance of being well-read. If you are considering the books for a child younger than 9 or 10, you will definitely want to pre-read and decide whether it would be appropriate.

We didn't do Saxon K, but many of the manipulatives are the same for 1st. We used Duplos for linking cubes but I did buy the pattern blocks. As for geoboards, I kept putting off buying them, then decided they weren't really necessary. There was only one lesson where it would have been nice to have one, but my kids understand shapes so I don't think it harmed them. We also already had a teaching clock. I didn't see the need to buy a second one as the book suggests. Rainbow Resource used to have a chart in their catalog showing which manipulatives were optional and which were mandatory and how many years they would be used. I haven't looked to see if they have it on their website but that might be helpful to you. Good luck!:thumbup1:

We never used them...no, not once. :seeya:

I've just finished reading Deconstructing Penguins about discussing literature with children. You might see if you can find it at your library and have your own family book discussion group. Then after discussing a book, you could have her write a review of it. It is wonderful that your daughter reads good books. But discussing them in depth would almost certainly benefit her writing skills. You didn't mention whether you are particularly concerned about creative writing or reports but perhaps it's just writing in general. I know this may not be exactly what you were looking for, but a full-fledged writing program after school might be a bit much on top of her other homework. HTH

I found that my son understood the concepts the first time they were presented and didn't have any trouble. Then when all the alternatives were presented he got confused and frustrated. I think they might be useful if the student has difficulty grasping the concept initially.

My son and his friend each flew through the Mindbenders "A" series. We've just started on the B1 book and it's taking quite a bit longer. We did't try the Red Herrings though. The first set of Mindbenders were given to us for free. And if I remember correctly, WTM says Red Herrings are a nice supplement, not a replacement for Mindbenders. So being the cheapskate I am, I didn't buy it. Good luck!

Thanks for the link GVA. That was very helpful. I still wish I could see SWB's review simply because I remember reading it so I know it's out there somewhere. But that link was very helpful.

We are actually using the elementary botany book this year and will do astronomy next. I was thinking about after that, though. I think SWB said that one of the upper level Apologia books was excellent (Chemistry maybe?) but she had reservations about one or more of the others. I may or may not have those same reservations...I just can't remember what they were. Does anyone know how to find that review? Or do you know of another review of the series that gives pros and cons? All the ones I've found are very positive.

I know I read a review by SWB a couple of years ago but I can't find it now. If I search the site I find a mention of it but not the review itself. So, could someone either point it out to me, tell me how to ask the tech people to restore it or give me your own review including negatives? Why would I not want to use Apologia Science? We are a Christian family and I wish to present science in that light, but I also want my children to hear the other side for two reasons. First, as Christians they will need to be able to defend their faith and explain why the Apologia interpretation of science makes sense. This will require knowing something about the alternative theories. Secondly, if they pursue a career in the field of science they will need to "know" the evolutionary arguments.

I did a quick search and found this as the American-Scandinavian society's page: HTH

I can't really help with recommendations, but be careful with some of those Nordic, particularly Icelandic myths. My family was stationed in Iceland when I was in high school and a family I babysat for had some Icelandic children's books. I remember being troubled by the bawdiness of some of the stories. I thought it was inappropriate for the age child they had, somewhere between 6-8 I think. As I recall, the story mentioned that the trolls were very noisy in bed, causing earthquakes and thunder...or something along those lines. I don't know that this would be a common problem when looking for stories about Odin and Loki. Just an FYI.

I've also been trying to figure this out. My two are 5 years apart, but DD really enjoys being involved in whatever the older one is doing. I saw someone recommend buying the lower level and just requiring more of the older child. But with the large age difference we have, I think I'm going to get the higher level and just allow my 1st grader to join in with us as she is able. I mainly want it for music and art appreciation, but if and when we are able to do practical art lessons I hope to incorporate it.

DD has been doing Suzuki for 2 years, since she was 4. You are getting a great deal on price. I would absolutely recommend renting for three reasons: 1. Children don't always stick with the first instrument they try out. When I began band in 6th grade we were required to rent for the first several months because it's not at all unusual for kids to change their minds about which instrument or whether to continue at all. Naturally as a parent you will control whether or not DD sticks with it, but perhaps your circumstances will change at some point and you'll want to cut back on something. Just one thing to think about. 2. Children sometimes drop things or lose them. I think most places have insurance to cover most of the replacement cost and regular repairs to a damaged instrument. 3. Children tend to grow. Violin, unlike piano, needs to fit the size of the child. If you buy a 1/16 size violin, you'll have to buy a 1/10 within a year or so. Then you'll be buying a 1/8 a few months or a year after that. Now you own three violins and perhaps at that point your child will decide to switch to oboe or harpsichord. Then what do you do? Rent, but if it looks like she's going to stick with it for a while, go with the "deluxe" rental rather than economy. The place we rent from has two categories. The economy models have had a lot of wear and tear but play well enough to learn on. The others are slightly used, but of the same quality as ones sold new. They will also put part of the rental price towards purchase if you do decide to buy. We began with economy then switched to the nicer one several months later when she moved up a size. The sound quality was noticeably better, but I don't think DD would have appreciated it as much at the beginning when she was just learning to make a sound...any sound. HTH:nopity:

We used Latin Primer 1 and 2 (with DVDs) for 3rd and 4th grade and were really happy with it. By the end of 2 I was beginning to feel as though DS was moving beyond me. As it happens we have a friend who teaches Latin in public schools and she offered to tutor 5th grade DS along with her 7th grade daughter in exchange for piano lessons for her daughter by me. So who am I to argue with essentially free Latin instruction by a well-qualified teacher? She had initially said she would use Ecce Romani which is her preferred text for middle grades, but then decided to use Cambridge, her preferred high school text since it's what the school she teaches at was using. Cambridge has a story line and I thought that would be appealing to DS after the bare bones approach of LP. DS claims he liked the plain black and white, no pictures, no frills of LP. He says Cambridge is more difficult. It is a higher level but I listen in on most lessons and most of the vocabulary and endings were covered last year. There are, of course, other reasons that he might say that. 1. He only meets with the teacher once a week. During the rest of the week he usually has an assignment and I've been trying to review the chants that he had down so well last year. But it just isn't quite frequent enough for good retention. 2. He is 10 and has lately become a little disagreeable about most things, math, chores, etc. Sometimes I think he doesn't have a very clear understanding of what is expected of most kids and thinks that I'm giving him too much. 3. He may be uncomfortable being in a class of two. He's used to one-on-one instruction. And he's done co-op classes with several kids, as well as Bible classes and Cub Scouts. But with two, there's the pressure of one-on-one but also the pressure of not wanting to look stupid in front of the other student. Anyway, I'm currently trying to decide whether to do Latin Primer 3 next year, ask my friend to continue tutoring or try a different program. :confused:

A friend gave me the book Eating Fractions. She said it really helped her kids. I don't have any specific memories of it except that we did read it a few times. We also have a felt board set and the pattern block we used ith Saxon Math and we talked about it when it cae up as we went about our day. When DS began adding and subtracting fractions he handled it pretty easily. But now I think I should pull it out again for DD. She likes to help me in the kitchen but I'm not sure that she completely understands all of the fractions we encounter.

I hate trying to explain that intersection to people. Whoever was responsible for naming the roads around here needs to have his head examined!:blink:

Thanks! I'll be adding that to my wishlist.

We did it the way TWTM suggested (I think.) We would read the information at the beginning of the activity, copy definitions of any new or important words into the science notebook, look up the topic &/or new words in the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia and do the experiments and record findings in the activity journal that came with the kit. When we finished the activity journal went into the science notebook. HTH

There are TONS of homeschool resources...I think Claire said something about SHARENET, and e-mail list with all sorts of activities. I have several friends in Centreville who take advantage of lots of homeschool co-ops and activities in Western Fairfax County and Loudoun County. It is my impression that Loudoun County is the most homeschool-friendly place in Northern Virginia. But you are right to take your DH's commute into account. :auto: My DH works on The Hill and is able to take the HOV lane so his commute is about 30 minutes or so, depending on traffic. If he could not take the HOV lane, even though we are only about 14 miles from his office, it would take 1-1 1/2 hours during morning rush hour. He usually leaves work at 6 and gets home around 7. By then everyone can use the HOV lane so he doesn't really benefit much from it. We usually eat dinner around 7:15-7:30 and the kiddos go to bed around 8:30 or 9...or 9:30. I'd prefer to have them in bed earlier so we could get school started earlier in the morning. But then they'd never get to spend time with DH. Such is life in this area! But there are more resources than you can shake a stick at. The last time I counted there were 3 homeschool bands/orchestras nearby. Our friends participate in homeschool swim team. And a homeschool Boy Scout troop just started down the road from us. Plus we are surrounded by history, past and present. We drive past Pohick Church, one of the congregations George Washington attended, a couple of times a week, not far from Mount Vernon. We see the Washington skyline regularly and sometimes see news personalities and members of Congress at the airport or shopping. We try to visit a museum or free concert or exhibit every month or two. It's a very neat place to live.

I just ordered mine. Some of the titles and descriptions look similar to cartoon movies we watched in my college economics class. Dr. Diffine is a very funny guy. Thanks for the heads up!

They have a deal for families with an infant under 3mos. You choose the meals and they will assemble it at no charge. It's a one-time thing but I used it twice figuring I just paid half-price for the meal prep. :D What I actually like better is a book called Don't Panic! Dinner's in the Freezer. It has normal recipes that can be prepared for that day in a regular size, but also tells the best way to freeze each meal and has a chart for making it in larger amounts (x2 or x4, etc.) I've been very happy with the recipes and I like not having to spend hours in the kitchen at a time if I don't want to. We can try out a recipe before committing to it for multiple meals. Then if we like it, the next time I'll just make three...serve one freeze the others.

I like nestof3's idea of putting a library box in the kids' rooms. We have our library bags in the dining room so we don't lose track of the ones we get for school. But we have recently misplaced a couple of "for fun" items because they went upstairs and then either disappeared from there or came back downstairs and disappeared...nobody knows.... I'm sure we'll find them one day after the kids go to college.:rolleyes:

Oooh, I like that idea. I think I had heard of it before, but I'm finding that our bookcase is getting fuller now that both DD and DS are doing school.