Hi Sunny, Maybe it is time to do some "unschooling." Writing is something a child needs to feel motivated to do. How about helping your little one write a Christmas list. Have her tell you want she would like on her list and then help her sound out the letters and trace them. Before going to the library have her help write out a list of books she would like. Try having her trace the words rather than all on her own until she wants to do it herself. Let her find activities to do with you. For instance, if she likes cats, then get some books on cats and read them, draw cats, write the word cat, etc have her make a book all about cats. Stay away from formal workbooks for a month or so and then very slowly add them in once or twice a week. Build up math, reading, writing with games. Play letters or word bingo (make your own) with letters/words she already knows and then introduce new stuff slowly. Count all of this as school. Talk about the weather, make a rain gauge (use measurements for math), take a walk notice the changes in plants/trees. Read a ton of fiction/nonfiction books. You might ask her why she would want to go to PS. Then do those activities at home. Include playdates, swimming, walking, library, reading, visits to zoos/museums, educational movies all as "school time." She is so young there is no need to feel pressured. I once read that if a child did not attend school and had no instruction up until they were 15yrs, that child could master what they had missed in about 100 days! So relax, breathe, try to have fun but also get some breaks yourself. Parenting is not easy especially when you are with little ones 24/7. Best wishes!

We just bought Chemistry Prelevel 1 but at this rate we will be finished in another week! Ok, how much math and writing does Level 1 have? My 5yr is asking so many questions such as "how do the atoms stick together?" She remembered about 3 months ago me saying something about electrons. Before I could answer she said "is it because of the electrons, is it like magnets?" Could we move on to Level 1 w/o too much trouble after we finish Prelevel 1?

We keep our rountine simple and short, yet rich: I have an eclectic approach to homeschooling. Mornings (individual hour for each child) of reading using Rocket Phonics and easy readers, spelling SWR 10 words a week(need to up this now), math with Singapore PM 1B and various math games/boards. I am really flexible, some weeks we may do out of the box type stuff based on their own interests with reading, spelling or math. Sometimes I substitute workbooks for educational software. In the mornings, my children memorize simple poems which we work on during our calendar time. In the evenings we spend about an hour on history SOTW, chemistry with RS4K and biology (right now, human body studies) doing readings/crafts. Daily I read to them for 1- 1/1/2 hrs of fiction/nonfiction. We recently finished Pippi Longstocking and are 1/2 way thru Magician's Nephew. We visit the library weekly-my kids get more books than we can possibly read. Getting your child fully comfortable at the library and immersed in books is rewarding. My children go to bed with stacks of books to read through. Both girls are in a ballet and piano class so they practice daily, not so much with ballet. We also attend a weekly homeschool group-lots of playing to be had. Visiting local museums and zoos, going on many field trips and theater plays are a wonderful addition to our days. Most importantly: I follow my children's interests, often these subjects come in the form of questions (too many sometimes). Answering these questions are not factored in our "school time" but they are learning. I think getting creative is critical at this stage of the game. For instance: in answering "why do some leaves change red not yellow in the fall?" led me to act out a play of photosythnesis (I was a tree & I made leaves for my branches, my arms)so I could explain the answer! Tonight we reviewed our spelling words in pudding and made molecues with marshmallows. You could ask your child "what are you interested in learning about?" The answers may surprise you. Have fun!

How long has it been since you have had some time to yourself, out of the house? Away from the kids? Are you getting together with other moms and their children for field trips?

Thank you for the useful links. We are most definitely getting Gravitas Press Pre-Level 1 Chemistry--It looks wonderful! Has anyone used the Biology?

My kdd is facinated with chemistry....well, it is embarrasing but I never took chemistry. Can anyone suggest a good chemistry book for me to read? A book that I can also use with my daughter. We have a simple chemistry set along with books on various experiments however I have noticed that these books/kits leave out basic info. Additionally, can someone tell me a simple way to make my own molecue model?

My Kdd is skipping around in math. She is no longer interested in her Singapore workbook (actually 1B, I need to change my signature). I bought a bingo fractions game for 10& up yesterday. Well today she played it with me, no problem. She totally understood the concepts of fractions (it was easy), she is close to getting the concepts of multiplication (Singapore has introduced it) and on her own spouts out what she knows with addition/subtraction. My question: How long do I let her "make her own math?" I feel compelled to get back to the workbook. What should I do? I really do not want to squash her liking of math but I want to make sure we are covering math requirements.

Thanks everyone....I guess what we are doing is just fine and I should not have any worries.

Two hours has been suggested however what counts? Does listening to story tapes count as reading? Is it the hearing of writing or the visual of a book being read that matters or is both okay? I am curious for I do not seem to get more than an 1.25-1.5 in a day with an actual book in hand. However, my children probably hear about 2hrs of story tapes in the evening (in bed before retiring). Thoughts?

Someone on this board posted a list of funny poems for children. We have just loved learning them. After my children have memorized a poem, I have them write it out and make a craft project out of it. Kids can memorize so quickly.

We usually do about 1 lesson a day however some lessons need more explanation or experimenting. The last few days my 5yr wanted to do something different for math so we played dividing games, measuring items,etc. I am pretty flexible, we also play money and time games instead of just sticking to the workbook. I think that the workbook stuff can get a little boring so doing "real math" is much more fun!

My dd5yr is a question factory. Did or do any of you have a little one asking a ton of questions? For instance: "Mom, why do some leaves change red and not yellow?" (I explain photosynthesis, glucose) "Mom, what is eight times 10? Answer 80 " Oh I see mom, so 2x10=20, 3x10=30, 4x10=40 etc, etc. Then, "Mom what does 100 x10=?and so on. "Mom, what is this yellow rock made of?" "Mom, what are laws? Who is the government?" So many more questions and if I wait about 10 minutes I will have another one. If you had one of these at five yrs old, did they continue to be curious later on? How did their curiosity develop?

Both my children play make believe games/scenerios, craft projects of beading necklaces/bracelets, loom weaving/begining sewing, playing piano, drawing/painting and writing, clay/dough crafts, made up dance routines, some legos/circuit building, unsupervised science experiements, puzzles, and various board games. Most of their "play things" are open ended activities for which they control.

My dd5 is very, very curious (asking so many questions, I have to consult the computer to answer) and intense with mental energy. She is also independent and gets angry if you even try to help her with something I might mistakely think she is not ready to do and she can. She also is a little bit of a perfectionist, needing everything just so. For the most part she is happy, playful, chatterbox, shows maturity with being sensitive to others needs, loveable and likeable however very intense!

This was posted on another site....thought you all might enjoy! http://www.edflix.org/gatto.htm PS Worth the time to sit through it all

I finally finished our schedule (40wk) late last night, here goes....... DD 7yrs and 5yrs (on the same schedule) Rocket Phonics (finish the book) Primary Math 1B-2A Spell to Read and Write-goal is to L/M SOTW 1--goal to finish 1/2 and take the time to enjoy activities Biology (Animals, Human Body, Plants) Country studies (12 countries/discuss/present with homeschool group) Cooking/Sewing Basics Piano Ballet Community Choir Swim Lessons Chess Club

Too late for answers...I bought for two! Thank you for letting us know about this sale. I have put off buying BrainWare for it was so spendy but today I got it! PS I am now an official co-op member.

I want to order the program however I am not a member of the co-op. Do I sign up to be a member and then am able to purchase BrainWare?

My 5dd-I have learned to adjust my expectations through out the day. For instance, yesterday she woke up early dressed with her swimming suit under her clothing (swim class is at 11am). I said "ready for the day?" she replies "I don't want to waste any time." However in the car, she sobbed because she couldn't hear her favorite song collection. Later she asks out of the blue "mom, what does conscientious and to make a ruckus mean?" I am not sure where these words are coming from. Without warning, she asks "mom, what is a dart frog?" I know she knows the answer but I played along with the wrong info.....she got incredibly angry and explained everything about the frog and wanted to know how frogs make poison. (These are the questions that I find hard to have a ready answer for) Does anyone else get this, asking for information, just to ask? We are reading Stuart Little by White. I turned to the page we left off and could not remember where we were in the story, she retold the last proceeding four pages without missing a beat. I was talking with her letting her know we would be starting our reading program again and that I have not seen her read much lately. She replied that "she reads at night by herself and for me not to worry." In the evening, she cried because she wanted to play babies and that even though it was 10pm she was not tired!

She reads through quickly our assigned reading (Rocket Phonics) if I ask how fast she can read. She enjoys "school." I read to the girls about 1 1/2 to 2hrs a day and no TV except one movie on Thursday. We visit the library weekly, checking out about 50-60 books. She often will write a list of subjects of books she would like to check out--her thrill is to go with the librarian to the adult section to find her books. She often will grab one of my books and "read" however she is not really reading. She takes stacks of books to bed to read---anything from first reader books to chapter books. We have books everywhere! She has the skills ie workbook to read however I do not hear her reading on her own, by herself. I dont see the kid who is so anxious to read everything around her (a little but not a lot). I know she is young but I am perplexed to why she doesnot read more on her own when she has the skills.

My now newly aged 5yr DD is bright. She started reading simple three letter words at 3ys. I have provided a phonics based reading program with Rocket Phonics. She is on page 182--1st grade reading. So she can read however she often choses not to read when she is with books on her own or with me outside of our "reading/lesson time." Am I just pushing her too much? She has so many questions, it can drive me a little batty. Her attention to detail and memory recall is remarkable. She asked me the other day, "Who was the first king of England?" The other day she was explaining to another child that dolphins don't bark but use echolocation which she demonstrated underwater. She has completed Singapore 1A, loves science and now is interested in identifying plants that can be used for healing. She is making herbal teas from various plants. She writes little stories on her own (very simple with pictures). She collects things to study with her microscope. Right now we are taking a month off from school. I have not asked her to read anything. Have I been pushing too much?