I am considering purchasing these or signing up for Gateway, but wanted to hear from others since most of these aren't your well-known classics or your modern classics (like Newberry, Caldecott, etc.), but they look great to me and very well organized, etc. Thanks!

I have pain in the mornings so I need time for my body to unwind and I need all the rest I can get so I am not in a rush in the mornings. However, my kids are up and they have a list of things they must accomplish before school, which we call the 7 B's. 1. Bathroom (wipe down toilet and sink, get trash out, etc.) 2. Bedroom (including bed) 3. Blessing (this is their assigned chore(s) in the living areas of our home including kitchen, dining room, family room, and porches) 4. Breakfast (including vitamin) 5. Body (get dressed and wash hands, shower if needed) 6. Brush (teeth and hair) 7. Buddy (most of them have a little buddy to help with and/or an animal to feed) We don't start school until 12:00 and we go until 4:30. Then they do an hour and a half of reading at night before bed (though they work up to this amount.) They are allowed to play after their 7 B's are done and periodically I inspect or run through the list to make sure they didn't forget anything. This routine works really well for our family and I love having a leisurely morning to get myself prepared for school. I also put my toddler down to nap right before 12 so we start with some quiet. And they must be full when we start at 12. I do let them have a quick snack from 1:00-1:30 while I read aloud and they draw, but it can't be anything messy or complicated.

I learned how to teach the dictation of sounds and words from Spell to Write and Read and now I can use any list of words or dictation passage to work on spelling using those methods.

The link I posted (which takes you to a google doc with several links), has a tutorial on how to dress up a regular cheap composition book with scrapbooking paper.

Here are the links.... https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BfIltnMzWjx8gPZNwDAdpp1_bCmf61_QQgOfOjzCl_A/edit?usp=sharing

I have loved using just a simple, cheap composition book for each child for everything. The only other workbook they will have is for music theory. If I were to make one change it might be that I would use a different one for math and everything else in the other one. The one problem I had was trying to figure out how to put their art in their too because I require one drawing every day but I didn't want them to have to draw on lined paper so I bought large blank, white index cards and they draw on that and then I tape all the sides down neatly into their notebook each day. Sometimes they want to draw on something larger so I keep that in one folder that shows any loose work they have done, but there is very little compared to previous years because almost everything goes in their composition book. The paper clutter in our house is GREATLY reduced and it will be so nice to just save their composition books and folders instead of workbooks bulky binders and such. If we end up putting math in a separate composition book I probably will toss that one and just record what math book they completed or worked on as a record in the other composition book. We do the best we can to color code whose is whose as well but sometimes I have trouble finding the color I want in the size I want (wide-ruled blue for example). When the school supplies go on sale this summer I will definitely stock up for next year (at least 2 per child, 4 if we do math in a different one) or I might just buy a whole box of them in various colors online......If I have to use black ones I will probably put some sort of colored label on it. I have some great links for composition books but it is in a different thread called Love it! Love it! Love it! or something like that. I am just starting my third composition book and I carry it around with me everywhere. It is my brain. I save them and I refer back to them at times for old ideas I had or notes from books I took or what have you. Each one lasts me about a year and is precious to me when I am done even if it looks like a bunch of worthless notes to others. I am going to try harder this time to make it more like a bullet journal with a TOC in the front and numbered pages, but we'll see if that lasts.

yesterdaysclassics.com

I would love to make my own booklist from a variety of old sources that I can print out for my kids or put in ereaders from a few different sources. OFE, AO, and A2 all have grade levels and RC is my go-to base list and is already organized basically by difficulty level. I want to add Henty (but I know where I can get a chronological list of these) and YC. YC does have some ages next to the books but I don't know if those are read aloud levels or independent reading levels and it would be tedious to redo what has already been done somewhere else. Thanks!

I also tell mine what "grade" they are in, but of course they are all in different grade levels in their materials at home. Also, I use end of year testing (required in my state) to give us an idea of where they are academically in different areas (for instance, sometimes they are in a textbook that is lower than the grade level they are testing in). Whenever they finish a textbook or workbook or whatever they just move right into the next one. We school year round in theory and 6 days a week in theory, but of course that is not reality. When it is a good day for the beach with hubby we go! When I am overwhelmed and need to declutter the house or am not feeling well, we take off. We go on any trips we want during the year (usually only one or two as a family, but my older ones often have at least one other opportunity for travel during the year). We just go with the flow. If nothing more pressing or interesting is going on that day we do school, no matter what month or day of the week it is (not including Sunday). However, we only spend about 4 1/2 hours of time doing schoolwork per day and they read for 1 1/2 hours each night silently unless we decide to do something else as a family. This gives them plenty of time outside during the spring and summer months when there is lots of daylight because I don't make them start reading until it is dark. They also have play time in the morning before school if they have done all of their chores because we don't start our schoolwork until 12:00. This gives us maximum flexibility, and that is one of the main beauties of homeschooling :-)

1. Flashcards for phonics, numbers, math facts, cursive, spelling rules, etc. 2. Charts for number recognition, cursive, etc. (small, not on the wall) 3. Self-teaching modern texts (like Saxon Math, music theory, drawing) 4, Vintage texts for copywork, phonics, beginning spelling, oral reading, etc. (McGuffey Readers) 5. Classics (including the Bible) 6. Reference books Materials: blank index cards (for homemade flashcards and drawings that can be taped into their composition book) composition books (one for each kid for ALL their work) Skills: copywork, narration, dictation, memorization/recitation, drawing (while looking at pictures), reading for all content subjects Schedule: 12-4:30- devotion, memory work, read aloud while drawing (just made this switch and loving it), math, spelling, copywork, and music theory 1 1/2 hours of silent reading at dark (1/2 hour each of Bible, nonfiction, and fiction) Changes for next year: -Memory work folders -experiment with more specific reading list -printing of flashcards, penmanship pages, and free classic books found online or that I have bought in printable form (Robinson list, A2, OFE, AO?, YC, Henty collection) -spelling textbook for self-study for oldest two (also printable) -new music theory curriculum (just finished other one and waiting to order new one) -new way of reinforcing math facts through copywork -focus on Ancient and World History and Literature -hoping to order and use old reference sets for nonfiction and Bible reading (Book of Life, Book of Knowledge) -hoping to do more dictionary usage using older dictionaries

Ok, here's the deal. My kids already have quite a few everyday chores that we don't pay for. They are just expected. Beyond their list of regular chores, they earn chores as consequences frequently. And they are often called to help with something (like watching a sibling or going to get something in the garage, bring in groceries, or whatever) as part of every day life. We don't pay for chores anymore because it got too expensive with so many and because I HATE keeping track of things on charts for multiple kids or trying to remember who actually did what, etc. I don't want to pay by the hour because they could drag out a job for much longer than it should take. I just want to give them a job for an agreed upon amount and if they do it thoroughly enough then they get paid. Otherwise, they redo it or finish it until it meets standards. I don't necessarily care how long it takes them. We live in a rural area so there aren't that many neighbors and some of the neighbors farther down the street may be a little sketchy (plus there are scary dogs and such farther down the road) so I am not likely to send them to very many neighbors asking for work. The ones I am speaking of are 13 and 10, but my 8 year old has always been very money savvy and business-man like so I would not be surprised if he started wanting to work for money very early. The problem with anything outside of our neighborhood is that I would have to drive them there and I simply do not have the time to do that and there is plenty of work that can be done around here. Some people pay so very little for a job that an adult would be paid much more for and I am not sure that is fair, but at the same time I don't want to overpay either. I thought maybe someone had a good link. I'm thinking about things like detailing the car, scrubbing baseboards, deep cleaning tasks that are not the norm, scrubbing chicken poop off the porch and garage floor, those kinds of extras. Dishwasher unloading and laundry and mopping our house all fall under normal chores we give out based on age. I am hoping to locate a chart. I want them to get hired for a job they are motivated to do for fair pay and then for them to do it right away and get paid right away (or credited or whatever). That way they are motivated to do it and it is still helpful to our family. When they get really good at something it may be a service they can offer some neighbors or do for others when they are old enough to drive, but for now it is still a training ground and a way for them to have some money they can save or spend without expecting a weekly allowance. I hope that makes it easier to understand.

We don't do allowance anymore but my oldest kids want to earn some pocket money to spend by doing extra chores. I have no idea what different chores should be worth and I don't want to pay by the hour. I am not finding good help online. Any suggestions?

We school through the summer, but here are some projects I have on my mind: -Recover from c-section -Make memory work folders -print out classic books and bind them -print out flashcards for phonics and math facts for my 5 and 7 year olds -work on reading list plans -finish decluttering the house (almost done), my stack of papers, and all the books and school stuff in my garage -begin new music theory curriculum with the kids (probably after the baby) -help my oldest two get started on self-studying spelling (probably after the baby) -research high school homeschooling for my state (and in general) -sell curriculum My reading list: Ruth Beechick books CM Original series The Living Page Consider This Hands-Free Mama The Student Whisperer

New answer: Read Ella Frances Lynch (free online). BEST book I have ever read about why people should homeschool and how qualified they are as parents.

I forgot to say that we had been studying Latin and Greek very slowly over the last several years and although I truly enjoyed it and learned a lot, and succeeded in having at least one child enjoy Greek, they kept getting hung up on the grammar so I decided that it was best to lay aside these subjects for now and lay the foundation in grammar first. Only time will tell if this was a good decision.....I'm hoping JudoMom is right....

I JUST changed my thinking on languages based on a thread that got started here and my need to simplify EVERYTHING in my life right now. My new thinking is that I HOPE my kids will start to study other languages in the last three years of high school, if not before, but that when they do study it they will have very few other subjects on their plate (upper level math OR science if they have completed all the math books, reading, a daily writing assignment of some kind, music practice, and some form of art). That way, they can devote a good chunk of time to the study of a language and hopefully add a new one each year but complete more than one level in a year. The only language I care about them being able to speak is Spanish and I hear that takes the longest to do well, so they are going to START with that and add Latin after one year of Spanish and one year of Spanish and French together. My students who struggle may never reach the goal of studying other languages and that is ok with me. I'd rather them have studied logic and rhetoric so they can speak and write well in English first. I plan to set an example first with studying these languages myself so I can get a feel for how that is done well and what materials are best (through my own trial and error). But I have at least a year before I need to start this and probably more because my oldest is the one who struggles so she is the one I am most likely to relax about if she doesn't ever study other languages (or gets only a year of Spanish). For now, I am focusing on their spelling skills and then quickly moving my oldest two into the study of grammar. This will be great preparation for the study of other languages later.

Very helpful! Thanks, Jennifer!

Great Hymns of the Faith (bought at cbd.com)

Lyrical Science is good for science songs. They have lots of vocab in them. VP cards and songs are more Western Civ focused and CC cards are more globally focused which is why I like having both. Also CC's Timeline cards have a lot more info on them than VP cards do so they are more appropriate for older children so I also like having both so that I have one appropriate for different ages. They would work excellently for using two different sources on the same subject for an IEW paper because many cards have the same event. Has anyone used Living Memory by Andrew Campbell? I am thinking of getting this at some point and seeing if it would be good for self-study for the kids (I'm trying to make as much as possible independent over time). But it doesn't have manners or character or the gospel in it. And nothing is done by songs, which makes it easier to use individually but harder to stick in general. I am thinking of dividing everything into 24 weeks or less and then giving my kids that can read independently only the cards that go with #1 until they learn those (shooting for a month) and then the next month the next set and of course having them continue to review old cards (like on an odd/even day basis) until they end up with enough sets that they review the other ones on the day of the month it comes up. They would use the 25th to the end of the month to JUST focus on the new material. After two years they should know all the cards and just continue to review. I guess it could be done with pages instead of cards, but that might take a lot of typing on my part or a lot of flipping pages in their folder on their part. This would take memory work (besides hymns and songs we play in the car or during chores) off my plate. I'm thinking about it.....

What I meant about the vintage text was that my math is modern (Saxon) and my language arts text is vintage (McGuffey) and I usually like things to "match". But the language of vintage texts seems so much more beautiful to work with than the copywork/dictation in Hake 4 and I can't see samples of the copywork/dictation passages in higher books. Also, if I have them go through Hake they are studying grammar for years as opposed to a shorter course repeated as needed that Robinson has. Robinson's grammar book uses passages from real books and has them edit sentences stating why they made the corrections they made and also has them copy passages from real books without the punctuation and then put the punctuation in themselves and check if they got it correct. I think those are very efficient self-study methods. I could put that together myself but it would take more work and there wouldn't be an answer key. Prof K has an answer key :-) In addition, they are doing regular copywork and seeing correct punctuation, so they are absorbing that for years. If I were to use Hake I would have to find something else to use before it or something to do with the phonics cards on the discs (which need tweaking in my opinion), whereas with McGuffey I can use it from the beginning with the cards and it makes sense to me. So I am telling myself that this is the best combo right now....

I also will admit that it slightly bothers me to use a set of vintage readers and a modern set of math books but I am trying to get over that. TJEd lists McGuffey's and Saxon Math as classics. I do like that one can print off Prof K or order them online in hard copy. Same for the vocab exercises, but they come spiral bound.

Why not Ray's Higher Arithmetic?

Oh, and I meant to add YC to my booklists too. My order to print books is: RC (own it) A2 (own it) YC ($50 I think) Henty Collection ($99) OFE (free but overwhelming to choose from)

Hunter, Why Wordsworth? The prices are listed in pounds.... Also, can you tell me how you use the Handbook of Nature Study?

Hunter, I never saw the public domain curriculum, but I really like your Rainbow Curriculum. I have decided that self-teaching is really important to me and even though I greatly admire the vintage math books they seem harder for me to check answers than Saxon so I have switched to Saxon. I also still wrestle with the beauty or possible uselessness of higher level math. I have resigned to lay out a path for them and however far they get is how far they get. They will get what they need for life after homeschool or they will know what to do if they didn't (in other words, they will know where they left off on the path). I will require consumer math or whatever you want to call it no matter what before graduation as I SO wish I had had that. I don't see much point in them trying to study higher level science until they have completed higher level math and will only require them to do bare minimum work to get whatever credits they need to graduate if they aren't going to complete calculus. I have also decided that classics and older books are where I need to focus for silent reading and probably read aloud too. We have always done classics, but I haven't required it as much as I plan to in the future. I think the time spent in older books pays off big time in their writing and vocabulary. I am going to focus on RC, A2, and OFE booklists (there is a lot of overlap I think) and old encyclopedias. Someone recently posted the difference in the entries from 1954 and the 1980s and it was remarkable!! I can't wait for them to explore with older encyclopedias. I am experimenting with McGuffey's still for copywork and beginning spelling and phonics (with the sounds from SWR). I am testing my oldest three through the all the early readers that have words at the top (Primer through Lesson 39 in the Third Reader) and making them copy sentences that include the words they miss. If they miss two words from a lesson they have to copy the whole lesson. My fourth one is just going lesson by lesson spelling each word, sound, and phrase and then having her copy the lesson. My fifth one is only working with the sounds from Lesson 1 of the Primer right now and reading words on index cards that we built with the six sounds from the first lesson. When those are easy I will add the sounds from the second lesson and so on. When she has mastered writing her letters she will go back and begin copying from the lessons. When my kids finish all the words in the readers they will begin Prof K spelling that comes with the Robinson Curriculum in a self-study fashion by making index cards for every homonym phrase and set of words. They will separate what they find easy and what they find difficult. I will test them out of what is easy and then they will study what is difficult until they think they are ready to pass it with me. When they finish mastering spelling of these basic words, I will move them onto grammar using the book in Robinson. It uses an interesting method of having the students correct sentences from real literature and then explain what was wrong with each sentence and also copying passages from old books with no punctuation and then looking at it and putting the punctuation in and checking to see how they did. And there is an answer key! If these two books don't fly in this house then I will probably go back to square one with Hake for awhile. Brookdale House recently came to my attention so I am looking at their stuff out of curiosity, but for now I want to see if I can rely on what is on my Robinson discs. I would love to be able to recommend a $200 product to Moms and confirm that it has at least ALMOST all that is needed. The phonics cards have some issues, but I could easily write a supplement explaining those and what to do about it because of my work with SWR. I may end up adding Frank Lybrand's writing course or using that little set of three writing helps from Rod and Staff OR going back to TWSS with my A&F and VP cards as models. But I don't even want to think about composition until they have finished studying spelling and basic grammar. I tried really hard to like the vintage texts for language arts but I just don't think I will actually use Harvey's or PLL/ILL. The former because it isn't spiral enough for me and the latter because the lessons are so varied that it would be hard for me to be consistent. I like each day to look very similar. Ok, I have to go but I wanted to update where I am right now: Saxon Math, McGuffey's Revised, and RC/A2/OFE booklists.