I don't think it is a silly question at all :001_smile: I just think that if it were my dd6, she needs all the practice she can get and cutting her narrations in half would not help her. Also, we do narrations together with dd6 and ds4 for science (he insists!) ;) and I know he simply mimics dd a lot of the time. Another suggestion would just let one do a narration first for WWE that day and then someone else do a narration for something else that day (history, science) first, that way they are both getting narration practice daily....

Have you shopped much at Target? I admit, I often look on the Pottery Barn website, get ideas and then head over to Target to find something similar for a fraction of the cost.

Can you just read the passage and then send one out of the room for a few minutes? and do the narrations separately?

Thanks for the suggestions! :)

Would this be a good start?

Thanks, I having been wondering what I will use for ds next year for K, and really for now as I would like to start doing more with him. I was thinking about just getting some Cusenaire rods to start "playing" now (since I am about to place a RR order anyway) and then starting him in the Miquon orange book in the Fall. (Is using the Miquon orange book for K reasonable?) I think both ds and dd would benefit from playing with c-rods at this point. Any suggestions on which to buy? wood vs plastic? (sorry, totally hijacking here!) :o

Thanks for posting this! I am Miquon curious, and really just have been intimidated bc it seems complicated. However, I love the idea, and your post may just be the nudge I needed to do some more reading! :)

there is a contact us form, also a live chat help, and a number on the page you can call. They are very helpful. :)

The new maya wraps are padded only on the shoulder, not on the rails. Is the shoulder narrow (maybe 5" or so?) or more spread out? I think they changed the shoulder in 2006 maybe?

Is it one of the "older" style Maya Wraps or the new padded shoulder? If it is one of the older ones, I would invest in another (but not the ones you are looking at) :tongue_smilie: I couldn't have survived without a good ringsling (or 5...or 10) :leaving: sleepingbaby.net is a great resource. Not only are they affordable, but if you have an older Maya Wrap she rodoes the shoulders for not too much... If you have a newer padded shoulder, those are easier to use...

Only half?!? :001_huh: :lol:

Yes, SOTW text by itself would be kind of dry. Do you have the AG? That definitely helps. Also, do your dc like lapbooking? I have found that to help add another dimension, but also a great way to review.

The hits or misses threads are always interesting, and I like reading what has and hasn't worked and why. However, I am also interested in what almost didn't work but then we tried _________. I have recently had a few of those and (for the moment) ;) we are content with those changes. 1. Math Mammoth. I love it but it just wasn't working well. I was afraid dd needed more practice (yes I know shocking with all those threads about how tedious MM is!) :tongue_smilie: To finish up 1B and start 2A we are slowing down, realizing dd does not necessarily need more problems, she needs more "time" with a concept. Now we are doing 1 to 1.5 pgs a day, mostly 1, and have added in Right Start Games and that has provided a little of a "spiral" aspect, providing more practice but not more worksheets, and a little more "fun" to math. So far it is working really well. 2. SOTW. It was almost a complete flop here, but we have mixed it with VP history and are settling into a history we are enjoying. DD loves the timeline song/cards aspect, I appreciate the Biblical emphasis, yet we still have the benefit of the narrative style of SOTW (and the parts of the world VP does not cover) and the great AG. Anyone else manage to turn something around that wasn't working by tweaking/supplementing???

Is it the writing they are not so happy with? I read somewhere that someone printed labels of the all the things they were to mark and then the dc can just add the label instead of writing...

If he is getting it, there is no reason to do every problem, skip what is not needed. I know some mix in the time and clock sections, spacing them out to go along with the addition/subtraction offering more constant review along with some variety. We have not started 2 yet (will start it on Friday) but just a few weeks ago I had considered switching math programs as well. I like MM, I like the way the material is presented, but dd was not "getting" it. We would camp on one section for a few days (doing about 2 pages a day) but I realize dd needs to spend more "time" on a concept. Not more problems, just more time. So we are spreading it out a little more. 1- 1.5 pgs a day and adding in the Right Start games to solidify what we are working on, along with a little math drill (songs, skip counting, and games). We only started this last week, but the variety and change has led to a serious change in dd's attitude towards math. We are spending more "time" on a topic and she can grapple with it for several days instead of 1-2 days and I am seeing a big difference here. Not sure if that helps at all, but it is our experience! ;)

Thanks! I had been on the fence about ordering and just did! :001_smile:

:grouphug: So sorry. People are clueless :glare: Both my brother and sister have adopted children and not only are they viewed and treated as completely part of our family (not doing so never occurred to anyone ever) but we feel privileged to have the gift of adoption in our family, and am so glad my children get to have adoption in their lives and see the beautiful thing this it is. The other day my sister had her dd's friend's mom comment almost annoyed that she NEVER KNEW her dd was adopted. My sister was :001_huh: like she is supposed to where a sign?!? When she told me, I looked at her dd and smiled, and said, "sure, a sign that says 'CHOSEN'. ;)

Don't have a lot of time right now, but I just wanted to share a little about what our family does. Every year for about the last 8-9 years, we have spent Christmas overseas on a family mission trip. I work with an organization that takes an annual Christmas family mission trip. We work as a family (no age limits) visiting churches, doing VBS's in schools, working in orphanages. It is amazing, and the one year we didn't go, we seriously regretted it. We involve our extended family in friends by many of them "adopting" a child from the orphanage and filling a backpack with clothes and toys for them. Many who are not able to travel with us help in this way and it is such a great ministry to be a part of. Christmas will never be the same once you implement something like this. It is awesome! Also, my sister who has not been able to travel with us the last few years has done service project weeks locally, nursing homes, shelters, etc If/when we are not able to go overseas for Christmas, we will do something like this as well.

We are just getting started trying to organize memory work. Right now we focus a lot on Scripture and Biblical fact memory (Old and New Testament books, 12 sons of Jacob, 15 judges, Apostles, Bible book summary cards, Bible time line are some we have learned/are learning this year in our Bible curriculum.) We also memorize the poems in FLL, math facts, and I will be adding a few more poems this year, as well as some prayers (from prayer book). We will also be learning the Veritas Press history cards timeline/song. In future years we will add historical documents and key speeches, and I am sure so much more. Right now, I do want to focus on a strong Biblical foundation. I also plan to buy the geography songs CD's as well as Lyrical Life science to add in at some point. :)

You will probably get different opinions. I think it really depends on your dc. We use both WWE and HWOT and I don't think it is too much...

:bigear: SO need this thread! Lately, I rely A LOT on dh. However, I do need/want to get more done during the week because it takes such a chunk out of the weekend. A few things we are working on that have been helpful. 10 minute pick up before school in the morning (all kids pick up toys/clothes etc) I straighten our room/bathroom and put in a load of laundry. breakfast/Bible time. The last 5-7 minutes the kids listen to their memory verses on CD and finish their Bible coloring page, and I take this time to clean up b-fast dishes and straighten the Kitchen. I usually switch that one load of laundry in the afternoon when I put the baby down for her nap. (laundry room is upstairs with the bedroom which is helpful, just not when I need laundry to be a quick when I have a sec thing) :glare: 10 minute pick up before dinner (all help). This helps "maintain" but does nothing for the deep cleaning. We do this on Fri evening or sat.

From what I understand, much of the writing/copywork was taken out of FLL since WWE came out. The new FLL and WWE complement each other while the old FLL (done as is) would be doubling up on writing if you were using WWE.

:grouphug: So sorry! hoping for soon for you!

so glad to know! We just started it and I was wondering! ;)

I was living in another state than my parents, dh and I had already talked about marriage, we knew we were just waiting on him meeting my parents and asking my dad. We picked them up at the airport, headed to run an errand, and while I was in the building he asked my dad. :001_smile: He said doing it the first night was the only way to surprise me :tongue_smilie: It was simply a traditional formality for us...