We do this here too...lots of sensory breaks. It makes the day a bit longer but we couldn't get through the day without them.

We used these with Phonics Pathways this summer and they turned out nice. I have to agree though, had I to do it over again, I would have printed them on different cardstock. The idea about the sharpies is a great one!

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I think the answer to this question depends a lot on the reasons you homeschool, the potential school that your children would be entering, and your children themselves. I took a two year sabbatical and put my children in the public school system. Had I the chance to do it over again, I would not do it again. However, I did get the break that I needed; somewhat. It's not the break you would think. There is the morning rush, the afternoon homework, evening reading, getting ready for the next day, etc. I've also seen how is squelched my son's ever-inquisitive desire for learning. It took us all summer for him to get this back. Depending on your beliefs, if you are homeschooling for religious reasons, it is difficult to find time in the day to impart those values and teachings into your day. Unlearning bad habits and "social skills" that they pick up at PS is something else that I found was taking up a lot of my time. Unfortunately, one of my children also dealt with a lot of bullying...some children deal with this, some don't. My son had so much anxiety about this that he started developing physical issues from it. Cost is another factor to consider. School fees, clothing, supplies, extra-curricular fees, trip fees, lunches, you name it. I was constantly putting money out for something. If you think that homeschooling books are expensive, it is nothing compared to sending a child to school. What is right for one family may not be right for another and each family has to weigh the pros and cons considerably. However, watching the school bus go by longingly as we do some days when they are rough, we need to keep in mind that the grass is not greener on the other side. I've seen both sides.

All of my children went through these! We thoroughly enjoyed these! :)

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Found these great scientific method printables yesterday when I was trolling the net. Hope it is ok if I put the link here: http://www.thecraftyclassroom.com/HomeschoolPrintablesScientificMethod.html

The Sonlight reading list for the grade-level your child is reading at is helpful for finding reading books at the library.

Yes. I never feel like I can let my guard down.

My son is on the spectrum with adhd and ocd. Today we were enjoying a perfectly fine day outside and he was happily riding on his scooter. All of a sudden he got it into his mind to wash the van in the complex parking lot. All I said was "no". As I was trying to explain why, he immediately started spinning out of control into a meltdown, started hitting my van with his scooter and was screaming at the top of his lungs. I could barely get him into the house because he was so out of control, screaming and wouldn't let go of the scooter. It took a half hour of calming measures to get him under control. Some days, like today are so difficult. I never know what look, word or blow of the wind will set him off. :(

I was forced on a GF diet recently due to health issues. You are right, the prices are outrageous! I stick pretty much to healthy meats, fruits and vegetables without trying to replace the breads too much. I found that most of them don't fill my appetite for bread anyway since there is so much difference in taste and texture. I do add nuts and nut chips for crunchy snacks. One thing that I found helpful was a suggestion by a friend to use Chex cereal as a replacement for a lot of cooking needs. You can crush them and add them to many things, as a coating, even eat the chocolate ones as a snack! Once you get use to living without all the bread and pasta, it becomes a lifestyle and a little bit easier to live with. The thing that I find hard to acclimate to is all of the little things that have gluten in them that nobody would even suspect such as condiments, soups and ice cream.

I really like Evan-Moor's book, Paragraph Writing

WOW! I have run into some really rude people over the years but that one takes the cake! :grouphug: so sorry you had to deal with this today. And your poor daughter too!

I started one this year because: 1. as someone mentioned, I'm tired of talking to myself ;) 2. we are embarking on a new time of our lives since all of the older children have now graduated and/or are out of the house. It's a special time with me and the youngest one. 3. I felt that I had something to share after so many years of homeschooling and homeschooling with special needs children 4. I feel like I need to keep my brain active. Thinking about what I am going to write to someone that I don't know has been good for the old brain.

I keep hearing great things about Hannah's HS help but cannot find the website...does anyone have the link?

I'm looking for the same thing. I can't have anything permanent on my walls since we aren't staying here for long, so I don't want a wall line. Looking at all the notebook timelines makes me dizzy. Glad you started this thread!

The OneNote idea is great! I have a ton of sticky notes in my lesson plan book as to what I was going to throw into the workboxes. OneNote would be much simpler! I totally forgot about it!! Thank you! :D

Homeschooling a houseful of special needs children for 18 years, I can appreciate the advice given above. She did a great job of outlining it for you. And as many have said, your son is only four. Boys sometimes just need a little more time to develop their skills. We wrote on/with lots of things. I taped butcher paper to the wall and let them write letters on that. We wrote in oatmeal, sand, beans and sugar. We used play-dough, pipe cleaners, wikki stix, yarn, and even pasta-covered paper. To write on, we had white boards, black boards, laminated pages, papered walls, and more. The more sensory input, the better.

I think we all have to look at our schedules at a lens of reality to see what we can really do with our time, our energy and sense of family. As other posters have said, your children are only 5. That is a lot of activity for such young children and takes a lot of energy and time away from the home. If your heart is telling you to let something go, perhaps you should drop something. My own schedule had to be revamped recently for the very same reason. I wanted my son to have plenty of social outlets but then I realized that we would have trouble actually getting his school work done. Not to mention the time it would take to re-group once he got home. Driving time to get to an event, time home, time to get ready, that all has to be included as well. As parents, we want to do the very best for our children and sometimes it is difficult to find that balance between home life and outside activities. I pray that you find what is best for your family.

A great site for holidays is http://dltk-kids.com/ and http://dltk-teach.com/. They have a lot of printables, activities and craft ideas! Lots of fun.

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Well, like Aime, I can't teach when my house is a mess either. Immediately after we are done schooling, I clean up the house in the afternoon. I do another quick pick-up before I go to bed in the evening. I can also relate to the op regarding projects. I would totally go off onto rabbit trails if I allowed myself. We start school at 8:00 sharp...period. That is non-negotiable. If we have any appointments that day, school starts as soon as we get home. Those tend to be the days that I can get distracted. By keeping to my schedule, I have plenty of time in the late afternoon and evenings to work on my projects or anything else that I need to do. If I really get into it, I still have the night ahead. This way, I'm not taking up any valuable school time.

I've used both through the years. Ordinary Parent's Guide is scripted while Phonics Pathways is not. With OPG, you are getting step-by-step what to do. With Phonics Pathways, you get sounds and then words to go through with the child. I use phonics tiles to have my son build out the words on a white board (much like OPG). I personally like Phonics Pathways and have been using this summer for remediation with my son. However, many people on the board have been very happy with OPG and appreciate that it is scripted. Perhaps one of them will jump in here.

I use it to supplement my son's curriculum. He is in 2nd, entering 3rd. We used it a lot over the summer. I believe it is worth the $20.00 as long as your printer doesn't eat up a lot of ink. ;)