We use Ray's and I really love it. We're into the Intellectual and Practical books now, which Hunter mentioned above should be used together. I love how there is plenty of review and we can take all the time we need to solidify understanding of each concept. I like to use cuisinaire rods as well, along with the videos at educationunboxed.com. Ds doesn't particularly like to use the rods because he says they make it too easy and he feels like he's not figuring out the answers himself. Go figure :) but they're a big help to me as the teacher because at least if I understand I'm better able to help him understand. One other thing I love about Ray's is that I don't feel pressure to finish a particular book or a particular set of lessons in a given year. We just move through the books at a pace that's comfortable for us and there's no "deadline" to go out and buy the next grade level.

The book is definitely a wonderful introduction to CM, that's not in the least watered down nor is it someone's personal interpretation of her works. Miss Glass lays out the why behind Charlotte Mason's methods and is true to the spirit of her works. I highly highly recommend. So glad others have liked it too!

Maybe you're mixing up the idea of perfect execution with her advice to only listen to a reading once before narrating? Just a thought, I could be off :) I love CM and I see so much that's good in her philosophy. I think she was a very wise educator who was able to help a lot of people, both in her own time and now. But I seriously doubt that she was as rigid as sometimes comes across from the AO forums. The reason they come across as rigid though, is because the explicit purpose for the existence of the forum is to help people understand CM's methods and philosophy and their application to the curriculum that AO has put together. Sometimes I find it frustrating, but it helps me to let it go when I remember the purpose of the forum. Personally, the number one reason I like to post there is because I love the book discussions. :) AO is ONE way to implement CM's philosophy, but it's certainly not the only way. I rely heavily on their book list, but not completely. I prefer to read CM for myself and use and apply what works for many family and leave what doesn't work. We use SWR for spelling, and8filltheheart's Treasured Conversations for writing. We drill for math daily and we do nature study when we can and when we feel like it. I've thought many times about using AO completely to simplify my planning process, but when it comes right down to it, I just can't because I have strong opinions about some of the book choices and I am content with what we are doing already anyway. So I've made peace with just using AO as resource to draw from rather than a curriculum that I'm bound to follow.

I had no trouble getting there just now. Is this the address you used? http://www.educationunboxed.com/

And fwiw, I think Dr. Thorley's review totally missed the point. He's quibbling about definitions and fails to see the potential this book has to help people see how and where CM and her methods fit into the classical tradition. eta: I know that definitions are important, but the things that Dr. Thorley takes issue with are not at the heart of the matter, and that's why I didn't care for his review.

I really think that it will always be individual. Like mentioned above you can't point to a specific age when every person will be ready for analytic thinking. I suppose there could be a range of what's "normal", but then again it's probably not best to think even in age ranges because it's still too easy to get stuck on what a child is supposed to be doing within a given age range instead of actually seeing the child you have in front of you.

Exactly. Personally I prefer wraps over every other type of carrier. I have too many. :lol: But I have tried putting them on while seated and it is really a pain in the butt! Plus I've found that not everyone who wants a carrier is interested in pushing past the steeper learning curve that exists for wrapping.

I agree, that's why I suggested a mei tai first. It's just as secure as a wrap, but a lot less fabric to have to deal with.

My suggestion would be a mei tai or possibly a shoulder sling. A wrap would probably be too difficult to maneuver in and out of from the chair. The shoulder sling would be easiest to get on and off, but when you bend over it would swing away from your body and without an extra hand to support that could be dangerous. Here are a couple links: http://meitaibaby.com/gallery.html http://slinglings.com ETA: the slingling link doesn't seem to be valid anymore, but you could look at a ring sling which would essentially work the same way. In fact it might even be better because it's adjustable. But like I said before it will swing away from your body when you bend over.

For us this is when we do content. So daily we do: Prayers Bible reading/lives of the saints Calendar Memory work Exercise Then each day of the week has a different subject Monday: history (ancient) Tuesday: art/music Wednesday: nature study Thursday: geography Friday: American history I also try to fit in some Spanish a couple times per week, though it's not always tied to a particular day and I try to include some short fun read aloud to help them practice their narration skills a little. My eldest has to narrate on his own at other times as well, but I'm finding that my 6yo needs the support of doing it together for now.

We have our morning basket/circle time in the mornings and do everything together. My 2 &4 year olds participate if they feel like (usually the 2yo just plays nearby, or sits on my lap or talks so loud that everything is disrupted! :lol: ). But I save one-on-one work for the afternoons when 2yo goes down for her nap. At least.... that's what WAS working. Now she has started getting out of her bed during naptime and my energy has been so low and my back/hip pain has been so bad with this pregnancy, I haven't had the stamina to get her back up the stairs and enforce the time in her room. I'm going to need a new strategy now. Drat! :glare:

SWR is actually very open and go - you (general you) just have to take the time to learn how to use it :) It's like Ellie said above - all of the programs mentioned require some advance study on the teacher's part, but that's not an ongoing thing. Once you know what you're doing it's very easy to implement whichever one you've chosen to use.

This is what I recall hearing the first time around. I just couldn't remember if it was a major deal or just a caution kind of thing. Since I do wake up several times a night now I guess I'll probably be fine just repositioning when I do. It's funny how the first time I wanted to know EVERYTHING and now I'm kind of like "meh... I can't really be bothered to try and remember the details." :lol: Thanks for the reminder. It worked out fine the first 3 times, but last time the hospital had just changed computer systems, so not only did they not have my birth plan, they didn't even have me registered! :thumbdown: I was in transition by the time I got there and it was so so annoying (to put it mildly) to have to answer questions and explain that I wasn't having an IV and all my other preferences. Fortunately they DID know that I was having a water birth, so that was something. I'm actually looking forward to doing that a second time... it was heavenly! (Relatively speaking, that is ;) )

So it's not really something to stress over then? That's a relief. :) I never really thought about it with any past pregnancies because I was always a side sleeper and I never rolled onto my back. Do you think it would be pretty likely that I'll start to feel uncomfortable if it's been longer than is good for baby?

I keep finding myself waking up on my back after I've gone to sleep on my side. I've heard all about how it's not so great to be on your back for too long, especially as the baby gets bigger. Is this really an issue to be concerned about or is it not really a big deal? Thanks for any input :)

These look delicious! I can't wait to try them. Thanks for sharing this!

Thanks for this link. My mom has been asking me for ages what magazine she could buy a subscription for for the kids, but we already get Nature Friend and I hadn't looked yet into what else might be out there.

RootAnn answered your questions well. The only thing I would add is that if you do end up buying it, don't let yourself get bogged down in the teacher's manual. Do read it, but the very best way to learn how to teach SWR is to dive in and do it once you have read the section on how dictation works. You can ease into it slowly and add the enrichment activities later when you're comfortable with how it works. Once you do get the hang of it it's very open and go, no prep needed, but if you choose to use it give yourself the time to get used to it.

following. In desperate need of ideas here!

I'm not sure if she'll post everything on her current blog or start a new one, but if the link changes I'll be sure to update here.

I have a friend who is planning to brush up on her own Greek and plans to blog about it by making lesson plans and resources available as she develops a course of sorts. She won't be starting until January, but it will be a free resource available and I'm sure that the more followers she has the more motivated she'll be to continue and complete the course. http://malheure.blogspot.com/2014/12/new-blog-idea.html

This book is absolutely a must have book about St. Nicholas. Gorgeous illustrations and the story behind the legends: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Christmas-Dennis-Eugene-Engleman/dp/1928653154/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417574397&sr=1-6

I've been trying to work through Mounce, but it's not going very well. The text is dry and there's too much crammed into each chapter. I feel like there's got to be something out there that's better. I hope you get some suggestions! :bigear:

I can't really say what would be ideal for others, but for my family this is what we've done and will continue to do for the upcoming k-2 crowd: SWR Ray's Arithmetic used with cuisinaire rods and Education Unboxed. Nature study (which in our house means keeping a nature notebook together and learning about all the various animals, plants, weather patterns, bugs, etc that catch our interest.) and finally lots of reading. Fairy tales, tall tales, classic children's lit, poetry, beautiful picture books, etc.

I only just noticed that requirement this year. :leaving: I hadn't really "seen" it before, even though I'd read the paperwork - it just never registered. But like Carolyn said above, there's a lot of things that would actually count as school that you might not include in your initial assessment because it doesn't look like seat work. But really it's not likely that you'll be asked for a record of hours logged.