From the MM User's Guide (pacing section): "When you have a page or two filled with lots of similar practice problems ("drill") or large sets of problems, feel free to only assign 1/2 or 2/3 of those problems. If your child "gets it" with less amount of exercises, then that is perfect! If not, you can always assign him/her the rest of the problems some other day. In fact, you could even use these unassigned problems the next week or next month for some additional review." However, I agree with the PP who said to do as much as the student will tolerate unless they know their addition and subtraction facts cold. the concept is easier to "get" than getting the facts down pat. Also, I think a lot of early math facts need to be "gotten" at different levels and in different ways over time and that just takes time. If you cut the drills, you might instead do some of the problems with manipulatives. With my eldest, we practiced multiplication and division using "bunny math": feeding imaginary bunnies with carrots (dividing them, seeing how many we needed, etc). I've fed a lot of leggos to a lot of stuffed animals! :lol: If she ever got stuck on a problem, I'd rephrase it in terms of bunnies and carrots and she'd get it right away.

:iagree: (mostly). :D Dyslexia is not a single disease or experience, it is more like a symptom that something is "different" about how that person perceives or processes sounds and/or writing. Because of that, dyslexia encompasses a wide variety of situations and can have very different manifestations and causes in different people -- all within the umbrella diagnosis of "dyslexia". To further confuse things, there are lots of comorbid conditions that can occur with dyslexia (but are not dyslexia themselves). There is no consensus on the cause of dyslexia. There is no cure, but since there are such different flavors of dyslexia, different programs and strategies will work for different folks. Maybe flavors is a good word. If someone asked you what ice cream tasted like, one person might describe chocolate, another strawberry, another vanilla. They all have a lot in common, they are all ice cream, but they are also different.

Prepared slides are VERY NICE to have since most are not things you'll be preparing yourself, like stained thin slices of dog heart muscle or frog lungs. Your kid wants to see the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell -- bang, you got it already. The multi-colored staining (showing, for example, different plant parts) is very nice. Making your own slides is a great activity, but more for the High School aged crowd. Plus, when you can get 100 prepped slides of unimaginable variety (I got the amscope HSing set E) for under $50, hard to beat!

By ALL do you mean all 150? Or a subset of the more common ones? I'm curious what folks will say. I'd be inclined to just use the lists for games -- spelling lists, and how about a madlib like game where one person makes up a subject and simple predicate (or back and forth), you draw a preposition from a deck, and then have to finish the sentence with it? I would think there are all sorts of ways of exposing them to prepositions (beyond on/of/for) without memorizing them, but I am all :bigear: !!

Ha! You are not alone! DH and I are both introverts (and gratefully our 3 kids all seem to be, but the younger 2 are social introverts). I see a lot of the activities people are doing with their kids and it absolutely boggles my mind! There is NO WAY I could remain sane doing that much! I never schedule more than one thing (even a Drs appt) during a day. Our kids do ONE activity a week, the same activity for all. As another poster put it, they benefit more from a calm sane mommy than any activity they might do! Some thrive on all the activity, but do whatever works for you and lots of (even 2) activities isn't for everyone. If you're like me it's hard sometimes to remember that when I'm feeling guilty they are missing out on doing class X or activity Y. That's when dh is great about reminding me that it's OK not to be busy. :D

First, deep breath. We can't change the past, only learn from it. Don't fret about where you think you "should" be. Start over and say this is where I am, that is where I want to be, and plot a new course. As it's often said, "life (and HSing) is a marathon, not a sprint". I'm in a similar place with DH recently changing schedules (used to be home by lunch, now is gone 12hr a day, 3 days a week). It is more of an adjustment than I expected! Start from square one. Think about why you are homeschooling. Open up to different possibilities and try to write out what your idea daily/weekly schedule would be. How about schooling weekend mornings early, have a family breakfast or activity, and after 1pm the kiddos can do their independent work. That would give you 2 weekdays DH is home FREE to really enjoy. Re-evaluate your activities and TRIM. Look at your curriculum, what is really important to you? What could DH teach? If he's a nurse, maybe he could take over science (and the experiments which take a lot of planning) -- just HAND IT OVER. That was tough for me to do, but it ended up being great family time twix dh and the kids! Take the time to plan your time. Stop trying to do it all -- if dh is supportive, then get him involved. Men tend to do best with clear well-defined "jobs" and expectations. Do you need him to help one child while you work with another? Drive the kids around to activities? Since he's home in the am, maybe you can have some worksheets ready for the kiddos, he can watch them, and you can go do your planning with a hot cup of coffee in a different part of the house. I don't know what will work best for you, but step back, get dh involved (he may see things you don't) and have faith in yourself and your family. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but just take it a step at a time. That's all any of us can do!

I'm faced with a similar situation (1st and 3rd). IMO science is an easy subject to work at different levels. I'd combine them. A lot of physics is based on experience in the physical world, so a 1st grader can understand that. Younger one can draw a pic of the exp while the older one writes a report or takes data. Experiments are cool at any age, :D. I'm a scientist, but wouldn't want to have to run 2 separate "classes" and sets of experiments.

<bump> Considering one myself. Word from a microscope board was positive.

We school 7 days/wk year round, but on a given day we do as much or as little as we need and take days off here and there. Science and math will be more about cooking for the rest of the month. :D That said if my home was a full or busy as yours over the holidays, I'd take the whole 2 weeks off, too! :party:

:iagree: HWT has words in it -- I'd start with those. And groups of phonics words (mat, cat, etc). I wouldn't worry about starting a "program" -- just use lists of words that are useful or interesting. When they show up on a spelling list later they'll be review. ;) When DD#1 was in K she was reading and wanted to do spelling so I had her come up with a list of 10 words she wanted to spell. She chose animals, many were hard (giraffe, elephant, monkey, etc) but she was determined. I had her use those words for her handwriting practice (she had completed HWT-K) and posted the list in big print on the fridge. She looked at it every day and practiced. I had her work just on a couple at a time and we put stars by the ones she knew. Every now and then I'd reprint the list in a different order. It took a month or two, but she learned them all and was proud of her accomplishment.

Not everyone's goal is to curl up with Cicero. Do I really expect to be able to do a better translation after a few years of study than an "expert"? Especially since I can easily find evaluations of that translation from other "experts". ;) Some of us want to study latin with the WTM goals of learning how to learn ANY language (latin being one not spoken), improve SAT scores, pep for learning a romance language later.... Need to consider WHY a family is studying latin. The "best" curriculum for a person planning on pursuing a graduate degree in classical lang&lit may not be the best for a family just interested in more casual study of latin. The OP seemed to be interested in something to feed the interest of her latin-voracious dc. Is she interested in keeping it fun or being rigorous? Is her dc going to be "ruined" forever if the curriculum isn't prepping her for college latin studies?

Math problems can be a lot like a walk through the woods. Some kids want to stay on the path and see where they are headed at all times. Others like to forage fearlessly off through the back-country confident that sooner of later they'll get where're their headed but determined to enjoy the sights along the way. The second group are the folks to whom math is their native language and theyll tend to succeed in any curriculum by their sheer willingness to wallow in it. However, most kids are in the first group. :D A lot of kids either: (1) get paralyzed by step 1 if they can't immediately see all steps, or (2) if they don't see the solution path immediately they figure they won't get the answer right so why bother. In either case, perhaps it would be helpful to (1) give her a set procedure to work the problem, and (2) a clear understanding that even if she doesn't know the answer and/or where to start you expect her to list what she DOES know. For example, for EVERY problem you might require her to: (1) state the problem, (2) list what you need to solve for, (3) list the data you have, (4) list the assumptions you are making, and (5) list what you need to find out to solve the problem (intermediate solutions). You might require her to do that EVERY problem or you wouldn't even grade it. You might want to ask "What type of problem is this?" Customize for your situation. The idea is to force ehr to think about the problem and (maybe) get past the paralysis (like writer's block?) rathe rthan writing "help". ;)

For decoding, I like the 100 EZ lessons approach, if it sounds out "saw-id" you recognize the word is really said. Learned to read that way my 7yo automatically new how to spell "said" -- I guess that would be the "think to spell" idea, but in this case rooted in learning phonetic decoding and then using that when they encode? As to the whole schwa thing -- I virtually don't use them. Never have. I say the spelled vowel, just muted. So it *sounds* like a schwa (close enough no one has ever noticed), but the position of my tongue in my mouth matches the spelled vowel (lips may form a schwa). If that makes sense. So when I sound out the word in my head, my tongue remembers how to spell it! :lol: Similarly, it wasn't until I started teaching spelling that I found out that "tch" and "ch" are supposed to sound the same! :tongue_smilie: I remember being in 3rd grade and learning to spell words like "batch" and ever since I put my tongue in the "t" position before making the "ch" sound. Doesn't sound any different, but I always know how to spell it! Again, none of this was "taught" I just figured no one would stick a letter in if you weren't supposed to say it! I think my DDs are picking it up from me, though. Of course, sight words (aka most commonly used words in english) are mostly memorization.

I think you've gotten some great suggestions. All I'll add is the suggestion to cut deep to whatever you feel is core (plus consider Sat lessons, maybe half-day?) and re-evaluate in 2 weeks. If you aren't making up ground, cut deeper. If you feel like you are getting traction, keep at it. Personally, things like Day School and Co-op I'd seriously consider shelving until you are back on track. It's hard to let go to "the plan" and activities, but the sooner and most completely you cut back, the sooner you'll be back on track and the sooner you will stop feeling so stressed. It's easier to cut out those activities and add them back in when/if things get under control that to try half-measures and get even FARTHER behind, more stressed, and HAVE to give them up. kwim? You can do it! Have faith in yourself and your kids. If they don't get all the depth of history.etc this year, they will next time around! Deep breaths and remember you can only go from where you are, so don't sweat the "where I should be-s". Draw a new map and go!

My office/craft room doubles as the "big kid toy room" when the older kids need somewhere to play with non-toddler-proof stuff.

I think this is an issue of globalization. It used to be that to be successful as a small business you just had to be the best at X in your local area. Now as a start up you're competing with mega-corps employing workers in foreign countries at dollars per day, no training, no health care, no safety requirements. Our trade agreements have done away with tariffs without requiring anything that would amount to a "level playing field" for US companies. During those same years we've seen just about all manufacturing leave this country. It used to be "made in the USA" then "assembled in the USA" -- you don't even see those anymore. Even tech isn't safe -- tons of well educated foreigners (often come here for grad school) and even the big companies aren't safe from China's reverse engineering (google China Siemens and rail). They sue China in international court, but what does that do? Nothing. We roll over because they hold our debt from the war. So, how can a young person be excited at the thought of starting a new business in that environment? All that's left is services that cannot be outsources. Fun.

:iagree: Thanks for posting this -- saved me some grief later. I hadn't thought about what happens AFTER SSL, but we might as well start with where we're going.

If you are also using SOTW and other sources, is Usborne REALLY needed? Looks too light and babyish, even for my 7yo (who is used to reading adult references). I really like the look of DK, but probably too hard. Could I use Kingfisher in the first cycle and skip Usborne? Anyone else do this? What level is HO? I'm thinking of using the same level next year for a (fairly advanced) 1st and 3rd grader. My 2nd grader is finishing middle ages now, so plan to cover early modern starting in Jan and restart the cycle for both kiddos in Sep. Any suggestions? :bigear: Pearls of wisdom always welcome! :lol:

I guess it depends on whether you want to be in the under $30K crowd or not. Folks, if our population was steady (or rather, jobs avail) then 100% of the jobs of the future would be filling slots open by attrition (death, retirement, etc). So that 95% of NEW jobs is only meaningful if you know how many NEW jobs will be created. If there were 10% more jobs in 20 years, that 95% would be (.1*.95)/(.1+1) = 8.6% more of jobs would be lower paying is a FAR CRY from saying 95% of jobs would be low paying! Also, if the AVERAGE debt is $20K, that doesn't mean that your kid has to run up that kind of bill. That's skewed by kids living on campus from families who don't qualify for financial aid or scholarships. A college degree will help you earn more, even at a lower skilled job (bachelor's degrees in practical still pay for themselves quickly). It's very difficult to go back to school once you have kids, mortgages, etc. I have a friend without degrees (hard working, very smart, with skills) who makes the same pay as he did in the 1980s. A bachelor's degree in just about anything would double his salary. And I have NO idea how you got to "corporate owned government." Also, all of this starts with an important word: IF. As in, IF you don't want this to be the future for your child, don't let those "corporate owned" congressmen distract you -- what's good for corporate companies is not necessarily good for americans! How many cheap plastic toys do you need? But I digress... So, if you want to throw your hands up and write off college, that's your choice. More high paying jobs for my kids, right? :D For my kids, college isn't an option, it's an expectation. Even if they become stay at home parents, I believe a college education is worth more than the increase in income it brings. After all, we homeschool skils beyond their immediate "needs". I guess that's part of the intangibles of an education.

We're in the same (or similar) boat as I'm searching for groups around here in a conservative Christian area. I think a lot depends on you. Given you studies of genetics it's possible the evolution-deniers will drive you nuts. I guess your DH could always RX something for that (jk). HSing is currently predominately fundamentalist christians, so as you found out it can be tough to find a local secular or science-friendly group. I'd suggest trying out some local groups. You aren't stuck with them if it isn't a good fit. May help teach your kids that you don't have to agree on everything to be friends. ;) MS age kids may benefit from a monthly get together with a more compatible group, and nothing says you can't belong to more than one group. So, I agree with the other posters that a lot depends on you and what you hope to get out of a group. Only way to know is to try, right? Might also ask at your local church if there are any catholic homeschoolers in your area. May end up starting a group! ;) Good luck!

You might also consider just getting a subscription to one of the family crafty magazines (or pick them up from the library). Sounds like you have a lot of curriculum-related hands on stuff, but a magazine might add some extra seasonal "just for fun" crafty stuff. There's also plenty of (free) websites with kiddo crafts. Maybe plan some time to browse those?

I suspect a lot of ps parents rave about all the "neat"stuff because they are dealing with their kids being gone all day. I'd feel sorry for them if they couldn't come up with some "neat" things to feel good about! It's also part of the culture saying "being home with mom isn't good enough." I think what you describe is a VERY common feeling most of us probably had starting out. Just remember, no one is going to know, love, or care for your children as much as you do. Kindergarten is a lot about learning to sit still and be bored (I remember K well, and was NOT good at sitting still and being bored, lol). The teacher is trying to get the class from different backgrounds and prep levels "all on the same page," which probably makes it the most traumatic year of school if you aren't "average". The best advice I got from a HSing teacher friend was "don't sweat kindergarten." As for neat activities, there are tons of books and resources out there. Just remember, what seems neat to us isn't the same as what is neat to them. My DDs fav Thanksgiving activity is still tracing their hand and turning it into a turkey, despite all the more elaborate projects I bring out! Knowing your own children means you'll be sensitive to this.

Choosing to opt out of airport security is a personal choice, not a matter of logic. But if you choose to believe every sensational story you see because it supports your internal beliefs, that would show a lack of logic. Speaking of sensationalism: GROPING: (1) to feel or search about uncertainly -- nothing uncertain about a pat down. Every word is scripted and each step has to be performed exactly to procedure, (2) touching another person in an aggressively sexual way -- yeah, not sure many guys would find patting down an 85yo man with artificial hips a "sexual" experience. Maybe if we move away from such inflammatory (and erroneous) terms we could really have a dialog about balancing privacy and security in this country. We want to be safe, but we don't want to be inconvenienced. We want them to only search the terrorists, not us. There are those who want to polarize us (the populace) instead of having intelligent debate about a difficult subject. Don't let them. Don't feed into it.

Don't believe everything you read gals. Geesh. Let's use the same logic skills we're supposed to be teaching our kiddos. And the assertion that you could get all these diseases form a pat down? Is that the same source claiming they got pregnant from a toilet seat? As to the gloves, they certainly DO change them EVERY TIME. Why? Because after each pat down their gloves are tested and they're not looking for syphillis. As to the tale of the missing wedding ring. Who in their right mind takes their wedding ring off when they go thru screening? Our media is in a tizzy over false tales while real news, like China intercepting 15% of world internet traffic for 18min from select sensitive sites is barely a blip. And we hear about the new congress pushing to freeze federal wages, but skip the part where those same "restore fiscal responsibility" congressmen made sure THEY and their staffers were exempt for the pay freeze. Smoke and mirrors, folks! Keep your eyes on the magician's hands.

I had th same thoughts reading this thread! I'd worry about sending the message that HSing is going to be all play time. I find it's easier to relax as you go rather than tighten the rules, kwim? Another option might be to use Christmas break to decompress AND build the foundation for picking up HSing in Jan. During that time, discuss what she likes and doesn't like about school. Discuss your expectations. At 7yo she's old enough to voice an opinion and young enough to understand you'll be the one deciding. I'd be honest with all your dc's that this is a trial run. Then approach it like you would a starting Ker -- work a bit each day and work up to a "real" curriculum. I guess I'd say start Jan expecting to do "learning" but not necessarily "lessons". Have a list of books she can read, or you can read together and discuss them. At 7yo a lot of math is learning/practicing math facts, so do a few worksheets and practice together each day. For writing how about she agrees to write 2 postcards each week and journal a page a day? As things interest her, go to the library and find book she can read on them. Do crafts for art. Play mad libs for grammar. Maybe get one of those "grade level" workbooks to work in. All these are just ideas. I think the point is to think about why you are homeschooling and what you want to accomplish long-term and short-term. First thing is probably re-igniting her fire for learning AND getting her used to a new routine (and you too!) or learning at home. The *content* of the learning isn't as important. Meanwhile think about what type of curriculum programs you want to use. There's no reason you have to switch over all at once to new curriculum, either! Maybe she's ready to start a math curriculum first, just start it when/where she's ready (don't worry about "grade level"). If it goes well, you might consider pulling you rother DDs mid-term. Of after-school make sure to do projects with them or (for the 9yo) start talking to her about expectations for HSing, etc. If you start working science or art projects in, consider doing them on the weekend so all the kids can join in. Get the 9yo doing mad libs with the 7yo, then they can read it as a performance for the 5yo. Enjoy, relax. And you might just find that the jealousies/rivalries diminish once they are HSing together. Also, don't underestimate your impact: I was the youngest, so I have ZERO tolerance for sib rivalries and my kids "get that". They are the best of friends, play Wii games co-op, and if you ask them, know their job is to be each others best cheerleaders. It is heart warming to hear my 5yo tell her 2yo brother that he "is the best baby EVER!" And hearing them playing together saying, "good job!" Socialization begins at home, and in our family society "kind" and "supportive" are the rule. ;)