Oh, be still my beating heart. Peel and stick dry erase wall maps. PERFECT! THANK You for the link!

For literature please consider reading the American Girl "Addy" books. Even though they are geared for 2nd-4th grade girls, really all the children might benefit from this as a discussion piece, as this series of 6 books gets to the heart of what it was to be a slave, and what it meant to be free after the Civil War ( the good AND the bad.) I am a fan of all the American Girl books but Addy is particularly well done, and while it is written to be appropriate for children as young as 8, the author does not hold back punches. There are several points in this series (which I did as a read-aloud) where I had to stop and cry. I don't care if it is for 3rd graders, as an adult I got something out of it. If your 7th grader has a heart, the Civil War will stick with her at an emotional level after reading these books. Seriously. I believe the Addy series won an award for best children's series the year it was published. As much as I enjoy all the AG books, I wouldn't call them all excellent. Addy is excellent. Another good supplemental literature read for the younger ones is "The Ballad of the Civil War" and "Hittie's Adventures in Civil War Days". There is also a storybook called "Almost to Freedom" that is worth checking out of the library one day (I continue to go back to storybooks, and I always will. When on-topic they are a relevant study of poetry and art related to the topic, even if not on-level history material, and it never takes long to read and discuss.)

We have a LARGE blank wall in our school room/dining room, and I am looking to fill it with educational materials! One thing I know for sure I want included - two large, clear, easy-to-read political maps - one of the world and one of the United States. I would like them to be rolled maps so they don't have creases, and if they are laminated or printed on something that can be used with dry-erase markers, all the better. Also an option perhaps - if they come in a cheap frame so I can use dry-erase markers on the glass, but the framed large maps I have found so far cost a fortune. I am also open to recommendations for anything else that would be appropriate for this HUGE wall. Ages are 1st and 3rd grade, so we're probably too young for something like the periodic table. I am putting up the cursive alphabet, and I will probably include a Hebrew alphabet chart (we are Jewish and study Hebrew). What else? I want information that is USEFUL to have access to visually on a daily basis, not just fluff or posters encouraging you to read like they have in classrooms. All recommendations appreciated, especially with links! :)

I feel the need to clarify something that is often misunderstood. When a child tests at a "4th grade reading level" in Kindergarten, it doesn't mean they are ready for 4th grade material. It means they are reading Kindergarten material as proficiently as the average 4th grader would if tested on the same assessment. And this goes the other way as well. If a 4th grader tests at a 2nd grade level, it doesn't mean that his reading no more proficiently than the average second grader. All that grade-level equivalence tells you, is that he scored about as well as a 2nd grader would, on average, score if the 2nd grader were tested on a 4th grade level (that is to say, they'd struggle!) That same 4th grader could take the 2nd grade reading assessment and score 3rd or 4th grade level on THAT assessment. There is a substantial difference, and I think a lot of people misunderstand this, including some misinformed teachers. And most kids who are either accelerated or behind, still have some material that is developmentally/emotionally appropriate for their *age*, especially in areas such as social studies and literature. So I agree with the poster who said ignore the "grade level", and go by what feels right.

I am always a fan of just buying the specific components you want and need. It is what I have done so far, and I can tell you, every or workbook book I have purchased ends up being used. My kids are the same ages as your btw (except I don't have a 4 yr old). I've known SO many people who buy boxed curricula and just end up with unused products. Looking at the curriculum sales, it is the same story. So especially since you know at the outset that you have some conflicts and things you don't like, to me it seems like a plan that will result in at least some inevitable waste. It is more work initially to figure out the schedule, but I say, save yourself the money and the shelf space and focus on buying the items you like most and will definitely use.

So someone told me about a program called "therapeutic listening" that is basically the exact same thing and used by speech therapists and is probably (though I haven't verified this yet) less expensive. I have the number of a local speech therapist that offers it and I'm going to give her a call and see. The therapeutic listening folks sound much more reasonable in their claims. Not getting the impression they are trying to sell it like chewing gum which is the feeling I get with Enlisten. They do not claim it is a panacea, but they do claim it helps with speech and articulation issues, which is why I want to try it.

Also I'd say, for most kids, age 5 is too young for a *really* formal art education. At that age I think free expression is best. Around age 8 is the minimum at which I'd make any effort to try to focus an awareness of the fundamental principles. Developing those skills takes spacial awareness, fine motor control, etc, that just may not be present in lower elementary. Certainly some basics about shape, color, texture, form, etc, are appropriate, however - playing with media, getting the feel for it, mixing colors, using scissor skills, manipulating pieces and assembling them, etc.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is the first book that comes to mind, absolutely. More for the instructor to read, rather than the child. Anything that develops an awareness of the basic principles of art and design is foundational. If you know about art, as I do, books aren't really necessary, but just scanning through Amazon, something like "Dynamic Art Projects for Children" might be a good resource for a homeschooling parent. Art cannot be learned from books. Art is learned from observing and creating. For a true art education, the student learns to look at the world differently - he learns to de-construct what he is seeing (into shape, light & shadow, texture, pattern, line, form) and re-construct that in the form of art. At young ages he needs assignments and projects that focuses on these powers of observation, deconstruction, and reconstruction. Because of this, art is a difficult subject for a non-artist to teach, unless the non-artist learns along with the student how to see things differently. People who know nothing about art tend to draw using symbols (put very simply, such as a square with a triangle on top to symbolize a house), and if their student also uses symbols to draw and the teacher doesn't have the artistically critical eye necessary to point it out, not much progress is made. As you develop these skills, it doesn't matter if no one taught you how to draw a koala. If you want to draw a koala, you do, based on what you observe about the koala's shape, texture, contours, etc. If you want to make the cute cartoon koala, you take what you observe about a real koala and exaggerate and distort to the desired effect. And you can apply those skills to everything, and in the style that suits you best (as opposed to the style of the artist who creates the "How 2 Draw" book.)

I didn't read all the responses, but this post reinforces one thing I have found helpful - I always buy one of those off-the-rack "grade level" big fat summer refresher type books that is filled with miscellaneous edu-garbage, and when there is down time I tell my kids they can work in those for fun. I find these books help fill in some of those gaps. Case in point, my daughter took the 2nd grade SAT and I asked her on math day if there was anything we hadn't covered that she was tested on. She mentioned there was a thermometer reading question, and I had never specifically taught her how to read a mercury-type thermometer which was on the question. Oops! No worries though, mom, because it was in the edu-garbage 2nd grade book, and she remembered it from that. :tongue_smilie:

That looks cute and fun for something to do on the side, but it should be known that those kind of art programs are not truly art instruction. True art instruction doesn't instruct on "how to draw a koala" or "how to draw a car", it involves study of the elements and principles of art and design so that they can be used as tools to draw or paint anything. Learning to draw that koala is akin to learning how to write the equation "35 x 7 = 245" with no understanding of how multiplication works. I have a bachelor's degree in art and worked some years as a professional illustrator and graphic designer before having kids. I've never seen a a real art education curriculum for sale, per se, though I haven't actually looked. Most seem to be similar to this. I taught an art course last year for home schoolers (a 12 week course ) and none of my students - even those who had extensive experience taking kids' art classes, had ever learned about even the most basic principles of art prior to my class. Not to say that "Learn 2 Draw" can't be fun or that there's anything wrong with spending time with a program like that, and it is probable that by doing those lessons enough a student would pick up enough about art principles to apply them more broadly. But one shouldn't make the mistake of thinking such a program provides an art education.

Having taught both my kids to read now, including a child who is mildly dyslexic, I really believe that secret to teaching a child read is really very simple. Books, books, books, and more books. Did I mention books? I do think a basic phonics program and some simple phonics books help at the VERY onset. I used Click N' Kids phonics (website), Starfall - which I let my kids do independently, and then I did invest in some simple phonics books for early oral reading (where each "book" is maybe 5-10 pages of one sentence pages for a sense of accomplishment). Then, just go to the library and go crazy. Max out your library card AND theirs with fluffy little readers at their reading level, as well as some above their level that you read orally to them, and read, read, read, read. Make it fun. Make it reward. Oh, you have to be in bed at bedtime but you can stay awake and keep the light on if you're reading. (And by the way, if you suspect they are just looking at the pictures - fine. They are looking at books. The words are present, and can be linked to the pictures.) If they like being read to, read to them more than they read, treat it like you are *rewarding* them by reading to them, and then when you can, sneak in their participation (have them read a few words, here and there, while you read the rest.) I agree there is a developmental issue there too, but there are books of every interest and variety for kids. Give them the exposure, don't let TV or computer time overshadow reading time, and it WILL happen barring some abnormal obstacle (and even then, sometimes still.) Variety and interest are key. Kids don't want to read out of some boring old curriculum reader. I think sometimes people expect kids to learn to read in the confines of "education", but reading isn't like that. Reading is so intrinsic to our lives that it should in large part be approached the same way learning to walk and talk is approached - as an organic part of self-motivation and daily living. (Can you imagine how much less effective it would be if kids had to learn to walk and talk largely based on receiving "lessons" in walking and talking?) If permitted to read (or even just look at and/or listen to) books of interest to them, they will unwittingly start strengthening reading skills.

My off-the-cuff recommendations of children's classics in that age range - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Indian in the Cupboard - James and the Giant Peach - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (movie = The Secret of Nimh) - The Secret Garden - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

When I was homeschooling and had a preschooler, I enrolled her in preschool. Just having those 3 hours without a demanding preschooler around was FANTASTIC for schooling my older child, and while I never buy the "school is needed for socialization" position, I really think age 3/4 is a great time to build some independence by spending a few hours away from home, even if just for a few hours 2 or 3 days a week. That younger child, who just completed Kindergarten at home, went through a highly clingy phase and I loathe to think how much worse it might have been if she hadn't had the experience of preschool.

Does anyone have experience with Enlisten? http://www.enlisten.com/ My child has some *very minor* issues (mild dyslexia, speech articulation issues, coordination issues). The most invasive is the speech issue - while it is minor, it is persistent. She has not responded much to traditional speech therapy. I met a dyslexia specialist at a homeschool curriculum fair who recommended Enlisten as a program that might help her. After looking at it, part of me think that has got to be total hokum, just the way it is so *advertised*. It is a hefty cost to do, but if I could be confident about there being a good chance that would help resolve the speech issues, I'd try it. Would love to hear some first-hand testimonials not provided by the commercial site.

Not sure what your experience level is, but I have concluded formal spelling is a waste of time, and that additional time spent on reading and writing corrects spelling contextually. After over a year of doing formal spelling and observing my child not able to correctly spell words on a list from two weeks ago (that she aced at the time), I dropped just let her read, read, read, READ, and some additional writing too. Spelling on a standardized test went from 20th percentile to 75th percentile in 1 year of taking this approach. I mentioned my shocking approach to a friend who was a 1st grade teacher for many years, and she said "Oh, spelling tests are useless. I just did them because parents and admin expected me to." :confused: I feel similarly about vocabulary. Read, read, read, read, both independently and orally to the child (and stop and discuss new vocabulary as it arises). Vocabulary improves automatically with exposure to literature. JMO. :) It is just my experience that workbooks and things like that, end up taking up a lot of time when a lot more vocabulary/spelling improvement can manifest just by using that time to read and write. Your mileage may vary.

A lot of scientists ARE religious too. In fact, aside from a modern blip of fashionable atheism, a study of science historically led most scientists at the very least to a sort of deistic philosophy (belief in some kind of creator, though not necessarily an interventionist one.) I don't think there is a conflict, though I do think there is a subset among religious folks that make it appear that way. Right now it is young earth science, in the past it was an earth-centric universe, etc. I do believe in divine revelation - from TWO sources - true religion AND the revelation as written into the universe itself. The former reveals truth through poetry and the latter truth through objective observation.

I am not a Saxon 1 fan. It was what my daughter was using in public school when I pulled her out, so I tried to continue with it for a while before I abandoned it. For what it is worth, I have heard that the "original" Saxon that everyone raves about started with upper elementary math, and that the lower elementary levels were added later and are not nearly as good. This doesn't really answer your question, but just pointing out some feedback you might use going forward that I have heard over and over again, even from people who are Saxon fans.

A lot of people do "public school at home" and are happy with it. Some states even have state-sponsored homeschooling programs that operate pretty much like that. Yes, public school texts are designed for classroom use. This means that people producing these materials try and create a product that is going to get consistent, measurable results statewide. That means teaching to a common denominator that is lower than what most homeschool parents find necessary (not because homeschooled children are intrinsically smarter, but children who live in homes with parents invested in their education are usually ahead of peers who do not live in such an environment.) It is also problematic for children with learning difficulties, because learning difficulties are the exception not the norm. The product is targeted to be effective on average kids who often do not live in an environment that is conducive to them meeting their academic potential. For example, take math. Most public school math does a lot of "spiraling" (repetition of repetition). A lot of kids don't need but it doesn't necessarily hurt them, and it creates better results on group-wide standardized tests. Any average kid will have improved performance with enough spiraling regardless of how little math reinforcement is present at home. Above average or average kids with math reinforcement at home don't particularly need it, but aren't hurt by it. Kids with learning difficulties probably need something else besides a bunch of redundant spiraling. The result is a less-than-optimal curriculum for individual kids, but it may be optimal for a GROUP of kids, when looking at test output. The other issue with public textbooks is political. The textbook industry is a highly political one, and the books used by public schools are not always chosen for being top quality, but those produced by who-knows-who, bizarre content requirements, who stands to profit, etc. The materials chosen by schools are not necessarily either the most economical or the most effective for learning. For example, my mother was a teacher in California for 20 years. In her time as a teacher, there were times when phonics were *forbidden* and only whole-language reading materials were approved. There were also periods where whole-language was forbidden and ONLY phonics was allowed. Of course these are decisions made by ivory-tower education scholars and politicians - anyone who actively works with children knows that it is helpful to look at a subject from many approaches, and that some children respond differently to different approaches & teaching styles. Of course, as a homeschooling parent, you do not have to restrict yourself to the restrictions the state places on teachers. Using public school texts may work, but it may also be restrictive.

Wow, thank you for all the generous responses. From what everyone is saying I may just want to pick it up and start and not tie myself to a particular pace, and if it takes longer, fine, if not, fine. We do like doing social studies 4-5 days a week - AG we were reading a book a day sometimes. Some eras (like colonial times with Felicity and the Civil War with Addy) we ended up spinning off into supplemental books and things, while other times it just wouldn't happen (when we read the books about pioneer Kirsten, I recommended going off into Little House, but there was just no spark for it.) I did pick up some supplemental books as well - The Usborne Book of World History (which I really like because it has lots of little illustrations and factoids that the kids can cherry-pick) and a revised edition of A Child's History of the World (the Calvert book), and we'd pick up other items of interest in the library as applicable. I did pick up the student page packs (1 for each child) at a curriculum fair, but I decided to pass on the full on activity book/teacher's manual. Glancing at it, a lot of the activities seemed convoluted and like time-fillers. I am a pretty crafty-type mom so hands-on things I'll tend to invent on the fly if I see there's an interest. Now I just glanced at the book, mind you, so hopefully I'm not missing too much by passing on it. With AG it was almost all just reading and discussion, and my daughter actually does like it that way. We kept an ongoing timeline and used a map to identify locations and discuss relationships. The first semester I did have her make lapbooks but after about 3 of them they just seemed tedious and I'm not sure much was being learned from the process, so we stopped and read more instead.

Anyone have a typing program for young children, age 6-8? I know that is not the typical typing age, but DH and I been coming to the conclusion that kids are exposed to computers so early in this generation, it is best if they learn to touch-type properly as early as possible.

I'm going to say something shocking, and keep in mind I am very science-minded and I am married to a physicist/engineer. We <3 science. But - shocking - we don't do science formally with our 6 and 8 yr old children. We believe formal science education at the lower elementary levels is at best extracurricular fun and at worst gives a child a skewed perception of what science actually is. We believe the time is best spent mastering math skills and absorbing science somewhat through osmosis by reading non-fiction of interest, browsing through science reference books at leisure, watching science shows with mom & dad, asking and exploring questions about how and why things work the way they do, nature hikes, gardening, cooking, etc, and so on. I do have my children enrolled in homeschool science classes at a local children's science center. Here they get regular experience being in a group and gaining exposure to the concept of experiments and the scientific process. Next year I will also enroll my older child in a homeschool lego robotics league as an extracurricular to expose her to the process of problem solving and engineering. Now, maybe you can shoot holes in my approach because it only works as we are the kind of family that is constantly scientifically inquisitive. We would watch science documentaries for leisure regardless of the presence of children, ask questions, watch meteor showers, and even toy with experiments (bottle rockets, dry ice, etc) and explain how things work with or without a curriculum. But, that is our opinion of how science is best absorbed by young children - play, curiosity, and exploration. By simply observing the world with a critical eye, questions are answered about how things work and that achieves the goal of science education for young kids. The exception is having children memorized scientific classifications and terms, but really those are lessons in vocabulary, not science, and should be understood as such. Now, I think sometime in older elementary/middle school (6th-8th grade? Basically at the point the child is starting to learn real algebra) this starts to change. At that point you can begin to frame science, at least in a very simple ways, in mathematical terms, and then develop a real understanding of what science is as a true academic subject.

I am really intrigued by WWE. Would it be suitable to start with level 3 for a 3rd grader? I have used levels 1 (for an accelerated Kindergartner) and 2 (for a 2nd grader) of Harcourt Family Learnings "Writing Skills" workbooks. I actually think they are great for creative writing. I admit the books are somewhat random but at least it is laid out for the student as a single digestible short writing topic daily (usually, but not always, creative). Looking at WWE it looks like that deals with a totally different skill set and now I am considering using both next year. I felt like writing time went by too quickly last year. Next year I am thinking, maybe, 10 minutes penmanship, 15-20 minutes of creative writing, and the 15 minutes of something more technical like WWE might be a good mix without having my children have to do any 1 thing tediously for too long.

Heh, no, never read a WTM, I just think these forums are the best I've seen! We did American Girl historical fiction as our history this year with DD#1 because she loves AG, and she actually learned a remarkable amount. Since she now has a basic timeline of American history that she could relate to (through girl characters her age and the lives they led in the literature), I wanted to go back and explore World History. SotW looks a little juvenile to draw out into 6th grade (which is what would happen on a 4 year cycle starting in 3rd grade), and since my 1st grader is accelerated, it seems like history is the perfect subject area for us to together, which is why I was thinking of a one or two year cycle. They operate *just enough* apart to have different literature, different writing assignments, different math, etc, but are so close, really. Thanks for the link, I will have a look, and I welcome any other thoughts.

Anyone done this? This is designated for grades 1-4. I am schooling an academically average 3rd grader and an accelerated 1st grader and I thought this might be a great plan to do this together as our social studies this year. Maybe even 2 years? I purchased volume one along with the student activity sheet sets for both girls. Hopefully this will work. My older DD was in 2nd and did American History with American Girl books this year, while my younger DD was in K and we did basic education about communities, geography (what's a state, what's a country, what's a city, etc.) One thing I am not clear on is how to plan on pacing this. When I first got the text itself, I thought it looked pretty short and even doing all 4 volumes in one year might be doable. Then I heard some folks do 1 volume a year (really?) but looking through the activities and thinking it, I'm thinking 1 volume a semester is a good goal. Any advice/experience?

I have heard good this about this curriculum for penmanship and just ordered a manuscript book for my DD entering 1st and a cursive book for my DD entering 3rd. I homeschooled my older girl for grades 1-2 (she did public school K) and my youngest for K and so far, we used random manuscript books that I picked up here and there, along with daily writing assignments that were compositional in nature but we corrected penmanship along the way. Nothing super formal. Both girls need to improve, but comparing them with their peers (I lead both their scout troops) I am not concerned about them being behind (yet), but we need to tighten it up. I hesitated to get HWT because I am not crazy about the cursive style taught. It doesn't seem very traditional to me, and I favor traditional handwriting myself. BUT, older daughter is mildly dyslexic AND left-handed, and we tried towards the end of this year using more traditional cursive books and had some success but it was a real chore, even though cursive in general proved to be FANTASTIC for some of her dyslexic issues. My theory is that maybe the widely spaced, non-slanted style will actually suit her well given her issues. I am forced to recall myself that traditional cursive was a STRUGGLE for me as a lefty, and having to have the righty slant drilled into me was a constant annoyance at the time, so I am now just choosing to spare her the frustration. My main question is what to expect. Is that little $7 book I purchased REALLY enough to fill up a whole year of penmanship lessons?