We love The Potter's School's live online classes! Being part of the class is a completely different experience than watching a DVD of a class that's already happened. Classes start after Labor Day, so there's still time, if you're interested. If he had to miss a few classes at the beginning because of school requirements, he could watch recordings for those. Maybe he could use sick days at the end of his time, or even the last week, to get back to homeschooling a little sooner without officially withdrawing from school.

:iagree: Thanks!

It may seem obvious, I guess -- reorganize the school room, schedule lessons..., but what part of your school prep or what else gives you that I'm-ready-to-go feeling at the beginning of the school year? What if, hypothetically, you ran out summer before doing everything you wanted to do to prepare? What are your must-dos?

I have two friends who have said they are really burnt out. What do you do or read or recommend for re-energizing?

Thanks Nan & PameLA & Shari & Paradox! I love this thread!

I love this! Thanks!

Thanks guys! I'll check into these! Has anyone already compared a few and chose one over the others for specific reasons? Are there any features that I need to be sure to have? Do all of these have the ability to be accessed on different devices and computers?

Thanks for the advice, everyone! This sums it up nicely! Thanks! Of course, you're right!

I have thought about organizing our books into an app or software before, but I think I might really be ready to do it this summer! I'd like to be able to scan the bar codes for quick entry. Anyone do this? What did you use? Has it been worth the effort?

Thanks! I'll be using that recipe! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/07/steak-fingers-with-gravy/#

Yep! First time for us! :D:hurray: I'm excited and feeling challenged at the same time, but you guys are a big help! I'm taking notes and hoping I can create some great new meals with this! Thanks for your responses so far!

Even having been married many years now, I have still mostly cooked with ground beef, with a roast here and there. So, here we are, about to pick up our first batch of grass-fed beef, not a side or anything, but about 50# still! Will those of you with more varied cooking skills give me your tips for using the following cuts: Beef Variety Package - 15# of steaks: ~ 3-4 rib-eyes ~ 3-4 T-bones ~ 2 sirloins ~ 2 round ~ 2 cubed 15# of roasts: ~ 1 rump or eye of round ~ 1 arm ~ 1 chuck (This is what I usually use for French dip sandwiches or Sunday roast) ~ 2 stew meat 20# of ground beef (1-lb packs, choose 80% or 90% lean or combination) -- I know what to do with this one, lol!

I'm excited about: ~ Cycling back around to ancient history with everyone in the house! ~ Year 2 of TPS's Classical Track for dd-10th -- love, love this program for her! ~ 2nd grade :) -- fun! ~ SL read-alouds for 2nd ~ Giving IEW Poetry a try ~ Watching my ds-8th grow in independence & maturity over the year! (Hoping and praying about that and working on plans! ;) :) )

I have 10th & 8th graders and also a 2nd grader, so I'm pondering this question myself. I'm especially trying to make a decision about whether or not to join Classical Conversations for my 2nd grader. So, I guess I really have two questions -- and you're free to answer only one or both! 1.) Looking back with the perspective you have now, what do you think is most important for the elementary years? 2.) Want to help me decide whether or not to join Classical Conversations (Foundations) again this year? If so, keep reading and I'll try to be concise! CC Pros: I really like the group, and I'd love for my dd to spend time with the girls who would be in her class! (This is the biggest draw for me.) I like the weekly presentations, and I think memory work and building the memory muscle is valuable. Cons: With my 2nd grader in mind, I dislike the particular memory work for cycle 1. While I don't doubt that 2nd graders can memorize it, I wonder if it's ideal at that age, or if it would be better suited to 4th - 6th grades (when there would be more understanding to go with it). I've done CC with a 6th grader and a 1st grader and I much preferred it with the older child who understood what he was memorizing. (But, I also understand that CC's philosophy is that it's great to memorize and that context and understanding are irrelevant because they'll eventually learn the material -- in middle school & high school.) I was talking to the director about it, and she said she has come to "trust the method" -- the focus on memorization and not worrying about context or adding history or science curricula. (For younger ones, read aloud, math, phonics, Essentials when they're old enough, and CC memory work.) I, on the other hand, am not sure I trust the method. When I consider my older kids, I wish that I had read aloud more (which I could do either way, of course), studied more science, had even more fun with history, and memorized more poetry. With an 8th grader who still needs input and help with study skills and the rest of what I'd do with my 2nd grader, I'm not sure I have time to do those things and add CC -- it feels like I have to choose. If we don't do CC, we would likely get together with a couple of families for lapbooks, history & maybe science activities, occasional field trips, and some presentations. (I've talked to two friends who are interested.) On our own, I think I would like to do Linguistic Development Through Poetry, along with some history and science facts from our curricula, maybe the new CC timeline at half pace or slower. If I'm going to do memory work already, should I just do it with CC -- and get over the fact that it's impossible to add context to everything?? Anyway...:D I've been torn thinking about it. I'm :bigear: for answers to one or both of the above questions and any related ramblings! :)

Straightening, sorting, clearing out, and organizing my 7-year-old's bedroom is one of the things on my list, "Things I want done this summer -- before school starts!" What works for you?? Here are some of our problems: 1) Too many toys! She's the youngest, so she has her toys and hand-me-downs. She also thinks she wants ALL of them. I've tried to set up something like a "toy library," but I must be doing it wrong. We clear out a bunch of toys, sorting them into plastic containers, take them out to the garage, and they end up trickling back in or somehow it's all messy again (even when I think I'm being consistent about having her trade something that was in her room for the toy she wants from the garage)! What is your solution to organizing toys? If you say it's limiting toys, how exactly do you do that? 2.) Too much paper! She has a desk for drawing and a cork strip to hang some of her work, but there's still more paper. I've tried giving her sketch books instead to keep the paper contained, but she still manages to use lots of loose paper too. What do you do with all this artwork? 3.) Too much junk on surfaces! Her dresser, a table, her desk, and nightstand are cluttered. Do I just need to be super-strict about only decorative things on most of these surfaces, plus a neat desk? Maybe I should reduce the number of surfaces? 4.) Messy closet -- but this is mostly because there are too many toys. 5.) Lack of good maintenance routine. What really works here? It's going to involve my inspecting the room twice a day, isn't it??:glare::confused: Any tips will be appreciated!!

I'm signed up, but I haven't really used it. I've been couponing at Walgreens and CVS and using the register rewards/extra bucks. Does anyone watch the Office Max ads and shop using their Max Perk rewards? If so, how does it work? Any tips? Do you get really good deals shopping this way? We also have Office Depot, but we don't have Staples!

:bigear: "I still haven't found what I'm looking for...." Scholaric is new to me, so I need to check into it. Otherwise, it may be this paper planner! I compared it to the paper WPD and there are 22 more lines in the Dayrunner Bubbles!! That's a huge difference! The line spacing is too wide for me in WPD, too, and I'd much rather have more narrow lines. I still haven't ruled out an online planner. One of the Scholaric screen shots looks just like the Excel weekly planner that I've been making for my ds.

I've only ever bought chicken breasts or thighs and never a whole chicken! I can handle beef, but I most often buy pre-cooked chicken to add to casseroles and recipes!! I'm about to place an order for grass-fed beef. I could order clean chickens too, but whole is the only option. I should know this by this stage in my life, but how do you cook with whole chickens? Should I make the switch?

I'm needing to shop for clothes (approx. size 4 or 6) and am not sure where to go. I could try Kohls again -- I usually end up trying on so many and walking out with a couple. Last time I went to Ross and bought a few tops, but I can tell they are cheaply made -- one didn't survive one washing (sigh). I don't care to dress super trendy, but I don't want to look old-ladyish or out-of-style either. I need to find some shorts and capris that aren't grandma style, but that also hold in my mushroom -- is that possible? I'm thinking of stopping by Walmart first to look at the Lee "instantly slims you" style -- ?? Any ideas? Where do you like to shop?

I'm coming to understand this. I remember noticing in The Core or may it was the Foundation Guide that Leigh's kids only did the CC memory work for history and science, but I guess I had forgotten. Our group passes around book lists and schedules, etc. to add to CC for history and science. I should ask if any of them only use CC for those subjects. My ideal would probably be something like having the memory work (with songs) tied to a spine, such as SOTW, so that there's plenty of context available. In that situation, each family could have at least 3 choices for how to handle history -- CC sentences only, CC sentences + SOTW, CC sentences + SOTW + activity guide, extra library books, etc. I understand that we have those 3 choices now, except that they don't line up or cover the exact same material. Thanks for your comments!

Thanks Missouri Okie and Lori! I've been trying to decide between CC or a small group that I put together! When my older kids were this age, we got together with a couple of other families and did history and science activities. Thanks for your points, Missouri Okie! (I'm a Missouri Texan.) I agree that memory work is important and I'm trying to decide whether to go with CC or put together our own. I've been talking to another mom and we would incorporate presentations into our small group meetings, if I didn't join CC. For some reason, I don't completely buy in to CC's particular list of memory work, but I am trying to figure out exactly why and if my reason are enough not to join. I appreciate hearing from someone who does love it for 2nd grade! How much time do you spend working with your child for CC work? Feel free to be very specific with your routine :D -- I'm trying to picture it for that age. (I've worked with my 6th grader, who made memory memory, but I couldn't seem to get into a good CC routine with my 1st grader last year.) Do you add any other science or history? Lori, I always appreciate your input! I love the schedule idea you posted for the small group -- 1st week field trip, etc. I am definitely considering setting up a small group! After thinking about it more this morning, I had some more ideas for friends to invite -- so many are already involved in CC and co-op, but I know 3 families who have decided not to go back to CC and another that I'm hoping will join us anyway -- if I decide to go that way. :D I think the other moms would want the mom talking time, so we'd need to allow some time for the kids to play. It's a good idea to meet only the 12 weeks per semester too. Thanks guys! Anyone else want to chime in? :bigear::D

We've been in a CC Foundations group for 2 years -- the first with only our then 6th grader & last year with our 1st & 7th graders. (7th graders were still in Foundations because no Challenge A.) The first year was great -- perfect for 6th grade. Last year wasn't so much -- the material seemed to be over my 1st grader's head, & I shouldn't have included my 7th grader -- too much to add on top of his 7th grade work. So...in looking at it for next year, I only have my 2nd grader to consider. I like memory work, but when I look at the CC memory work, it just seems better suited to 4th- 6th grades & not 2nd. What do you think? I wish they had a 6-year cycle instead of 3, even though I see that it would be inconvenient for larger families. When I think of 2nd grade memory work, I think of IEW Poetry, scripture passages, grammar terms as we encounter them, science and history facts as we encounter them, and maybe 1/2 of the new CC timeline. I've already signed her up for 4 classes at a Friday drop-off co-op around the corner -- art, PE, choir, & geography/current events. She is with friends there, but parents don't stay. I've been leaning towards not going back to CC for 2nd & 3rd and considering it again for 4th. However, the main draw for me is the group. We attend a church of around 3,000 and many of our CC group are from our church. I really like the idea of getting to know homeschooling families from our church, along with the other CC families. Is that enough to join?? When I mentioned to dh that I'd probably do the CC timeline either way, he thought we should join for the group & timeline. Am I missing something about the value of CC for a 2nd grader? If you love it for this age, will you help me understand why? What are your goals for a 2nd grader in Foundations?

I'm sorry! That's frustrating that they actively campaigned to your dd. I'm glad it wasn't effective, but still! That's rude. It helps to have a couple of 20 second answers to questions that you anticipate -- because many people don't want to listen to more than that, plus longer answers to those same questions, in case some actually do want to listen. You might also go with some ideas for different conversation topics that you can start -- asking about their dc, asking advice for growing tomatoes, etc. For us, we love that we can customize their classes, and we love what we're using for high school! We're definitely planning on college and hope to have academic scholarships. Other issues are that our family makes different choices for entertainment (music, movies, no video games...), and we think high school dating is pointless and more harmful than good. (No offense to others who choose to go ahead - we can agree to disagree, okay? :) ) Given that these are the probably the main conversation topics in high school and that even the schools get involved in promoting dating (dances and other events for couples), it makes sense for us to skip the social interaction of public school too. (BTW, I'm sure that makes us sound so dull and protective, but my dc have lots of friends, probably more than they'd have if they were in school. Some friends go to school, but they have no desire to go themselves.) I don't mention the cultural aspects when I'm talking with people who believe strongly in public school - lol! I'm not often asked by family to defend myself nowadays, but I would emphasize the customized program and strong academics. I've noticed that a mention that we do standardized testing every year is really reassuring to people who are skeptical :lol:;) - that and mentioning co-op or outside classes. It also helps that we are able to find outside activities for the areas where our kids have interests. These things address fears that others have, and they seem to back off if they see that those things are not issues in your case. Still...you don't have to prove anything to anyone! I hope the info in this thread will help you to relax and have fun at the reunion.

The Elementary Greek program I used with the kids (suitable for elementary-age kids, but I learned along with them) is the one by Open Texture. I haven't compared it to CLE's program.

As to timing, Latin isn't required first before learning Greek. Learning Greek first would help with Latin too -- learning the grammar of an inflected language makes learning another inflected language easier.