Yea!!

Agree... a lot of times there are underlying issues that really have little to do with the school work. Are they feeling overwhelmed, left out of a social circle, not listened to, unappreciated, etc? Nicholeen Peck has a good book out called Parenting a House United that covers a lot of these issues as well as gives suggestions on how to handle deliberate disobedience and other parenting challenges. You can read more on her blog at teachingselfgovernment.com HTH

chore charts, so they can be checked off with a china marker (black grease pencil) and erased. cards for homemade school games we use a lot covers for homemade books file folder games and pieces (have to do the large folders at the store though)

Just some thoughts... I like to put a space on there that says "help mommy" or "help someone". That way they can help me with whatever I happen to be doing that day (laundry, weeding, baking, dishes etc) and it doesn't have to be 'set in stone' so to speak. I've also found that a 5 year old can fold a batch of towels (my 2 yo likes to try to fold the wash cloths - not perfectly, but not too bad...) and with a little help can put hangers in shirts to be hung in the closet. I also put a "good attitude" or "happy helper" space on my charts. You could include picking up dirty clothes or hanging up their bath towel if that is a problem at your house like it sometimes is at mine. As far as your "clean room" space, if you divide it into smaller tasks, it might be easier for them to know what is included. Ie make bed, pick up toys, pick up clothes, etc. Anything else that you might want them to do can also go on the chart... like quiet/nap time too! Good luck!

Here's what I ended up with: Easy Make & Learn Projects: Human Body 20 Instant Math Learning Centers Kids Will Love! 40 Easy-to-Make MathManipulatives Shoe Box Learning Centers: Word Families Easy Make & Learn Projects: Southwest Indians Ancient Civilizations: China • India • Africa • Mesopotamia 20 Reading and Writing Centers Origami Math: Grades 2-3 Hands-On History: Civil War Origami Math: Grades 4-6 Amazing Hands-on Map Activities Teaching With Aesop’s Fables Instant Habitat Dioramas Irresistible Shakespeare Tunes That Teach American History Munchie Math

I just talked to scholastic and they said that with all the problems they've been having with the dollar sale, they've extended it until tomorrow.

I have the pictures study book that came with the American Crossing set. We never really got in and used it much. I was a little disappointed in the selection of art when I first looked at it but I can't really say why. I'm not an art expert (especially for that time period) so I don't know what I was expecting... maybe just more selections and a wider variety of styles. 1/3 are John Trumbull paintings of early american happenings, 1/3 are portraits by Gilbert Stuart and the last 1/3 are landscapes by Thomas Cole. There are 16 paintings by 3 different artists reproduced (color copies) in the book and while each piece is on it's own page with a title and artist, the picture itself only covers about half the page so they aren't large full page pictures which would have been nice. The rest of the book is 85 short "assignments" that are based on the paintings. Oral Narrations, Exploratory Questions, Background information, timeline information, and creating your own artwork (sketching your own reproduction of the piece). The entire book (metal spiral bound) is only 3/8" thick. If you are familiar with how CM suggests looking at, narrating and talking about artwork you could easily do this yourself and select your own art. The tricky part for me is where to find the reproductions to print and use. Before I got this book I thought maybe I'd get the second half American art book from the next level but I'm glad I waited. It wasn't worth $29. Maybe book 2 is better, I don't know. I hate to sound negative but if I could have seen it first I probably would have passed on it. J

Luann in ID said: I do have high school (and graduated) kids with a love for learning even though I made them do things they didn't want to do (like outlining, Latin, math facts, etc.) Being solid in skills makes learning more fun as they get older. Learning is frustrating when you don't have the necessary skills with which to do it. This is really important for you to understand. If your children do not become solid in the basics, they will not enjoy learning later on. Not making your child do certain academic things when they're young because you don't want to kill their desire for learning *backfires*. I guarantee it. Thanks Luann! That makes a lot of sense to me. I just have a lot of friends who are much more relaxed and tell me "oh, they'll get it when they are ready..." and "if you make them, they'll hate learning..." and my personality type won't let me be comfortable with that type of thinking. I'm a much more structured person and I think trying not to be is causing a lot of my stress. Thanks for everyone's suggestions so far - keep them coming! I'm feeling liberated!! I think I just needed permission to go ahead and be more structured (as dumb as that sounds...) and give my kids more structure as well. I have read WTM and a lot of it speaks to me. So does some CM and some TJEd. I guess I just need to pull what works for us from each philosophy and it's OK. Jennifer

This is my 4th year homeschooling and I feel like I'm floundering. I've never been able to figure out what really works for us. I originally started with "public school at home" because that was all I knew and that was a flop. So I went to trying to let the children follow their own interests (hoping it would develop a true love of learning) but feel like we should be doing a lot more - especially basic skills. Trying to individualize to each child's interests and to make it fun for all is wearing me out and I often end up defaulting to a little read-aloud time and not much else. I just don't feel like we are "thriving" academically yet I see so many non-academic rewards to homeschooling that I know I have to keep doing it. So I need to get it figured out! I am such a box checker (I know, it's good and bad). I would love to have each child have a schedule of things they must work on each day and they dutifully do them and check them off (happily???) but I'm so afraid of the kids developing a hate of learning that I'm weak when it comes to giving assignments. I'm uncomfortable that they aren't putting a lot of effort into writing and math and other skills because it's boring and not fun, but I'm also uncomfortable about having total control (YOU HAVE TO DO THIS --whine, whine, cry, cry) over their studies too. Where's the happy medium? I'm having a hard time finding it. How did they make those one-room school houses work? Are your kids working fairly independently on most things? I find if I work with each child, we get things done but it takes ALL DAY! How much say do your kids get in what they want to study - do they make their own schedules? Do you just have certain things that are unquestionable that your children MUST do? Do you keep everyone together on certain subjects and individualize on others? What and which ones? Do your kids still have a love for learning despite the skills practice and other things that often aren't fun? Do you have high school age children that study because they love it? My kids are ds 12, dd 11, ds 8, dd 5 and dd 2... I would love any input!! Thanks for enduring my ranting!:w00t: Thanks, Jennifer

So can you give me an idea of the difference between the "classic" version and the new revised version? From what I have researched, the new version has a specific booklist that the worksheets and questions are based on. What else has changed or been added with the new versions? Honestly, a whole new set of required books is really making it hard for me to make the jump. I like having the books at my house and not having to hunt them down from the library (we soon will be without a library) but with kids in 2-3 different levels, I would have to invest in a whole bunch of books all at once. I know it says that you can substitute books of your own choosing but would that make it so that I am re-inventing and doing a lot more of my own planning (thus defeating the purpose of having it all laid out neatly for me)? Would it make the activity and question sections of the IG unusable? Thanks for the help!

Oh, and one more thing... Anything to watch out for if I try to buy used? Updated versions etc? Thanks! Jennifer

I've heard a lot of people mention TOG and I've done a little lurking on their website but would like to get feedback from others on this program... It looks very comprehensive but also looks quite expensive as the IG (I prefer printed over digital edition) is over $200 and then you have to buy the resource books as well. I have children in all age levels so would I be buying all the resource books? If not, how do I pick and choose without having the IG first? The have a lot of additional supplements (maps, popquiz, writing etc). What are essential and what can you live without? What additional subjects do I need to cover with another curriculum? Math? Anyone, used this and/or sonlight? How do they compare - what do you like better? Which works better for multiple ages/large families? Which is less teacher intensive? I think this program has a religious slant? Can you tell me what bible version it favors? Any other feedback would be helpful! Thanks! Thanks!! Jennifer

what kind of coil binding machine do you have?

What kind of coil binding machine do you have?