I think I need that type of scheduling this year, instead of something where we HAVE to do every lesson within a certain time frame, even then we don't have to. Maybe I will just schedule writing times a certain number of times a week, or a certain amount of time a day, and we will just pick up wherever we have left off the last time, and take our time to enjoy it, together.

Well... one more thing... I have a lot of teacher intensive subjects right now. I don't want to feel guilty that... well, I want to be realy that it just takes TIME to learn these fundamentals, and that is OK to take that time, in manageable steps with the kids. and not compare hours of school to others. I'm looking at our schedule coming this year, we will begin in July and it seems we will be schooling in two 3-4 hour blocks of school. Not all of it is intense work, though. Many subjects are alternating with writing, or computer, fun, or more disciplined work, and much of the time is read alouds or hands on science, geography fun, latin songs, etc... 8 hours a day schooling, mainly for my oldest 4-5, maybe 6 times a week. FEELS like a lot...but when i look at what it actually is... it isn't...and we still have hours of balanced life, social, exercise, laughs and free time...So, when I have decided now is the time to make the decision of a formal writing program... (which is already included in those blocks of time - maybe 30-60 mintues a day 5x a week) I have to prepare myself, and say it is OK, it is just the time for this. Am I wrong?

Oh, such a good day today! I love it when we have breakthroughs in our schooling plans, and freedoms as teachers. Taking a load off, right now.

Such beautiful words! I have a feeling I will be looking at this post often. I like that you recommended, "A Word Right Now." Thank you!! I have been ill, and we have had two big moves in the last few years. So, we have been a bit behind. I'm wondering if I should begin with the SWI-A, instead of B? But still with the teachers videos, too... I had considered bringing my son in the mix, but he is still learning to read, at about AAR level 2, even though he is 8, about to turn 9 in May. I was thinking I would stay with WWE with him for now, while i learn the method, and teach my oldest. she is supposed to be beginning 6th grade, we plan to school year round this year to slowly...yet consistently "catch-up." Any other advice on what to buy along with or what to use after... I'm all ears!

If you could see me, you would see my shoulders dropping in relaxation, and hear me taking deep breaths of relief. Seriously.

How do you "Deemphasize IEW's 'dress-up' exercises?" Or, does the child create better flowing sentences and paragraphs on their own over the years with IEW? Do the problems with stilted writing take care of themselves over a longer amount of time with IEW? I have no experience with IEW writing. I have only heard that as a strong recommendation, multiple times. I am choosing to use IEW as our method of learning writing, if it works for us. I will be beginning with TWW and SWI-B with a 5th/6th grader level this summer. I intend, as of now, to follow the progression of IEW levels to the end, and I also have a 3rd grader that will be following those steps. I am also insecure about teaching writing. I am also learning how to improve my own writing and learn what I never did. So, I genuinely ask, must I deemphasize the dress-ups, and spend time teaching differently, and if so, HOW. Or does deemphasize, mean skip them altogether? And do dress-ups mean any and all ways to limit the children's word usage? We are using Hake Grammar, and I have Killgallon elementary ready to go, but I can also purchase the middle school levels too, to use later, or now, if this helps?? Thank you in advance! I need a doable plan for all of writing for both of my kids, and after much consideration, I believe, I have chosen IEW to fit that bill... but I want to be at peace about my concerns that I have received from others.

Thanks! Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Hi! So I think I have a handle on Homeschool Tracker, BUT, having said that, I am wondering if there is a better way to name the courses. The lesson plans, I have them names after the resource I have planned, most of the time, but in the case of our sonlight packages, etc, I do not. The subjects are easy. The courses... I started out naming them things like "Grammar 2" (for a 2nd grade year, etc), but i can also see how every year you only have 1 grammar course, called "Grammar" and how each student uses it from year to year may be different, does that work? OR I can name courses with the resource title, such as "First Language Lessons 2" How do you do it? How flexible are the ways I am mentioning, I'm just new enough to have not fully thought this through from year to year, and how it works with reports, etc. TIA!!

Michael Clay Thompson, Language Arts Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Thanks, guys! What a wealth of info! Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Oh my goodness, this is huge! So, somewhat independent for the child then!? Do you know? Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

So, just level 5, in essence will be ready before fall? Or levels 5-8? (really, I guess it is ALL 1, or 1-4?) Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

So, I'm hearing rumors that Advanced Language Lessons is about to be released, is this true?

Wait, what!? Advanced language lessons? The series after FLL 4?? Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

They did have a publication date, yet. Although, I'm about to email again to inquire. :) there will be 100 lessons in all, and this level will contain a daily meeting book. The first lesson only contains 10 review set problems, and lesson 30 contains 25 problems. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

I'm thinking I'm going to stay with my grammar plan, but am grateful to all the suggestions so that I could explore options, as I have done since first posting. It is good to have them in my back pocket, now. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Stephen Hake says, they expect to publish sometime this spring! Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

I forgot about voyages in English. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Posted by accident

Thank you! I will look at both. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Hi, My son is 8, I'm loosing him with FLL book 1&2. I had plans to go to Hake level 3 next, I have the first 30 lessons, before its release soon. I would then do Hake Grammar all the way through with him. My daughter did FLL 1-3 and then went to hake 4 and will be going that route too. I'm beginning to discover my sons learning styles though, and he does best with color, and something he can see visually as we talk about it, or involving a worksheet or workbook. I still may do hake, but I'm in search of other options that fit this description as an alternative to explore. What is out there that is a solid grammar or grammar /writing course that is colorful? On the side, we do turn our hake texts into worksheets. I have our printer cut the spine and punch holes in them. :) Im on my phone, so I apologize for lack of editing. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

hey guys, I had a revelation and am happy to run with it and never turn back. I've struggled for years with memory work, and now I'm using Trello boards to do it, it is an online free application. Each colomn is now what used to be a tab in a notebook or card box, and each card will be a piece of memory work, you can add check boxes to the cards, files, audios, videos, take photos of vocabulary cards, CC cards, previous used memory work cards, to now make them digital, etc. I even tested it by uploading a CC audio file from my onedrive. SWEET! I'm so excited. once it is time to move the card it is super easy to drag and drop, and copy to other boards, etc... the only thing i have not figured out is if i should make memory work independent, or group work... or if my kids will handle memory work for 1 hour a day, or if I should break it up. as of now, I have a group memory board, and then one for each child. once the group memory work has been memorized solid, it can always be copied over to their independent memory work, and later when they grow older/adults they can have their own history, and every piece of work they have memorized to dip into anytime. we will be memorizing, quotes, scriptures, life lessons, songs, all classical conversation (CC) work, marie's vocabulary cards, english form the roots up latin/greek root cards, and bits of info from what they study or poems or whatever makes sense to them out of what they are learning. this posting was a bit of sharing my new ideas, and my musing/questions as i'm trying to figure out the details. BUT i'm SUPER happy to have had a revlation about using TRELLO for memory work. again, each column/header is listed as, daily, odd, even, monday, tuesday, etc, then a tab for each number 1-31, then a twice a year, and an archived for fewer between. I'm still trying to figureout how to manage the weekends... ETA: i forgot to mention that it is great as a mobile app - SO workable and flexible!

Hey! I'm using outlook, online and desktop versions. I just signed up with homeschoolplanet free trial. It says that they do, but it is not showing up on my outlook calendar, but is on my google calendar. I want something to work with outlook. Does HomeschoolTracker do this? I have still not heard back from them on this subject, and wanted to see if anyone here already had the answer? Ideally I don't want to have to pay for extra subscription, but I like the ideas of the two companies mentioned. I have thought of also just using outlook calendar for lesson plans, and like the idea of dragging and dropping to reschedule within the day or week, but not the idea of having to reschedule farther out than that! Another drawback to using outlook or something like google calendar is imputing the information, i'm assuming it takes longer. However I am aware of the learning curves to the software/online subscriptions, but maybe it's worth it? Ok, so if these don't link properly with outlook, what does? ETA: I DID already search the forums and didn't seem to find the answer to the above.

How long does the visualize world geography take and how often did/do you do it? I have an 8.5 year old (not strong reader at all) and an 11 year old. I have visualize world geography in hand and all the CC cycles and i'm trying to decide if I should choose only one geography tool to study at a time? (VWG or CC) or if both are good to study at one time, etc. We start school back tomorrow/over the next few days.

so.... what happens when you have worked through FLL levels 1-3, and you are on level 4. And you are playing mad-lib game as a family and you are asking your child/children what the definition of an adjective is and they blank out!? lol oh. my. or what the definition of a VERB is... (even though they remember half of what a verb is...) WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!? all. those. repetitive. hours. upon. hours. oh. my. GOODNESS! what's a homeschoolin' mama to do... ok, that's it. going onto hake, or something else for a different learning style! with incremental review that I do not have to be so labor intensive over! lol i THOUGHT She/they had this full understanding and they've had what i thought to be the definitions down for years now, and fast too. I say THEY b/c my son is in FLL 1 & 2.