What do you think of this? :tongue_smilie: If one has difficulty following Liping Ma's book, one will likely have difficulty teaching SM. Likewise, non mathy parents who just don't feel they "get" math will likely have trouble following SM (even with HIGs).

This is very true! :) Thank you for the replies! Exactly what I needed to know! :)

Any comments? We just recently got an iPad, and I see there is a Kindle edition of Liping Ma's book. I've never owned a book for kindle/nook/iPad, but I think I've seen at least a few commentaries on kindle editions not being as good in some cases. Not sure how/why the kindle version might be inferior, but I thought I'd ask in case someone has found this to be true with this particular book. Thanks!

For the record, I am not opposed to rules, and most certainly not opposed to knowledge! :D I did ask about something not overly focused on rules because I know my DD usually balks at having to learn a bunch of rules for things that are intuitive to her. While I am all for discipline and do teach that some things need to be just done/learned regardless of whether or not they are enjoyable, at this point I am trying to pick my battles as we just get into the swing of learning at home.

Thank you for the replies! I certainly makes sense not to worry about a slump that may never happen... I have been looking at ETC and Phonics Pathways. I may just get phonograms from somewhere, though I'm not certain I know exactly what I'm looking for :confused:

I have a child that learned to read without direct instruction. She currently reads at ~ a 3rd grade level, and seems to also be a natural speller, as she makes very few mistakes when writing. While I'm delighted (and able to focus time on things she needs to work on), I can't help worrying about that fourth grade slump people describe, and about if I should still go through some sort of a phonics program with her. Is there something that's not intimidating, gentle, and NOT overly focused on rules? Fun would be a plus :). We're currently doing WWE and GWG. Spelling wisdom for spelling - copy work/ dictation. I had originally planned not to do direct phonics instruction, but I can't help but second guess myself... Help?

So very nice to hear this from all of you! Flexibility is definitely one of the reasons HS'ing is so appealing. :grouphug:

We just just moved here from Syracuse - I had to look at a map :lol: - but that's not too far from us :)

Thank you for all the reassurance! Yesterday was a much, much better day. Both older kids had a better attitude overall, and DD got literally twice as much work done in half the time :D. All in all it felt much more doable. I'm NW of Pittsburgh. (darn!)

Thank you for all the replies! That makes me feel better...I feel Ike I'm still at that stage where I need a lot of reassurance. :tongue_smilie: Lori - :seeya: nice to see there's a fellow wrapper, all day homeschooler, Keystone-stater ;)

We officially started just yesterday, but really we've been doing some schoolwork since the spring, and a bit here and there daily since the start of Aug. I keep reading all the daily schedules with organized times in the AM, work done by 2PM, etc. I'm finding that impossible. DD was finishing up grammar before dinner, and correcting sloppy handwriting practice she had whipped through earlier so she could read with me and her brother. We moved two months ago, and I've got a just turned 3 month old and a just turned 3 yr old to deal with as well. The 3 yr old is a very active little boy, who's also quite bright- only he wants to do exactly the work his big sister is doing, and on the same page (a photocopy of the page will not appease him...). DD has only experienced half day Montessori K, and is having a hard time being disciplined enough (totally not surprising!) to work when I'm trying to distract DS with other things that appear more interesting to her. Then the baby wakes up. :tongue_smilie: I should add that I don't expect DD to be too intrinsically motivated at this age, nor either DS to understand (well, maybe the baby ;) ) that we need to get school done... We are currently focusing only on grammar, handwriting, writing, and math - she reads a ton on her own. I'm hoping that this is still part of the adjustment period - I was working long hours full time before the babe was born, and we moved when he was 3 weeks old - that's a lot of changes! I'm going to try something along the lines of a workbox system. It just seems that we're doomed to be struggling to get school in all day long! I wonder how people manage it with multiple kiddos and littles - and the extracurriculars!

This is what I found and have used on several occaisions. Though (re-reading) I have used the website/online resource by the same name, not the book. Thank you for the bump and the replies! (in this regard, too bad my brother is a physicist ;) )

Thank you all for the well wishes! :) We've got goodie bags for the kiddos, plan to take school pics on the front step, and a light day academically (though with an infant and a three yr old, I have a feeling many days will be light this semester...). We will try to bake cookies. Curriculum: Growing with Grammar, WWE, spelling wisdom, Getty Dubay Singapore math STOW RSO/nature study getting started with Latin Homeschool spanish Artistic pursuits Piano

I've been researching, waiting , getting ready, building up toward, planning, saving for , buying for :tongue_smilie:, deliberating, and anticipating this moment since the fall of 2008. My now "three-nager" was just an infant then, and my little girl was on the wait list for preschool. Yikes! First grade officially starts tomorrow, September 1! I am both so very excited, and so very worried that I may not be able go hack it (plus mine is a strong willed child...). Wish me luck! Thus begins the journey...

Thank you - that's very helpful! I didn't think there was a totally straightforward way to do it... ;)

My Mom is in Newport, right next door to Morehead City, NC. I spoke with her this AM; now she's not answering my text nor picking up her cell. I know she was without power, but the cell was charged. I know there can be a lot of traffic, and towers can be down. When I called, I got ringing and ringing until the voice mail switched on. Wouldn't the voice mail come on immediately if there was a problem with reception? It's been a couple hours. If someone would educate me, I'd appreciate it. I'll also appreciate prayers...

I've done a lot of digging, and I can't get around the fact that HST works best for us. I so want to use it on our iPad, so I've been looking at Parallels. Only I don't know if it will work: our main computer is a PC, and we have an iPad. No stationary Mac to sync with. It seems the mobile app will only work if you've also got a Mac computer, in addition to an iPad or iPhone? Or am I reading it wrong?

Our daughter started Montessori K in NY last year on Sept 6, same as the PS kids. This year we're in PA, and the local PS start back on Aug 29. We're starting Sept 1st :D. I agree about feeling left behind, though - I was going to post something similar! :lol:

What's your favorite resource for identifying trees? I was looking at both books and apps for iPad, but it seems most (even Audubon) have received nery mediocre reviews... Any advice? :001_smile:

Thank you for sharing! :D

Oh, no! Praying your toe heals quickly and uneventfully! :grouphug:

Another *thank you so much!!!* These are just what I was looking for! How very kind of you to share all your hard work! :)

I've got the one illustrated by Tasha Tudor on the way - thank you, Hive! :D

I was leaning toward the one illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa, but I'm off to look at the one by Tasha Tudor as well! :auto:

Thank you! :lol: