Galore Park has some very well written history books called So You Really Want to Learn History for middle schoolers that are textbooks and have chapter questions, etc., but they were each written by individuals and so the text is more engaging that a typical textbook written by a group. British History, mostly. You can get them used through Abe books online usually. Forgot to say they are secular.

I definitely teach that Y can say long e as in happy. (Because it does!) I teach that when Y is a vowel, it is just like I and has the same three sounds: long I as in "bite" or "by" short I as in "it" or "myth" long e as in "radio" or "happy". It seems simpler to me to just tell it like it actually is. This seems to make it easier for my kids to remember things like baby to babies, etc., because Y and I are related and have all the same sounds.

The only thing I would add is to cherish it! My baby will be in K next year, and I can't believe it. It goes so fast. It seems like I just started K with my oldest (nearly 8 years ago!) and now it is my last chance to do this!

If you need a quick reference guide for yourself, I love to use Elements of Style by Strunk and White. I keep it by me when I am teaching my children to edit their writing. We look up particular things and see how they should be punctuated, etc. Good luck!

Thanks for the link! Looks interesting!

Whichever you want to do first! I have done it both ways (starting with ancients and starting with US with different kids) and I don't think it really matters. You'll cover it all eventually anyway. Just do what you think would work better for your kids. Are they interested in any particular people in history? Or events?

Actually, if I remember correctly, a child wrote Lewis after he had read them all already, and said wouldn't it be better to read them chronologically and Lewis said that is a great idea kind of thing. He didn't actually recommend that. I think reading them chronologically after you've read them all is fun, but for the first time, I would stick with the original published order. The characters and situations are developed better that way. The first few books published had many of the same characters, so I think it is more interesting to find out what happens to them. They were almost chronological to begin with anyway. But if you really want to read them chronologically, you'd have to stop during LWW and read HHB then go back and finish LWW! Not that it matters a whole lot, as long as you read them!:001_smile:

:iagree: So glad to hear someone else say this -- I wondered how on earth people outlined those things!

Just to provide some balance, I own all four books and the activity guides and I never use them any more. I bought them when I first started home schooling and I did use them at first. But honestly, it didn't simplify my life. I used mostly library books anyway. If you have a good library, you don't really need them. And even when I was "using" them, I didn't do most of the activities anyway. And the maps I have on a blackline map cd anyway. And the reading lists aren't all that different from what you can find online for free. I never got rid of them because they all cost so much (altogether, I mean, not that they are inherently expensive) and I kept thinking I might use them again someday. But really, if I haven't used them in several years am I ever going to? Probably not. But of course they are wonderful in their own way, just not for me.

First Language Lessons and Writing With Ease. I think there is a place here somewhere if you look around that tells what the main abbreviations are. Welcome to home schooling!

Yes, you can teach it on your own! Anything you are willing to put in the time to learn yourself you can teach to your kids. Anything! I have a natural speller and I do mostly dictation with her. But even my boys who are definitely not natural spellers, I do dictation with them and it really helps them as well. I just teach them the rules as we go, in context, and give them weekly "spelling bees" or quiz them on words with rules they need to practice. I disagree that doing phonics doesn't help spelling, though. I view spelling as the other side of phonics. For example, phonics teaches when you see b-o-a-t you say boat; spelling teaches when you hear "boat" you spell it b-o-a-t. Spelling is like reading in reverse. So I think phonics helps with spelling, and spelling helps with phonics. They are just two sides of the same thing.

I second the spelling notebook suggestion. You could use dictation as well. Just tell her the rule for the words she misses, and let her write them in a spelling notebook. If she is really a natural speller, she probably won't miss them again after that.

Explode the Code -- why didn't I think of that? Yes, that should be enough phonics for natural spellers and good readers and they do all kinds of work with syllables, but it is totally independent. You can probably find those at a bookstore or school supply store near you, as well. And they don't cost much. But do not start at the beginning for that age group, look through them until you find the level you want.

I haven't used R&S for spelling but I have heard that good spellers might need to go up a grade level to be challenged. You can find samples of R&S here: http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/ Maybe you can see from the samples whether it would be helpful for you or not. Good luck!

I went to public school and we did diagramming every single year until high school and I hated it. But now I see the value in it, so my kids are diagramming every single year until high school! I guess what goes around really does come around!

I remember being a kid and I loved playing but I just couldn't stand to sit on that bench for 30 minutes at a time (what I was supposed to do). I ended up quitting and regretting it. I want my kids to be good but I don't want them to dread practicing. So, I don't time their practices. They just practice whatever they're working on several times. Sometimes that might be 15 minutes and sometimes more than 30. But I think that helps them feel better about it, that they have "ownership" of it, so to speak.

I have used Singapore with 3 kids so far, and I have never used the HIG for that level. I would recommend it beginning in 2A, though.

My experience was similar to some others here in that I learned to read before I got to school. I don't remember how exactly, just that when I went to school, I could already read and mostly played with blocks for the first couple of years. (At least that is all I remember doing!) My mother swears she did not teach me to read, that I must have learned from watching Sesame Street, although my older sister who teaches in public school says that is not possible, someone must have taught me. :lol: I told her she probably taught me, she just doesn't remember! But growing up I used to joke that I must have been lucky to have learned before I got to school, because many of my friends could not spell at all. I used to think they spelled things wrong to be "cute" - I later realized that no, they just could not spell. I will never forget my very good friend who was class president and actually ended up going to a very good private college arguing with me that "could've" was really spelled "could of" - I tried to explain to her it was a contraction for "could have" but she wasn't buying it. My husband actually remembers asking his first grade teacher, "How are we suppose to memorize every word in English?" (This from a very mathematical mind who saw, even at 6, that that was not reasonable.) I really think that the problem is this: A little bit of anything can be dangerous. My friends knew enough phonics to spell some things phonetically and to read fine. But they did not have the whole picture. I have a natural knack for spelling, and so intuitively (as someone else said) I knew how words ought to be spelled or pronounced that I had never seen/heard before. But if you don't have that knack (as some of my own children do not) you need to be taught it explicitly, and in depth. And I think that, even if you do have that knack, it is helpful to be taught the reasons behind it. I have learned so much from teaching my kids; not how to spell, but why. And my one that is a natural speller, I tell her the whys of what she is already naturally doing, and I believe it will help her in the long run.

This is the kind of thing I am planning on doing with my oldest next year, who will be in Maxim as well. I like to study a few books in depth, then let him read more widely but not require anything from it other than, "Hey! What did you think of that?" I don't want all reading to be "work" -- if you know what I mean.

Galore Park has three Junior History books on Ancient history.

This is my issue as well. My oldest will be moving to Foerster's Algebra I next year. He has done well with Singapore but I just wasn't sure how the integrated math would work on a transcript and I liked what I saw in Foerster's. This way I know I can put Algebra I on a transcript and not have to worry about anyone saying otherwise.

Memoria Press is coming out with a version of the Dorothy Mills books with student guides that look great but I don't know if the middle ages one is out yet? Her books are written for that age and are very thorough.

Got mine at the Dollar store.

I voted other because I don't do formal K math. I have a list of skills that I keep in front of me and just sort of work through them. Some of the skills on my list are: counting to 100 by ones, twos, tens counting backward from 20 working on counting, adding, and subtracting actual objects recognizing money writing the numbers neatly & recognizing them etc. I use one of those posters with all the numbers to 100 set up in rows of ten. We just sort of play with numbers. I also have used Singapore with my K-ers if they wanted a book, but I actually just used the 1A text. I think it is a simple enough introduction. All of mine that have finished K have done well with Singapore after this kind of K year. I think they had time to really understand numbers and play with them before they moved on.

Classical Writing Diogenes Maxim