Your plan looks good. I wouldn't add Abeka. You'll get plenty done with the FIAR and the math. I also plan on doing a "FIAR" inspired K4 year using Peak With Books. And I have Saxon K as well. It looks great for early math. Adding in some c-rod play--pre-Miquon. I think you can do cursive first if you want. It doesn't really matter. I choose to use HWT at first. We use the wooden letters and write in a variety of sensory materials. I prefer to teach lowercase over a focus on capitals, so I use the ETC Get Ready Set Go books for that, and the HWT for capitals. I'm going to try to gently start her on some phonics. Science is tag along with the older kids and nature study. I pull ideas out of the Mudpie to Magnets books (and various other resources). I'm not very sequential about it. I just pull out what looks interesting when the fancy strikes. Same with any history or geography, just tag along. Art as well. My 4 year old has been used to tagging along with her brothers history/science/art activities for as long as she can remember. Other than that----lots and lots of read alouds and play time. Sandpaper letters, HWT wooden letters, and movable alphabets are great for beginner writers. I download different activities from MontessoriPrintShop for my dd to play around with on her own time.

Definitely EB White then-- Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little. Also maybe Cricket in Times Square, Little Women, Caddie Woodlawn. Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins books are fun. McClosky books are a must--Make Way for Ducklings, One Morning in Maine, Bluberries for Sal, Homer Price, Lentil, Time of Wonder. Virginia Burton books are nice--The Little House, Katy and the Big Snow, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel. I'd also think about the Holling books--Paddle to the Sea, Minn of the Mississippi, Pagoo. Book of Native American legends, and tall tales (John Henry, Pecos Bill, Appleseed etc).

I only know Adam of the Road and Robin Hood (we have Green's). I agree with getting a good King Arthur (Pyle's). Also maybe some more advanced collections of myth and fairy tale. Bullfinch is great, as well as Percival Graves Irish Fairy Tales. (By advanced I mean more difficult language, not adapted for young children). Also explore the stories of China and Japan etc!!!! Rats Bulls and Flying machines is good for nonfiction (Renaissance). Also maybe Crispin The Cross of Lead by Avi, The Door in the Wall, The Midwife's Apprentice, The Once and Future King, Tales From Shakespeare, Thousand and One Arabian Nights, The Trumpeter of Krakow, Canterbury Tales (there are some adapted ones available), Beowulf, Gawain and the Green Knight.....

What age is this child? I'd say Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Little House books.

At first I was thinking why not read both...they take no time at all. If you're writing a curriculum for 1st graders though, I would likely pick up Charlotte to read before picking up Trumpet. Although we've read both of them numerous times.

The best way to teach handwriting is consistently. So if you've been learning the Spalding phonograms, continue working with them for handwriting as well, and then get into the Ayres list when you're ready. HWOT will also be fine to continue; mainly because of the visual prompts that help children form the letters. Add in some kinesthetic elements---HWOT wooden letters, play doh, writing in sand etc and you're good. Continue with short copywork and jot down her little stories and ideas for her, and if she wants to copy those out let her.

I think writing on a blog is a great idea! You could also have her write Amazon reviews for the books. Also you can include art in the "commonplace book" or journal. She could draw her favorite scene, doodle and so on. One idea from Bravewriter that I cannot wait to implement is to read a book before they do and to put post it notes throughout asking interesting questions, pointing out vocabulary or allusions, or simply just "yay you made it to chapter 10, come see me, let's make brownies." I think as long as the child can own the process and it doesn't morph into a school type assignment...go for it!

Anyone use this? Is the teacher guide the only one needed coupled with the workbook series?

I prefer to follow the SOTW rotation gently at first. My 2nd grader will be going deeper into Ancients, while at the same time reading US History biographies and non-fiction. The Jean Fritz books, If You Lived During ...Scholastic Series, From Sea to Shining Sea, and (most important IMO) states geography!

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My kids had trouble with am and an words as well. Also en words. The e in hen doesn't sound the same as the e in leg. So I don't think you're crazy. I just worked on those together. They'll get there. I think it is totally normal for those to trip young readers up for awhile.

I agree with pp, Julie from Bravewriter and SWB from WTM have been huge influences for me as well. I used to feel that writing was best learned by writing and attempting all of those across the curriculum assignments. Now I am relaxed and willing to let the process unfold. I use other people's writings to teach mechanics, grammar, spelling and I allow my children's writings to be honored. One thing that I've come to appreciate is that a few really well done writing projects are enough. The rest of the year can be devoted to a language rich environment. (Freewriting, copywork, dictation, poetry, reading, notebooking, journals, even blogging or online social media etc) There is no need to make writing a schoolish chore. One thing Julie said that made so much sense to me is that formats were efficient. Writing formats are taught in writing curricula, not because that's great writing, but because it's easier to grade and evaluate. It's not difficult to teach, but overdoing it can inadvertently kill a child's voice and creativity. You can't really teach creativity, you just need to give it the space to grow. So I have no desire to fill my kid's days with boring writing assignments or prompts. And an expository essay is boring even if it fulfilled the format perfectly but had no personality. They need to learn the formats and the academic style, but creative writing, or writing for communication, are going to be the bulk of their writing for life. Academic writing is only a short season in a person's life. And if they move into a field that requires certain formats of writing, they will learn it. It's truly impossible to prepare for all kinds of writing that our children may encounter as adults, so best to make sure we don't kill their interest and enthusiasm too early with writing burn out.

I agree with this. I really enjoy the CM philosophy, but don't fall into the trap of thinking that there is a curriculum (or website like AO) that has all the answers and that you must follow exactly. Julie from Bravewriter talked this past weekend about a CM education for the 21st century. Often you'll find that CM websites (AO is one) focuses on using old, vintage texts, or reading old literature. Don't think you have to do that or else you're not CM. Read the modern texts, and the modern literature. Learn the programming or coding and modern science (STEM type stuff). I'm so glad she mentioned it because I really enjoy Charlotte Mason's words, but often purist CM'ers seem more concerned about the copyright on the books they read than really applying her principles to the 21st century. So just something to think about. If you find yourself reading a vintage text and it doesn't resonate or work for your family, and you'd rather read something much more modern, don't feel that you have to give up on CM. If she were alive today...what would she consider a "living book?"

I don't think this will (or ought to) ever stop. I'm constantly reevaluating what I do and self-educating. I have my own times carved out during the week for my own reading. The morning and early afternoon are for my kids. As long as you strike a balance between your own self-education and your kids, enjoy the learning process.

Why is there so much more spam than I remember in the past? It seems like there are accounts being made weekly and posts that are spam nearly daily. Is there some sort of procedure to weed out new forum members that may be spamming?

I think it's safe to assume from her posts on the Facebook page that she will do another one. I'd just follow Bravewriter on Facebook to get information when it occurs. I doubt she has a set date or time already.

I see more bickering and just in general unhappy, bored kids when I don't keep to a predictable routine. Not necessarily school, just a routine. Also sometimes kids need adults to help them with something to do. Get the supplies, resources, or get started on a big activity together that the kids can continue. "Just go play" is a deal breaker in my house. They'll usually find something to do...but it usually involves whining, or destroying something. Also food!!!! I have to keep a constant supply of good snacks and protein going into my children or they get the grumps.

I always have my little ones on the floor of library programs. I don't think what you described is unusual though. BTDT. Don't feel bad because you had to leave. You're not the first or the last Mom to have to leave in the middle of a situation. Maybe just practice. Keep going to any library thing for his age range, or any other community thing. Take him to as many different places as you can, even things not necessarily for kids. Those skills are learned with practice and a lot of swallowing your own embarrassment and pride ;) It gets better!

Bravewriter---mostly TWJ, but also any and all of the other home study courses are great as well. I also really appreciate The Complete Writer text that goes along with the WWE workbooks. For my own personal writing self I love The Vein of Gold. I'm also putting some Peter Elbow books on my own personal reading list this summer.

Rita Cevasco. the SLP and author of The Wand program from BW spoke at the retreat this last weekend. My soon to be 7 year old has some spelling and reading issues so I talked to her about this. She really recommends an Orton-Gillingham approach. AAS is one of those. So is Spalding on some level. I've been using WRTR for my helping my ds's reading. Sequential Spelling is another that is very quick and simple to use if you don't want a lot of components. Basically have your white board, three colored markers and the teacher guide, and your child has their notebook and then you teach those words, focusing on the patterns. It takes very little time. The repetition built into SeqSpell could be very helpful for a child having difficulty spelling from memory. http://www.wordworkskingston.com/WordWorks/Home.html I haven't explored this website yet, but it is something that Rita mentioned.

Outside of Cincinnati.....Sharonville? It was at the Transfiguration Spirituality Center.

Absolutely. Every time I heard bits of her conversation, she turned the question around and did it in such a way that the person realized that what they were asking wasn't necessarily the thing they were asking. She talks about a family culture. We're a home, a family, not a school. One of my favorite statements she made again and again was about this subversive life we have chosen to live. She talked about our common worries about grades, tests, college, and so on. And she kept asking "If we've chosen to live this unconventional life, why are we wanting conventional results?" Put another way she said that homeschooling was really a subjective experience, and yet we're trying to measure our children against objective standards.

So then you know what I'm talking about!!! I've read so many books on homeschooling, watched some youtube or listened to some podcasts, and so on, from various other homeschool speakers. But nothing has jumped out at me as being so unique and special as this. My goal for the next couple weeks is to re-read TWJ and the other home study courses in light of the things she talked about.

It is really nice that she didn't just academically lecture about homeschooling. I didn't come away with a list of things I must do, or how to evaluate progress. I came away with a reassurance that I am doing an awesome job, even when there are years that feel horrible. She gave the example from her own life of the year they lost the math book. LOL She doesn't stand up there as some all knowing homeschool expert and here's how you do it....xyz. She talks as if she's your friend, and she gets it. That there are days when you're "just surviving another day of life." She's unique, I feel, in the world of the homeschool speakers.

This past weekend I attended the Bravewriter retreat in Ohio. I've not been to any gathering of homeschoolers like it before, so it was definitely an experience. I imagine it had a very unique and different feel than a typical convention. There were only, maybe, 70 odd people there. It was set in a very beautiful location, hosted by the St Mary's convent, Bethany k-8 school. It was a cozy, home like environment for sure. Julie made it even better with the homemade brownies. When she talks about treats and tea, she means it....brownies, tea and teapots abound!!! The weekend was set up with numerous sessions/talks given by Julie. She addresses so much more than the nuts and bolts of a writing program---parenting, marriage, doubts, frustration and so on. I went thinking I was going to get a specific idea of teaching language arts, but I left with a complete perspective shift on life. Really! And I just have to say, it's one thing to enjoy the writing of a particular person, or to enjoy a particular curricla, but to meet the author and find out that they are so kind is amazing. She was so nice, kind, and witty. She's a pretty awesome lady! I got to talk to her one on one a couple times. She was available all weekend. And I really got the impression that she gave her undivided attention to the person in front of her. She did not have an air of distraction or busyness, even though I'm sure she had plenty on her plate. There were cameras, so I expect there will be something in future to see her talks from the retreat. I got wrangled into giving a filmed testimonial. Out of my comfort zone for sure! I don't know what exactly to say about the language arts specific parts of Bravewriter. I mainly went away with the idea that I can relax. It doesn't have to be overly rigorous or hard to count. She had us Freewrite and work on copywork in a different language. I really realized for the first time how difficult it is to get words on a page, and had a feeling of how my children felt. Another thing that jumped out at me is that children have a recovery period. So we may see them writing and reading a big thing one moment and then for maybe months they give us very little output. She compared it to running. After training and finishing a marathon, you don't want to do another for some time, you want to accomplish small, easy recovery tasks. So when our kids manage a big activity or project, don't worry and wring our hands when they can't sustain that and do another right away. It's okay to complete a few really well done activities in the year and just copywork/dictation and freewrite and play with language the rest of the year. I'll try to answer anyone's specific questions, if I can recall something she may have said that addresses it. I was a huge Bravewriter fan to start out with, but hearing her actually talk about the things I've read was gold. There were quite a few things I felt I understood about BW that I realize I was not implementing quite right. It was extremely helpful! I'm still processing all of it. Maybe writing about it here will help!