I get the Brave Writer Lifestyle emails. I think that is a great start for K/1.

Second Hatke's book. Somehow our library had one early September. It has very little text. My son loves this book. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We are in first, but loved Doctor Dolittle and are about to start Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. My mother-in-law bought us a boxed six book vintage set. I think we might wait and give those to him at Christmas. We even watched the Rex Harrison version, which he likes, but sometimes wants to take a break from. It is a LONG movie with an intermission, think Sound of Music with Julie Andrews.

We have little in the way of our Ambleside Online readings today, but I have a few things I missed earlier in the week I'd like to do. Arttango Lesson #2 (paper collage) Nature Journal (I want to stamp with an okra... white paint on brown kraft paper. Early Christmas wrapping paper project) Read any Bedtime Math questions we missed Paddle to the Sea mapwork (I would like to work on coloring in Canada) So it looks like art is important, but something that always doesn't get done. We spent most of Wednesday working on the Supercharged Science Marine Biology, Oceanography, and Underwater Robot Teleclass and so we didn't have time for art, etc. I don't want to just keep moving tasks from one week to the next. I feel like if I make a habit of that in Week #2 we will NEVER finish any lesson plans for a single term.

I haven't posted in a few weeks, but we've been working hard doing school. Today's big event is Greek School. Last week Robby learned alpha and molyvi (pencil). Today's schoolwork: Daily Poem, Paddle to the Sea Ch. 2, FLL, Copywork (Two lines from The Caterpillar by Rossetti), Phonic drill (via LOE app), Phonics Lesson, Rod and Staff Lesson. We've been doing an hour of quiet time in his room with my iPhone listening to LibriVox books. Last week he did Raggedy Andy Stories and Velveteen Rabbit. I had already read Velveteen Rabbit to him a few years ago so he may have forgotten it. I read aloud Raggedy Ann Stories so he enjoyed Raggedy Andy. He also listened to a few fairy tales from the Red Fairy Book like the Twelve Dancing Princesses. We have listened to that on audio before from a library cd of Jim Weiss read alouds. Other things to do are Bedtime Math, a picture study that literally takes 5-10 minutes that I've been putting off for a FULL week!!, and prepare for Aurora Lipper's teleclass tomorrow. I need to go to the Dollar Tree and try to find one of those keychain red laser pointers. It is noon and I really should be finished with school, but with the kitchen remodeling I've not even gotten started today. Time to go do some learning with my little.

We just met with our District Director last week along with our parish priest. Our priest is going to fill out the charter paperwork and then hand everything over to my husband. We are really motivated to have a good scouting experience for our son. I was in a bazillion activities as a kid and had mostly good experiences in all of them. My husband was in cub scouts and said his experience was not what he wished it could have been. He wants to give Robby a great chance to succeed. Including my son we have five boys who live next door to us that also go to our church. There are maybe another 3-5 boys who attend our church and might want to join our group. Not too familiar with how BSA does this, but I know we will be volunteering lots of time.

Goodness! I wish I wouldn't have missed that. Any idea how to track them down?

That Lamy ABC looks like a great pen. I might buy one as a reward for finishing the Grade 1 Handwriting book.

I will bump this. We were watching Doctor Dolittle last night and now I really want a big old beautiful one with a gorgeous pin.

I am game, ElizaG, but fear that I don't quite even know what our end is supposed to look like yet. I assume at this point in time and this world it would mean some higher education. Even if one of my children wanted to go to a monastery, it would benefit them and their monastery if they went educated and with a skill set. As for your age of starting and finishing I would say approximately first grade 6/7 years of age to 16-18 years of age for finishing. Perhaps even 19 if they were to take a finishing/gap year for independent travel.

These are so funny to me and make me so glad I left facebook about three years ago. My son is designing t-shirts to sell. He wants to sell robot kits and toys, but he has yet to build a robot himself so he is designing robot t-shirts. I told him I'd give him a $100 toward shirt expenses and then we'll see. I am sure his grandparents will buy a shirt and maybe a few of our friends. He can take that money and decide if he wants to buy more shirts or stop. One of his older friends (15 year old; my son is 6), told him he'd shoot a commercial for his store. It is honestly hilarious all the talk and work that has gone into his store, Robots Robots Robots. My husband and I keep joking that even though we are homeschooling Robby is still doing a school fundraiser. Instead of a yucky candle, magazine subscription, or blah pizza you can buy a t-shirt designed by a six year old. I guess this is a modern day lemonade stand. :) Really though, when I was a kid and did xyz sports (even at the national level) we had to get local businesses to sponsor us and a bazillion fundraisers. Our parents never begged other adults on our behalf. We had to work for our money. Sometimes it meant also that I couldn't do a sport for a few months while my dad was unemployed or they just couldn't afford something. I had to wear old running shoes or not own the best newest equipment. These small things were big life lessons, however.

Not sure if Memoria Press has a recording, but I think they offer a medal for once a student memorizes this poem.

I have an begining first grader. He is just reading CVC words but is doing very well with math and science. How is the test administered? Does he need to be able to read the questions himself or are they proctored/read aloud for first graders?

I have my husband's law firm scanner at home since he is now at a county office. What would someone need to do besides scan it? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

These books are not a series, but Barbara Cooney's books: Miss Rumphius, Roxaboxen, Ox Cart Man, etc. Thornton Burgess Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have changed so much in my adulthood... Glory to God! You are so blessed and your new little one will add joy to your life!

There is an extra apartment available in St. Louis if you needed a place to stay. Far from your east coast home, I'm sure.

My mil came home today from my sil's home. My sil had a new baby a week ago. We went to dinner at Chili's and then I took Robby to the first night of Greek School. It is not at our home parish, but another church nearby we frequent a lot. My daughter's godmother is their secretary and I have two goddaughter's who attend there, but it is still a little unfamiliar. Robby doesn't know the kids there, etc. Also he has never attended classes for anything or played on a team. This is a new experience for him, but something good for him. Tonight was just introductions and a small blessings service for the school year. I printed all the of Peterson Handwriting research papers so I can read them tonight. Hopefully we can do this on Friday. Added chalk to my shopping list. I think I might add some colored chalk to his schultuete. I need to research Don Potter's website to see what he says about writing on the chalkboard. Also in the Grade One kit there is an adhesive paper position guide I need to place on Robby's desk tonight. I think I am going to remove the Spalding guide I had taped down. I will cover the guide with thick packing tape to help preserve it. Do you think contact paper would work better? Planning to sit with my husband tonight and talk about quotes for my inspiration poster. I want to pick a few from Charlotte Mason, I'm sure. School work was ok. We worked on his DIY 100 chart up to 60. I know this is really basic, but we have been working hard at making sure he really knows his numbers. Phonics is my struggle. I downloaded the LOE Phonogram app. He does well at it, but has such a difficult time blending. Last fall when we started kindergarten I was using OPGTR and I think lesson 27 is something like mat and cat. We did those for a week or so, but he would forget them and then we'd start over. After a few weeks of seemingly no progress I shelved it and said we'll wait. Well, now I feel like I we are behind, but he is still nearly in the same boat. He can read to me an, am, as, at, ax. That is the first lesson in Alpha Phonics. He is doing the free lessons on ronpaulhomeschool.com Today he was working on Lesson 7 which included an, Ann, can, man, and tan. He did all of them pretty well except tan. He wrote a small sentence: A man can tan. Both times he encountered tan he couldn't figure it out. I borrowed my friend's Learning at Home First Grade book by Ann Ward. She uses Spalding in it and I wanted to see how they schedule it daily. It looks as if the children already know a lot of words at the beginning of first grade in this book. So now I feel like I need to look at the Kindergarten book and feel so behind with reading. This is something I've really struggled with. I want him to do well. We'll keep working at it again tomorrow and the next day, etc. I will not give up. Tonight we are going to finish reading Doctor Dolittle. I am excited to read the final chapters. I never read this as a child and it has been a fun read. I didn't realize but there are about a dozen titles. I might have to order a few on amazon later tonight. Grandma is bringing breakfast over tomorrow morning. Wednesday afternoon I try to watercolor with the kids. That will be something nice. If I can get things prepped tonight. Clean up the playroom a bit and throw some stuff away perhaps I can make it a more beautiful occasion. With God's strength.

I grew up in really rural WV. We had a really old set that had buttons on the case--channels one to thirteen. I don't remember if we picked up an actual channel for each button, but channel 13 was TBS and I watched The Flintstones and Tom and Jerry on that channel before I caught the bus in the morning. TV wasn't really a big deal. I played outside most of the time. I remember watching Three Stooges at my neighbor's house. We moved to "town" when I was in the middle of the second grade. That was the first time I had cable or knew it existed approximately 1990.

My dh is home! We had a nice dinner with at our Russian neighbors' home and then he promptly went to sleep. He said he had been awake 20 or so hours after a nonstop week. Here's the Russian news report on their trip: https://patraminstitute.org/russian-news-report-on-patram-moscow-workshop/ Currently while everyone is asleep I'm listening to CiRCE Institute podcast "On Starting the School Year Well." Perhaps I am expecting too much for the year. My main goal is that he learn to read well. I need to remember this. Perhaps I need to map out all of our standards/goals for the year. With that also comes handwriting. I spoke with Rand Nelson for about 2 hours last week about Peterson Handwriting. I am very excited about this. I think this could be so wonderful. It is very inexpensive as well. I need to read his research page and prepare to do that late this week or early next week: http://www.peterson-handwriting.com/handwriting-study.html I need to buy chalk. From the podcast I was encouraged. I now want to make a poster with maxims/famous quotes about why I'm educating my children/what education is all about. Need to come up with perhaps 4 or 5 quotes to include. I will hang this next to my teacher desk. Ideas? I want to have an idea of what I want to expect out of our first week/first three weeks. How we will gradually begin. We've been doing phonics/math/read aloud for a while consistently so now we'll add in the AO Y1 readings. Narration is the big addition. We'll continue to read lots of science books. I think we'll look at the Coursera class on Friday afternoons with a neighbor boy. This boy's dad is a Fulbright scholar in Nuclear Physics. This is kind of a mini science club. Sorry to ramble these are just my thoughts as I near sleep.

I even use Tegu for my fridge magnets. Much more cool looking. :) I have a bunch on the lower half and on my dishwasher and I don't mind looking at them at all. So much better than crappy plastic looking stuff.

My dh is on his way home from Moscow. YAY!! that is all.

I second this sentiment. I've gotten quite a few used books with library bindings on amazon. I love it when I can buy one of these.

I am debating the LightUp kit. It is a good price for a try. I don't think I would pay $50 on a toy I hadn't seen before, but $25 is good if we decide we don't want to continue investing in it.

I think Tegu would be perfect for the 3 year old. The cubes are about the size of a basic duplo cube. I don't know how prone they are to putting things in their mouth, but I think it would be hard to swallow. We had these before we got MagnaTiles or any other building thing. They were great because they could build towers (factories in our home) easily without the pieces falling over when they are learning to build. They also have a small learning curve with the magnets. My three year old and six year old still play with them. They are my favorite. I prefer wooden toys.