My brag is despite the kids being sick most of Nov. I have really pushed myself to be consistent with school. We have done more school this Nov. than the past couple of Novembers. :)

I forgot about audiobooks and podcasts. Those are two must haves for us as well! :)

We are big Usborne fans as well. The first books my kids ever grab are the Usborne Beginners books. There are several available that cover topics like bats, Seashore, spiders, etc. In fact, a few years ago while we were still living in my parents basement my husband and I ran upstairs for a few minutes. When we came back down our oldest three kids were standing on one of their beds screaming and crying in terror. When we asked them what was wrong they said they saw a big spider and "it looks fimiliar," they told us as they pointed out a creepy looking spider in the Usborne book. It turned out to be a piece of lint that sure enough looked to have spiky horns like the spider they had shown us. After calming and reassuring the kids we all got a good laugh. It just goes to show how much they love those books, they know those pages front and back.

I second the chocolate :) (my personal stash is a sanity saver at times) Also... My husband This forum Internet, computer, copier/printer Freezer Meals/crockpot

This is perfect timing, I have been considering signing up for Lynda.com. I hadn't even thought to check my library, and it looks like they have it! Thank you! ETA: I don't live in New York either.

I'll take a stab at answering your question. :). I am not sure what age your kids are so I don't know if any of these books are even close to what you are looking for. I searched on Amazon and found a couple books that might be a possibility. If you search for "figure drawing" in books a lot of books will come up, the trouble is most figure drawing books are aimed towards the age range of high school to adults. But you may be able to find a few gems. A couple that I saw when searching were .... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933027800/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385346239/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581803591/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER And possibly this one (but it has no preview)..... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0891340971/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Some books more on the animation side of things are... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1879505975/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560100842/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER And possibly... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086547897X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER I want to add a disclaimer that I personally own none of these books myself, they just happened to look like some of the more kid friendly books that I saw while searching on Amazon. But if you do purchase any of these books or other figure drawing books I suggest you preview them to make sure you feel it is appropriate as figure drawing type books often have nudity. Another great free resource that you might find useful are the free out of print books by Andrew Loomis. He has a figure drawing book, as well as a head and hand book. You can find them for free by searching for Andrew Loomis. I think I downloaded some of them from goodreads. His books are written for the college level, but they do have some useful illustrations. However, there is a lot of nudity in his books, so definitely preview them. They most likely will be more useful for you than your kids at this point, but you can take a look if your interested. I didn't search these but you could also try searching for "cartoon drawing," "cartooning," or "how to draw anime" ," or something similar. I know sometimes just knowing what to search for is helpful. Hope some of this is helpful for you. And hopefully others have some useful resources or books to add.

Thank you! I am excited to read through it, thank you for all of your time and hard work. :)

Not sure if this makes sense, but I would love "a day in the life" look at narration. I have a hard time knowing how many things I should have my kids narrate. I know Charlotte Mason said something to the effect of no lesson should go un-narrated. But realistically what does that look like in an average homeschool day. I also have a hard time knowing how much of a narration I should expect from my kids at various ages/grades. I know it will vary depending on each individual kid, but it would be nice to have some idea of an appropriate progression in this skill. I have yet to read your blog, but now I am very excited to read through all of your information on narration. I don't know why this is such a difficult thing for me to implement. So thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom. :)

I agree that you should read and do as much research as you can, although don't do so much that you are missing out on enjoying your young kiddos. ;) I agree with all the books already mentioned, I would also add the suggestion of reading For the Children's Sake and The Read Aloud Handbook. I also highly recommend listening to as many podcasts as possible, they are so inspiring, and they are free! I personally love and highly recommend the following podcasts: Your Morning Basket, Homeschool Snapshots, Circe Institute (I love the Mason Jar episodes), A Delectable Education Charlotte Mason, and Read-Aloud Revival. There are also many fantastic MP3 lectures available. I love all the lectures by Andrew Pudewa, one of my personal favorites is Nurturing Competent Communicators, these can be purchased at iew.com. I also love all the audio lectures by Susan Wise Bauer, those can be purchased at welltrainedmind.com. I am sure there are other great ones I am forgetting. Here is a great list of audio lectures to listen to... http://amongstlovelythings.com/listen-up-collection-of-my-favorite/ As far as school for your kiddos. Enjoy them and take it slow. I was so eager to get started that I pushed academics on my oldest while she was little and I still regret it. Enjoy them, and snuggle up and read read read to them. Others have mentioned some books with great reading lists. I would also add that we have enjoyed most books on the sonlight reading lists, and have loved the before FIAR books, and the FIAR books. There are also many other great lists available on the Internet. The Read Aloud Handbook has a booklist in it as well. I also want to pass on a word of advice, as I have fallen into this trap myself, don't get overwhelmed by all the blogs and pins on Pinterest that make it appear as though all homeschool moms are super moms. Yes there are so many cute/fun activities out there, if you are so inclined do a few fun activities here and there, but just remember that at this stage if all you ever do is read to your kiddos you are doing plenty. Start on phonics if they are ready, others have mentioned some great resources. As far as math goes, I would suggest reading books like Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma and start to become familiar with the available programs and methods out there. I would really recommend watching the Education Unboxed videos, they have been a great resource for me and they are free! Susan Wise Bauer listed a bunch of other resources for parents in her newest edition of TWTM (4th edition, it is very much worth reading :) ). I have also found a lot of great math discussions on the forum when googling various math programs. Another skill I would work on at this stage is fine motor skills. You can do this by having them color, paint, glue colored squares on to paper, decorate a picture with stickers, give them a piece of paper and let them have at it with preschool scissors (this is one of my boys favorite things to do), etc. As someone mentioned Kumon books are a great for working on these skills. Also give them plenty of free playing time. I would also focus on starting to form good habits. Getting ready for the day, helping around the house, etc. I really, really wish I would have focused more on these things when my kids were young. I also recommend starting to have quiet time each day, get them in the habit now. Sorry I didn't mean to make this so long. Hopefully some of it will be helpful. Best of luck on your journey. :)

I was hoping to start back July 5th, however most of our school stuff has not arrived yet. Mostly I was just not done preparing for next year. So now my goal is July 11th. As soon as May hits it is really hard to have the discipline to keep going with school. It is so nice outside in May, and a perfect time to get yard projects done. Working outside mid June to August is just miserable. So this year I am trying to be smarter and do school during the hot and cold months and off during the nice months. I am also trying to leave more wiggle room for sick days, as they happen ALL the time in our house through the winter months. Maybe your kids would be more willing to start back if you give them something to look forward to. For example you could plan a week off in September that you could do an activity that they have been really wanting to do. Just a thought. :)

I have no advice. I am exactly the same, and hopefully you can find some comfort in knowing you are not alone. :) Lately I feel like I am constantly in the researching phase. Every year/day I struggle to strike the balance between what I want to do, and the reality of what I can realistically accomplish with six kids. And yes I have been known to buy more than one curricula just in case. ;). So it's not just you. :)

If you don't mind me asking, what creative writing books are you reading through? :)

We are starting back July 5th so I have no real summer break to get through the books I would like to. Some how I hope to get through them anyways. On my to do list... -Corbett's Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student (Just from quickly glancing through the book, I can tell this is going to take a lot of will power to get through. But I must force myself to do it!!!) -All the WWS books -Any other writing books I can get my hands on -Finish For the Children's Sake (I have one chapter left :) )

I love the idea of analyzing speeches. I would love to someday do this with my kids, but I would have no clue where to start? What should I be looking for, what makes it a good speech etc. Any suggestions on resources to help me learn how to analyze speeches and writing? Where do I even begin? It seems like an impossible overwhelming task to me at the moment. Also quick question about IEW. You mentioned that in your pro con list that with IEW the basics can become so automated that eventually it might become difficult for them to focus on complexities. Do you think this would be the case if only used for a year? I would also love if you included CW in the pro cons list. Just curious have you had a chance to look through their newer upper level, Plutarch? I believe it came out since you started this thread. If you ever get the chance I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Thank you again so much for all you knowledge that you are willing to share. :)

I am glad to see it isn't just me who was confused. I kept clicking on the ad on their home page and nothing was happening.

Thank you so much for this update. I have spent hours the last few days reading through old threads on writing, and this one is by far one of the most helpful. I am coming to the conclusion that I somehow need to get my hands on a lot of the same materials as you did, even for the sake of my own education. Writing is not a strength for me, but I need to have the ability to help "mentor" my kids through the upper grades. I am realizing the only way I will have the confidence to do this is by increasing my own understanding of the writing process. Your update confirms to me the necessity of this. The main idea I gathered is that it is not about finding the perfect curriculum, although that would be very helpful, but more about understanding the process enough to apply it to all types of writing situations. As much as I wished you had forged the perfect path through the different curricula that I could than follow ;), I am actually glad you ended up a place different than you expected and it has all worked out. I always seem to figure out the "perfect" plan and when we inevitably vary from it I become quite frustrated. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that my kids are their own people with their own needs and rarely do they fit perfectly into My plans. :). It is nice to see that your kids have found a unique way of learning their writing skills even though it was not your original plan. Sorry for my rambling. :) I love that you pointed out the difference between "writing" and "reading" papers. I had never thought of it that way, but that makes perfect sense. I always learn something new when I come here. :) Thank you so much, your posts are always so inspiring. You are a great example to me of having the desire to learn about a topic and just buckling down and doing it.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/348864-my-evaluation-of-numerous-writing-curricula/ Lewelma if you wouldn't mind I would love an update of your thoughts on your choices of writing curricula. Now that it has been several years and you have had a chance to go through some of the upper grades with your kids would you mind giving your current thoughts on how what you used has worked out, and what you liked/didn't like? Would you have changed what you used? Did you change anything from your original plan? I have an upcoming 5th grader next year and I am in the midst of trying to figure out our writing plans for here on out. Thanks. :) I would love others BTDT thoughts as well on the curricula that was mentioned in that thread. Thanks. :)

For what it is worth I love the Joy of Classical Education lecture. :)

Not sure if anyone has already posted this. SWB's History of the Medieval World is on sale for $4.95 right now on audible. Thought I would mention in case anyone would be interested. :) http://www.audible.com/mt/EPS2016?page=1 For me it shows up on page 3.

For assigned reading in 6th grade I remember reading "The Giver" and "The worst Christmas Pageant Ever." I was supposed to read "The Bronze Bow" but switched schools before I had a chance. On my own I remember reading "Where the Red Fern Grows" and another fantasy series written by a local author but I can't remember the name of it.

Lately I have been struggling with same dilemma. There are so many things I want to do with my kids outside of core academics, but I struggle also with the ALL school or NO school mentality. Academics keep getting in the way of how I want our homeschool to look ;). But I can in no way drop Core subjects either. I am also feeling this panic as middle school is close in sight for my oldest. I feel like I am running out of time. Not sure if any of that made any sense, but OP I feel your pain and I am so glad I am not the only one struggling with this. I will be following this thread closely. :)

Not a mathy person either but just in case this helps...an easy way that I remember the difference between 4x7 and 7x4 is by replacing in my head the multiplication symbol with the word "of." So 4 of 7's, and 7 of 4's. I have taught my kids this by using the words "times" and "of" interchangeably, they have picked up on the difference fairly easily this way. But they also understand the commutative property from using manipulatives like c-rods. Not sure if any of that made any sense, lol. :) Edited to add: A great resource that really helps me better understand how to teach math are the Education Unboxed videos. Best of all they are free. http://www.educationunboxed.com

I love this old thread comparing different writing curricula. A few books are mentioned in it as well... http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/348864-my-evaluation-of-numerous-writing-curricula/

I love this idea! The highlighter is a good idea. I would have never thought of this. That's why I love this forum, you all have such great ideas. :). I also love the sticker idea. ALL of my kids will want to do that. ;). That may be a great activity for my upcoming Kinder as well.. Thank you.

She doesn't have dysgraphia, she has dyscalculia. Sorry I have a hard time spelling that word for some reason. :). So do you think that an OT visit for that would still be beneficial? I bought the first two Ronit Bird ebooks (dot patterns, and C-rods). I see that the actual physical books are different than the ones she offers as an e-book. What are the differences? Would it be worth it to buy the physical books in addition to the e-books? It will be hard to balance with all the kids. But I am thinking maybe I can use it more as a fun daily extra learning time in addition to her current math. So that way if I miss a couple days it won't be the end of the world. But I think extra practice using something different will help. Your description of how you use it is very helpful thank you. :) So I went ahead and purchased the Focus Moves book. I haven't really looked through it yet, but I am excited to. My mom helped work at a private school using similar methods, at least from what I can tell so far they seem similar, and she said it made a big difference for the kids. So I am hopeful that it could be really beneficial for my Dd. :)