Mine is in my siggy. I really only started it as an alternative to a paper journal of our homeschooling adventure for my kiddos to read. However, with all of the troll talk on here, I felt compelled to post it in my siggy so people could verify that I was real. Ha ha ha!

Puzzle books - like Sudoku, word find, mazes, logic problems, etc Portable, non-messy crafts - like wiki stix, floam, etc. Pretend play - matchbox cars, trains, figurines Electronics - leapster, DS, etc. HTH, I don't have an 8 yo boy...

Sweet potato and avocado are two very nutrient-rich easily digestible options to try next. Banana can aggravate reflux. She doesn't have reflux does she?

Just an FYI... Elemental Science includes all of the mentioned resources - Magic School Bus, Let's Read and Find Out series, experiments from Janice Van Cleave's book, etc. in a planned out format.

I love the highlighter idea! We just did the grasshopper story this week. ;-) Your ds's narration was awesome! I wish my dd could remember that much detail. I really have to coach her along. As pp's have said, I just try to whittle her down to the important facts. I say, "If we were going to tell Daddy what happened in this story, which sentences are the important points."

We are using Elemental Science Earth and Space this year for 2nd Grade. We really enjoy it. I also have a 4 yo (Pre-K) and a 20 month old. ES is very easy for me to implement, and we all look forward to it. I read the recommended section in the Usborne book. The Pre-K'er has enjoyed listening in to the topics, so far. DD then writes a short summary (all student pages are included). We then read extra books I've gotten from the library (all recommendations included in the curriculum). We have had fun with several hands-on projects including making a paper machier model of earth and a salt dough volcano (which we erupted today). Hth.... Good luck!

Gailmegan, your post made me want to cry... I am the big sister of a group of siblings. I always knew I had younger siblings but didnt know how to contact them. I would hate the thought that they assumed I would contact them if I wanted to know them... My mom and dad had me at a very young age and divorced shortly after I was born. I didn't see him again. Dad got together with another young girl and had a baby shortly after (baby is 15 months younger than me). Baby was put up for adoption. Dad and girl stayed together and married. They had 3 more kids. Dad died a few years later. Fast forward 15 years... And we all connected on Facebook! I went from an only child to having 4 siblings (2 boys and 2 girls). I live close to the youngest (a boy), and we have connected the most. I met the other boy (the adopted one). We keep in touch. I haven't met the girls yet, but we stay in touch through Facebook. Maybe it is because I didn't grow up with any siblings, but building a relationship with my littlest brother has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It's like I feel a deeper connection to life or the world, or something. I'm sure that sounds hokey to some people. Sorry, it's hard to put it into words.

I really hope that everyone on this thread read the news story about Dr. Earl Bradley in Delaware. He was recently convicted of sexual assaults against 86 children. He was a trusted community doctor.

Sorry if this has been said already, as this is a very long thread... First of all, I think it's really odd to say that homeschoolers are not well prepared for classrooms. Really, isn't that the point of homeschooling (to not be in a classroom)? Why would we be preparing our children for classrooms? If they end up in a classroom eventually, they can learn the new skills accordingly. I get that the op is saying that ending up in a classroom is an inevitable eventuality for most homeschoolers. However, I do not see evidence to support that theory (aside from the anecdotal stories), and I do not think the theory warrants "preparation" for classroom life. Additionally, I think it is virtually impossible to lump homeschoolers into a group and label them with a set of characteristics. The analogy I always use is that comparing people who homeschool is like comparing people who are religious. (Yes, I think homeschoolers encompass that broad of a category. ) Ten families who homeschool can do so in 10 different ways. Even knowing the style or curriculum that someone uses doesn't tell you about their family values or parenting style. And inho, homeschooling is 10% about the curriculum you use and 90% about parenting issues.

It's such an easy little go-along for the books. I would think you could handle it. (Says the lady with only 3 kids. Ha ha ha!) If you have the book and the manual, it will probably inspire you to do a few things each week. If nothing else, you will be sure that your 2.5 year old is getting indoctrinated into homeschooling early. Also, you can always have one of the older kids read the book to the 2 year old, if you need a few minutes to work with another child. Then follow the book with a simple coloring sheet or something. Be sure to check out Homeschool Share for more ideas. Good luck!

Thank you. That does help. I received the student workbook from someone who had bought it and decided not to use it. So, I wasn't sure whether I needed the TM. I will go ahead and order it.

This is my 4th year using FIAR. This year I have a 2nd grader and Pre-K'er. I like to group the books into units (seasonally or by groups of animals, etc.) This year I am grouping by animal habitats. I am also mixing in BFIAR. (If you are using both, Homeschool Share has a chart showing which books match up in both curricula.) So, we might read "Another celebrated dancing bear" and "Ask. Mr. Bear" in the same week and talk about bears. The next week, to continue the woods theme, we might read "Owl Moon" and "Goodnight Moon." We do our regular school work (reading, writing, math, etc.) in the morning. We do FIAR in the afternoon. We will read the book in the afternoon during snack time, then do an activity or craft to go with the book. I followed the manual pretty closely the first year or two. By now, I am more familiar with the books, so it's easier to plan on the fly. The only downside is that my kids expect a go-along craft or activity everytime they read a book. Ha ha ha!

Is the Teacher Manual essential for the 5-7 curriculum? I have the student workbook, and it looks pretty self-explanatory...

That is wonderful! I don't know you, but I am totally impressed. I did a Master's before kids. No way I could do that now.

if I was homeschooling someone else's children. Ha ha ha!

I didn't read all of the responses in detail. So, I'm not sure if this was mentioned already, but one of the most important factors in going (if you're staying on property) is when you go. Disney has 4 different "seasons" - Value, Regular, Peak, and Holiday. The prices for rooms and food fluctuate accordingly. Disney does offer special promotions on a regular basis - like the free dining plan a pp mentioned. Another good one is a percent off the rack room rate of the hotels (rates off depend on the category of hotel). There are some great sites for Disney deals out there. Good luck!

I just wanted to jump in here and say that it is interesting how things are relative. I have 3 kids and feel like I have failed, because I would have liked to have 5. So, op, you are pretty amazing to me... Ha ha ha! I also wanted to throw out there that sometimes it it hard to compare families when everyone has different priorities for their families. For example, extended nursing is a top priority in our family. So, that means longer stretches of infertility between babies, longer stretches of disrupted sleep, more physical exhaustion, etc. If I am going to have that as a priority, maybe I need to stop at 3 children (taking into account my personal limitations). For you, it sounds like one-on-one time with your kids might be a high priority. I am not remotely insinuating that people with lots of children don't want to spend one-on-one time with them. I'm just saying that for the op, it might be a number 1 or 2 priority. In which case, you have a very real constraint of the number of hours in a day. :-) Also, and this might be a stretch, I'm guessing that homeschooling is a priority. Ha ha ha! Again, that is going to require a different amount of money, time, energy, etc. than if your children were heading off to school at 5. Thanks for posting this. Even with only 3 children in our house, this issue has been at the front of my mind for the past few months. I'm glad to hear that other moms struggle with it.

I have used watercolors with my kids for several years. I'm fine with a toddler using watercolors, though. I use just a basic Crayola set for a toddler. My dd (7) just upgraded to a nicer set with more color options. Using watercolor paper helps cut down on mess, because the paper is thicker and doesn't tear if they get a lot of water on it. I just put down some newspapers, give them a small container of water (like a yogurt container or something) and a paper towel to dry off the brush. The problem with the younger age is that they are less likely to rinse the brush between colors, so everything gets mixed. If you've only spent $1 or $2 on a set, it's not such a big deal, though. Hope that helps!

No problem. Obviously, this is a sensitive topic for many people. And, my point was that it actually isn't fraud. It is a flaw in the system. Perhaps I should clarify... It's the system that is flawed, not the actual people who need help. Clearly, there are times in a person's life when they need help. However, for many (not all), what led to that point contributed to the situation.

Well, I don't agree that me having a different viewpoint than someone else indicates that I don't have a clue what most people are going through. I am simply relating my experience with people that I know and have known.

I love FIAR, as well. Lots of great art ideas. I used Harmony Fine Arts Grade 1 in Kindergarten. It's very economical and offers several options for fine art study. You can also add in something like Artistic Pursuits for more art instruction.

I've lurked for about 3 years and finally just joined and started posting. I guess I really didn't feel that I had much to contribute with so little homeschooling experience. I did recently see the thread about not being believable. It scared me into adding a siggy and getting my blog going. I'm not usually a follower, but I didn't want to be labled as a "troll." Ha ha ha!

Thanks for posting this thread. You have inspired me to go forward with my blog, as well. Yours looks great!

testing again... I'm a little slow at this.

Testing my siggy.