If the jobs are necessary, then the positions will be available. If the jobs are no longer necessary (because of technological advancements, for example) then they will not be available. Yes, it is frustrating to spend time and money training for a skill that is no longer in need. However, it is not your neighbor's job (i.e. taxes) to pay you for that skill just because you acquired it. If you want to feed your family, you have to acquire a new skill. In my opinion, that is the fundamental point of this entire thread. People (especially in a slow economy) must put aside wants for needs. People must put aside the "want" of sending their kid to afterschool classes to instead use that money for their own retraining. People must put aside their "want" for a vacation to instead pay for their own retirement. Government assistance has become like paying with a credit card. No one really "sees" where the money comes from, so it is easy to just pay with it. Taryn

To this, I would say that it is no one's responsibility to give anyone a job. It is a person's responsibility to acquire marketable skills. So, if your skills are no longer in demand, it is time to aquire new ones.

Thanks so much for the replies. The general consensus doesn't seem to be too positive for Beyond the Code. Sounds like we could just go ahead and start Latin this year. Thanks again, Taryn

She just turned 7. She is entering 2nd grade. I guess my main question is, "What should be replacing the time spent on phonics instruction?"

In defense of your dsd... My dh did the same thing as a grown man. He let our dd (then age 2) help at the stove. She touched the cooktop and burned her fingers. I'm just saying, it can happen to responsible people. I'm sure she feels terrible.

I have found this thread to be quite fascinating. I did want to throw out one thing that I was surprised not to see mentioned. When we are speaking of the poverty level in terms of income, (and what programs people do or do not qualify for) any other assets are not included. So, I can live in a $200,000 home but qualify for WIC and food stamps if my income falls below a certain level. I can also have a 401k, IRA, savings account, etc. So, judging someone's financial situation on their income alone is highly inaccurate.

I posted in the K-8 forum but didn't get any responses... I have seen general recommendations to continue phonics through the 4th grade. Does that mean through a 4th grade reading level or through the year of the 4th grade? I'm not sure where to go next. We completed OPGTR. We are about to do ETC Book 8. We are about to start Spelling Workout Book C (1 lesson a week). We do FLL 2 (3 lessons a week). We do WWE Year 2 (2 lessons a week). We do read-alouds and silent reading daily. I try to mix the history we are studying with something more fun for the reading. She doesn't really have any specific problem areas right now. I think her reading is pretty solid for her age. She is reading Ramona the Pest right now. She can read 5-6 pages at a time before she tires out. I think that's normal, right? Should we do Beyond the Code? I've read mixed reviews. Should we start Latin? Should we do a root word study like Dynamic Literacy? Thanks for the help! Taryn

I have seen general recommendations to continue phonics through the 4th grade. Does that mean through a 4th grade reading level or through the year of the 4th grade? I'm not sure where to go next. We completed OPGTR. We are about to do ETC Book 8. We are about to start Spelling Workout Book C (1 lesson a week). We do FLL 2 (3 lessons a week). We do WWE Year 2 (2 lessons a week). We do read-alouds and silent reading daily. I try to mix the history we are studying with something more fun for the reading. She doesn't really have any specific problem areas right now. I think her reading is pretty solid for her age. She is reading Ramona the Pest right now. She can read 5-6 pages at a time before she tires out. I think that's normal, right? Should we do Beyond the Code? I've read mixed reviews. Should we start Latin? Should we do a root word study like Dynamic Literacy? Thanks for the help! Taryn

We have used Math Whizz for about 9 months, or so. My dd enjoys it, and it really helped with getting facts down. She was struggling with addition and subtraction about halfway through first grade. (We were in Singapore 1B.) After a few weeks of Math Whizz, she got much better. We just started Singapore 2A a few weeks ago. She is having no problems with adding 3 digit numbers to 3 digit numbers (with renaming). I definitely credit Math Whizz. Fyi, the Homeschool Buyers Co-op has a discount right now on the subscription fee. Taryn

We had a similar situation. We started 1A in Kindergarten, and then stalled out. I ended up buying a subscription to Math Whizz, so that dd could just get some math done everyday without us having to continue to be so frustrated while working together. Once the math facts were down a little better, we were able to move on. We are on week 7 of 2A now and sailing along. I think it's very important to cement the facts before moving on. Taryn

I used the "Human Body" project pack from In the Hands of a Child for my 1st grader last year. Everything you need is included in the pack - including all reading. The lesson plan is broken down into 10 days. I just did one "day" a week. Taryn

At the risk of being shunned from all classical homeschooling circles, I will admit that I was once a Radical Unschooler... We practice Attachment Parenting with our children. When my first child was a toddler, I came across Radical Unschooling and liked the ideas put forth. As pp's have pointed out, the difference between radical and "regular" unschoolers is the extension past schooling into lifestyle choices. The belief (as I understand it) is that giving children the freedom to make their own choices will allow them to become better decision-makers. They also really believe that children are self-limiting. Obviously, most people want their children to be independent, self-limiting people. When my dd was between 2 and 3, I started to realize that this parenting style would not work for us. I was not comfortable with letting my child eat whatever she wanted (at 2 year's old). I don't think it's fair to let a child eat M&M's for breakfast everyday when they don't have the knowledge about what that will eventually do to their bodies. Same goes for watching tv all day, etc. etc. As the pp's have pointed out, it also creates a child-centered family, which is very different from a child-friendly family. A child-centered family revolves around the child. Everyone goes to bed when the child is ready. They get up when the child is ready. They leave the house and go when and where the child feels like going. I do not intend to offend anyone with my post. Obviously, other people could have a different experience. This parenting style might work well for a child who is mild-mannered and has a strong inner sense of responsibility. (Mine didn't. Ha ha ha!) I just felt the need to respond, since not many people on this board seemed familiar with this philosophy. And fyi, I came to Well-Trained Mind when my dd was 4. She's almost 7. We are pretty die-hard WTM fans. We use ETC, FLL, SOTW, Singapore, etc. So, please don't write me off as the crazy radical unschooler lady if you see me post again! Ha ha ha... Taryn

We just finished 1st grade. We used pretty much the same stuff. We did ETC through book 6. We used SW instead of AAS. We use SM. We also do FIAR. My 2 cents: I use HWOT as instruction for proper formation. I'm not as particular in anything else dd writes. Some people feel that SM is a little light in practice work. So, maybe a 2nd program could be helpful for review. We use Math Whizz on-line for review. We school year-round. I also have a 3 yo DS and an 18 mo dd. I had to take a lot of breaks in the winter. (I know that many people manage multiple children just fine. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. ;-) Schooling year round helps us. I prioritize math and reading. So, those are done first. If we start falling behind, we drop everything else. History and Science come next. Art and Foreign Language are after that. I like ETC for phonics practice. I like to stagger my curriculum so that dd is constantly getting reinforcement and review. We are finished with OPGTR. We are on book 7 in ETC. We are halfway through book B in SW. She is steadily reviewing each phonics rule again. Hope this helps! Good luck! Taryn

This is what I have used for the past year with my 3 1/2 year old boy: Floam (like playdough without the mess) Counting frogs (can be used to sort size, color, lace, etc.) Playmobile Dry erase markers (washable) and boards or books Pattern Blocks (like tangrams but you match the pattern on the sheet) Puzzles (boy one's like Pirates, Construction Equipment, etc.) Lincoln Logs Magnetic activity books (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Colors-Magnetic-Pieces-MAGNETIC-LEARNING/dp/B002HLZ3ZM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308957237&sr=8-2) Do-a-dot markers (like painting without the mess) Moon sand (helps to put it on a cookie sheet to contain mess...) Sometimes it helps me to setup a little "city" or something for my ds's cars or action figures. Just a few ramps created from books, or something will distract him for a bit. Hope this helps... Sorry if it's mostly obvious! I'm still trying to figure out how to distract, as well. I also use Before FIAR. We read the story right after breakfast and ds sits at the table to do a little activity while I work with dd. He likes joining in on school. Taryn mom to dd (almost 7), ds (almost 4), and dd (17 months)

From all of the messages I weeded through on the boards, it seems that people who really like it have read the manual. I read the manual (skimming of course) and set up the info for my dd for the last 9 weeks of this year. That way I could try it out. It has been very helpful to play with it a bit before inputting everything for next year. I think part of the problem is that it can be difficult to get a straight answer on how to set it up. There's a lot of "you have to figure out how it works for you..." If you read through the manual, you will get some more specifics on how to set it up for what you want to do. Basically, I entered all of my materials. (There is a nifty little function that allows you to type in the ISBN number on all of your workbooks, manuals, etc.) I setup subjects (e.g. Language Arts) then courses (e.g. Grammar). Then I setup lesson plans (e.g. First Grade Grammar). Then I assign those plans out to individual days. (I do it every Friday evening, at which time I check off what dd completed and reschedule what she didn't.) I'm sure some of you will be going, "Well, duh!" But, it actually took me a little while to just figure out the simplicity of the setup. It has so much functionality that it really isn't obvious to some people on where to even start. Hope that helps someone! Taryn

Here's another company with nice lapbook kits that are similar to Hands of a child... http://www.liveandlearnpress.com/

I have used FIAR Volumes 1 and 2 for 3 years now. In Pre-k we would do 1 activity a day from each subject. In K we would do 2-3 activities. For 1st grade we moved into the more writing-intensive lapbooking components available on Homeschool Share. She has so many amazing resources to really round out the FIAR experience. I will be using FIAR one more year (for the 4th time) with my soon-to-be 2nd grader. My son will be doing Pre-K. I will be using BFIAR books for him, as well. Many of the BFIAR books tie in well. If you want more meat but don't have time to plan, check out some of the lapbooks available to purchase from Hands of a Child or Lapbooking Lessons. So many ways to tweak it to your liking: Row your books geographically (hey, that sounds like the makings of a new song). Many of the books take place in countries around the world. Row your books along with an animal study. Row your books in a seasonal format and learn about different biomes. If you do just a little planing and check out all of the free resources from Homeschool Share and your local library, you can put together a top-notch program for your family. Sorry to hijack. I just really loooove FIAR!

"Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum"

The way I understand the program... You are meant to teach the lesson from the HIG using manipulatives to give a concrete example. (i.e. 1 barbie plus 1 barbie equals 2 barbies). Then, you use the textbook to show a pictorial representation of the same concept. Finally, you use the workbook, so the child can apply the knowledge to solving a problem in their head. The three pieces are meant to be a progression of learning. Maybe some kids who are already visual learners wouldn't really need the practice in the textbook?? Taryn