Ah! sorry! I always want to say bigger instead of beyond! I meant beyond!

I tried to use WTM this past year for 1st grade but it was a fail. Mainly my fault-I knew it wouldn't be a good fit for my dd. I loved it but she has a lot of medical issues and we have to do slow & steady. Rigorous just won't work right now. I want to use HOD for 2nd grade for her and I think Bigger will be a good fit. Only change I will make is using MUS instead of their math recs. I also will have a K'er next year. I am really debating what to do for her. I *THINK* I want to focus on math, reading, and handwriting. I thought if she were interested she could sit in on 2nd graders history, science, and bible. But I have also thought of doing LHTH with all (I also have a 2 & 3 yr old) and skipping Bigger's bible portion. Or I can do LHFHG with both 2nd grader and K'er with the math, reading, & writing on their appropriate levels. Any suggestions? I already have LHFHG. Just never used it.

I am about to clean out my home school stuff. We are moving and our new house will have less storage space for school stuff. I am trying to adopt more of a minimalist lifestyle-it is so nice to not have so much clutter in my house. I tend to hoard things with the thought that they might be useful someday. I have 4 kids and the oldest is just 7. I tend to want to save every book, curriculum, workbook, printable, etc. for the next kid. I have gotten better but I would really like to get it down to the minimum necessary without scrambling to buy supplies. So...what would be on your short list of things you MUST have. I am not talking about specific components of a curriculum-like the teachers manuals, activity guide, and MUS blocks. I mean the extras-craft supplies, workbooks, etc. if that makes sense. Also, I plan to do HOD Bigger next year so if you have used that or any of the younger HOD guides what are your must haves. thank you!!

I just finished up abeka k5 with my dd. She is my first to homeschool so I liked the detailed step by step of the program although in hindsight I think it went too slow. Like a pp stated, they start with short vowels, then move on to consonants. I liked that approach. I wish I would've known about BOB books then bc she could've been reading them pretty early on. The book suggest lots of supplemental cards and charts and games in the lesson which I didn't have. I also didn't like that writing was combined. I didn't use their handwriting and by the end of the year I was tired of sifting through it. I actually quit using the book at the end of the year and moved on to the 1st grade book with the special sounds flashcards. I will probably use the first grade book with the rest of my kids instead of k5-now that I now more about teaching reading! The k readers were good-definitely get the blend and word book. I personally think the 1st grade readers would be too much for a beginner. The workbook was ok but very repetitive and I just don't think its necessary. We stopped using it halfway through the year. I had a vowel chart and abc chart. We only used the letter flashcards a handful of times. I used magnetic letters and dry erase board a lot. Hope this helps!

wanted to add-my oldest has seizure disorder and we have trouble keeping them under control with meds so we are constantly adjusting which is hard on her body. Some days she is lethargic, other days she bounces off the wall. I try my best to enforce the rules no matter what kind of day she is having bc I don't want her to ever see her problems as an excuse to behave however she wants BUT there are some days when I just don't know what to do with her. So just know that there are lots of mamas out there who struggle with very imperfect (but precious) children.

I think you have gotten some good advice from others who are much more wise and experienced than me-I agree with some PPs that further evaluation of your oldest 2 might be needed. But...how are you? You just had a baby and you have a lot of others in the house who are little. I ask because I just had #4 and my oldest is 6. Lots of littles. I was really struggling and it trickled down to the kids. I had trouble focusing and completing tasks. Some days I would enforce rules, then the next I was just overwhelmed and would let them do whatever they wanted. I knew it was the wrong thing to do but I was just so overwhelmed with life. Went to ob/gyn who diagnosed me with post partum depression. Started medication and since then I have been able to think more clearly and life at our house is SO MUCH BETTER. So I suggest taking an honest look at yourself-are you taking care of yourself? In my house I have to be functioning at 100% or everything falls apart. I could be way off but maybe this is contributing to the problems. I do think your oldest 2 need an eval from neuropsych and OT. And just bc oldest didn't like therapist-can't you find new therapist? I also agree with others that school won't magically fix their problems. You still have to be a parent even if it is the mornings, evenings and weekends. :grouphug:

We started homeschooling this past year-I have 4 girls, the oldest is 6. At first I felt kinda isolated because no one at my church homeschooled and I only knew one family who did homeschool. Even though our local homeschool co op was during my little ones nap time, I decided to go anyway. At first I felt isolated there too because all the families knew each other so well (its a small group) but after about a month I started connecting with other moms and my girls made some friends. Now, almost a year later, we have made some really good friends-all of us. Its so nice to have a group of friends that understand the homeschooling thing. I love my non-homeschooling friends but its nice to talk curriculum and all that too. This summer we have been so busy with playdates with homeschoolers and our public school friends who are out of school. Add in cousins who live nearby and church and we are having no trouble with the socialization! We don't do any classes like gymnastics or any sports either. Sometimes it seems easier to just stay home but I am always glad when I get everyone loaded into the minivan and head off to co op. So I think you may have to be proactive and seek out a group or two. And I get compliments from most everyone about how enjoyable my girls are.

I appreciate the advice. We had a very relaxed k year and dd still learned to read and write, haha. I am planning to focus on the core subjects and won't stress if we don't get to history and science each week. I am new to all this and am still learning! About what I bolded above-I couldn't help but laugh a little-we live in a very rural area so-no museums or zoos here. The closest one is about 2 hours away. And I have a 4 mo old and an 18 mo old-try taking those two on a field trip. :lol: It requires a valium and an extra adult. ;) But we have access to nature and spend a lot of time outside around ponds, rivers, woods, family farm, etc. And I think that is what you were really getting at. Get outside. We do go into the 'big city' about once a year for the museums and parks and zoos and culture. :tongue_smilie: BTW-you want me to really blow your mind? The nearest IKEA is about 8 hours away!!!! :w00t:

I am trying to plan out next year (1st grade with 3 littles tagging along). On days when we aren't busy with summer activities we do bible, phonics, handwriting, math play. I had originally planned to start early (mid July) with the other daily stuff-math and spelling then add in other stuff slowly (maybe one or two subjects a week-FLL, WWE, History, Science, Art) as we found our groove. But now I am rethinking this. Can any veterans give me some advice as to why you prefer one way over the other?

I live in a small town where there is no Office Depot or Staples. I wanted the binding cut off of several books and had read on this forum that most had it done at these chains. But some people had complained about the quality. I decided to call a local office store to see if they did this-and they do! I just picked up my books-they look awesome! It cost 50 cents a book and they also did comb binding on a few for $2 each. Plus they helped me carry it out to my car since I had a baby in tow. So give the local guys a shot!

I have a rising 1st grader and 3 littles. We do school at the dining table during naptime or any quiet period of time I can find. Our living, dining, and kitchen are open and small. I have an abnormally large laundry room so I have 2 bookshelves in there filled up with supplies/books/curriculum. I have 2 plastic drawer towers with misc supplies. I have a coat closet that we put shelves in to hold educational toys for the little ones. I have a thirtyone 'utility bag' that has handles and I keep a whiteboard, markers, crayon box with crayons, scissors, glue, pencils, sharpener in, and the workbooks and manuals I need for daily lessons. I just carry it to the table when I need it. We also have a detached garage and I have craft supplies in a cabinet out there. Our front door is metal and is right next to the dining table and I have magnetic clips on there that hold any display items. I clean it off if I know we are having company. But other than that there are no school items on the walls-not even a map. So our stuff is spread around the house but its the best I can do right now. HTH!

how is it working out to have to go out of the house for school? i could have similar setup but was worried about the inconvenience like potty breaks, rain, etc. thanks for sharing!

:bigear: I have been wondering this same thing. Our library only has about 2 of the recommended books from the SOTW Activity Guide so I may buy the ones that are must haves. Thanks for starting this thread!

I just finished placing all my orders for next year! I am relieved and nervous! I am second guessing myself and already anxious to get my hands on all my new curriculum!!!!!

Thank you all! I grouped mine into similar priced items and placed 4 separate orders :tongue_smilie: that way I didn't just get my 3.99 books free :D

Can you only buy 4 books at a time to get the deal? I just can't seem to figure this out!

:iagree:

yes i have the mus blocks. Actually got both in the mail yesterday!

I am using math u see primer next year for 1st grade. I also bought a bucket of c rods. I had planned on letting my girls (6 and 4) play with them this summer-I downloaded that c rod book with the games and thought it would just be a fun enrichment activity. But now that I have both items in hand-will it be confusing since they are the same but different? I mean-the colors are different and the look is slightly different. I haven't opened the c rods yet so I can return them but everyone on this board goes on and on about how awesome they are. And they do look like more fun than the math u see manipulatives. Should I just use the c rods for fun and the math u see for school?

I was thinking about ordering AAR Pre Level for my 4 yr old but the cost has me rethinking this plan. I want something all laid out to do with her-open and go-special school time for her. I saw a review online and liked the looks of it. But the price-yikes! I could buy a lot of books for her and her sisters with that money. I like how TWTM says to go about introducing phonics but I am afraid it and my 4 yr old might slip through the cracks if I don't have it all laid out and ready to go for me. So if you have used this is it worth the money? I have 2 more dd that could use it one day so that is a consideration but I also have loads of flashcards & printables I could use too along with Starfall that would be free. Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?

:iagree:

Sorry I wasn't clear on that-I don't expect her to be independent on math work but I thought she could be independent using the computer program because I just have her doing review work right now. I do expect to have to teach her new skills in math. Thanks for the replies so far. It is helpful to hear what others have to say who have BTDT.

Well the title says it all! Everyone on this board seems to use multiple math programs so I was wondering if Miquon is only a 'supplement' or a stand alone program. I am interested for 1st grade. I was planning on MUS but keep second guessing this choice. DD has had no real math program for K. We started out with Singapore Earlybird but we cut it out after baby was born a couple months ago. My days are full and I figured reading and handwriting needed to take first place. I just started her on IXL but probably won't go beyond our one month subscription. I have to sit next to her because she doesn't have the computer skills to do it totally independent (so disappointing-I was hoping for something totally independent right now). I really don't know what I am doing with math so I need it spelled out for me!

Thanks for the reply-this was the feeling I got when looking at samples of them online but there were only a few pages of each so it was hard to really tell. Did you find either one useful?

I have an almost 7 yo and 4 yo. I was thinking about buying one of these to help us with math. I am not very math minded and plan on using MUS next school year. I also plan on buying some c rods and I do have several math-type toys (counting bears, tangram magnets, etc). If you had to choose one or the other which would it be and why?