Do you have to download this history timeline song from CC Connected? THANK YOU for all your input on this. I find it very valuable, as I'm considering CC myself.

I don't think anything as formal as Apologia is necessary for your age set. Personally, I'd allow them to pick science books at the library that they are interested in and let them explore. You might spend a few weeks learning about the human body, animals, plants, dinosaurs, rocks, volcanoes, space--whatever strikes their fancy (or yours, if they aren't very interested at first). Add in some field trips to the zoo and museums, and you are set! (I also highly recommend the Leap Frog TAG reader with the human body and space books. My 5-year-old can name most of the bones in the body and can tell you all about dwarf planets--and to him it's just play!)

Thank you all so much! Babynurse11, you're brilliant. :) I didn't think of searching the google cache. After reading through some of the filing thread, I don't think it will work for me, but I did glean some ideas. Seeing what others do is always helpful. I would love to have a recap post from all those folks to see if they still recommend the methods they proposed back then!

I've been searching through old threads, looking for inspiration on how to organize for the new year. I keep finding posts that say, "Oh, you must read THE filing thread!" They provide the link, but it won't work! It looks like it is now "owned" by the Large Family Logistics sub-group, which I sadly do not qualify to join! Who can help a sister out and open that thread up so the masses can read those words of wisdom? http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/189482-does-anyone-incorporate-a-filing-system-for-lesson-plans/

I think that will be day 41 for me, too. Unfortunately, I'm a softie and I pay people using the personal payment tab. So, there's no way I can open a dispute with PayPal regardless of the timeframe. :( Did you see that in PayPal, her address is even unverified? I'm just going to forgive her and let it go. It's out of my hands completely! I will let you know if I ever receive my package!

Nothing has arrived here yet, either. If it doesn't arrive by tomorrow, I'm thinking it's a lost cause and we'll never see it. What a mess! We'll see if the refund comes through on August 8 as she said it would....

I think she meant that she learned that she should use delivery confirmation next time. But her response to me didn't really jive with what she told you, that your package came back undeliverable... I don't know what really happened, but I have a feeling she just mailed them all this week, and we will all see our packages within the next few days. If the other person's was postmarked on July 24, that came FAST.

Oh, good! I was actually getting concerned about her, so I sent her another email yesterday (7/25) and just asked her if she was okay. I told her that I wasn't mad if she wasn't able to ship the items as planned--she could just ship them now, or refund the money. I tried to be super nice--I know that stuff happens, and I was worried that she was going through some personal drama. So here's the answer I got last night: "As I have told four others I did ship all those packages on the same day. Not one has shown up. Teaches me not to purchase dc again. Anyways I am issuing refunds for all the packages on August 8, 2013 via Paypal. I am so sorry all this has happened . Now so you know I was gone for two weeks and got back this last Saturday . I returned to a swarm of emails and a huge mess. Anyways sorry once again. Joanna"

Hmm. Well, here's what I ordered. I bought quite a bit! She had such a long history here on the board, I felt safe buying from her. She seems to have been going through a hard time, if you look at some of her more recent posts. I wonder if something happened and she wasn't able to send the items, then felt she needed to lie about it. I think I have lost $45. The magic school bus set of books Let's read and find out science - the planets in our solar system Usborne science activities science and your body Lincoln's little girl - a true story by Fred Trump - excellent condition Don't know much about the 50 states -HB- great condition Night science for kids - names in front cover- good condition- Usborne Internet- linked science encyclopedia - soft cover - Usborne Internet - linked first encyclopedia of space - soft cover Tangram sets- 4 magnetic sets (blue, green, yellow, red) 4 hard plastic sets ( 2 purple, red, green) Place value cards- 0-9000 hard plastic Fraction charts- 3 sets ( one hard plastic in bright colors 1 -1/12, flexible whole sheet 1-1/10, cut up flexible 1-1/10)

What did she say when she replied? I bought $45 worth of stuff from her and used personal PayPal, trying to be nice. So does that mean I'm out of luck? I've tried to contact her twice. I hope my package arrives eventually!! It's been over 3 weeks now. And I've bought several hundreds of dollars worth of stuff on this board and never had a problem until now....

Oh, so sad. Two lives have been lost.... SJ, it looks like the wind may be changing and blowing south. Be safe!!

We are just finishing up our first year of TOG, using Y1. I think it's a fabulous tool, but right now we've just used it at the LG level. Looking ahead at the D and R levels, I can tell it's going to take a lot of time, but it looks worth it. I've really liked the reading suggestions they provide. The Teacher's Notes are helpful. I agree with previous posts--Map Aids is a must! I didn't have Pop Quiz this year but I want to get it for next year. My good friend who does TOG with her 2nd through 9th grade kids puts the Pop Quiz CDs on when they are in the car, and it serves as a good review for them during the week. A lot of people don't like the writing program provided and choose to do something else. The biggest thing to remember when looking at TOG is NOT to try to do it all. Pick and choose activities and books that work for your kids and your schedule.Oh, and allow yourself a good 3 weeks (or more!) to look at the curriculum before you start and get yourself organized. It will be overwhelming at first. Print out the maps and student pages your kids will need, and either put them in a file folder by week or make a notebook for them. The more you can get planned before you start, the less burned out you'll feel later! All curriculums have a learning curve, and TOG is no exception. Allow yourself time to get used to it!

We just moved to Colorado Springs last month from Texas. We are just a few miles south of the evacutation border, and yesterday we woke up to a house reeking of smoke. That was scary! I'm sure SJ had the same experience! The loss of homes in this area is just devastating, but I must say I would MUCH rather be here in fire danger than back in Texas or Oklahoma with tornado danger. We have family in Norman/OKC and they were just barely passed over from the last couple of rounds of tornadoes. At least we are somewhat prepared for the fires here and can run from them. Lots of property damage, but no lives claimed!

This is all so helpful! Thank you very much!! I love all of these ideas, especially using Spelling City and the whiteboard to make it more fun. The problem my 7-year-old has is that he is a perfectionist. He melts down when he gets words wrong, even when I try not to put any pressure on him. I think I will try the daily quizzes (with help from me if needed), dictation sentences, and no more mention of the word "test." I'll hope that as he gains maturity, he'll lose some of that anxiety. Thanks again!!!

We started out this past year using Spell to Write and Read. I really wanted to love this program, and I do like the phonograms and the spelling rules. But when it comes to day-to-day teaching, it's such a struggle! The teacher guides are incredibly hard to follow and poorly written. I'm still not even sure I'm really doing it "right" and just kind of adapt it to make it what I need. But here's my real question, as I'm planning for next year: do you do spelling tests? When we started doing spelling, I would introduce the words on Monday, and we'd practice them in different ways throughout the week. Then on Fridays, we'd do spelling tests. But oh my goodness, my son abhors the spelling tests and it became a big emotional mess. So...how do YOU teach spelling? How do you know when your child has mastered the words?