I wouldn't use BF Geo if my oldest kid was 8. Here is a post of mine from an older thread- I think they are a little too young for most of the questions in the Guide. Many of them are reasearching things- Look up about the cottonwood tree, find its botanical name, regions, distingushing chacteristics, record findings in a notebook. Sure that is something you could do altogether, but in a couple years it will also be a nice introduction to research for them. I know my boys were 3rd and 4th when we did Tree and questions like that were way over thier heads, so I walked them through step by step. Where could we find this info? How do we use that book? How should we put this in our notebook? The other thing that the Guide lists is lots of map labeling. Is that something you are going to let a K or 2nd grader do? Are you or your oldest going to be upset if the map has messy labels or coloring? Are you all going to be able to be consistant with how you label? Again this is somthing that you can do with the littles, but part of what has been good for my boys is creating neat looking maps that we are proud to hang on the wall. And once again I think it works better for a little older then your kids are now. We are doing Paddle this year for 4th and 5th and it has gone much better. We are going to start Seabird next week!

The maps that come from BF are large (24"x18") with thick paper. There is only one for each book, so all the lessons from Paddle to the Sea go on one map. Then when you are done you have a nicely completed map you can hang on the wall (or at least we do ;)). You might make your own by printing off several and taping them together. The paddle to the sea map is just along the great lakes and the St. Lawrence river, it isn't the whole U.S.

We do this too! 7-9- big boys work on independant school (think 3R's) 9-10:00- breakfast, free time kids/I exercise 10:30- 1- group subjects (hist, sci, geo, art, music) 1-2- luch and chores 2-5- free time (this is the time DH is home and awake) and dinner 5-7- finish up any school 7-9- snack/finish up chores/read aloud or independantly 9- bedtime! Of course times are not nearly that exact, but that is what we aim for!

Okay, I'll admit we started SM rather late, but we hadn't done any formal math before then, so I started a year behind (in 4th grade with 3A, for both books). So I don't know how it really works to be using it with a younger kid. This is usually true for my boys, all the more reason I can't see working through the workbook as well. But like you've found, the textbook gives me a chance to stay connected with thier math, before they move on to the IP and CWP indpendantly (okay they usually can't do the Challenging sections of IP alone ;)). And even though they are good at the levels they are doing, they also aren't ready to compeletly skip to another level either.

This is what I mean by too much. In the hardback text, the instructions for level 4, week 36 say that to pass the level student should be able to read a passage independantly and write down a 3 or 4 sentance narration and take a dictation of around 25-30 words. That is to pass level 4! But those dictation exercises in the workbook are much harder than that. In fact the mastery evaluation from level 3 (week 36) has 30 words and the one from level 4 has 61!!! So to me if you have completed level 3 you really are doing what needs to be done (if your student is writing more than one sentance for narrations). I have heard that the dictations in the workbooks are meant to be for the very best students, so I don't feel bad that my boys can't do that whole paragraph for dictation. They can write down a few sentance narration and they are ready to move on to learning to write outlines, not work on 60+ word dictations for another year.

A Beka Blank student consumable and texts go pretty fast on PBS, all those Keys and teacher books, not so fast. Maybe you could find a local homeschool group to come get it? Post on Freecycle or Craigslist?

I have one with these, and several other resources, although not the K12 book or OAU. I can send it if you pm your e-mail address to me. This is a good idea, I might have to look closer at my K12 book.

I don't think anyone is saying the text should be indpendant, but why don't you think the IP's should be independant?

Is she good at narrations? I personally feel like the dictations in WWE4 workbook are just too much. Even the ones laid out in the hardback text are much smaller than the ones in the workbook. My oldest went from WWE3 to the beta testing of WWS and did just fine. I am pretty sure I will do the same thing with my rising 5th grader (he did WWE3 last year, and we'll move on to WWS next year). And I plan to do WWE1-3 in 2nd to 4th grade with my next two students as well.

:iagree: That's what we do. The section in the Text, then the section in the IP, no workbook.

They are also avilable on amazon for preorder and you get a discount there for preordering, but you will get it faster if you order it from PHP.

I've never understood how anyone else's scale would work. Don't you just measure your wall and your period and figure out how they fit???? I mean if you have a 10 foot wall space and have 1100 years to put on there (from about 500 BCE to about 1600 BCE) then you have 1100/10 or 110 years per foot. Or whatever works on your wall. Maybe it is 8 feet and you want to fit in 1300 years- 1300/8= 165 years per foot.

I love LOF and my sis used it as a stand alone program for Algebra and Advanced Algebra, but I don't think the earlier levels are good enough to stand alone (I haven't actully seen the PreAlgebra books though). I know lots of people do them with Singapore 4, 5, or 6, but my boys really want to do them so I am saving Fractions and Decimals for when they have completed all of Singapore Primary Math. ;)

:iagree: Horizontal means to do it mentally, vertically means you can start with the ones and carry on paper.

I've also found it easy to school not long after the baby is born. But man, that last month of pregnancy is tough for me. I am cranky and uncomfortable, and not a good teacher :glare: Especially when you have a winter baby and can't send everyone outside for a few hours a day ;) I would ask how long you can take off. Do you have to use particular books? Can you just make up progress reports about child developement and cooking lessons (since those big kids will be making dinner, right???). And read this- http://www.lovetolearn.net/policies/baby.lasso

I haven't seen Ancients, but I have looked through Middle Ages level 2 for next year. I agree that HO is pretty easy to add or take things away from. But I also think that if you really want to incorporate Bibilcal history into a secular history program, ancients is probably the year that is hardest to work with.

both boys started singapore math (and really formal math) in 4th grade with level 3A. I find the textbook, IP, CWP to be a perfect combo for us. The workbook doesn't really add anything over the text and IP. Just like you said, we do the Textbook together, then they do the IP and CWP independantly (well except for the toughest IP pages ;)). I've been trying to decide if I want to start my 5yo on singapore or just do math inforamally like I did with the older boys..... Since they both scored over the 90th percentile on thier standardized tests this year, I have been trying really hard to curb my impulse to order any formal math for the little one :glare:

I wouldn't worry about it. I think covering Middle Ages well (finding connections in history, finding and using resources to write mini essays, doing fun projects) will help her get into this school and be prepared for it better then doing two histories half way. Yeah, but most middle school or high school aged kids are able to step into a "level 2" class in something like history, without having taken an earlier level class. These classes don't assume previous learning, even if it might make it a tiny bit easier. I would bet this test mostly covers skill subjects (math, reading, maybe editing), or like most standardized tests, if it covers subjects like history or science, it has a reading that you answer questions about, not just a bunch of random questions. In fact sometimes these are harder to answer if you are using info you've gained other places instead of just the info in the reading.

We've always just used dried beans- they're a lot cheaper and we always have some. But those colored glass pebbles would be fun!

Hooray! (This is why I get my big boys up at 6:30 or 7 to work for a few hours before the 2yo and 5yo wake up around 9 ;), I swear we get more work done in those two hours then the whole rest of the day.)

These are my feelings on socialization. Most people can socialize on the surface okay or well. They can ask the store clerk where something is, or wait in line at the post office, or not cause fights at work, and get along in general. But when I look around a see how so many families in this country don't do so well, I don't feel like I am doing any harm by having my kids mostly "socialize" with the rest of thier family and our (very) few close friends. :iagree:That said, I think that some socialization things were more explicitly taught. I think that some of them were just manners/etiquette kind of things, but I think that being a good conversationalist is something you worked at. To the point that your mom probably helped you make a mental list of topics and questions that would fill the blank spaces if you were going to some event. Along with this I think went the understood idea that you were going to be polite pretty much no matter what. So even though you might be feeling a little uncomfortable or out of place you wouldn't be fidgeting or whining about playing your DS. So yes I think that socializing with your family is probably enough. But I don't think you can hurt by doing a few formal lessons in manners and having conversations.

Lots of good ideas. One we like that hasn't been mentioned is paint sample cards. We used them at first just to match up colors (I would pick out two of the basic colors ROYGBI and just cut off the representative color), then in a very montessori way by ordering all the colors of one strip from lightest to darkest. Paint brushes and water can also keep a little one occupied for a long time painting the porch (or even the hallway) with no mess ;)

FLL3 will still be okay as a first grammar program. It was the first one we did, and we thought it had too much repetition of the definitions. I can't imagine starting 4th graders back farther than that.

Some thoughts- How old are they? I know you put thier grade levels, but when I am planning time, I go by age, when I am planning what books/curriculum, then I go by level. So even though my 6yo might be mostly 3rd grade, I would plan a 6yo time span for lessons, even if it is the 3rd grade book. I am going to assume they are also age wise in those grades- so 8yo and 10yo. I would either do vocab or spelling, when they are done with an explicit spelling program, then you can do vocab. I really think handwriting, typing, and phonics are much better done for short times more often. I think all three should be done almost every day for only 5-10 min at a time (and I would wait on typing if handwriting isn't strong). If none of that is helpful, maybe you'll at least get some other responses.

Last year I had a set of 3 plastic drawers that I kept for my two little ones. Kind of workboxish. I tried to keep something about letters or sounds in one drawer, math and numbers in the second, and something more fun in the third. Some of the things we had- letter stencils, magnetic letters, workbooks, puzzles, shells, lauri toys, beans and egg cartons, geoboards, some picture books, cuisinaire rods and books, magnets, lacing cards and beads, and so on. I would keep all of these things in a big plastic storage box, both so it was easy for me to find to put out new things and so that they were new and fun, not books I'd pulled off of their shelves. I usually changed the activies once week, but I might pull something out of the storage box if I really needed them to be busy for a while.