I spend way to much time looking at curriculum, reading reviews, and looking at swap boards. I also keep requesting catalogs from curriculum companies even though next year's books are bought, paid for, and put away...and I'm 100% happy with our choices. :001_huh: There's got to be something wrong with that. :lol:

There's an older lady by us who charges $1/half hour. I guess she's never raised her prices. :lol: We were paying $10/half hour, but we live in a rural area, and I can't picture anyone paying $20-30/half hour.

We're using HOD next year, and I was excited about how colorful it looks. To each his own I guess. ;) The One Small Square books are very colorful as well as the Apologia books in the later guides. With the way it's set up, it would be pretty easy to substitute if it's a big issue.

I was just in B&N (a few hours away from home) and thought they had some great fiction books. I found many of our HOD read-alouds for next year. My biggest complaint is that when you walk into the children's section, my DC are bombarded with the not-so-good books...tables and tables of them set out to catch their eye. The good ones are buried on back shelves. I agree that their non-fiction sections are pretty sad. I buy most of our books online or from used bookstores. The last time I was in Waldenbooks, I was disgusted. Their entire kids department was filled with cartoon character books, dragons, and Egyptology...that was it. :sad:

My DD is finishing up 2nd grade. We've been using Singapore for 3 semesters now and are 1/4 of the way done with 2a (we started with 1a). We've spent several days on a few lessons to let things "sink in". I've debated switching math programs, but she does eventually get it and I do like Singapore's methods. This spring I decided to switch curriculum to HOD and am planning on using Bigger for her 3Rs. It has 2a and 2b scheduled with Carrie's hands on lessons. I'm hoping her lessons will resonate better with DD. When we decided to switch curriculum, I put 2a on hold to work on math facts. We've been using RS Math Games and MEP. Here's my dilemma. I was looking at MM yesterday and stumbled across their placement exams. My DD couldn't answer any of the grade 2 problems, so we moved to the grade 1. She couldn't answer any of those either. A few hours later, DH was home and I wanted him to see this, but she at least got the grade 1 problems...except for the clocks. She couldn't tell me what time it was (11 o'clock). She also got the grade 2 oral timed problems, but it took her 7 seconds instead of 5...the directions say to only give them 5. BTW, my 5yo son did really well on the 1st grade test, so I'm pretty sure she's just not a "mathy" girl. She's so much like my artistic, non-mathy sister it's scary! I don't want her to continue to struggle like my sister did through school...I think we have an advantage with HSing, but I'm already seeing her struggle, and I'm worried about what upper level math will be like. I have a few questions? What would you do with her this summer? a. Continue with MEP/RS Math Games...if so, where on MEP should she be? The levels are a little confusing to me. b. Work on MM...if so which book/level? I was looking at the blue level, but the regular program has clocks. c. Give up and eat a carton of ice cream? :001_huh: d. Other What do I do when she tells me she doesn't know what 2+3 or similar is? She'll tell me she can't do it, but it's obvious she knows the answer...she just doesn't want to do math. She'll also take hours to do a basic math drill sheet that should take minutes. It is unbelievably frustrating to deal with this! She did the exact same thing with learning to read in 1st, but now she loves to read. I think a big issue is that she's very willful and stubborn...not necessarily a bad trait in the long run, but a difficult one to teach! ;) Would you continue with Singapore if this were your DD? I've looked at other programs with more drill, but the thought of getting her to do them makes me want to cry. :blushing: Thanks so much if you've read this far!

It's a lot of coloring and/or cutting and pasting...not the most creative projects. My kids are constantly creating on their own, so I think it's nice to work on technical skills too. There are also a few drawing lessons at the end. I have a set for each of my older two and we get them out on occasion to work on listening and fine motor skills. We've been using Artpac 1 for 2 years now and are only about half way, so I don't pull them out frequently...mainly on rainy days.

We use Singapore. For extra practice this summer, we're using MEP and RS math games.

Walmart...in the same aisle as the crayons.

HOD has a nice list for emerging readers here. These are for about 1st-2nd grades. My DD is finishing 2nd, and I'm having her work on some of them this summer. We love the Arnold Lobel books (Frog & Toad, Mouse Soup, Owl at Home, etc.). Before my DC are ready for these, I like to use the McGuffey Readers. You can download them for free through a link at the Old Fashioned Education site. My DS is working on them right now, and my older two both enjoy them. They start with absolute beginners (I teach them letter sounds before beginning). They also make great copywork and can be used through HS.

We also had that "stuck in a rut" feeling this year. :tongue_smilie: I'm switching to HOD next year. I went with it because I like how the guide is laid out and I like that everything is covered. I looked closely at MFW, and there was still lots of boxes to fill in for the 3Rs. Planning was my downfall this year, so I loved that HOD has it all written in (and I love her choices!). After looking it over, the activities look perfect for my kids (and the supplies don't use hard-to-find items). I think they're going to have a great year. I do like that MFW can be combined for bigger ages, but the lesson plans in HOD seem a much better fit for me. Maybe look at all of the plans to see what fits your teaching style?

We're using Beyond next year. I haven't used it yet, but I've been looking over the guide for the last month. It looks amazing! Absolutely everything is planned for, and we should have plenty of time for extras in the afternoons (nature studies, handiwork, gymnastics, etc.). One downside I've found is there's a bit of jumping around (spelling lists, emerging reader program, poetry, math-if using another level are all in the back of the manual). I added some post-it tabs to my copy to help with this, so it shouldn't be a big deal. The other con is that we often need to take a few extra days to cover a math topic. That will put us behind the book's schedule creating more jumping around. If that happens I guess I'll add another post-it. :glare: To further complicate things, I'll be working with my 3rd grader in the Bigger guide for math and language arts. It could get complicated, but I'd rather flip around a few books than have to plan everything out myself. My pro list is much bigger! The emerging reader program is wonderful! There are questions or a narration to go with each day's reading. I love the poems she selected. The activities look perfect for my very active kids. She has students calling grandparents to share memory verses, mixing large motor skill activities with Bible memory work, creating with clay, science activities 2x/week, painting, etc. You should have seen how excited my kids were when I brought home a big box of paints. I never get around to the "fun stuff". :blush: That shouldn't be a problem next year! The biggest pro for me is that I'm not a very organized person...Carrie has organized everything for me, using books that I would pick as well...and even using supplies I most likely have on hand. Can you tell I'm excited about next year? :D

I've already written in my HOD guide and we haven't even started. :lol: I wrote in what read-alouds we're using. I also plan on making notes here and there since I'll hopefully be using it with my younger DDs in a few years...Mainly writing any helpful advice with experiments or projects since I'll probably forget in between kids. :blush: I'll also write the dates we complete the boxes as a record of completion. I'm thrilled about not having to write our day out in a planner and I want to take advantage of that! :D

These have probably all be mentioned, but this is my list for next year. I'm using HOD with a 1st and 3rd grader.You plan a book from each of 9 different genres...I love how it gives a nice variety of books. :D Squanto:Friend of the Pilgrims -biography King of the Wind -adventure Little House in the Big Woods -historical fiction The Trumpet of the Swan -fantasy Key to the Treasure -mystery The House at Pooh Corner and/or Mr. Popper's Penguins -humor Follow My Leader -realistic fiction The Apple and the Arrow -folk tales Pagoo -non-fiction The Best Christmas Pageant Ever -not a HOD book, but I want to read it in December

When my DS was 18mo, I'd woken up and he wasn't in bed (I co-sleep with my youngest ones). I began searching all over the house for him and couldn't find him. I woke DH up and he started looking too. We were living in a big old 5BR house at the time. I finally found DS downstairs sleeping. He was curled up behind a clothes basket, so I didn't see him the first couple times I checked the living room. I was seriously panicking that he'd gone down the stairs in the dark. :eek: I started locking our bedroom door at night after that. :D

We have quite a bit on hand. I cut out almost all the junk food I was buying (and simplified) and replaced it with fruit and veggies, so it didn't really change our budget. It's gone up an average of $10 in winter, but we save in the summer when produce is so cheap. We also quit buying sugary cereals and I now get plain generic cheerios or corn flakes so that saved a bit too...and DH and I drink tea instead of soda. While it is a significant part of our budget, I made a few changes so we could fit it in. IMO, fruits and veggies should be the biggest part of our grocery bill anyway. I figure if we do spend more on good food, we'll be spending less at the doctors down the road (as will our children). I do try to buy local when possible. I pick local over imported at the store if it's an option, and I try to get to the farmer's market whenever possible. However, we live in the midwest, so there's no local produce for much of the year.

I voted one or two subjects. I'd love to read aloud more, but it hurts my throat. I read aloud history, science, and a few books throughout the day. We'll be using HOD and it has a bit of reading aloud, but seems doable for me. I also read aloud at bedtime.

I like them sliced, sprinkled with sugar, then refrigerated until syrupy. From there, I like them as is, on shortcake with whipped cream, over yogurt, or over frozen yogurt/ice cream. :)

We are changing everything except math and phonics. :D We use Singapore and my own phonics (mix of McGuffey, Writing Road to Reading, and ETC). After years of using FIAR, we are switching to HOD. I'm so tired of lesson planning and teaching the same lessons over and over. :blush: I'm so excited about next year and love all our materials! It's amazing to have everything planned out and seeing an end to my year. When I plan week-to-week (or day-to-day) it feels like I'm continuing on to eternity. We're also adding Latin and Keepers of the Faith.

I just got Wii Fit Plus for Mother's Day. We've all been enjoying it. :D

We are required to teach health every year. I've never used an actual health curriculum. I write out all the health topics I plan on covering...some from science lessons, some from social studies lessons, many from daily living. Hygiene, dental health, fire safety, first aid, nutrition, fitness, and PE activities are all on our list this year.

We do most of it through daily life. I'm writing up my plans to send into the state and here's my list...this one is for my 3rd grader (1st grader has 1 hour gymnastics a week): Keeping clean Dental health Manners Helping others Health and fitness Nutrition Fire safety First aid Healthy leisure activities Gymastics—one 90 minute class and one 90 minute team practice weekly This year we are using Keepers of the Faith as a family, and all but two are topics in their KOF books.

My kids are in gymnastics--1 hour/week for my 5yo, 3 hours/week for my 7yo. They are pretty active, so we try to get outside everyday...we have a nice playground next door and they love to run races in the yard. I just got a croquet set, so I'm hoping we'll learn to play this summer when things slow down for DH. We also take family walks and the kids are wanting to learn soccer.

Nooo! I haven't watched it yet, but I love Reid. :( Maybe I should just delete the episode and live in ignorant bliss. Just think how many sociopaths are going to result from our homeschooling. :rolleyes:

I have this problem. My DH finally made a rule that my Rainbow Resource list can't be changed 3 days before I place my order. :blushing: Once I order, I usually quit agonizing over it...usually. :D

Nope! There are plenty of sports opportunities outside of the public school system. My kids love their gymnastics classes and my oldest is on the team...nothing required except my address, phone number, and money. ;) I might consider it with a private Christian school, but definitely not a public school.