I use the free version as well. I've not looked at the upgrade to see if it's necessary for me. As said before, you can print just that day's assignments or the whole week. I like that I assign a point value to everything, give the points earned, and it automatically figures a grade for me for the whole quarter. I like the section to record field trips and details about them. It also has a calendar for tracking attendance/school days. I do not use the time spent feature. I really don't want to have to track all of that, so I just leave it blank. One thing I don't like, or at least haven't figured out yet, is I can't make a reading log without doing a special entry for each and every book, adding it as a resource. I would prefer just a place to enter it simply. Maybe someone could help me with that one. I usually enter the whole week's assignments on Sunday night, then I try to go in and check off each assignment completed each night. If you have any other questions, please feel free to pm me. I've used it about a year now, and love it!

I am doing MOH Vol 1 this year with my 6th dd and K ds. Why not just do MOH with both? We've really enjoyed some of the activities we've done together. I chose this program for the purpose of trying to bring them together. Six years is too much of a gap for just about any other subject, but it seems to be working for history. I don't think it would be too time consuming for you. I've not experienced SOTW at all, so I'm afraid I'm not much help there. For MOH, here's our weekly schedule: Mon-PreTest (dd mainly, but give ds a chance without any pressure) Lesson 1 (I read these aloud to both at same time) Tues-Lesson 2 (choose 1 activity from L1 or L2) Wed-Lesson 3 (choose 1 activity from any of 3) Thurs-Mapwork (only having dd do, I do show the maps to him, though) Review the 3 lessons (we aren't doing a timeline or memory cards suggested, but we are keeping the continent notebook that is) Fri-Quiz (again, dd for a grade, but discuss with ds also) Sometimes we do an activity together, sometimes dd does a middle or older assignment while I do activity with ds. Dd is also doing additional reading in several fiction books and BJU 6th Ancient Civilization textbook.

Something we are doing during MOH Vol 1 is watching Joseph, King of Dreams and Prince of Egypt. I have a good friend who's doing it this year also, and we're getting together for the movies and will for other projects this year. We went to an iron works plant when we studied Tubal-Cain. I have History Pockets for Ancient Civilizations Grades 1-3 that I'm pulling from as well. You could try to build a pyramid with sugar cubes or legos, make hieroglyphics, wrap up a stuffed animal like a mummy or each other (toilet paper is cheap). We're not doing a big day on Ancient Egypt for 3 more weeks, so we'll be planning closer to time.

I think I would be interested in both projects and history. I might could have 1 day a month for each.

Thanks so much for all the advice and ideas. Today I did offer to help her if she would help me with some of mine and she agreed. It went fairly well. I helped her get it straight, not cleaned out. She picked up the living room, taking things to rooms they belonged in, gathered laundry and did a load of towels for me. If I had been here I would have asked the friends to help clean up. Saturday was a big football day, so I don't think dh had his mind on it. I don't want to give him a hard time, though. He works hard at a job he isn't exactly loving, so the least he deserves is to do something he enjoys. We do need to really clean the room out and that would help. One thing is that her room becomes the guest room for family, which are here on a somewhat regular basis because my sisters and parents are 2-4 hours away. I don't get the privilege of just "leaving" it as is. She has a queen bed, while ds has a full bed. I get a little stressed about it if it's my younger sister and nephew coming. My nephew has severe epilepsy and has some trouble getting around in tight or crowded spaces, and tends to pick things up and throw them or hide them. I have tried in the past to give her ways to "tackle" the job (i.e. clean one section at a time, clean up one kind of thing at a time like all the clothes, then shoes, then papers, etc.). She is not much of a problem solver, and I'm not sure how to help her become one. I thought it's because she's a child until ds came along and he's been more of a problem solver all along. I guess she's what they call a "global thinker". She does have some really great things to store her stuff in, but she really doesn't want to let go of things easily. I can more so than her, and don't want her force her to be like me in that area. I guess I kind of expected her to start caring more about how her room looks for friends by now. Of course, I also expected her to be more concerned than she is about hair and clothes. Believe me...I'm thankful for those being so easy right now, so maybe I shouldn't complain about the room at all! LOL!

Would anyone be willing to share what they do for art study during Ancient History? We're doing MOH Vol 1. I don't want a curriculum, just something I could do perhaps one or a few days a month. Thanks!

Does anyone else have dc like this? My dd does not get a bad attitude about chores in any other room, except hers. In fact, I think she'd be willing to do more chores elsewhere if I'd clean her room for her. I had to be out today and she had friends over to play. Her room looks like a tornado hit it. Dh didn't make the friends help, and she didn't think to ask. She really got a bad attitude about cleaning it tonight, and did almost nothing while she was in there. I am very busy this weekend because of some special responsibilities at church tomorrow and couldn't keep close check on her. I told her no friends are going to be allowed in tomorrow after church, and that she'll be in there cleaning it up. This isn't a new thing. Cleaning her room has always been her worst attitude toward chores. Any advice?

We are using Horizons K this year from Alpha Omega. My son learned all his short vowel and reading those kinds of works with A Beka K4 last year. I didn't stay with A Beka because I don't like it later. I don't think it has enough comprehension and critical thinking. Horizons covers A LOT in their K program. You could look at their scope and sequence online. It covers all the vowel sounds, a lot of consonant blends, double vowels, silent letters, blends beginning and ending, several vowel digraphs and dipthongs, etc. The program includes a lot of handwriting, even copywork. The company must not have a separate program. Handwriting is a little bit of a struggle for my ds, so I'm not having him do it all. You really need the teacher's books with it because their are some pictures I don't think I could have figured out. I believe the company has phonics through 2nd grade. The lessons are 2 or 3 pages front and back. There are 160 for the year. It moves fast, which is fine so far. I figure if it gets too fast, we'll just slow down and do it at his pace.

I love BJU English if a traditional textbook is what is needed. We did 5th last year and wish we had done it all along. We are doing 6th this year and will continue for 7th. We will probably continue it on past that. You can purchase it cheaper through Christian Liberty Press. They have permission to print a teacher's manual for just a few dollars. It's basically an answer key, with some instruction on the writing chapters. There were 16 chapters 8 grammar, 8 writing projects. They alternated so you had variety. It included writing projects like compare/contrast essay, a play, research report, poetry, business letter, etc.

My dd went to private, Christian school for K-2nd. My husband was principal. After I had my ds, I realized that they are gone so much. I knew 18 years isn't enough. My original plan was to homeschool 1 year to have more time with her before her pre-teen years. My husband lost his job during that year and ended up teaching public school. We lost the free tuition, weren't crazy about any other private schools here (that one closed), didn't want me to go to work and put ds in daycare, so we continued. We still are for other reasons, too. Eduction at schools here will not be a good one, private or public. We have no family here, and we like the flexibility of homeschooling. I would say the number one reason is for our family. I believe that God wants our children to be with us more time each day than they are with their peers. It is a joy to have them here with me.

Mine are 6 years apart and the labor was definitely shorter with the second. I did have to be induced the second time, though, because he was a week over due. Our dd was born on the day she was due. My labor time with her (not counting some starting and stopping for a couple of days) was about 10 hours. My labor with ds was 4.5 hours. I had to push for 1.5 hours with her, but only about 5-10 minutes with him. Their weights were exactly the same, 8 lbs. 2 oz., but he was 21" and she 19.5". I did deliver with epidurals both times, if that makes any difference.

I asked this same question and got several responses. We are doing Ancient History and here's what my 11yo dd will be reading. I don't know the age of your kids. the Bible The Golden Goblet (she just finished and really enjoyed) Mara, Daughter of the Nile Hittite Warrior God King The Trojan War or Iliad and Odyssey for Boys and Girls?? D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths Archimedes and the Door to Science Aesop's Fables Detectives in Togas and Mystery of the Roman Ransom I Marched with Hannibal The Bronze Bow I can't say my own experience with them yet, but they come from several lists on here and suggested resources from Sonlight and other's like that. If you do a search here for ancient history in the title, I think you'd come up with several lists.

Thanks! I do think that it's a little hard to summarize, especially on just one small index card. I will try to have her do some summaries in other books to see how she does. She is 11, and just started 6th grade.

Could anyone give me some advice on how to help dd with summaries? In MOH, she is supposed to make a memory index card for each lesson. She's really struggling with it. She did a research report last year and didn't seem to have a problem, so I'm thinking the fact it was about a person made it easier somehow. Does anyone know of a specific approach to teach making a summary of material? My first thought was to outline the material, but I'm not sure that's a good way to start. Thank you in advance for any ideas!

I am definitely starting in the morning! Thanks for the encouragement. I did my meal plans for the week and have been to the grocery store. I've joined the South Beach Phase 1 team at Sparkpeople, if anyone wants to join with me.

Very interesting. I deal with some of the same issues. Thanks for asking!

I'll be praying for her!

Is anyone on the South Beach Diet? I'm seriously considering starting it Monday. We have 6 weeks until we leave for Disney, and I'd really like to lose a good amount of weight before we go. I have a knee that can hurt with lots of walking, but not all the time. I think losing some would help, and I've found some strengthening exercises to do as well. I like that the focus after the initial phase is on lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies, good fats. It seems like sensible eating to me. Has anyone had problems from it, or does anyone have any advice? I just went to the doctor last week, and didn't remember to ask him. I had a physical and all my blood work was great, except slightly low "good cholesterol". Thanks in advance!

I asked this same question and got several responses. We are doing Ancient History and here's what my 11yo dd will be reading. the Bible The Golden Goblet Mara, Daughter of the Nile Hittite Warrior God King The Trojan War or Iliad and Odyssey for Boys and Girls?? D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths Archimedes and the Door to Science Aesop's Fables Detectives in Togas and Mystery of the Roman Ransom I Marched with Hannibal The Bronze Bow I can't say my own experience with them yet, but they come from several lists on here and suggested resources from Sonlight and other's like that.

I posted about this in a question on 6th grade science. We did 5th grade SOS from Alpha Omega last year and my dd really liked it. Science became one of her favorite subjects when it never had been before. It is on computer, but there is text to read, experiments to do (you'll have to help get the materials together), video clips to watch, review games, quizzes and tests to take on the computer. You'll have a section to manage the percentages each part counts, grading a few things that are discussion type questions. It will even generate due dates for you if you put in "black out dates" and tell it how many days a week, starting and ending dates. I'm taking her units this year and doing a unit study of the same topic with my ds at the same time. SOS doesn't start until 3rd because they need to be reading independently. We tried it because we were given it for free. I figured free is always worth a try! I know we'll do it through at least 7th grade, but after that, I may try to find a co-op type class or re-evaluate if it's what we need for high school. I haven't looked at anything beyond 6th. I know they have scope and sequence on their website.

Last year, we were given 5th grade science of SOS by Alpha Omega. I figured since it was free, why not give it a try. My daughter really enjoyed it. We are starting 6th grade science in September. The year before, I had done unit studies with her. This definitely became one of her favorite subjects when it never had been before. I think she liked that it was on the computer. It has text to read, video, quizzes, and tests. I liked that she could do it so independently. I don't know if we'll use it past middle school because I may want her to be in some kind of co-op class for high school science. I've taught Apologia Biology and Chemistry at a co-op before, so I'm comfortable with those if she does science only at home.

My ds is very wiggly, also. I don't think it necessarily helps him learn. Learning has come very easy so far, just like my daughter. He's very visual and not showing signs of kinesthetic. For him sitting on something is better than in the floor. If I tried to do school work in the floor, it would drive me crazy I'm sure. I will say an exception to this is board games. He LOVES them and will play them anywhere, anytime! I do make him sit in a chair to do anything that involves writing. Sometimes, it's at the kitchen table, sometimes at a small desk we have in there. When he's at the table, he has to sit on his knees, so I've been trying the desk more lately, for fear that it's not the right position and will make it more difficult for him. For reading things, we sit on the sofa. I feel like it's a little more controlled there. He does want to see any pictures, so that helps. I don't expect him to be perfectly still, and excessive moving is not okay with me and I remind him not to do so if he does. I keep asking myself, what would he be doing if he were in a classroom? I don't want our school to be just like a classroom, but not everything learned in that setting is bad. In fact, some of it is very useful in life. They need self control, and the more, the better. If it's bothering you that much, then I think it would be good for you to require some self-control out of them in some of the situations. If you give them the option, they are kids, so you know they are going to pick the more "fun" thing. I don't know what you do for math, but maybe playing some games for math that are easier on a table a couple of days, would make math seem fun at the table also. I hope this helps.

I use a combination, also. I start with a general yearly plan. I print off a year calendar on one page, to mark off all my dh's school breaks because we take breaks then too. I then use regular wide ruled paper and make a column for each child, then list subjects in the margin. I list how many number of weeks/lessons it will take to finish each subject that year. I also list a daily plan layout for the week. I actually make 2 plans, one for when we are home all 5 days, and one for when we are only going to be home 4. That way I'm covered for field trips and outings. I make any notes of special things that need to coincide. I then print off a semester plan for each child on a spreadsheet. I list the Monday date of each week in a column on the left and subjects at the top of columns. I use these squares to plan out chapters and units. I do this to avoid being mid-chapter or mid-book at one of my dh's breaks. I highlight those weeks so they stand out. Maybe this seems like a lot, but he gets 6 full weeks off during the school year, a fall break, the week of Thanksgiving, 2 weeks at Christmas, a winter and spring break. With that many, it would be crazy for me if I didn't plan like this. Then, I move to a monthly plan. I get more specific here, but I have the same format as my yearly plan of a column per child and subjects in the margin. I print this off on computer paper so I've got lots of room for little notes, but write the info in by hand. I plan which specific lessons, which specific reading, etc. Then, I move to weekly. Every Sunday night, I plan the week and enter these assignments into HST. I print out the whole week for each child. I check off on that paper what they've done and record grades, then go back and enter them in HST. I use Microsoft Works, not Excel or Word, so I'm not sure anyone else could view my semester spreadsheet or monthly plan sheet, but I'd be glad to try if anyone wants to see it. If you haven't realized, I LOVE planning!!!!!

We have nothing there, and I love it. We used to have a coffee table, but I don't miss it AT ALL! We do not have a separate family room, so our living room is the only one with sofas. We love having the open space there between our largest sofa and tv. There's room for the dance pads , room for me to exercise to a workout video, room for the kids to "perform", room for us to play charades, room for wresting matches with Dad, even room for Jedi light saber fights! The last 2 of which are daily rituals at our house. We have 2 small end tables (with coasters) for drinks and such, one at the end of each sofa. We also have a recliner for anyone wanting their feet up.

We are doing Ancient History this year, because my dd did 19th and 20th century American history the last 2 years. If you touched on the colonial period, you could study the 1800's this year and everything to present the next. If you do ancient in 5th, it will be quite a while before you touch on any American History again. We didn't really know anything about classical education then, and used BJU Heritage Studies for 4th and 5th grades. It's really social studies as well as history, including geography, economics, and community studies. I enjoyed them, but do like traditional school texts as well. There were some fun projects and games included. Even though we're doing MOH this year, I'm still having dd read the 6th BJU text. You could do a study of government this year, especially with the elections coming up. We will definitely be spending some time on it. I really don't know anything about the WP to comment on it. Our state requires standardized testing starting in 3rd grade. We will do more testing than the state requires, so I want to cover social studies, so they don't feel "dumb" on the test if they haven't ever seen it.