DS8 is in third and a very strong, avid reader. I selected many books for sharing, but here are some I've selected mostly with him in mind. This version of Gilgamesh. Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt Pyramid D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths Black Ships Before Troy (the large, illustrated version--so lovely) The Wanderings of Odysseus Detectives in Togas Archimedes and the Door of Science Herodotus and the Road to History In Search of a Homeland City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction Mystery of the Roman Ransom Galen and the Gateway to Medicine I also got him the Horrible Histories box set for some fluffy reading. He really likes science and living math stuff, so I've selected some additional books to go along with our history study. You didn't ask for science recommendations so feel free to ignore this part. It's helping my thought process to narrow my bookshelves and lists down to the books I would most recommend. :tongue_smilie: We are starting with prehistory, using Usborne's Prehistoric World. To go along with that, I have Life in a Bucket of Soil, A World in a Drop of Water, and Pond Water Zoo and some good microscope books. Fossil Factory, plus field guides for rocks/minerals and fossils. The Elements (DS loves this book. It quickly became a favorite. I personally find a discussion of the Periodic Table a natural sidebar to the formation of Earth.) The Stars: A New Way to See Them (great to go along with mythology) The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way The Wonderful World of Mathematics (OOP but another fast favorite. If you can find it at the library, it's worth the effort.) String, Straightedge, & Shadow (highly recommend!) The Cryptoclub The Art of Construction Hope this helps! Mainly I wanted to respond so I can :bigear:.

Yes, you probably thought Physics would be finished because she said it would be, and kept putting out projected dates. I think it was originally supposed to be out in '09? They kept changing the dates and then it just disappeared with no mention. I was very disappointed. I've moved on, for various reasons, but I found the whole thing very irritating.

Oh, yes, that is a good one! You have to love any book that starts out with the lyrics to . :)

In a million years I wouldn't have tried to get up before the kids when I had an infant! I got up with the infant, or whoever else happened to wake up first. That said, when they are older, give it a whirl. Definitely don't try it until the wee one is sleeping through the night! Well, actually, to be more precise, I wouldn't try it until I could be assured the 8 straight hours of sleep I need for optimal functioning. I am getting up an hour to 1.5 hours before my kids, but that is with me still getting my necessary 8. :grouphug: to you. And sleep in tomorrow! :D ETA: Great blog and your kids sure are cuties!

I have. :) Did you know that When Children Love to Learn was collectively written by Charlotte Mason experts who run CM schools in the United States? They are authorities on CM. The problems people have with CM and phonics can indeed be found on the very page you referenced above. Yes, there is an introduction to the alphabet and its primary sounds, but then you have this... A child who knows phonics will not be confused. A child who relies on the shape of the word alone will be unable to read words he has not studied, one-by-one, in this manner. To my way of thinking, that would be a worse way in which "children are needlessly and cruelly oppressed!" ETA: I will say I did not teach phonics with the easy readers. You don't have to if you find them annoying! :tongue_smilie: They asked to read and I taught them the phonetic rules from whatever book they were interested in at the time. I agree with you on freedom being the best thing about homeschooling! :)

That's funny! Kids are so different. Mine play in ways I never did as a child. I think they have their father's tinkering gene, thank goodness.

Well, I used to pretend not to despise insects and that I wasn't afraid of spiders. Interestingly enough, after doing that for so long, it's become true. I even helped DS8 escort a centipede from my bathtub to the safety of the garden last week.

I just wanted to share some great books about learning through play that have been published recently. They are great resources for helping to create an engaging but natural learning environment in your home. Playful Learning (Here is the author's blog. She's doing a blog tour right now and has some fantastic links.) The Write Start Also, there are great resources you can use to set up wonderful tinkering environments for older kids. The first two have lists of supplies to have on hand. If you outfit the kids with a space and the supplies, great things will happen! My favorites... Steve Caney's Ultimate Building Book How Things Work Making Things: The Handbook of Creative Discovery Sandbox Scientist: Real Science Activities for Little Kids (my favorite for younger kids) Unscrewed: Salvage and Reuse Motors, Gears, Switches, and More from Your Old Electronics (with parental help and supervision) If anyone else has good book recommendations, I would love to see them. :)

Yes. Echoing others, I did/do spelling in first grade with proficient readers. If they were not reading well, I would hold off. Although, interestingly enough, DS8 learned to read through spelling (he was obsessed with how to spell everything!), so I do think it could be a great plan to start with a child whose phonics learning works better in reverse.

Thanks! It's good to be back! The Google search is helpful but I have actual memories of the WTM search working like that. It was just easy and I am just lazy, I guess. :tongue_smilie:

I really thought you used to be able to type in search words and come up with only threads that contained all the words. Now I seem to only be getting results that have any of the words, not all. It's too many results! :willy_nilly: Thoughts? Help?

I like Mrs. Mungo's suggestion but I haven't seen a sea monkey commercial in forever. The first time my kids expressed interest in a product, I pulled out my computer acting kind of excited and said, "Oooh, sounds great! Let's check out the reviews!" Then we read the reviews, which were usually just terrible. May I say I just adore the people who are so crystal clear with their feelings as to say, "This thing was a piece of junk!" My favorite ever was, "This toy ruined my little girl's Christmas!" DD was quite upset about that one, let me tell you! Now when they see anything, they look skeptical and will always ask to read reviews before declaring that they want something. You have to love modern technology. :lol: Commercials for most toys and products don't bother me much anymore. Beauty, lingerie, pharmaceuticals... Those are a whole 'nother ball of wax. :glare: We record and pause through the commercials most of the time.

That's sweet! My kids wanted to paint my van yellow too, but that was when they were in their Magic School Bus phase. I wouldn't mind but DH wouldn't have it. :lol:

Your sporting nature, of course. :boxing_smiley: :D

May I just laugh at myself a bit here and say how funny I think it is that I did no formal work with the kids but I have about a bajillion books on early childhood learning, including 4 books entirely about the use and educational benefits of unit blocks. I guess some of us teach and some view the kids as case studies to be watched and monitored? :lol:

Ten months isn't long enough to forget... :tongue_smilie:

Sagira, I always wished you and I were neighbors. :lol: That is to say, I agree that we are like minds. Our kids would probably get along famously! As you might expect, I totally agree with you on the character issue. :D

Sorry, yes, I know. I just didn't see those people or gurus in this thread. Are you itching for a fight? :tongue_smilie:

I love CM but she wasn't perfect. I taught phonics. I didn't reconcile it with her views; I reconciled it with mine. ;) I also teach science in addition to nature study in the early grades. Call me a rebel. :D I still love her though.

I agree with all that you said 100% and I'm starting to think we're all saying the same thing here. I can't imagine anyone here saying they're play-oriented in the early years and not providing "any sort of instruction." Just as structure "doesn't have to equal dry and boring," play doesn't have to equal a void of purposeful instruction.

Some of my favorites... Hold On to Your Kids Last Child in the Woods Wild Days Educating the WholeHearted Child A Charlotte Mason Companion When Children Love to Learn Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home Marva Collins' Way Climbing Parnassus Classics in the Classroom The Read-Aloud Handbook Tested (reminds me of a big reason my kids are home)

Aw, that first day is magical for kids who like school. I loved school and the first day was so exciting. My kids have never been to school so they don't miss what they don't know, but I remember. However, the reasons I'm homeschooling are so much bigger than those few exciting days. Keeping your own reasons at the forefront of your mind will help you through tough spots like these. One thing you can do for your girls tomorrow is tea and poetry in the afternoon. We do it here daily but for the first day of school, I make it extra special by going to buy some of the fancy, individual pastries (fruit tarts, chocolate mousse in the chocolate cups--that kind of thing). We use our best teapot, put on some lovely classical music and enjoy great tea and the special treats. I read poetry while they eat and then the kids get to read poems they choose. Just one idea. I'm sure you'll get many more great ones!

Yes, and I honestly think we get mired down in stereotypes and idealism with these discussions. If 100% play is on one side of the spectrum and 8 hours of formal academics is on the other, very few of us are there. Some of us lean more toward one end than the other but most are somewhere in the middle. Despite being play-oriented, my kids learned to read, do basic math, a great deal of science, a reasonable amount of history, had art adventures, learned to love music, and just generally did their job as absorbent little sponges. I had to keep providing the water. They learned to count in the process of going about their daily lives. I would say 50 more swings and then count to 50. They would dole out silverware and dishes to set the table. They were read to daily and, at some point, each of them asked to learn to read and I taught them. It's just not a situation where I'm going to say, "OK, little one, it's time for math." The learning was organic, not scheduled. As I said before, I think there is nothing wrong with using a program. However, just because someone isn't doesn't mean they are not "capitalizing on a child's natural propensity to play." To be clear, I don't think you're saying that. What I am saying is that if you hear play-based, you can't necessarily assume a lack of capitalization. :D

I was truly serious when I said I wasn't judging. :001_smile: In the interests of full-disclosure, my excitement about homeschooling even had me planning things for my oldest in pre-k. I had been planning to homeschool since before I ever actually conceived. I was excited to start! It never got farther than plans though because, as sick as I was of waiting, it still wasn't my philosophical bent. To thine own self be true. :D

You know, I do things how I do things and I'm good with that. I don't parent anyone but my own children and I try not to judge what other people do. I originally answered the question before seeing the OP's signature, then I chuckled when I did read it. I never would have done even that much with a 4 year old but I don't judge it. I don't judge someone using a program with a young child; I simply hope they remember the adage about teaching the child, not the program. If someone wants to start a reading or math program at 4 or to do one of those early Sonlight cores or whatever other wonderful idea they have, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. And, to a certain extent, I agree with Bill about a choice being a false dichotomy. Someone else said they're not going to punish their child for wanting to write in play. Well, me either but that made me chuckle again because that is the point of the child's work being play. They learn through play. Some people do a formal program and some do not. I do not and my kids have not struggled with the first grade material when it was presented to them. There is more than one good path to the same destination. On the other hand, forcing a disinterested, active young child to do seatwork (whether 30 minutes, 2 hours, 8 hours...) when they are not developmentally ready is something else entirely. If your child is eagerly responding to early attempts at formal learning, fine. My fear is that once a parent has invested time and money into a program, they are going to keep on keeping on even if the child might not be ready. Haven't most of us seen those threads before? "How do I get ds4 to sit still for his _______ lesson?!?!?!" :confused: You don't. Put it away for now. But you spent time and money and had dreams and aspirations and that is not what you want to hear.