so I was just having him write letters of the alphabet as he was learning the sounds. This year, I am amazed at his improvement. He is writing full sentences and forming correct letters with the proper lower case or upper case when I tell him to. It helps that I got him his own notebook of raised line paper and mechanical pencil. He thinks these are cool. I have been teaching him to read with the Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading which has a little paragraph or two at the end of the lesson for him to read on his own. I just pick a sentence from that and he copies it. It helps to reinforce what he read and keeps me from having to find seperate stuff to copy. I also have Writing Without Fear by SWB which has copy work suggestions but we haven't gotten to that yet. Julie

I am trying to focus on learning to read and write this year and get his math facts down so most of our day revolves around that. If he has more patience we go on to the "extras". I am finding teaching a little boy is waaaaaaaaaaaaay different than teaching my older two dd's. Oh my is it ever different. LOL! They Loved to do workbooks and color and we did history and science projects and first language lessons and we had a blast. My ds on the other hand mentally checks out if a lesson lasts more than 15 minutes and then he has to go run around and clear his head or he explodes. LOL! Such a little boy. Cracks me up. This is the majority of the day. R&S math 2 (we did saxon 1 last year and the lessons were to long for him to handle so we had to switch to something else) Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading Phonics Pathways So far this is all we are getting done before he melts down. LOL! I alternate lessons in OPGTR and PP to avoid burnout otherwise he freaks when he sees the same book everyday and then we choose a sentence for him to copy out of one of these books for copywork in his raised line paper notebook because he thinks that is cool. Geeze the work I have to go through to teach this kid. LOL! It really makes me wonder what on earth he would do in public school. Of course we just got started with school. Only two weeks into it and the weather is really nice outside still. Once cold weather sets in, it will be easier to keep his attention and stay on schedule. Then, we plan to hit First Language Lessons (the short lessons in this book are perfect for him) Writing without Fear ( his copy work from his reading lessons have been going really well and his handwriting is improving alot so I'm not stressing too much about introducing this yet) Handwriting without tears ( I am really not liking the look of this font so I am seriously contemplating downloading the startwrite software and make up some fun handwriting worksheets for him to use. Plus I can use it for dd's cursive) Winter Promise Hideaways for history which includes science but we aren't starting this until I figure out how on earth to get my hands on all the big boxes they require to build the hideaways. He is really really excited about this one. He also sits in on my older dd's Mystery of History vol 3 lessons so he hears about those stories. Artistic Pursuits K-3 book 2 which is lined up with the MOH time period and I do with all the dc on Fridays. He is very excited about this too. Phew! something he likes. :) Hope this helps, Julie

thank you for helping me sort this all out in my head. It is so hard to figure out subjects like this without being able to see the book. I really appreciate the help so I can organize my plans on what to do with dd. Julie

My 7th grade dd has done mind benders through the c level and I was thinking of moving on to something else for her. I have Teaching Toolbox and Fallacy Detective but while reading WTM's section on teaching 7th grade, SWB recommended these as more supplements to a seperate program like Traditional logic. At least I "think" this is what the recommendation was. LOL! At this point, I feel like a hamster in a wheel with all these curriculum choices and my head can't sort anything out anymore. So, after reading several threads on here about logiv choices, I was wondering what would be the difference between Art of Argument, Traditional Logic from memoria press? Anyone have preferences? Then I have also read about critical thinking books 1 and 2 for Jr. High. What is the difference between these books and a logic program like AoA and TL? Are those all three the same or is the critical thinking book seperate? Thanks for helping me clear this up. Julie

I do know how you feel. Homeschooling has not come easy to me because I feel like I can't blow this. So I overwhelm myself by trying to do too much. I also overwhelm my dc. I find myself making our schedule too heavy and as a result, school isn't fun. No one is happy, at the end of the day I haven't left the house for a break and I am sick, depressed and stressed to the max. NOT good for mommy. I agree, stick to the basics. God has taught me this over the years because I wouldn't figure it out on my own. LOL! Our first year hsing, my girls were in 1st and 3rd and ds was 2 and potty training. He was running around tearing up the house. Escaping out the front door when I wasn't looking, and just being crazy because I was submersed in school with the girls. I wanted to quit right then and there but we plugged through to our next year which was better and more laid back. The next two years, I struggled with how much work to give them, are they learning enough ect... Then I had baby #4 and my ds was in the hospital at the same time with a dangerous staph infection. They discharged him in time for the birth but when the baby was 2 days old I had to take him to a bigger hospital 60 miles away because he was getting worse. They put him back in the hospital for a week, then home with high powered IV antibiotics, home health visits every day, blood draws constantly to check his kidney and liver function. UGH! It was a nightmare. This was in Nov. When the baby was 3 months old HE got MRSA and my 10 yr old dd. The pediatrician was very alarmed because it was in the house spreading to the dc and we had a strict regimen of three kinds of meds, special soap, cloroxing the house, clothes, everything. We had a flow chart to figure out who got what med at what time. ALL 6 of us were on meds to wipe this bug out. This went on for weeks. Needless to say, my perspective and priorities changed. The school was hit and miss, we did pick it up around May but no one finished a book that year and MOH went down to just reading the story. No timeline, no mapwork, nothing but reading. Guess what, my dc survived, they still learned I was floored. It was a great learning experience for me to realize you can ease up and they will still learn what they need. We reviewed things they missed the next year and they picked it up fast. Now, I am expecting #5 in Jan. The toddler is 20 months now and I don't expect to accomplish great things in school this year either but we are all healthy, my dh is alive and I am not stressing this school perfection anymore. My kids hate school when I do that and ask to go back to public school. Just hit the basics, keep it fun and short and remember there will be time for all that other stuff when they are older. Enjoy your dc and keep mommy happy. Julie Oh I also had to switch from SWR. I love the program but I can't do it with all my age ranges and AAS does condense it and teaches it in a simpler format. SWR just wasn't homeschool friendly enough for me. Adjust your school to fit YOUR family and YOUR needs. Everyone is different. These boards and the internet gets me in trouble. LOL! I'm like a kid at christmas with all the possibilities of what I could teach my dc and it all sounds wonderful but I have to realize my situation it's not practical. Make a plan and put blinders on. LOL! I have a tough time with this one but I'm learning. LOL!

I like All About Spelling since it is spelled out word for word what to do every day and it is in bite size chunks. Short lessons work better for my 6 yr old ds but I do like SWR or the spalding approach. I just couldn't manage to teach it with babies and toddlers running around or being sick. It seems lately I have had to deal with at least one of those every school season for the last three years. I also like First Language Lessons for grammar and am excited about being able to use it in 3rd and 4th grade now that they have added years to it. It's also scripted, short and I can pick up the book and sit down to a lesson without having to read ahead, do any lesson planning or think ahead. It gave my dd a real solid foundation in grammar and she was ready for R&S by 3rd. My older dd's have done really well with R&S for the older grades by reading the lessons themselves and doing the work. I try to get them to grade as much of their work as possible and then check up on them to keep them honest since if they think I'm overwhelmed or not paying attention they tend to fudge a little so they don't have to do it over. :tongue_smilie: I enjoyed God's Design science for my girls when they were in 1st through 3rd grade but that was before the new Apologia elementary came out. I am thinking of trying that out with my ds next year. He will be in 2nd grade. GD science is also short and to the point. I love Audio cd's like you were thinking of for MOH. This helps me alot with history. I play the day's history story for that day while they are eating lunch then after lunch they do the activity, timeline, color page, read library books we checked out on that subject whatever we have scheduled for that day. They can do these activities while I get the baby down for a nap. I have my older dd's read the science and picture books to ds 6 if nap time is taking awhile. I really like Latin For Children too since it is video based. My girls like the activity workbooks too. I don't "teach" this subject at all thankfully since I know nothing about it and I should probably learn but with a toddler and a new baby on the way, that's not going to happen for a few years. Lol! I also got the new Writing With Ease from Peacehill Press to use with ds and I am excited to get this started. It looks just as easy to use as FLL and this is an area I have really been needing to simplify. Teaching writing has been an area I need help with. We also switched from Saxon math to Teaching Textbooks for 5th grade and 7th to simplify because these are on cd's and my dc HATE saxon. It was taking hours for them to drag through a lesson since they hate it. Hopefully TT goes well for us. They are excited about using it. I have also been using Ordinary Parents guide to reading for ds and the short lessons are perfect for us. It helps keep me on track and I have to have something spelled out. I just don't have time to do lesson plans at all. It has to be something I can pick up and go with. Hope this helps Julie

We have used vol 2 and are starting the new vol 3 this year. During this time I have managed to use this history program for my two dd's now 12 and 11 and survived a very busy 3 yr old ds then severe morning sickness that lasted 20 weeks, nine months later a newborn and a sick dh who got MRSA from a surgery that went systemic so he was in the hospital for 3 weeks then on home health with IV antibiotics for 6 more weeks. This year we are expecting another baby but I am not in near as much panick over having easy to use curriculum because I've been able to adjust MOH to our ups and downs. We have done the whole program as suggested with the pretests, mapwork, timelines and library books that I decided to add and in the worst of the stress, I cut back to just reading the stories and letting the kids do some mapwork if they wanted or checked out some books on the topics discussed that week. It was still engaging for the kids and I didn't feel guilty about not doing "it all" like I usually am with other curriculum programs. Vol 3 is a hardback book in color this year and looks really neat. We are excited to get started. Julie

with my 5th and 7th graders. We really enjoy MOH. I was using SOTW with them but stopped halfway through because we wanted a christian worldview. We switched to biblioplan and liked the worldview but needed more crafts and activities so when we found MOH it was just the ticket for us. I like the way she explains the stories. They are very engaging for the dc. I do each one as a read aloud at lunch while they are eating and my younger two dc listen in. Then they do the activities. We look through all the options and they pick what they want to do sometimes the younger activities are fun since I have a 6 yr old but my oldest does the middle school activites too. The map work is good and the timelines as well. My dd's like the directions to make your own. Then we have a wall space where we put them. I like the review and the semester tests so it stays fresh in their mind. They just look at the timeline wall for reference and they remember the lesson usually from the story and the actvity because they enjoy it. I do supplement alot with library books if I have time. I try to plan two weeks ahead and Interlibrary loan books related to the topics discussed so after the intial story and activity, we spend the rest of the week reading the library books doing the mapwork and timelines and notecards. This does drag it out for us. We took two yrs doing MOH 2 because there are three chapters a week to go over and sometimes we really just wanted to take that whole week to study about Lief Erickson and his life or about the hundred years war instead of moving on after one day. The library books are what makes it fun for us. I would say it is sort of a springboard for us with map work and activity ideas included and the dc take it from there. Some weeks we just stick to the schedule in the book and don't get the library books but if they are really interrested, I let them run with it. This year we are doing Artistic Pursuits K-3 book 2 with the 3rd vol which is going to be fun to be able to match up the artwork of the artists during the renaissance era. I'm excited about that. My con about the program is having to wait for the next volumes to be written. We are stuck after this one since they are taking two yrs to write so I am thinking we will move on to TOG. Julie

and finally getting really good at it. I started them around 4 yrs with the pre punched felt squares and yarn then they moved to pillows (we have tons of pillows in the house) Now they are doing clothes, quilt squares, doll clothes, whatever strikes their fancy. They are teaching ds 6 how to sew bean bags and pillows too. The only problem is the MESS. I am NOT a sewer at all and we have three machines and a closet full of patterns and scrap material that sends me over the edge when they drag it all out to work on their projects. LOL! It's a great skill to have though. Handiwork is what the crafts like pillows, purses ect..... are called in 4-H and the outfits they sew are judged under hand construction. 4-H is really where they both started learning all about sewing because they had a leader who taught them about choosing patterns, material to match the outfit, altering patterns to fit their body, different stitching like french seams, stitch in a ditch ect.... This year my oldest dd learned how to sew an applique to her blouse since she had puppy dog material for her top and brown capri pants, she wanted to cut out a dog face and sew it in the middle of her top and she sewed the dog material to the pocket flaps of her capri pants. It was very cute when she was done. She won Grand champion at county fair and went to state. My other dd did too. She learned how to match eyelet material with some sequined material for a layered tank top and skirt that had lots of gathers in the seams. They learn so much every year. I am very grateful for 4-H because I don't even know how to thread a machine much less read a pattern to help them sew their clothes. LOL! I had to help them pick out fabric for their outfits this year and it was the first time I had ever walked into a Joan's fabric store. I almost hyperventilated. We were there 3 HOURS trying to figure out what on earth poplin was. LOL! ACK! It was worth it though, it all turned out wonderfully. Good luck with the sewing. My dc have so much fun experimenting. One book they love we got from Timberdoodle called sewing machine fun for kids. It's been fun to do the crafts in there. Julie

Thank you so much for helping clear this up for me. I feel better knowing I don't need to get another program this year and I already have Fallacy Detective. Phew. I can get Thinking Toolbox at semester and go on to Traditional Logic next year. This is sort of what I was planning but this is very, very new to me and I have no confidence in my choices. LOL! Thanks Again for helping me clear the muddy waters. Julie

Oh my Thank you for a big smile today. I find that quote very funny due to my experience with running statistics in college. LOL! Back to the discussion. I am trying to decide what direction to go with my 7th grade dd this year with logic. She has had mindbenders A1, 2, and 3 and I was thinking we need to do more now. Would the Traditional Logic book work for her. I was thinking the SL book that was recommended but then I read where it was more highschool. I don't want to overwhelm her, just keep things rolling here. Our schedule is getting tight. Thanks, Julie

I should have mentioned dd has gone through mind benders A1, A2 and could start with the next ones in that series. Would this be enough for 7th grade? Is it necessary at all to dig really deep into an actual seperate program? Our schedule is already getting tight and the mindbender books are just right timewise. Plus, she likes them. Julie

Hello, I am so gratefull for all the guidance I get on this board. I have been guided through math selection, literature selection, 7th grade schedules and now I am facing yet another delimma I need help with. Thankfully, everyone on here is so gracious. :001_smile: As I was listening to my new Writing Without Fear cd I ordered from Peacehill press, I heard SWB mention something about a seperate logic program starting in 7th grade and she gave about 3 different choices. So far, I have done mind benders with my dd and some critical thinking workbooks. I have Fallacy Detective and was going to work her through that this year thinking that was our next step in logic and we had it covered but then I listened to the cd and realized maybe I need to look into getting an actual logic program or curriculum for her. Can someone help me with this. I am completely clueless about logic. What is the difference between a program and the Fallacy Detective book? Do I need to get something else ordered? I hate it when I think I am just about done ordering stuff and then I realize I may have left out a very important part of this year's curriculum. Of course I realize these things when we are just days away from starting school. ACK! Thanks! Julie

Lynn- PE is always a really hard thing for me to figure out how to incorporate consistently for all my dc. Especially in the winter. Wyoming is the pits sometimes during the cold months. I have a couple kid exercise videos they do and they run on the treadmill but I would love ideas about some kind of home based pe to do with two or three dc at home. Right now running, yoga, and Denise Austin fit kids is about it unless we get extra $$ to do the swim lessons or just go swim for fun at our rec center. They do get out every morning to feed the cows and break ice but it's not necessarily a PE type thing and my 6 yr old could use more exercise in the winter. Lisa- She has gone through the R&S english since 3rd grade. I told her this year we would do more orally since I usually make her write it all out and she hates the review about the basics. Hopefully, this year will be an eye opener for her if it is more challenging. She wanted to drop grammar all together thinking she knew it all but I insisted she continue through the R&S series. Thank you all so much I have gotten some great reminders about stuff I have on the shelf I need to pull out and also about just using what we already have throughout the curriculum like Lisa said with the R&S. This helps me realize I don't need a seperate program for EVERYTHING. Just use what we have to it's fullest and we are fine. My poor dc bear the brunt of my insecurities sometimes since I don't want to fail them as a teacher but I don't want them to beg me to put them in Public school because it's no fun here with all this workload either. It is so hard for me to find that balance. Thanks so much!!! Julie

This is an area I do wonder about with all my dc. This is that area where I overload probably because I always think R&S isn't enoug writing so I end up going with a seperate program. I got SWB new Writing With Ease for my 6 yr old ds and it is helping alot to see how I should ease up on the writing assignments. I am always grateful for scripted lessons to give me a guide. Her explanations about how to teach helped me realize I just need to back off a little in this area. Oh I do have Typing instructor delux. Thanks for reminding me. I have to dig that out and add it to the pile while I'm organizing. They do that when they get free time and love it. Thank you for mentioning that or I would have breezed by it. Julie

As my dd starts 7th grade this year, I am finding myself in a panick that I am missing something. I tend to overload her too much with curriculum and then she burns out by thanksgiving so I'm trying to cover all the bases without overdoing it. Does it look like I am missing something here? What do you all think? Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 R&S English 7 CLE literature 700 Mystery of History 3 Latin for Children Apologia general science For writing she has been working through the wordsmith and wordsmith apprentice books. I also just ordered the Writing Without Fear CD by SWB that I thought I may use with her instead of the wordsmith book. Still trying to figure this one out. She didn't seem to get much out of the Wordsmith Apprentice book although she thought it was fun. I have a terrible habit of thinking they aren't learning anything if they are breezing through something and having fun. LOL! I am trying to work on this since this leads to severe burn out. I do have the Fallacy Detective book and Thinking Toolbox since I know we should start some logic at this stage but not sure how or what to start with. Would one of those books be appropriate? She also practices piano 30 minutes a day and will be working through one of the Artistic Pursuits books since she absolutely loves art. I am leaning toward one of the K-3 books for the variety in media offered at that level and the art history which she likes better than just learning to draw. She has gone through several drawing books already. Am I missing something? Is this too much? Not enough for Jr. High? My biggest fear is that these children will end up going to college and some professor will look at them and say "Where on earth did you go to school?" and they won't be prepared. UGH! I torture myself with that quite frequently. Should we be doing book reports, biographies, poetry, or memorization? Maybe this will be covered in the CLE Literature. This is my first year using this program and if I do extra it might be overkill. I just have this nagging feeling that Jr. High means I need to be doing MORE with her. Then again, I know the work she is doing is much harder and requires more time and effort so maybe less is more as they get older. Just when I get comfortable teaching the elementary grades, now I have to figure out a whole new stage. ACK! Thanks for the help, Julie

I just posted this question and had my mind made up thanks to the great help from the moms on this board who have used AP and then my Rod and Staff order came in. UGH! I forgot I ordered an art pack from them for my 6 yr old thinking that would be easier to do with him than AP with all three dc. Oh my brain is mush. So, now I am wondering do I still go with the k-3 book 1 for my 11 and 13 yr old dd's (she is really 12 now but by Oct when we are full swing into this art deal she will be 13)? Since I won't be sharing this with the 6 yr old do I need to get the older book like the 4-6? They really do like a mixture of art and different media to use not just drawing. They have taken drawing art classes and gone through the drawing with children book. This is why I thought maybe the k-3 books to start. Is this too young for my older dd's? Sorry for my confusion here. Buying curriculum makes me crazy. Julie

I appreciate all the ideas. It's hard to go spend money on curriculum you haven't seen. Too many times, I have bought the wrong things. Thanks, Julie

since we haven't done a lot of art work. Most of the art we do is because my 12 yr old dd is dieing for some art and wants buddies to do it with so she volunteers her sister 11 and brother 6 and even the toddler 19 months to do it with her. She gets everything set up and creates and whole project for all of them to satisfy this burning art desire she has. She went through the whole drawing with children book by herself and tried to get the other dc to do it with her but they just don't like art like she does. This is very disappointing to her. She doesn't understand how anyone wouldn't be eaten up with a desire to do artwork of all kinds. She does get bored with one type of medium or just drawing however so she has to mix it up. Maybe we should just start out with a K-3 book even though she is 12 going on 13 in Oct. Then the 11 and 6 yr old can follow along with her like they have done in the past. Anyone else have this issue or have advice. Also would one art kit be enough to share with three kids in a k-3 book? Thanks, Julie

I like the look of artistic pursuits. We did some work in an Evan Moore art book last year where we read a biography about a famous artist, looked at their work and did a similar project relating to their style of art. My kids loved it, especially my 12 yr old dd who is a 7th grader this year. She loves art. The other two kind of follow along but it isn't their passion like my oldest. I was looking at several different options this year to include in our day, and AP looks like it would teach them the concepts of art, add in art history which I belive is important and satisfy that need to be artistic my dd has. My problem is, what on earth do I buy with this age range? The K-3 books actually look really neat from the sample and I thought about starting there but I don't want dd to be bored so then I thought I would get book 1 K-3 for my 1st grader ds and maybe the first book from the 4-6 series for my 11 and 12 yr old dd's. I don't know what to do here. I really don't want overkill on this art thing. I like to combine as much as possible when teaching things but with the age range I have, sometimes that is hard to do. On the other hand, teaching two seperate lessons of art out of two seperate books all year is probably not realistic and not as likely to happen with our schedule as it would if I could combine and teach them all at one time. Plus, combining lessons out of one book would be more affordable. Then we have the supply kits! OUCH! If I were rich, I would love to buy them each their own canvas tote bag full of wonderful art supplies at the tune of about 50 dollars a piece but that is also not realistic. LOL! So, any advice on how to do this so I don't loose my mind or go broke over art this year but still satisfy my oldest dd's desire to do something more than drawing? Thanks!! Julie

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I thought that was how it went but for the longest time I was confusing volume 2 and workbook 2. It takes awhile to clear my foggy head sometimes. Julie

I was going to wait until Aug so I could order both workbook 1 and 2 but then I realized I was confusing workbook 2 with VOLUME 2. I have a 1st grader to use workbook 1 with this year and then I was thinking I could use workbook 2 with my 5th grader but I just realized I probably need VOLUME 2 for her not the workbook 2. Is this right? Is the workbook 2 coming out in August a follow up to workbook 1 or similar to 2nd grade writing? This would be more of a workbook I need for my 1st grader next year right? So now I am thinking what I need is the WWE text and workbook 1 for my 1st grader and the writing cd for my 5th and 7th grade dc. Does that sound right? Sorry for my thick head today, I just didn't want to spend the money on a book I won't be able to use this year. Things are getting tight and I wanted to have enough left over to buy an art program for my dc this year. They are so excited about the options we have been looking at. Thanks, Julie

We tend to get drug down and burned out hating school two months into it. I wake up dreading school and always think oh if I just had a really fun curriculum I am eager to teach. Then I read this post and realized when I read MOH stories to the kids and do the activities, or read the read alouds to them about these characters, school becomes exciting again because I really enjoy MOH and the way Linda Hobar delivers her lessons. It really is about ME and MY attitude. I have to remember this daily this year!!!! I am going to try to keep a spring in my step and a happy heart. :) Julie

They always want to be where mom and the older kids are doing what they are doing. Playdough or water works for a short time but I always have to be standing right there because they want that same interaction from mom that the older kids are getting. I think it's an attention thing. UGH! So, I try to schedule the one on one subjects during nap time and I am blessed with two older dd's 12 and 11 who alternate their work around helping with the toddler. It is cute, they will sit at the counter with their books and paper and make sure the little guy has his own "book" and paper and pencil or crayons that look exactly like theirs so he can " do school" with them. This is really the only thing that keeps his attention. He will scribble for awhile and then I try to keep him happy with special snacks he only gets during school. Funny how my kids' are only motivated by FOOD. LOL! I have a 19 month old turning 2 in Dec and another baby due in Jan so we have more toddler years ahead. My dd's also try to do activities with him out of slow and steady get me ready if I am working with my 6 yr old who is learning to read and needs lots of one on one with math. He gets really distracted by the toddler and quits his lesson if we are interrupted. Good luck, it is a challenge but they really are fun. Julie