I like this resource: http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/how-to-solve-b-d-reversal-problems/

So excited that we start today! Pus, I have been up since 4:30 am thinking about our agenda and hoping its enough/not enough. I hope I can fall back to sleep lol

We just combined all of our language arts and switched to Learning Language Arts Through Literature. My dd 11 (6th grade) will be doing the Tan book. Even she is excited after looking through it. I love the idea of having just one notebook for all my LA and that it uses literature to bring together all the parts of language arts into a cohesive unit.

I have the foldable map and never used it. With all the maps in the IG and then just having them find a place on a globe, we did fine. I would not buy a new map. Actually, ours is still sitting in the same drawer since we started homeschool...never used. LOL

THames and Kosmos. They have Little Labs for youngers but I only have experience with the 10+ age kits. I find them durable and fun, with great informational text as a handbook. THey are easy to follow and high quality.

I guess I am planning backwards. I know what most of the colleges in VA like to see in high school and I have just worked from that. Then, I think what will my middle schooler need to do what is required in high school. Elementary is just for fun. I dont have a scope and sequence but more of a "what do I need to teach to pass our state required end of the year standardized test." When I first homeschooled after taking my kids out of public school, I was set on just using Sonlight so I had everything planned out by the company. Since realizing that I, nor the kids, don't like Sonlight and I have been patchworking curricula together, it feels more stressful for sure! I feel a burden to make sure I get everything right for being on track for college. I guess my plans are as eclectic as I am lol

We have a few of my dad's old books, especially three from Holling C Holling, that are words on the left page and these beautiful full page illustrations on the right (and signed by the author!). We love them. He also had some cute history books and a book on magic tricks for kids. I love seeing the kids in their 50s clothes and styles and the gender differences (girls sew, boys woodwork). We like to talk about how things were different from today. I think illustrations in science and history are great, but for novels, I like to have my kids use their imagination. My daughter thought what she imagined in her head in the Hunger Games series was better than the movie :)

:iagree:

I was just looking at Rainbow Resource and saw all the books I bought on amazon for cheaper. Also, don't forget all the readers they recommend (I think those were cheaper for me on amazon because I did the 4 for 3. Here is a list of literature they recommend: Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz Older students: The Red Pony by John Steinbeck. Younger/sensitive students: Great Horse Stories compiled by James Daley Black Horses for the King by Anne McCaffrey Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Black Stallion by Walter Farley My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry And here is a list of Non-fiction and Activity Books required: Your Horse Notebook and Equine Science Guide(these are from WP for $39 each) Complete Horse Care Manual Horse Gaits, Balance & Movement Horse Crazy! Album of Horses Horse Anatomy How to Think Like a Horse Draw 50 Horses

We love the Toobs but you can get them with a 50% coupon at AC Moore or Michaels for around $5. I guess the harder to find Toobs I would get through RR if I got free shipping. I got my dd the rest of her Safari Ltd Winners Circle horses that she couldn't find at Michaels or ACMoore at RR. They were the only ones who had them at a reasonable price, even with shipping!

It was way too much for us. I used their lifetime guarantee and returned it. I thought the principles were awesome and the program was really useful, it was just overwhelming for me and the kids. They got tired of doing Key Word Outlines and they didn't like Pudewa nor did I.

I like to look ahead to how I might use things in future years. We bought a Thames & Kosmos Chem3000(I think?) for my dc when they were younger and as they have grown, we just keep pulling out more and more supplies. They love chemistry and we do experiments for fun all the time. I looked at the cost as being used over 8 or more years and that's better than buying tons of seperate materials every year. If you don't want to go that route, I agree with pp that you will have to get individual components off of homesciencetools.com

We have never done logic and now that my dd 11 is in the logic stage, I feel she should have lessons in it. I don't want it to be too long or too hard. I have never been taught logic and I am scared I won't know how to help her so I think I would need something with a teacher manual. Any suggestions? TIA! Jen

Would this be too advanced for a 6th grader (11 yo) who has never had any logic?

Kate, Thank you SO much for doing this. You are an angel! I appreciate all the time and energy you have put in so far. Your hard work is getting well used! I hope you are having fun on vacation! Jen

Whenever I have talked to AAS or Merry, it is recommended that I go back and just review the lessons they are having trouble with. I would just go back and review the cards, do some tiles and just remind her of the rule. Like I said earlier, she is young and she has time to make mistakes and excel in the end. I am a natural speller, as well, so at times spelling with my dc has been annoying and tested my patience. I pulled my kids out of public school in 2nd and 4th and we have been struggling since I started homeschooling. We had done a year of Sequential Spelling, which is supposed to be great for dyslexics, but didn't work for my dc. Now with AAS, I see small gains but still have times when I have to go back and review.

Sonlight has a great 2 year course (D and then E) with lots of literature and it is very in depth. We did D+E, the condensed version) and it was a bit too much. I love unit studies and we love Homeschool in the Woods. There is a new kid on the block called Trail Guide to Learning which looks good to me, too. Most of the major homeschool companies have some form of US History. My favorite US History, though, is Notgrass America the Beautiful. It is for 5-8th graders, but if you can wait, it is worth it.

When I talked to the author about this very issue, he said if my dc don't have a good grasp on multiplication, they should start with Farming and work through the rest. We actually went ahead and started at the very beginning and my dc are loving it. My 9 yo ds wants to continue with TT but 11 yo dd wants to do LoF. I told her we would supplement with khanacademy to make sure she is getting it and she agreed :)

I took mine out of public school a couple years ago and we have struggled with LA since. I don't think they learned anything in school. We have tried so many LA programs and I think I may have found one that is really going to work. Even the kids are excited about it. It is called Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) and it is an all-inclusive language arts curriculum. Reading, writing, spelling, vocab...all is in one book. People on the Hive have said it is "gentle" but I think it will be just right for my kids who are frustrated and stressed about LA. I have a spelling program as a supplement if we need it but the whole curriculum looks good. THere is also another all-inclusive LA called CQLA. It's much more spendy but neat. Good luck!! Jen

I think she is only 7 and making developmentally appropriate mistakes for her age. Your dd is young and level 2 is a good place for her to be. I would stop worrying and just give her a little guidance and patience. You could be like me going through Level 2 with an 11 yo.... I would also wait for Merry to respond. She has great ideas and advice.

I would do the placement test on the TT website and go with TT! It takes such a burden off of me to have it taught to the kids on the computer. If they get one wrong they can go through a step by step process to understand what they missed. The "guy who does math," as my 9 yo ds calls him, is easy to understand and the lecture is usually not too long or boring. My ds LOVES TT and is getting ready to start TT5 next week! My dd was put off from the lectures and the amount of problems so she changed to Life of Fred with khanacademy.com if needed.

I just got the Equine Science and it looks awesome. The owner said they have updated almost all of their programs and if their other science programs are as good as equine science, I would take a look at Animal Habitats for grades 4-6 http://www.winterpromise.com/animal_habitats.html

I was surprised to find at the bottom of each week is an "extra, but optional" list of literature and writing assignments. We aren't going to do the writing but the books are all wonderful so I am going to add those in. I just got a bunch from Amazon's 4 for 3 promotion. I think it is perfect for my daughter because she is interested in how a horse moves, horse anatomy and other "dry" subjects. You might want to wait until 5th grade.

We didn't end up using Astronomy becuase it was too young earth but it was written well and very informational. I agree with pp to get the notebooking journal and then you can buy the experiment kit from CBD.com and they have everything you need for the experiments broken in to bags and jars by week or lesson. We did that with Human Anatomy and it was well worth the price.

When Scholastic had their $1 sale, I bought a bunch of workbooks on different types of writing and they are great. I would look there and then save for the $1 sale.