For science and history I would get used copies of encyclopedias (probably Kingfisher, but I do like Usborne for science) and supplement with any library books available. Do you have the Internet available to print anything? There after some free LA workbooks on the Internet. Let me think for a bit about the other subjects...

That is a tricky question. I tried email the writer of McRuffy as to what he suggested using after grade 4 (at the time that was the highest they had out) and all he would tell me was that they were planning on creating more levels. We tried transitioning after grade 3 to Saxon (since I knew a move to another math was inevitable anyway) and it was a complete failure. From there we tried MEP and finally settled with MM. I would hope that either by the end of grade 5 (or grade 6 when they come out with that) that you could just transition to some sort of pre-Algebra. If that doesn't work then MM would probably be a good option.

We have had some experience with Phonetic Zoo and Natural Speller. Phonetic Zoo is great because it can be done independently but it would probably be a little too advanced for your ds6. There is a placement test on IEW's website. It is expensive if you get the CDs, which makes it independent, but it does resell very well. We own Natural Speller and if I hadn't started using and loving Writing Road to Reading then that is what I would probably use. It is nice that it is a resource that can be used for every grade.

Welcome to the adventure that is homeschooling:) For MM, we just do 1 lesson a day and don't do it by a certain number of pages. Sometimes if a lesson is longer or difficult for them I will break it up into 2 days, but for the most part we do one a day. I have never used FLL so I can't help you with that. But with WWE we just do it 4 days a week. Sometimes if we are pressed for time on a certain day we will double up a couple of lessons, but I try to keep it at one a day. I would probably not start your Ker in that yet. Just work on phonics with OPGTR and handwriting and that will be plenty. Also, if your dd7 is not really familiar with narrations and dictations I would probably start her in WWE1. Better to make it doable then to overwhelm them (ask me how I know:)). The rest looks great! We homeschool year round too and I plan 2 days for science and 2 days for history. So far it has worked out very well!

The Usborne Encyclopedia would be a great addition, but I have another suggestion too. I am actually working on my booklist for SOTW 2 right now and I just search my library catalog for specific events instead of specific books. For example, instead of searching a specific title of a book for studying Joan of Arc, I just type in "Joan of Arc" and see what my library has. They may not be the exact titles of the books suggested in SOTW but you may be surprised by what your library actually does have. It does take a bit more time, but it is worth it to me that I don't have to purchase a whole ton of books!

I am putting together our history for next year and am looking for suggestions on read alouds for the Middle Ages. My oldest will be 10. I don't mind if they are either nonfiction or historical fiction. These are only books that I would read to them so the reading level isn't as important as whether or not the book will hold their attention. Have any suggestions? Thanks:)

I'm not sure adding in the rule cards from LOE will work well to use with WRTR because there are so many more rules in LOE and they would be numbered differently, which would throw off the markings in the spelling notebook. That being said, I do have my youngest practice phonograms using the iPad app since the differences are so few and the kids don't seem to be bothered by them.

Have you used any other Usborne books? Some people really like them and some people don't. I use Usborne for my younger children (3rd grade and under) and Kingfisher for older (4th grade and up). I will second what was said above about the different smaller books being combined into one big book. So if you decide to use Usborne with Ancients, you can either get their main history encyclopedia OR the Ancient World book...not both. We have the white Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World and I really like it, but I have never seen the other Kingfisher editions so I don't know how to compare them for you. Hopefully someone else will chime in on the differences:)

I think I am going to attempt to use the book that is posted free through Yahoo groups. The group is Latinbk1...you can't beat free and it looks pretty good!

We buy ours through Azure. Best popcorn I have ever had!

We have had success in our house with Math Mammoth and McRuffy math. McRuffy already has the hands-on activities and games built in, but with Math Mammoth I add in videos from Rosie at Education Unboxed and I also use Right Start games. I would say MM would be a more conceptual type of math and McRuffy would be more of a traditional approach.

A good printer, lots of binders, a good supply of paper (lined, plain white, construction), index cards, a white board or chalk board, markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils, pens, page protectors or a laminator, more bookshelves than you think one person could ever possibly need!

LOL! This is exactly how I felt while writing my response! If only they had enough grade level to get up to pre-Algebra.

I can't seem to attach what we use, but it is basically a chart with a column for each day of the week. Each subject has a box to check off when it is finished. I just put it in a page protector and use a dry erase marker with it so we can use the chart over and over again.

I would say most lessons were about 20-30 minutes. There is only 1 workbook page per lesson. The lessons are scripted to tell the teacher exactly what to do and lists any supplies needed at the beginning of the page. There is a response book, which is kind of like a daily math warm-up. It has 5-10 questions for the kids to answer. Then they usually do some work with manipulatives and then complete the workbook page (which ds was usually able to do independently).

We did use McRuffy math for k-3 and it was a fun for the kids. We left it because they only had grade 4 out and I knew a switch to something else was inevitable. So we switched to Saxon (which ds hated!), then switched to MEP (loved it, but too teacher intensive), and have now settled with MM. As far as a traditional and spiral math program that is enjoyable for kids I think McRuffy would be a great choice! I don't have any experience with the others you mentioned.

Here is my wordless: http://wateronthefloor.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/wordless-wednesday-auroras-garden/. Here is my worded (another recipe): http://wateronthefloor.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/tasty-tuesday-puffed-pancake/. Hoping to get some more homeschool posts up soon but we are taking an unexpected break while the kids play tennis:)

Check some of the videos at Education Unboxed...I know Rosie uses an abacus at times. I had a little pamphlet that came with my AL abacus but this download may help a little http://todaycms.s3.amazonaws.com/alabacus/bc/d4f773b032cfb06b39a167bc20eecc/Activities-for-the-AL-Abacus-sampler.pdf.

My oldest sounds a lot like yours and we are using Math Mammoth. We also supplement on Friday with Right Start games and eBooks from Scholastic. If he is having trouble with a certain concept I love to watch Rosie's videos at Education Unboxed to help him really understand it.

We switched from MEP to MM last year. Knowing that I would have to teach 4 children with MEP at some point in time just made me think it wasn't going to work for us. I really struggled with this decision because I do love MEP but just couldn't keep up. We are actually using MM Blue because my oldest was pretty behind what a child in his grade would be doing and would not have been happy to be placed under his grade level. But with MM I was able to get him caught up without any issues. I do still have to do some teaching with MM but it is significantly less than what I was doing with MEP and since most of our other curriculum is teacher intensive that helps out a lot! Both kids using MM did very well on their testing too...an added bonus:)

We have both too. And I don't use the internet links either (but maybe I should start!). I use Kingfisher for ds9 and Usborne for dd7. I do buy older editions to save some money which is how I justified buying both!

I put our own thing together using the WTM first edition and added in lots of books. I have earth science and astronomy done and the link is in my signature.

We used PAL writing and I thought it was a great and gentle intro to IEW. They actually suggest pairing it with AAS, so it would not be overkill at all. My older 2 used it about a year ago and I will definitely use it again when my younger two are old enough for it:)

I find it best to do 3 days of lessons a week (1 lesson each day) and then do 1 day of review. I make flashcards out of the words and that is what they study on review day. It helps us get through the lessons faster when they really know the words well:)

This is pretty much my thought on MOH too. I know volume 4 is in the works, but when MOH was initially started it was intended to be a 5 year history program. Sometime after starting it they decided to make it 4, which means the last level will have to squish in more history than they originally intended. Since that is one of the meatiest periods of history IMO, I don't like that. Plus, it didn't go over well with dd7 since I think it was a bit over her head. I am putting my own thing together for next year using SOTW paired with 100 Most Important Events in Church History as a base.