My 6th grader is doing Early Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages this year. He is about 14 lectures in and is enjoying it. He is learning a lot, and practicing taking notes, turning them into an outline, and writing a one page summary. He is a mature 6th grader. My current 5th grader would probably find it a bit over her head.

How long and for what grades have you homeschooled? I'm in my 7th year. K-6th Did you know from the start you would homeschool or did some event point you down this road? No, I never thought I would. But witnessing others homeschool successfully got me thinking about it. Were you homeschooled? Nope. Does anyone in your extended family homeschool? My SIL did for about 4 years, but her kids are in private school now. What method and materials did you use your first year of homeschooling? WTM & Charlotte Mason What method and materials are you currently using? WTM loosely, but very eclectic in my approach What books, ideas, etc. have helped shape your homeschool? WTM, Educating the Wholehearted Child, Nebel's Elementary Education What has been the most challenging aspect for you? Finding the balance between rigor and relaxed exploration. What aspect has come naturally for you? The organization & planning. What are your favorite homeschool memories thus far? Being able to travel pretty extensively and just taking school with us. Not being tied to someone else's schedule. Watching my children dig further into a subject in their own time. What is the best advice you've been given? Your kids will learn even when you aren't actively teaching them. Give them resources and time and let them go. What advice do you give others just starting this journey? Take it easy. Start slow. Don't try to change the world during their Kindergarten year. :tongue_smilie:

Phonics Pathways (used w/ success 4x) ETC FLL Singapore Math (have used for 6 years and 3 children) IEW's Poetry Memorization (have used for 3 years) SOTW (have used this for 6 years straight!)

Well, my perspective is different, I guess. Five babies. Induced five times. First and 4th w/ high blood pressure (both 39.5 weeks), 2nd and 3rd at 39 weeks when water broke and many hours passed w/ no contractions. My fourth baby, however, was 10 1/2 pounds (they estimated him at 9lbs.) and had shoulder dystocia. He was whisked away to NICU right after delivery and was very bruised (thankfully no broken collar bone!) It was very frightening! With #5 I opted to be induced at 38 weeks. He was 8 lbs. when he was born, so he probably would have been quite a bit bigger at 40 weeks. I would do it again without question. It allowed me to be relaxed, knowing that I was not going to have another excruciating and scary delivery. However he/she comes, congratulations!!

I second Stonewall Kitchen. Their stuff is incredible! We are particularly fond of their pancake mixes.

$900/mo. for a family of 7 in SoCal. This includes paper products/diapers/pet supplies.

We do a lot of whole wheat past w/ butter and cheese at lunch. Also, I like to have soup around to be reheated whenever we need it. Soups can be very healthy!

Doing K for the 4th time. Here's what we do: Phonics Pathways Singapore EB math ETC primers and go into ETC 1 daily copywork (right now we are just working on his full name) My objective for this year is to get him reading fluently. Everything else is gravy :-)

Mine's up! Happy WW!

2900 sq. feet, 3 BR, we've got 3 boys in one and 2 girls in the other

Welcome to the board and to homeschooling, Kirsten!

Mine's up....this is fall in SoCal!!

I'm confident that it will be better!!!

Welcome, Liz! Enjoy your stay!

Thanks, Amy, for adding the nice, kind words! In my eagerness to get all my ideas out there, I wasn't too encouraging. Sorry about that, Jane!! I agree completely with Amy. It gets so, so, so much easier as they get older!:001_smile:

OK, my advice? (This is in bullet form because I just spent hours painting my family room and I am pooped!) *You need a schedule of some kind. It doesn't have to be set in stone, but the kids should have a rough idea of what comes next. They will thrive (and I mean thrive) on the structure. Mine have. *Set up a time for your 2nd grader to play with the toddler while you do preschool w/ your preschooler. Each of my kids spends 1/2 hour w/ their 1 year old brother while I cycle through working one-on-one with everyone else. *Room time. I am a HUGE proponent of this. My little guy spends 45-60 minutes playing in his crib every morning with a few toys. Start with 10 minute increments and work up. Once my little ones reach 2, they spend time in their bedrooms with a gate at the door. *Exercise. Get the kiddos outside for a walk or a romp around the yard every day. Preferably at the same time every day, so they can expect it. It will help with nice long naps, as well. *Lay down the law. At book reading time, Mommy reads 'x' number of books. Every day. If the child doesn't like it and chooses to throw a tantrum, discipline him. Eventually he will know the drill. *Get the baby in an exersaucer, bouncy seat, Johnny jumper, highchair, whatever, so that your hands can be free more often. If baby needs to be close at certain times of the day, toss him/her in a sling. *As far as your 2nd grader's ability to focus, it will slowly come. Give short lessons. Set the timer. Praise her for staying on task for 10 minute intervals. She is young. All of mine struggle periodically throughout the day w/ their focus. Explain to her that she is responsible to do the work before her, even if you are working on something else. Just like you spent time with her when she was in preschool, you will also spend time with her sister without interruption. *Have special activities that your preschooler and toddler can work on together. Bring out the Playdoh, for instance, and explain that it will only stay out as long as they can peaceably share. Sharing takes practice, and needs to be reinforced by having privileges taken away when they fail to share. Some thoughts for you. Spend the time now to set the groundwork for expectations and your year will be much smoother. Good luck!

Tossed into some homemade soup or eaten w/ butter and cheese.

I was positive w/ #4 and therefore automatically treated w/ #5. I do think it depends on the doc. If you push the issue, he may relent. On a different note...make sure you know you're not allergic to the antibiotic before labor. Because I can tell you from experience that labor is no time to find out you're allergic to penicillin. :001_smile:

*Try having the older 2 take short turns playing with him: dress up, puzzles, things that he wouldn't be able to do by himself. *Does he get a good amount of exercise and fresh air? That's is so crucial, in my opinion. We spend 30-45 minutes every morning playing outside. I make my toddler run. And I mean RUN. He chases balls and the Frisbee, pulls his brother in the wagon, goes up and down the slide a million times, or just runs down the sidewalk while I follow. *Institute room time or crib time. Clean everything out of his room or crib, put up a gate that he can't climb over, and place just a couple of toys in with him: special things that he only gets during this time. I even splurged and bought a crib tent for my little climber. Now I just zip him in his crib with a few toys and he plays for about 45 minutes every morning. *High chair time. My little guy spends 20-30 minutes every morning doing puzzles or Color Wonder in his high chair. *The chair at the kitchen sink is a HUGE hit here! Some measuring cups and he's a happy camper! *And, honestly, a lot of discipline. Your older children will not suffer irreparable harm if you back off on their schooling for a week or two to really focus on his behavior and training. It will be worth it in the long run. *Does he nap? Even if he doesn't, he should have some quiet time in the afternoon. Put on some music or a book on CD. All in all, it will pass. It's a trying time, but eventually he will mature as long as you set boundaries and stick by them. You can do it...one day at a time!

Mine's up. Happy WW!!

Yippee!! Welcome BIG boy!

Since I just turned 34, I'm going with 'no'.

Surprise them with their favorite meal. Give chocolate milk instead of regular. Take them on a date for breakfast or lunch on a Saturday.

My children's only encounter with case has been through Latin for Children. You aren't "supposed" to know case before you get to it in chapter 3. Just chant it and memorize it and you'll learn what to do with it later. My oldest 2 (who are beginning LfC Primer C) understand case very well now. BTW, we have been using FLL for grammar.