My DH and I are always surprised at how fast packages get to us here in Middle GA. It's certainly not the same feat as making it all the way into S FL, but we're usually pleasantly surprised by the USPS.

I have a Britax Frontier for DS4 that can hold him in a 5-point until he's 85 lbs. but if that's too long, it converts into a belt-positioning booster, and then into a regular backless booster with a weight limit if 120 lbs (crazy).

DS was just over 2 when we turned him around. We did so because he had outgrown the rear-facing weight limit of the car seat, which was 30lbs (and is one of the lightest weight limits for a convertible car seat). When DD got too big for the infant bucket seat and needed the convertible seat (RFing), we bought DS a seat that will keep him in a 5-point harness until he's way old. DD is still RFing at 22 months and will remain so until she reaches the 30 lb weight limit (she's 27 lbs now) or until the baby is born (due in Jan). We want to fit 3 car seats in one row in our mid-sized SUV, so I doubt we can manage two RFing car seats at one time. But if we CAN, I'll reconsider DD's turning.

A friend of mine has a son with a late-June birthday who is new 5 year old that started K at a private school a week ago. He tested into 1st grade reading and math, which is very exciting... But now this young 5 year old is going to be in a 1st grade class with 6-7 year olds - and some will be 7 already because of this redshirt phenomenon. I don't have any alternative ideas for the boy (besides homeschooling!), but it just baffles me to think he's going to be in classes with kids 2 years older than him.

I don't know any about insurance... I don't know why Company A would ever report anything to Company B. I agree with the PP. you can get in big trouble if you don't tell, regardless of their own intel.

My last year of elementary, in 5th grade, we rotated through 3 teachers to help prep us for middle school. The teachers stayed in their own rooms while the kids switched. There was another program at our school where they DID switch teachers at 2nd grade. The group I was in was called 'traditional', I don't remember what the other group was called. It wasn't a special needs or gifted program... I had friends from church in those classes, but the kids never mixed at school except for music productions done by grade level.

Hey! I just found this website when looking for Peter Rabbit activities. It's got 6 lessons with many activities in each in the Teacher Resources and lots of coloring pages. There's also a few computer games, but I haven't looked at those. I plan on borrowing a Peter Rabbit treasury from the library, so with these activities, we can do a simple unit study for just the cost of simple materials, most of which we already have. http://www.peterrabbit.com/en/fun_and_games

Thanks for the wordless book list! We've read (looked at?) Chalk and loved it, but I never came across any others and never thought to seek them out.

DH and I are both introverts, so we aren't put of the house often in the evenings... which mean we're usually home together. Kids are young, so they're in bed about 8pm... We usually watch a show on Netflix or a movie on the weekends. But we don't make a big deal about it. We both look forward to when the grandparents come so we CAN go out. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to afford a babysitter AND dinner. We usually just end up getting coffee and dessert anyway.

Great idea with the dice! Playing cards might work too. And I think they make 12-sided dice, don't they? That would work well for factors up to 12.

Less is more. You do NOT want him to be frustrated now and burn out in two years. I would take a break from coloring/writing for a few months. Definitely offer other fine motor skill activities, but I think that if he resists those, wait a bit with those also. If you want to pursue workbooks and such that require writing answers, you can always write it down for him while he answers it orally or points to the correct number or something like that. I might also keep crayons, markers, and blank paper available for him to use as he pleases, but with no "goal" in mind. It seems to me that you already know what is best for him at this stage. It is sad that you have to "unschool" already, but he IS young and has plenty of time to work on letter formation later. Remember, this is going to be quite a transition for both of you now that he's home. I don't know how long y'all have been home together already, but you might want to concentrate on playing and reading together for a few weeks if you haven't already. Good luck!

Seconding the Rod and Staff workbooks! My new 4 year old is just finishing up the About Three series (for 3-4 year olds), and he'll be starting the ABC series* (for 4-5 year olds) when they come in the mail later this week! http://www.milestonebooks.com/ I also started doing Math Mammoth's kindergarten games like domino matching when he was about 3.5. http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/kindergarten.php *minus the B(ible) and the C(ounting). We're doing our own Bible reading and he's been doing Singapore Math Essentials K.

Ah! Thanks for the clarification. I have no leads... Have you asked a librarian?

DS4 doesn't write his name yet, though he readily recognizes it. It's just not something I've made him work on. I just ordered Rod and Staff's ABC series (for 4-5 year olds), and IIRC, book D starts having a space for the child to write their name.

Sonlight and Before Five in a Row/Five in a Row have good books on their lists, which are all available on their websites. There are standards for picture books??

Great thread! Saving this for later. Thanks!

dp

Congratulations!! Good to hear you and baby are going to be back together after a relatively short time.

I was looking through the Sonlight Preschool book list to get some ideas for something new to read. I searched for the book of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. There's a couple of print editions available... but it's free on Kindle! I have an iPod Touch that I sometimes read books on for myself. Do any of you read eBooks to your young (oldest dc is 4) as you would a story book? Would the iPod be too small (as opposed to an iPad or Kindle) or does it even matter? Perhaps I'm over thinking this... ;)

I think the wound is too fresh for both of you to talk about future options, regardless of finances. Perhaps tell him to lay off the talk until later. Or just nod along that you hear him but without furthering the discussion.

Charlotte's Web?

I don't know of any 3-4 year old specific art programs. That said, I guess what you would do depends on your goals. If you want your DD to be exposed to and learn different artistic mediums, your method sounds great. :) For me, my art goals aren't as clearly defined. I'd just like DS (and DD) to enjoy the textural differences and improve fine motor skills. So, we'll sometimes do stuff that's inspired by a book we've read or an upcoming holiday. But mostly I just keep basics stocked like crayons, markers, water colors, construction paper, scissors, glue... DS got modeling clay as a birthday gift, so we've used that a couple times too. I'm looking at Artistic Pursuits for when they're older. ETA: We also have tempura (finger) paints.

We're doing a K4 year too. Our whole "school time" takes up 1.5-2 hours. In that time, we do calendar/weather, 1-2 learning songs, read alouds (2-3 picture books), and seat work which is Singapoe Math Essentials K, Rod and Staff prek workbook pages, and 10-15 minutes of Phonics Pathways. I let him set the pace for the workbooks. Sometimes we'll do something crafty, but that's extra besides the 1.5-2 hours.

I just realized this method is very much like method in the Getting Things Done book. Your yearly plan is similar to, say, the Calls list. You just work down the list during the time allotted.

Dear Facebook Friends, Please wait at least 12 hours before announcing the death of a loved one on Facebook. In the last few months, I have found out about the death of my aunt and DH's grandfather THROUGH Facebook, at no falt of the next of kin. Good thing DH doesn't check Facebook at work. :/ Signed, Have a Little Respect