I read WRTR cover to cover a couple times, checked out from my library, before buying SWR. I am using it with my 5yo ds. He is learning to read, and struggling with handwriting. I've tweaked it a bit (don't tell Wanda LOL) to allow ds to continue learning the phonograms and spelling words w/o so much handwriting. I plan on covering through list I with my modifications, and then starting over from the beginning as it's intended, and with the grammer excercises. You could just learn the phonograms and spelling rules and the Ayers list and be fine, but SWR has enough good stuff to make it worth the extra $$$ imho. The word list is a bit different in SWR. She updated it, and rearranged it some in order to make it easy to add in grammer.

In our area, there are several ps principals and teachers who HS. I think, here, it has a whole lot to do with the overcrowding and general quality of the schools, not to mention the extreme liberal politics taught....as young as kindergarten. A LARGE portion of the Christian parents that I have met here HS or private school.

I would keep history on a four yr cycle, just tailor the readings/writing to her ability and interest.

HUGS!!!!! and I will pray for your dd! My SIL was a wayward military kid....her story is probably way too close... She has turned her life back around! There is hope! Keep praying!

Les Miserable, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamCoat, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King Musicals just aren't the same on video! ...and be careful about previewing first b/c some seemingly fine musicals contain some stuff many parents wouldn't want in their home;) I am :lol::lol::lol: over Top Gun!!! Your dh would get along well with mine:lol:

If your dd has developed an aversion to ETC and reading, drop it for a short time. Do some reading on different approaches, and jump back in with a new perspective. Either the time will allow her to mature or the new approach will click.....or maybe a combo of the two factors will help. My ds is 5yo too. He would balk at forced reading! We do SWR - Spelling to Write and Read, and we just focus on learning the phonograms and spelling words. He does very short lessons daily (10-20min), and when we are done we are done. I don't ever ask him to read anything, but he does read when he wants to - simple words. I have noticed he doesn't pay much attention to the final consonant in a 3letter word unless he has to, .....if something begins with a P and there is a pig on the page he will say "pig"....not really reading it kwim. I think that's part of the normal process.

The only thing I can add to other posters is to leave room for reading books of ds's choice. I have atleast 20-30 per day of kids' choice reading aloud, and that is their favorite time of day. Ds typically chooses a highly scientific (for a 5yo) book on an animal, and devours it. For my dd, planning the same book would be a bore, but she tolerates it b/c she gets to pick a book too..... Of course, that means I prune the *twaddle* from my shelves;)

Mason jars.

I have a BSE Music Ed, and my instrument is voice. My best advice is to get her PIANO lessons! Encourage the singing and look for opportunities in your area to sing, by all means. However, if she is going to study voice seriously at an older age she needs a solid foundation in piano study (even if she doesn't LOVE it, but if she LOVES singing....I imagine piano will atleast be liked...). She needs to develop her ears and piano lessons, specifically singing what she plays will help (violin would be great too, but if $ is an issue.....). Honestly, I'm leary of voice lessons at 7yo. I hesistate to take a voice student younger that 14-15yo b/c the voice is a muscle that's still growing. It's too easy for a young child to be pushed into damaging her instrument....and once it's gone you can't buy another. Besides, vocal technique is just a highly complex idea for a child. Piano, violin, chilren's choirs, etc.... are all better options for her age imho. Check the colleges in your area!!!!!!!!!! I know when I was in college there were tons of opportunities for "free lessons";)

I have two books that I returned that show as still out:confused: It irks me b/c one I gave TO the librarian!:001_huh: We don't have the $ to just pay for books we didn't lose! .....there must be a library book monster:glare:

Rice is a decent first food afa allergies go, but make your own BROWN rice. White rice is basically empty carbs:confused:, and the baby cereal is empty carbs with iron added (YUCK). Boil brown rice until it is very soft and mushy, and viola! It's your homemade baby food LOL!:tongue_smilie: Mine liked banana, sw. potatoe, avacado......I like feeding things that I can just spoon out as is (or as cooked);) - I'm just lazy!

I plan on using AO starting in 1st grade.....which we will start sometime between Spring and Fall 2009....so I have some time to ponder:lol: I like the idea of starting with ancient history, and that's my only real hang up with using it as written, but part of me wants to just use it as is anyway. I am :bigear: on this thread:D

I didn't read all of the replies so forgive me if I repeat. I have a picky eater, and we found out at 3yo that he has life-threatening allergies to nuts (and mild allergies to several other foods). That explained a WHOLE LOT of his issues. A dc who can't communicate can't tell you if his mouth literally burns/itches/swells from a food - he just turns his head and refuses kwim. Same kid (ornery thing)....we found foods we KNOW he is NOT allergic to, and we stick to our guns about eating them. If he refuses for dinner, we have wrapped his plate and put in the fridge to serve for breakfast the next morning. He missed a playdate with his friend b/c he sat at the breakfast table until 11am until he finished last night's dinner. fwiw - If my picky eater knows he can hold out for cereal or pancakes in the morning, he will.:glare: So, rule out any good reasons that he might be refusing the food, and then be firm. It does help to serve a rotation of the same (healthy) foods every week - for lunch at least. Chicken nuggets and waffles.....my ds would be in heaven:lol:

Free is my price range these days LOL!:tongue_smilie: I think I actually got the idea from you in a previous thread.....? Didn't you give some links to something similar? ...or, you could just label the pockets Mon, Tues, and label the folders with the child's name. This way you have one organizer for all your dc. Nope. It's just fabric. It's heavy upholstry fabric, and I nailed it to the wall pretty good - down the sides and at the bottom too. It feels sturdy, and ds easily used it today:)

I put in any paperwork for ds to complete that day (this week it's Kumon wb pages and handwriting practice). I think I'll add a daily checklist for readings and chores, etc.

Ds better like it LOL! It has 5 pockets for file folders - one for each day of the school week, and an extra pocket for pencils/crayons/etc. I made it from an old couch slip cover that had passed it's prime:tongue_smilie: , so it was virtually free:hurray: (Never mind the stacked dishes and smudges on the wall:blush:, but my dc live here as well...:lol:)

I am just starting in Spelling to Write and Read so I teach spelling and the reading comes as he learns to spell.

I try to keep it to one dishwasher load of dishes per day. I use small saucers for lunch plates b/c I can fit a ton in the dishwasher (and my dc are still little enough). We do one cup per kid per day. If we get to max capacity of our dishwasher, I have no shame in breaking out a paper towel (I don't even buy paper plates LOL) or a dixie cup for a snack. I CD my babies so that makes up for it:tongue_smilie: fwiw.....this laptop I'm on has to leave a bigger footprint than paper plates!

I am just beginning HSing, but I aim for 2hrs per day. I generally have 4 30min chunks of time - Bible in the am, Poems and "Mom's choice" before bed, and a couple sessions of kids' choice in between. I'm not doing any formal history or science, but ds chooses atleast one book on an animal every day. When he starts first we'll make one session history reading. Some days we read more, some days we read less.

Holly, in all respect, your home is obviously filled with music. Your dc have a rare advantage in this area. :001_smile: I played violin for 2yrs as a young child, but we had to drop my lessons (boohoo), and I've always been a wee bit envious of any talented string musician! Most American kids don't have that advantage! I believe that most every child can learn to read music as easily as they learn to read English. There is a developmental progression that goes hand-in-hand with literature and history....just like English. Most kids don't even get the "phonemic awareness" level of music ed, but then are expected to jump to playing an instrument or study of broad concepts....like the scope of music history. I am referring to a general music ed curriculum, and more specifically for elementary level and below. I recognize that the kids that DO have a foundation of theory recieve that in a private instrument lesson. My problem with this: playing an instrument is a complex procedure. If we can isolate the skills needed, then the child has a better chance of sticking with it and ENJOYING the lesson. Building those skills doesn't have to be drudgery....my 3yo can sing nursery tunes in solfegge...she isn't anything special (as far as that goes:tongue_smilie:)....she has just heard them sung with solfegge forever. When it's her time to start at the piano she will easily translate those solfegge tunes into her music reading. That block is already built and she can move to the next step. Music theory and ear training are never completely isolated from an instrument. Learning to sing a P4 in isolation is very helpful for many reasons.....sight reading is one, "playing by ear" is yet another. I also think that the voice should be the first and foremost instrument taught.....but then again I'm probably biased:tongue_smilie: String players do have the upper hand in ear training. It's possible that you and your children haven't had the same stuggles in this b/c they have heard you play forever. Speaking English is second nature when you hear it everyday from birth - kwim. Music is often viewed as some mystical ability that some people just have and others don't. My hypothesis is that a person's ability is based upon their exposure to music as a child. If they are never exposed to theory and ear training, then they probably won't ever develop a serious interest in music. I like to listen to my MIL speak in Korean: it's rhythmic and complex sounding to me.....I would appreciate it much more if I actually inderstood what she was saying LOL! Music is the universal language, and a full appreciation of any language requires a bit of "phonics and grammer." again....my disclaimer is that I'm an opionated musician:lol:....I recognize that not everyone agrees with me and I'm OK with that!:lol::lol::lol:

Gradus ad Parnassum was actually written by JJ Fux. I used Bach's name b/c he is a classic example of music writing LOL. Debussy is a classic example of the impressionistic movement, which is a movement away from the standard conventions of music (according to the men of his time). I don't really want to debate the influence of Bach and Debussy in Western music or prove how much I know....you can come score my old analysis projects from college if you really want LOL:tongue_smilie::lol: The point I want to make is that there is a lack of theory and ear training in the music curricula I have seen....if I'm missing something, by all means give a linky:bigear: Kids need to learn how to read and write music in order to have a complete education in music. I truly don't mean that to be a devisive statement!!!:D

:lol::lol::lol:

Bach invented a system, perfected it. His music is more than putting together notes that sound good. It's precise and methodical. Debussy breaks the mold. Without that rigid system, there would be no mold to break.

You know, this is where I have to strongly disagree. There are some things in life that we do because we personally are passionate about them, or because WE choose to teach this to our children. To imply that EVERYONE needs to "know the language" is stretching. I can enjoy life quite fine without knowing the language just as I can enjoy food without being a gourmet cook. I happen to love paper crafts -- scrapbooking and making cards, stamping and such. Just because I happen to love something doesn't mean everyone else should learn to do it and appreciate it. I am very careful about deciding what others SHOULD understand and be able to do. I prefer to allow individual strengths and passions prevail in some things. We all have our own interests and abilities, and that's fine. A person can get through life just fine without any musical training at all. I am not deciding for anyone that they SHOULD study music theory - that's a personal choice. What I am saying is that studying the lives of composers and just listening to their music doesn't provide a complete picture. One cannot fully appreciate Bach's genious without understanding counterpoint. PERIOD. One cannot understand Debussy's genious without understanding Bach. We listen and enjoy their works, but what's the difference really between them and my 2yo's random "works of art" at the piano??? There are many things I don't know. I can teach my children to recognize a famous painting, but I don't have the ability to teach the concepts/techniques that the artist pioneered - kwim. I can recognize that there is more to the painting than what my eyes can see.....I just haven't taken the time to study that art form. So, I will rely heavily on books/curricula from the "experts" in that area. Honestly, if my dc aren't interested in studying painting indepth - so be it, but I will give them a glimpse into the nuts and bolts of painting regardless. I think sometimes parents are decieved into thinking that they are providing their children with the best in music .....when their children can't even read and understand the most basic concepts. It truly is like being read to about Shakespeare and listening to his works...enjoying them....but NEVER learning phonics,grammer, etc. Without understanding of the English language, the aesthetic experience fades with time and the child has no tools with which to take his interest further, let alone pour out his own creative thoughts. Music is the same in many ways (although I do put higher priority on learning English LOL). The basic nuts and bolts of theory and ear training are best taught young and gently, much the way many parents teach reading. Some dc will take off with a good solid foundation, some will find other interests and that is fine. Personally, I have seen FAR too many kids avoid all things music simply b/c it's a foreign language to them. I have also seen many talented musicians who are unbelievably skilled on their instrument, yet flunk out of college theory and ear training 101 (and are now bar singers.....:001_huh:.....with a natural talent that just blows me away). It's much more difficult to learn as an adult, and it's a shame to throw away an opportunity before it has time to take root. It's a CRYING shame for parents to work at giving that foundation, only to be decieved into thinking that what they are doing will prepare their kids for a *possible* future interest/vocation (or just the ability to truly *listen*)....when all the time it simply won't. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my posts, and I certainly don't presume that every family needs to love music the way we do. However, for the parents who want to give a music ed but don't know how....this is my big fat opinion......of which musicians are infamous!:lol:

I am writing it as I do it with my own dc:tongue_smilie:......so in about 12 years.....:confused: I agree with both incoporating music aprec. into your history and global study AND studying the classical Western music progression (classical referring to the general study through all time periods). Music from other cultures isn't a part of that b/c it doesn't follow the Western conventions of music....a concept not really understood w/o a basic understanding of music theory....(SOAP BOX SMILEY:lol:).