I do all of our scheduling in Excel. I have a schedule for each child that I make up the Friday before each week. I've been doing this since my oldest was in K4 and it works well for us. :-) I'll try to attach a copy of a recent schedule for you to see. ------------------------------------------- Edited to add: Oops! Just saw your last post. Guess you didn't need this.

Yeah. We believe in preparing our sons to be able to be the heads of single income families someday, but when we read Preparing Sons to Provide for a Single-Income Family by Steven Maxwell ... let's just say we don't think about it the same way they do. It's been awhile, but I don't even know if I made it through the book all the way. He was very adamant about children not playing sports. :confused::confused::confused:

:iagree: This is one of the best science related books out there! It is a MUST read! :D You might take a look at the NOEO chemistry lists for ideas, too. http://www.noeoscience.com/chemI.html http://www.noeoscience.com/chemII.html http://www.noeoscience.com/chemIII.html :-)

:iagree: with the above posters. I homeschool because the public school in my particular district is terrible and the good private schools cost too much. If homeschooling became illegal, I would move into one of the fantastic public school districts (of which there are several in the counties surrounding us) or try to get our kids into the awesome private school near us on scholarship. Either way, I'd probably 'afterschool' to some extent.

My ds 7 is in 2nd grade and loves his Sonlight Science 2: Geology, Biology, and Mechanical Technology. It is a literature-based program that involves readings, question & answer, and experiments. HTH!

For FLL, you'll need both the instructor text and the student pages.

:iagree: I would definitely start the writing right away. If you are concerned about his grammar at this point, by all means go ahead and get FLL 3 now. If you're happy with what you're using currently and want to wait until the fall to switch, that would be fine, too. :-) You can "see inside" the instructor text for FLL 3 here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21455340/First-Language-Lessons-Level-3-Instructor-Text HTH!

Take them to Half Price books. They'll do all the figuring for you. :-)

I think the term is "with child", too. I thought this was such an interesting question, I had to do a little research. :) For Sharpe & Dificult Trauel in Women with Child Take a Lock of Vergins haire on any Part of ye head, of half the Age of ye Woman in trauill. Cut it very smale to fine Pouder then take 12 Ants Eggs dried in an ouen after ye bread is drawne or other wise make them dry & make them to pouder with the haire, giue this with a quarter of a pint of Red Cows milk or for want of it giue it in strong ale wort. Anyone want to try this cure? :lol:

Is it wrong that I thought this, too? :lol:

WWE! I had a reluctant 7 yo writer this year, too, and he is doing very well with WWE 2. We are using the workbook. It only takes 5-10 minutes a day depending on the lesson. I would not ease up or let it go entirely. I have found the opposite to be true -- the more writing I required, the easier it became for him. Edited to add: This ds also reads above grade level. He just finished, on his own and by his choice, Number the Stars and Johnny Tremain. I wouldn't let reading level influence your decision on writing program too much. But, I will add that he's gotten wonderful suggestions for books to read from WWE2. They pick awesome books to narrate! :-)

It will get better! My boys (4th and 2nd) had a difficult time at first, too, adjusting to the increased difficulty of SOTW IV. But, we are now in week 19 of our school year and on chapter 27, and I can honestly say that both of them can answer most questions from the A.G. for each chapter. I read the chapter aloud for both boys as they sit next to me on the couch, or we take turns reading alternating paragraphs. Then, we head to the school room. I ask them the review questions, we complete the outline (or write from the outline depending on the week), and do the map work. HTH!

I have enjoyed many of the books recommended on Mental Multivitamin. http://mentalmultivitamin.blogspot.com/search/label/On%20the%20nightstand

This was my experience as well. My mom was a national negotiator for the AFL-CIO. She traveled often for extended periods of time. My step-dad worked 60 hours a week. He was rock steady, but emotionally void. (He married my mom when I was 5, but I think the first time we hugged was on my wedding day.) My bio-dad lived 2000 miles away and was a serious alcoholic ... DTs bad alcoholic. I love my parents. But, I would never make the choices they made. It why I chose to be a SAHM and homeschooler. I echo the PP who stated the vast majority of families are NOT child focused. We could do with more families that put their children's needs ahead of the desires of the parents ... at least until the children are out of the house.

I now have a 4th and 2nd grader, but this was their first grade schedule: A.M. (all daily subjects) Bible Spelling Grammar & Writing Math Fun Literature Reading -lunch- P.M. History (2-3 days per week, depending on chapter) Science (2 days per week) History Reading (daily) HTH!

Ahhh! Thanks.

According to the latest price sheet, DE will be $170 in February. Unless there is a sale going on next month? I bought the current bonus bundle for year one two weeks ago after seeing this post on their forums.

History with a Great Books Certificate and a minor in horticulture. :)

I had some of these same questions. I'm so glad that you posted. :-)

I thought parts of it were really interesting and valid, like: Other parts, such as: convinced me that the person who wrote it is a boomer who entirely misunderstands his own and my generation! Frankly, I look at the boomer generation as entirely materialistic (think hippies morph into yuppies) and obsessed with superficial fixes and outcomes. I look at my own generation as rejecting the failed theories of boomer generation and wanting more for my own family.

Yes to the first question. If I had a daughter, I would absolutely encourage her to get her degree and wait to get married until after college. This is the advice we've given to our sons, repeatedly, already. I don't think it's about "using" her degree, necessarily, but about being an educated person.

Done by lunch? Only my K4-er. He's done by 10:30 . :-) My second grader's schedule: Silent History Reading -- 9:00-9:30 Bible -- 9:30-9:45 Science -- 9:45-10:15 Penmanship -- 10:15-10:30 Spelling -- 10:30-10:45 Math -- 10:45-11:45 Just over 1 hour break for lunch History -- 1:00-2:00 Memorization -- 2:00-2:05 Grammar -- 2:05-2:15 Writing -- 2:15-2:30 Silent Literature Reading -- 2:30-3:15 My 4th grader's schedule: Silent History Reading -- 8:30-9:00 Bible -- 9:30-10:00 Spelling -- 10:00-10:15 Math -- 10:15-11:15 Latin -- 11:15-11:45 Just over 1 hour break for lunch History -- 1:00-2:00 Science -- 2:00-2:30 Grammar -- 2:30-2:45 Writing -- 2:45-3:00 Silent Literature Reading --3:00-4:00

The Philadelphia Story Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Harvey My Man Godfrey Sabrina The Thin Man Cheaper By the Dozen His Girl Friday

I really love Sonlight Science 4. The books, q&a, and experiments have been interesting and challenging for my son this year. This is his favorite year of science so far, by far.

"Outsourcing" is one of the secrets of success for high school at home. Tutors, online services, and correspondence courses all preserve the strengths of home schooling -- flexibility, one-on-one attention, expertise above and beyond that permitted by a normal high-school curriculum -- while eliminating its one weakness -- parental ignorance of the subject at hand. ~ Chapter 43 in The Well-Trained Mind . :) I think that its perfectly acceptable for parents to realize their limitations and outsource classes to online tutorials, computer programs, correspondence classes, etc. And, I don't get the idea that students are unable to teach themselves anything. Take Nathaniel Bowditch who beginning at 14 taught himself algebra, calculus, Latin and French, for example.