The paper sloyd is only available today -- Wednesday. I downloaded it and already tried the first simple envelope with my daughter. It teaches measuring as well as working carefully and precisely. Quaint, but I think it's great! Thanks! Suzanne.

What has worked for us is just simply reading the Bible and discussing what it means. My daughter is almost 6, and we have been doing it since she was 4-1/2. I started by just reading through the books of the Bible that contain the more familiar stories. I just recently found the the following lists and have started using them. They seem to be pretty inclusive of all the major stories in the Bible. Since my daughter is reading now, I have her follow along in the Bible as I read. She asks questions as we go, and I explain what I can. It's amazing how much she retains and how much she looks forward to reading the Bible every day. http://www.pennygardner.com/newtest.html http://www.pennygardner.com/oldtest.html We are reading the New King James Version now, but I plan on switching to the KJV in the fall when we start our school schedule. Take care, Suzanne.

Hi! I live about 20 miles away from State College -- used to work there every day. If you have any questions, feel free to ask or send me a PM. I haven't gotten too deeply into the PA regulations yet because my daughter is 6 and the compulsory age in PA is 8, so we have a couple of years before we have to do anything. I don't know what the rule is on transfers from out of state, though. Take care. Suzanne.

Hi Mary Ellen. I just went through all the research this year, too. I actually decided on Ambleside. When I compared the reading lists and looked through Ambleside's 12-year plan, I just couldn't find anything I liked better. I was quite skeptical at first because it is free, but after I read through a number of the selections online, I just fell in love with it. I am thinking it will actually be fairly easy to implement. Ambleside has a great Yahoo support group, and they also have a syllabus with the readings broken into a weekly schedule. Their recommendation is to start slowly with just the basics and then add to it as you feel comfortable. In my opinion, CM is more about a lifestyle of learning, not just "doing school." My daughter is 6 this year. We will be adding Singapore Math and Rod & Staff reading (which Ambleside does direct you to add your own programs for these subjects). Good luck in making your decision. I hope you have a great experience, whatever you decide. Suzanne.

Hi. I don't really have any advice, but at least I can let you know you're not alone. I work at home full time as a medical transcriptionist. My hours are basically Sunday-Thursday 6pm-2am. (I'm taking a little break right now;)). We have been going CM style, and I am going to be starting AO year 1 with my daughter this fall. I am thinking that the "bookwork" part of the school should take only about an hour and a half in the morning (probably starting around 10 or so) and the rest of the CM program will take place in the afternoon and evening as we are living it out now. It worked for kindergarten last year, so that's my current plan. One thing that makes it easier for me is that my husband is at home all the time right now as well, so he has time to do things with her in the evenings when I am working. Also, we just have 1 child right now. I hope it works out for you. Take care. Suzanne

I wish I had known about the Rod and Staff preschool books when my daughter was 3. When she was about 4-1/2, she did the worksheet booklets for grade 1 and just loved them. She would often go through 2 or 3 a day while I was working. (I work at home, so she was "working" at the same time, too.) There is a lot of cut-and-paste and not a lot of reading to get started with. Take care. Suzanne

Hi. I am a music teacher/pianist. With her level of interest and talent, I definitely think it would benefit your daughter to take some formal lessons. I would be very careful to find a flexible teacher who can teach the "traditional way" and at the same time encourage her creativity and playing-by-ear skills. I would talk to several teachers in your area, tell them the same thing you posted on the forum, and just see what kind of replies you get. I think you will probably know it when you are talking to the right person for your daughter. You may want to ask them if they have any students similar to your daughter. It might also help if you can listen to the teacher play somewhere. Good luck! Great to hear about your daughter's interest! Suzanne.

Hi Donna. I just joined! Looking forward to see where your group goes. Take care. Suzanne

Hi! I thought your post was very interesting, because I had been looking for the very same thing. I was afraid of my daughter being overcome with workbooks and busywork. I wanted her to be able to find the truth of the Bible and how it relates to the world for herself, not just rehash someone else's thoughts. I think I found what I was looking for in the Charlotte Mason method and Ambleside Online (AO). AO is not just a booklist; you have to study Charlotte Mason's philosophies to implement it correctly. It is a full, rich curriculum based on the Bible and great literature (not to mention challenging). It includes the full span of life -- things we continue to study as adults -- foreign language, music, art, nature, etc. I believe the method inspires children to learn and think and create for themselves. Just my opinion, for what it's worth. This is only my 2nd year of hs coming up, and I know there is a lot out there that I haven't looked into yet. I am really interested to see what kind of input some of the more experienced parents might have for you. Take care, and I hope you find what you're looking for. Suzanne.

Have you ever looked into ambleside online? Suzanne