My children aren't in public school but I'm watching closely to see what the public schools do. I think what they do will impact our extracurricular activities and even co-ops.

I live in Broward County. The Palm Beach County Health Director called for virtual but won't put that in writing. In Broward County the superintendent of schools has recommended virtual. Things are still up in the air in both counties.

My 10 year old and my 12 year old play with them.

Thanks for all of the input!

Thanks! I'm thinking maybe we'll do gifts before we go and then just hang stockings on Christmas Eve wherever we are. Santa normally does one larger gift and then stockings. It would be difficult to deal with the larger gift on a trip but it might be fun to still hang stockings and have that to look forward to on Christmas morning.

We've always been home for Christmas but we're considering going on vacation and being gone December 25th this year. While DH has family within 5-20 minutes of us, they don't like to get together on Christmas Day so it always ends up just my little family of 5. I grew up either having extended family over or going to the homes of extended family so being alone feels kind of depressing (even though I have done my best over the years to make the best of it and develop our own traditions). So, if you've done this, how did it work? Was it enjoyable or did you wish you were home? Is there anything you would have done differently? How did you handle Santa (if that's something you do)? Did he visit your home before or after the trip or did he bring gifts to your vacation location?

It has been a good fit for both of my older children and I plan to use it for my youngest as well.

We do this, too. We have about 20 books because there are always at least a few nights in December that we just don't get to the reading. Also, I got tired of wrapping all of the books so I sewed simple fabric bags. Now to prepare, I put one book in each bag and tie on a ribbon. Mortimer's Manger and Mr. Willoughby's Christmas Tree are favorites at our house.

My parents are just north of the Cape. My dad is a Native Floridian and this is one of the first hurricanes he's ever prepared for. I live in south Florida and we're under Hurricane Warning as well. Schools are closed tomorrow and Friday and all of the kids church, dance and scouting activities have been cancelled through Friday. I went out earlier today and every gas station I passed either had an incredibly long line or was out of gas completely. My DH had to go to three different stores just to get water this morning. He said that gas stations even had lines at 5:45am.

Out of those choices, definitely a blizzard!

Our picture study is very informal. I show the children the picture and have them study it. I ask that they continue to look at it and study the details until they can see it in their minds with their eyes shut. Then we go around (starting with the youngest) and each person tells one thing about the painting. We continue until each person has had the chance to tell several things. That's it. Sometimes I may give a little information about the painting or ask a specific question or two , but always after they've had a chance to tell about the painting and what they saw first. The painting is then displayed on an easel for the week for all to enjoy.

Our house has a formal living room/dining room combo and then a separate family room. When we first moved in (before kids) this is how we used the spaces. However, after having kids we realized that the front room (formal area) was rarely used. We moved the TV into the formal living room (still keeping the formal dining room with formal dining room table and china cabinet) and turned the family room into a playroom (and eventually a school room). Last spring I decided I was tired of wasting space on a formal dining room that was rarely used. I bought a less formal china hutch, which I refinished, and a large square, less formal dining table. I LOVE the space now! We now have a large table for schooling and a large table for dinners, instead of the small kitchen table.

I would do AAR first and then do HWOT later. Actually the first half of AAR introduces the letters and the second half introduces the sounds so you could do the first half and then start HWOT. That way your child would know the letters when they're introduced in HWOT.

So, what do I need to purchase? I have to admit, I'm a bit confused! Is the Enrichment included in the K Curriculum Manual? If so, does the K Curriculum Manual also include lesson plans or do those need to be purchased separately? I won't be using the full curriculum so I won't be purchasing the entire package. I know I need to purchase the art set and craft book but am unsure of which manual(s)/lesson plans I need to purchase.

Thank you for suggesting the craft book! I hadn't really looked at it prior to your post. I think that would be perfect to satisfy my need for crafty projects!

My youngest is starting her Kindergarten year and while I love the idea of FIAR, I just don't know if I have the energy to plan and prep like I would want to for each FIAR book. (I could keep it simple but I know myself and know that I would want to add all sorts of activities and projects to the ideas given in the manual.) I've been drawn to MP lately and have chosen some of their curriculum components for my older children. I'm now considering their K enrichment for my little one. I like that it's planned out for me! I like that we would be reading good books and still doing some activities related to those books. So, do I give up on my picture perfect dream of FIAR where we do all sorts of Pinterest/blog worthy crafts, projects and activities and make amazing memories? I you have experience with MP K Enrichment, would you recommend it for a young 5 year old?

We've always done a 4 day school week. Last year we did add an extra math lesson each week (5 instead of 4) so we wouldn't have to continue with new math lessons into the summer.

Thanks for all of the input! I think I'm going to go ahead and order the MP studies and then supplement with some of the recommendations from this thread.

We're starting on August 1st. Public schools start August 22nd. I like to jump in and get started before all of our extra activities start!

Is the student book mainly comprehension questions? The sample only showed a few diagrams. Also, are there any hands on activities? I would be interested to know what other botany materials you'll be using. I've just switched gears for my 5th grader and 7th grader. I chose a curriculum but the more I looked at the more I felt like it wasn't a good fit. They both expressed interest in studying botany this year and now I feel like I'm scrambling!

I'm interested in using these studies next year. Has anyone used one or both? Would you recommend them? Thanks!

I purchase books I want to use as read alouds and place them all on a shelf. I then pull from that shelf. Sometimes I choose the read aloud and sometimes I let DC choose.

This is what I do, too.

I can commiserate! As a student, public school teacher, and homeschooler in the early years, I loved back to school time! For the past few years, I have dreaded it! While I once loved planning and prepping, I now find myself completely overwhelmed and lacking the motivation.

When will they be discontinuing the "A Simple Plan" homeschool planner? I was able to order one online when the 2016-2017 planner first came out. However, I noticed that they're now only available in stores. Is this the last year for the planner? I was really hoping to find a planner that I like and stick with it instead of searching for a new style of planner each year!