Animalogic is a fun game for 6 yo. You could gift lessons or an experience. Science day camp? Dance or music lessons? A trip to historical re-enactment site?

Welcome! Some of my fav curricula are listed here and others in my sig. for you to check out. To find some articles look at the fb group Parents at The Helm. Best of luck! Connect the Thoughts First Language Lessons Writing with Ease Draw Write Now Excel Math Miquon Math Math Mammoth Nancy Larson Science Tops Science

My two eldest have very different interest levels in math. One needs the ongoing spiral but also needs intense instruction on each topic. For her MM and Excel are complimentary with neither leading. For my other dd using the program, she is speeding ahead of grade level. I use Excel just to be sure she is retaining everything or if we are flying too fast through MM.

Ideas that have helped at our house include: structure, consistent schedule, maintaining routines, excercise times throughout each day, schooling every day, schooling year round, consistent meal times, consistent bed times, adequate time for sleep, having a dog, no caffeine, limited sugar, kids write daily in journals, I maintain a hs progress journal so I can see we are moving forward.

We didn't use The Goops. We have used the others thus far.

Yes I use it and love it! PP is correct you don't need a teachers manual, at least for the younger grades. You need to provide brief instruction for the new skill then it is completely independent. We use it alongside MM. I'm not sure why it is so infrequently used. The only negative online review I found about it was that some folks didn't like that it is legal sized paper.

We live in an 1851 farmhouse. We have lived here a bit over a decade. We've put on a new roof, some electric, some structural reinforcement, door hardware repair/replacements, removed an add on porch, etc. It is definitely the money pit. We totally love it. Yes, we frequently question our sanity. There are few closets. You can only put pictures on some walls. No duct work to the second floor for heat or ac. Thankfully there was no plumbing in the house until the mid 1990s (long story). So the plumbing is in good condition. Think long and hard about doing this.

Never.

underwear with plastic pants? special privilege for being a big kid after one dry day and one dry week?

We split up the break. Two have a break with two doing work quietly at the table then the other two take their rest. It isn't a full Mom break. but it is better than running from room to room shushing them.

Try it out over the summer to see how it goes.

All 4 of mine do gymnastics. They would not like the tumbling or the coed as much as reg. boys class. Our gym has a trial you can pay per class. Can you do that first?

I just ordered HO and Connect the Thoughts.

Nope, I don't have any advice about balancing home and homeschooling.... Actually, they do have a set of chores they do during their independent work time (unload dish washer, put their clothes away, vacuum, fold washcloths and napkins, wash dog's water dish). Unfortunately this is not enough to keep the housework up.

http://www.pandiapress.com/?page_id=64 This one is pretty commonly recommended here and at other sites. I'm hopeful they will be complementary.

http://www.connectthethoughts.net/ No, I didn't have many people suggest this to me either. When I checked reviews there were several positive threads from here and other sites.

I'm just ordering Connect the Thoughts and HO. I have heard good reviews and am excited to get started.

I approach it the opposite way as PP. I start the oldest with independent work (journal, math, etc.) and start with the youngest first for one on one time. I do it that way because I can spend so much time with the oldest on her language arts, if I work with her first then I short change the others. I work from youngest to oldest. By lunch time everyone has had individual time for language arts, fine motor, and math. In the afternoon kids have rest time or sustained silent reading. The oldests then rotate through individual Science. I am just starting history and will rotate that in the afternoon time while the youngest two play similar to science.

I agree with Charleigh's approach. We use a mastery progra, MM, with a spiral, Excel. After Saxon 3 we will switch to Saxon.

Nancy Larson Science, TOPS Science, Connect the Thoughts

Johnson City TN has ETSU. I interviewed there about fifteen years ago. A beautiful area, pretty depressed economy.

Put out a variety of items to have make your own sandwhich or salad.

Salsa spanish, Math Mammoth, evan moor handwriting, Nancy Larson Science, TOPS science and others, 100 Easy lessons, How to Spell/How to Teach Spelling, WWE, Miquon Math, Go Phonics, All About Reading, Hooked on Phonics,

There are many reasons for being vegetarian (e.g., health, culture, taste, environmental politics, food safety concerns, animal welfare). Each different reason then relates to what a person chooses to eat (beyond meat). There are many ways to be vegetarian.