We year round as well...DS would forget everything in 3 months! Anyway, for my own records - attendance mostly, I "start" in the fall so if anyone needed to see my records it would make sense to them. However, it seems like around the first of the year we are moving up one level in a couple of subjects. It reminds me of the "what grade is he in?" followed by DS looking at me in response....sigh. :001_smile:

We use Math Mammoth and I wasn't thrilled about the Common Core alignment either BUT I read the author's explanation and all of my unwarranted hesitations disappeared! We switched from Saxon because the spiraling was too much for us. We aren't up to MM 6 but it's working very nicely for us!

Take a look at Phonetic Zoo from IEW...they have a placement test so you can get the perfect level.

There are 2 parts to PAL - Reading and Writing. If you are using AAR, skip PAL Reading, but if you need a writing program, I highly recommend PAL writing (if it doesn't work, 100% money back guarantee) for your 5yo. We had success with it.

If your interested in American history and lots of good books....Truthquest or Beautiful Feet.

I've been using IEW for 2 years starting with their primary (PAL) set to teach reading and writing. It sounds like your DC would be able to use level A materials and you could teach them together. This company offers so much support...forums, podcasts, webinars. Give them a call to if you need more details. I can't say enough about them!

This was me on Monday! The only thing that I can add is that I never changed out of my PJs!

I second IEW! Please check into it...painless and great writing program IMHO.

DS6 loves Mind Benders from Critical Thinking Co.

Math Mammoth...love it. Open and go, simple straight forward. Switched from Saxon which spiraled so much I got dizzy.

Would the next in the series do? I haven't done either, but thought it looked like an interesting way to learn science! If memory serves, I believe Beautiful Feet has a historical approach to science as well...check their website to see.

Check the table,of contents for the Notgrass American history published in 2014... That may fill in some gaps as well. Glad you started this thread! I need to brainstorm the same....

I'm using BP Ancients now without the Companion....just the family guide as a download to save money. I use it with Egermeier's story Bible as our spine and throw in SOTW for non-Biblical history. That along with a great library, Wondermaps (Bright Ideas Press Black Friday sale last year), and some free coloring pages every now and again is working great so far. Biblioplan family guide helped me map out everything chronologically and create a library book list. I also have the SOTW vol. 1 Activity guide but rarely use it. If you want to add more hands on activities, a web search usually does the trick. I skipped the companion because I knew I would rather use living books along with the Bible.

Beautiful Feet has American History with living books in a schedule all laid out. You could buy the guide and use the library to save money. Bright Ideas Press has All American History but it takes 2 years. You can use it with a variety of ages.

Check into Bible Study Guide for All Ages...they have an abundance of material that is strictly Biblically based. I use the Primary Level student sheets with the associated teacher's guide. Each student sheet is one lesson and you could skip the memorization (we do because we cover that elsewhere). It's my DS' favorite subject. Each lesson also has review built in to prior lessons. There are 4 units that once completed you've gone through the whole Bible. It's open and go as well. In terms of multi sensory...depending on the items you purchase, you could make it semi-multi sensory. We love using it! Their website has a lot of information so be sure to google it and see firsthand.

The teacher's manual is a skinny soft back that contains the answers to worksheets, lesson questions, quizzes, and tests. It also includes a CD-ROM with PDFs of worksheets, quizzes, and tests. I am currently using the Plants unit having just finished Our Universe (I gave my son the option of what order he wanted to learn things). We enjoy it but are only using the student book now, since DS is only 6. When we go back and repeat the texts when he is older to go through the "advanced" sections, I'll use the teacher's manual and PDFs. I believe Cathy Duffy reviewed this on her website which explains things as well.

Take a look at Math Mammoth...the author gives lots of free samples so you can get a good feel for it before you buy it.

We use Mystery of History and the Bible (sometimes Egermeier's and regular ESV) along with SOTW for ancient history. I use the Biblioplan family guide to line up the lessons chronologically so we build our ancient history timeline that way...with a lot of pre planning from me. I wanted it to be a fluid chronological stream so I laid out the entire year before hand and it's working wonderfully. However, my son is in first so when we come back around to ancient history again, I'll drop SOTW and just use Mystery of History with Biblioplan. We use Bible Study Guide for All Ages as our separate Bible lessons because it is not chronological. They go back and forth between the OT and NT which I was not crazy about at first, but my son retains SO much with their student pages...it is his favorite subject. They have lessons for all ages and I highly recommend the program. Sorry if I have repeated anyone else's info...I didn't read all of the replies.

I got a desktop-sized skeleton from Amazon for about $10-15 earlier this year for my then 5 year old and he still loves it. I went with not expensive because he is so rough with things and I knew it would get broken, but I fixed it easily. It's a good start and then maybe down the road you could get something larger if your son's interest grows...just a thought. I've never heard of Guest Hollow, but I'm going to check it out! I was in the same boat with anatomy and found what was available was over his head.

I use Institute for Excellence in Writing programs....writing and grammar. However it is big investment for 1 year unless you plan to use it after 9th grade or it is something you could continue through the summers as well. May be worth checking out though.

Just off the top of my head without knowing age or current history studies.... Pilgrim's Progress The Golden Goblet GA Henty books Kitchen timer going off....must go! You'll have too many to choose from soon!

When I started homeschooling, I was overwhelmed with information...so we all feel what you are! Just a couple of things to check out. Go to Cathy Duffy reviews website and read some thorough reviews on curriculum. If you want to dig deeper, buy her latest book, 102 Top Picks where she outlines learning styles and helps you get things straight in your mind. Just a couple of curriculum ideas for you...Math Mammoth - she gives tons of free samples and a lot of support. For language arts, research Institute For Excellence in Writing...www.iew dot com. They also offer a ton of support and a money back guarantee when you buy from them. Getting great deals on new curriculum, go to rainbow resource and for used, go to homeschoolclassifieds dot com.

Search for Biblioplan website and then navigate to level 1 book lists....there are some great ones there!

Institute for Excellence in Writing, Studen Intensive Level B....it's DVD based and fantastic with loads of support from the company itself. Www.iew dot com

I had the same problem of falling asleep while while reading Don Quixote...so my new favorite version is Audible! I've finished it as well as Animal Farm, and I am well into Tale of Two Cities. This is working so well for me because I can do chores and "read" at the same time. Like me, I'm sure you are busy. No, it is not as good as reading with all my attention but it is better than nothing! :)