I would wash the urine one and dusting one in a different load than the nice towels.

My ODS was the one which reading was more difficult, but level 4 wasn't out by the time he was ready for it. Then he grew with confidence and was reading everything. I'm definitely going to look at the samples and check it out in person at my conference to see if it'll be beneficial to him.

Thank you, this was helpful. I'm going to have them read through the words and see how they do. I do think that the other skills you mentioned would be beneficial for them. I did talk to DH about it and he said he thought it could be beneficial for the boys to start up again. And ODS also said since he enjoyed AAR he would like to as well. I'm thinking it could be helpful with spelling too since he struggles with that (he REALLY didn't like AAS so never really learned the rules with spelling). I appreciate your advice!

I've used AAR 1-2 and half of 3 with my two oldest. For the past year and half we haven't done anymore since they soared with reading. An example...my 7 yo is reading the lord of the rings triology right now for fun. My 9 yo reads a lot, but not necessarily to the same level as yds. But he also has a love of reading and reads a lot throughout the day. I go back and forth on whether to continue in with AAR 4 since I feel like it could cover skills they may not have and I'm assuming they have because of their love of reading. I have at least two more after them that would use it too later on so the cost isn't a big factor for me.

thanka for the link! That helps. We are going to grab the upper level ones for next year I think.

Has anyone used this? Pros and cons? Can I do two books in one year?

I agree with pp who said its not easy busy work. It takes thinking and application. My DS is working through grade 4 R&S and although he is a natural speller and does well on the tests, he does get tripped up by some of the exercises and needs help with the more difficult ones. I typically have him spend a day per section (A, B,C) and if there's something he doesn't quite get to circle the problem, but still try it. On Friday I correct it and then we go over the incorrect ones together, then the test.

Since you've almost done all 4 books would you recommend beginning in OT1 or could we do the NT1 first? My ODS is doing an OT class right now and I'm not sure if he'd want to do it all over again right away with us.

Has anyone used it? Does it cover the culture and history of the time like it says?

I haven't the seen the Hands of a Child books go on sale recently, but then again, I haven't been diligent about looking. I'm looking at the Hands of a Child Gardening lapbook

Does these ever go on sale? I'm looking at a lapbook I want to use in the next few weeks and I'm wondering if I should hold back on buying now and watch for a sale.

Id suggest looking into Phonetic Zoo from IEW. It does recommend using AAS 1-3 or 4 I think first, but it is an auditory program and if you buy the Mp3s hands off for the parent. They learn a rule and then take the test and even correct it themselves. They need to get all 15 words correct for two consecutive days and then they move on to the next lesson. My DS in 3rd grade is using this and really enjoys it. And I've seen his spelling improve. There isn't really direct instruction though, so if you want more than just learning rules and application, it isn't the right program for you.

I think it will depend upon your area. I've found them in my local grocery store (meijier, trader joes and my local mom and pop store). They aren't located in the cheese aisle by the dairy with the conventional shredded cheese, but in the "fancy" cheese usually in the produce/deli areas. If you have a taser joes nearby that where I've found them to be the least expensive.

Thanks for the thoughts! Definitely giving me lots to think about as I plan

If she still likes the cheese, maybe think of sending her some of the lactose free cheese or goat cheese to go along with those types of meals. We've been dfgf for years now and got used to things like tacos and burgers without cheese, but now that it's more common, we've found those alternatives. They would be pricey for a college kid though. But maybe buy a brick or two of goat cheddar, shred it and freeze it for her to use. It taste good and it's a great alternative since typically those who have issues with cow milk are ok with the goat. We have a cow dairy allergy and a few intolerances and are ok with it.

Our old library had these and we loved them. They had some sort of theme for the younger kids and typically included items to help you learn about it. For instance if the theme is ocean there's be a picture book with the ocean theme, some non fiction books to go along, maybe a puzzle (think the very large piece Melissa and Doug type), and two or three other hands on things to go along (learning resource catalog things). They go all the way up now through middle school with more in depth topics with fun hands on things. Things you'd probably see in a catalog but couldn't justify buying. One for the older kids is a kit on pyramids and there are a couple of books and a block set that is for pyramid building. They also have snap circuits, Lego education kits. Electricity, magnets kits and so on.

You may want to look into winterpromise adventures of sea and sky (I believe that's what it is called). It covers those areas in science but it does have history and bible included in the year.

I completely agree with you and in no way want to create a dislike of any learning for my children. I honestly am more in the camp of slow and steady get me ready, but following the lead of my kids. This is me following his lead. I hadn't planned on beginning any formal schoolwork with him until next year when he turns 6, but we have been working formally since this year upon his request. Also we do math together now. He asks daily to do it and asks for more than I give him. He's not content with the speed or quantity. Watching the way he thinks has shown me he is a math guy, which doesn't surprise me since this is an area of gifting for both my DH and I. For example he was talking on the phone today with my parents and they asked what he was learning. He said, adding 100s. So they asked what is 200+300 and his answer was well that's simple, it's just like 2+3 which is 5, so 500. This wasn't taught, but something he came up with. I'm not pushing him, he's pushing me. We currently use a lot of living math books for fun, he has manipulative a he plays with to discover on his own and lots of hands on. He asks to learn things and I teach him. He LOVES worksheets much to my dismay. That's just how he is. Currently he's really into learning to read, math and logic puzzles (loves minbenders). So I focus on those things and add in fun. The plan for next year with it being K is FIAR as our base, whatever math I choose, continuing with reading lessons if needed, cursive and then tagging along with his older brothers as he wants. At most 45 minutes to 1 hour of school.

Thanks, I will look into Miquon as a different choice. For subjects like math, I don't mind finding what works best for each of my kids and having them go their own route.

I'll think about this. The books we have are new, so I could use them and have him write the answers elsewhere. I do like the idea of combining gamma and delta. But I also already have all the levels of mm, so it may more more sense for me to print the lessons I need from there.

For some reason I can't quote right, but mathmarm- "Assuming you are intending to begin your child in the 3rd grade level of Beast Academy, then I want to encourage you to make lessons that focus on skills utilized, but not taught in BA3." I didn't articulate what I meant clearly I think, but this is more along the lines of what I was asking. Is there a good program that would best cover these skills. Although I like mus A LOT (in fact we are using it for my oldest and he loves it), for my more math kids, it seems to move too slowly since they master it so quickly. I guess it's not slow, but rather I know it can get very expensive and I feel wasted a lot of the sheets. So although I have the levels up through epsilon on hand, I'm not sure it's the best fit for my 5 yo. He doesn't like to use the blocks and doesn't need them. He has self taught different concepts and doesn't need to reinforcement mus gives. He's usually mastered a topic by the first sheet and can apply the idea to more complex ideas. Also as of now, I'm not planning on starting him in BA 3 in 1st grade like his brother, but if that's the best fit for him we will. Right now he's still in pre-k, just turned 5, so I have time to see where'd he falls. Thank you, your post has helped me clarify my thoughts a lot for myself. somdtimes I overthink things!

I had discovered BA for my accelerated child a couple of years ago because he needed something more. He jumped around a lot in math curriculum because nothing was a good fit until BA when he was 6. My current 5 yo seems to be on the same mathematical path as older brother, just not as quickly, so I want to set a good foundation for him. He will be finishing up MUS primer this week and I'm trying to decide what to move him on to. I'd rather not have him continue with mus because I feel that it wouldn't prepare him for BA quick enough. We also have MM here, but if there's something else that would work better, I'd like to know my options.

I would only do it if I had a contractor i trusted to get the work done correctly, in a good time period and within a reasonable cost AND if I was ok to sell that house at a loss if needed for the next move or stay there until.

I wouldn't. The only time I've given goodie bags to those who couldn't attend is when they are very close friends of our family whom we see often and they missed because of illness. especially not at school.

Thanks for all the ideas and help! My older two didn't have this problem so I wasn't sure what to do. I'll be trying these ideas and hopefully they'll stick soon.