5th grade, here we come! Bible – MP Christian Studies 3 Composition – MP Classical Composition II: Narrative Geography – MP Geography 2 Grammar – MP English Grammar Recitation 3 History – MP Famous Men of Middle Ages Latin – MP Second Form Latin Math – Math Mammoth 6; Beast Academy 4C-4D Music – Piano Lessons Literature – MP Adam of the Road; Door in the Wall; Robin Hood; King Arthur and His Knights Science - MP Birds; Tiner History of Medicine

I think we are ready to finish up 1st in May and get 2nd rolling in July! Art – MP Art Cards, MP Craft Book Bible – MP Christian Studies Enrichment Handwriting – MP Composition, Cursive History – SOTWv3 audio CDs in car Languages – MP Prima Latina Literature – MP Second Grade Math – Math Mammoth 2 Music – Piano Lessons Science – Berean Builders Science in the Beginning Spelling – MP Traditional Spelling 1

I love the Kumon number games books for Kindergarten. The front page is dot-to-dot. The back page is color by number. I forget so quickly how difficult it is for kids to look at all the numbers and visually identify which one comes next.

I started with SSL1 and transitioned to PL, then LC, we are now using MP First Form Latin. Song School takes a child-centric approach to vocab. They give lots of words that are related to others and can be used in the child's life. We learned about desks, books, pencils, animals, Christmas, nature, and so on. It was enough fun that I am letting my next son play with Latin using SSL, but I am not trying to get the vocab solid because we will master vocab in LC and FFL. Memoria Press takes grammar-centric approach to their Latin system. So nouns are chosen based on their declension, verbs are chosen based on their conjugation. Prima is great for a child who is still young enough to need extra time to grapple with basic grammar ideas like what kinds of words are nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Latina Christiana moves a little bit faster, but allows plenty of time for thinking about bigger ideas like why the 'to be' verb is so important, or how the verb tenses are used in English and in Latin. By the end of LC both my son and I were confident to tackle the faster pace of First Form Latin. First Form assumes that you are comfortable with the basics of English grammar, but moves very quickly through pronunciation and the first tenses. Enough of First Form is review that the transition has been very gentle so far (we are 7 weeks into First Form). Hopefully that helps you decide whether you prefer to tackle MP or CAP.

A bit of background. I grew up homeschooled by a mom whose philosophy is something like: if you can do reading, writing, and math you can learn anything. All history, geography, and science before high school were: choose a book about something in science and write a paper about it. So what does "enough" mean for my family or your family when it comes to history? We did Memoria Press last year for Kindergarten and 3rd. I like it enough that we are continuing this next year with 1st and 4th. Classical Studies was a major hit with my 3rd grader. There are a series of drill questions at the back of the teacher's manual that when reviewed every week, make sure the most relevant facts stick. We spent an entire year covering states and capitols by region. My son mostly had the states before he started 3rd, but they became solid over the past year. I liked the list of American history books. They were at a lower reading level, so I just had my son read through the books when we got there each week. The curriculum manual also had us memorize the list of POTUS. We also listened to Story of the World audio CDs in the car. I have been very happy with how engaged my kids are with the MP materials, and how well they are retaining the things they are learning. Looking at the grades going forward, I think we will have a really strong foundation in history and geography for high school and beyond.

I was also going to suggest Zeus on the Loose. For my kids who are not really ready to add in their head, we use and abacus.

We do a small family deal at the end of each school year. I same a small amount of work from the year in a 1-inch binder to show how they have progressed in each subject. They are handed a grade-completion certificate, and a few more that I come up with. Then they are allowed to share a poem, song, book or nothing as they please. I try to make it about them and what they wish to share not a time for me to "show off" how great my kids are.

I find that with my young kids, living ideas (which I would define as those that cause wonder and further thinking/imagination) are the ones that I hear in their talk and play later. The day after reading "Riddles in the Dark" my 8-year-old went through the house whispering, "what has it got in its pocketses?" My 5-year-old will say something like, "Do you think this is a chrysalis mom?" With a language deficit, this would be so much harder to hear the scraps of thought that are stirring around in their brain. It sounds like you are doing a great job reading his body language to know when he is engaging with what he is learning. Anything that produces delight and wonder is a living idea at the level your kid needs.

Here is a guide mapping My Book House with Junior Classics: http://librariesofhope.com/new-story-guides.html

I am sticking mostly with Memoria Press for 1st: Bible – MP Christian Studies Handwriting – MP Copybook II; MP New American Cursive I History – Story of the World vol 2 (listen in car), Latin - Song School Latin 1 Math – Math Mammoth 1-2; Kumon mazes Memorization - Summer - Preamble to Constitution; Nobility by Cary; WSC #1-6 Harvest - John 14:1-11; 4 Midsummer Quotes; Solitude by Wheeler; WSC #7-13 Autumn - Psalm 139; The Road Not Taken by Frost; November by Coatsworth; WSC #14-20 Winter - John 14:12-22; Against Idleness and Mischief by Watts; The Crocodile by Carrol; WSC #21-28 Lenten - Psalm 105; Obedience to Parents by Watts; Whether the Weather; WSC #29-36 Spring - John 14:23-31; 5 Twelfth Night Quotes; Pretty Good by Osgood; WSC # 37-40 Reading – MP StoryTime Treasures Spelling – MP Traditional Spelling I

My oldest had severe eczema as an allergic reaction to many things. We liked the Cetphil moisturizer as a lotion, but only allergy testing to determine what he was allergic to, and then completely removing all allergens from his diet cleared his skin. Turned out that he was also allergic to oatmeal, so that could not be used in his baths either. He also has needed a daily antihistamine to handle environmental allergies.

My 5 yo's dream is to become a traveler and discover the way to Oz. He listens to the first 4 in the series on repeat.

This was a few years ago... I homeschooled Algebra 1 in 9th because my mom was not paying attention to how things had changed since she was in school. I took Geometry in public school in 10th and discovered that I was "behind." I had to double-up Algebra 2 and Trig in 11th. So that I could take Calculus in 12th, because that was what the "smart" kids were doing. I got college credit for Calc 1. I walked into my first class on my first day of college in Calc 2 .... and sat behind a senior whispering "D is for Diploma" over and over to herself. I majored in Computer Science and never had any trouble with math. So back to you: If your daughter takes Algebra 1 in 8th, she will be ready to take Calc in 12th, yay? If your daughter takes Algebra 1 in 7th, will she be ready for it? Also, what will she take her last year of high school? Calc 2? Will the colleges even accept a high school calculus credit?

That sounds amazing, thank you!

We are finishing MP Kindergarten and 3rd this year. I did not get R&S math. Latina Christiana has been good (we did Prima last year). I am looking forward to digging deeping into First Form next year. I have enjoyed the literature guides, they have been a good springboard for discussions about the books, and the selections have been excellent. Not a huge fan of English Grammar Recitation. It is set up catechism style, but does not always have a clear question to ask. Not a huge fan of Spelling Workout, but it is independent which I needed. All Things Fun & Fascinating has been once a week, and has worked well. Christian Studies has been basic, but I love the drill questions in the back of the book to make sure we have "the facts" solid. Greek Myths is ok. The workbook is great, but the tests are insane for 3rd grade. I again love the drill questions in the back of the book. States and Capitols has been a bit dry, but we are mastering them and I like that they are arranged by region instead of alphabetically. Astronomy has been great. I have not had to come up with any science demonstrations, and both me and my son have now memorized the night sky well enough to look up anytime it is dark and find many constellations. I like the Timeline, it is nothing fancy, and there are not a huge number of events to master each year. The read-alouds have been excellent. The American studies books have been fine. I have already bought 1st and 4th for next year.