Hello, I have registered for and received the text for the Teaching Math course. I wondered if there would be a follow up to the class? 3 of 9 chapters are covered and books 3A-5A but none of the Part B's of 3-5 books. I have my last to teach and feel that I have the time and mental space to do well with this science and math loving girl. Thank you, Alicia

We are Americans living overseas. We will absolutely spend the $150 per child, do every year. The Boy is the most expensive. "Christmas Shopping" means different things to different people. We were poor growing up. Christmas was the time we got new clothes including undies, winter boots, board games, books, chocolate, and 1 special toy. All of it was put on layaway/layby. I have only happy memories of childhood Christmas. I was happy for the undies, bar of chocolate I didnt have to share as well as boots so I didnt have to use bread bags in my sneakers/tennis shoes. My mother collected "Green Stamps" at the supermarket to buy World Book Encyclopedia for us. That went under the tree as well. Our tree was piled with gifts! I hate shopping except for books and kitchenware. My kids get Christmas, Birthday, Name Day, and Easter gifts. They know not to bother the rest of the time. We dont allow electronic games in the house, even with guests. My son says that he is the lamest boy in the world because he dosent have a gameboy/xbox ect. Whatever. They keep a list of "Books we must have though we lack bread" taped to the fridge, for my easy access. I get 1-2 from that list for each of them for the various gift giving holidays. If the books are new titles, usually a series they are collecting, they are very expensive here in NZ, about $18-26 each. I check used books stores first and various online sites. they dont care if the book is new, they just want to be able to keep it. Easy as the list is up all year. They get their new summer clothes, sandals, Christmas outfit (Southern Hemisphere has summer Christmas). Those are Christmas gifts to me. Receiving multiple pairs of tops and bottoms at the same time IS a gift. Special chocolate just for them, usually on St.Nicholas day, Dec 6. The big girl gets something for her dolls house, the little girl get Sylvanias (Woodland Creatures in US?). Big girl is a knitter so is getting circular needles of her own ($10). Little girl will get some felt sewing supplies ($10). Clothes, shoes, chocolate, a doll thing, craft supply, and their favorite new book or two to keep not borrow and they feel like blessed children. The Boy gets Lego Technic ($$$). He does not care for toys/trucks/cars/trains ect. Just Lego please. He is ready for robotics($300) but that item would eat up the whole budget by itself so we are doing Level 1 of Lego Master Builder Program($25) and a programmable robot ($70) to see how he does with it. Trying to develop some thinking, problem solving, reasoning skills in a non-confrontational area. He is a slow mover into logic stage. He builds the advanced Technic (read that as expensive ~$250NZD) like the Cherry Picker and Logging truck in 1-3 days with a few toilet breaks. He builds both models in the box in that time, he is 11. He needs a job. He likes thick books and paper folding/origami type crafts. He could care less about shoes and clothes. He likes to look good, he just likes books and Lego more. So yes, we spend lots on Christmas gifts, as we define them. Alicia in New Zealand

I have used the online classes this past year after using the lapbooks for the past 2ish years. I too have found that they filled in gaps for me and saved me time. One of the biggest benefits is that all of the main text on each page is read aloud in an engaging voice. That has been a huge benefit in saving my voice, allowing kids to hear things repeated and hearing and seeing scientific words pronounced as they read along. The links that go with most units has saved me countless hours of searching on UTube. I encouraged another family with kids 2-3 years behind in reading (vision problems, surgery soon, Yeah!) but not comprehension skills to use it to help their kids access information in a way that was respectful of their ages (middle school). The variety of topics meant that I could chose my own focus since they are not generally dependent on each other. If you go with one of the membership options like k-6 or k-12 you get the printables/lapbooks/notebook pages sold on Currclick included in your membership. This option also gives you access to the online literature units. She says she does not consider these books great reading but they kept her son reading therefore she tried to make them useful. The quizzes and vocabulary work required that students pay attention and were generally engaging. It's work not entertainment. I am out of the US so Discovery Streaming not an option and Brainpop too expensive for this multicomputer household. The Simple Homeschool helped us all make science richer this year. Take a look at the printables/lapbooks/notebook pages, they are not just busy work. As with all things some are better than others but generally very good. It got science done while I tried to figure out what I really wanted for science. I finally settled on the Task Cards for science so this is one of the resources that my kids use to get the information that they need. HTH Alicia in New Zealand

Not to totally hijack your thread, have you ever heard of McRuffy? The OT in me loves their hands on visual spatial activities included in all grades and lesson materials. They also remind me of how I learned math at a montessori elementary school and they were a lifesaver when we moved from the US to New Zealand. I suggest it because I have two dc the same age as your daughter but who are VERY different learners. I wanted them to be able to have an understanding of math beyond straight problem solving. Mcruffy math includes the visual-perceptual, hands on learning that is so needed by young learners. We tend to take this stuff out of curricula after 2nd grade but is needed by even normal kids up to algebra into geometry. 5th grade is coming out this week. I find the concepts a bit advanced so would advise that you look at 4th grade especially the second half. I want to send him an email advising to remove the grades and put levels. My 11 yr olds didnt really like have a book labeled 4th grade so I feel for your daughter. If your daughter is feeling defeated by Beast Academy but you really value what it is trying to teach her, dont give up! You know you are on the right track. Try a different approach that is not ment for gifted learners as Beast Academy people are used to teaching that group. Read the bio's of the developers of the program and you will see what they did before. Very impressive but maybe tough for our normal kids who are starting out with this stuff a little later. McRuffy on the other hands suits us to a tea and has for about 9 years. He started out teaching special ed and found that with careful multistory approach leads even "slow learners" to success. Guess that says something about my kids:) His materials are both spiral and mastery. I have one that is overconfident and makes silly mistakes and another that is not as confident and has everything fall right out of his head if he waits to long to see it again. Saxon made us all crazy and lacked the built in use of manipulative right into the scripted lessons. Another option might be Math Mammoth. She builds from the physical/concrete to the abstract when teaching a lesson. No manipulative to handle but the approach on the page is as if they were used. HTH Alicia in New Zealand

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Hi Tahara, we are working on finishing most of 5th with 11yr olds and 1st this year. My rising 8yr old will start 2nd in Sept. She is a bit older for 1st so some was review, new or reinforcement. Despite my best efforts :tongue_smilie: she did not read at 5 like her siblings and cousins that I homeschooled for 6 years before schooling my guys (2 military parents). I dont feel it was a waste as it allowed us to fit in lots of things on days she was more receptive but got the schedule done on days she was not. MP is very rich being behind is still a fabulous place to be. My kids know you need to get your daily work done so they like having a sched to check off. I know lots are against it but it helps all of us see what is the min. required that day for school. Anything else is gravy. I have found it is easier to teach this early. Makes me accountable as well and its good for them to see that also. They know I discuss the school day with the Papa Principal. 1 st grade requires a fair amount of pencil work. It is not long sentences but you use a pencil for the three R's. Music and poetry are easy and enjoyable. At the end you will have a strong reader and speller (if that is a word). I added in Draw Right Now, SOTW2 with activity guide since I was doing it with the others anyway, Nature Readers from and nature readers from Rod and Staff. We listened to Burgess Bird/Animal Book and drew pictures based on Draw Right Now and Jan Brett free drawing videos, more science from thesimplehomeschool.com. We also have the paid ($35) version of starfall.com for the year. In addition she had access to brainpop.com. and Discovery Streaming from g3online.com (under resources ~$60 year). This was my lastest to read child who is also youngest. I have lots of leftover resources to throw her way. She NEEDS to be kept busy. For Lit we use FIAR and extra resources homeschoolshare.com that we add to Story Time Treasures (MP 1st grade lit program). I like my young ones to do lots of hands on and homeschoolshare.com took care of that and lapbooking at no additional cost. She paints, playdough, knits and sews (weefolkart.com free patterns) and uses lots of puzzles on the floor. We use RS math which my dh likes for the solid drill. I like using Miquon and Right Start at this age for the concepts gently taught and explored. Poor child is getting it all though I can use the techniques anyway I like at this point. Math is mainly review for her with the exception of the facts drills which are new so we are moving ahead with Miquon and RightStart. I add FLL breezing through 2-4 lessons at a time due to overlap with FIAR and Story Time Treasures (STT) covering same material but in a different way. FLL requires memorization while others explore topics as they come up in the lit. We continue with WWE and MCT then using Classical Comp from MP in 4/5th. Children Just Like me with Sticker book (christianbook.com) for geography, super easy and age appropriate. World map with dots for places in FIAR books and STT, easy. Follow the MP guides, give yourself a break and just try it for a term. It is so freeing to choose and then to trust. I know you have made a huge change in your homeschool recently. Look at the MP highschool forum to see where your kids are headed. Its a good place. We are also a mixed hispanic family so we add in lit and music that is relevant to us. 5th grade geography is a great place to do that. My child is not gifted though she is bright. She is older than most 1st graders so she is able (finally!!!!) to really move through the material. She does not find the day a burden, gets lots of hands on, quality computer time, learning to work independently for short periods of time, is creating Main Lesson books/Notebooking, I am using stuff already on the shelf, she is learning accountability and the futility of whining in the face of a printed schedule, and she feels pretty smart! HTH Alicia in New Zealand

We just started this book as part of MP 5th grade as well. I love the work your son has done and now we are inspired to do more than just the work from MP that goes along with it. You can see that that there is lots of hard work that was beautifully done. We are Orthodox and have not found anything objectionable with it so far though we are just at the beginning. Alicia in New Zealand

Morning, this is a great way to go for some kids and families. I had a small "family school" made up of mine and their cousins for over 6 years. I found that for kids who came out of public school at 4th and above, had lack of depth though they had been exposed to concepts, were easily distracted, needed some hands on learning, needed looks of learning done in small bites, lots of white space, got bogged down by having to write everything out on paper, needed tests, needed self-esteem to be bolstered while new to homeschooling, this series is wonderful. :) It filled holes, taught concepts while we adjusted to more demanding math without breaking the bank. The books are for the most part self teaching. Just have them close to you while working and get the answer keys, it allows you to teach/explain as well as grade without having to grab their book from them. I always get the test books which are blackline masters so a one time investment. I really like that the kids have a book to write in that they can keep. It works really well for the kids who just like to get things done without a lot of discussion and related tie-ins on their pages. The thing that was the most important was to have variety. While working on the first three books: fractions, decimals, percents I also add in the measurement books. The measurement books have the kids do real life hands on experiments to make the measurement applicable. So a split 3/2 week. I continue on, doing Algebra and geometry at the same time once those are done (fractions/decimals/percents/measurement). Take a look at the geometry it is not proof based and breaks up the continuous calculations. Kids really love getting to use math tools. When they come to proof based geometry later on they approach it without fear as they feel they "have done this already." Not really true but it gets them to approach with confidence. They need to score 80% to pass a test on each book along the way. When they have finished the 10 books in algebra and geometry I have them go right into Algebra 1 with Teaching Textbooks. Some go through it faster than others but I dont have any gaps or students feeling as if they are not good at math by the end of it all. Some kids have gone on to calculus and others stopped at Algebra 2 after doing 3 years of highschool level math. It all depends on the child, family needs, and budget. I also use Math Mammoth especially for the word problems and RightStart for games on Fridays or right before a break/vacation when we dont feel like doing much anyway. HTH Alicia in New Zealand

Hello, we have 3 kids learning 2 instruments each all at the book 1-2 level. Piano, violin, and cello. Lots of listening needed! I use iTunes and record the last two songs learned, current working piece, and the "upcoming 2" per child/instrument. That is 10 pieces per child for each of their 2 instruments, 20 pieces total per child. The playlist in iTunes is named "Sophis's Music" for Sophia. Then I make a playlist of all 40ish pieces, thank goodness there is some overlap, and call it "The Big List." Creative I know:tongue_smilie: With this system I only have to new lists about every 3 months before they get to where their last "upcoming" is their working piece. The great thing is that they get to hear the same piece on different instruments and maybe before they get to it. I find that helps them to really internalize the music. I am not musical and am poorly following my youngest. She teaches me, and finds me a poor student as she has to show me things over and over:D Gets that practice in without her realizing what is happening. I play The Big List on continuous loop with random mixing ( so I dont go loopy) during the entire school day almost every, single, day. My husband reacts terriably to "Go tell Aunt Rhody, and lightly row. " It makes a difference to me and to them. We play each persons list before a lesson and when we are specifically working on a piece section by section and need to study it. The Big List is also played during computer free time. That way its not just wasted computer time. Background listening really works. They absorb and it makes a difference when they stand before their teacher. HTH, Alicia in New Zealand

Thank you for the sharing of your work. I find there is lots for me to think on reading your blog posts. I hope others see it, hoping to bump this up! Alicia in New Zealand

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! We are Americans abroad and so many things "at home" are just too expensive for us. You have made my night! Cant wait to tell the kids that they have access to all these goodies for the next year. Thank you for helping me give my kids something good. Alicia in New Zealand

A loss of a sibling is so hard. Will pray for all of you. May her memory be eternal. Alicia in New Zealand

Just wanted to let you know that Ancient Faith Radio, has the entire series free on their site. Dr.Krissy Hart worked with Harper Audio and got permission. She has LOTS of books read in their entirety for free. We have used this to preview books to add to our home collection. Here is the link to the first book : The Magicians Nephew You can subscribe in itunes, listen on site, or download. Her British voice adds a nice touch to the works. Enjoy Alicia in New Zealand

I am using Grammar Island with dd9 and ds9. As we read each section introducing a new part of speech we return to FLL 1/2 and review of definition. We go slowly and spend one to two weeks per part of speech. We fold a sheet of paper into 4 sections. Section 1: definition from FLL 1/2 if it fits, if not break definition into the four sections. Section 2-4 give drawn illustrations of the definition broken into sections eg. Sec.1 Noun is the name of person place thing idea does not fit into Sec.1 with room for person place thing idea in last three so the first part "name of a person" goes into the first box. Each of the next three kinds 2-4 then goes into the next three boxes so that the definition is written along the the bottom (or top) of the page. "A noun is the name of a person" Mary -draw picture of girl, sec. 2 "place," Paris draw Eiffel tower or DC White House sec.3 "thing," draw shoe sec.4 "or idea" freedom draw flag, friendship draw child and their good friend On the back of the sheet of paper they then do collective nouns, ect. I use the Ruth Heller World of Language books and the Adventures in Grammar books to help them visualize. I put these in plastic page protectors in the LA notebooks. They love looking at them and comparing. dd6 likes to join in as well. This way the definitions are meaningful to them. I also take the opportunity to use Schoolhouse Rock songs/videos all to make it meaningful and to make it stick. HTH Alicia in New Zealand

Thank you for taking the time to share and make it so accessible for us all. Alicia in New Zealand