what have been successful ways for your child to remember sight words? My child is reading but no matter how many times he comes across "the," "are," or "you," he doesn't remember them.

Thanks everyone! I will look into these.

Our library does not have a big selection of audiobooks and an even smaller kids section. Where can I find an online store to purchase or "check out/rent" audiobooks. The sites I did find like Audible offered only one audiobook per month and Hoopla had very few young childrens chapter books. Thanks!

Has anyone read this newly released book on education and the problems of our current model in the US? I was wondering your take on the book and if you feel Classical Education aswer for what he is calling for or if it is too similar to what he argues against?

How often does your co-op, homeschool group, play group etc meet up? How often do you meet other families, neighbors, etc for park dates, play dates, etc. If you belong to a formal co-op or field trip group etc, do you meet outside of a "educational setting" for just fun things? Do you meet up more during the summer? Just curious as to the kind of social community you have.

I just added an option. Thanks for letting me know.

Added it in just now! Sorry, designing the poll has turned out to be a fine tuning process!

Sorry! I didn't realize you couldn't skip the second question.

How homeschooling parents get the home stuff done has been a topic in the past. I thought it would be interesting to take a poll.

I was talking about WTM at our homeschool group and was immediately cautioned by several moms that it is too intense, not for type A's and that Susan Wise-Bauer said she would do things differently herself now (presumably because it was too difficult or demanding). Do you know if this is true and if so where I can find this so I can see what she did say about lessons learned. Thanks! I did try and search the forums but came up empty.

I completely agree with the playing and reading! I cherish this time because there will be a day too soon when they don't want me to play with them. There aren't very much academics for my 5yr old. He is doing phonics because he really wanted to read and he is doing well. He does handwriting (forming his letters because he wanted to write) and we count together a lot during the day and in the car. But that is it. I just wanted to get a good routine going when the mega work hits because it can be hard just getting that in. Thanks again everyone!

All great advice! I have begun training my 3/5 yr old but I think they can do more and yes not just do it all because it is quicker. I will be referring to this!

Thanks everyone! At least I am not alone. I used to rise very early and that helped. But when the little one came that was out the window. He has been sleeping well for a few months now really I need to get back to it!

The post title says it all. I just want to see how everyone manages their time to get it done. It seems like when one area is going well another suffers. I have finally mastered meal planning and cut out last minute dinner panics but we did not get as much school done as I would have wanted. If I have a clean house and caught up on laundry, then I am wiped out and we probably didn't get much playtime. If I read to my kids for an hour or two aloud (they love and are addicted to the Magic Treehouse series and Little House books) then something else gets waysided. It is not a big deal now because I only have a Kinder, prek and one year old. But we plan on adding number four soon and then next year is first grade. So I am trying to figure this out. Thankful for any tips or how-tos.

I think we could be best friends! ;) I love reading about how kids learn. I have read countless books/research articles on this topic. Your blog is needed! I am going to check it out now.

I am looking to purchase a comfortable chair for my kinder age child to use at his desk. Any recommendations? The Ikea versions are too small for my somewhat big kinder and I am hoping this will last into first grade. He has nice sized desk we bought him from Ikea but we are just looking for a comfortable and sturdy chair. Thanks!

I have a kinder and prek child. We were doing school on our kitchen table but it is difficult for the kids to reach. My Prek practically has to reach straight up when cutting on the table and my kinder can't sit up straight if he is on the chair. Our table is about two inches higher than normal as it was antique and legs were amended. We have room in our open dining area to put two desks and chairs. Which ones do you like best or found to be inadequate? I was looking at Ikeas Stuva bench desk and a Pottery Barn Kids Caroline chairs that come in many colors. They seem very sturdy. Obviously my kids don't sit too long since they are so young but do you think ergonomics is something to consider? It seems homeschool is not an all day event even with older kids so I say why spend a ton for ergonomic chairs, etc. DH however, remembers school desks/chairs as horribly uncomfortable so he is wondering if buying a regular desk and chair is the best idea. Thanks!

I was wondering what other co-ops do? What classes/activities do you have? Is it by age, grade, level? What do you do for the younger prek/kinder and the older kids? Tell me how the day goes. Thanks in advance.

Thanks I just ordered the BOB books! They look great.

Thanks, I tried them but it says out of print/out of stock... :huh:

Hello, I am trying to find Modern Curriculum Press' practice phonics readers. I have only found Series A set one for $100 on some random site. I have tried to find others at our local library but they had none that were decodable by phonic sounds. They were full of big words and unfamiliar sounds. They were very overwhelming for my new reader. Thanks!

I have asked this numerous times in various Classical circles and have not found anything. I wonder...

Do you know of any Memory work programs/kits based on WTM. I am currently using Catholic Schoolhouse and think it is well done except it does not match with the WTM learning cycles. I have heard the same regarding Classical Conversations and Classically Catholic. Are you aware of a timeline/memory work based on WTM? Since there are several recommendations of WTM for each grade/subject area-is it simply best to make your own? If so, has anyone done this? Thanks!

Thank you for this! It was most helpful. I can definitely get lots of ideas from your thorough list. I completely agree...I feel like it took lots of post college time to figure this stuff out.

You and your kids sound like me and my husband. He would love to be a home hermit and I love getting out everyday!