Weird, I really can't figure it out. I guess I'll contact support to see if they can help me out.

Upon looking at the issue further, I actually think the pdf file has smaller pages than the publication. Has anyone else noticed this? It looks like there are 10 lines for the first day in the pdf but only 8 in the print workbook. They are much smaller when placed side by side. Is this just me or has anyone else noticed this?

Can anyone help me with printing the student pages from the Writing With Ease student pages pdf? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I purchased the pdf and went to print some of the pages but they are printing out much smaller than they should be, like the page is at 75% or so. They look normal when viewing the file. Any ideas?

I absolutely agree with this and have this as an overarching goal of all our literature choices. I'm choosing to do some more focused time on character in the next year with my sons and would like to have some shorter, go-to stories to reference to get us started. I believe that character is best taught through story with examples from real people (or well-written fictional people). I do appreciate the advice! Thank you!

Thank you everyone! I'm so pleased that so many have commented. I'm more excited about the morning basket for next year than any other area I'm planning and I can't wait to try some of this out!

Anyone have recommendations for a book or compilation of stories about character/virtue? I'm not looking for a curriculum but rather, stories of people living out virtues in real situations, preferably short chapters that focus on one topic at a time, things like bravery, perseverance, humility, etc. I would love for the stories to be historical but would consider well-written fiction as well. Any leads?

Thanks everyone for the responses. I'm off to explore these titles and see what might work for my little brood.

I am planning on adding a morning basket routine to our school days next year. I'm envisioning a time to focus on all the true and beautiful things that slip through the cracks in trying to get through all the curriculum: scripture, poetry, Shakespeare, hymn study, artist study, composer study, nature journals, memory work, etc. If you already do a morning time or have pieces of these types of things in your day, what are your favorite resources to have on hand? I'm browsing and planning and dreaming so I would appreciate recommendations for anything you really love, that adds joy to your day, that connects you and your children to something outside of yourselves. Thanks in advance! Edited to add: I am also interested in resources for character development, morals, virtues, etc. Thanks!

I'm planning for next year too. We'll probably start in July. Math- Singapore and Miquon LA- AAS, FLL, WWE, HWOT, and lots of reading History- TOG year 2 Science- WTM suggestions for astronomy and earth science, Nature Study Art- Artistic Pursuits We'll be starting morning basket time with memory work, artist and composer study, and Bible. I'm still working out what this will look like.

There is a general page just called Tapestry of Grace and then individual pages for each year called Tapestry of Grace Year 1 and so forth. Once you join a year, you can also request to join a secret group called TOG grammar level accountability. It's for those with little ones to support each other. I can't link on my phone but I'll check back later and try to link when my hubby gets home with the laptop.

I was going to suggest Lego's too. Its a very popular class at our co op. You could design something around snap circuits, teaching the basics of electricity. You could design something around famous men of character, studying qualities that are virtuous.

The obvious board games like Memory, Candy Land, Connect Four, Batt!eship and the like are popular here. Also, do a dot mrakers, aqua doodle and lite bright for free play and letter making are fun. We do snap circuits together even though he doesn't understand the science behind it. He also loves his leap reader pen and getting to "read" to mom. Even just getting out the math manipulatives like the cuisinaire rods and unifix cubes provide a lot of entertainment. We just build and design with them but he does pick up on some math concepts naturally.

Not a curriculum but I love the Charlotte Mason approach to scripture memory verses.

You can also join the yahoo group and Facebook groups which are very active and encouraging. They are mostly people who are using the curriculum so not really a source for reviews but lots of ideas, talk about how to best implement parts of the curriculum, and overall support.

Elephant and Piggie books were the first ones we really had success with. My son was bored by BOB books so we just read the stories in OPGTR until he was read for Elephant and Piggie and then he took off from there.

I use both with my math lover. I would have no problem sticking with just Singapore but he really loves math and Miquon is a fun way to hit the concepts from a different angle. I was in the same boat as you, finishing K level Singapore early, and I did move him on to 1A without any difficulties. Then I added Miquon and now we are doing both, just rotating through the books.

We have the National Geographic Atlas for Young Explorers and it is great for elementary age.

I read through the FGD as well but really only use the Annotations in my lessons. If my son gets stuck on something, I might go back to the FGD to see if she included any games or board work we could use to help with the concept. I rarely let me son loose with the rods on something we haven't covered yet. I spend a day or two working with the rods on a new concept and then we attack the worksheets. He can usually complete them on his own after that but the rods are always out and I'm always available if he gets stuck.

Thanks for all the responses! We have decided to jump into animal study next week since I already had the recommended encyclopedia on my shelf. I also found these free notebook pages to go along. My son already had so much fun just picking out the animals he wants to cover. I'll do plants in the spring when we start our garden. I'll cover anatomy next year in our co-op so that we can keep moving forward with earth and space science at home.

I'm ready to make a change with how we approach science. We've been doing BFSU and I like it but I want more rabbit trails and flexibility. I've reread the WTM approach and I think it's what I want. We can have the structure of a plan with opportunities to follow his interests. I'm just a little nervous of narration being the only output. I could see note booking and lapbooks combining well with this approach. So, tell me how this works in your home. Do you have any free or cheap resources you are using for notebooks or lapbooks to make output more fun? Are your children staying engaged and finding things they want to explore more? Are you actively pursuing memorization in any areas, and if so, what? This approach is so much looser than I am naturally comfortable with so I'm looking for success stories and encouragement as my gut is telling me my son will thrive with a little tweaking.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. You always come through!

I would suggest Miquon as a really fun way to approach math. There is a little bit of a learning curve with the program but it is so fun and would be great for you son's age. There is so much flexibility with the program that you could allow your son to explore his interests as deeply as he wants to.

I borrowed Winnie the Pooh on audio book from the library and played it at bedtime for my kiddos. They loved it and listened to it over and over again for several weeks! It went over so much better than when I tried reading it aloud to them myself. Now I'm on the hunt for other similar stories. The key is several short stories to hold their interests. Any ideas of quality read alouds that would fit the bill? I thought of fairy tales but can't think of anything else. Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I'll check these out.

I think it's important to keep on with some kind of phonics. We are using OPGTR and love how simple it is. I can do a lesson in 10-15 minutes. We are about 3/4 of the way through and I plan to keep going until we finish and then come back to it often as he builds fluency. I do both OPGTR and AAS every day and don't find it overwhelming. The skills complement and build on each other.