My 6 yo loves this series. He thinks it's soo cool that Jack carries a backpack. Giving them a bite-sized parcel of history along the way is just a bonus. Thanks, Michele!

Oh my goodness - I'm laughing outloud here! Someone mentioned the old Commodores. When I was a wee lass we had both a Commodore Vic 20 and a Commodore 64. Anyone play 'Below the Root' wayyyy back then? Those were the days...

In addition to those already listed, I often use this list over at Simply Charlotte Mason. http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/eyguide/eyreadalouds/ Enjoy these wonderful years. Those ages are so magical. Warmly,

I could write a song - a ballad - about my love of Apple products. Since I dabble in graphic design, take a billion pictures and I'm a web moderator - there is nothing as intuitive and easy as Mac. It also runs well with my Adobe suites. It can store a whole lot, love the time machine (well, I love the concept of it. never had to use it! ;) ). On my lap right now is a MacBook Pro. It's sweeeeet. Incidently... I also use the iphone. Best invention this millenium. Hands down. It's the birthday gift I never knew I always wanted. I can access a phone book, calendar, phone, GPS, directions to anywhere, traffic conditions, the internet, my email, my work (I work online), listen to my music, see my voicemail and skip around to listen to some before others, take and store decent photos, watch you tube, check stocks, set an alarm, see the 7 day weather forecast, and write myself a shopping list or reminders. When hubby bought it for me, I thought it was one of those 'really for him' gifts. But I love it. It is a smart machine. Too bad it's only AT&T but the machine is so useful, I'm willing to tolerate AT&T (until Apple opens it up to other providers and I'm jumpin' ship!). I am a bonafide walking Apple commercial. ;)

We started simple multiplication in Singapore in 1b. My 6 yo 1st grader has been filling in a 12x12 times grid since Jan. He uses Singapore exclusively. My 7 yo 2nd grader is also doing long division, which started in Singapore 3a. He also does bits and pieces of Horizons along the way. I wonder if that's normal across the state of MN? Seems young minds are capable of it much before 4th grade.

I've only been to one, so I don't have a ton of experience. I also realize that to some people, all of the things I found to be repelling... some would find very attractive. I guess that's what makes homeschoolers all so different. Ours was very crowded. It was held in a church. It made me terribly uncomfortable to see book sellers/temporary stores set up *inside* the church area. Granted, I don't share the same religious beliefs as the church that hosted, so I don't know their convictions. I don't want to be judgemental... it felt wrong to me. When salesmen gave their pitches from the altar, I felt weird. Granted their "church" was more like an auditorium than the intimate churches to which I am accustomed. It was held on a Friday and Saturday. Having a convention on a weekday was challenging, especially since no children (except nursing babies) were allowed to attend. My husband had to take a vacation day to watch our children. Getting to see all the curriculum in person is wonderful - but it was an expensive entry fee. I really think coming in to shop should not cost a family; they already plan to spend enough. It cost me $40 to enter, and that is far more than online shipping would be. The workshops leaned toward the preachy, very religious types. The main speaker was a well-known, fairly controversial-in-the-homeschool-circle person; I chose not to go. There were only 2 or 3 workshops that I felt applied to where I was in my family's homeschool journey. All in all, I'm glad I went so I didn't always wonder what it was like. Unless it is reorganized, held separate from a church (or more neutral in its convictions), and free to shop... it isn't worthwhile to go back. Now wasn't that a glowing review??? ;)

I have a prelim list, but I don't want to miss ones you've loved for this age. We will also be finishing up medieval and starting 1600-1850 history, so historical fiction would be okay too. But mostly I'm looking for "not to miss" Lit choices. thanks! :bigear:

It's free here in neighboring Iowa. I called the 800number on the Discovery Education Streaming website and asked to talk to someone in the home education dept. I got a code from that person. Hope that helps... at least a little. :001_huh:

I'll bring up the other side... and say, "it depends". Many children pick up things like colors, shapes, letters, sounds, etc from a rich environment. For many children, it's enough to read, talk, read some more. However, there are some kids for whom that isn't enough. For those kids, I think having a well-planned pre-school learning plan can be very beneficial. I have a special needs learner; he doesn't pick up those skills unless specifically instructed. So for kids like him - I have seen amazing growth and tremendous benefit for him. He also loves feeling like a big kid and "doing school". That said, preK is about 1/2 hour a day (not including read alouds). Just because you have a plan, doesn't mean it's burdensome seatwork. ;) I invite you to visit my son's preK learning tools to see what he is using to learn. Many of the materials he is NOT ready for... but Kumon, and HWT preK are HUGE hits here. Best wishes,

I considered ordering this as well. I shared the concerns mentioned above that the series wasn't complete. I wasn't sure it would be by the time I needed the next levels, and there is something to be said for continuity. Instead, I added saint studies and Tomie dePaola's Bible stories as well as a customized go-along readers that I organized from lists suggested by many curriculum providers (SOTW AG, Sonlight, Veritas Press, Ambleside Online, Simply Charlotte Mason, a Book in Time) and some that my kids were just interested in. I've only done this for SOTW 2 thus far, but over summer break I intend to do the same for SOTW 3. I hope to have it done before September. I will be choosing books based on my own kids - so it's not comprehensive. Also, I have 3 boys, so I tend to pick stories that are appealing to them. You can take a peek at the "Customised Plan for history" at my blog. HTH!

We absolutely love the CD. The preschool songs have the rules for pre-writing... which always feel more official if there is a song about it. :) We have the dough letters, the wood pieces and the stamp set. If I had to pick only one I'd pick the wood pieces (upper and lower cases). If I could afford one more I'd pick the stamps second. Perhaps it's because my son has sensory issues, but the dough is not a hit here (he won't touch it!). I love the idea of it, but as of right now... he will only tolerate Model Magic. Because MM can't be reused because it dries, and because it is so expensive... it's not an option to repeat over and over. YMMV. :) If I could onyl get a few, I'd get: The preschool book and TM the wood pieces the CD. Not necessary: the crayons, the dough, the mat man (make your own from the pattern!) I wish I would have known about this program when my older guys were younger. It's a wonderful preschool program.

I think those who only watch 5 min or even just 1 episode aren't giving Jon or Kate a fair chance. They adore each other. She may not be the sweetest-tongued girl on the block but she loves those kids, she's wild about Jon. Jon isn't treated like a dog, and they (on numerous occasions) have addressed their criticisms about the way they communicate - quick and to the point, a little abrupt, often loud - as a response to the stress level. Gracious I had 1 preemie and only 3 kids. She had 6 very premature babies, and toddlers at the same. I can't even imagine how they manage. She is actually better about feeding her 8 than I am with my 3. She doesn't cut corners just because there are so many of them. I admire that... I am guilty of using the drive-thru as an easy way out more often than I'd like. I can't watch the Duggars for the reasons already mentioned. She may actually be that Stepford-ish in real life, but it just seems so contrived for TV. It doesn't seem real at all. She reminds me of the way one behaves in front of ones' grandparents, or church elders... or a TV camera. ;) I love Jon and Kate for all their perfectly lovable imperfections...

There is a NICU Family Support site that may be of tremendous emotional support for the family. Please do pass it on. http://www.shareyourstory.org It is a wonderful community for families who have been there. -mom of a 28 wk preemie who has BTDT. Prayers!

Hi Emmy, I'm sorry it took so long to reply. I haven't been back to the boards in awhile. I ordered from two places: http://www.lakeshorelearning.com - the tactile letters and numbers, the touch board, the letters to decorate. rainbowresource.com - the rest! :) Hope this helps!

For me it came down to teacher intensity... And for our purposes, I really didn't feel history needed to be such a major investment for 6-9 year olds. TOG was both too expensive and too teacher intensive for *my* family for the first round. I didn't feel I needed the extras TOG offered. Instead, I decided to make a go-along reading list from sources like the SOTW AG, Sonlight, Veritas Press, and for my 6 yo, Magic Tree House - which isn't technical but it does engage him with historical fiction. SOTW AG has maps that my 7.5 yr old loves, some activities, and suggested book. And for me, the prep is only in making sure we have the go-along books. Otherwise, it's pick up and go. So easy. What will work best for you family will probably really depend on what you put into it. Or so it seems... ;)

My opinion. Put the books away for 4-5 weeks. But don't use the time to be lazy, work daily on math facts. I'm not suggesting you are lazy, but I know for me, without the book to guide my days, it's easy to get off track. I would start with popcicle sticks, or your manipulative of choice... And make groups, and instead of worrying about the names "addition" or "substraction", can you focus on "families"? I think RS uses circles and work left to right, and singapore uses squares and works top to bottom... but put a number in a circle/square and draw two lines from it with blank circles/squares. The student should be able to fill in the numbers ("parts") it takes to build the top number ("whole"). For example: .....[10]...... ...../...\...... .[..]....[..]... and the blanks should be filled in with all the families that can make 10. 1,9...2,8...3,7... etc. Do all the numbers 1-12. once those are memorized add 13-20. :) Knowing this helps tremendously... because it helps learn BOTH addition and subtraction, if the student knows the numbers all go together. So 10,9,1 all go together.... like: 1+9 = 10 9+1 = 10 10-1 = 9 10-9 = 1 Can all be talked about from the diagram above. Eventually, after a couple of weeks of doing it with manipulatives, you move to understanding it without the manipulatives. This is how Singapore does it... start with manipulatives and move to understanding it without them. :) Hope I explained that clearly... it's hard when I am limited and can't draw on here. :)

I have two. One is my personal, family, homeschool, silly stuff, blog. It's boybaric. ;) The other is for design work. It has blog make-overs and graphics on there.

While I'm glad that some families are healthy enough to feel so cavalier about colds and runny noses - it is exactly why my 4 yo has never been to church. It's sad. It's hard. It's isolating. But people feel it's okay to bring their germs to church. Those germs, while it just may be an inconvenience to their families, means much much more to mine. My son spent over 3 years on oxygen. And while a "little cold" may be just a few days of sniffles for a healthy child, it means danger to mine. RSV can be deadly to those with compromised immune systems, babies and the elderly... and you know what? It appears exactly like the common cold. And I don't feel family size is an excuse for bringing sick kids to church. Whether a family has 10 kids or 1, bringing a sick kid to large group gathering is careless. My family misses the community, camaraderie and fellowship of a church family exactly because people believe it's okay to share their sniffles. Our neonatologist warned us that of all the places kids get sick: daycare and church are the top reasons he sees babies in the PICU. I do wish those of you who bring sniffly, contagious kids to church would reconsider. If everyone followed that courtesy, families like mine would be able to safely bring our at-risk kids to learn the joy of a church community. With sincerity,

I do have some plans made. But you know what they say about the best laid plans! The links are in my sig: "Looking ahead" has the plans for my 6 yo and 8 yo. "Making the most of preK" has my preK plans for my soon-to-be 5 yr with a global delay.

I agree with this - for normally developing children. I believe parents who were blessed with all healthy children would probably not see a need for teaching pre-reading and pre-writing skills. Healthy, "normal" (ohhh, I hate that word!) children, can often thrive without it, and in fact pick it up from their rich environments. I was able to 'get away' with such a relaxed learning atmosphere for my oldest boys - I think I took for granted how easily they learned the basics. It wasn't until we saw the differences in learning with my youngest, that we agreed some children need the additional repitition, assistance, materials and instruction that some preK materials provide and walk parents through. And for those children, and those parents, having the necessary tools sure is a blessing.

Mine has no pencil work until the very last few materials (ETC), which I think he'll get to at the end of the year, or next year in K. Handwriting without Tears (recommended by my son's OT) has wooden blocks, playdoh and magnetic stamps. My son only scribbles, too. He can't recognize or identify a single letter. I think the "Same or Different" book is helping a lot with visual discrimination. So are the sequencing beads... he needs to really think about the shapes, colors, pictures etc to follow the pattern or find the ones that are the same/differenct. Even before they know the letter, Same or Different asks them to find the same letter in the row. EK EE FE EK Which are the same? BB BP BB DB What two are the same? etc. He can do the shape sorter now, although he doesn't do it so the numbers are upright (meaning he looking at only the shapes). But that clock, shape sorter has value for a lot of teaching skills: shape, color, size, numbers, telling time, counting, etc. The materials I got are for a year or more of growth. :)

I put a lot of thought into my son's preK. You can see all the materials - with photos - here. I didn't picture the books, but we are using the books from b4FIAR, FIAR, and sonlight c. http://www.lifewithmy3boybarians.com/2008/03/troubles-prek-learning-tools.html

Well, for one... I learned a lot from this book. I totally misunderstood what an antagonist did in the story line. Like the myth, I just thought this was the villian. I have read a LOT of books in my days, and this turned on a lot of lightbulbs for my own thought about books. I wouldn't have come to the same conclusions the book did without knowing how to really dissect from an author's perspective. I am glad I own it, so I can use it as a reference for the first couple of times I try to do those steps with my own kids. Having someone to hold my hand will be beneficial to both me and my boys. If you have done more literary studies than me, perhaps reading it once will be enough for you. For me, I didn't realize the scope of my ignorance until I read the book. Now I'm glad to have it as a reference.

I feel like I could have posted Myrtle's post: Ds7 is in Singapore 3a and we are finally getting somewhere with long division. He uses IP 2b for review, and CWP 1. Ds6 is in Singapore 1b and memorizing the 12x12 mult table. He can skip count and do multiples for: 2,3,4,5,9,10,11, but has not memorized multiples of 6,7, 8 or 12. He just started CWP 1. I consider ds7 to be only slightly ahead, and ds6 to be on grade with average peers.

Jean, I got the recs for ours through the state's children hospital. They have an evaluation center on the hosp grounds called "center for disabilities and development". After a whole eval, we got recs that way. I wish you the very best. We're only a few weeks ahead of you in the discovery process. Darcy