Hmmm..... the Maps, Charts, and Graphs series; Memoria press materials; Legends and Leagues (maybe minus the activities)....off the top of my head, that's all I can think of. Maybe just blank map fill in and some good Geo Puzzles? That would be quick and seems to be effective.

What 4blessingmom said....I build my own CM curriculum, too. List of subjects, list of books in the order I want us to read them, split books into manageable time chunks or page numbers (whatever seems to make sense), post it book marks and off we go. I do schedule out what subjects I want to hit ech day/how many times a week we should read each book we're using, but that's it. Good luck!

Hi, everyone! I am working on planning for next year (third grade) and was wondering if any W&R users could give me some feed back on the Chreia level. At first, I thought I was going to use W&R two weeks on, one week off, using Cottage Press materials on our off weeks. That would have us completing about two CAP books a year. Which is what the program is scheduled at, approximately. So my daughter (almost 8 now) would be learning to write 6 paragraph essays in Chreia at age 9, in fourth grade. That seems way too soon...and the progym exercise of expanding on a maxim, i.e., the Cheia/Proverb stage, seems in my mind like a great exercise for, say, a 7th grader. I actually emailed Christine Perrin about the pacing of this program last year, noticing that Selby's materials and Cottage Press both start the progym later and/or introduce certain exercises quite a bit later than CAP does. She emailed me a good response, basically saying that the W&R books had been written for the ages they are meant for. But I just kind of wonder if, despite that fact, a nine-year old really SHOULD be in Chreia, even they CAN because CAP wrote the book that way. Has anyone who has actually used the Chreia level felt that it was good/horrible fit for the age of the child being taught? Or anyone who has used a progym based program of any kind could give their thoughts. Thanks!!

Let's see...I think I have 3rd grade figured out. I could be wrong....my plans have changed a lot already. :) So far: Morning Time - prayers, song, poetry memorization, term poet, read-aloud loop (history/culture of the Celtic peoples, American history, and my book house) Language Arts - CAP's W&R Fable ( two weeks on, one week off), Cottage Press Primer Two Fable and Song (on the weeks we don't do W&R), Well-Ordered Language, Apples and Pears w/ extra dictation as needed, daily copy work, lots and lots of oral narration, perhaps letting her try a written narration or two most weeks; creative writing projects, maybe.... Math - finish Singapore 2B and move into 3A and 3B, Math Mammoth topic books in multiplication, division, and measuring (because I totally skipped all the measurement stuff in Singapore), Right Start Math Games weekly History (Modern) - SOTW volume 4 with AG, Of Courage Undaunted, Leader of the Nutcracker Men, and Number the Stars (oral narration on all these) Geography - Memoria Press 50 States, GeoPuzzles, GeoPuzzle game, and using globe/map in our daily readings Science (Physics) - The New Way Things Work with a Physics Lab kit, dvd's, library books to fill in on light, magnets, electricity, etc.; she keeps a science notebook Natural History/Nature Lore - Robert McGlung books (oral narration), Secrets of the Woods (oral narration), nature journal entry twice a week (one assigned, one free)...there is a great nature journal on lulu I think I'm going to buy Literature - Parables from Nature, The Hurricane's Children, The Wind in the Willows (oral narration on all of these) Latin - Song School or Lingua Latina (leaning toward Lingua Latina) Gaelic - go-gaelic.scot and my own mish-mash Logic - various books Logic Safari and chess every week Music - lessons from me and term composer Picture Study - SCM Portfolios Art - ARTistic Pursuits Handicrafts - origami and crochet and sewing Cursive - Pictures in Cursive PE - we have a farm, she has a goat....plus weekly ballet, bike riding, swimming when it's warm enough Our co-op is a monthly meet up for Music, Art, Gym, and American Sign Language Science.....I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I kind of hope not. That's a long list!! Thanks everyone for sharing. I love reading through other people's plans. :)

You'll want the teacher's guide, textbook, and workbook. I think Extra Practice is nice to have on hand for the times your child needs the extra drill and practice, but it's not necessary. Neither is Intensive Practice or Challenging Word Problems. Intensive Practice is more challenging than the regular workbook - puzzles, etc. Great if you think your child would enjoy it. If you feel any of them could use extra practice solving word problems, grab CWP. I like to use that at one grade level lower than where my daughter is as a review. Generally, counting blocks of some kind are a good manipulative to have around, but their website does list recommended manipulatives to have for each grade. Hope that helps!

The loop schedule is a way of getting to things that one often does not get to, without feeling stressed about missing one subject vs another. Instead of plugging subjects into days, one puts them in the loop. First, you decide what your daily must-happens are. Everything else (or not, up to you) can be looped. Then decide how long, approximately, to spend on loop subjects each day. Then decide on proportions. For example, if I wanted to do History three times for every one time I taught Science and Geography, but Art two times the loop would look like this: History Science History Art History Geography Art Then, on my daily schedule, instead of listing those content subjects I would just write Loop Time. Then I do the next thing in the loop, whatever that may be. It allows us to move forward in all of those subjects in proportions we can live with without feeling behind in any one thing. I love loop scheduling because it really takes the mental pressure off. Right now we have a morning loop (either geography or logic) and an afternoon loop (history or science). This is a very simple way to do it. I also loop some enrichment things and will probably have a morning time loop at some point, too. I predict making good use of this approach as my children get older/I have more children. Pam Barnhill at edsnapshots and Sarah MacKenzie at amongstlovelythings have lots to say about looping. That's great info with lots of examples, if you want more.

We really love Dancing Bears from Sound Foundations for fluency. It has made a real difference in my daughter's reading ability. It's not really a work book or game, you would have to be there doing it with her, but it only takes about 10 minutes and the results have been great here. Good luck, and don't fret too much. My daughter was a lot like yours...six and reading well if we were VERY consistent. I worried a lot about fluency. Dancing Bears helped,but so did just sticking with it. She reads for hours at a time now - books I was sure, once upon a time, she would just NEVER be able to. ;)

And I've heard of MHLW! I didn't make the connection, however...oops. Thsnks for clarifying!

Sorry, but what is MHLW? I saw it a few times scanning this thread and I don't think I've seen that abbreviation before. Thanks!

I'm short on time, but here are a few quick thoughts.... Schedules are, I think, pretty much required to home school multiple children and still stay sane. Schedules are meant to free you, not hold you down, so if a "strict" schedule stresses you, it isn't the right one. Scheduling to the half hour, or even hour, makes me batty - we get WAY behind TOO fast EVERY day. No good. A schedule with times is great as a guideline, if you can remember that it is only that - a guide, not something rigid that Must Be Adhered To At All Cost. A general flow to the day is usually better than times, especially with little ones in the mix. Decide how your day should flow (the order in which you do things) and about how much time each thing should take (with margin built in), and then relax. Kids like to know what's coming next. I like to label my days 1 through 5, instead of assigning certain subjects to certain days. Then, if we skip Tuesday in favor of shopping thrift stores for Halloween costumes, we aren't actually behind. Wednesday just gets to be day 2. I hope some others chime in, and maybe I'll be able to add more later. Schedules are great, and I agree that having one would help your chaotic feeling. It certainly helped mine. :) However, schedules are a tool that you have to make work for you. Do some thinking about what you want your days to look like, write it all down, and start there. I find getting things out of one's head and onto paper helps to make all those moving pieces stand still long enough for one to actually to think about it all. Good luck!!

Hi there, and welcome! I am short on time, but two things that have helped me home school through no money and challenging circumstances - making the library, particularly inter-library loan, my very best friend and posting on my walls visual reminders that uplift me daily. Quotes, literature passages, anything that jumps out at me that I find encouraging. You can do this!!

For the record, arts and crafts are not a requirement for happy home schoolers. I suggest getting the older kids some how-to books and supplies and letting them teach themselves something useful, like sewing or crocheting. Don't force the crafts....my policy is one or two history projects every 6 weeks or so. Science activities when they look easy, appropriate to how our day is going, and like something I would enjoy, too.

I don't know how you would worry about high school until they are caught up, but my kids are nowhere near that, so maybe someone else will have a better answer. It seems like you have to meet them where they are, though. The only thing I don't see is music...nice job with the progress made!!

Hi, there....the truth is that home schooling is often overwhelming. You aren't crazy (or maybe we all are? :) ) , but this journey is not an easy one. I have a 7 year old, a 4 year old, and a barely 2 year old...not quite your kid load, but I deal with a lot of back pain and a husband who is gone more than he is home. Every day. The trick for me is to take things a day (or an hour) at a time and not get myself too married to the way a curriculum is laid out. If you've picked curriculum that you feel is the right choice for you, your children, and your family in general, then give it a whirl. Just don't be afraid to admit that something isn't working. It isn't a failure on your part to change curriculum, or change the way you use curriculum. Do what is right for your family right now. You know your children better than anyone....and I'd bet that it will all be fine. Home schooling may be difficult sometimes, even a lot of the time, but it is a unique opportunity to feed the minds and souls of your children. No matter what the day has brought - if it went swimmingly or crashed and burned - make sure you look for the bits to savor. There is always something sweet to store away in your heart, to lean on when it feels like everything is just falling down around you. Don't be afraid to ask for help, don't be afraid to look for support (here and in "real" life), and don't be afraid to rest. I am sure you know your children well...harder will be to know yourself, to know when you need to break for a long weekend, or drop a subject for a bit, or take a full two weeks off to reevaluate or just rest. Rest is an essential ingredient to successful home schooling. Take time to do beautiful, relaxing things together. Poetry tea time, quality read-alouds, time spent in nature, family game night, family movie night....savor, remember? Savor every bit of it because it will make that darned math page bearable tomorrow. Make use of time that the little people are napping - do something like math that requires you there next to a child giving your full attention. Send one eight year old off to play with the two year old, then switch off. Work out a schedule that you think will be doable, and then go back and tweak it as necessary. Let the schedule be something that keeps you all on track,but doesn't tie you down. Make sure that you include independent work for the older two where you can. Keep it on a checklist for them and tell them that if Mommy has to stop school to tend a little person, they should work on completing that check list. That stops school from halting completely because baby needs to nurse or the two year old just dumped ALL the cheerios all over the floor. AGAIN! ;) Have activities ready for the two year old that only come out one at a time and only at school time. Call it school - I bet your two year old will feel all grown up and included if you word it like that (mine does!). Just take it slow in the beginning and let yourself learn what works and what doesn't. You will all find your rhythm after a while. And you won't regret your choice to home school, even on the bad days, if you keep your eyes on what matters, on what has been accomplished, and on what is beautiful, right now, in your children, your family, and yourself. Blessings, Mama, you'll be fine. :grouphug:

Thank you. I think needed that this morning. :)

I was thinking the same thing as Mystie. I can't see the loop working very well for independent checklists. I use it for things that require my time. Daily checklists with end goals are daily checklists with end goals - good motivators for some kids and a good way to increase accountability. AttachedMama, can you share more about your subjects/schedule/etc.? Maybe someone could look with fresh eyes and offer advice. If the daily checklist was working, why are you trying to loop? Hope today is better for you.

I love the idea of a cultural literacy loop... Now I have more planning options running around my head for next year. :)

SereneHome, The loop schedule is a way of getting to things that one often does not get to, without feeling stressed about missing one subject vs another. Instead of plugging subjects into days, one puts them in the loop. First, you decide what your daily must-happens are. Everything else (or not, up to you) can be looped. Then decide how long, approximately, to spend on loop subjects each day. Then decide on proportions. For example, if I wanted to do History three times for every one time I taught Science and Geography, but Art two times the loop would look like this: History Science History Art History Geography Art Then, on my daily schedule, instead of listing those content subjects I would just write Loop Time. Then I do the next thing in the loop, whatever that may be. It allows us to move forward in all of those subjects in proportions we can live with without feeling behind in any one thing. I love loop scheduling because it really takes the mental pressure off. Right now we have a morning loop (either geography or logic) and an afternoon loop (history or science). This is a very simple way to do it. I also loop some enrichment things and will probably have a morning time loop at some point, too. I predict making good use of this approach as my children get older/I have more children. Pam Barnhill at edsnapshots and Sarah MacKenzie at amongstlovelythings have lots to say about looping. That's great info with lots of examples, if you want more.

I suppose the best way to see what books would work best for your son is to go to the library and try it out. If they are too difficult, don't push. I started my daughter with something too easy and worked her up a little at a time. It really helped her confidence. Unless he is a natural reader. Then he may not need to ease into real books quite so much. It was my impression that AO lists for literature were meant to be read aloud, at least until much older grades.

I agree with Silver Moon. My daughter is about 3 months into second grade level LA material (we school year round). We are using FLL 1 and 2 at an accelerated rate, which would correspond to your memory work, I suppose. We are doing WWE 1 and 2 (also accelerated), alternating weeks with CWP to change things up. We have Rod and Staff Spelling (though I think we are switching to Spelling You See) and various readers that she uses to practice reading allowed. We have PLENTY! My daughter handles the load well, so we're continuing on, but I would not dream of adding vocabulary. I thought about adding a more formal literature, but that would be dumb...at this age, a stack of good books and making the TIME to read aloud to her daily is all we need. I think your line up is perfect. Don't be afraid to cut the hand writing if you don't need it. My daughter requested cursive, so we spend about five minutes every morning together with that. If she hadn't requested it, though, we wouldn't have any separate hand writing time. What volume of Language Lessons are you using? I used some of the series here. I thought the books were lovely, though needing supplementation, which of course you have. :) Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I feel better already. :) My husband and I did end up talking, and we have in the past, but I predict it will come to something similar again. The trick is going to be changing my own reaction, as I think that's the only thing I can control right now. Home schooling is here to stay, so is the farm. My husband has his own business and that's not going anywhere. Obviously, the little people are sticking around for a while. :) My house isn't going to get any bigger. I can't really afford outside help, though if that changes I will certainly hire someone. That would be lovely. In the end, I need to work on my own guilt and bad reaction. I don't know why it is so hard, but it is. When my husband is in a better mood, I can also ask him to keep in mind just how hard his negativity is for me to deal with. Yesterday wasn't the day for that, but it should be said. I do the same for him because of how hard his schedule/work load is. Thank you so much for all of the encouragement. I needed that in a big way. You're all fantastic, if you don't mind me saying. :)

And that is nothing new, of course. Besides having three young children, I have a very small house, a very busy husband, a small farm, and a slipped disk. Plus that whole home school thing. :) Usually I can deal with it, both the clutter and the daily do-this-again-for-the-fiftieth-time stuff. But if I have been particularly busy and/or my back is especially painful....well, then the house gets Below A Certain Level alarmingly fast. My husband does not complain, not day-to-day, but whenever he decides to help, he gets very upset and stressed. This is understandable - I hate messes, too - but it always leaves me feeling like he is angry with me, like the only reason it has gotten to be such a mess is because I am somehow inadequate. My logical self knows this is not true, knows I try my best most every day and that is all I can do. I also know, logically, that he isn't mad at ME, just the mess. But I have a very, very hard time dealing with "I'm not good enough" feelings. It does not seem to matter how much I talk nice to myself in my head when something like this happens, I end up in tears anyway. And apologizing to him. This happened this morning, while he was cleaning upstairs, picking up the masses of clothes the girls had managed to spread all over the floor. I did not ask him to use his father's day to clean, but I was grateful for the help and I said so. They had made a *true* mess. Clean with dirty, all sizes, some things that had been packed to be used later in the year or next year or whatever. He had them up there helping, but the easiest thing was to bag it up, bring it down here where there is more room and I can stand at the table, and let me sort it. This they did, but my husband was obviously so disgusted that I ended up in tears. Again. I apologized for the fact that there is always so much left undone. This was a bad week - busy, busy, and a lot of pain in my back. The trash was overflowing, the floor needs to be swept, the stove needs to be scrubbed, and much more. I was feeling overwhelmed, and horribly guilty, before he got upset. So when he started, I couldn't seem to help it. I hate. HATE crying over a messy house, but there it is - I did. And apologized when I really shouldn't have had to, I don't think. I've told him, and told him again this morning, how hard it is for me when he gets so upset about the house. Because I am already beating myself up over it. I think he feels like I should just let him be upset and that it shouldn't bug me. That's not an unfair feeling, but it would it be so terrible to walk over to me when I am crying, give me hug, say "I'm upset about the mess, but not at you. I know how hard you try"? That, or even less, is literally all it would take. Then I could work feeling like we are working together, instead of him having to fix what I've failed at. And I know I am a big girl, I know I probably shouldn't get so sad and guilty when he stresses over the house, but that is HARD for me. Like a real weakness that I have to work at all the time. I don't think I'm asking too much, when I ask him to remember that and try to be a help to me in this. Anyway, I had to tell somebody because I don't want to talk to him later, and ruin Father's Day more than I have. Thanks for listening, ladies. I appreciate it.

Thanks! I'd read AO's free stuff, but I can"t stand screens. I'd rather buy it. :)

If you could buy one modern paraphrase from Amazon, what would you pick and why?

The Dictation Treasury: A Course Of Graded Passages For Prepared Dictation, Spelling & Copywork Paperback – November 29, 2010 by C. S. Fairfax (Author) Has anyone used this/heard of it? I am thinking of switching spelling to a studied dictation method an am looking for a resource.