Well, my oldest learned it before she turned 2, and my second was saying it by herself before her 3rd birthday (she left out some words, but it was a speech issue, not a memory issue). I can't remember how it happened with my oldest, but with my 3-year-old, I just said it for her at bedtime every night. After awhile I would stop every few words to give her the opportunity to repeat after me. It was several months, maybe close to a year, before she said the whole thing alone.

We took a break from phonics for a few months, and then went to All About Spelling.

Suzuki violin institutes are some of my best childhood memories. I went to my first one at 3. The classes are very age appropriate, no need to worry about it being too intense or competitive. The logistics of staying on campus, well, I can't blame you if you don't want to deal with that. I was fortunate enough to have an institute in my city, otherwise I never would have gone.

Not to point out the obvious, but you'll still be at home all day with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old who suddenly have no big siblings to play with them? And you really think you'll have time for a cup of coffee? Not without the assistance of PBS, lol. My oldest goes to a enrichment program once a week, and that is the LONGEST day of the week for me. Her siblings are lost without her. Since you're not going to get child-free days anyway, why not just "unschool" for awhile and just be Mommy? They won't stagnate academically any more than they would in an inappropriate grade level in PS. I guess I just don't see where this is a win for you, and it's definitely a loss for your older kids.

I agree that you should have asked the teacher what he meant. His two comments were not necessarily related. He didn't say "She's so sharp! I'm afraid she's too smart to relate to other teens." He didn't say "She's homeschooled, so I'm afraid she can't relate to other teens." He may see something in your dd that causes that concern, and I wouldn't immediately dismiss that. I was one who got along great in adult environments, but not so much with other teens. And no, it wasn't because I was such a perfect kid. In retrospect, it was because I had annoying traits. Adults were more likely to overlook them in a young person, but peers were not so forgiving. Make sense? My other question, though, is this -- does your daughter fit in with other teens? I mean, does she have friends, does she get invited to things? Is she happy? Does she feel like an outsider? As your mom, I would assume you know these answers. Goodness knows I poured every detail of my pathetic social life in my mom's ever-patient ears. :tongue_smilie: If you know she's happy, then you can dismiss the teacher's concerns easily.

No. Not a one. It's no wonder I decided to homeschool.

That's where I am. I don't like putting things together myself. I don't even like tweaking too much unless it's obviously expedient to do so. They just don't like me to read to big sister, it's a sibling rivalry thing. Thanks for the suggestions! I think Elemental Science wins for the WTM slot if I go that route.

I'm looking for advice on two fronts. Academically, which approach do you prefer? And given my life circumstances, what would you advise? -- very bright, possibly gifted first grader -- two little ones who aren't the least bit interested in tagging along with sister's schoolwork -- disorganized mom who has a very hard time getting the munchkins outside on a regular basis, and likes curriculum that's easy to follow Science fell apart this year. I justified it because dd goes to an enrichment program one day a week, and they do science there. So I could fall back on that again next year, but I really think she's capable of more. Other curriculum plans include Ambleside Year 1, some form of math, and whatever level of AAS she's in by then.

One should always enter Narnia for the first time through the wardrobe. That's my stand and I'm not budging from it. ;) It's so much fun to read Magician's Nephew later and think, "OH! So THAT'S why the lamp post is there!" So many moments like that. Reading TMN first is like opening Christmas presents early.

I read "Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua. I couldn't resist after all the hubbub about it. It was an enjoyable read. I was surprised by how it ended, given what was implied in all the advance publicity. I'm honestly not sure what to think about it, except that now I sure don't feel guilty for anything I make my kids do!

My oldest gets sick the most. She's the one who never put anything in her mouth as a baby/toddler, and she's the one who fights sleep. My middle one, who would gnaw on any disgusting thing she could find when she was younger, almost never gets sick. She's also my good sleeper. I have noticed that if both girls come down with something, she will take a 3- or 4-hour nap and be over it like *that*, while her sister drags on with it for several days. My 17-month-old has only been sick once that I can remember. I've just stopped bf, hopefully that won't hurt his immune system too much.

I'm obsessed with watching MI:5 on Netflix. I'm on season 7 right now. I don't know anyone else who watches it. How about any of you?

Have you ever been reading through a thread, and it suddenly hits you -- a particular poster sounds like someone you know in real life? Then you read other posts by that person, and all the pieces fit together, and you know beyond a doubt that it is that person? What do you do? Wave hi? Send them a private message? Or do you start remembering all the wacky posts you've made, controversial threads you've participated in, and decide that it's better to stay anonymous? Is your online self a little more "out there" than your real self?

http://www.ambleside.org/

I went through something similar when my oldest was about that age. I think it's difficult when you know you want to homeschool, but the reality is so far away. You have to maintain your determination when there's nothing concrete to bolster your confidence. (I don't know if that makes any sense!) Just a thought, and I know it goes against a lot of people's hs philosophy, but what about some school at home type things? Get some posters from the school supply store and have circle time, find a used desk that your child can sit in for coloring (or worksheets if she's so inclined). My dd is in K, and she still pretends that our school time is "real" school. She gets all her dolls and lines them up to be classmates, she raises her hand to answer questions, she pretends to pass out papers. I play along -- whatever motivates her to get her work done, you know? And just so you know, Sid the Science Kid actually goes to a homeschool co-op. Doesn't everyone know that? ;) I also agree with the previous poster about finding a homeschool group. By the time dd was K age, she had made some great friends who were going to be homeschooled also (from families who had been homeschooling for awhile, so I knew the moms weren't going to change their minds at the last minute and send the kids to school). So homeschooling seemed natural for her by that point.

If he's enjoying the worksheets, there's nothing wrong with doing them. It may be a phase and he'll be tired of them one day.

I have boxes and boxes of children's clothes. I don't want to save them all -- there are way too many! But I'm still at the point where I want to be prepared in case of another baby. So, minimalists, pretend you're going to go shopping in my basement for baby clothes up to 12 months. What would you choose? I'm going to be brave and follow your list, and then sell the rest.

If you can't talk dh into letting you go alone, the Children's Museum and the Pink Palace Museum would be fun for the kids. NO WAY on Graceland unless you have some serious Elvis-loving kids. ;)

This is what I don't quite get about Singapore math. To me, this is an algebra problem. I did it as: 5(x+20) + 3x = 500 What level book was this problem in??

Here's a link to some monologues from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." http://www.musicaltheatreaudition.com/shows/1materials/goodmancharlie.html Alice in Wonderland: http://www.monologuearchive.com/c/carroll_001.html Anne of Green Gables: http://www.musicaltheatreaudition.com/shows/1materials/annegables.html Tell your daughter to break a leg!

I read "The Lost Prince" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

It's hard to keep track with what's correct when you're continually bombarded with incorrect usage. Some people seem to think that every word that ends in the letter S needs an apostrophe. On this board, too, hence Mrs. Mungo's helpful signature.

Yes, what she said. And on behalf of everyone who gets a little crazy upon seeing misplaced apostrophes, THANK YOU so much for asking!

I have to admit that growing up, I did fit the only child stereotype quite a bit. However, my oldest daughter is a re-run of me personality-wise. I figure people will look at her and say that she's that way because she's homeschooled. :lol: You just can't win.

Is it the songs themselves or the performances? After all, most of the songs are typical children's folk songs with different words. I don't know how musical you are, but could it work if you learned the songs yourself by listening to the CD and then taught them to your son? That's what I have done so that we can play with Latin without having to have a CD player close by.