Megan... our daughter is Tooro, but I didn't get to spend anytime there because we did court only in Kampala, I some friends that have adopted Tooro children and there is a FB group. If you want more info on getting connected with that group let me know via PM. :-)

If you used Institute of Excellence in Writing when did you start your children doing it, both age and ability level? We want to use this, but not sure when to use it. We have been using Writing with Ease in 1st and 2nd grade. Also, does it teach grammar at all or do I need to continue with something else for that?

I think your first problem is that you "decided to take up camping". HAHA! You either "go" camping or you don't it isn't something to be "taken up" like badmitten or curling. (We live and work at a camp and "take up" camping all the time). Are there even wilderness in that area??? Just joking. A few tips and tricks for "taking up" camping: - Check the weather before you plan on going. - Take games and activities to enjoy in the rain. - Tell stories, games like "eye spy" or the animal guessing game. - Bring a nature scavenger hunt, collect things for a nature shelf. - Some of the best times are snuggled up in blankets in the rain. It is just about relaxing and being forced to do nothing or enjoy nature. - Let your kids get on rain gear and make mud pies or splash in puddles, what is a mess when you are having fun? - Bring some hot cocoa, jiffy pop and call it good!' - Most importantly, DO NOT bring all your devices and DVDs and all that crud. Just saying... that sort of defeats the whole purpose. Embrace what camping is... separation from the real world, for a short season!

I guess it is all sort of relative... I think we have "less is more" as a motto, but then again my "less" is certainly some one else's "more." haha!

I would do a "coop" sort of style, where maybe 2 days a week you could combine schools to do art, science and a history project together... I wouldn't want others interfering or bogging up what I do in the 3 R's...

Ok so about early intervention... in our area (we are very rural) if they are under age three they will come to you... which is great for now. But, once she turns 3 I HAVE to sign her up for a program called Boces and she HAS to do preschool in their "school" program to receive services. Not going to happen. We dealt with this with our son who was 5 with speech therapy. :-( BUT, maybe just getting help for a few months will benefit us some and get us headed in the right direction.

My daughter is 2.5 years old and started walking at about age 1. She only ever walks on her tip toes. When standing still she will sometimes go down onto her flat feet, but when in motion it is always on her toes. She has very poor balance and falls often. She looks like she is a little drunken sailor weaving all over. She falls and skins herself up exceptionally more than other kids. She also came home via adoption and had a traumatic birth in a 3rd world country in which she was eventually (after a very long labor) born via c-section. Her mother was a young teen. She didn't sit up until we got her at about 9 months of age (she was just starting to be able to hold her trunk up) because the orphanage she was in just strapped her down in a seat most of the time, but then progressed very quickly in skills and was crawling, cruising and walking with in a short amount of time (over about 4 months). Our pediatrician says not to be concerned... but really... I am. Her coordination has not improved at all since she has started walking nearly a year and a half ago... she looks like she "just" started walking. She is "normal" in most other ways. I have tried making her walk flat footed, but that works for literally 20 seconds. I have tried both letting her go bare foot and also in stiffer shoes that keep her from walking on her tip toes. I wonder if she has mild CP or short calf muscles/tendons??? What would you do if your dr. refused to do anything? I don't know what to do...

My husband and 2 boys wear dry wick type underwear under their swimsuits both for modesty and also because the mesh causes chaffing.

Oh also... you wanted thoughts on the following... (got so stinking excited I went off with all the other stuff! :-) -two in kindergarten, different paces: I have 2 in kindergarten and they are at different places/paces... but I'd not think shed' be ready for kindergarten until she learns english. BUT school shouldn't be about grades levels... just learning and achieving at the level that each child needs. She will know she "missed" something. Focus on her strengths and encourage her in her weak areas. -we are worksheet/book people - this will not work for new DD. audio or visual currics you love? Honestly, I think workbooks might be best for her... easy ones (unless you mean that she might have fine motor issues) Audio and visual will be very hard for her because she doesn't know english yet. My son does far better with work books than listening or even watching some stuff. Math u see (might) work later on... but probably not for a year or more. -combining an OLDER child (new DD) with a younger in preschool to catch up without causing weird dynamics? It wont be weird if you are ALL doing school together. I have our 4 yo doing work with her 6 yo brothers and 8 yo sister, because we do school "as a family." She will know that she has a sibling who is near her (or above her) in ability level... that is ok. Just do the family thing. Encourage her siblings to help her, do things together, play educational games, etc... -focus on language first, other areas second? Family first, then Language ... everything else will come into place after that.

First and foremost, Congrats! Can't wait to check out your blog!!! Honestly I am working on a blog post... it isn't up yet... on this very topic. (shecanlaugh.blogspot.com) We have a son who came home at just about age 5. He knew no english. I have also taught kindy for 3 (formerly) adopted children. My advice... - Practice being a family first. Make everything about love, trust and learning each other. Take a season or two to do only this! - Do "school" together as a family. Be inclusive in all you do. If ALL she learns from you is how to be a daughter and to be part of a family you have succeeded!!! - For a season just let her learn english, but do things she enjoys. Rod and Staff work books (the pre-k) are AWESOME for this... they have saved my sanity this last year, and I normally HATE workbooks. - Consider keeping her mandarin, there are apps. Kids typically learn english best in connection with their birth language. - Consider speech therapy early, it has helped our son a lot. - Find things that connect with her... not all books or curriculum will have things she can connect her background knowledge to. I saw our son glaze over every time i'd pick up most books. Some things he just doesn't "get"... not because he isn't smart, but because he is smart and knowledgeable about things like bugs, building things, how to stay safe, how to carry a heavy load, how to cross a busy street... Their background knowledge is just different. Hers might be about things like how to get what she wants or how to manipulate adults or how to control people or how to shut out trauma... accept that as knowledge she needed to survive in her previous life and be patient in taking time to teach her the new things she needs to know, like being a part of a family. - Keep your expectations at the lowest possible place. She will have delays. She may really be more similar to a 4 or 3 year old. That is ok. Savor the time you have to just mother her and baby her. She will develop naturally once she is safe in a family. - Teach her very much how you would teach a baby, on your lap, reading bright picture books, saying rhymes, clapping games, actions, make it fun and think a few years lower than you would for most 6 yos. She will probably LOVE it... she hasn't gotten much (if any) of that before. Hugs. You can do this thing! Give yourself grace and a break as much as you can!

This year I will have a 2nd grader, 2 kindys, a pre-ker (joining the Kindy work) and a toddler... pray for me!

It is all coming back... Yes Masada... such a horrible and interesting period of time! Thanks so much for all these resources!

Thank so very much! This is all very helpful. You know, I need homeschooling just as much (or more) than my children do...

YaelAldrich... thoughts on hands activities our family could do?

I could think of no better perspective to look at it from... thank you so much! I personally, can't wait to learn more about this period of history!

Yeah, probably mixing things up! What I need is info on the end of the Jewish nation... Roman era. Thanks! This is already helping.

Now give it a try! Let me know if they all work ok... I think I just forgot to make them public.

I'll work on changing that... thanks for letting me know!

Any jewish or messianic homeschoolers out there???

Just to clarify, my friend isn't asian, she is american, but lives in asia. She is a driven person for sure. Honestly, I just feel like I have to explain to the world why my really capable 8 yo isn't like other kids... That said, we took a well deserved and needed break from phonic instruction (and even plugging a long at readers) for the last 3 weeks. Last night she read me about 5 readers all in a row... because she wanted to! And while she still struggles a whole lot with fluency and just having to sound out every stinking word she did really well and enjoyed it! Yay! And you are totally right... no kid needs to be judged or approved of based on their reading abilities... ever. Thanks for the words of love!

Yes. This. Thanks so much... I didn't know if it builds on each other or if you can just move them up...

This is pretty much our day... HERE

Recently a friend came to visit us who has a 5 yo who just finished kinder at a private school in Asia... she is excelling (and more advanced in reading than even my 8 yo) mainly because my friend admitted that she is in school for 7+ hours a day and then comes home and does upwards of 2 hours a night of homework. And that isn't ok. My 8 yo is a struggling reader, but it felt like my friend did everything she could to make this a point of observation... how advanced her child was, and how far behind mine is. She went as far as to say I ought to teach her in a certain manner... and gave me a set of readers (like I don't have any!!!)... they were complete junk. It just hurt. I tried really hard just to hear her and tell her that my 8 yo is learning at her own pace... and that we desire her to love learning in a greater way that outward success. How do you all deal with people emphasizing your child's differences and "blaming" that on homeschooling? How do you not let that be a reflection of you as a mother/teacher? When I taught I had NO personal burden/concern that some of my students struggled at things like reading... I just taught them and sent them home. Not so in homeschool... if they struggle I feel like others look at me as if I am either screwing up or screwing around. :-/ Sigh. PS I've also been struggling to figure out what "socialization" looks like in our family... for our children... some of my thoughts... HERE It is just hard. Both social stuff and also when your child isn't exactly like other kids...

So... I LOVE Sonlight, but was given ALL of SOTW... here is my attempt to make SOTW more like Sonlight in form and function. It includes a plan, literature and resource lists. MY BLOG Critics welcomed... since we haven't actually done this yet! :-D

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