http://legoquestkids.blogspot.ca/2012/10/final-challenge-quest-52.html If you click on a particular quest, there is a link to a post with pictures of how other kids did each building challenge. This blog continued in the same idea, but pictures are more sparse: http://thecanadianhomeschooler.com/challenges/lego-quest-2/ We have Brick City in our house. It may be too advanced for a 5yo, but you could browse through similar books from there, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Play-Book-Ideas-Bricks/dp/1465414126/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51GNmuwQ1nL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR266%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=VKDFAC7TYQXQPM5CS2TN Ruth

I will be teaching weekly lessons to second and third grade girls this year, as preparation for starting First Lego League in fourth grade. These girls have never touched Technic Legos before, so the lessons will be focused on introducing the various Technic pieces and how they fit together, ending each week with a building challenge. I would like to also use this time to discuss simple machines. For example, when we cover bushes, I want to discuss what a pulley is, and how bushes can be used in a pulley (and then have the girls create a flagpole with a paper flag taped to the rubber band). Has anyone done this, and would you be willing to share your lesson plans? I know Lego Education sells curricula for this, but that is out of my price range. Ruth

Here are my updated, finalized plans for my 6th grader: Instead of looping, we'll spend a couple months on writing history research papers, learning to do index cards and bibliographies. Prehistory/SOTW1 will have to wait for 7th grade. Fall will be Botany, with weekly observational drawings. Spring will probably be The Cell. Unprompted, she's already started making charts of observations about the frog pond. Literature will be a shelf of books and we will alternate who picks the next book to read. Additional titles include: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; The Sign of the Beaver; On the Banks of Plum Creek; Stardust; Fahrenheit 451; Much Ado About Nothing. Fridays will rotate between Grimm's Fairy Tales, poetry, and a book of short stories. This year's programming will be Python. She'll have weekly instruction in animation, as well as art journaling and a multimedia project. I also got her "Mess", so she can experiment without worrying about the end product. Friday's will be coloring or drawing. In health, we're also focusing on genetic disorders. PE focuses on hand and arm strength this year, since she's complained about an inability to do things due to weakness in this area. I ended up dropping cooking and EP Foundations, so I could more adequately cover internet safety/etiquette using Common Sense Education's middle school curriculum. Diagramming was dropped to focus on comma usage. If that doesn't clear up the issue, we'll try diagramming next year. The co-op class wasn't offered after all, so she'll be doing Adventures in Fantasy. My husband has also decided to participate, so it should be interesting to see both their stories. Her electives are going to be creative writing and animation. For December, I'd like to do half-days and then try the following for the afternoons: week 1, baking week 2, gift making/crafts week 3, Girl Scout badges week 4, enjoy presents Books have been bought and the plans are all written up now. I just need to print out the plans and file them (and any loose worksheets), then I'll be ready to start school on August 1st! Once I'm set, I'll update my signature and start uploading my plans to my blog. Ruth

I just updated my blog post through the rest of this school year (ch 29). We'll finish the last 13 chapters this fall (as a second grader). Ruth

The thing that helps me the most is to write down in my planner what I will work on the next day. For example, yesterday I wrote that I would work on planning 6th grade skills (study and life skills). When I got up this morning, I knew I had to finish planning that course before I could do anything fun for the day. I want fun, so I spent 3 hours planning the course and now I can do whatever I feel like, guilt-free, for the rest of the day (which may or may not involve binge watching Gilmore Girls with my daughters). Before I go to bed tonight, I'll decide what to work on tomorrow and write that down in my planner. It sounds silly, but keeping the "planning of the planning" separate from the actual work of planning helps me get it done. Also, I take weekends off from planning during the summer. It's nice to have time to relax and not think about academics. Ruth

I still need to update my blog with the rest of the school year, but here's my post through chapter 23: https://westwoodhomeschool.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/sotw4-for-my-first-grader/ When the material gets too intense for younger kids, I would frequently read local myths or do a geography-style study of the area. When we did WWII, we all watched a couple episodes of Hogan's Heroes and had a family discussion about the historical (in)accuracy of the show. Ruth

I've found it's most helpful for subjects that I'm not buying a curricula for, or an incomplete curricula. It helps me create a list of topics to cover (or supplement). I usually get a copy from the library and take notes as I read. If nothing else, the lists of common phrases/idioms is worth looking at. Overall, it does seem more helpful for younger grades, since older grades will have already covered some material previously. FWIW, I do know of a homeschooler that uses the series as a basis for homeschooling cheaply. She buys that book used and uses it as a complete grade syllabus. She finds resources for everything online, keeping her homeschooling budget at $100/year for 2 kids. That's probably the kind of people leaving glowing reviews. Ruth

Here's the art projects we've done for the last couple years: Kindergarten First Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade I'll be making a list of different projects for second and sixth grade over the next month. Ruth

My first year homeschooling my youngest, we did letter of the week, and I'd get library books for things starting with each letter, frequently animals. You could make science as simple as that. So week one would be ants, aardvarks, antelope, etc. By the time you finish week 26 with zebras, you'd have a feel for what kind of animals interest your child and you can focus on those. Or you could read about animals in different biomes (i.e. coral reef, jungle, etc). Or you could do a more methodical survey of animals by classification (i.e. worms, Cnidaria, Cephalopods, etc). Ruth

How Many Bugs in a Box Little Robot (mostly wordless graphic novel) Ruth

Personally, I would spend most of the time doing projects from the activity guide, sticking mostly to active stuff. For example, from the first chapter, I'd pick the Spanish doubloons, Spanish treasure, and maybe the mine shaft one (if I could do it outdoors). As the kids do each activity, I'd say a few sentences about how it relates to the SOTW chapter. Some weeks you won't do all the activities planned, but the important thing is to keep the kids engaged, so they think of history as interesting. If kids haven't already read the SOTW section, fun activities might make them curious enough to start reading for the next time. At the very least, more of it will stick in their memory than just coloring. I might allot a few minutes for kids to talk about books they've read on the topic, maybe bringing in examples (your own or from the library) for the first few sessions. If the kids just get glassy-eyed and don't start bringing in their own books, I'd drop that part of the schedule. It depends on the group of kids whether they'd enjoy it or not. It may help to bring in a book your kids found boring and say so. Kids that age appreciate honesty. Now you've got me thinking about doing a SOTW co-op class... Ruth

For 5th grade grammar, I've used weekly Mad Libs to give my student easy familiarity with the different parts of speech. They have more fun than if they were doing worksheets, and by the end of the year, they're not asking what each part of speech is anymore. You can find Mad Libs to print for free with a little internet searching. I also used a combination of Easy Peasy grammar and What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know to fill out the rest of the year. I'd use the list in the latter to do things like tell her to research onomatopoeia online and then come give me an example. I posted my plan for the year here: https://westwoodhomeschool.wordpress.com/2016/06/08/5th-grade-grammar/ It was a light grammar year, but we needed one subject to be lighter, since we were starting logic and doing higher level work in multiple subjects. When my younger kid reaches 5th grade, I'll probably use the same schedule, but rearrange the order, so there aren't so many weeks of phrases back to back. I did buy Writing Strands and Vocab from Classical Roots, but I just used novels for lit, so overall language arts wasn't very expensive. I think about $25. ETA: Here's one website with free Mad Libs: http://www.classroomjr.com/printable-mad-libs-for-kids/ Ruth

I order most curricula in May/June, so I can plan over the summer. Once I'm done with planning for the fall, I decide on what we will read for literature the following year. That way I can pick up used titles throughout the year, when I see them at a good price (at 2nd and Charles, Goodwill, etc.). If I haven't found it by the spring, I buy any remaining literature titles at full price (usually just one or two books per kid). I mostly buy curricula through Rainbow Resources and Amazon. Ruth

Saxon uses the worksheets as a spiral review. The lessons themselves are contained in the teacher manual, at least for Saxon K-2 (I haven't looked at the 3 level yet). The teacher's manual tells you how to explain new concepts with manipulatives, which is key for this age. I would think you could more easily get away with buying only the Saxon teacher's manual and using any cheap grade level math workbook/worksheets for review. Ruth

Ok, I spent the last few days drawing up an outline for using this book. As Georgia mentioned, the book is not laid out in a logical order. I still have some tweaking to do, but it'll probably be more of adding in additional sources (especially for revising, maybe something on foreshadowing). For anyone else using this book, here's how I'm ordering the steps: 6th Grade Writing Schedule (continue writing on your blog, journal, and bullet journal when you feel like it) AF = Adventures in Fantasy Writing Week 1 Read AF p11-14 Think about what genre/magic system you want to write about. Read AF p15-16, 18 Read AF p19-21 Pick your theme Writing Week 2 Read AF p25-30 Do AF p31-39 (you can do this over several days, don't rush it) Writing Week 3 Read AF p45-48 Read AF p49-63 Start writing the travelogue (can divide into 6 day's work, one for each part of the outline) Writing Week 4 Finish the travelogue Writing Week 5 Read AF p66 and do AF p76 Read AF p69-72 Read AF p79-83 Writing Week 6 Read AF p85-104 Read AF p105-109 Do AF p106 Read AF p111 and do AF p112 Writing Week 7 Do AF p105 for one character Do AF p110 for that character Do AF p115-16 for that character Writing Week 8 Do AF p105 for a second character Do AF p110 for the second character Do AF p115-16 for the second character Writing Week 9 Do AF p105 for a third character Do AF p110 for the third character Do AF p115-16 for third character Writing Week 10 Do AF p105 for a fourth character Do AF p110 for the fourth character Do AF p115-16 for the fourth character Writing Week 11 Do AF p105 for a fifth character Do AF p110 for the fifth character Do AF p115-16 for fifth character Writing Week 12 Read AF p113 and do AF p114 Do AF p117-18 Do AF p119-20 Writing Week 13 Read AF p121-22 Read AF p124-27 Read AF p130-34 Writing Week 14 Read AF p136-141 Read AF p143-47 Do AF p142 Pick linear vs circular and do AF p131 (use either p141 or 147 as a guide) Writing Week 15 Read AF p148-149 Do AF p149 (look back at what you chose in week 1) Do AF p157-58 Do AF p165-66 Writing Week 16 Do AF p162-64 Read AF p167 and do AF p169 Read AF p170-72 Do AF p173-74 Writing Week 17 Do AF p175-77 Do AF p178-80 Do AF p181 Writing Week 18 Read AF p182 Read AF p183 and do AF p184 Read AF p185-90 Do AF p198 Writing Week 19 Do AF p199-200 for exposition scene Writing Week 20 Do AF p199-200 for complication scene Writing Week 21 Do AF p199-200 for conflict#1 scene Writing Week 22 Do AF p199-200 for conflict #2 scene Writing Week 23 Do AF p199-200 for climax scene Writing Week 24 Do AF p199-200 for final scene Writing Week 25 Write a rough draft for chapter 1 Writing Week 26 Write a rough draft for chapter 2 Writing Week 27 Let mom read your beginning chapters and give feedback (AF p206) Make changes based on feedback Writing Week 28 Write a rough draft for chapter 3 Writing Week 29 Write a rough draft for chapter 4 Writing Week 30 Let mom read your middle chapters and give feedback (AF p211) Make changes based on feedback Writing Week 31 Write a rough draft for chapter 5 Writing Week 32 Write a rough draft for chapter 6 Writing Week 33 Let mom read your ending chapters and give feedback (AF p216) Make changes based on feedback Read AF p159-60 and insert transitions where appropriate Read AF p167—68 and change your “saidâ€s to something else Writing Week 34 Let mom read your whole story and give feedback (AF p221) Make changes based on feedback Check for grammar errors Run spell check, adding words to dictionary only with parental approval Writing Week 35 Create a Front Cover AF p240 Write a Cover Page AF p240 Write a Dedication page AF p240 Write an Acknowledgments page AF p240 Write an About the Author page AF p241 Writing Week 36 Write a Table of Contents AF p240 Write a back cover AF p241 Make the book AF p236-239

Before I sit down and try to figure this out myself, I wanted to see if anyone had already divided Adventures in Fantasy into 36 week chunks? My soon-to-be 6th grader has started spending her free time writing "books", so I wanted to give her a composition curricula for next year that meets her interests. If I just told her to "do the next thing", she would not challenge herself. I have to lay out weekly assignments for her. Since the book is laid out in 11 chapters and written to the teacher, dividing it up does not look like a quick, easy task, so I was hoping someone has done the hard work already. Even if you don't pre-plan, if you have used this resource, letting me know how long each section took your child would be really helpful. Ruth

My 6yo loves: Little Robot Ruth

Maybe your 7th grader could use a fun supplement like a consumer math book, or something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Math-Projects-Hands--Correlate-Specific/dp/1580375758/ref=la_B00IWBSVNC_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463762595&sr=1-1 Ruth

Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine is a good one to start with, if you want to try the Danny Dunn books. Ruth

Chocolate Fever The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks (lots of sequels, but no e-book version) Ruth

I was homeschooled in the early 90s in Washington state. I never met anyone else who had homeschooled until I went to college. We used Abeka curriculum because that was all we knew. My mom worked full-time while my dad finished a degree in engineering, so they pretty much just handed us the books and expected us to teach ourselves. I taught my younger siblings and cooked meals. We were poor, so there were no field trips (unless you count the grocer) or activities. It was not ideal, but we all at least finished college, so I guess it worked well enough. My youngest brother pored over "The Way Things Work" for hours and he would constantly take apart old broken things and try to fix them. We had a huge commercial copier in our basement that he fixed. He now repairs and flies helicopters. Ruth

I've been alternating grammar and vocab weeks this year. Spelling and math are the only two subjects that need to be done daily, IMO. Ruth

Not all of these are must watch, but here's some frequently forgotten titles. We've been watching lots of old Disney movies, and it has been educational to see the cultural differences over the decades (while still enjoying the movie watching experience). That Darn Cat Flight of the Navigator Pollyanna Newsies Bedknobs and Broomsticks No Deposit No Return The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes Snowball Express The Parent Trap The Cat From Outer Space Davy Crockett The Apple Dumpling Gang The Ugly Dachsund Lt. Robinson Crusoe Unidentified Flying Oddball Swiss Family Robinson Doctor Dolittle Start the Revolution Without Me (some nudity) Support Your Local Sheriff Annie Big King Ralph (some suggestive stuff) Three Amigos Short Circuit 2 Honey I Shrunk the Kids Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Glass Bottom Boat My Fair Lady Our to-watch list includes: The King and I Life is Beautiful Seven Brides For Seven Brothers The North Avenue Irregulars Summer Magic Now You See Him, Now You Don't Cool Runnings Ruth

I found this book today. It's from 1997, so some info is outdated, but maybe it could serve as a conversation starter on advances in medicine? http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Book-Kids-Guide/dp/0802784976/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462484477&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Disease+Book+Hyde Ruth