I believe I've come up with a schedule draft. M-W-F we will try to focus on 30' of Math, plus French & Spanish. I will also do more of these subjects on the weekends but also fold in a 'Science Sunday''--Mystery Science, kits, readings &/or experiments. That's as far as I've gotten so far.

Also, any (online) videos you can recommend that break word problems down? She's pretty visual so I believe videos could help. Manipulatives are also still effective & appropriate.

I'm looking for sources of math word problems, grades 3-4. My child is having trouble figuring out how to attack/solve them so it'd also be nice to have sources that spell out the steps initially (& then gradually leave off the scaffolding). It'd also be super great if they were free, like online PDFs. Any other tips on teaching this skill is appreciated.

I know school has just gotten underway but our house has already settled into a nice, no pressure routine. How is your after school going? I have a 4th grader and we're continuing our read alouds, Spanish literacy, French heritage school homework (plus cursive!), history, and math facts. I need to yet cycle in typing, science, outlining, & spelling. It'd be nice to periodically work on robotics, woodworking, or some other 'build it' projects. I'd also like to get outdoors more and have her bike & skate. What type of schedule and organization do you keep? Rotations seem ideal to keep things in manageable chunks. My kid is more cooperative if it's just a 'bit here & there'. I'd also like to make science happen more & I have so many resources but since it's not my forte it tends to get left behind. Hmmm...

So what exactly is done w/ hoops and ropes? Chanting the facts?

I'm looking to solidfy my 4th grader's arithmetic fluency. I've tried lots of things and yet here we are still plugging along. I'm now on the hunt for whole body activities. I can think of beach ball toss and perhaps hopscotch. Anything else?

Just as an aside, I have a auditory-visual learner and when she asks how to spell a word, I tell her to close her eyes and visualize/see it in her head. That oftentimes helps. I also get her to occassionally ask Alexa or Siri to spell to her. I feel your pain though b/c my kid needs support at times with simple words too.

What about getting him involved in a horse rescue place? Also, I once saw classes for kids that began with horse 101--care, etc.--and slowly built up to riding. It was much cheaper than straight up riding classes.

Salvador Dali.

I haven't read today's replies but will do so right after this post. I have attached a recent writing sample. It's her take on 'A Dog's Purpose'--the puppy POV books by Bruce Cameron. She's a cat lover so started her own story using his books as a model. I believe she does well with creative writing. She doesn't always complete her stories but she writes like this regularly & of her own volition. I'm hoping the upcoming creative writing class will prompt her to continue growing. I guess my original concern was expository writing. Yes, I believe outlining and summarizing are things she can work on in tandem with other skills. I will now look at today's posts. Thanks for the continued interest and input.

Lori, I have been giving this more thought and am still mulling over ideas and approaches. I really like the 'game' (or oral) suggestions you made. Do you have others? Where can I get a list of such innovative ideas? We love all things fun so tackling it in this way just may be the sweet spot for us!

My 4th grader wnats to complete a 40 book challenge this year. She's to read from various genres. I need book suggestions for realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and memoirs. Thanks!

Yes, thanks! She got the set last year for her 8th birthday but never seemed interested.......until now, after hearing the 1st book on CD. Now she's pulled out her hard copy of the book!

Please give titles of 'learn to edit' curriculum. Thanks!

My 8 yr old sporadically listens to Wow In The World (by NPR) through the Bluetooth in our car. It teaches in a memorable way and she thinks it's wacky and hilarious.

I'm interested in creating an after-school math club at my kid's 3-5 elementary school. It'd be either weekly or 2 times per month for an hour. I'd like to reinforce what they're already learning through creative projects and fun games. The main objective would be to reinvigorate a love of math. Does anyone know of resources I can gather in order to plan this?

Thanks, Lori. I guess I am just freaking out because her PARCC writing score isn't what I anticipated (yes, I know one score isn't the 'be all end all'). I'm not expecting perfectly written essays but I do expect a move towards more concise and organized writing. I don't think that's something that just 'happens' and she needs direct instruction. Having been a writing teacher and also a public school teacher, I know many students simply don't get the explicit instruction they require. I like your suggestions and I naturally lean towards fun and game-like activities. We learn lots under the guise of play. I definitely don't want to squelch her creative juices and I never critique her stories. I hink your ideas and the Progym 1 (Fables) are a good start. I also signed her up for a short creative writing class. I'm thinking of going through the writing process once per month (or so) with an assigned topic so she gets the hang of it. Too much?

Thanks for this reminder. She types in school (1x/week I believe) and will randomly do so at home. Perhaps a more regular at-home schedule will help.

Is there something out there for writing non-fiction as well?

I've got a newbie 4th grader who needs to improve her writing this year. I want her written expression to more closely match her spoken word. In other words, she speaks with grace & I want her to write with grace. I'm tired of reading 'train of thought' writing. Things should be gelling up more consiely. The kicker is this: I 'after school' so my time is limited with her. She gets zero writing instruction during the day and I need to rectify that. I've got the Progym I....Is that enough for now? Is there something else I can use in bite sized chunks?

I'm looking for a decent retelling of The Iliad for a 4th grader. She inhaled Mary Pope Osborne's The Odyssey and liked both of those books so something along those lines would be good for The Iliad. I looked at Marcia Williams' retelling but my kid doesn't really go for comic strip-like books (unless they're actual comic strips, LOL). Thanks!

Yes, thanks for the reminder. I'll need to revisit those literature connections. We've already read a few and they went over much better than SOTW itself.

LOL, I wish I could homeschool full-time. But alas, I need to work. Overall I think we're doing pretty well, supplementing things and all. I think we've had an enriching summer (in fact we're in Philly now). Having had all this free time during vacation will mean scaling back during the school year. I suppose that's part of my worry about getting my mental 'to do' list tackled before school starts. But with a deep breath, realistic goals, & focus I will no doubt keep on keepin' on.....

We just finished 'Animals Marco Polo Saw' and I supplemented with some short videos and real photos. Score! We just got 'Paddle By Sea' so we'll see if she goes for that one. Kid really likes 'Girls/Boys Who Rocked the World' CDs so I'm counting that as part of 'history' (as I do 'How They Croaked'). We're learning about good ol' Benji (LOL) via the 'Ben and Me' audiobook. I've got some other books on Philadelphia landmarks, etc. in prep for our trip there next week. We also played Ancient History Go Fish. Not super fun but I'd pull it out again at some point. We tour the White House in 2 weeks & we've toured the Supreme Court and Capitol building. In posting this, I see I've accomplished quite a bit in exposing her to some history. Why then does it still bug me that we're not covering it sequentially? Am I that much of a stickler for 'dates'? Hmmm....I think I' concerned she won't know where the pieces all fit together. Am I jumping the gun here? How do you casually build that general timeline of events for kids this age? UGH!!

Welp, we got the first 2 issues this week of Kids' Nat Geo and while my daughter says she likes them, I find them kinda too busy. I guess I was expecting less visual activity per page and more depth of information (like a more mature version of Ranger Rick). So I suppose I need to get used to this new format but in the end she's the audience so I guess it's her vote that counts most.