How do you incorporate assignments and due dates into your schedule? My goal is for my oldest two girls to learn how to be more independent and responsible for their school work and assignments. What types of boundaries are reasonable to encourage this? I'm am going to start a no screen time before 4pm rule. I'm wondering about due dates for assignments. Thinking that daily independent work should be done daily, before 4pm. And maybe that larger assignments should be due weekly. Wondering if Monday is a good day for things to be due so they can work over the weekend if they need to. I'm not really sure what the consequence will be yet if work isn't finished. Up until now, we really haven't kept grades, except to correct wrong answers. Blessings, Cathy

I had a fleeting idea that I might stay overnight near our homeschool convention instead of driving home and then back again early the next day. We don't live that far away, about 45 minutes. But I thought it would be nice to get away for the night to pray, research curriculum and start lesson plans for anything that I had purchased. It doesn't look like it will work out but, it got me to thinking.... It would be nice to escape for a day or two to plan lessons without distractions and interruptions. But since all my stuff is already here at home, I started to think it might be better if I stayed home and everyone else left. Now I know that if I leave with my instructor guides and laptop, then I would focus just on that. But if I am at home, I would still be distracted by the pets, the clutter, the unfinished projects, the quiet, etc. What things have you tried to get some uniterrupted time to really dig into curriculum, read and research, create a course of study for each child, lesson plan, and maybe even make student notebooks or set up workboxes. I haven't yet used a computer based planner or tracker, but it's time. Getting all the data entered would be something I'd want to get done during this time too. If you've left for a long time, maybe overnight, what did you take with you? I'd be aggravated if there was something I could've used but left home. If you've stayed home, did you lock yourself in a room? What did the rest of the family do during that time? Was it one long session, or several shorter sessions? Thank you for helping me to sort this out. Blessings, Cathy

Thank you! This is what I wanted to know, and a great help to me. Sounds very similar to what Sonlight does. I won't like not being able to buy at the convention, lol, but will appreciate taking time at home to figure out carefully exactly what I need. Blessings, Cathy

I'm bummed that nobody has seen TOG at a convention :(

I'm excited to visit the TOG Booth at our convention next week. Wondering what to expect. What will I be able to see? Will I be able to buy there and take it home with me? Or is it like Sonlight, where you can peruse but not buy onsight? Will there be books available from Bookshelf? Thanks for your help! Cathy

Wondering if anyone has information that might help me resolve my problem. I purchased a ticket to this year's expo in mid-May. I didn't get a confirmation email with a link to access to the Membership site. I figured that the audios were still being edited and uploaded, and I like to download them all at once, so I was patient. I sent a follow up email in mid June requesting the link. I didn't get a reply. I just sent another follow up email, hoping to get a quick response this time. Has anyone had trouble with the Expo this year? Any suggestions on how I can get this resolved if I don't get a reply to my second email? Thanks and blessings, Cathy

Thank you! I will enjoy looking into these options!

Hello, I know there are a few menu planning subscriptions. I've never really been too interested in them because I usually plan my meals based on what I have stockpiled or what's on sale. I couldn't see how I could effectively use the menu plan without blowing my grocery budget. I'm wondering if there is a way to combine both a menu plan subscription and using what I already have on hand. What might that look like? Would it be easy enough to make it worth the cost? Also, what are the most popular menu plan subscriptions? What are the pros and cons of each? Please include any free plans, if they exist! Blessings, Cathy

Thank you for the replies and suggestions. When I say that writing is painful, I should have said that it's painful for me! So much complaining over getting it done! For GDI users, have you run into any trouble with your kids reading other cursive?

I have two girls, ages 11 and 9. Up until now, we've used only A Reason For Handwriting. I'm considering a change for both girls for the following reasons: 11 year old switch to Handwriting Without Tears. She is left handed and her handwriting is mostly illegible. She writes quickly and carelessly, without regard to neatness. On the rare occasion that she puts in her very best effort, her writing is sill messy. The quantity of practice in A Reason for Handwriting is painful for her. I haven't been able to determine if it's a character issue or developmental issue. 9 year old switch to Getty Dubay Italic. Her printing is neat, but she prints very slowly. She has resisted learning cursive, so I thought Getty Dubay might be a good compromise for her. Question #1: Does the above seem like a good idea? Question #2: When switching, which level do I chose? Start at the beginning or start at grade level? Thanks for your help! Blessings, Cathy

One thing we have done is play a game like war with a deck of cards. Turn over two cards and either add, subtract, multiply or divide to see who wins the war. On a smaller scale, you could do the same with dice. Flashmaster from Sonlight helps the kids practice math facts too. It's like Calculadder, but electronic. Blessings, Cathy

giving myself a friendly bump, lol!

I was studying some curriculum catalogs today and a question popped into my head: I was wondering for each of the major companies, which year or level captured the heart and essence of their philosophy and which level didn't reflect a typical year. For example, Sonlight's Core 5 is often described as much different than the other Cores. Maybe Core 3 is a good representation of Sonlight...when the readers and read alouds become tied into the history topic. Seems like the heart of Tapestry of Grace is revealed in the upper grades. I've heard that the K level of My Father's World is different than other levels. Heart of Dakota....I can't really pinpoint it. What do you think.....are there any levels that stand out to you as just "nailing" what the curriculum claims to be? Any levels...not so much? Blessings, Cathy

I required my kids to complete some school work during a 4-5 hour plane ride? How about a 5-6 hour car ride? Planning a cross country trip that will also include two lenghty driving trips. Trying to keep the cost of entertaining children to a minimum. Blessings, Cathy

I'm wondering what features there are on the WTM forums that people use to enhance their experience. Are there ways to help you manage posts? Are there things that help to organize topics? Do you use a tool to follow specific posts, topics or people? Just wondering what I might be missing. Blessings, CAthy

You can go here and look under Forms to see any year. Here's is the actual form for year 1. This information above is worth the price of admission, lol! Really made my day! Thanks for posting. Blessings, Cathy

(Oh yes, Teacher's supplies should include, but are not limited... to Yummy Dark Chocolate in big quantities :)) I LOVE dark chocolate! And because the kids don't I actually get some!

I've been looking very closely at HOD's LHFHG for all 3. I'd pick individual Phonics and Math for each of them. While examining the week lesson plan sample, I really liked how everything ties into the Glory of God. I have experience with Before the Code, but haven't seen the two that HOD suggests. I've also been looking at Happy Phonics. Any ideas? Cathy

I think you would have a box for each child because you will sort the cards into mastered, review, and new. It's unlikely that each child will master everything at the same pace, so you might be reviewing different cards with each one. One thing we didn't get two of, that we sorely miss is two sets of the letter tiles. We've made do with other things we already had around the house, but it's not a perfect match. Hope that helps! Cathy

I do have older children, two girls ages almost 11 and just turned 9. We've settled into a combination of Sonlight and Tapestry of Grace that is working pretty well for them. Even at the LG stage, I think our "littles" are too young to tag along. Considering expenses, we divide the cost among 3 children, so we will get our money out of almost anything we choose. It's still a goal to keep spending as low as possible, and to use what we already have. We are still negotiating subsidy with the state. It's my wish for them to finish the school year with their classes. If the state will agree to continue paying through May, we will let them finish the year. We school year-round, especially during the summer because it's so hot here in the summer. Since they are used to going to school everyday, it might be best to keep them in a learning routine. One of the things I like about HOD is that my girls can be very active in helping them, which will be fun for them too. I've seen people discuss using the right side and left side of the page in order to combine children....have to find out how that works. Blessing, Cathy

Hi! We will be finalizing our adoption of our 3 foster children in March, and will be adding them to our homeschool. I'm having a difficult time choosing which curriculum might be a good fit to teach all 3 together. Eventually, I'd like to teach all 5 together, but we will need time to adjust to having everyone home and getting used to a new routine. Here is some info on them: Boy, turned 6 in Dec., currently attending private K at Primrose School, still learning letters and letter sounds, not yet reading, printing needs improvement, mild sensory issues and occasional ADHD tendencies (not diagnosed). Girl, will turn 5 in April, currently attending private PreK at Primrose School, knows all letters and most letter sounds, has begun to read short vowel words, prints very nicely Boy, 3 1/2, currently attending preschool at Primrose School, knows a few letters, does a good job keeping up with his siblings, advanced language and verbal skills, incredible vocabulary and memory, traces letters and his name They are all primarily auditory and then hands-on, especially the boys. I used Sonlight with my two girls and loved it. However, over the course of the last year, I've already ready the PreK and some of K to them. We have bedtime storytime almost every night, a very treasured time together. I'm currently using a combination of Sonlight and Tapestry of Grace, with my older girls, age almost 11 and just turned 9, and for now will continue with those. I would love to use something that has a variety of learning styles and that can be easily adapted to meet the different abilities of the three kids. I need something that requires little planning or preparation, and hopefully is low-moderate in cost. I also want their lessons to be fun, with hands-on activities, singing and play. At the risk of influencing your comments, here is what I've considered so far: 1. Sonlight PreK and/or K, following the IG and repeating anything we've already done, adding in lapbooks and notebooking, hands-on etc. 2. Heart of Dakota Little Hands to Heaven or Little Hearts for His Glory. I am very drawn to this option, as it seems to include most of what I'm searching for. However, I have just a few of the books and none of the guides, so I'd be in essence starting fresh, which could be pricey. 3. Five in a Row- I have these guides, but have never really used them. My intention was to use the activities for books we read in Sonlight. 4. Letter of the Week at letteroftheweek.com- This is free, and pretty much scheduled. Hunting down the books might be time consuming. 5. Creating my own by choosing each element individually. Would be time consuming, but might be cost effective as I take advantage of what I already own and free resources on the internet. 6. Search out the advice of others. Thank you so much for your suggestions! Blessings, Cathy

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Picked up a few pork cube steaks on manager's special today, and I would like to grill them. I'm having trouble finding any recipes or tips online for doing so.....has anyone done this? Thanks in advance! Blessings, Cathy

Melissa, I'm interested in hearing how your planning is going. After reading more reviews and doing more research, I know this is the way for us to go. This will also make it easier to add in my littles, ages 5,4 and 3 once our adoption is final. I am now starting my perpetual search for IG's, Year Plans, and books! Blessings, Cathy

Slow! LOL! I have all the toys in one room, and I am in the process of sorting them, getting all the pieces together, and then deciding what to keep, and how to get rid of the rest. Thank you for asking!