Maize, Thank you! That 1000 good books list is great. I see some books he has read in the advanced reader section, so I'll just pick from there. Lori D, WOW! :laugh: thank you so much!! Can't wait to dig into all these! And thanks everyone else, too!

I have an accelerated reader, and I'm having a hard time finding books for him. Where do you guys go for great book lists for the child to read (NOT read-alouds) that are grouped by reading level? FWIT my son is age 5 but I *think* reading at a 2nd grade level. He's past easy readers, and into chapter books. Today he read Chalk Box Kid in an hour, and he has already gone through The Kingdom of Wrenley series, and is currently in The Magic Tree House series. I keep googling "reading/book lists for kids" but am only finding read-aloud lists. Feel free to link to another post, as I'm sure this question has already been asked. I just can't find it by searching. Thanks!

I have just gotten into podcasts while I am at the gym. The ones I like right now are: Read-Aloud Revival Homeschooling IRL The Homeschool Snapshots Podcast and for kids, we have been enjoying Sparkle Stories Podcast

We use BOB books, then started on any basic easy reader. We just waited until we felt DS could do the reader, then we would pull it off the shelf. I know that's not exactly what you're looking for, but it's what we did.

You can search for "desk protector" on Amazon. Lots of options. We don't use one actually, but once we get a nice table we might. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My family is oversees as well and we do all out bible teaching at home. We do have other kids in our church, but the Sunday School is really more of a day care. My oldest is 5, and doing K next year. This past year we read through The Action Bible and talked about it as we went. We also did AWANA which was great for memory verses and more devotional time together. This year for K I had looked at Bible Road Trip but then thought it may be a lot of work for that age, especially on top of the other curriculum we will be doing. I also thought of doing a catechism, but wasn't sure if it was too early to start that either. In the end, we decided to continue with various children's bible and discussions and the next level of AWANA. All that being said, now I'm going to go look into some of these recommendations you've been given. :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rosetta Stone Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you, all! Very good thoughts and advice. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm looking ahead and trying to figure out a plan of attack for teaching grammar and writing. These are probably the most intimidating subjects to me since they are my weakest subjects. I have read WTM and also listened to Susan Wise Bauer's audio lecture on writing for elementary years. However, I am still uncertain of when to start and which curriculum/method to choose. I seem to be drawn to FLL for the scripted nature and also because I like the methods described by Susan. I also have heard great things about Rod and Staff, which is recommended in WTM, but I notice FLL starts in 1st (and some people start it in K) and R&S starts in 2nd. Can someone help me understand the differences/similarities between the two? Is R&S also scripted, or does it need prep work? Are the methods similar? Any opinions on when to start teaching grammar and writing? Here's the deal with my oldest. He's a very talented just-turned-5 year old. He reads fluently on his own and writes often. He is eager to write letters, stories, etc and loves learning. Even though he's young, I wonder if I should start him on some grammar? If I don't start teaching him, I'm worried he will build bad habits. However, since he's my first and I've never taught grammar before, I am unsure of myself. I would love some thoughts/advice from some more experienced folks here. Thanks! Sarah

I moved to Belgium (Flanders) last August. What everyone else said I have also found to be true. Dutch are straight forward and tell you what they think. But I also have never found anyone to be "mean", just open and honest about their thoughts. I have not found any other homeschoolers here (although I know loesje22000 is in Belgium somehwere :)), but we have made friends with the kids/families of the international school here. They all know we homeschool, but have welcomed me into their activities, and it's made a world of difference! I would be struggling if we didn't have any community or friends for our kids. I have friends who moved here from The Netherlands and I just asked them if they know someone who homeschools there and may be willing to give you their email. I'll let you know what they say.

Thanks for all the ideas. Are all of these rephrased or are they the regular WSC? I'm not sure I want to teach one version now and another version when they're older. And I am leaning toward doing either catechism or BRT, like you said. I don't want to do too much at once.

A recent post about catechism reminded me that I have been wanting to teach the Westminster Shorter Catechism to my kids. Does anyone have recommendations on how/when to start? I have DS 5 and DD 3. Is that too young? What should I buy to get started? I have also stumbled across Bible Road Trip and it looks amazing! But now I'm wondering if doing BRT and Catechism would be too much at this age? Does anyone have advice on this? Up until now, we have simply been reading through various children's bibles and memorizing verses from Awana Homeschool. But we just finished Awana, and we are working through The Gospel Story Bible. So I'm wanting something for once we are done with The Gospel Story Bible. Thanks in advance! Sarah

I am all ears! I have been wanting to start teaching my kids the westminster shorter catechism, but wasn't sure how to do it best. :bigear:

Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! So, what would be an example of a spine?

Total Newbie question, but I don't know what people mean when they refer to a "spine" in their curriculum. Anyone care to clarify for me? Thanks! Sarah

We love the book "MAPS" by Aleksandra Mizielinska. Here's a link to it on Amazon, but since I'm on my cell phone I'm not sure how the link will turn out. Maps https://www.amazon.com/dp/0763668966/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_haWUwbBDCDJ9K It has fun pictures of each country that display the culture of that country. It may not be what you're looking for if you're just looking for how maps are made. But still worth a look. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Skip it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I see no problem with telling a child of any age. It's interesting! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi there, I'm planning to invest in a bunch of audio books since I think they will get used multiple times by multiple kids. Does anyone have an opinion on the best narrator for these books? I figure these are a good place to start. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (and I also want the other stories by Potter) Winnie The Pooh (and the other stories too) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Pippi Longstocking

I think my mom read to me when I was little, but not much past then. I remember asking her to read a chapter book to me when I was a tad older. But I got frustrated because I had no reading comprehension. So we both gave up. I was always a poor reader. It has effected many other areas as well. Not sure if that's directly related to the fact that I wasn't read to much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We have tried MUS primer and didn't like it. Now we are doing RS A and love it! MUS primer was boring and didn't keep his attention. There is a lot of "color this, build this" and each lesson would use the same activity to demonstrate. My son grew tired of doing the same coloring and building, even if it was a new concept. In Right Start, the different games and manipulatives have given him a lot of excitement for math. He loves it! I will also say that even though RS is supposedly more teacher intensive, I still spend all the time with my child to teach him the math. At that age, I'm not sure how you can escape that. So you can either be more involved in the teaching (RS), or you can hover and jump in when needed (MUS). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My husband and I (and a bunch of his coworkers) used duo lingo for our one year in Italy. We all loved it. It has great review so that as you learn new things, you also go back to review the stuff you already learned. Of course, it helped talking to each other in Italian. But I highly recommend duo lingo. We didn't pay for it. I'm not sure I knew there was an online subscription. I'm competitive and was always trying to get further ahead of my husband. You can track other people and race along that way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have run into that as well. Here in Belgium kids are sent to school very young (2.5 or 3). My son is 4.5, and here is what we are doing for interaction with kids his age. 1. I am very purposefully setting up play dates after school with the kids his age. I ask the mom if she wants to meet at a playground when she picks her kid up from school. Usually they are all for it. During winter I need to think of some things to do in my house so I can have his friends over. I am starting to make notes on my phone of which days certain moms/kids are available after school. 2. I signed him up for swim lessons at the same place some of his friends go. They don't actually interact much during the lesson, but I wanted him to have swim lessons anyway. At least he sees them briefly, and I mingle with the parents which opens up other doors. 3. We attend a church here that has Sunday school. So at a minimum he sees a handful of kids roughly his age each week. 4. I am considering putting him into a My Gym (I think that's what it's called?) it's an indoor activity time grouped by age. I know it'll be evening hours, but that's fine if he can get energy out AND be with other kids at the same time. It's definitely an effort on my part. But after spending a year in Italy we realized he very rarely saw any kids his age, and we are trying hard to fix that. I should also mention that I'm in a mommy play group where the moms and toddlers meet up regularly. Usually the other moms bring toddlers while their older kids are in school, but I bring both of my kids. This is another way for me to mingle with the other moms and stay in the loop of what's going on and scheduling play dates etc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I get spam every single day from these forums. I don't want to miss out on the great posts, so I just deal with it. But today my inbox was flooded with countless spam emails. Is there a way to stop these? It's very frustrating! I searched the forums and don't see anything regarding ways to block spam (while still being able to view a "real" post). Any help? Sarah