I have two 3rd graders and it looks as if they will complete SM 3B by the end of April. We plan to cover math and reading over the summer for about an hour to hour and a half a day. We did this even when they were in a brick n mortar school. Anyway, I thought maybe to just move on and start SM 4A in May. By the time we reach Sept, we could start 4B. We haven't skipped anything in 3A, they just were good about getting everything done in a timely fashion. What do other families do if your kid finishes a little sooner than expected in math? I feel we should continue onto the next level. I think they would be annoyed if they worked on review over the summer. Thoughts?

Thank you for your insight. Did/do you use R&S Science with your kids? Which program do others use if not R&S or BJU? I would appreciate any additional feedback regarding these two programs though!

Just thinking about next year's school year with regards to science. We are currently using BFSU with two 3rd graders and one second grader. It's fun and requires some preplanning. We have taken out lots of living books from the library, as suggested by the author. The kids seem to be learning a lot....... BUT...... we are not getting it done as much as I would like. I'm thinking for next year to use a program that will get done more frequently, but still be thorough. We are using R and S English this year and the kids seem to really like it. They like the brevity of it and they know what to expect from lesson to lesson. I looked at BJU and R and S Science and both look pretty good. I can still use living books in conjunction to what they are learning in the lesson. I'm reaching out to see what others have used for Science and/or if you have a preference between BJU or R&S.

We are new to homeschooling. My kids are in 2nd and 3rd grade. I guess I'm looking for people's experiences when they transitioned from a brick n mortar school to homeschooling. I am truly amazed by the progress I have seen in the 11 weeks we have been homeschooling, especially for my one child, when compared with the progress at their previous school. The school they attended was a great and loving school - they did learn a great deal. My one son (3rd grade) is not a very strong reader, although, his reading today is vastly better than where it was just months ago. While he was in 2nd grade, he showed some progress in his reading ability, but not a lot. I guess I'm trying to understand how the progress at home is that much greater - and I truly mean it. Is this mainly because of consistency and close monitoring? Generally, we just plug along in our day and get our work done, we try not to feel in a hurry - we have tomorrow. Has anyone felt similarly in terms of greater progress at home than when their children were in a traditional school environment?

I really appreciate everyone's suggestions and the raw truth that homeschooling can be overwhelming. I think I have my expectations set too high. I feel such a huge responsibility. I hope I'm able to guide their learning successfully and be able to make it fun at the same time. I'm not entirely into crafts and projects and know that I need to be in order for them to like homeschooling. To be honest, I cringe at the thought of messy art crafts because they require time to clean up. My 8 year olds are pretty good about cleaning up when told, but I could easily see them escaping while I'm dealing with other fires.

We will start homeschooling in the fall. Three of my kids are transitioning from a private school - two 8 years olds and a 7 tear old. I also have a newborn and 2 year old. I have been planning and organizing for a few months and for the most part am "ready" to start this journey. I have been wanting to homeschool for years, and very recently I have been feeling overwhelmed with the thought of starting this new chapter and dealing with two young children. I really want to use the SWR program and BFSU science curriculum, but they require some planning ahead of time. I have been organizing the SWR program for the last couple of months so that I'm prepared to start at the end of August. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed because I am mostly new to this (we have been working on math and reading all summer, which has gone well) and I'm starting out with five kids. My friends/family in my life tell me this is crazy to do. I have such a strong desire to school my children. I am excited to do this and so are they, but I have a newborn on my hands, plus a very active two year old. I guess I'm looking for a little support in this or advice. Thanks so much.

I recently started using SWR. How do you dictate and apply the rules to the word "picture?"

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I especially like someone's input about not using the same copywork twice. I like the idea of using consecutive sentences on the second day or having the kids pick out their own copywork from the story. Thanks again and would appreciate any more feedback. As for phonics and spelling, I have the Spell to Write and Read curriculum and will use Rod and Staff English for grammar. I also would love to incorporate Grammar Island once a week as a way to dissect sentences and label them as reinforcement. I'm not too keen on the diagramming of sentences through R and S. What are your thoughts? Is it too much?

I will be using the McGuffey Readers (First and Second Eclectic - Mott Media) with my kids and wanted your opinions about my approach in using them. I'm new to homeschooling. My kids will be getting pulled out of school (2nd and 3rd grade). M - Read vocabulary words.....Then child will read story aloud....do copywork of 3-4 sentences T - Review vocab words....Read story again (checking for inflection, fluency, use of punctuation, etc...)....dictate sentences from story that include vocabulary words (three to five sentences). I have a separate spelling program so I'm not going to focus too much on spelling through the McGuffey Readers. W - Read story again (checking for inflection, fluency, use of punctuation, etc...).....have child narrate story and I write it down.....maybe do some copywork of 3-4 different sentences from the story Th - Read story again....dictate either copywork from M or W or child's narration. That's it. Please openly provide me your feedback. I'm not entirely sure if they should be doing copywork from two separate parts of the story or if they should be doing the same copywork on both days (M and W). I really want them to do copywork and dictation as much as possible. Thanks so much and seriously look forward to your responses and feedback.