This is a good plan. :) One thing to keep in mind is that upper level phonics and spelling overlap. Once you get to word patterns like 'igh', 'tion', 'ough'....they're also covered well in spelling. Our progression goes like this: Phonics Reading aloud from regular books Copywork spelling study Vocabulary/word roots Each step carries phonics lessons just a little bit further. And they overlap, too. Right now, my 2nd grader reads aloud from a progressive reader, does copywork/dictation, and is beginning spelling study on its own, learning rules as he goes along.

I don't know about online, but you can create a copy book for him. Write out something at his level (a letter, word, or sentence) and have him trace, then copy it.

That was my first thought, too. ^ Manipulatives are a lifesaver for tricky math concepts. Even printing them yourself or cutting strips of paper.

Mr.Q. It was a pain to print and add in the extras to make it a full curriculum, not to mention sorting out the student pages/experiments from the teacher's manual. Not my thing. Tried it twice, gave it a good effort before giving it up.

Depends. Last year we stopped at the end of a level and did a math notebook instead. We played games, I wrote problems...still math time, but it looked more relaxed. This year DS will finish one level at the end of February. We'll move on to the next until June, and then pick it up again in September. If we only had a month left I wouldn't because the first part of a new level is all review anyway, and I'd rather that be when the brain is fresh in Sept. (We'll do a week review before getting back to the middle of the level).

It's wasteful, but not unusual. When dh and I started doing Dave Ramsey, we kept a purchase journal for the first few months to get an idea of a realistic budget. It came to light that dh was buying his coffee out each day - one on the way to work, and often another at lunch. Sometimes with a small snack. $1.50 doesn't seem like a lot, but it added up QUICK. The next month we invested in a nice machine, grinder, and a few large thermoses. We spent about the same amount, but after that his coffee habit dropped from the budget down to a $10 bag of beans every two weeks. I see the same thing with my friends. They post about dinner out 2-3 times a week, or running for coffee, or "restocking" their oils/leggings/whatever for the next season...and then wonder why it's so hard to save. Same income as us, different spending habits. We do a no-spend January every year, too, which serves as a financial check so we better monitor what is necessary and what isn't. I don't mean this to sound uppity. It's just we realized the path we were heading down when we were putting necessities on a credit card because we thought two incomes didn't stretch that far. This has been a long journey of ours.

Not as advanced as some :) , and I think we're going to take next year as a holding year for language arts to build writing stamina: DS 8yo/3rd grade LA - still deciding between MBTP 8-10yo units or continuing with ELTL style of narrations/copywork/poetry with books we choose for a year. Math - LOF Kidneys, Liver, Mineshaft, finish Right Start E and move to F. Science - BFSU2 or Mystery Science (or both) Latin.....still deciding. He'll finish GSWL first semester, but I want him to look at some options in person before deciding on his next. Right now he wants Latin's Not So Tough level 4. French - continue with One Third Stories and....GSWF? Again, still deciding. Spanish - Duolingo ASL - Lifeprint & weekly study group History - SOTW 3, and building our own American history study Art - Artistic Pursuits Music - violin lessons P.E. is outsourced in the form of a sport and regular weekly P.E.

Yes, meet them where they are. For a long time, we used flexible/non-grade leveled work for my oldest. He didn't need to know he was using a 3rd grade writing book, for example, when he was in 5th. We found series that progressed differently, either using an alphabet designation or levels that didn't correspond to grades... It was enough to get him buoyant and to progress steadily. I will say this. WTM is different than school programs, and when you switch to a different style of program it's best to start at a level lower than current ability. It's new, and a new routine and new expectations are being learned along with the academic information.

Just a plug for MUS - the alphabet based program is a very good foundation. It feels slow, but it really helps kids visualize math and be able to manipulate it. My oldest is in an engineering program after going through MUS and switching to more traditional/college level math in high school. He's always had an easy time with math, even when his peers were struggling. My youngest uses Right Start (he hated MUS with a passion), but I've kept the videos and when it came to multiple digit multiplication, the MUS blocks were brought back out after he struggled with understanding the RS way enough to do it in a non-rote manner. It only took a few problems before he was able to visualize why the numbers worked the way they did. Hasn't had an issue remembering the steps since. We'll pull out the fraction work when he gets to multiplying/dividing fractions and do it with MUS, too, because they teach it better than any program I've seen. The main sticking point is parents don't feel there are enough conceptual problems. That's easily overcome with a single supplement (like Singapore Challenging Word problems). But it really is a solid program.

Out of all of Greece, we found Athens to be the.....well, it wasn't very nice away from the Acropolis. It's crowded and dirty. We did it as part of a tour of Greece but found we enjoyed the other stops much better: Katakolon(Olympia) and Corfu were two of our favorites. I don't think I would take children to go hang out in Athens without being part of a tour, and that's saying a lot since I prefer to explore on my own.

I have always told my children to request a nurse or aide present. This practice has been standard across the board in all their activities: you don't ever be alone with a grown up who is not designated a 'safe person' (parents, a few close family). You camp? Two adults. You have a meeting? Two adults. You have the right to an open door in places where you don't want to share the conversation (like school/with a teacher). As adults, they have the right to make that decision themselves, but as a parent, it's our basic rule.

We used 100 EZ lessons, but I supplemented. I used blue/red letters on a tray to make it hands on instead of the book, and created word cards (same blue/red pattern for consonants/vowels) so that we had those instead of reading directly from the book. Everything was left on a low table so that it was available any time. We did NOT do the writing activities. He wasn't ready at the same time, so we held back. When he did start, we used a Montessori/Charlotte Mason approach: tactile letters, a spindle and sand box, and School-Rite guides before switching to paper/pencil with a very slow introduction. Every step repeated stroke order sequences - starting with 'l', then 't' and 'i', then 'c', 'a', 'd'...obviously not the same as the order letters are presented in 100 EZ Lessons, which are great for reading but not so great for writing introduction.

Today, a pastry again. The 7yo ate 2 plain toaster waffles. He can't stand jam, not even in a pastry. His loss. :laugh: Oh, and a one-eyed Jack is called a Toad-in-a-hole here. It was camping food when I was growing up. :D

We did a lot of learning through play. MEP was mostly done orally/hands on, with transitioning to the worksheets toward the end of level 1. He learned how to write, slowly working through the alphabet after I grouped letters by stroke and then on to words. He did a lot of puzzles, playing outside, going to museums and festivals, storytimes at the library, reading whatever he liked, and basic geography/cultures. He did Mystery Science, and art/music. Once a week we did Wee Folk Art, and once a week we met with others to dive into classic childrens' books with crafts, acting, and play. Our focus for K was to preserve childhood while allowing him to work at an appropriate level. That was it. If he worked on math, it was the level he needed, not "Kindergarten Math Skills". Same with everything else. But it was more important to me that he develop foundation skills during our "school" time: a strong core, fine motor work, gross motor work, learning how to play with others, creative play, independent work, how to use tools from various crafts (woodworking, clay, knitting), exposure to other places, following a routine, and a centering of who he was. I deliberately kept the goals off of academics, though academic subjects were introduced. I just wanted to set a good foundation for a classical education later.

I keep in mind that I'm important, too. But it really would depend. I had made an offhand comment one day to an acquaintance that if she ever needed a sitter, call me. The woman was taking on a LOT at the time and I wasn't. A year and a half later I got a text asking me to babysit her kids the next day. It was going to be an extremely busy day for me, going to the moving company, having buyers walk through our home...just a mess. But as I was about to write "no", I changed it to "yes" instead. I figured if she had kept that in mind for a year and a half, and it was last minute like that, I was her last resort. (And I was) I don't regret that I did - she ended up having something big that she was asked to do last moment (meeting with community leaders) and it wouldn't have been okay to have kids there. So I guess it's balance. And if you feel that niggling bit of doubt, figure out why.

All children are part of a vaccine trial. Just on a wider scale. I wouldn't think anything of it.

Here? Positive. But I've traveled a lot, and there is one state in particular that I have been pulled over every time I've gone through. Going too fast (legit, it's a lot of in and out of small towns), window tint (not legit, they were factory done and according to the state whose license & plates I had). Every reason possible. The last time, the speed limit jumped up to 45 on a 2 mile stretch before going back down to 30. I missed the sign. I was pulled over and grilled for going too slow and it really left me shaken. I don't believe police are trained well or have a primary mission to protect and serve. Here it's different. It's a small, mostly affluent community. The vibe is very different.

There are several of us in my family who share the same birthday. Not the same year, just the day. Siblings, parents.. However, the twins in the family do not share a birthday. One was born before, one after, midnight.

Today was coffee and a pastry. The coffee-typical. Pastry, no. It's the weekend and a small treat. :) Usually it's a piece of thickly cut pane, toasted with butter and maybe a little bit of piri-piri pepper sauce. Quick and filling. Lunches and dinners are more well rounded. :lol: None of us eat well first thing in the morning, so toast or yogurt or an apple and cheese are about our limits.

Me, too! I now don't feel as crazy.

It's not my cuppa and it's expensive, but maybe Nancy Larson? Books, yes, but everything in one kit and with worksheets. Very scripted. If you are working on geography, can you just spread that out to be a cultural study? That's what we did for K, and then segued into ancient history with the same pattern: study one culture for 4-8 weeks with activities from SOTW, and then move to the next. So instead of bouncing around the book I planned ALL the Egypt stories together along with the mummy, hieroglyphs, etc. The end of the year was a review before moving this year to book 2 as written.

I think it's deeper than that. Call me jaded, but after reading all sorts of "biblical" discipline books, my thought goes to the children weren't good enough. They sinned too much. They needed the punishment. They needed to fast. They needed to be chained to their beds so they didn't stray. They couldn't have the toys. They weren't good enough to earn them. They couldn't have pie. That was for IF they were good, and they fell short of perfection. And during those special times when they were dressed well, and bathed, and fed, that is when a cross between parents being "nice" and them being "good enough" in their eyes. The children could read/write, but didn't know what a policeman or medication was. Even a passing glance through literature would explain those concepts. But the bible doesn't. I'd be willing to bet that their schooling came from one book. Note - I don't think Christianity did this, but mentally ill people grasping at straws and direction.

We use BFSU easily, and I'm not a science person. There's a plan on the BFSU forum that i found by searching up lesson plans (the flowchart intimidated me) and it includes links and extras. However, I see us probably going back to Mystery Science next year. We used it last year and part of K, and dropped it for BFSU this year. While it has been fun, ds perked up so much at hearing Doug's familiar voice on a little mini Mystery that was sent to my inbox. Now that they've included more mysteries I'm inclined to go that direction next year, either alone or with BFSU vol. 2 to pair up. I briefly thought about doing MBTP science, but we may use them for literature and I don't want overkill.

We adore our Candlewick Press books here. I'm reading an edition of the Secret Garden right now done by them and even dh is impressed with the illustrations. B&N has a boxed set of the Iliad & The Odyssey from them currently and I have a feeling it's going to be making its way onto our shelves in the near future.

This is not one of my favorite books. If she asked to be let off, I would in a heartbeat, but I would keep it on the bookshelf and encourage her to finish it when she was ready. IMO, it is one of those books that is more of a reflection journey than offering much to a child who just hasn't reached the maturity level yet. I feel the same about many Patricia Polacco books, too. If necessary, I'd substitute something different: Each Kindness, Molly's Pilgrim, The Invisible Boy.