I have no doubt that Fred could be a complete program for some kids. Mine are not two of them, however. They enjoy LoF (we've only used the Fractions book so far) but they require more (and in my son's case, LOTS more) repetition before they can confidently solve the problems. We've done BJU this year as our "main" math program, but I've supplemented with LoF and the "Key to..." series. I actually think those two - LoF Fractions and Key to Fractions - make a great combination, and my son has probably gotten more from those programs than he has from BJU. I plan to have him do Key to Decimals and LoF Decimals over the summer, and then he'll start Chalk Dust Basic Math in the fall. All of that said, if you have a child who is intuitive about math, I do think LoF could be a complete program. It's quite thorough in the scope of material it covers, but if you have a child who needs the steps broken out and need to repeat them over and over before internalizing them, then LoF alone might not be sufficient. And again, I can only speak to LoF Fractions, since that's the only one we've used. Best, SBP

We'll do math, Latin, and reading throughout the summer unless we're traveling, and DD will continue a light piano practice/lesson schedule. The math and Latin is necessary, or my kids will lose too much ground. The reading is just because there are too many great books for me to fit them all in the school year! SBP

That's been my tentative plan. LL1 in 5th grade, LL2 in 6th, and then start Henle in 7th. Out of curiosity, does anyone here know if Catherine Drown has a recommendation for where students should go after LL2? SBP

Ours looks like this on a perfect day: 7:30-8:30: Breakfast & chores 8:30-9:15: Latin (Getting Started With Latin & Lively Latin) 9:15-9:30: Classical Conversations Memory Work 9:30-10:00: Growing With Grammar - Level 5 10:00-10:15: Break/Snack if desired 10:15-11:00: BJU Math 5 11:00-11:45: Assigned literature & independent work (Logic Liftoff, Math worksheet, cursive practice - these assignments vary from day to day) 11:45-12:15: IEW 12:15-1:00: Lunch break 1:00-1:30: Read-Aloud 1:30-2:30: Science (RS4K Chemistry) or History (History of US - Hakim) depending on the day. 2:30-3:00: Finish up any incomplete work from the morning. I do grading at this time, and sometimes I'll wind up calling one of them back to go over/re-do something. 3:00-4:30: Work on extra-curricular stuff if needed - Boy Scouts for my son, piano practice for my daughter. After that, the round of outside activities begins. Obviously, every day doesn't look exactly like this, but seldom do we have a day that looks completely UNlike this either, if that makes sense. I find that having a predictable rhythm to our day helps us all, and it especially helps my ADD son. I use Homeschool Tracker for planning, and they get a printed assignment sheet for every day of the week, so they know exactly what they have to do, what pages to read, etc. Hope something here helps, and good luck with your reorganization. SBP

Nope, I want to know, too!! We will probably go on to LL2, but it will depend on when we finish LL1 and how quickly the new chapters of LL2 are being released. If it looks as though we're likely to get hung up waiting on new chapters, I might have to consider something else. (We don't do the history portions, so we move more quickly through the material than we would otherwise.) I love LL, but it took me three years of false starts to get some momentum going with Latin, and I don't want us to lose that. So... :bigear: SBP

We are using Getting Started With Latin alongside Lively Latin. I find that they complement one another very well. As some of the others have said, GSWL provides consistent daily translation exercises, which I think are really helpful to my kids. When they translate (or mis-translate, as the case may be) sentences in GSWL, they realize the point of all those chants and endings they're learning in LL. They don't always like it, mind you, but they get it ;). And since GSWL adds vocabulary so slowly, they're not overwhelmed by doing two programs at once. We spend about 45 minutes a day on Latin. I haven't used Minimus or seen Latin Prep, so I can't speak to that part of your question, but if you wanted to delay starting Latin Prep until the next school year for some reason, I think GSWL would be a great (and easy to teach!) bridge between the two programs. HTH! SBP

Welcome to homeschooling! I haven't used TRISMS yet, but I'm planning to next year with my children, who are a couple of years behind your DD. My plan for science is to add in a few TOPS kits or something similar so that we do a science lab once or twice a month. Once I actually purchase History Makers, I'll look through the science material and hopefully be able to find kits that are somewhat relevant to what they'll be studying in TRISMS. I think that will probably be sufficient for my children at this point. However, they'll be sixth graders rather than eighth, and you might feel that your DD needs more lab science than that. If so, maybe someone with older children will have some good advice for you. As for IEW/grammar, I do plan to add a separate grammar program for another couple of years at least, but if your DD already has a strong grammar background, you might not need to, especially if you're doing Latin. IEW teaches quite a bit of applied grammar, and I believe TRISMS offers some grammar instruction as well. I want my children to solidify their diagramming skills, however, so we'll stick with Growing With Grammar for a while yet. We love Lively Latin, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it with an 8th grader who's had no prior Latin instruction. Frankly, it's been a great introduction to Latin for me, and it has enabled me to teach my children a subject about which I knew nothing. I'm a fan! I can't really advise on the math, since we're just now moving into middle school math ourselves. I've settled on ChalkDust math for next year (linked in Ava's wonderful post) mostly because I'm a poor math teacher and think my children will benefit from the DVD instruction. We tried Saxon in the younger grades and didn't care for it at all, but I understand that the upper grades are quite different and I have a number of friends who are happily using Saxon with their children. All I have time for right now, but I do wish you and your DD the best of luck next year! SBP

:iagree: ...except that I had them at 16. It was awful, though - the sickest I can ever remember being growing up, and I still have many chicken pox scars. I suppose I might have had just as bad a case had I gotten them as a preschooler, but I'm glad the vaccine is available for my kids. I definitely agree with those who are saying to check with your doctor, though, before making a decision. Best, SBP

Sweep every day. Sometimes more often than that if I see dog-hair dust bunnies flying around. Mop once a week using vinegar & water or some other floor cleaner (Mr. Clean, Lysol, etc.) if I have it on hand. Scrub crevices and quarter-round with a toothbrush once in a blue moon, if I happen to notice that they're getting icky. I don't ever get down on hands and knees and do the whole floor, but I don't see anything wrong with it if that's what works for you :). SBP

We bathe our dogs fairly often in the summer when we can do it outside - probably every 2 weeks or so. During the winter, they go longer between baths. We did baths last weekend and it was the first time in two months or more. Our young Labradoodle has very little doggy odor, but our elderly hound mix has skin allergies and was pretty ripe by the time she got that bath last weekend. I won't wait so long next time :). SBP

We went to BJU 5, which has gone OK, but not great, mostly because I'm not a great math teacher and I really missed the RightStart TM. The BJU TM just isn't the same. We've supplemented BJU with Life of Fred and have enjoyed that, but we couldn't use it as a stand-alone program because it wouldn't begin to be enough review for my particular children. Next year we're switching to Chalk Dust Basic Math, which seems to cover a lot of the same material that BJU 5 did. I'm really looking forward to trying the DVD lectures and think my kiddos will benefit hugely from a math teacher more qualified than their mama! Best of luck in your search - SBP

:iagree: We're doing this right now, as a matter of fact. My children are 5th graders and can read the text on their own, but they probably get more out of it when I read it aloud and we discuss it as I go along. I think it's fascinating, frankly, and really rounds out the more hands-on Chemistry they're getting in RS4K. I liked Tiner's Chemistry so well that I just ordered his book on Mathematics and would eventually like to collect the whole series. SBP

Well, my son is reading it for much the same reason you are - DH told him he couldn't see the movie unless he read the book first ;). He does seem to like it well enough so far, but he's about 100 pages in and said today that, "nothing's happened yet," which he seems to find a bit frustrating. Hopefully it will pick up for him soon and he'll be able to get into it more. SBP

DS 11 has just today finished "Farmer Boy" as assigned reading for school and is reading "Inkheart" in his spare time. DD 9 also just finished "Farmer Boy" for school and is reading... something about a dog (can't remember the title) in her spare time. We're doing "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" as our current read-aloud. SBP

Looks good :). The only possible gap I see would be composition. I don't know anything about Language Lessons for the Secondary Child, but I don't think GWG 5 provides sufficient composition work for a fifth grader. You might plan to incorporate composition with other studies (lit, history, etc.), however. Good luck with your planning! SBP

Nope! You're exactly on base, I think. :) My children are closer in age than yours, but we've combined most every subject from day one. When they need to be separated for some reason, you'll KNOW it. You really will. Mine needed to be separated for math, and that was quite clear almost from the beginning. Not only were they not at the same place as far as their comprehension of the material, but they both really needed my one-on-one attention in that subject. It became just plain easier to teach them separately than together, so I did. Trust your instincts. You know your kiddos and are the best judge of what they're capable of. Good luck to you :) SBP

BJU's main text uses a mastery approach, but if you use the separate review workbook as well - which I really recommend - you also get continuous review of previously covered material along with daily drill. It's a good combination for my son, whose ears seem to leak out math concepts while he sleeps at night :001_huh:. SBP

I probably don't have anything new to add, but my children are 16 months apart and have always done every subject together except math. While I'm teaching a math lesson, the other child has independent work to do. This includes things like math drill, handwriting, reading, typing, household chores, piano practice, logic worksheets - basically, anything they can do without me. Then we switch off. I've tried not to give them "busywork" - tried to make their independent work meaningful - but I do need them to have some things they can do on their own. You might find, incidentally, that you can combine your children in grammar pretty easily. Grammar tends to be a pretty repetitive subject from year to year, and your older will probably be just fine doing grammar a year behind - or the younger a year ahead, if that seems like the better fit. Good luck finding a schedule that works for you. I love homeschooling my closely-spaced kiddos! SBP

We've been very happy with IEW. SBP

I chose notebook, but we use Easy Timeline Creator for actually putting it together, and even though I do plan to print it out and put it in their notebooks at the end of this year, so far it just lives happily on our computer. I love, love, love this software! No mess, very flexible, easy and quick to use, and did I mention no mess? ;) SBP

I've never bred my dogs, but we did consider it once and did a bit of research at that time. What I gleaned then was that if you buy puppies with the intent of breeding them, many (most?) reputable breeders will require you to purchase breeding rights from them in addition to the cost of the puppy. Otherwise, you'll be contractually obligated to spay/neuter, or the puppy might even come to you already altered. Vets are doing that much younger these days than they used to, and some breeders have it done before they release the puppy to its new owners. And even if you get a dog with excellent bloodlines, you should still do genetic testing prior to breeding and have the dogs screened for hip dysplasia. I think this kind of health testing, more than anything, is what separates reputable, serious breeders from so-called "backyard" breeders. No one can absolutely guarantee that a pup will be 100% healthy, but you can rule out a number of genetic problems, and many people are willing to pay for that peace of mind when purchasing a pup. Another option - which you might have already considered - is to only purchase a breeding-quality female and then work with an already-tested stud from another breeder. Not only would this keep some costs down, but if you built a relationship with the breeder, he/she would probably be willing to offer you advice and counsel as you went through the process of producing your first litters. I think most breeders are very happy to help out people who are sincere in their desire to add high-quality, healthy pups to their beloved breed. My apologies if you've already considered all of this. I do wish you luck in your research! Best, SBP

In many ways, I think having a dog is like having a child. Dogs can be messy, destructive, and annoying. They need food, vaccinations, medication, shelter, training, and attention. Just as your children didn't come into your family knowing all the rules, neither will your dog. There will be times when it will try your patience, and there will be times when it will cuddle up with you or look at you with that look of utter love and devotion that makes you wonder how your life was ever complete without it. Some people just aren't cut out for having dogs, and there's no shame in admitting that if you suspect you're one of those people. I think that the rewards of having dogs are more than enough to compensate for the inconveniences, and I'm willing to put the time into training my dogs so that they will know our rules and expectations and be able to live by them. I've skimmed through your posts in this thread and wanted to mention a couple of things: - As a Labradoodle owner, I've become very partial to that particular mix (to the point that I can hardly believe anyone would ever want any other kind of a dog :tongue_smilie:), but I love the idea of a Standard Poodle, too, and think that the things I love best about my Doodle probably come from the Poodle. Poodle's grooming needs tend to be a bit higher, however, so you'd need to take that into account if you decide to go that route. I have my Labradoodle groomed twice a year, and that seems to be sufficient. Neither breed sheds much, which for me is a huge plus! - I'm not sure what your husband's objections are to a rescue, but I think that's often the best way to know what you're getting in terms of dog personality. Puppies can be hard to predict, but rescued dogs - particularly those who have been in a foster home - often come with detailed information about their personalities and any issues they might have. I think that most fosters are very committed to finding the right families for their dogs and will not try to mislead prospective owners. - I've never had chickens, but we trained my Labradoodle not to chase the pet bunny that runs freely on our back porch. We squirted her with a squirt bottle every time she even looked at him, and within a couple of days, she was giving him a wide berth! That said, she seems to have a much stronger instinct for chasing birds - a legacy from the Lab, I suspect - and I'm not sure we could ever be comfortable allowing her in a yard with chickens. If not chasing the chickens is an important factor for you, you might want to research the breeds you're considering carefully and make sure they weren't bred for bird hunting. Those instincts have been carefully cultivated by breeders for generations, and they're really hard to train out. All I have time for now, but I admire you for considering this decision so seriously and hope that if you do decide to get a dog that it will be a blessing to your family :). Best, SBP

:iagree: I'm doing the exact same thing with my 5th grader. A few minutes of HWT every day, and typing for IEW assignments and the like. SBP

My children read fiction about 30 minutes per day, and I read fiction to them about 30 minutes per day. They also have science and history reading assignments, which might account for another half-hour or so each day. Neither one is big on reading for "fun" and I don't require it, but sometimes my DD will really get into a book and will choose to read it on her own time. Neither is the voracious kind of reader my DH and I were/are, unfortunately. SBP

I don't know if it's the "best" but someone here (I'm sorry, I can't remember who, but thank you, whoever you are!) recently recommended Vocabulary Cartoons and I bought one of the books on a whim, thinking my comic-loving son would have fun with it. Both of my kids love it and really do learn the words pretty much instantly and retain them better than they have with any vocab program we've ever used. My son is ADD, too, and I've never quite figured out his learning style, but I think it tends to be more visual, and the silly cartoons really stick with him. I'm having them do ten words per week, reading and reviewing the cartoons on their own, and then at the end of the week, I give them 1) a spelling quiz - they have to be able to spell each of the words; and 2) the quiz in the book, which is matching and fill in the blank; and 3) I pick a few of the words and have them put them in their own sentences, so that I can be sure they can use the words in context. It's not exactly the classical approach, I know, and might not be as formal as what you're looking for, but it's definitely not boring! I tend to be a pretty no-nonsense homeschooler, and my son's eyes just about popped out of his head when I handed him a book of cartoons and said, "Here's your new vocabulary book." :D Best, SBP