This is exactly how it is for my son who's 9 now. Others wanted me to push him and use flash cards :rolleyes: when he was 7 and I said no way-he would hate reading if I did that. So we took things at his pace and now he picks up a book and reads on his own :eek: Who would've guessed :) So I agree with the others, there's no need to have him tested now. Just keep working with him slowly. And don't forget to read aloud. My son loved listening to me read longer books like Narnia and Farmer Boy and listening to books on CD in the car. Good luck

If you don't think you're going to be there for the long haul, then no, I would not refinance unless you can get really low fees, points, etc. If it will put you ahead in the next 3-5 yrs then do it, otherwise it sounds like you might be moving anyway and then it won't have been worth it. I don't know how far out you are but do you think it might get easier living rural as the kids get older and can drive themselves? Is it you that feels isolated or the kids? Just some things to think about... :) Oh, and I would never stash money at home! You can invest in CDs if risk is a concern but at least you will make something on them. And assuming your home loan is about 6-7%? You have to remember that will be lowest interest rate you'll ever get on any loan so it's worth keeping that loan vs paying it off and having to get another loan down the line for something else. Make sense? My DH explains this way better than me ;)

This is our 3rd yr homeschooling. I started trying to stick closely to the WTM model but have relaxed a lot since then. I still value it as a guide though. We've always been independent hsers but now we are moving to a new state and I think we may try their homeschool program they offer thru the school (you are dual enrolled). It has many extra class offerings, field trips, and best of all for me-other hs moms to interact with ;) It should be interesting to say the least. I've been reading the WTM board for over 2 yrs and have gotten so much from them. I think the change is great.

I know this has been discussed on the old boards but I thought it would be good to discuss again to get it in the system here for future reference. I love what I've read and reviewed for both unit studies. I'm going to do one of them this summer (and take it into the fall if needed) as a fun alternative to our "typical" lessons we do now. This will be primarily with my almost 7 yr old DD and my 9 yr old son will follow along. I know my DD is a bit young for the target age but she loves both series and we've been reading them aloud for the last year. My son really likes the Little House books as well. Is one of these a little easier to implement than the other? How long did it take you to complete each one? Did you do it a certain # of days each week or just jump right in and do only this for a few months? Would I be better off to hold off on the Amer Girls for another year so my DD could get more of the history meaning out of it? That's what I was thinking but thought I'd ask here. Thanks for your thoughts. Ann

I knew you could buy them at RR until they are gone. But since she said some of the links were outdated and some of the books were out of print I thought I'd look for something more current. But if I don't find anything I will certainly try to get them at RR. ;)

I was sad to see that Ria folded up shop, though I certainly understand her reasons. I have the blue set (oceans, weather, astronomy) and we have liked what we've done so far. I'd like to find another science program laid out like this. I'm looking for something geared to 1st thru 6th grade as a loose range. I like the reading lists, hands on and the fact that it uses just a few "required" bks. Thanks Ann

Here's the plan as of now: GWG 1/2 Plaid Phonics A/B HWT copywork Horizons or MCP math-not sure which one yet Beautiful Feet Geography-this is for DD and older brother Finish up WP Amer Story from this spring/summer and start SOTW 1 Not sure about science-probably "My World Science" since I have it

We use HWT and I asked my son last yr (then 8 yrs old) if he wanted to try cursive. We did it for a few weeks and he got frustrated so we quit and went back to printing. Now I think he's ready so we're starting in a few weeks after we move and get settled. My 6 yr old girl is a lefty and tends to write backwards (not letters, just words like in a mirror). I'm going to start cursive now with her to see if this helps with her writing from left to right. Each child is different. I say try it and see how it goes. You can always try again later.

There are so many great history programs out there! I wish we could just do history and nothing else :p Even though I've researched this area to death (as many of you I'm sure!) I still haven't really decided to stick with 1 program. I'm using WP Amer Story 1 this year because I thought it was perfect for both of my kids. But next yr I plan on going to SOTW 1 and starting that with my 1st grader and my older one will follow along. We'll continue with the series. But I also really like Biblioplan...I see using that as a supplement with SOTW in some fashion (or the other way around). Whatever I use I KNOW that my kids will learn way more history than I ever learned in school!

We also do our own thing. I really appreciated the WTM as a guide with the suggestions for each grade and learned alot from those resources. We've tried many things and hoave settled on this for now: 9yr old son: -HWT -Horizons math (almost done with bk 2 and will move to 3) -Spectrum phonics -GWG 3 -copywork Will be starting Sequentional Spelling soon. 6yr old DD: -HWT -Plaid Phonics K -MCP math K (starting this spring) -copywork -lots of games We were going to do Winterpromise American Story 1 this year with both of them but found out we were moving this fall. We've forgone formal history for now and will start it up this spring after the move. We will start with SOTW 1 next year for both kids.

I know there are a few us in the heartland.... I thought I'd start this thread for the new board so we can say "hi" to eachother. I'm Ann with 3 kids ages 3,6,9. We are moving back to Iowa in just a few weeks to Springville (near Cedar Rapids/Marion). This is our 3rd year homeschooling. We are a little classical and alot eclectic as far as homeschooling :) Who else is here?