We're working through Singapore Math 2A, using the CC edition. There are mental math pages (slips, really) in the back of the teacher's guide, but I can't find guidance anywhere about how to use them. I was using them for "sprints" in the early, easier lessons, but now that we're adding three-digit numbers with renaming, I think they're too challenging to use that way. (My kiddo has anxiety as it is!) Is this specific to the CC edition? Does anyone know how these pages are meant to be used?

We're 1 month into our 1st year of homeschooling, and I'm grateful for many "hits": Old Story New devotional Handwriting Without Tears Singapore Math, Life of Fred, and Prodigy Math AAR and AAS Mystery Science American Revolution study Misses: Lightning Literature -- I love the book choices, but the grammar is moving way too fast and the big writing projects every week are too much for my 2nd grader. I can't see us doing more than one a month. Keyboarding Without Tears -- Not loving it so far.

These are photos, not videos. But I liked the selection. http://ilslearningcorner.com/2015-11-why-crossing-the-midline-activities-helped-this-child-listen-to-his-teacher/

I really like Family Matters by David Guterson. It's dated now, but he wrote from the point of view of a pro-homeschooling parent who was also a public school teacher. There's a good sample on Google Books.

Nothing inappropriate! Just trying to simplify things so he can use it independently. He has autism and does best with straightforward, uncluttered interfaces.

I downloaded the Audible app onto my son's iPad, but of course when I log into my account all of my books show up. Is there any way to totally delete (or even just hide) books on a device-by-device basis? I was hoping to have him use it during the school year but I just want to see his books on his device. Is that possible, without setting up a separate account? Any other tips for using Audible with kids?

Thanks for the leads! I just put ELTL 2 on hold at the library, so I can flip through. I passed it over because the titles didn't seem like an especially good fit for my wild little boys. I might be wrong about that. We like FLL but it has felt slooooow. It might be nice to fold in grammar and drop FLL too. I was really fixated on Lightning Lit 2 earlier this year, but I never see it discussed much and the samples are really skimpy. I wish I could see more of it. It's not the WWE approach exactly, but I just love the book choices.

I'm planning to do a handful of Arrows next year, but I like the idea of working more systematically through something like WWE on the side. I just love the idea of using picture books or short stories for this kind of thing, because you could read the full text in a sitting, without it totally hijacking your literature plans. Maybe I'm dreaming.

We're finishing up WWE1, and it's been a good resource for us. I've used the text and chosen copy work and narration passages from books we're reading. That works fine but it's extra work for me. Hoping to simplify next year, I'm looking at samples of the WWE2 workbook and remembering why I didn't buy the WWE1 workbook originally. I just don't like the idea of working with all those little out-of-context excerpts! Is there anything like the WWE workbooks (systematic copywork and narration) that schedules short stories or picture books instead of excerpts from full-length novels?

My boys are turning 7 and 5 this month. We've enjoyed these in the last year: Capyboppy and There's a Tarantula in My Purse (BYL recommendations) The Courage of Sarah Noble and The Matchlock Gun (American history) The Toothpaste Millionaire (economics) Mr. Popper's Penguins Charlotte's Web Stewart Little Mercy Watson series Fudge series Henry Huggins series Ramona series Wayside School series

I should say, we'll be doing the K/1st/2nd mysteries.

Oh my goodness, I just did a Google image search for "school cone Germany." What a hoot! I love it.

We're planning to use Mystery Science as a kind of spine this coming year. But my kids like to dig deep and chew on stuff for a while. Has anyone put together (or could anyone point me to) a list of books that could be used to supplement the mysteries? Our library has so many crummy science books, I feel like I always strike out when I just bring home a stack of "force and motion books" or whatever.

We have a foam set and it kind of annoys me how lightweight they are. When we want to line ones up against a ten for comparison, the little buggers float all over the table.

Ramona series read by Stockard Channing

I've really enjoyed working through the Essential Math books (from Singapore Math) with our pre-Ker. Take a look at the sample pages and see if the difficulty seems right. The first book was pretty easy but I think he'll finish the second book ready for 1A. We've used Preschool Math at Home alongside it and it's been playful and fun.

Another vote for Reading the Alphabet. It can feel repetitive after a while. We were about halfway through when DS was ready for my REAL favorite reading curriculum -- Primary Phonics. I thought the print awareness activities were especially great. We're making slow but steady progress through level 1 of Primary Phonics now (he isn't even 5 yet so I'm not in a rush). We're using the Hooked on Phonics app alongside.

Home Science Tools sold out of dogfish sharks while I was debating, so I ordered from Fisher Science Education instead. We're supposed to have a shark on our doorstep tomorrow! Fingers crossed.

Carolina said the shark was restricted to commercial delivery because it was treated with formaldehyde. The other companies I mentioned use some sort of low-fume alternative preservative, which sounds better to me anyway. I just don't want to get a tough, shriveled up shark. My boys are really looking forward to this!

I'm getting ready to order a dogfish shark to dissect at the end of our summer shark study. I was planning to order it from Home Science Tools, but then I noticed some reviewers said the sharks they received weren't in great shape. So now I'm looking at Fisher Science Education instead. Does anyone have experience ordering dissection specimens from these companies? I've also seen Carolina Biological mentioned, but they won't ship a shark to a residential address.

My kids really like participating in reading programs like these, even when the prizes are pretty junky. You can always tweak it from your end, to make it a more appropriate challenge. For the 1,000 books before kindergarten program, we challenged ourselves to read 1,000 titles, even though the library counts repeat readings as additional "books." It was a true challenge for us, and it felt great when we reached our goal. When the school ran a program where the kids could earn free bowling and Six Flags tickets and things like that, I just required twice the minutes before I signed off. My kids are little, though. Older kids might push back about that kind of thing.

I'm not familiar with the programs you mentioned, but I'd suggest you take a look at the Primary Phonics workbooks. They're similar to ETC (and from the same publisher) but include more writing. ETA: Christianbook.com has a pretty good selection of sample pages.

Randall Goodgame's Sing the Bible CDs Old Testament https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lGfP3EUDBYI New Testament https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTw0wq90pM 10 Commandments https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1qZf2AGZzwE

Rainbow Resource has the full TOC: http://www.rainbowresource.com/viewpict.php?pid=018005 Flipping through my copy, I don't see a ton of information on those topics. The First North Americans (10,000 BC to 500 AD) Vikings Abroad -- mentions Eric the Red and Leif Ericson Native North Americans (700-1500) Voyages of Discovery -- includes Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and John Cabot

We've decided to pull our older son out of public school to try homeschooling next year. He turns 7 in July, so he would have been a young 2nd grader. We'll have a few hours each morning to focus on his schoolwork while his little brother is in AM kindergarten. I'm struggling with choosing a writing program. His school uses the Lucy Calkins writer's workshop model, which has helped him learn to really enjoy writing, although his grammar and spelling are still pretty poor. Even if we use separate resources to work on those skills next year, I want to make time for writing across genres because he has such an interest. What can you recommend in terms of a 2nd grade writing program, either stand-alone or including grammar? I'm leaning toward AAR 2 and AAS for reading and spelling, so I don't think I'm looking for an all-inclusive language arts program. I see Writeshop and Bravewriter mentioned a lot. Has anyone used Lightning Lit for this age? What else should I check out? Or where would you point me, to find DIY ideas?