New to this, please help me plan for coming school year

[lwest]

Hello, 

I am both new to posting here and to homeschooling. This is our first year homeschooling; I couldn't have picked a better year to start with things being what they are. I have one in grade 5 (age 10) and one in grade 2 (age 7) this year. I also have one, currently attending kindergarten (technically, schooling-at-home right now due to the Plague) who will be homeschooling in the upcoming year. I spent my summer last year reading through hours and hours worth of curriculum reviews both on this site as well as Cathy Duffy's. 

I would really appreciate any critique of my plans for the upcoming year from you veterans. I desire a rigorous education for my kids. They are very bright and keen learners. I want university options open to them. I am afraid I am going to mess this up. I pulled them from school for a few reasons. The first was that they do very well academically and are well-behaved. They would struggle to get help as the teachers were often busy helping others and felt that they were doing well enough (understandable). They were often seated next to the trouble kids at school in attempts to help those kids behave, at least that is what I assume the rationale was. It backfired often with my kids getting called teacher's pet for listening or becoming the target of said kids. Another issue is that my kids had so much downtime because they would finish their work quickly and then would spend it playing games on Chromebooks. In addition, I was extremely frustrated with our government curriculum. Sitting down doing long division with my oldest opened my eyes to serious flaws with the methods used. The Social Studies curriculum  is no better with very little emphasis placed on history. So far, they love homeschooling although they both miss seeing their friends all the time. They do extracurricular activities and I try my best to arrange visits with their school friends.

I've outlined what we've done this year as well as what I want to do next year. I can't tell if I over-estimated what should get done everyday, or if they really don't do that much in public school. I never seem to get through everything I want to in a day and we are not usually done very early, especially if we do art and activities. We often go right to 3 or even supper.

Math:

We do math everyday. Usually anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. 

My oldest had some serious holes at the beginning of the year. She told me she hated math. Despite being at the top of her class all the way through, I found her understanding of multiplication to be weak. So, we went through Gamma (Math-U-See) and I had her do the tests (written and/or verbally) and would stop and teach a unit whenever I found she did not understand. At this point, she told me she was starting to like math. Then, she completed Delta. I usually would have her do at least three of the worksheets and then the test for each unit. If she needed more, she would do more. She has since gone on to complete Epsilon so I've let her start Zeta. I am also providing Beast Academy 3B (she placed higher but I had this book available), alternating days with Math-U-See. She now loves math and wants to keep working through the next level.

The younger one is just finishing up Math-U-See Beta and she does some Beast Academy 2A on the side. I will move on to Gamma probably in May. Math is not her favourite but she is very capable.

Language Arts: 

For writing, my grade 5 child completed a 10,000 word novel for NaNoWriMo and my grade 2 child completed a 1,000 word story with NaNoWriMo. We are polishing them up and plan to make them into completed books with about the author sections and summaries for the back cover. They have also done several free writes (Bravewriter style) and many poems. I have not focused much on spelling this year other than some dictations. The younger one has been using Zaner-Bloser for handwriting. The older is working through Fix-It! Grammar book one.

Both girls are voracious readers and fly through books well above grade level (or at least what I was seeing in public school). Their last report cards from school had their reading ability/comprehension several grade levels above their assigned grades. The oldest finished many books this year including The Hobbit, and the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The second finished a huge list including The Secret Garden and the Chronicles of Narnia books. I did not require formal or written analysis of the books, we just discussed themes, characters, etc. 

We are also using Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization and are currently in Level Two.

Science has been on the back burner and I am planning on working through late spring into the summer with Exploring Creation (Zoology I and Chemistry & Physics).

We are doing a gentle introduction to Latin with Getting Started with Latin. We do the exercises verbally.

For History/Bible/extra Literature/Geography/Art we are using Tapestry of Grace year one. We are probably going to finish the year only halfway through this curriculum. My kids got totally fascinated studying ancient Egypt and we spent a lot of extra time there and also took November off as they were working so hard on NaNoWriMo. They do all the readings (oldest reads Upper Grammar and Dialectic books, younger reads Upper Grammar books). They do the map work and geography activities. We don't get as many of the hands-on activities done as I would like. 

Art: We have been using Nature Friend magazine tutorials, as well as some of the T.O.G. activities.

Plans for next year:

I will have one in Grade 6, Grade 3, and Grade 1

Math: Is Math-U-See rigorous enough for University prep? I want to move to VideoText after completing the Math-U-See PreAlgebra level. Usually, my kids will watch the video lesson with me and then if they get it, they go ahead with the worksheets. If they don't, I try and explain it to them. On one or two occasions, I've looked up Khan Academy or another source to explain a concept to them if they still don't get it. I have them redo questions with errors on worksheets and tests. Beast Academy is just used to provide more challenges. I don't know if we will complete these books. We do them for a break/change from the regular curriculum. So my oldest will be somewhere in Zeta and my middle will be in Gamma and youngest will start Alpha.

Also, should I be concerned with the speed my kids are moving through the curriculum? I don't want them going months without math so I am just moving them to the next level.

Language Arts: I plan to use MCT Grammar Island with my middle and Grammar Town with my oldest. I want to supplement with Writing & Rhetoric for both of these two. Is this feasible? Grammar is one of my weaker areas. I did not have much instruction in my schooling and am learning as I go. I want an all-in-one for my grade one child and am planning on using The Good and the Beautiful level one. We will continue with Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. For spelling I want to use Spelling Wisdom with my oldest two and Apples and Pears for my youngest. I will use Zaner-Bloser for the youngest two.

Science: I want to do Apologia: Astronomy with the younger two and Apologia: General Science with the oldest. I was going to spread General Science out over two years, adding in the elementary series Anatomy title when it gets to the biology section. Thoughts are welcomed.  I don't know why I've struggled so much with homeschooling science. I have multiple degrees and published research in the medical field and love this subject so much. It seems hard to actually get it done with my kids. I think it might be due to my disorganized nature. I never seem to have the supplies needed on hand. 

Latin: Latin in the Christian Trivium for my oldest, Song School Latin for my younger two. I have no Latin experience so I am learning alongside my kids.

I thought I would do Memoria Press: Greek Alphabet with all of my kids. I want a trial year and to consider doing Greek with my youngest guy. 

French: We are Canadian and I want them to be bilingual. I did French through high school but am not fluent. Looking at Classical Academic Press French.

Art: We will continue with the art tutorials we used this year. I also have my eye on Artistic Pursuits and Creating a Masterpiece. My kids adore art and they would be disappointed to not get to do this subject often. 

Other things I would like to add in: Mindbenders, Scratch Coding, Burning Cargo typing.

I guess what I'm looking for is your opinions on the resources I'm planning to use. Are they are rigorous and thorough enough to leave options open to my kids to pursue University level education in whatever subject area they wish? Do I have any glaring holes? My kids are very bright and I want them to be challenged. They did not get challenged in school. I'd love advice on scheduling if you have any to share. 

[El...]

Hi! I'm not sure if I have my veteran badge yet, as my oldest is in 7th grade, but welcome! I was a homeschool grad myself, and went to college.

For math in particular, because it is a skill that feeds other studies later on, I think the most important thing is that the kids really grasp what they are doing with the numbers. I spend more time on math than anything else, and use several curricula to make sure my kids understand.  I would encourage you to seek that level of understanding, rather than trying to line up one curriculum to take them all the way to 12th grade. You may find that the best thing to help them understand in the early grades is something with a lot of manipulatives, and later on they may need something entirely different.

We like Miquon plus Beast for the first few years, Beast plus Singapore standards edition (as tolerated for work load) after that, and Art of Problem Solving after that. 

I think your choices are fine. You don't list history, but given how much you've planned I suspect you just forgot to write it down. 🙂

My kids have a limit on how much school time they can handle.  Heck, so do I! When I plan, I try to expand the learning past the academic time with non-"school" fun. I prioritize skills over content, at least in the early years. And I adapt my plan ALL the time. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by elroisees

[8filltheheart]

Welcome to the forums and to homeschooling!  Here are my thoughts as someone who has been homeschooing since the early 90s, has graduated 5 kids (6th is a sr and will be graduating in 3 weeks), and still have elementary and middle school students that I am homeschooling.

My first thought on reading your plans is that homeschooling does not need to accomplish all things in 1 yr.  It requires pacing ourselves so that we do not burn out our kids or ourselves.  My second thought is that the biggest advantage of homeschooling is nurturing our children to be internally motivated to want to explore and learn areas of interest.  That requires lots of down time.  When they are younger and playing, they are learning a lot through play. (My chemE and physics grad student both learned a ton through playing with Legos. Math, design, and a love of discovering what works and what doesn't, etc.)  As they get older, the shift toward longer academic days is normal and one that allows them to progress rapidly with natural development.

In terms of specifics, MUS for elementary school is fine.  I have never used it personally, but I respect the opinions of the few people I know that used it for elementary math and state that it provides a solid foundation.  It is an incredibly weak high school program, so switching before high school is definitely a good idea. (I use MUS's alg and geo courses in a single yr as pre-alg and pre-geo.  My 4th grader will be using them next yr in 5th grade.)

For science, I personally dislike textbooks.  I have never seen a non-high school textbook that I would want to spend a yr with.  My kids just immerse themselves in reading science trade books on whatever subjects they want to explore.  Their first science textbook is high school level science.  They have never had a problem adjusting and having the freedom of reading about subjects they are interested in has fostered a love of science and inspired that internal motivation to learn more that I described above.  My engineer ds was born and engineer.  My physics geek fell in love with physics through astronomy in 8th grade. (He entered grad school thinking he wanted to study cosmology, but I think he is deciding that that isn't what he wants to do long term and is thinking of shifting focus to nuclear physics.)

In terms of languages, I think waiting to start Latin when they are in middle school is a better option.  Latin grammar gets complex.  When starting Latin when are younger, progression has to be slowed down to the point that it drags out what can be accomplished quickly a few yrs later.  That dragging out can lead to boredom and dislike of the subject.  6th/7th grade is my preferred age to start.  I am going to let my youngest start next yr in 5th, but only bc she is globally advanced and she has begged me to let her start the last 2 yrs and I have said no. 

I have a language loving dd (she is a college jr majoring in Russian and French.) She taught herself to a very high level of French.  She became enthralled with it in 3rd grade. (By high school she could watch movies and the news while building a puzzle.)  She took 4 yrs of Russian during high school.  She started Latin in 6th and dropped it after 1 yr of poetry/prose in high school.  She couldn't manage taking all 3 languages on top of the rest of her high school load.  Maintaining progress in that many languages is a lot of work.   And when you drop a language even for a short period of time, it takes effort to get back to the same level you were at before your dropped it.

I would recommend deciding what your goals are for languages, especially when they are young.  

Most of all, enjoy the journey.  Homeschooling does not have a road map, so it really is a journey where  you get to wander off the path, find new areas to explore, and forge forward according to your family's unique vision.  

[lwest]

elroisees: Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, I forgot to list history. We use Tapestry of Grace and we are loving it. I have learned a great deal from this program myself. It has been challenging using this curriculum; lining up books and planning takes a lot of time, but I can't see us making many changes in the near-future with this one. Eventually, I will have to cut some of the American history out and sub in some Canadian but we aren't there yet. I do have to find our limits on the amount of "school time" that we have in a day. The problem is I love learning myself and I'm having a hard time cutting things out! Everything seems essential. I think we are going to have to have a science-focused summer. I agree with you about math. I myself had to understand the why when I was learning and my oldest is the same way. She can only seem to remember concepts if she understands why it works. Part of the reason I'm wondering if Math-U-See is enough is because my girls are moving so quickly and we haven't really had any hiccups with it. I don't really want my kids to struggle unnecessarily, but the reason I added Beast Academy is so that they don't get used to everything coming easily to them. I'm hoping that alternating Math-U-See and Beast Academy will not overload them. 

Just a note, I just noticed your username. One of the books I really loved from the T.O.G. curriculum that we used was a book called God's Names. We all really got a lot out of it. I especially loved El Roi. 

8Filltheheart: Thanks. It is great to hear from someone who has come out the other side of all this. It was scary making the decision to educate the kids at home. I feel the weight of it. I can only blame myself if I fail them. I don't want them to resent me. I can't blame schools or teachers or their work ethic (OK, this one still applies) if they don't make it. 

I really want them to find the inner motivation to learn. How do you navigate the different personalities of your kids along with the different ages? Is the downtime near-complete freedom to do what they wish or do you set guidelines, such as requiring their activities to be educational in nature? For example, if I can manage to get our instructional/desk work time to be just in the mornings, should I let them have total freedom in the afternoon? Should I give loose guidelines? I do already give them completely free playtime evenings and weekends (at least when we aren't at our extracurriculars).

Regarding science, I think I am starting to see what you mean about the textbooks. For example, my youngest DS 3, has a few non-fiction books he is obsessed with. One is a space encyclopedia and the other is a nature encyclopedia. He brings these books to me to read to him almost everyday. He has memorized the names of the planets, many rocks, and other odd creatures. It came from his own interest. It is hard to let go of the idea of textbooks because I am afraid of missing something important. What kind of science trade books interested your elementary aged kids? My dd 7 loves baking. Should I try and tailor that to, for example, making her own sourdough? Having her study yeast and bacteria and then experimenting in the kitchen? Giving her adult bread books that explain the science? Is that the kind of thing you are talking about or am I way off the mark? Is there still value in having me guide them within their interests by encouraging them to memorize certain scientific facts? Also, my oldest dd 10 is vaguely interested in Chemistry, but doesn't seem overly motivated to learn about it other than wanting to make a mess in the kitchen. Do I need to push her more than the ones who are highly interested?

For Latin, I have read the threads debating when to start Latin. I was completely onboard with waiting until middle school, but then I started reading all these reviews of people who had such great things to say about Sing Song Latin. If I don't have great expectations of retention are there benefits to doing a fun program simply for exposure? The same thing goes for the Greek Alphabet study. Is there benefit to early exposure? You are right, I do need to figure out my language goals and they need to be realistic. 

Plum: Thanks and I agree about planning. I enjoy doing it. I struggle with implementation and planning too much. I think I might have to try a science summer this year. If I can manage to keep it fun and spend most of the time doing experiments and observing we might all get a lot more out of it than if we try and force a curriculum in with everything we have going on now.

[8filltheheart]

2 hours ago, lwest said:

8Filltheheart: Thanks. It is great to hear from someone who has come out the other side of all this. It was scary making the decision to educate the kids at home. I feel the weight of it. I can only blame myself if I fail them. I don't want them to resent me. I can't blame schools or teachers or their work ethic (OK, this one still applies) if they don't make it. 

I really want them to find the inner motivation to learn. How do you navigate the different personalities of your kids along with the different ages? Is the downtime near-complete freedom to do what they wish or do you set guidelines, such as requiring their activities to be educational in nature? For example, if I can manage to get our instructional/desk work time to be just in the mornings, should I let them have total freedom in the afternoon? Should I give loose guidelines? I do already give them completely free playtime evenings and weekends (at least when we aren't at our extracurriculars).

Regarding science, I think I am starting to see what you mean about the textbooks. For example, my youngest DS 3, has a few non-fiction books he is obsessed with. One is a space encyclopedia and the other is a nature encyclopedia. He brings these books to me to read to him almost everyday. He has memorized the names of the planets, many rocks, and other odd creatures. It came from his own interest. It is hard to let go of the idea of textbooks because I am afraid of missing something important. What kind of science trade books interested your elementary aged kids? My dd 7 loves baking. Should I try and tailor that to, for example, making her own sourdough? Having her study yeast and bacteria and then experimenting in the kitchen? Giving her adult bread books that explain the science? Is that the kind of thing you are talking about or am I way off the mark? Is there still value in having me guide them within their interests by encouraging them to memorize certain scientific facts? Also, my oldest dd 10 is vaguely interested in Chemistry, but doesn't seem overly motivated to learn about it other than wanting to make a mess in the kitchen. Do I need to push her more than the ones who are highly interested?

For Latin, I have read the threads debating when to start Latin. I was completely onboard with waiting until middle school, but then I started reading all these reviews of people who had such great things to say about Sing Song Latin. If I don't have great expectations of retention are there benefits to doing a fun program simply for exposure? The same thing goes for the Greek Alphabet study. Is there benefit to early exposure? You are right, I do need to figure out my language goals and they need to be realistic. 

I am a firm believer in play being far better at teaching than academics when it comes to little kids.  Play encourages imagination and imagination opens up worlds.  My sr wrote a college app essay this yr using this quote from Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."  I had no knowledge of that quote until she shared it with me, but I have raised my children around that principle for 30 yrs and it has served my children well bc their internal drive has given them wings. 

So, to answer your question, free play in my children's lives is 100% free, but it is play using their imaginations.  (IOW, it is not using a device/TV.  It is active play.)  My kids have hrs upon hrs of unstructured time every day from the time they are very little.  They have to learn to entertain themselves.  I think self-entertainment is the most undervalued skill in the modern world.  It requires the answer to come from inside of them.  That is huge.

I honestly let my kids read whatever they want for science.  If they don't have a clear idea, I offer them suggestions.  I think  your ideas are great.  Last yr when my 8th grader was in 7th grade we spent an entire semester of kitchen chemistry.  It was a lot of fun and she learned a lot.  But, for a 5th/6th grader, I would ask her if she has anything she wants to study.  She may not bc she may not be used to exploring her own ideas.  If she doesnt, I would want to nurture her discovering ideas on her own vs. giving them to her.  Work together searching for resources.  (Besides Amazon, here are some sites that might help you some ideas: https://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/ , http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?viewstyle=5&view=nmoira&collection=133922&shelf=list&sort=dewey , http://charlottemason.tripod.com/  )  Knowing that they can learn things just bc they want to does a lot to instill the desire to learn. 

In terms of Latin, my honest opinion is that the time spent wayyyyyy outweighs the value and may actually lead to disinterest in the future, so not just no net gain, but a loss.  I also can't imagine spending that much time learning an alphabet without any plan for moving forward.  Languages take time.  It is a weighing of options and balancing of time.  French you can take a more immersive approach by watching kids shows in French, listening to French kids' songs in the car, read children's books in French, etc.  (My kids watch movies in French that they already know in English.)  Your dd might be ready for foreign language grammar next yr, but maybe spending a yr working on nurturing interests might be time better spent (unless foreign language is one of her interests.  My language loving dd was all in for languages from a young age and the love has never left her.  My other kids, not so much.  My 4th grader think she does.  We'll see what she really thinks next yr.  😉 )

[The Governess]

I think you have made a lot of good choices and I wouldn’t worry too much about turning the “good” into the “perfect”. Especially for science and history, cover the content in ways that your family enjoys and can stick to consistently.  Go deeper into topics that interest you (like you did for Ancient Egypt) and don’t feel guilty for not covering all the content presented in your chosen curriculum. Reading, writing, discussion, critical thinking: these skills can be applied to any content.

You’ve gotten great advice from other posters that are a lot more experienced than me. 😉 My only curriculum suggestions would be that 1) if you have students that are strong in math you switch them to a more challenging curriculum by pre-algebra and 2) I really like the Form series for Latin (from Memoria Press). If you like it I’d suggest start First Form in sixth or seventh and not worrying about Latin (other than maybe using Getting Started With Latin casually like you are now) before that.  

Edited April 30, 2020 by lovelearnandlive

[lwest]

Thanks so much for all your thoughtful responses. I am considering all your advice. 

I've gone down a bit of a math wormhole now. I think I will stick with the Math-U-See/Beast combo for my girls as they are doing well with it.

For my upcoming first grader, I am wondering what your thoughts are on Singapore math? My son seems to be very intuitive with math so I'm wondering if I should start him on a more challenging curriculum. Would this be a good option for him? Should I stick with Math-U-See since I'm already using it? My concern with Singapore math is that I won't be able to effectively teach it to my son. As far as I know, this curriculum presents math in a way that is very different from how we are used to learning it in the west. Is there a steep learning curve to teaching this curriculum? Also, which of their editions is best? 

[Lori D.]

5 hours ago, lwest said:

...For my upcoming first grader, I am wondering what your thoughts are on Singapore math? ...

My math-minded DS#1 adored Singapore, but did Miquon first, so he jumped into Singapore at 3rd grade. Singapore went way too fast for my math-struggler DS#2 in the early elementary grades. We struggled for years to find a good math fit for DS#2 -- that ended up being MUS, which we found in 5th grade. DS#2 did benefit from Singapore as a supplement in the late elementary/middle school years, as I felt MUS was very weak in developing problem-solving skills. For both DSs, we found Singapore to be a great program for helping with problem-solving and making math connections.
 

5 hours ago, lwest said:

...My son seems to be very intuitive with math so I'm wondering if I should start him on a more challenging curriculum. Would this be a good option for him? ...

My vote for a math-minded early elementary student is always to suggest Miquon -- fantastic for math discovery, making connections and a great foundation before moving on to Singapore in 2nd or 3rd grade. It can be used as a supplement from the different, more Asian-style perspective if you wish to stick with MUS as your "spine" (main) Math. Check out the Education Unboxed videos to give you a feel for how Miquon tends to work. Also, the Notes to Teachers and the First Grade Diary are very helpful to give you some background in the more Asian style math instruction to then go on with Singapore.

5 hours ago, lwest said:

... My concern with Singapore math is that I won't be able to effectively teach it to my son. As far as I know, this curriculum presents math in a way that is very different from how we are used to learning it in the west. Is there a steep learning curve to teaching this curriculum? Also, which of their editions is best? 

Well, the early elementary grades are ideal for jumping in with Singapore, as you can learn the different perspective right alongside your student. 😉 I am a fairly average math person (not brilliant, but not a struggler), and I did not find either Miquon or Singapore particularly challenging to learn. I actually found it very exciting to discover some math connections I had never understood before from my very traditional Western older-style math instruction.

If you are interested in going with Singapore, you might also check out Liping Ma's Knowing & Teaching Elementary Math to help you bridge from western to Asian styles of math instruction.

I was using Singapore many years back, before there was a choice of editions, so I can't help you there. I'll just say that we managed to do great back when all they offered was the paperback teacher book and student workbooks, so I'm sure whatever they offer now will have lots of helps for you. 😄 

Welcome to homeschooling, and to these boards! Wishing you a wonderful journey with your children. Warmest regards, Lori D.

[lwest]

Thank you Lori.

Miquon looks very intriguing. I read that Singapore math introduces multiplication in grade 2. So I'm wondering if maybe it would be a good idea to try Miquon for grade 1 and then plan to move into Singapore 2A for grade 2? If I go this route, should I just aim to get through the first two Miquon books during grade one? Or should I try and get through all six Miquon books before beginning with Singapore 3A? From reading previous threads it seems a lot of people begin Singapore with 3A. Did you get through all six Miquon books before beginning Singapore with your DS1?

I don't know if I'm overthinking this but I feel more pressure to get the math right from the beginning with DS 6. With his older sisters, I was pulling them out of public school so I wasn't the one to lay the math foundations down from the very beginning. I also seem to have a problem with wanting to do them all! 

[Lori D.]

50 minutes ago, lwest said:

... I read that Singapore math introduces multiplication in grade 2. So I'm wondering if maybe it would be a good idea to try Miquon for grade 1 and then plan to move into Singapore 2A for grade 2? If I go this route, should I just aim to get through the first two Miquon books during grade one? Or should I try and get through all six Miquon books before beginning with Singapore 3A? From reading previous threads it seems a lot of people begin Singapore with 3A. Did you get through all six Miquon books before beginning Singapore with your DS1?

We used Miquon "by subject" rather than sequentially. So DSs would run with a topic starting in the first workbook and continue with the topic into the next workbooks until they stalled out, and then we'd go back to the first workbook, pick up the next topic, and run with that as far they could (or wanted to go)... rinse...repeat... Also, some of the topics in the yellow and purple workbooks (#5 and #6), are pretty advanced, and the student doesn't typically see or click with those topics until about 3rd-4th grade.

What you could do is get all 6 workbooks, use Miquon as your "spine" math for 1st grade and work through it sequentially or by subject, and then switch to Singapore as the spine for 2nd grade and use Miquon as a supplement to slow down the speed of Singapore 2a/b.

Singapore tends to run about a half grade/full grade ahead in many topics. So another idea would be to go ahead and get both Singapore 1a/b AND 2a/b for 2nd grade. Start with 1a/b and let DS build a lot of confidence by zooming through all of those topics, while also getting used to a different math presentation and perspective. Just use excerpts for topics he knows. Slow down and do full sections for topics he might not have seen before or is "rusty" at. Then move into 2a/b partway through 2nd grade. There is no law requiring you to complete ALL of a grade level of math in one year -- if you don't finish off Singapore 2a/b at the end of 2nd grade, you can either use it as a "summer bridge" math and keep going, or set it aside and start up where you left off at the start of 3rd grade.

Singapore 2a/b and 3a/b move pretty quickly -- that was fine for my math-minded DS#1, but it was a real melt-down situation daily for DS#2, so we had to stop and go to something else. And, continued to use Miquon as a supplement, along with other things. So if you find Singapore is moving too quickly, have a lot of supplements on hand to plug in. You're still moving forward, but just covering different topics. And you're getting math from yet another perspective, which really helps with making math connections and for future problem-solving.

Remember that YOU drive the curricula bus -- don't let the curricular drive the bus. By that I mean, do not feel your child must do every last problem if they thoroughly get the topic. Do not feel you must complete a program by the end of a school year, or that you must stretch out a program to last to the end of the year. Gauge what the actual child before you *needs* and is ready for, and use the curricula accordingly. 😉 I know, it is hard, if you are a box-checker. But the goal is for your child to learn and understand math -- not to complete workbooks on some arbitrary schedule... 😉 
 

50 minutes ago, lwest said:

... I don't know if I'm overthinking this but I feel more pressure to get the math right from the beginning with DS 6. With his older sisters, I was pulling them out of public school so I wasn't the one to lay the math foundations down from the very beginning. I also seem to have a problem with wanting to do them all! 

Don't know if it is any comfort, but... you can start homeschooling from kinder or 1st grade -- and STILL struggle to figure out math that works for the student. And it's not you, it's that the student has learning delays or LDs. At least that was the case for us. We started homeschooling when DSs were 1st and 2nd grades. DS#1 was a natural math whiz. DS#2 had LDs that made math a struggle for him. Except, I didn't realize that right away. It took until the beginning of 5th grade, at least 5 different math programs, and hours and hours of research by me about LDs to start to figure out what he needed. And part of what he needed was TIME to develop in his own slower pace.

Just sharing that so that you can take some of the pressure off of yourself. Students do a lot of zooming and idling -- learning in spurts and plateauing -- in all of the LA and Math areas from kinder through 3rd/4th grades, so a lot of it is out of your control -- it's dependent on their brain's developmental time table. Of course, the parent's part is to provide regular exposure, and to add or change resources if the student is totally hitting the wall... But you WILL most likely reach a point (and maybe more than once) where your DS "hits the wall" and just needs to do a supplement on a different math topic to allow the struggle topic to simmer on the back burner of his brain. 😉 

[lwest]

Thanks again for all the help. I’ve been simmering on the advice in this thread. 

I have decided to dump Latin for all but our DD10. I think this will give us some breathing room.
 
My BIL moved a hive of bees into our property so I’ve ordered some good bee books for the kids and I’m hoping for science we can study them all summer and then help process the honey and wax. My BIL has a child size bee suit so they’ve been taking turns suiting up and watching as it got moved on and now as we are trying to get the hive to accept a queen. 

I’ve been thinking about math a lot and then I came across all 6 miquon books and annotations for a very good price on a used curriculum group so I snatched it up. 

I started with DS6 today just to try it. It did take us about 20 minutes to get through the first page so I might have to figure out the pacing a little better, but I could see him already making some connections. The annotations is going to be necessary for me as I never would have thought of the different ways to use the page in my own.

Lori, I know you mentioned you did it by topic through the books. I am going to go searching through threads, but is there a compelling reason to go through topically rather than book by book? I did find a chart that lines all the topics up with Singapore so I’m thinking I might use Singapore 1A/1B as the spine this coming year and then use Miquon to introduce the topics before we do them in Singapore.

 

[8filltheheart]

What an awesome experience for the kids. For your kids' ages, you might want to have them watch or read Magic School Bus's Inside a Beehive.