I am going to record what we are doing in homeschooling for my just turned 7 year old and 5 year old boys. They are 15 months apart. My oldest has Asperger's Syndrome, so I am teaching the boys at the same level, 1st grade. I also have a 2.5 year old and 1.5 year old who tootle around while we do school or I do it during their nap time. I follow the "Better Late Than Early" approach by Raymond and Dorothy Moore. This supports delaying formal education until the child is developmentally mature, around age 6, 7, or 8 years old. This means delaying teaching reading, math, etc until this age and level of maturity. I had attempted some formal schooling last year and it simply didn't sink in for either boys. I scrapped it all, provided a learning environment (aka great exploratory toys, lots of time outdoors, and no TV), and put off formal education another year. I have also read to my kids for hours and hours. We read 3rd-4th grade level books and lots of them. As I began this year, the boys are flourishing! No beating my head against a wall!! They are loving it, eager, and grasping everything I give them. So, they are READY!! I have followed Carole Joy Seid, an educational specialist speaker and consultant for homeschooling. Her website is www.carolejoyseid.com and she travels to many cities to speak. She is the underlying current for all my educational choices. Her method is literature based, consistent with the Moore teaching of delaying formal education and teaching a love for learning. She is similar to Charlotte Mason in style. So, what am I doing? Under Carole's guidance (through her seminars), I have put together this plan for our year: I spend about 1-2 hours a day on "school". It is a perfect pace and we are all happy to do it! I don't spend hours planning either! "Sing, Spell, Read and Write" Combo pack for Kindergarden and 1st grade. This was expensive (about $200), but I wanted to nail learning to read so it was important to me. However, I am not even using all of it! As per Carole's advice, I am completing avoiding the "writing" portions. According to research (Moore's especially), children are not ready for small print work and will be exhausted and bored by too much busy work. The greater importance is on large motor skills and spatial awareness. We listen to the phonics sounds song, following the letters on the chart. A A A-pple. B B B-all, etc. We then use the wooden letters from "Handwriting without tears" to design the letter of the day. This is multi-sensory and spatial without the emphasis on perfectly placing letters on a page between the lines! Then, in keeping with HWT, I draw a large (large motor skills) letter A on the chalkboard, then child erases it with a damp cloth following the same lines. He, then, writes his own very large letter A. I will then go back to Sing Spell's worksheets and allow them to color the picture (Apple for A, etc) for that day. Giving another solid picture in their head of that letter. We may or may not do the worksheet where they cut and paste A-letter items on an Apple. We may also do one of Sing Spell's games (sound Bingo, etc). We do this 5-6 days a week. Sometimes we work this on Saturday because they love it! Pre-Math It. This is perfect for young boys! It is simply dominoes but following the suggestions of Pre-Math It. They are practicing adding and simple addition, but they don't even know it! We do this 3-5 days a week. Literature. I read many many great books as recommended by Carole and "Honey for a Child's Heart". I especially love Marguerite de Angeli's "Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes". We read these to learn the patterns of language and simply to enjoy them! "Language and Thinking for Young Children" by Ruth Beechick and Jeannie Nelson is a great resource to get started. I also love Eric Carle's "Animals Animals", a collection of timeless poems with beautiful pictures. If your children aren't in love with poetry yet, this book will open that door. We do this 5 days a week or more! Nature. We spend tons of times outside, observing nature and just playing! There is a world to learn outside our front steps! Even in the suburbs. Science. These go hand in hand. I frequently check out Usborne books from the library about bugs, science, machinery, and anything remotely interesting! We love these books. Bible. We read a fabulous book called "The Jesus Storybook Bible" where every page whispers the name of Jesus! We read a story every day. I also rotate "My ABC Bible Verses" and "Big Truths for Little Kids" both by Susan Hunt. And "The Child's Story Bible" by Vos. Next step is teaching my kids some Hymns! Lastly, Daddy is reading a really neat book on teaching your child to draw. He is going to do that portion with them. So, that was kind of dry, but we all need the basics under our belt! Then, the fun can begin! Hope you'll join me!