[Does TOG DE ever go on sale?]

I am wondering the same thing. I've not used TOG, but I'm interested, and I was looking into it just this morning.

[if you use Math Mammoth ...]

right now, I scribe for him all but one page of math each day -- and he does handwritting -- so I expect to continue doing that, but i need to up his mental challage (he was 6 in Nov) though not his fine motor.

 

is there a schdule of any kind -- or it is just "go at your own pace" 2 pages or 10 a day .....

 

My K-er is soon finishing up his Essential Math B book, and I'll most likely move him into MM 1, too. As he'll be starting it earlier than 1st grade, I expect to take it slower than normal, and I'll help with the scribing if needed.

 

My 3rd grader also uses MM, and he does 1.5-2 pages/day. I just counted up the number of pages and figured out that we need to complete that many each day to finish 3A in a semester (he's 1/2 a level behind since we didn't start with MM). If you have a child who speeds thru it with ease, keep challenging him by giving him more (cross out problems and move ahead). My guy needs the review so our crossing-out is kept to a minimum.

 

I got the PDF downloads, btw. I love that I can reuse it for each kid, reprint anything necessary, and get free upgrades.

[x-post: National Museum of Natural History ?]

You might also consider the VRE commuter train which comes all the way up from Fredericksburg with multiple stops along the way. It isn't anymore expensive than taking several kids on the Metro. Kids under 10 are free on the VRE; kids under 5 are free on Metro.

 

It also has bathrooms. I **think** that parking in their lots is free (the ones near us are, but they do fill up in the mornings). But the last train to DC leaves pretty early - check the website for the schedule if you're interested. You'd get off at L'Enfant station which is a short walk south of the Mall/museums.

 

We are on the Manassas line, but I've done this with my kiddos in the past to go to the Air & Space museum or the zoo (involves a transfer to Metro). Just don't choose the "quiet car" - usually the one right behind the engine, I think - because there is NO talking/phone use/etc. I took my umbrella stroller on the VRE train, no problem. It's two-story, and my kids always like to sit up top so they can see better, and I even managed the stroller up the stairs. People on the VRE are much more helpful than on the Metro, I've found. You are also allowed to eat on the VRE, but not on the Metro.

 

Just another option...let me know if you have any questions.

[GSWL for 3rd grader?]

Thanks, Ladies. I just ordered GSWL as well as GSWS. Still not sure which one I'll start with, but at least I'll have them both in hand to look them over.

 

Thanks again.

[GSWL for 3rd grader?]

Is this too young? We've gone thru SSL mostly, and I originally thought we'd move into LfC next, but after some of the threads on here, I'm reconsidering and want to use GSWL instead.

 

But is a 3rd grader too young for it? or is it gentle and slow enough? He's 8.5 yo and is doing FLL3 for grammar, just to give you an idea. He's doing fine with the grammar, not struggling.

 

I'm still sort of undecided about whether to stick with Latin or go with Spanish for now (using GSWS) and pick up Latin again later. My own personal preference for teaching is Spanish because I had 4 years of it and remember it somewhat. In the area where we live, it could be quite useful.

 

But...not sure about dropping Latin right now either. I can't do both right now...maybe in a few years I could.

 

Help me think this thru please!

[Science that is like SOTW??]

Thanks so much for the link to Mr. Q's science curriculum!!

 

We have been using Apologia last year and this year, and I am just done with it. Astronomy was not so bad last year; we enjoyed that for the most part. But Botany is killing me. And the boys aren't retaining anything either.

 

So I've been looking for something else to try. I just ordered the books that are recommended for Elemental Science (some for earth science and some for life science) and was just going to use those, working it out on my own.

 

But I think they'll go along fabulously with Mr. Q's stuff! I think we'll give the free Life Science a go first and then maybe move into some of the Earth Science that we haven't covered.

 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!

[Latin for the K-2 crowd]

We are using SSL as well. I'm using it with my K-er and 3rd grader. We actually started it last year and have been going thru it slowly - we were much more inconsistent last year.

 

Anyway, as ds8 is in 3rd now, he's able to do more written work. Previously, I thought it was a total waste to buy the TM, as others have said. But this year I discovered that in addition to the answer key, there are also pages in the back with an extra activity for each chapter. Since we didn't do them thru the first half of SSL last year, I've been using some of them as review exercises.

 

Just wanted to chime in and let you know that the TM is not completely useless as I previously thought. Maybe not worth the $$ for students who aren't writing as well, though.

[Veritas Press History vs. SOTW]

We tried VP history for a year (or rather, part of the year), and ds really didn't care for it. Granted, we were doing OTAE, and he felt like he was already so familiar with all of the Bible stories that dominated the first few months. He wanted something new and interesting. I guess I could have tweaked it and skipped some things, etc. But we just went with SOTW instead and he's much happier. Frankly, I am too.

 

I also purchase the SOTW on CD and we listen to those in the car since it covers some events that VP doesn't.

 

I also wasn't crazy about the fact that eastern history is virtually ignored by VP, at least in the early years (I haven't seen the later years).

 

But we LOVE the VP books! The boys' favorites have been VP selections. So we are super-happy using SOTW with a lot of the VP recommended books.

[Maybe a dumb question, but...]

Ok. I think I get it now.

 

We're not on the coast in the direct path of Irene, but I think to play it safe, I'll go clean the tub and fill it tonight. The possibility of a power outage is pretty decent, I'm thinking.

 

Thanks for the helpful replies!

[Maybe a dumb question, but...]

...why fill up the bathtubs to flush toilets?

 

Growing up, we had a well, and everytime the power would go out, we had no water. Of course, then we couldn't flush the toilets either.

 

But when I got married and moved to the city and we had our first power outage, I mentioned to dh that we couldn't flush the toilets and he laughed at me....because we were on city water and it was gravity-fed (or something like that). We are still in the city, btw.

 

So in a power outage, can no one flush the toilets? Or just those who are on well-water?

 

I'm confused. :confused:

[Allergies and the rest of the family]

 

I have never seen coconut yogurt. Would I get that at Whole Foods?

 

I don't know if it is cute or sad. When the 3 others get ice cream in a cone, she gets the cone only. It looks sort of pathetic.

 

Yes, Whole Foods has coconut yogurt. They also have coconut milk ice cream which is quite good. My ds8 is allergic to milk, and he loves the coconut milk ice cream (he liked soy ice cream all right too, but we try to avoid soy for the most part). He wasn't as crazy about the coconut milk yogurt (and it's quite expensive). Wegman's also has the coconut milk ice cream. He likes rice milk ice cream too, and Whole Foods and Wegman's have that as well. There are also a lot of good dairy-free sorbets available, even in regular grocery stores (also Trader Joe's). I hope you can find it and she can get some ice cream on that cone! :001_smile:

 

Because he's the oldest, ds8 got used to not having everything we had before his siblings came along. But he obviously sees that he can't have what they have all the time. For the most part, I've changed my cooking so that he can eat the same dinner we eat (sometimes leaving out dairy until the end so I can remove a portion for him). I try to limit our meals including dairy to once a week or so and make sure that he has leftovers that he likes or something else that he likes.

 

It is hard, but once ds8 experienced the results of ingesting milk accidentally, he knows that he really doesn't want to do that again! It does bother him sometimes that he's not eating the same as everyone else, but for the most part, we try to make sure that he has something he likes and is similar to what others are having.

[Homeschool in the Woods timeline figures - what to print them on?]

I have the CD and got some full-sheet labels from Staples to print the timeline figures. But I hate trying to peel the label off the back after cutting out each figure.

 

The ones we used to get from Sonlight were "scored" across the back in several places which made it so much easier. The label sheets I have are only scored once in the middle.

 

Anybody have a better idea for printing these? I hate to use paper with glue sticks.

 

Help!

[our third grade. what am i missing?]

Grammar? Spelling? Phonics?

[Using God's Great Covenant]

I wanted to come back and mention that OT:2 which we started this week is laid out a little differently than OT:1 was last year. The chapter quizzes are in the back of the book rather than with each chapter. I was kind of freaking out this morning when I couldn't find them. :glare: But they are there - you just have to look for them.

 

And as monalisa said, I did some of the writing for my 2nd grade ds last year, too. Sometimes he wrote; sometimes I did. Apparently, it will go the same way this year if this morning's page was anything to go by.

[s/o Starting School after Labor Day]

I would start now with whatever you already have. We actually started yesterday. I always prefer to start toward the beginning of August so that we can take decent breaks throughout the year and still finish by Memorial Day.

 

The schools around here always begin the week of Labor Day, and they didn't finish this year until June 24th! That was with barely any snow days, too. I much prefer to be done before June, but that's just me.

[Using God's Great Covenant]

We used OT:1 last year for 2nd grade. Since there are 32 chapters and 36 weeks in our school year, we did a chapter each week and had some time to do Christmas-y things during the holidays instead.

 

The way I scheduled it was like this:

 

Monday - introduce and practice the memory verse as well as going over the other info on the Memory Page

 

Tuesday - read the story pages aloud (I also looked at the Victor Journey Through the Bible for any other pertinent info on each story)

 

Wednesday - 1st worksheet

 

Thursday - 2nd worksheet

 

Friday - chapter quiz

 

Last year we weren't diligent about memorizing the verses, but this year we will practice the verse throughout the week to memorize it. I also try to read/highlight the teacher's notes ahead of time so that I can point out anything especially important as we read/discuss the story.

 

Hope that is helpful to you!

Christy

[Classical Academic Press *God’s Great Covenant Old Testament, Comments?]

Carrie, did you just post on CAP's FB question today? Just curious as I saw a Carrie there with a question on it and I responded as well. :)

 

We used OT:1 w/ Teacher's manual last year, and I really loved it. We'll be using OT:2 starting next week. My ds is going into 3rd grade this year. As the previous poster stated, I think 3rd grade is a great age to start this - I definitely could have waited another year as some of the worksheets were challenging for my 2nd grader, and most of them were done with my help (even writing for him sometimes).

 

The curriculum is Protestant, and it is Reformed (I'm guessing they're Presbyterian?), but as CAP said on FB today, there is no teaching about infant baptism vs. believer's baptism. "The book does reflect a covenantal viewpoint (Jesus as anticipated and promised in the OT covenant and the fulfillment of the promise in the NT covenant) and is friendly to the teaching of the Reformation. It reflects a Protestant and Reformational theology, but not with a heavy hand." That's a direct quote from the person who responded to the FB question.

 

The teacher's manual has a good bit of depth to it which I appreciated. It also includes the appropriate Westminster Shorter Catechism questions that pertain to the lesson, but those are entirely optional.

 

Their memory verses are in the NKJV which is a bummer for me as I much prefer the ESV and would even be happy with NIV. But that's personal preference.

 

I actually just listened to the MP3s today for the first time, and they were quite good. I haven't used the maps or timeline as we have another map book and timeline already.

 

HTH!

Christy

[If you have used God's Great Covenant OT (CAP)]

We used it this year. My ds just turned 8 and was in 2nd grade.

 

1. It is recommended for 2nd grade - 6th grade.

 

2. I don't think it's appropriate as an independent assignment for a 3rd grader. The child might be able to fill out the worksheet on his/her own, but they'd miss out on all of the meat of the study if they just read it themselves with no discussion. I found the teacher's manual to be a great resource, and it added a lot to our discussions.

 

3. We did not use their map/timeline as we have another map book and timeline.

 

4. The pages are not perforated.

[Am I Reading This Correctly? Writing section in the WTM]

 

All that being said - yes, if you are teaching some punctation and mechanics in there, just WWE it yourself. It can definitely be done. I had a problem with using snippets of lit. instead of what we were actually reading. That just feels so anthology like to me, and I hate literary anthologies. Sigh.

 

I understand this. I think that getting snippets of different stories sometimes drives ds7 crazy. :D But it also makes him want to read the rest of the book...which I love! There are some stories that are not our favorites, but a number of times he has demanded that we find "that book" at the library so he can hear the rest of the story. And often, they are stories that we probably would not have otherwise read.

 

So I love WWE for that reason. But I agree that it's not necessary if the same skills are being covered in lit or science or history.

[What covers synonyms, homophones etc???]

We covered the homophones and homonyms in Phonics Pathways. And we are doing synonyms and antonyms in FLL right now (end of 2nd yr).

[Classical Academic Press opinions?]

We used OT: Part 1 this year and will be using OT: Part 2 next. I really love it and recommend using the teacher's manual as well. It includes so many helpful notes.

 

My ds is almost 8, and we've been doing 2nd grade work. I probably would not use this for younger ages because of the amount of writing in the book, although at times when ds5 was listening in, he could answer questions just as well as his brother. I suppose some of it could be done orally, but I think I would just rather use it for the ages it was intended.

 

In the foreign languages, we enjoy Song School Latin as well.

[Is there a template to create my own Sonlight or WP look-alike weekly pages?]

Thanks, Mandy!!

 

I guess I knew how to "link" them. I just didn't realize that when they were linked, what was typed onto one sheet would go onto all of them. Nice!

 

I agree that Excel is much better than using Word - at least for me, it is.

 

Thanks again!

[Is there a template to create my own Sonlight or WP look-alike weekly pages?]

It is really easy to make one in excel.

 

Open a book and add in worksheets for a total of 36 and then I link the sheets.

 

I've done an Excel spreadsheet for this too, but I can't figure out how you're linking the worksheets to make the format all the same. Previously, I just created a master worksheet and then copied it for all of the weeks. Maybe it's the same amt of work in the long run anyway; I don't know. But how are you linking them?

[Could we talk about dictation?]

 

is the link to the youtube video where SWB talks about dictation issues. Oh, and that transcript of dictation with Ben was HILARIOUS. We were howling over the "catastrophe." :D

 

We are in WWE2 right now as well, and I was just watching this video yesterday to get a little help. In the video SWB recommends only giving the child the entire sentence at once, not word by word. Even if I have to repeat the sentence 5 or 10 times for him to get it, I don't give it word by word as that defeats the purpose of holding the words in his head to write it down.

 

I think if my child was struggling with keeping a long sentence (or two) in his head, I would stop using the pages in WWE2 and start choosing my own passages and sentences. I'd use much shorter sentences for dictation (really short, like "Billy sat in the green grass.") and work up to longer ones over time. Or keep using WWE2 for narration and copywork, but choose a shorter sentence from the narration passage to use for dictation. Does that make sense?

[Easy Classical-Main Schedules? Anyone use these?]

The schedules are detailed as far as telling you which pages to do on which day with which resource. There are samples on their website that you can browse before buying.

 

I have only used the Ancient Egypt History schedule. I think they're valuable tools, but ds7 was not enjoying the VP history cards (too dry for us) and we ditched it mid-year for SOTW and the activity guide. But we've enjoyed using many of the resources that are planned out, such as Uncle Josh's outline maps and the timeline figures from Homeschool in the Woods. And the recommended books have been good as well.

 

I have not used the main schedule.