We use the Explorer's Preschool-Grade 2 Beginnings Biblestudy and love it!

Yes, I liked them, BUT I was in a high school that tracked and I was only placed with other high-achieving students who were applying to top tier colleges and so had the motivation to maintain their grades. I hated them in middle school before we were tracked. As for using them IRL, dh is part of a team responsible for a group of clients and yes, they do have to work together as a group constantly to manage issues. He does complain all the time about having to work as a group and cover other people's clients, but there are definitely jobs where group work is huge part of the profession. Of course, he and his co-workers all have individual performance reviews, so there is always individual accountability as well.

To make leaf rubbings you just collect fallen leaves on a nature walk, and put paper over them and rub crayons over it. The effect is sort of a shadowed leaf picture. Its simple and fun :)!

I just received and read LCC and I am very intrigued. One of my biggest questions is if you follow it from K on, how much English grammar do you complete before Latin takes its place? Once you start Latin in 2nd grade, do you stop English grammar or do you continue for a bit, say through 3rd grade, until the child really gets into Latin grammar? Also, I have the new edition, but personally, I think the 3 track history of classical studies, medieval studies and modern studies might work better for our family. Can anyone describe the old scope and sequence?

We are also using Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Eggleston and you can download the text & illustrations for free through Project Gutenberg as it is public domain (in case anyone wanted to use it, but is cheap like me :)): http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/10070

If I can get over the sticker shock and come up with the funds, this is what I plan to use next year: http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/timeline.htm My current plan is just to print them out and put them on poster board strung together like the website describes. I was only going to place on the people as we encounter them in SOTW or our American History program. Hopefully someone else will come along and tell me whether or not they like this product!

Fun science experiments? Special art projects? Cooking or other handicraft skills? Your dd is definitely old enough for sewing cards, possibly beginning hand sewing for doll clothes, pillows, etc. Projects that have gone over well around here lately: Sponge painting Leaf rubbings Apple stamping Building a marshmallow igloo for "i says ih" We're going to do some planting here soon too (my daffodils need to get planted and I need helpers :)) and the kids will plant the popular beans in a cup. Oh, and our collection is a perpetual favorite. Whenever we go on a nature walk, we bring home something for our collection. The pinecone actually came in handy yesterday since we were reading a book about how ladybugs climb in pinecones to stay warm for the winter and we had a real hands-on pinecone to explain the concept! I'm right there with you. This is on my Amazon wish list. You could also add some kind of classical music listening or composer study if you want (we just listen to Classical Kids CDs and are reading aloud a biography about the childhood of Handel). I need to add more fun stuff too, but I think I'm going to look to more art projects & science/nature ideas as well as maybe some hands-on history (Pilgrim & Native American cooking as Thanksgiving gets closer). Hope that inspires some ideas that might work for you!

With Truthquest, only the intro passages to each section are distinctly Christian. These vary from just a couple of paragraphs on Jamestown, to a few pages on the Pilgrims. The other 120+ pages are just a giant booklist categorized by age with a couple of ThinkWrite exercises thrown in the margins. I will probably not even read the intros to my kids, and just use it as a sorted booklist. So far, all of the picture books I've bought or requested from the library off of the Truthquest list have been completely secular. I think it is easy to tell which ones might have more Christian content by the titles. Some of the really obvious ones would be those that advocate Providential History like The Light and the Glory series, but the authors specifically note that not everyone appreciates the efforts of this book to see God's hand in history. All of the books listed for K that I have previewed have been picture books, and they include lots of titles I had never heard of that are both well illustrated & educational. It has given me loads of material to use, along with activity guides of crafts & cooking projects, and I think it will be especially helpful since I plan to approach American History spirally alongside World History throughout the grammar stage. HTH!

Truthquest is the best list of American History picture books I have found. It is definitely not secular like SOTW, but it lists tons of book with an age range. I've been going through each period - Explorers, Native Americans & Pilgrims, Colonials, Early Pioneers, etc. and pulling picture book ideas. TQ also lists hands-on activity books so I've been collecting those as well. It sure would be nice to have a narrative spine though!

:bigear: I would love to know too!

I'm going to go against the grain and say yes they are too young. I think they are the perfect age for writing in sand, pudding, cool whip, sandpaper letters, etc. but our family friend is an occupational therapist with 20+ years experience in the school district and she has seen way too many kids with finger & hand injuries from being forced into writing and pencil grips too young. When my oldest turned 3, she begged me not to enroll him in an "academic" preschool. Not because of the academics, but because of the emphasis on writing which can really hurt developing little hands. Obviously, kids who pick up crayons or pencils and write on their own will do it in a way that is comfortable for them, but trying to teach littles the proper grip & forcing them to write too early can actually hurt them sometimes. That opinion may not be popular around here, but there it is.

I don't know how old your dc are, but we love A Child's Book of Art. Is is for the younger set, probably K-2, but it separates out a variety of different paintings and styles by topic. The Come Look with Me books are also on my wishlist, but I don't have in-person experience with them.

Teaching reading is the bane of my existence! Yes, our program is working. Its also lots of "drill and kill" which is making my ds hate it, even though he enjoys the challenge of decoding. Part of me wonders how fun learning letter sounds really can be, and maybe we should just grin and memorize them, but a big part of me wants ds to love reading, which I am worried he never will if we stick with this program! So, is there a phonics equivalent to RightStart math? Short lessons (15-20 mins), hands-on manipulatives, games instead of worksheets to test knowledge & retention? We've also tried PP, which I like and may continue in some form, but it is not multi-sensory enough to teach ds letter-sound connection. He has to move or do an activity (ie, gluing raisins on an "r") to cement that connection. I've thought about SSRW and am wondering if I should just suck it up and purchase it, but it is so hard to outlay that kind of money without being able to preview it first. I can't be the first one to need this kind of program! Hive suggestions?

I'm reading about lots of them not turning out so well from the other thread, but we are pretty crafty around here and I have been really looking forward to the SOTW projects next year. Who had great experiences with them? Which ones were your favorites? My kiddos are pretty kinethestic hands-on learners, so even if the projects don't cement specific dates in their heads, I'd like to spark some interest & create positive/fun memories associated with history. Did the SOTW projects do that for your family?

Last week was the first week I attempted a 4 day week, and we took Friday off. Boy did I get attitude this morning when we tried to settle back into our regular routine! I'm thinking at least for now I might not be able to take 3 days off in a row over the weekend, because I certainly don't get that much resistance everyday once we get into a groove. Anyone else have the same problem? Do you do a lighter 5th day or something to keep it fresh?

I have my suspicions about ds as well, but he never "picked up" reading the way some kids do. His preschool teacher, who has loads of experience and a Masters degree in early childhood development, told me he was definitely math-gifted, and he does show some signs like high vocabulary/auditory processing skills, extrapolating problem solving & critical thinking to different situations, as well as very strong pattern recognition & re-creation. He has recently started reading (well, Bob books & cvc words) at a K level according to my 1st grade teacher friend, which I guess isn't bad considering we've only done 4 weeks of phonics instruction and K curriculum, but I've always been curious why he didn't start reading earlier. I would have expected it, given he has very high phonemic awareness & his other characteristics. He was recently vision-tested, and he does have an eye tracking problem, and is far-sighted. I wonder how much that would affect the learning to read ability? I think they are testing him next month for dyslexia. It just seems odd to me. It seems like the thinking ability is in his head there, but he has a hard time getting it out when it comes to reading (even though his comprehension is immediate once he decodes the words.) Does that ring a bell to anyone? Suggestions?

We have loads of food allergies here and they usually cause hives. The hives generally last about a week, even if there has been no continued exposure. The concern for anaphylactic shock is when 2 or more systems are involved. Hives are skin, that counts as 1 system. Swelling of the face, trouble breathing (coughing, wheezing like asthma sounding) would be examples of a 2nd system. I would only worry (and go to the ER which we should have done) if 2 or more systems are affected. If you only have hives, it is technically a "mild" allergic reaction and can be treated at home. FYI - Hives caused by food allergies usually begin on the stomach/trunk, and that area will be most affected (the hives often joining together to form one huge red, itchy patch). If they are not starting/worse on the tummy, you may want to think about a cause of potential external allergens (soaps, laundry detergents, carpet fibers, etc.). HTH!

Not reading ability, but actual age they learned to read (even if they took off with reading shortly after :)). I've always been curious about whether there was a connection between giftedness and early reading age. While there undoubtedly sometimes is, from my research & personal experience it doesn't seem to always be correlated. One of the most brilliant people I know (my high school best friend) who got a perfect score on her SATs and graduates this year from Stanford's Medical School as a Nephrologist, didn't learn to read until halfway through 1st grade - average according to the teacher. How many of your gifted/accelerated dc were average age/late readers? How related is giftedness and early reading?

How much do regional weather patterns affect your year-round schedule? Seeing as it rains nearly 10 months a year here in the Pac NW, we pretty much spend every single day of July and August outside. I'm not really sure I could ask the kids (& myself) to give that up considering how much we are stuck inside during the rainy months. For those of you that school year-round, does the weather factor in at all? I love the pros of year round schooling, being able to take time off when necessary, but I just can't see how to do it without losing our summer outdoor time (which in our area can't be made up once the rains start).

Baking soda rubbed on and then washed out with seltzer water will also "bubble" the blood out. HTH!

My ds loves Handy Manny (not necessarily the most educational show in our arsenal, but it is fun and he loves to build things) and since hearing the Spanish words on the show, he has been asking to learn Spanish. Can anyone recommend a good conversational Spanish program for a K'er? I don't want something with reading/writing as he is just learning to read English. I wasn't planning on starting foreign language for a couple of years, so I am completely unprepared on this front, but I thought I would check it out since he is so interested. What are some fun Spanish programs that have worked well for your littles? Fun will be a necessity as he is already being seriously challenged in learning to read and write. Inexpensive would be great as well! Thanks for your help!

No answers, but I am right there with you. I am for sure delaying DS's entry into K, but he has a July birthday, and it is pretty much encouraged to delay boys with summer birthdays around here. My problem is similar, in that he is ready to go on academically but socially he can't sit still and shows some signs of ADD. My solution so far, is just to homeschool the academics this year and see where we are at next year and whether the school will be able to challenge him in K. My friend's son has a January birthday and she delayed his entry a year just because she felt it would be the right thing for him. She has not regretted it once. In my experience, you don't hear many people regretting that they delayed dc a year, but I've heard many say they wish they would have waited to start K. Just something else to consider!

If I use Phonics Road next year, would I need to supplement with FLL or does it include the same grammar info? Is the grammar at an appropriate level for a 1st grader? I'm just trying to figure out what parts of language work Phonics road actually includes. The website says it is a full program, but it seems like everyone's idea of a full LA program is different!

No limits here!

Another great OG program is the one we use, Sensational Strategies for Teaching Beginning Readers, and it is also multi-sensory. It starts from square 1, assuming the child knows nothing and takes them through blending and more. It also comes with the sand, screen, and cardstock paper for you to photocopy your own worksheets so you can make your own handwriting program. There is even a DVD showing entire lessons and how they should go, what order etc. to go along with the teacher manual. Sensational Strategies was written to be a complete beginning reading program from Recipe for Reading. My ds has done much better with reading because of this program than I ever would have expected and he is also the "mathy" type. HTH!