I started using the Sonlight readers last summer with comprehension questions and I'm impressed with how much my son has learned. I bought everything used from ebay or here and got really reasonable price for what we are doing. http://www.sonlight.com/readers.html You can check out the lists here and then look to buy elsewhere if strapped for cash (aren't we all?)

Slogging through Ginger Pye now - those are some long chapters and my throat is sore halfway through! I enjoy reading books written in old-fashioned language but not reading them aloud, it is so much more difficult! We are so far behind our Sonlight schedule - luckily I"m not stressing on it, moving forward with some parts and just trying to catch up on the reading as we can. At least Ginger Pye is entertaining to the kids (for the most part - they love reading about the dog) so I haven't given up on it completely. My 11 year old read Door in the Wall earlier this year and I think had a hard time cutting through the language to understand the story, we would have done better with audio. I will keep that in mind for the future!

We just got my 12 year old son an official Asperger's diagnosis last week so I thought I would pipe up. When my son was first evaluated for autism at age 6 (his public school kindy teacher saw some warning signs) the Dr dx'd ADHD only - even though I had done my research and argued at the time for an Asperger's diagnosis. In the following years my son took medication during school days for attention (and this seems to cause some changes in his motor skills and anxiety levels as well) and functioned pretty well. High IQ and reading skills compensated for a lot in those grades. In 3rd grade the social problems really escalated as the other kids started maturing and in 4th grade teasing and organizing (executive functioning) skills became major issues. I brought him home at that point because an ADHD dx alone wouldn't qualify him for any kind of IEP. His high intelligence masked other academic problems in the younger grades but as self-regulating and organizing skills became more needed in the older grades he was starting to fall apart. I found a great local non-profit resource for social skills groups and he's been doing great with those. After alot of soul searching I finally decided to go ahead and get a full evaluation for Asperger's. My primary reasons include (but are not limited to): 1) getting accomodations for college classes/standardized tests 2) he needs to be excluded from any potential military requirements (such as a draft should we go to war) 3) If something should happen to dh or I and my mom had to raise the kids this would help her with getting an IEP and assistance 4) access to other services such as equine therapy and so forth. We have very poor private insurance and only one income. The center who did our eval scaled the cost based on our income and family. There was a long wait (about nine months) to get the evaluation but I'm very satisfied with the services we received and how we were treated. I got the official results last Thursday so I'm still processing IT a bit. I've known inside that my son had some kind of autism for six years. Now I feel justified in the argument I had with the dr when he denied the autism. I also feel like I can be sure now that I'm not the "crazy" one or imagining things... it sounds silly but with three boys and all three with a variety of developmental issues sometimes I wonder if it's just me, not them? This validates that, yes, I do have a harder time than parents of all neurotypical kids - I'm not making things up. Since we got our evaluation privately I also own that eval and the results and we aren't obligated to share the information with anyone unless we chose to do so; our options should still be open. Good luck with making your decision!

With my oldest son he seemed to take off on his own while being public schooled and in kindergarten. I brought my middle son home to school last year for second grade and at the start of the year I identified him as a struggling reader. (He was on the cusp of acceptable in the public school class room but they had him classified as an inclusion student with special needs.) I worked with him at home last year but nothing seemed to be really helping. So, I bought a used set of Sonlight Level 2 readers with the guide and started assigning reading and asking comprehension questions after each selection. I've been amazed at how his reading has taken off. I don't know if it was reading for comprehension or just coincidence along with developmental but suddenly he can take one of those books and will just go ahead and read the whole book in one sitting during quiet time instead of complaining about having to read one (short) chapter. I've definitely seen a big jump with him...it happened shortly after he turned 7. You may have a few more months before that happens. :)

I'm using FLL 3 with my 3rd grader this year and so far so good. He struggles with dyslexia so I'm finding that the auditory style of learning (FLL, Geography Songs from Sonlight, etc) seem to work quite well for him. YMMV!

Yes, yes, yes! You are his mom and you can decide what speed, grade level and amount of work he should be doing, if *any*! Some kids, especially boys, just mature slower than others and need more time to just be kids and play. Let him play and do what "work" he is interested in, keep reading with him and don't push. It is okay to give him a break and come back again in a few weeks or months. The only caution is be careful that he doesn't feel like he is letting you down or that he is doing something wrong if he doesn't keep up with his brother. It is really ok to take a break, especially with younger kids, and start over again. Follow your instincts mom!

I rented this movie from Netflix. I enjoyed the movie and found it very relatable, even laughed aloud several times. My son with Asperger's just turned 12 and I hope that he will be a bit more functional, in a sense of being more flexible, than the main character of the movie but I thought that it was a fairly good representation of Asperger's in the world and possibly in personal relationships. I enjoyed it, it was a kinda girly movie - about feelings and progression of a relationship - I don't know how a guy would like it, but I would say worth a shot!

Pros: - Better education than my kids could get from any school in our area public or private. - My schedule - we can sleep in, we can travel, etc... - We aren't growing apart as they get older. - The boys are all learning together and continuing to build strong relationships instead of each going their own way. - I can make accommodations and remediations as needed for my special needs kids, the public school wasn't working with us to the extent that my boys needed. - teaching our own values and points of view in life without ps or teacher's philosophies being shoved down our throats (oh, the nights when my oldest - then 7 - was in tears at the dinner table because of what his teacher told him we were doing to the world) Cons: - expense (arguably not that much more than if we participated in every fundraising drive at the public school and definitely less than any private school) - lack of time for me to pursue my interests/hobbies/friendships - lack of time to keep the house in the manner I would prefer - concern that they may be missing some opportunities socially (this really doesn't concern me that much to be honest, we are getting involved in a homeschooling group for field trips to help this though) - the funny looks we sometimes get when I have the boys out shopping during the day, I get tired of people always asking "why aren't you boys in school" and my oldest with Aspergers isn't good as setting personal limits and tells everyone everything :P - It sure would be nice if they could have a real music teacher, art teacher, etc..we can't afford classes at this time so it's all me. I'm crafty and musically inclined but lack motivation once we are done with math, grammar, reading, spelling, history, science, latin, music appreciation, etc... (again they only saw a music teacher twice a month at our "A" public elementary school - I don't think they were learning that much) Overall, the biggest negatives involve sacrificial giving of time and self on the part of the parent-teacher and the loss of a potential income since I can't work outside the home.

I'm using SotW 2 for my 3rd grader and History Odyssey Middle Ages along with MP's Famous Men of the Middle Ages and Renaissance for my 6th grader together this year. Both boys listen in on each other's lessons and participate in Q&A's so I align the subjects as we go. Famous Men of Rome would be better matched with the last half of SotW1. I have my son do the Famous Men chapter with worksheet one day a week and the other two or three days a week we work through a lesson in History Odyssey. I've found them to match up pretty well and if they are off a few weeks either direction are just a good reinforcement. Famous Men is a much higher level reading and very different style than SotW - I see SotW as being really appropriate for elementary grades where the Famous Men series is appropriate for 5th+. I've struggled with history selections too, having two kids to teach that I want to combine but are three years apart just made it tougher so I end up doing it all! LOL Good luck ~ PS You can get the first 6 weeks of History Odyssey for free at their website www.pandiapress.com - take a look, it's a very good classical style curriculum that teaches outlining and notebooking skills.

I've heard great things about Getting Started With Latin as well - it might be a good introduction; however, if you need a more traditional program I would highly recommend Latin for Children. Get the dvd's - having someone else to do the primary teaching is golden for us since I haven't studied latin previously. LfC has workbooks that work well for my special needs kiddos (Asperger's/ADD in my oldest, dyslexia/ADHD in my middle son) and the chant cd's for practice can be helpful depending on learning style. I find that the set as a whole can appeal to alot of different learning styles/strengths and weaknesses. Good luck with finding the right program for your kiddo!

IMO you don't need the TM, the game looked cute but I didn't use it here. SSL is full of matching, songs, cutting and coloring so for us that was enough activity. I looked at the game and wished my kids would enjoy something like that! LOL My kids prefer to just get their schoolwork done and play other (non-shool related) games once they are done. YMMV! I did use the free online game at ClassicalAcademicPress.com to test and review and that was more openly received here.

I am doing LfC B with my 12 year old this year (did LfC A last year in 5th) and my 3rd grader will be using LfC A. I actually plan for my older son to be the middle son's primary teacher - we will see how that works. Just wrapping up our "summer" Minimus Latin review.

Ditto. We are religious but I've found that I prefer more secular curriculum, I do the religious connections and teaching here. History Odyssey is great for pick and choose but easy and uses SotW and at higher levels Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. Good luck with your choice!

:iagree: And instituting the afternoon quiet time has really made a difference in my daily life - THANK YOU SWB!

I've been wanting to pop in and leave an encouraging word. I pulled my oldest son out of 4th grade in fall 2008 for some of the same reasons you mentioned. Last year I decided to keep my 2nd grader home when I realized just what bad habits he was picking up, including thinking that he wasn't smart and that he could just coast along and do only the work he felt like and get his aid to do the rest. :eyeroll: We are working our way towards an ecclectic classical education. I read the WTM and really felt inspired but also overwhelmed. Starting our second full year (with both boys and the third tagalong) I'm feeling more comfortable just because I'm more familiar with what works for us and what doesn't. With my youngest I'm starting some pre-K type stuff so there is some stress there but...we will figure this out. My tips: - don't spend a ton of money on expensive curriculums unless you are positive they will work for your kids. The best way to try something more expensive out is to buy it used from this website or an online auction site. - Do start out slowly, with just the things that you think are most important for each child (reading, handwriting, copywork, math, maybe something else) for a few weeks while you research and figure out what to use for the other things. - Do try to teach them together for things that you can. This takes practice and balance but for me it's worth the effort to combine what I can (YMMV). Here is a sample schedule for us so far this year (since a PP asked) We aren't morning people. I try to get my youngest in bed by 8:30pmish, older boys tucked in my 9pm, oldest allowed to read for an hour. I get up before 7am, cook breakfast for hubby and take the dogs for a walk, kids up by 7-8am. Breakfast, must be dressed with teeth and hair brushed before we start school typically at 9am. Both boys at the table in our dining room I've converted, my 4 year old either plays with lego/trio blocks/trains on the floor or sits at the table and colors, plays with tangrams, playdoh, cuts and pastes, etc.. Bible - 20-30 minutes (4 days a week) Last year we read one story from the Children's Illustrated Bible per day, worked on memorizing a verse every few weeks, talked about the stories and made connections. This year we are reading from the children's regular bibles using the verses assigned in Sonlight Core 2 (bought used), doing bible verses and books assigned with SL. History - 30-45 minutes (4 days a week) This year my oldest (6th grade) is doing History Odyssey 2 Middle Ages, middle son (3rd grade) is doing Story of the World. We read the chapter from SotW, my oldest does writing/outlining/map, etc from HO and other son does map work, some coloring pages. I'm also reading aloud the Famous Men of the Middle Ages and bought the student guide from Memoria Press. We do one famous man a week, both boys listen, my older son completes the student pages. From here we split apart usually... Writing (With Ease) - 15 minutes While child #1 finishes up history I do Writing with Ease with child #2 (10-15 mins). Then while child #2 takes a recess break (20-30 mins to just play, go outside and usually takes the little one) I do Writing with Ease with my older son. He usually does his math page around this time. Math (U See) - 20 minutes I will typically send my older son for a mental breather (drink, bathroom, sometimes a short walk with the dog) while I get #2 doing his math page (Math U See - uses a video once per lesson to teach concepts so I don't have to teach, I just assist and correct). While he does math I get a load of laundry going, wash dishes, etc...checking back constantly and I make sure they know to move on and do what they can and I will be back to assist if needed. Get kids back together for a small snack... Music 15-20 minutes This year we are learning how to read music, listening to classical music/music appreciation using Themes to Remember, and I'm hoping to teach them to play the recorder), Latin 20-30 minutes (we are doing it together right now twice a week, finishing up Minimus but will be getting back into daily Latin for Children lessons in a few weeks - a dvd and cd to teach us, about 15-30 minutes) then, Science 30-45 minutes 2 days per week. This year we are using Noeo science Chemistry II. My younger son does his spelling work while older son wraps up his longer assignments. First Language Lessons are usually tucked in the second half of the day but I only do grammar usually twice a week (about 15-20 minutes). We are typically be done by 1am. I make lunch, sometimes read aloud while the kids eat. On days when we don't have some subjects scheduled (for instance science is currently only two days a week, latin is only two days a week for now) we can be done by 11am or so and then we have time to go grocery shopping, run errands, go to the park. This is a fairly solid four hours of work with bible, history, science, math, reading, writing, handwriting, latin and music. We do the majority of our schoolwork four days a week with Friday being used for quizzes in math, latin and any catchup we need to do from sick days or whatever. I have ended up with curriculums that involve me doing alot of reading aloud, some scripted lessons (which work better with my kids but ymmv), and we do alot of oral narrations and q&a to compensate for fine motor issues both boys have. It takes them both longer than normal to do written work. My boys both have some learning disabilities and ADHD. I really can't leave them alone to complete their work because they get off task so easily; however, this year I am seeing them becoming more able to be self-directed and independent (to an extent). My older son probably does 1-2 hours more solid work than his brother most days of the week. I think that's appropriate considering the age difference. The younger son takes more breaks. Biggest and best is that they never have any homework. Once school is done, it's done - outside of reading. The only times that I've had my oldest do work in the evening was the once or twice that he goofed off and I just got tired of arguing with him and told him that we were moving on and he could just finish it up after dinner. While his brothers were playing he had to work - that hasn't happened again! One of the most important things that I learned late last "school" year was the two hour afternoon break recommended by SWB. I didn't think it was possible but I made it happen and I am eternally grateful!! During quiet time they all must separate and go to their rooms. I suggest that they do their assigned reading during part of that time and just relax, nap, play quietly with anything without a screen. They are resistant but not as much now and I've seen that they do better in the evenings. They get along better and are less tired and wound up. I have time to get housework/bills done and even get a break myself. A short siesta is a good thing! Sorry for writing a book but I like to share and hope that my in depth look at a day with three boys with learning disabilities will encourage you that this is doable, it doesn't have to take 7 or 8 hours a day with kids in grammar school. They can still have free play time and you can schedule your day to fit your needs. Homeschooling, especially with a classical slant, isn't an easy job. It does require sacrifice of the primary teacher's time and energy - boy I really felt it when we started school this fall after having two months mostly off for summer break. I don't have time to practice guitar or exercise as much as I would like to. But we do get to enjoy having this time with our kids and watching them continue to develop relationships with each other instead of being off in separate classrooms for most days 40 weeks a year. :) We do get to have life on our schedule, not the public/private schools schedule. We can go on outings when most people are stuck in a building for work or school. We can pursue special interests and topics as much as we like. And I truly believe my kids are learning alot more than they ever did in public school. Keep coming back, ask tons of questions, read lots of other folks responses and just soak it in! :)

I'll just mention, though we did SSL with my 3rd grader last year we are finishing up Minimus now and, honestly, he doesn't get much of it. He is enjoying looking at the cartoons and learning about ancient Britain, but I really don't think he is getting any actual latin out of it. I'll add, he is a reluctant reader and I think language in general isn't his thing so your mileage may vary!

Here's the way I did LfC A last year with my oldest, we are finishing up our "summer" Minimus and starting LfC B in a few weeks. Monday - watched the DVD together, review the exact same info in the Primer Tuesday - do the chant cd together, do a page from the activity book Wednesday - chant again, did the weekly translation from the Libellus de Historia (starts in week 15ish) Thursday - chant *again* do the worksheet in the primer Friday - chant (quiz review) and do the weekly quiz In reality we spent about 15-20 minutes a day on Latin and by doing the chants over and over I felt like we began learning the derivatives. We didn't completely understand them by any means but exposure, repetition and memorization are the keys for us to learn a new foreign language. It's been funning reading the Minimus cartoons over the summer/early fall and really feeling like we are understanding it with the exception of the occasional new vocabulary word. PS ds and I are learning Latin together. He has agreed to be the primary tutor for his 3rd grade brother doing LfC A this year. Should be interesting!

I think it would depend on the individual student. An advanced student (in particular in the mechanics of writing/copying answers) may be able to do LfCA in 1st grade. I did SSL with my 2nd grader last year and he is doing LfC A this year in third grade. I would probably consider doing some other language programs designed for younger kids with a 1st grader unless that 1st grader was really advanced. Maybe a Songschool Greek, or a similar Spanish or romance language? Something that was more verbal and game oriented. JMO. YMMV!

Here is my list: Castle by David Macaulay (Lesson 1) The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Lesson 4) The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelley (Lesson 12) Beowulf, A New Telling by Robert Nye (lesson 14) The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French (Lesson 17) Knight’s Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff (Lesson 24) The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Howard Pyle (Lesson 27) The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green (Lesson 36) Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Jane Gray (Lesson 41-42) The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, retold by Geraldine McCaughrean (Lesson 53-54) One Thousand and One Arabian Nights retold by Geraldine McCaughrean (Lesson 60) Tales of the Heike (Tales from Japan retold by Helen and William McAlpine) (Lesson 75) The Second Mrs. Giaconda by E.L. Konigsburg (Lesson 109) Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb (Lesson 111) The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood (Lesson 112) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (over Christmas break) This list includes the books assigned by History Odyssey 2 MA and books drawn from several other reading lists for this time period that I didn't want to leave out. This is my general plan and open to any changes necessary. HTH!

I do exactly the same thing and it's been working just fine. I print out the weekly schedules so that the kids can check off each subject as they go and I have a master copy. This is our second year and I "only" have two students and one coming up. I would consider workboxes in the future if we need it but for now the weekly schedules work fine. :)

Ditto! I bought Prima Latina last year because I heard such great things about the company but I couldn't take the accent on the cd's...and I'm from the south! We switched to LfC and have been very satisfied.

If we are covering new material I do one lesson a week. If the lesson is easy or review (I backtracked my older son to cement his math facts) then he may only take 1 or 2 days to complete a lesson (100% mastery on the test) and then start the next lesson. We do a four day school week, the fifth day is a "half" day for tests and whatever we want to get done. The most we would typically do is 2 lessons per week.

I wanted to throw in a ditto to so many other posters! I started exercising over the summer and started learning to play guitar about two months ago. When school started back I was struggling to figure out how to fit everything in but as we go along things are getting easier. Over the summer I instituted the two hour quiet time in the afternoon for my sanity and am so thankful! I have three boys at home, some special needs, and I'm an introvert and need my personal recharge. Last year I would end up staying up until 2am. That just wasn't working. At times I have considered sending the kids back to PS too, we have a good school here, etc.. but I know that they are thriving here at home and learning so much more than they would at ps! Also the demands of ps aren't all that great considering the time for transportation, packing lunches, teacher conferences, etc... it was all very draining before I brought the kids home. One last thought, I would question how much educational benefit the outside resources (CC/coop) are adding to your kids vs. the time commitment including transportation, practice, how long it takes to get back to your normal work afterwards, etc... Some great suggestions from the above posters. I hope you find what works for you.

My background is in secondary education. This is the third year I'm hsing my oldest son, and second year for my middle son. I tried alot of different curriculums last year. I switched out several subjects two or three times. So far this year I've been very happy with what I'm using, just doing a little bit of tweaking here and there. I'm using History Odyssey level 2 for my 6th grader and matching it up with my 3rd graders SotW chapters. I like that some lessons in HO are heavier and some are lighter, when I'm lesson planning I usually make a harder week in another subject if history is lighter. Also those light weeks are good times to add in work on a timeline or other history projects. Noeo science has been a good fit around my house this year as well. It seems to fit in perfectly with a classical model, I find it easy to adjust for the needs of my students (both have some ld's). I love, love having the lessons set up for me so I can just work on accomodations and enrichment activities but both are non-textbook oriented. Good luck with finding the right fit for your school and students - what a challenge but how rewarding!

Short answer: 1 break plus lunch, but a shorter school work day than you describe. Long answer: I'm hsing my 8year old and almost 12 year old with a 4 year old butting in and listening along (somewhat). We start school between 8am and 9am, work for 1.5-2 hours pretty steadily (bible, history, geography, music, science - all pretty much together, same topics, different levels of output/work) then I give both boys a break. The younger son 20-30 min (recess), my oldest son either a short break for a drink/bathroom then back to work one-on-one or, if he is having a more difficult day, he takes 30-45 minutes to walk our dog and get out of the house and away from his brothers. After break we all come back to our table to work but it's individual subjects, writing, language arts, math, and latin. My younger son can usually get done before we break for lunch around 12:30-1pm (some days earlier), typically my older son and I are working for another 30mins-1hour. We are done with school work by 2pm (unless it's been a bad day with lots of interruptions, etc), then everyone does 2 hours of quiet time ala SWB. All boys go to their rooms to read (free and/or assigned reading, quietly play with toys/figures, listen to books on tape/music or sleep). Formal school work should be done by quiet time. If anyone has school work left then I would consider it "homework" and they can do it after quiet time while his brothers get to play - they avoid this at all costs! :)