Slightly different note... I used McHenry's Mapping the World with Art and matched that up with reading Expedition Earth and the assigned historical literature for Geography from Wayfarer's. A good combination for learning geography with a strong cultural point of view.

I used Wayfarers for lit, science and history for my 4th and 8th graders this year. In practice that means that they were studying the same topics during the year, just at different levels, and listening to the same read alouds for Geography and science. Wayfarers has been a huge hit in my house even though I ended up subbing History Odyssey level 2 ancients for my 8th grader because I felt that the dialectic spines were too basic for him and he needed more structure to do something with the information. We used her Ellen McHenry science spines, along with Quark Chronicles and a variety of other living books (the Story Book of Science, for instance). We have really enjoyed the geography readers and history books as well. I did get ELTL books for my sons but I think I picked the wrong levels for my kids so I have two workbooks that are barely used. I ended up going with WWS I for my 8th grader and a mixture of Writing and Rhetoric (from CAP) and IEW fairy tales for my 4th grader. I could just as easily used WWE but I wanted to try something new that had alot of continuing options. Wayfarers isn't a spine, it organizes your spines (you are given several options for each level grammer, upper grammer, dialectic & rhetoric stages) and suggests living books and literature to supplement. It is a curriculum more like Tapestry of Grace (but much easier to use) with book suggestions that are some of the best!

The Wayfarers book itself doesn't have any worksheets, however several of the curricula used with it do have worksheets, for instance the Ellen McHenry science have workbooks available for students, and I used SQUILT (Super Quiet Uninterrupted Listening Time) for classical music, which are PDF's that have links for music and worksheets for classical. If you use the SOTW option for history then you can use the Student Activity Books. Wayfarers just helps to organize all of the moving pieces and also has some notes for each week with additional info. I love, love, love the books and readalouds that she scheduled. Each one has been a hit so far in my house and that has *never* happened before. :)

Yes thank you!! We loved the easy sentence diagramming in FLL. :D

I started out homeschooling three boys who were stair steps three years apart so I tried a ton of different programs (ToG, SL, and sampled many, many others). This year I'm hsing my two youngest, 4th gr and 8th grade, and used Wayfarers (barefootmeandering.com) and it has been my favorite combined program so far. Wayfarers combines the idea of classical/WTM following the 4 time periods but also has a strong CM influence that I'm growing to like more and more. The kids really loved how the different books (lots of living books) that we were reading referenced topics and facts from each other so the repetition reinforced what we were learning. I would definitely use this for a family with a range of stages and educational needs, I loved all the different book lists but it was much, much simpler than ToG to implement. Good luck with your decision!

Writing with Ease does exactly what you want, it's gentle and works!

I'm a huge fan of Latin for Children and have used it with all three kids so far, however IMO LfC A would be realllllly easy for a 6th grader. I use it with third/fourth graders usually. I wasn't as happy with Latin Alive because it doesn't have the worksheet organization that I wanted for ease of use (also my boys all have fine motor issues and so having to copy everything would be a nightmare for them and take way too long). I would think the Big Book of Latin would be a great way to go! If I didn't already have the videos for LfC I would have considered trying to myself.

I got my degree in Secondary English Education then immediately chose to stay home and educate my recently (at that time) diagnosed Aspie. When we moved three years ago I had the opportunity to teach at a small, private, religious school and decided to give it a shot - I thought it might be a great opportunity for my kids to have more social experiences than I was good at providing (I love to teach but I'm more of an introvert). The younger two boys stayed with the school for two years, my eldest was still overwhelmed by what turned out not be a good learning experience for him and I ended up changing him to virtual school in the middle of the first year. I love teaching a classroom but was relieved to be home this year with all three boys because I realized that the quality of education even in a small private school just couldn't replace what I can give to them and even if I worked full time we couldn't afford a top quality private education for three boys. What I've experienced during internships in public schools (elementary, middle and high school) convinced me that I wouldn't want my kids lost in the shuffle. I'm grateful that I can homeschool and look forward to finding some kind of co-op once we get moved where they can get to spend more time with other kids.

We alternate Singapore and Beast every other day. I love the way BA encourages thinking about math but I want to keep up the computation practice from Singapore for my 4th grader.

My son just came home after two years at a private school and I don't feel he was taught/challenged well enough in math while there. We are using BA a year behind (started 3A and he is technically 4th grade). I am alternating BA with Singapore every other day and have to help him with the BA, to talk through the challenge problems. For us I feel it's a good balance, basic computation practice and good "out of the box" ways of thinking about math from BA for his engineer kind of mind.

Sherid, I did SL literature in 2nd grade with my middle son and tried ToG for one semester. SL is nice but I always find that I want to combine my kids as much as possible because it means that we are all more interactive and it's easier on me to focus on one type of science, history, bible, art. ToG was completely overwhelming. There is tremendous depth there, to the point that if you did even part of all the readings it would be more like a college level class. It wasn't just that there were so many books and so many options for each week (because there were) but even the notes for the teacher were taking alot of time for me to process each week. I really prefer reading notes that are meant for the kids, and reading to the kids. ToG was too much information, too difficult to get into (the online signins for instance) and too expensive for me. This year we are trying Wayfarers from http://barefootmeandering.com/site/wayfarers/ and of all my years of homeschooling it's my favorite system so far. I can combine ages and subjects and I like the resources suggested. She has included some additional notes to go along with each weeks main focus (geography, history, information about various locations from the readings), but there is also plenty of freedom to choose the math program or writing program, etc...the fits your students. Sorry to muddy the waters but it is a relatively unknown curricula/plan and I wanted to mention it.

Illuminati outburts usually come after...anything oddly coincidental...triangle symbols on cars/buildings...trying to get a laugh from his younger brother. Middle son likes to be the center of attention. :D I have enjoyed all of the little "coincidental" cross overs in the various books from Wayfarers this year...for instance reading in Einstein Leads the Way about Magellan and Columbus, then later the same day a chapter in Escape from Murray River mentions books about Magellan and Columbus. It's little stuff sometimes but my kids are enjoying watching for the little coincidences.

Today we were reading Chapter 3 from Quark Botany (written by the husband of the author of Wayfarers curriculum) and my middle son, aged 13, says, "Wait a minute, this is actually educational *and* it's interesting. Blasphemy!" (the blasphemy thing is his favorite exclamation right now along with 'the Illuminati'!). I just loved that he was enjoying the story *then* realized that he was learning something. It's a pretty clever story, the kids seem realistic in their interactions, I'm interested to see what is going to happen next, it includes botany but isn't totally "in your face" about being an educational fictional story. Overall, really good review here!

I am using the Wayfarers lesson plans this year and love the way the different subjects dovetail together. They are really well thought out. http://barefootmeandering.com/site/wayfarers/ History, bible study, literature and science all work together. My kids are loving it.

Thanks for the feedback, I hate "wasting" money on the book and guide. I read the first three or four chapters before school started and was comfortable with the overall content - we are very upfront and open with our kids while expressing appropriateness and the value of personal boundaries and spirit/body connection (does that makes sense?) When we were finishing chapter two and this was the biggest battle of the day (beating out Algebra) I decided to go back and get History Odyssey for Ancients. It will give outlining, summaries and more of an overview. I think if I read the chapter with him and we talked it out it would work (like the first response) but we are doing a pretty heavy read aloud schedule and working alongside my 9 year old...it's just not going to happen. I will keep this in my library either for self-study (I agree, more history than I ever got in college) or maybe he will be able to use it when he is a senior. :) Thanks ladies!

As a parent of a kid (now 16) with ASD I just wanted to say that I appreciate how thoughtful your questions and concerns are and observe that you really seem to care about this child, his success and the overall success of your class. That attitude is a great predictor of the learning that is taking place in your class and I commend you. The responses above were great, and though there were somewhat different approaches, I second them all. My first thought was that the child needs an aide/parent whose job is to help him process the environment and redirect back to participating in some way when he gets distracted. If he isn't ready or able to accept some redirecting then he probably needs to mature more before the class is a fit. As a parent with a child on ASD I know that sometimes we are desperate for something for our child to "fit in" or "shine" and we may push the child into something we think they should like but...then they don't and it's a whole other battle. For a child with ASD if they aren't really interested and engaged all the redirecting in the world probably won't work until they are much older. Your greatest responsibility is making sure he isn't a danger to himself and making sure that the rest of his group isn't suffering...offering the accommodation of an aide for him is a good balance. If that doesn't work after a few weeks then together with the parents you may decide he isn't ready for the class yet.

My 13 year old 8th grader has been complaining since day one that SWB's History of the Ancient World is too hard for him. Or I should say, first he sighs and moans, rolls his eyes and slumps his shoulders...then when I address his attitude (all of that doesn't help, it actually makes you feel worse)...he disappears to his room to read for an hour. When given the Study Guide he complains that he can't find the answers, "it's too hard". This is our first year back at home after two years at a small private school and I know that none of my kids were challenged academically at the school, a major reason for me to quit teaching there and come back home...but his reading comprehension is quite high for his age. Still, I know HotAW is geared for high school students... I started the year using Wayfarer's so that I can do as much as possible together with my two youngers (8th and 4th grade) but I don't like the logic age resource for history. Thinking about using History Odyssey since that will also help with some writing and outlining.... Anyone else already switching? Kids have struggled with HotAW? I read the first few chapters before school started and found it pretty interesting...but I'm not a 13 year old boy either. :glare:

We are starting week three (with week one being only 2 days due to unforeseen travelling/job interview/house hunting with dh)...and I had a long talk today with my 13 and 9 yr old ds. I know that they are kids but the constant moaning, sighing and bickering is unfair to me and to them also. They agreed to work on their attitudes because they do know that homeschool is shorter and better in so many ways than any public school. The last two years I took a break from homeschooling to teach at a small Christian private school and my boys attended with me. Even with all the benefits of small, private, religious still we missed homeschooling. This is tough stuff and some days I'm glad to call it early and hide in a dark room! But it was like that with my teaching job too - and I couldn't hide or leave early then so...this has to be better! LOL

I am planning to use Wayfarers this year with my 4th and 8th graders. I really like being able to combine them so that table time is simpler and my read alouds fit for both. I backtracked to Ancients this year (my 4th grader did SOTW 1 in Kindergarten) because they both need a refresher and I want to build on that history foundation. I'm excited about the geography portion and went ahead and bought the pdf for Expedition Earth. I couldn't find it anywhere in print. I was thinking of printing the book out but it will cost almost $100 at Staples! That's just crazy. Others who have used this book - did you just use the ebook from your tablet or did you print it somewhere? I would love to hear how Expedition Earth worked for other Wayfarers.

I second the Belgariad for middle school/lower Rhetoric fantasy that becomes more epic/heroic. Also, rarely mentioned, The Great and Terrible Quest - mostly fantasy with only a touch of the epic.

Since we are going back to homeschooling after two years teaching/attending a private school I feel like I'm back to the drawing board! My middle son is 13 (8th grade) and youngest is 9 (4th grade). Both boys. 13yo is a fairly strong reader, 9 yr old is like pulling teeth but I want him to love reading as much as I do. *I am considering Wayfarers so that I can combine them (I'm still helping/monitoring my 16 year who is doing Virtual High School). *I don't want to miss out on the awesome younger classics so though I have Omnibus I I think I will save that for high school. I was hoping you all could share favorite literature/LA programs and, specifically, I am interested in any favorite CS Lewis Narnia Curricula. Thanks!

I was just looking at Legends and Leagues. I'm very interested. Do you think it would be a "fun" intro to geography for my upcoming 4th grader to study over the summer?

I am bringing my two younger boys (13 and 9) home after two years at a less than challenging private Christian school where I taught during that time. It was a good opportunity but I missed knowing more in depth what they were learning, thinking and just more about them. Just over the last week at home on Summer break I have finally gotten to start peeling back the layers to help figure out where to start the official next school year back at home. I homeschooled for 4-5 years before teaching the last two but I never heard of Wayfarers before so it is new to me. I really love what I have seen of it and I'm seriously thinking that it would be a good fit, or at least worth a try if I can get my hands on a few of the harder to fine books. Any feedback on Wayfarers is helpful. Prior to private school we were following a four year schedule via WTM suggestions, using SoTW and MUS, various science programs. I'm trying to decide if I should go back to Ancients or start in Medieval since my youngest learned some ancient history this past year at school.

Interesting post again Jean - are you my twin? My oldest son is 15 and has high functioning Aspergers...unless you see him in a stressful environment you can't tell he on the spectrum. Unfortunately almost anything away from home is stressful for him. He also has incredible allergies and is sensitive to sound, and struggles anxiety - social and otherwise. I have never found anything that really worked for him socially. The best thing (when he was younger) was social skills groups and sometimes the Pokemon club at the library. This year due to a job change/move we made so that we could get better insurance he has been getting ABA therapy and his therapist has taught him to ride a bike and has been exercising with him (the exercise started in response to virtual school health/PE class). She also takes him shopping (learning to make choices for himself) and out to eat as a reward for accomplishments. This summer I am "requiring" him to go to our youth group at the church (a small church but because it has a school has a youth group with 20-30 kids) and Pokemon club which meets every Saturday in July and two Sats in June. We have looked into Meetups and I will consider that over the summer if the other things don't work. Outdoor activities generally don't work for him due to allergies (the scratching/irritable thing described my ds exactly!) and he can't take the noise levels with a really big group - that is what made him return to homeschool after trying the small private school where I started teaching part time this past year. A class of 14 kids was too much - it drove him batty. Teens can be really loud. :P No big suggestions, just a hug and understanding.

Interesting thread everyone. OP I am so sorry to hear of your daughter's dx. I haven't heard of many young people having this diagnosis but I'm guessing that it will grow. I have been dx'd with fibro for about 5 years now. My mother has had her dx for about 8 years. There is alot of research ongoing for fibro - another infection to look at is systemic yeast infection. Some people have experienced remission when following a low carb/paleo style diet along with removing specific inflammation causing fruits and vegetables such as nightshades. Definitely helps to keep moving, daily walks, yoga or such. I have read that all B vitamin levels should be reviewed and Vit D. It is interesting to note that fibro seems to be a first world disease...whether that is because of our lifestyle/food/etc... or that in the third world they don't have the financial freedom to pursue medical help for chronic pain issues. Jean, interesting about the sinus infection. I was dx'd this year with recurrent sinus infections when I was getting a MRI for neck issues. I hadn't been aware that the amount of sinus inflammation I had regularly was causing problems (especially with sleep). I am planning a surgery to remove nasal polyps this summer while school is out and have been pursuing immunotherapy for allergies (getting weekly shots of small amounts of things I am allergic too) in hopes of resolving the sinus stuff.