http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IEWfamilies/ Just in case you didn't know that. I had to do a bit of research to find it, as I thought IEW provided one, but couldn't find it on their site easily. Are there other schedules out there you know of?

I don't :tongue_smilie: Have you all also considered what they'd be learning in the higher cores? I will admit, maybe one particular SL year in comparison to one SOTW year might stack up better, but... Also, for me, this is just me, the planning of what books to use, procuring books from either internet purchases or library holds, and actual lesson planning are things I gladly pay for. Once you're hs'ing for a while and hs'ing many, these things become much more important :) Just my 2cs.

"I give Sonlight credit for helping my son easily pass his Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP exam this summer. " I'd just like to mention this again as it's one of the areas SL is criticized for - "not enough lit. analysis" I've read often here. Begining to think that's not the case now that I'm actually using the program. I started a thread a while ago about being able to bake bread now that I'm using SL. I really am having less teacher planning time as a result. I don't have to book search, choosing which items I will include nor do I have to scour the internet or bookstores to find them. SL is an all in one purchase if I want - which I do :) I don't have to plan, although if I want to alter the plan, I am free to do so by striking a line through their schedule and writing in my own. I love that. Sometimes I get grand ideas and we chase rabbits, but that next Monday morning, my schedule and the books await and school resumes as usual. Yay! I like that there's a clear plan with SL. I"m not winging where we're going in terms of topics and choices, we just basically do the next level. My dd loves it because the books are highly engaging and make her want to approach the work. We've tried other programs with different style books and the work became a drudgery. I haven't yet seen that with SL!!! That's saying something!

Hey Cindy, been using PlantoEat and still have my faves on paper. Just in case the internet dies for good or something, lol. Just wanted to plug PTE, we love it! Steph

Figured out how to get google calendar to mesh with PlantoEat and I can access both from my phone - talk about moving into the new century!! YAY. However, I am having trouble printing a version that will fit my circa planner - junior size. Anyone have experience printing different size papers from google cal?

Hi, have some blank paper I'd like to feed through a printer - do any of you have experience with doing this? I'm sure it's not hard once you know, but I don't. I have openoffice if it matters for my word processing and spreadsheet program. I'd like to print a budget spreadsheet and do some fancier to do lists, customized, but don't know how to set the page up. I have the junior circa stuff...thanks.

Was reading the SCM posts about scheduling and found this... "With a time-box approach, you simply divide your day into blocks of time (called time boxes) and determine which Subjects you want to accomplish during each block." Do any of you use this style instead of a strict timetable? I cannot stick to specifics of using a timetable but the blocks sound doable. Just wondering how YOU organize this to happen in your day. ps here is the link in case someone wants to read more... http://simplycharlottemason.com/2008/04/23/your-day/

I didn't say I wasn't going to respond :confused:

I'd like to begin fresh. I need the basics, clear instruction, possibly a rubric. Help with a recommendation? I have on hand IEW TWSS and SWI A. She was 4th grade last time we went through this and did fine. I need something that will hold her hand giving clear steps to follow and a weekly/daily schedule. I am willing and able to help her but it can't be too teacher intensive (CW was a crash and burn) because I'm getting maxed out with other subjects and children. I am looking at Classical Composition.

My dd is going into 8th and I want to work on spelling/dictation with her. We're using Spelling Wisdom which has quite a few challenging vocab words included. Do we need to to VfCR? I see SWB recommends it so if we will regret not doing it later, I'd like to start now so she can keep up with the level requirements. She does have a very full schedule this year so if we can get away with not doing it, I'd like to. Thoughts?

What is this and where do I get the download? It looks from the site like the download is $49. Is that what you all are discussing? TIA

Also I should have added I just called MP and they emailed a copy of a sample schedule right away.

Have you all used this before? I'm curious about the results of being tied to a day to day curricula. What if you, as a homeschooler, get behind in one sujbect? In school I know they just move on and that's always appealed to the planner in me but the homeschool mom says that's not always realistic. I'm asking because I've been looking at easyclassical and memoria press and they both have these type schedules. I'm in planning mode and trying to decide if that would work for us.

Where can we see these???

I'm happy with a scheduled program and am excited to play with letters using AAR with my preschooler. We're going to use SL preK reading list for books and try to do some centers. That's all exciting. I'd like to know if you all are aware of something that will help with number exploration and math topics but on a gentle, preschool level. TIA

storynory boomerang - might be too old but a great audio resource

TIA I'm thinking floating/sinking, flashlights/shadows, comparing heights, magnifying glass with interesting objects. I'd love to hear how you keep your preschoolers engaged if you use center ideas.

I am not a very consistent parent and am dedicated to working on that. Would you be willing to share your preschoolers' routines? Thanks. Also, do you have visual clues/reminders at this stage; like brush teeth/wash face type stickers in the bathroom or on the fridge? She's a bright 3yo and we're looking to start building good habits now.

I'm doing SL 100 with my 8th grader. We haven't started yet but it's all on the shelf and I've begun reading of the books for week 1. We're both excited. I'm trying to get myself calmed down in the area of writing for various reasons so reading your post about SL was just such a great release of anxiety toward using SL.

Ellie, I sent an email about this training but haven't heard word yet. Do you know if it's only for those dates? I'm a bit late in hearing about it.

"I have also done my fair share of complaining to Sonlight, but we've used it for 15+ years and still use it, including the high school level. These are things I like: ~ The books. No, we LOVE the books. I love that the difficult books are interspersed with light fare. I do not understand those who complain about the book levels, when most curriculums (Abeka, BJU, etc) have only snippets of books or other programs (Hewitt, LLATL) only have several books per year. My kids have read bunches of books! They have not all "liked to read" as a hobby. For a couple of my kids, the homeschool booklist is likely to be all the reading they will do in their life other than nonfiction as an adult. ~ The history spines or lack of spines. No one I ever knew enjoyed a history textbook, and very few remember anything after the tests are passed. We add "meat" to the spines by studying to pass the history CLEP at the end of the year. My kids have all said history is their favorite suject. ~ The writing assignments. Here is the key to the writing assignments -- this is what most complainers do not do. The key is ---- here it is ---- have your kids actually DO the assignment. My kids write twice a week starting in 8th grade. One - the Sonlight assignment. Second, a 25-minute "in-class" essay. Here is the question or prompt, start the clock, okay you're done. Another comment on the writing -- I've learned not to stress over it. Repeated practice helps more than anything. Lots of writing is better than tons of instruction over a few pieces of writing. So I require that my kids write a lot. If the paper assigned is too detailed or difficult to understand, then I just say "write a paper on this topic" requiring at least a page double spaced. Somewhere in the high school years, we cover the SAT essay and college essays, note taking, etc. using IEW Essay Intensive and Advanced Communication set. This combination has worked for my kids. Volume in the younger years (from say, grade 6+) all the way through, along with these CD sets has been enough. My complaints have been: ~ The questions written to the student vs. the answers in the parent key. These have been "logistical" issues dealing with difficulty of flipping here and there and whatnot, but I think they have been planning a great improvement in this area for the new guides. ~ Sometimes the reading list is overwhelming. For some of my kids, they couldn't do it all. So we cut out some. As far as complaints regarding literary analysis, I have not been in that camp. SL 100 and 200 have the most introductory levels of analysis, and by Core 530 it is really excellent, IMO. There is a gradual increase between levels. And again, how many books can you possibly cover with in-depth analysis every year? If the student only looks at character in this book, and then setting in that book, and foreshadowing in the next book, that is enough for me. I don't think my kids need all of it in every book. I've graduated 3 and none felt the least bit unable to hold their own in college. They were all on the Dean's List. Again, the key in the writing is to actually REQUIRE the assignments, regularly. I have seen time and again people who use Sonlight as a book reading list (I have as well). If you can't make the IG work for you (and sometimes I haven't), well you are going to miss out on all the analysis and thought and conversation and writing. These things have been there all along, but rather hard to get to. The guides have never been student "user friendly." I think they might be this year with the changes they have promised. We'll see!! Then all these things will be easier to implement. " Feeling once again ill at ease with my decision. I went back and read a thread I'd started and found your response posted above. I cannot thank you enough for that this morning!

Thanks ladies. I think I need to listen to the writing audios again. I remember feeling quite confident after listening to them. It's when I start looking for curricula here I start to panic. I think I'm a box checker more than a wing it type homeschool mom and WTM is not quite winging it but not really following a teacher's guidebook every day either. Thanks so much for your encouragement and help.

I agree. I'm using it with my box checker. We did half of SL 7 and she asked over and over that we continue with SL. I wondered if she were getting enough from it all. I think that's because I'm so used to worksheets. When she wrote her papers I could tell if she got the gist of what SL was asking for. She seemed to be right on almost every paper. Not that her papers were perfect but SL topics give moms some help in this dept. They actually write about what they're learning quite often. The discussion questions are sometimes comprehension based rather than higher level analysis but at my dd's stage, that's ok. It will change as she matures. I LOVE going to the shelf, reading the books and looking at her schedule, asking what she's done and discussing. No book ordering, schedule making, or question creating. Yay SL!

Thank you both! Great idea to listen to the talks - again :tongue_smilie:. The quote is the title of the thread. And I'm glad to hear the notebooks would be smaller. I think it comes down to trusting SWB's recs. Who else would I want telling me what to use for writing...it seems so much less complicated than say, IEW, lol. Again, thanks.

I would love some help me decide where to go from here with my 8th grader. She's my least squeaky wheel and I'd like to take this year to really solidify skills and prep her for high school. Any experienced WTM'ers with high schoolers up to the task? I'd rather email or pm than post all her info here for all to "see".