Lori - WOW! Thank you very much! :D Harriet and Luann thank you also. :)

Hi, My DS8 and DD7 are mad on audio books at the moment, as they are bored with DVD's, and we do quite a lot of driving. We have already listed to all the Roald Dahl audio books even though we have read most of them anyway and even I loved listening to them. The car goes deadly quiet when there is someone talking, or telling a story :) I was thinking of getting the Eragon series and Odyssey as well. I know there was once a list of books that everyone should read/listen to at least once in their lives on the forum, but I find it anywhere. Has anyone seen it? Or know of something similar? Looking for more the classic type books, for example, Charles Dickens, Homer, Mark Twain. Thanks from Australia! :D

I also looked at Rocket Languages but it didn't look suitable for my children yet and it didn't work enough on vocabulary but it did work heaps on conversation, which I thought was quite good. I recently bought the Berlitz italian kids books with Nicholas, they look really good and I can't wait to get our hands on it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Italian-Berlitz-Grandma-Adventures-Nicholas/dp/9812468269 I think because we aren't fortunate enough to be anywhere near Italy to practice our italian, it is probably better to overload the kids a bit so that they can make the connections and hopefullly the language with come quickly and easily. I'm now just looking for a website that is set up for kids to increase their vocabulary. For example 4 items click on la penna etc. This would be great. I'll have to look for a toddler app created for the italians or something similar?!

My son, now 7yrs, had problems with his speech and only after I started to teach him his phonics at 4yrs, and he started to learn to read (Reading Eggs) did he understand the sounds that were needed to make words. He started to correct himself whilst speaking and I honestly believe that it was his exposure to reading and phonics that helped/fixed his speech problem and I don't believe a therapist would have been able to do it any faster. My sister's eldest also has problems with her speech and they have spend hundreds on therapy with little return. I have had constant pressure from my family to take my DS to a therapist and I am now proud to say he no longer needs to. Time could also have paved the way for his improvement, we'll never know. Also have a look on you tube there are some tricks that you can teach your child when they get stuck on certain sounds. For example how to say /g/ and /j/, they are said the same way but you drop your jaw when you say /j/. Good luck :001_smile:

I've been looking for the past 2 weeks after my DH and I decided on Italian. Some of the links might be too easy and some might be just right . . . http://www.education.vic.gov.au/languagesonline/italian/italian.htm No English in this but we can all work out what is said, http://www.professortoto.com/ Might be a bit easy but my kids loved the video clip and we've ordered the pack. http://dinolingo.com/ :001_smile:

Has anyone tried this program? :bigear:

Thanks for your reply, Lynnita. I've read before that the IP is used a level or half a level behind, why is that? Is it just used for review on concepts covered 6-12mths ago or is it a bit too hard for the students to apply new concepts on? My DS completed the workbook, then the IP and then CWP with Level 1B, we didn't have too many problems but I definitely found the CWP required alot more of my time and the IP probably the same as the workbook (not so much). I'm curious what other people do . . .. . :001_smile:

Thanks . . . Do you also use the tests? I have just been using the placement tests at the end of each semester.

I am using the Standard Edition of SM for both my kids 1A and 2A. We use the HIG, Textbook, Workbook, Challenging Word Problems (CWP) and the Intensive Practice (IP). But, I just noticed that the IP is part of the US Edition and also in the Scheme of Work, in the beginning of the HIG, a book called Extra Practice (EP) is used. I guess I first started using IP because it was recommended on this site and I have just looked at the samples of the EP and they don't look as good as the IP book. Should I stick to the IP even though it is part of the US edition? Or, change to EP so that it follows along with the scheme of work set out for us and the set of Standards edition books that we are using? Thanks heaps :001_smile:

Thanks heaps everyone! :D

We love GWG and WWW but I'm about to order GWG3 and I'm not sure what I need. With GWG 1&2 there is just a workbook, but GWG3 has a workbook and a text book. Do you need both? I'm in Australia and the postage they charge is quite ridiculous, so I want to be careful what books I order. With GWG 1&2 I only used the text book and never worried about the answer book or the test books. Can I get away with just the workbook in GWG3? Thanks heaps for your reply as I need to order ASAP. :001_smile:

We love and have used the Beginning Geography, History Pockets (Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, Rome) in conjunction with SOTW, and we'll be using more in the future!

I can sypathise with you! My cousin, my uncle and my aunt are all PS teachers and all of them are against our choice to HS. Even though my uncle's brother homeschooled his two children and they are both now doing their masters at Uni. My children went to my cousins house the other day as she has similar aged children and after picking them up I asked them what they did and they just told me that they played etc. It was only a few days later while doing some HSing that my son used 'catch' in a sentence and spelled it correctly! :001_huh: He has only started Year 2 and I haven't yet taught him how to spell that word. I asked him how he knew how to spell catch (maybe tv etc) and he told me that my cousin got them to do some writting when they went to play and she taught it to him. I asked them why they didn't bring it home and DC told me that my cousin wanted them to leave it at her house for 'next time'. Mmmmm! :confused1: If it happens again I will definately ask my cousin about it but I think it is too easy for HSers to get defensive about this as well. I'm trying to keep a level mind and if my family want to 'test' my children I'm confident in my children's knowledge and in my teaching ability that they will prove their bias wrong! :001_tt2: But in staying that I won't allow it to continue for much longer. I just won't let my children play without me being there and I'll be ready for anything that is said!

:bigear: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/home-schooling/3792578 This radio based story is set in Australia with a lot of input from the American Homeschooling "movement". It is a bit long but every part of the story I found interesting and loved the range of people used for the interviews, from Social Scientist, to Homeschooler to Government representative. Enjoy :D

Thank you . . . and I'm all signed up with HSBC! :D