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

I'm looking for a supplement that is online, interactive and fun for kids. We use SM, so I really want an online program that would enforce some if not all of the methods. With my 4 children I need a couple of hours a week to complete some chores and I've been using Reading Eggs to supplement AAS and AAR. Reading Eggs has been great, but I also want a math program that the kids can use during this time so I can alternate between the two. DS is nearly 7 and DD is 5.5yrs, I've used Time4Learning before and that was good but I wanted a math only online curriculum. Both IXL and Dreambox are both available for a discounted price on the Homeschooling Coop so I would prefer to buy now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :001_smile:

[quote name=Katie;3751302 I have been AMAZED at my kids' retention (they're young)' date=' and though I considered my own education a good one, I have learned SO MUCH myself going through the books and stories with them. QUOTE] I have also learnt so much and so we are learning about history at the same time. The only one that misses out is DH but the kids try to fill him in when they feel like it. :lol: We also look for history based books at the library on the subject that we are covering at the time, but it is on a very relaxed basis. We listen to alot of Jim Weiss's Audio books (just discovered him!) in the car and the kids love them. Another source we use to bring together some of the chapters is the Evan Moore printables (Teachers box). For example when we finished Ancient Egypt we did the Egypt history pockets. We still need to do the Mesopotamia history pocket and then we will do the Greek and Roman history pockets. I find these really help the kids understand the way of life in these civilizations - and they love to color in (while listening to more audio tapes :D)

About 1hr depending on how elaborate the kids decide to color in! :lol: Also, I don't treat the test as a test it's used more to check that the kids were listening to the audio tape and were listening to our discussion of the questions in the TM. If, the kids are guessing the answers then we listen to the audio tape again - this usually really helps! :D

We are using SOTW1 and loving it! :D I was wondering how you schedule it in? Do you use the additional reading books? Do you do the projects? Do you one chapter per week and spread it out? We do a chapter in one day, that way the kids don't forget the story that I have read out (or until recently, read by Jim Weiss). Although we don't do any of the additional reading as alot of the books aren't readily available in Australia, but I do use any online videos related to the chapter we are doing. We are collecting the other Jim Weiss audio books and we play them in the car. I only play the ones relating the the subject we are covering (eg. Greece - Greek Myths) so that I don't confuse the little people (DS6, DD5) :001_huh: We also don't do the projects as I feel we have enough to do but I plan to cover all the projects in 4yrs time when we redo SOTW1. We do all the worksheets/ maps though, as the kids love to colour in. I'd be very interested to know what you all do. :bigear: Thanks :D

Thank you very much for your replies. I'm going to encourage him but I will leave his free writing alone and he can correct it as we go along and learn more during our lessons.

My DS7 has now got the confidence and skill to start writing on his own. He loves to write sentences and tries to write stories in his free time. I have given him a book to write in as he was using the white board and I have asked him to write his story one one side of the open book so that I can work with him on any words he has got wrong on the other. Should I just leave his free writing or do you think I should help him correct his work? :001_huh: I wouldn't dream of writing on his work, I will just write the correct spelling of the words on the other page. I find this a very delicate situation as I don't want him to form bad spelling habits but I also don't want him to get annoyed with having his work corrected. He seems ok with it at the moment as I only correct a couple of his wrong words and praise, praise, praise. :001_smile: We are using AAS and loving it but he is trying to write words that he hasn't even learnt the spelling of yet - that's why this has become a worry. Thanks in Advance. :D

Why do you need a stylus? Can't you just use your finger?

Thanks heaps for the link! I have a 3in1 printer which also scans but it saves scans as jpg files and each scan is saved as a separate file. How do you save the whole book as one document? Do you use a special scanner? That just scans and nothing else? Cheers :D

Ahh good thinking! I was thinking of an USB CD player. . . :D

When I finally get mine I think I'm going to spend quite a bit of time on You Tube as there are some great tutorials on there on how to use the Ipad properly. For the cost I want to be able to use it to its full extent. I've already been on itunes and have a list of educational apps on my wish list :D. I've also decided on the 32GB, I think with the icloud the 32GB should be big enough.