I just found out that there are actually 2 different editions of this book and it sounds like they both are a bit different in scheduling and suggestions. Which one did you read?

I don't have a copy of WTM so I'm not really sure what the recommendation is. As far as vocabulary word roots, my son wasn't able to grasp and apply the concept of word roots until around 6th grade. It seems more like using word roots is more of a logic induced thinking skill rather than a grammar stage thing. As for Latin, Prima Latina is pretty good and geared toward K-3rd, depending on ability. The simplicity of the text and the slow, steady pace seems pretty good for around 2nd/3rd. Hope that helps.

I really, really like the layout of MOH. I read a sample chapter and love the flow and writing style. However we are not Christian and prefer to use secular books. I don't have a problem with Christian content, but would like to be able to edit it out at our discretion. The chapter I read from their website had no Christian references, so I'm thinking it might work ok for us. Is it possible to secularize MOH and still have a decent history program? Thanks!

Thanks. This is the problem I seem to have run into all morning. Every time I email a seller, to verify, they inform me it is the 2nd edition. sheesh! I've already accidentally bought another 2nd edition thinking it was the 1st and have been trying to cancel the order.

We are using Lightening Literature 7 and it has introduced some of these literary concepts already. Have you seen Teaching the Classics? It is a bit expensive, but I took the seminar and thought the methodology was interesting. Hope that helps.

Thanks a bunch! From reading the 2nd edition, it seemed like I would like the 1st better. Now I'm really excited about getting the 1st edition. That one seems like it will be more useful for our family. Thanks again!

I just bought LCC, 2nd Edition and the book keeps making references to ideas and changes made from the first edition. Are the 2 editions that different in context? I'm not too fond of the precise schedules and the specific curriculum recommendations in 2nd Edition. Is it like that in the 1st one too? And if you own 1st edition, would you please give me the ISBN. I'm trying to find it online, but it seems that the only publication date is 2008 and I want to be sure I'm buying the right book. :) Thanks!

Dh and ds both want to learn German. They really want computer stimulation too. lol! We really don't like Rosetta Stone. Tell Me More is so expensive and my eyes glaze over during the "demo" so I'm not sure if it gets any better. I've tried to watch the demo video several times and can never get through more than the first few minutes and have yet to see the program in action. I like Kleinbrucken, but the shipping to the US costs more than the program. So, what else is out there? Any good language learning software? Thanks!

:lol: I keep thinking of the movie 16 Candles where the boy is dropped off at the dance by his parents and he doesn't want to be there.

We read The Children's Homer by Padriac Colum aloud a few years ago and it was a pleasure and easy to digest. As far as an unabridged...there are so many translations! I'm hoping to hear what others have read and liked/disliked.

I just got Art of Poetry in the mail this past week and really like it so far. However I'm impatiently waiting for them to release the Teacher's Guide. It's geared toward middle school-high school. It covers Elements of Poetry and Formal History of Poetry. In part one "Elements of Poetry", a particular concept is introduced; images, metaphor, symbols, words, sound & more sound, rhythm, shape: stanza & line, tone: putting it all together. After the summary of each concept, there are a few poems with questions and at the end of the chapter is a vocabulary list. The text is clean and simple. I have not seen the other poetry curricula, but this one seems to focus primarily on learning the concepts and being able to read and understand each poem.

What didn't you like about Lattimore's? I heard somewhere that Fagle's was over enhanced.

I have Fagle's translation of both the Odyssey and the Iliad, however I vaguely remember that there was another translation that was better. Which translation did/are you using? Thanks!

We did Core 5 last year and ds loved it, however we did not do ANY of the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer or the encyclopedia work...that probably has everything to do with it. We started to use it and it was awful, so decided to just use the history readers, which were all very good. We read most the books, a lot of great read alouds. Most the books were historical fiction, written from the cultural point of view. No crafts, however we did check out books from the library and ate according to the region we were reading in. Lots of fun! I've never seen MFW.

I've heard good things about Lial's. The solutions manual and text have to be bought separately, although both are pretty cheap if you get them used. Somewhere on the message boards, some one wrote the ISBN's for both.

Oh! Okay. There is a Petit Pont distributor in the US, but not one for Kleinbrucken. I was just going to order from Manic Monkey because I think they ship to the US and other countries. Here is the US Petit Pont distributor that I found: (Sorry, I don't know how to embed links) https://www.frenchmediaresources.com/products/Petit-Pont-Home-License-1-or-2.html I think they only sell homes license though... Thanks.

I'm about to buy this program next week...however now I'm a bit confused... What are they not planning on adding? It seems like it is complete just like the French and English versions as is. Did I miss something?

Awesome! Thanks for the teaching tips and spiral binding idea. I never would've thought to do that, but I can only imagine how much easier that would make it to have both books lay flat. I'll head down to Kinkos and get his copy & the grammar cut & bound.

Thank you so much! I kind of figured 2 would be better, but needed validation to make the purchase. He'll be 13 in a few weeks and really wants to learn Latin. I like Henle's and figured we could go really slow with one exercise every other day, it probably take us 4 months to get through 2 chapters. Thanks again!

A lady I used to know used Sonlight through HS with her daughter. She used Sonlight her entire education and scored well on her SATs. She was very observant Christian and her daughter seemed to be as well. The last I spoke with her, her son was 16 and using the same Sonlight Cores as his older sister. I think some of the upper Cores are more biblical than others.

We have one copy of Henle's Latin Level 1 that I'm planning on using with ds. I took a Latin class 8 years ago with Henle's, although I don't remember very much. It seems like it would be beneficial for both of us to have our own copy of the book, however I'm a little reluctant to buy another copy in case he can be independent in a few lessons. My question is, if you are experience with Henle's - do you have a copy per student and instructor or does everyone just share the same book? Thanks!

ds likes Plato Life Science. Homeschool Buyers Co-op has annual access subscriptions for $49.95. After Life Science, I think we'll do geology or physics.

Yes - Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years is good. It's a small book but I contains a lot of information. Another good book that's mostly lessons is Teach Me to Do It Myself, by Maja Pitamic Neither have religious slants though, you'd have to add your own faith. And I agree, Montessori is very similar in style to Charlotte Mason's philosophy on early childhood.

We use Visual Link Spanish and it runs fine on XP, Vista & Windows 7. My son likes it. It starts off with "I want/need to go to ______" and then moves on to other pronouns. He hasn't gotten past that section yet. I think there are vocabulary games too. It is much different than RS. They are always having sales, so if you do decide to go with it, just wait for a sale coupon.

We don't incorporate interests into homeschool either. I think that works for some families and not for others. My ds needs to have a distinction between school requirements and his own interests...perhaps it is a sign of maturity, healthy separation and a way of developing his own identity. He will get inspired about things we are studying and go off on his, doing research, etc, however if I try to bring it over into the school bubble, he looses interest. It's almost like these "interests" could be similar to a child's play. Once you try to take it and direct it somewhere, it looses it's charm and fascination. My son loves to share his interests with me and explain them, but I have learned to leave them alone as his special thing unless he asks me to become involved. We are not relaxed academically, however he does have time during the school week to do whatever he wants (no electronics). Sometimes he just sits on the couch for an hour - but he is thinking while he sits there and then after school is over, he creates.