Actually, I would trade a cozy week inside the house in a blizzard for the awful long, hot, dry summer here in Sacramento. It's miserable. I miss the east coast. I'm going to wait to order the new ATTA for my big Rainbow Resource order for next year, which I'll make in May or June. It'll be cheaper and have no shipping costs. :rolleyes: I'll still have the whole summer to plan.

I certainly would. In fact, I think you and your sweet scholars would be a fine addition to our Wednhesday morning co-op. Wanna come over here to CA? It starts in an hour... I didn't know there was a THIRD edition of ATTA! I guess I'll have to get one. Thanks for letting me know.

Between the recommendations in WTM and Christine Miller's ATTA, I'm sure there are plenty of good reads. Having it all in one place is the thing, though. Sometimes I think Biblioplan sounds nice... :-) Yes, well, when you get that all done, let me know. OK? :D Seriously, you're so kind to share your work. Thank you, again!

Ambleside Online (AO) is a very well-conceived, well-organized, and well-maintained website that provides a guideline for implementing a Charlottle Mason Education. It contains specific recommendations for reading lists and schedules for various subject areas for a 0-12 education. Many people feel that the CM approach and the classical approach complement each other; although, there are definitely some basic philosophical and pedogogical differences. The significance of Dawne's file is that she has taken the AO readings and fit them into the 4-yr history cycle recommended in WTM, making it very easy to combine the two approaches. AO also has fantastic art, composer, and music studies that can be easily used by anyone. Check it out for yourself: www.amblesideonline.org. Enjoy!

You are my hero. Thank you for your effort here. :D

has been great here. It has no bells and whistles. It's just very simple, clear, incremental steps, and it can be used as a spelling primer, too. My kids are on the young side (almost 5 and 3 1/2), so we often do less than one page a day, and I write out the lesson on a white board for them. They love it. Honestly, the progress they have made since September with that very little effort has been amazing for them both. I do supplement with Explode the Code. The kids really enjoy the fun workbook pages- about 4 per day- and it reinforces concepts already leadrned in PP. It's easy and makes them feel good to know the material- confidence builder.

My kids really love Explode the Code. It's an excellent reinforcement and confidence builder for Phonics Pathways. Use of PP has shown great results here; although, we are proceeding very, very slowly. I wasn't so sure in September, but I am convinced now. There's a new product I really love: Classical Math Facts. It's a series of 4 CD's that teaches math facts (MDAS) set to classical music. I can hardly describe the mood it sets- energized, but not brash? We use manipulatives and a number line to "see" the addition facts, then listen to the song. Now I've taken away the manipulatives and am showing flashcards with the music. Great product. You can check it out at www.singnlearn.com.

It really is a sound approach. It's thorough, incremental, and the scope and sequence make sense. However, it is teaching a skill in isolation. It would be important to connect the skills learned in EG to literature that your kids are reading and to their own writing, as well. After practicing a lesson in EG, you can pick, or have them pick, sentences from those other sources to analyze. You can also have them practice creating sentences in their own writing based upon the EG skill they are learning. You might even use these strategies as an informal assessment. I do not base this opinion on my homeschool experience (of which I have very little), but rather on my almost 10 years teaching English to 7-12 graders in ps. Don't fret. Your children are sure to thrive under the nurturing instruction you can provide them at home. It's not so much the curriculum- it's what you do with it. If they will enjoy it, and it works for you- go with it!

[ We follow the 4-year cycle for history with SOTW, including narrations. For science, though, we have followed the progression, but have used different spines. Paula This is the area that has me confused. What has been your experience?

as a basic guide. I think it's natural for teachers to sometimes feel oppressed by the curriculum. When I taught for several years in PS, it was the same thing. We all want to do want to do what is best for our kids but receive so much, often conflicting, information. And, of course, there are the nay-sayers, even among close friends and family. I don't know why, I just never fell into that. My saying: "You are the master of the curriculum, the curriculum does not master you." Is that personal, or did I get that from somewhere else? I was very encouraged by SWB when I met her at a conference and sheepishly confessed, with my head down, that my ds didn't seem to like OPG. She just smiled, looked me right in the eye, and said, "It's not working for him. Try Phonics Pathways." We did, he loves it, and I sold OPG. No big deal. Mad Lib Junior and Schoolhouse Rock might be a more innocuous and fun way to introduce parts of speech than FLL, and then maybe we'll move to Easy Grammar around 3rd grade when ds and dd are both writing and reading more comfortably. I can't wait to see SWB's writing text, but even with that, I know it will be more of a guide than a daily curriculum for us if we use it. Like some of you, I am very drawn to AO and general elements of CM. I do plan on using the picture study and literature suggestions from AO. If that 4-yr re-org of AO happens, I would love it. Look- the pressure's on, Pheasant Ridge Academy! :-) My main confusion is how to approach science. I love the idea of the CM-style immersion study of the Aplogia programs for elementary years, but I also like introducing the different areas of science over the first 4 years a la WTM. What to do? Hey, right now, I am totally jazzed that my ds can read a Bob Book all by himself to his father. I say, thank you SWB and WTM for empowering me to undertake this incredible journey with my dc. I count it a blessing and am grateful for the resource you have provided. Looking forward to Kindergarten again.

for my two littles. :)

www.singnlearn.com They have a few different skip counting options, and you can hear samples. They also have a TON of interesting, fun auditory resources. Warmly,

Hi, Gwendolyn! I am also new to homeschooling, but in a past life I taught English in the public schools for almost 10 years. Based on my experience with kids and the research I've been doing to prepare our homeschool, I would say keep it simple and focus more on quality than quantity. After reading a section from a book you are studying or reading together, simply ask your daughter to relate what has happened in a one or a few sentences. Is she capable of writing this herself? If not, you can write it for her until she can. Over time, she can be asked to respond to longer sections, provide more detail, organize her thoughts into sections, etc. If she is not ready to start with her own narration, you can read together and you can dictate summaries to her for a while, or she can copy summaries that you have written. Basically, start from wherever she is and build from there. Welcome to the beginning of the journey. It's nice to have some company.:)

Do you have any school supply or craft stores in your area that offers free crafts? The local Lakeshore Learning Center has free crafts on Saturdays, and I have found that to be a good way to expose the kids to various media and have fun (and no mess in my house:)). If, instead, or in addition, you think your kids would benefit from art appreciation, I really love the approach suggested at www.amblesideonline.org. It takes a lot of pressure off the mommy/teacher and kids to be busy and provides a great opportunity for quiet observation and reflection. Just a thought.

Your feedback has been very helpful. I do like the idea of supplementing MUS with Singapore's Challenging Word Problems. :p

We're using manipulatives and games for K, but I am having trouble deciding which program to use when first grade begins. I know I don't want to use both. My understanding is that MUS focuses on mastery of one basic skill before moving on to the next, which I like. I also like that the workbooks are black and white- not too distracting. And I like the manipulatives. I don't know too much about Singapore, but I hear that a strength of this program is in teaching concepts. I have heard some trepidation about teacher-friendliness. I do not consider myself to be a strong "math person." Supplementing either of these programs with inexpensive workbooks, say MUS with Key to... or Spectrum is an option, but I don't want to try to use two complete programs. Feedback from those who have used either, or both, of these programs as to their preferences and reasoning would be much appreciated. Warmly,

does have some wonderful material. I take many of their literature selections (and go to the library). They also have wonderful history and Bible references, even if you don't follow their sequence or use their whole package. I hear they do a free shipping promotion in July.

We have our co-op on Wednesdays. We will be working on our solar system unit (facilitated by other mommy-teachers :)) and sharing a pot luck lunch- a baked potato bar. The co-op is an inegral part of our schooling and a major social outlet for the kids and me. On Saturday, Sacramento has a free museum day. Twenty-five museums are participating.

Phonics Pathways uses a little picture of the word "bed" with a mattress being supported on top of the word. They suggest keeping it nearby on a post-it or index card.

Does anyone have any suggestions for simple resources to introduce my K student to the concept of the number line and simple addition and subtraction problems using it? We're not using a specific curriculum at this time (and don't want to). Thank you! Nancy

Have you looked into that program? It is very user-friendly for both parent and student. Rainbow Resource carries all the many variations, complete with explanations of how they differ. If all you want is the writing program, just avoid the Skills Books and daily language program. Although recent editions have books for each grade level, they have excellent handbooks for middle school and high school years in one of the older series (maybe 1995?). The handbooks cover various purposes for writing with instruction and models, and you would really only need maybe the 7th grade book for all of middle school. Models of the various types of essays are included, too. Check it out on the rainbow resource website: www.rainbowresource.com. I'll admit that the many editions make it a bit confusing to find what you need, but it is worth looking it over. Like I said, just stay away from the extra grammar components if you don't need that. Hope this helps! Nancy

I use a variety of manipulatives (cubes, pattern blocks, counters), an abacus, a "100" chart, a number line, flash cards, memory songs for addition facts, games such as Sum Swamp and Chutes and Ladders, etc. I plan to begin MUS in first grade. Nancy