Definitely the Phonics Road.

It was noticed. I agree that these threads rarely get beyond the shock and awe b/c we All hold our values dear. Tell me I can't my kids about Jesus Christ and it's on! Same applies for us and home schooling. It's a lifestyle that goes well beyond books, mortar, and styles of education. I get their passion b/c I have passion, too. It isn't fun to be shocked, although this thread is no more shocking than the the sun rising this morning in the Sunshine State or a thread on RU that will call the Forums a cult. For anyone whose homeschooled more than 3 years, this is a repeat discussion. Kinda why I have been grinning with each post. It's all predictable. The point is, in the case the OP mentioned and in the latter linked post about the food-cutting momma w/ the gaming son, we're all wondering...does it work well? It, in these cases being true radical unschoolers. You said you switched to your eclectic mix b/c it works for your family. Does encouraging nothing and allowing everything really work? In all my open-mindedness, in all my experience as an educator and parent, in all my life's journey as a mentor to adults and children I have never seen absolute freedom for a child work at all. I have also never seen absolute control over a child work towards a best outcome. Balance...always about balance. I'm all for child-led education...ALL for it! I just don't think all things "unschooling" are child led. I do find some forms neglectful and I do feel for the kids. I hope that what "works" for these kids now will have been enough so whatever they choose in the future "works" then, too!

I know you were joking :) Now, THAT (DE) is a great idea. I'll send that one to Mrs. Beers right away. Somebody get a new toy (spiral bounder)?

I've seen this too...even begging their father to teach them to read each evening b/c their unschooling mom wouldn't. To be fair, my dc have asked my friends (also classical educators) to please convince their mom to drop summer reading or Latin. Kids are gonna want something different a lot of the time. This isn't exclusive to unschooling. I'm sure glad I can pull the best of whatever world I want, and decide our very.own.best. Let's all hope that liberty is never removed and pray for those dc who may not have the future they think in gaming!

Just wanted to pipe in and say the invisible, non-audible bell does ring around 9 years old! I've seen it every time. It's actually got my head in spin-mode right now. My 9yo is ready to move forward, while his partner in crime, an immature 8yo is not. The scenario is making me rethink some plans for next year. I need to get the mature one moving and I can't go forth as much as I'd like in my "family learning" plans! You'll see it, though for sure. I have with all 4dc before him! All of a sudden a pinch of maturity rears its head and you shout for joy! Just remember, the progression is s l o w Don't dive in at first sight....stick your toes in the water and ease into the next river! (Sorry, for some reason I love analogies).

I enjoy her blog, also; however I keep in mind she has young children. My life seemed much sweeter, softer, and def. had much more flow at that season in life. This isn't to say she won't stay the same, but in my case, I haven't sewed for years unless it was for a church program..I used to sew lace on the bottom of all dds pjs; everybody's curtains; and lots of home decor stuff...now, my sewing machine is DUSTY!

I picked up a Webster's Vocab Builder and did a weekly plan. Mon: Intro and dictation of new Root Tues: Copywork of definitions Wed. Original sentences from 1/2 words Thursday: other 1/2 of words Friday study The book provides tests every 2 lessons (if I remember correctly). I actually found this for $1 at the library bookstore!

Are you kidding me? I was in lala-land :) The ladies I went to convention with knew exactly where to find me!

:lol::lol::lol: then I suppose I'm a member of a cult! :lol: I admit to thinking the same thing, or at least jestfully thinking so! Home schoolers in general are so grass root, take charge, proud, that I imagine it's easy to see us all in that light.

I agree with this assessment, only I'll bet the other nations simply call it living, not unschooling :tongue_smilie: Over time, I've learned *I* could never unschool; 1 of my dc MAY be able to, save these lazy teen years; and that I can do child-led learning to some degree (my family is HUGE). So glad my kids are turning out just.fine....even with my faults and our highly structured life style!

Hi :) It won't happen b/c it would fall out of the philosophy of Application of language arts. It's the application through copy work, dictation, and writing that moves beyond defining and memorizing grammar, and takes it to locating and making relationship connections in the Whole of Language Arts. Kind of like a math where facts are taught and practiced, but never applied in word problems. I'm telling you..the use of lit. study for the writing process has made writing so much more enjoyable! It's like the boys don't even know they're learning the Writing Process...until I had to go and label it! :tongue_smilie:

any science that I don't have to teach....

Since you used SWR, you may really appreciate The Phonics Road. It is a like a cousin to SWR, so you will pick up with skills from SWR and then move along in writing skills with the literature study. It's an amazing program and will cover ALL of your language arts needs -- all of them! My blog has tons of info.

Wanted to pipe in and say all unschooling discussions should start by defining unschooling :) I learned that after reading loads of loaded threads! I've seen fair unschoolers, great child-led schoolers, and wonderful classical schoolers. I've also seen Epic Failures at each genre. I couldn't get through the second posting on the video game thread.....I I can't teach balance to my kids? I can't provide balance for them? WHAAAAT?!?!?!?! It sound ridiculous to me that anyone would do any activity for that long, but hey, what do I know? Maybe that boy will grow up to create French video games.....good luck with that kid, good luck.

Hey, Dee! Glad it was easy for you!

I have found in the grammar stage, the 2 methods are super similar. I always keep TWTM as a guideline to content. We could never do it all and we work really hard! Our lessons are much more like 20 min. for Latin at this point! I looked at AO and I found it would be *more* work for me....different kids in different historical periods would not work in this house. Additionally, although this is changing, I would have to come up with a lot of the planning and worksheets, etc on my own. I just don't have time. Perhaps, you can pull the best of both worlds. We are classical from UG on up and we read LOADS of living books!

I am dreaming of having time to dot them. It's on my list of projects, for sue. I will not have to have year dots, though b/c I already have all the TOG books shelved according to year. I also separated them into: Core, Biography, and general topics. My eventual plan is to dot them and have an active list that shows which weeks are which. Can't wait for the pretty dots! I also shelf the puzzles, kits, games, etc. that go with the time period. That way, when I come around to year 1 again, it's all in one place. START NOW! You don't want my library and then have to go back and mark books for 4 levels!

B/c spelling and phonics are so heavily related to each other and also to reading and vocabulary, I would not wait. It's nice to have the multi-subject reinforcement.

AAS would be an excellent way to bring some phonics in for your eldest son. Whatever method you use, do it now. You are right in thinking it will make him hate reading. That happened twice over in my family and it was a grave mistake. You may find that AAR is not necessary. Although a new product, many families have simply started at level 1. You'll find your elder son will think the words are easy initially...that's b/c he has them memorized. Be sure to really have him show his understanding of Rules and Markings. Those are the things that will help him with a larger reading, writing, and spelling vocabulary. Remember, you can start slowly! Buy a little now, a little later. It'll be just fine. eta: I thought I had a gold mine when I "taught" my kids how to read w/ a $20 program...if you add in the remediation and the variety of materials I bought for the rest of language arts....that $20 cost me a fortune in remediation. My philosophy is to spend on what is important. Fundamental programs for reading and math are worth every.penny. Costs shift over the career of home schooling based on grade and personal library. So far as affiliates....I'm an affiliate for the Phonics Road. The reason people choose to be an affiliate is because they have used and believe in a program. Deciding to be an affiliate is the highest form of recommendation that *I* can offer. I believe in 2 products enough to endorse them with my name and reputation. That's a pretty big compliment for those companies. It's a "risk" I'm willing to take b/c I am certain of the programs' quality. Affiliates on this forum have done a wonderful job in helping many of us navigate towards or away from a program. "MerryatHope" is a wonderful help concerning AAS. You may want to pm her. If there was such a thing as a WTM affiliate...I'd be one. Do you know how often I plug this forum!?!?!?! :tongue_smilie:

So glad to hear people are hanging in there. It will be So worth it! Like my pattern today? My school, their school, WTM/FB, food...repeat! :D I have to get ahead again in my school since I've been CHILLIN since convention! It was really nice to have some true me time. I don't get much of that! Katrina, Your dh is a smart man :D Believe me, when you get to level 3 with a youngin' you'll be fine to slow down anyway. Honestly, I have seen such advancement in my son (rising 4th grader) that I am happy to slow down in PR and keep moving on at an easy, comfy, no nonsense pace. And believe it or not...I'm inheriting another 8yo in the fall, only this ones a girl :) That means next year I'll have: PR1 - 1 dgs who knows the sounds and will actually start the program spelling lists and work on dictation (since we started this way, we'll keep on). PR2 - actually hitting gaps with the new arrival through this summer to get her on course with the other boys. She's got a lot of common public school errors to correct, but she's a very quick study. PR3 x 3 --- 9yo ds; 8yodgr; 8yodgd (grand daughter) We're actually on Week 7, but I may start from the beginning here, just to give review to the 8yo boy (who needs it, he's been kinda brain fried this spring) and to bring in the 8yo girl. The eldest of this lot is doing SO WELL, but he loves the book enough that he may not have an issue starting again + he needs dictation practice (his weakness). PR4 11yo, nearly 12, dd should stay on daily pace or at least almost daily pace so she can work through PR4 in 6th grade and perhaps 1/2 of 7th and then pick up Write Shop and Latin Road immediately after. She'll finish Write Shop and head into Writing Aids for high school (RIGHT on schedule :)) Then she'll continue w/ Latin Road for her high school credits. If you pm with some ideas on where he is in writing, you may be able to do a little skipping. The only hesitation is the few BC that really hit the tougher phoneme teams, so far as grammar. Since you are a WWE lover (right?) I'll bet he can move into 3 better than you think. Ask me some questions. I'll answer ASAP via PM.

:lol::lol::lol: You're so welcome! Always glad to help. Sorry it took me so long I'm in a busy (good busy) place right now. I'll have to push that CD suggestion :)

I hear you. As I've said before, I don't particularly enjoy the DVDs; however, you know what was a HUGE deal in my house......remediation. My first child spent from 7th---1/2 of 9th grade filling in gaps I missed b/c of curriculum hopping and poor instruction (ALL my fault). We also cried just about every day when he learned how to read. PR takes care of that completely. I am Amazed at how much more, and how much better my Little League is already doing b/c of PR. I'll say it....NO GAPS. That's right. No gaps! No wasted time. No unnecessary redundancy. All of which add up to...No Worries :) And I'm finding, even as we approach 6th and 4th grade using PR, we still have time to get it "all" done...and for Gilbert Academy, that is a ton (I'm an academic monster). My favorite thing about PR1...no tears. Alexander the Great hasn't cried one.single.time. while learning how to read....he's #7 child and he's the first one not to cry at least a little. Not.one.tear.

gotta make this quick ;) I'm swimming in personal schooling and planning for next year, all the while finishing *this* school year and I'm barely avoiding :willy_nilly: 1. Mrs. Beers believes in Teacher Training and she thinks that modeling is better at this than scripts. Most people take classes to learn this method. When you get the benefit of using all 4 levels, you see a Serious Progression on how to teach AND APPLY language arts through literature and classical/cm ideas of copy work, dictation, writing. I have to agree with her. I used the most heard of scripted programs for years and it didn't get me anywhere as a teacher. I used PR for 2 years and I'm a whole new woman. It brought me from imitator to Master Teacher. The breakdown in the literature sections, via DVD, has shown me how and WHY. I haven't been able to get the same understanding from reading anything (and I've read WTM, CM (original and Simply)). 2. A word by word transcript of the DVDs would be HUGE. Nobody would read it. Look at how many people won't use SWR b/c they were confused. You'd get the same thing if PR was written alone. That's why she added the B.C. references to the DVDs and models everything. 3. She won't put all the answers in the Daily Lesson Plans b/c she thinks an effective teacher has *learned* the material. That's why, the daily plan says, "Define adjective." Well, the definition is in the DVD and also on the Building Code, so she gives you what you need, you just have to take ntoes. She expects you to know the program, so she makes you a student of the program as you become a teacher of it. That's why she provides space for note taking. I never realized that my thoughts on "you're paying for teacher training" were actually the intent of the author. She also believes that teaching the foundations of language arts is so important that it is worth the time to spend watching DVDs. I agree, more than words on a computer can express. I was in such a hurry for so many things that I jumped and ran far too often toward what was easy instead of what was best. There's a price to pay when the foundations aren't solid. At this juncture, PR provides the foundation for me. So, sorry ladies, the DVDs are here to stay. Definitely a case of "what works for me may not work for you." I don't love the DVDs, but I have watched them in marathon form ONE time each. I never watched them again for any child past the first. I invested the time and now everyone gets the benefits of those efforts. Worth every moment of my time b/c now I'm a Much Better LA teacher. So far as dyslexia, she said the program is based on the teachings of the person who coined the very term dyslexia (Orton). She has received testimonial after testimonial after testimonial form LD users who have seen a True Difference after using her program. She stands by the program as a viable option of LD students. She's actually using the program now, you know :) Her grandchildren continue to be taught with Phonics Road and she's having a blast doing it. I'd encourage you to keep moving forward in the program. You'll find that once you watch the DVDS, you won't need to again and as you progress with the levels, you'll be a better teacher with excellent training in how to apply language arts across the board and how to pull LA from anything you read. I could definitely follow the model and create LA lit. studies that incorporate the writing process from ANY book I used. I learned it all from PR. Each time I get deeper into the "next" level, I continue to be thrilled with what I learn and the most importantly, how much my students benefit. If you've only finished PR1, you're really missing out!

I have the Swagbucks and the Yahoo toolbars on my viewing screen. They allow for avatars. We use them as shortcuts for the sites we frequent (WTM, Quizlet, Spelling City, MUS drills, YouTube, etc). Yeah...what she said :) only insert "he" for the 1st and 3rd! Honestly, ladies, I was a disaster from about the middle of 7th grade (for the eldest) until this past January. My son was no longer my sweet boy! He was an emotional roller coaster, no longer cared to finish work on time to please Momma, and so what did I do? Push harder! OOPS! That backfired! So, we lightened up. We got exactly the same work finished as planned, just a little later in the year, but certainly with much happier attitudes. Funny, but the same one is heading to CC next spring and I'm certain he'll be ready! #1 daughter (#2 in puberty) just grew out of it and continued to excel in school. She was unusually mouthy for about 3 months, but otherwise an easy child. #2 son is still working out his "angry" puberty, but I do see some light at the end of the tunnel. I let this one sleep and read as often as he likes, within a day where school work gets finished. It's hits them all differently for sure, but I have a strategy...continue to meet their needs. Those needs are still not the same! Funny, but home schooling is still the same in that regard! Seems to me that Logic stage is more Personal Training than academic. So, to summarize, I say: score up the academics and begin the transition to deeper thinking and heavier workloads...but Work Up to it, don't drop the bomb!

That's it E :) It was really me! The world was a different place. Children were Much more mature. Once a girl could take care of a home and began mensus, she could be married. My 12yo has the skill to take care of a family, so I can see if she had a wise husband, she could move on out at this point :svengo: Young men were weapon handling and treated like men. There was simply no such thing as a teenager. At this point, they were either uber wealthy so going off to university was expected OR they were sponsored b/c they were clearly super intelligent. The show, 2 Million Minutes, at least does a good job to show what high schoolers can accomplish much more than most Americans expect (not that I think it needs to be so hard core, just showing the point of comparison). To sum it up, I think our Jr. High/Middle School is now one that is a bit more serious in study, but is also a place to develop the next level of trust (blind trust when they're little, intentional trust now) and when they trust me, they're willing to wade forward and swim in deeper academic waters.