I am interested in feedback as well... It seems like a great option but am apprehensive to spend the money without speaking with parents/students reagrding experiences. I have a DD going into 7th.. Alana

I see a lot about CC... We are interested in CC but live a little far from Salem, Dundee to be exact..... Though I did find a CC close by.... We have three little ones 9,7,5... We homeschooled the year before last in Calirfornia and the kids went to a Classical Christian School in Newberg, Oregon last year. We need to connect with some families locally as the kids require a lot of socialization.... Park days 3 days week. Can anyone be of help?? Thanks Alana

Yes, that is where I printed the list and in week 2 reading assignment Who Built the Pyramids is listed but I dont see it on the the list of the books! Alana

I am so confused, I finally made my decision to go with TOG this year and I am looking at the Bookshelf for the list of books to buy and printed them out, the only problem is that I have the 3 week sample (yr1) and there are books listed in the History Core section that are not on the booklist. I am a very inpatient and busy person and dont want to get to a week and not have all the books that we need to have. I am just going to buy them all because I know that my little ones will cycle through and then I dont have to hunt them down twice. I have a full plate of things right now, Im HSing 3 kids, working fulltime and going to school fulltime so I just dont have time to not have everyhting ready to go! Please help! Is there a more accurate booklst that I will get until I buy the entire year? :confused: Am I completely missing something? Thanks for any help!! ALana

Tina, Thank you so much for the TOG encouragement. I have been stressing so much about choosing something that the kids will enjoy and at the same time something that I will. Yesterday, after agonizing over my decision for so long, I sat down and grabbed my Cathy Duffy Top Curriculum choices book and really looked at what learning type they are. I have 2 sociable sues (dd 7 and dd3) and a wiggly willy (ds5) and it looks like TOG fits right in their learning styles. Sonlight was rated a 2 for them. So I think this will be awesome. A little nervous about diving in, due to the $$$$. But I know that if I purchase it now I purchase all the books that my little one will cycle back thru. I love planning things so I think that I will enjoy that I have more control of the daily schedule. My plan: TOG YR 1 (LG) Gods Design for science (LIFE) Bible stories with individual devotions (they do AWANAs too) DD 7 Abeka language, HW and phonics (she enjoys it with the workbooks) Writing Aids AAS MUS Beta Lit from VP with the comprehension guides Add a few SL RA throughout the year (as bedtime stories) DS5 (k) Happy phonics with ETC books (Abeka K readers or HOP or Bob Books, whichever he enjoys the most) HWT K MUS Primer DD3 MUS Primer over 2 or 3 years *just so she is included with the older ones HWT PK Does this sound completely crazy? :lol: :confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused: THanks Alana

I love it, I made a huge calendar in the kitchen and actually used magnetic paint behind it so it was a magnetic dry erase surface and love it. I also did it on our play room so the kids a magnetic letters and can words on something other than the fridge. I made it the lines with pinstriping tape from autozone (my husbands idea), but worked great. lol. I am a huge fan. Alana

Well, I have the ancient SOTW and have been looking at the acitivity guide and the lit suggestions. I looked again at Adventures for MFW and am considering that too. It is just so overwhelming to figure all of this out. I wish I could go to Staples and press the easy button and it would shell out the perfect curriculum for each child. Wouldn't that be wonderful!!! Descisions?? Decisions??:lol: -Alana

Good Afternoon, Thanks for the advice, What facinates me about TOG is the hands which is lacking in SL. I work three days a week so the stand alone SL schedule will not work for me anyways. Siloam, since you used SL did you feel there were too many RAs because that is another bog concern for me. I have three active children and it is hard enough to get them to sit still before they go to bed for a story. I do love the literature included with SL though which makes me come back to it but I can always add that in. I have downloaded the TOG samples and enjoyed them, especially like the wkst for reinforcement and loved all the info included. For VP, my dd(7) sampled the online self-paced course and absolutely loved it. I am not to hip on it because I dont want her on the computer all day log, but it was a wonderful program from what I saw. So, I have a decision to make and am confused. Alana

I am trying to plan for next year, can you give me your opinions of TOG. This will be with my dd 6 almost 7 yo for 2nd grade. I also have a 5 and 3 yo. I did MFW last year and my daughter disliked it. The main complaint was that she didnt like the Bible reader. I am also looking at VP and Sonlight, I just dont think my other two will give us that much read aloud time to do SL. This is only my second year HSing and so I am still trying to figure out how the kids learn. Thanks for any opinions/comments/advice. -Alana I plan on doing Abeka LA/phonics. Gods design for science.

Ok, so I just looked at the VP catalog and had the kids do a sample lesson of the new self paced online lessons and they absolutely love it. We are doing SOTW right now and they keep asking to "do the one on the computer". My plan for my oldest who will be 7 was to do SL 1 for history, but now I am questioning my approach. I am a working HS Mom and will be in a masters program during this next year. I know that VP is new, but does anyone think that I can use them in combo together so that my DD can do it online when I am at work and then we can read about it with the SL books when I am at home. I am sure it will take some work on my part to make them correlate but, I think that it may be a good combo to break up some of it. It will also help me out when I am not home. What do you think? Right now we are using SOTW but not too far in, and havent done too much history. Alana:confused:

We are finishing up our first year HSing and it is awesome. I am also a nurse and work my three shifts a week and let the kids do worksheet type review when I am working which I wish worked out better but my kids are still young (7 5 and 3) so they are not self-motivated by any means but just because they are not sitting there doing something doesnt mean they are not learning. There imaginations have flourished, its amazing. It will all come together, one thing at a time and ease into it. I just school year round and take multiple small breaks through out the year to compensate for my work days. It has been working out great. Alana

I did not get myself or my kids vaccinated and am happy with my decision. I am exposed to the virus all day long and I feel that was enough exposure and am sure that my children have been exposed to it. Does the H1N1 kill people? yes! And so does the regular flu strain every year, mostly immunocompromised persons with no immune system. I think that the media has blown all this way out of proportion, and scared way too many people. It is unfair, just my beliefs.-Alana

DW Drums had a kit that I saw about a year or two ago at a guitar center. My husband is a drummer and so we looked into getting it for the kids, but I just don't think that I can tolerate another noisy musician in the house, we already have too many guitars and a piano. Go in or call a guitar center and ask them and they might be able to find one in your area. Alana

I little background first, this is my first year homeschooling and am trying to decide what to use for next year. I am currently using the MFW first grade for my 6 yo, she is doing well but she needs more. I am adding some read alouds and art too it now. I also have a 2 and 4 yo at home who are learnin letters and sounds with MFW K. Well on to the question, I am looking at Sonlight and Veritas Press and trying to decide between the two. How different are the literature programs and it looks like there are RA in both, and VP has book guides that go with them. How are these at getting questions moving? I have been researching both of them and am having a hard time choosing? Please help. I dont like the LA in sonlight from what I am seen so I will probably use FLL and WWE, and AAS. There are too many options. Can someone give some insight, please!:confused: -Alana

You could try a blends bingo. - Alana