Lydia, We are in exactly the same boat. We finished the Latin Primer series last year, and enjoyed it very much. I asked this same question a while ago. I eventually decided to go with Latin Grammar, and I'm really happy with the decision. Spending two years focusing on grammar is a good thing, in my opinion. Since it's meant to follow the LP series, much of the vocab is the same. This will allow the kids to have an easier time with that, while really working on translations and grammar. There are twenty-nine lessons, I believe, and the frist three could be done in one class period since it's mostly review. After that, though, there are a lot of translations in each lesson. About half way through the year we are going to begin working individually on a translation of Caesar's Gallic Wars, since this is the text that the LP series is geared toward. I think that we are going to have a great year, and the sense of accomplishment that we'll get(I work throught Latin as well) from working with an actual text will be wonderful. After the LG series, I plan to go to Wheelocks. Hope that helps, --Dawn

My two older children (10&11) have finished Horizons and are working on the Key To series-- fractions, decimals, and percents. When they finish that in a few months I was planning to order the Chalkdust pre-algebra, but I just looked at the table of contents and it doesn't look like they will be really learning anything new. I'm hesitant to order Algebra instead, since they are still young. It seems like at some point, developmentally they wouldn't be able to keep up with the work as they progressed into higher math. Has anyone ever found this to be the case? Any advice would be appreciated. I've thought about just going with the pre-algebra to keep them working or ordering the algebra and taking it slow, but I'd love to hear from someone who has BTDT. --Dawn

We liked it as well. We finished the series last year and are going on to Latin Grammar I while beginning a slow translation of Caesar's Gallic Wars. Latin is definitely a favorite subject around here. --Dawn

I've never felt like I've taught it well or been particularly confident about it. My husband's degree is in literature and his writing is beautiful. He can turn a phrase like I could never do. I can write effectively, but not beautifully like he can. I think that's why I'm at a loss to teach it. After I bought just about every curriculum available, I finally decided that writing would be a subject that I would outsource. I've signed my oldest up for the teach2home writing class, and I think that next year we'll start with the Potter's School. I feel so good about this decision, it lets me really focus on teaching well the subjects that I feel better about and enjoy.

My litlle guys like the Winnie the Pooh Wonderful Word Adventures DVD about opposites. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Pooh-Wonderful-Word-Adventure/dp/B000FIMG5O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1217404313&sr=8-2 It looks like it's only $4 used plus $3 shipping. I think that are supposed to be making one about days of the week, which I'd like to get as well. My little guys also love the Little Laureate series. For the Love of Art is good. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Laureates-Love-Art/dp/B00009B1RV/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1217404431&sr=1-4 The other that they enjoy is Little Laureate's For the Love of World Travel, which doesn't seem to be available anymore. I looks like it's been replaced by three new ones. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Laureates-My-World-Adventure/dp/B000YI7LLO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1217404431&sr=1-3 I also like the National Geographic DVD's for little ones, like the Polar Power or Really Wild Animals. Hope that helps, --Dawn

For only $8.50 plus shipping, it looks like a great deal. Especially if the paints and brushes are included. If you click on the picture, you can see more information including the pricing. Thanks again for posting. --Dawn

We did that last year, and it worked out great for us. We had been a bit science-light the past few years so we decided to do two science programs instead. I feel like they still got so much history, though. My husband is in the military, and we are living in England right not. The only things that's reasonable priced here is travel. So we took a lot of short weekend trips to places that we were studying. We also took advantage of the sites here within driving distance. Isaac Newton's home is a half a hour away, and the kids got to see the apple tree! Our current punishment of choice is reaading pages, so their pages were from history books. So, even though we didn't officially do history, we still got a lot. Hope that helps, --Dawn

It sounds cool! Is there a link? Thanks, --Dawn

I agree that you don't need it, but it is a time saver to have the answers. I've bought all of my Horizon's TMs used on Amazon. I don't think that I've paid more than $10-12 for any of them. In order to find the right one, you have to do an advanced search using the isbn number. You can find that on the CBD website, if you need it. --Dawn

I would think that you could definitely start with the third grade book. It's still quite basic at that level. --Dawn

I overschedule us every year! I'm fine with it, though, because one or two things will always stand out as too much work for too little benefit. If we feel like we are doing too much, that's the first to go. I have no problem dropping a few things as the year progresses, as long as it's not critical subjects like math. Last year I think that we dropped a reading comprehension workbook. A few years back we dropped Greek. We were in the middle of an overseas move, and I didn't feel like Latin was going to get it's due if we did both so I dropped it. We are starting it again this fall. --Dawn

We made it a few years ago, but I used a recipe for sand dough instead. I found the recipe by doing a quick google search. It was VERY hard, and lasted a long time. It also looked like stone, since it was made of sand. I think that the recipe contained something like white glue, sand, and corn starch. It's also fun for making permanant sand castles. --Dawn

I have a rice bin that my kids love to use like as a sandbox. When we take it out, I put a large bed sheet down first. That way most of the mess falls onto it and then we can dump it back in. --Dawn

We just finished Latin Primer 3, and we enjoyed the series very much. We are plannning to go on to Latin Grammar 1 next year, along with some extra translations. --Dawn

My daughter has been in a troop for the last two years that's mostly the American school kids from the military base near our house here in England. It's been a wonderful experience. There are two other girls in her troop that are homeschooled. The Scouts here are very active-- I think that 1 out of every 2.4 girls on base is a scout. I've decided to be her Cadette leader next year so tht I can take them camping in Scotland and Wales! It's been all positives for us. --Dawn

Hey thanks! My daughter and I took our new sewing machines out yesterday for the first time! We need some more projects. Yesterday everyone got new fleece blankets and pillowcases! --Dawn

I am loving Jack Whyte's King Arthur series. There are nine books, though, and it's interfering with my other readings! I'm so enjoying them, though. I'm not sure if I'll be happy or sad when I finish the series! --Dawn

Thanks for posting this. --Dawn

We very much enjoy the whole series. My 10 year old son has read the read the first two about ten times. He loves them. That is telling in itself. I disagree with the few negative amazon reviews. I think that it's bizarre to criticize a book intended for a FIRST GRADER for not treating the history subjects with more depth. I'm pretty sure that most first grade science curricula are still dealing with the five senses. The TM has all of the appropriate texts listed for expanding each topic as much as is desired. I would suggest that you take a look for yourself. Can you "search inside" the book on amazon? Hope that helped, --Dawn

Oh Laura! I'm sure that you've been, being that you're British, but I fell in love with Scotland last year. The very northern most part of is gorgeous. My daughter and I took a day trip to the Orkney Islands, and they were amazing! I imagine that the weather will take some getting used to, but I'm sure that you'll love it! Enjoy! --Dawn

No advice, but I just wanted to say have fun! I'm quite jealous. I'd love to go there. I did see a DVD at blockbuster.com about Yellowstone. --Dawn

What a great book! Thanks so much--I'm printing it as I type! --Dawn

My husband is in the military, so we move a lot--nine times in the fifteen years that we've been married. Everytime we move, I think I'm organized or going to be, and it's always chaotic. I do have a friend that swears by ziplock bags. All of the silverware goes into a ziplock bag, all of the bits from the junk drawer go into one, etc. That way everything is relatively clean and organized when you start to unpack. I've never done it, but I do plan to give it a go next time we move, which will be in eighteen months. It's funny....we live our life in three year increments. Good luck and enjoy it! I love to move to new places! --Dawn

Will your husband be working in D.C.? When we lived there, my husband commuted from Calvert County Maryland. It's a great pennisula with the Patuxent River on one side and the Chesapeake Bay on the other. His commute was an hour but the rent is lower there. We lived in a great neighborhood carved out of the woods in an area called Lusby. It was very peaceful and homeschool friendly. Good luck. --Dawn

I plan to use their prealgebra progam next year, so I don't have any direct experience. I can tell you, though that the comments that I've seen have been overwhelmingly positive. The only consistant negative that I've come across is the cost. I think that it's worth it, personally, if it will prepare them as well as I've heard that it does. You might want to look on the high school board. I know that several of the posters there use it. You can also do a board search to read past posts. Hope that helps, --Dawn