I would love to hear if you have any don't miss reads for the ancient period. This will be for dd 3rd and ds 5th next year. I will be choosing some independent books, as well as some for them to both read together. They both read above grade level. We usually choose read alouds unrelated to history, so I'm not really looking for those. I will be looking at LCC and WTM for suggestions, too, but it's always nice to have personal recommendations! TIA

I am planning on using the Famous Men of Greece/Rome during our next rotation, which starts next year. I'm planning on using alongside another spine. I will use SOTW 1 for dd, who will be in 3rd. I'm undecided what else I will use for ds, who will be in 5th. I'm thinking about KHE per WTM or History Odyssey from K-12. We are going to spend two years on ancients for this rotation, so I want to have enough material. I used the FM Medieval along with SOTW 2 and really liked it, although this time I want to do a study guide to make it more complete.

Do you do the narrations in FLL or just skip them? I did them with ds 9 when he was 2nd grade, but we were just doing WTM writing on our own then, so I could adjust accordingly. We do writing with science and history, too, and it seems like enough. Just curious how others were handling it.

I agree that full narrations are not required at this point in WWE. Using the questions will build the skills for narrations later in the series. With that said, one thing that helped both of my kids with narrations in the very beginning was using stories that they knew VERY well. Some of these were Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Tortoise and the Hare, The Little Engine that Could, etc. After reading favorite stories I would ask them to tell me the story orally. They liked doing it, and it built confidence in them for later formal narrations. Later I use the same familiar stories to help them learn to streamline summaries. I would say, "Tell me the Tortoise and the Hare in three sentences," for example. Eventually they learn to do this with unfamiliar material as well. This is just our personal experience, but I hope it may help!

We added the SL read-alouds and readers for SOTW 3/Core 3. I wanted something to emphasize the American History aspect of SOTW 3. We did a little of the history reading from SL, as well. It worked well for us, and I liked most of the selections. I didn't find the study guides (the ones in the SL Instructor's Guide) too useful, though. They were more comprehension questions. Since then I have viewed the Teaching the Classics DVDs and found them a much better investment than buying study guides for literature study. JMHO!

I like to start the first week of August, and then be done by early May to enjoy the nicer weather for outdoor activities. This year we move into our new house the first week of September, so mid-September at the earliest for us. We always do a light schedule through the summer anyway, but the new school year is when we open up our new curriculum and officially start the next grade.

I agree there is a difference between phonics skills and comprehension. The DORA test mentioned above breaks the results down into various categories. It includes phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, etc. I had ds 9 take the SAT-10 for the first time this year in 3rd grade. The report I got back included a Lexile level, which is another reading level indicator. Obviously, the SAT-10 is not a quick and easy test. The DORA was pretty easy to do at home on our computer, though.

I agree you should check into local requirements before going back to school. I worked as a children's librarian with a B.A. in Elementary Education. A B.A. in English would have been acceptable in our system as well. It was a fairly new library system in a suburban area, so the MLS was only required for management positions. Sometimes, once you have the position you can work on the MLS degree with some financial help from your employer.

I would agree with bringing a nanny, if that is an option at all. That is what dh and I are planning to do next winter for a trip to Hawaii. Our kids are 6 and 8, but they would not be comfortable being left for that long.

I used Saxon 1 through 5/4 for ds8 for grades K through 2. Math is easy for him and he did fine with Saxon. Dd6 struggled with Saxon 1 in K, even though she had already been through the Saxon K book. I decided to try Singapore from advice here on the board. I switched both kids, because I heard that Singapore is good for advanced kids. So, to answer you questions: 1. Singapore is not scripted. It does not hold your hand like Saxon. 2. I find Singapore logical, but in a very different way than Saxon. The programs are very different. Singapore does not use what I would call memory tricks, but teaches kids to understand more than Saxon. You do need to add more drill to Singapore. It doesn't have all the drill sheets like Saxon. 3. Manipulatives are referred to in the Home Instructor's Guide. The younger levels also have pictures in the books that could be modeled with manipulatives. 4. I never used the placement test. 5. Singapore doesn't have the Morning Meeting aspect. I have to remember to include calendar, counting, and money activities periodically. Singapore is a mastery program, and Saxon is spiral. I was also very nervous to make the switch. I thought spiral was the way to go. It worked great for ds8 in the early years, but I actually like the mastery approach now that he is older. Singapore does include review of older concepts, so they don't forget them. As far as dd6 is concerned, she understands so much better with Singapore. She just didn't get the Saxon way of explaining things. Last year she couldn't get her addition facts down, now she is able to do addition with carrying. I think Singapore is a little more work for me as the teacher, because I have to look through the HIG before the lesson. You don't just read it like Saxon. I think some people use Saxon and Singapore together, but we are really quite happy with Singapore alone. HTH. Good luck with your decision.

We used Artistic Pursuits for that time period. It covers artists and techniques in chronological order. It also has art projects and instruction, so I don't know if you're looking for that. I think we used both books one and two during the Middle Ages, but we already had book one from our Ancient year. We used the K-3 books, and my kids were 5 and 7.

My son enjoyed Paddington Bear at age 4, as well as many of the books already mentioned. Don't miss Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner. Those are still favorites at age 8.

I voted to read books from the AG, but I would also do activities and mapwork each week as you read. Even if he has already read the chapter the extra attention and discussion should help with understanding and retention. Famous Men is also a good suggestion. My ds really enjoyed that last year when we did SOTW 2. My ds 8 has this same "problem" with reading ahead. He is constantly reading the KHE for fun. I agree with the previous poster in that we get more out of the material when we reread.

We are doing SOTW 3 this year with 1st grade dd and 3rd grade ds. We haven't encountered any problems. I don't think the text is too difficult for dd6 at all. I actually think much of the material in the ancient year was more disturbing for my kids. I can't comment on SOTW 4, since that is planned for next year.

I just read Cloud Dance by Thomas Locker with my dd6. It has lovely paintings on each page with a small amount of text describing the clouds. There is a page at the end with some scientific information and a diagram of cloud varieties. It's a nice combination of art and science.

We used play money as a manipulative for long division. It works similarly to the base ten blocks in that you can see the left over hundreds exchanged for tens and tens for ones. We had to work on this skill more than any other up to this point. My ds was also 7.5 when we hit long division(he just turned 8 this week.) I think its a complicated process for younger kids and takes a lot of practice. Especially for those perfectionist types. I have a sensitive type-A guy, too. Good luck!

I received those lists as appendices in the Core Instructor Guide. I can't say if they are available on the website or not. Maybe someone with more Sonlight experience can weigh in, too. Laura

I live in the St. Louis area (on the Missouri side). Winters are usually not that bad as far as snow goes. My dh is a MD. He commuted to Belleville/SAFB for residency for three years. I can't ever remember him having a problem with the roads. This winter has been more snowy than usual, with slick roadways about three times.

Our ds 7 has ADHD. It was pretty apparent since he was a toddler that there was something different with him. I wanted to try an unmedicated approach as well, so in Kindergarten we did yoga, relaxation techniques, lots of physical activity, etc. We decided to try medication when he turned six ( around the beginning of 1st grade for us). The other techniques helped, but it was still such a struggle for him. It took a while to find a med we like without the side effects. He takes a low dose, but it's enough to help him focus and stay on task. I would definitely recommend reading Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction by Drs. Hallowell and Ratey. These books were very helpful and explore both sides of the medication debate. They also discuss some non-medical treatments/supplements commonly used. I know many people use the Omega 3 supplements, but we haven't tried that. One thing that is very important for our son is routine. He does much better when he knows what to expect ahead of time. We have to do our subjects in the same order every day or he can't focus. I also try to warn him ahead of time if there is a special activity, etc. We keep a detailed schedule and chore chart posted, because kids with ADHD do forget what they are supposed to do more often. Sometimes using a timer helps him realize that a task needs to be done in a certain period of time. It is a difficult road sometimes with an ADHD child, but I am just so glad to live in a time with so many options and resources. HTH and good luck! Laura

I think spiral works really well for a child who is naturally math savvy. My ds 7 is doing Saxon 5/4 right now. He just seems to get concepts the first time very easily. Dd 5 did Saxon K last year with no problem, but is starting to struggle at the end of Saxon 1 right now. It seems like she needs more than just one lesson to get some concepts. When they come up for review she has forgotten them. I really like the spiral philosophy, but it isn't working for dd. I also think mastery would drive ds crazy, because once he learns something he wants to move on.

I used MCP phonics A and B for ds when he was in K/1st. We skipped C because it seemed like there was a lot of repetition and ds was doing well. We are using D now (in 2nd), which is called word study. It is not a spelling program, so for 3rd grade you would probably need something else for that. I never have used the TM. It is pretty easy to implement. We don't use every exercise, I just pick the ones that we need. I tend to skip any creative writing/reading comprehension, because we cover that with dictation and narration instead. I find that even though ds is an above average reader, it helps to review the phonics. I see him using these skills when he writes as well as during reading. HTH! Laura

My oldest is doing SOTW 2 in 2nd grade right now. Next year dd will join in on SOTW 3 for her 1st grade year. As was mentioned read alouds, craft projects, art, and music can all relate to history if the kids are together. As for starting in the middle, I have found that my daughter has picked up a lot about ancients and the middle ages just from overhearing us. When we do a craft from the AG she often wants to join in. Younger sibs often have an advantage this way. SWB talks specifically about this concern in TWTM, so reading that may help you as well.

We are doing this program next year with 1st and 3rd graders. We are using the Level 1 for 3rd and Pre-Level 1 for 1st. I got the TM and text for each level, but we will just do the Level 1 experiments together. I won't require my 1st grader to do lab reports, she will just tag along for the experiments. I think the decision really depends on your children. You could do either level with all three, really. If your 3rd grader is advanced or really interested in science, I would get Level 1. Your younger kids could listen to you read Level 1 out loud. If this is not the case you could do Pre-Level 1 with all three. I chose to get both levels because my 3rd grader is really into science and his sister is not. As for reading alone, I'm probably going to read with both kids. For us chemistry concepts are new, and I want to really make sure they understand. The program covers some challenging concepts for elementary age in my opinion. Both levels do correlate pretty well in topics, though. The book is secular, but I didn't find anything offensive as a Christian. I hope this wasn't more confusing! I think you will do well either way, because it seems like a good program. Laura

We are planning to use RS4K chemistry level 1 next year for 3rd. We will fill the year out with Adventures with Atoms and Molecules(not the whole book-just pick and choose), living books, and biographies. HTH. Laura