I also own the Story of the Middle Ages. It is a slimmer book and also a good read-- it has blackline drawings which the story of Europe does not. But The Story of Europe has some maps and graphs. The writing style is pretty engaging and there are years printed in the margins of the books so the reader understands when each thing is happening, because they don't complicate the story-like telling with artificial insertions of dates always--. My only concern with substituting the UG selection would be that in the D level you are trying to get the connections and themes--- how one thing affected/ led to another and in UG they are really concerned with facts only. So the focus in the chosen bookds is different and your son might be missing this , for not a whole lot of difference in reading level , if you substitute. You can look at the book yourself-- the text is online here http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=marshall&book=sketches&story=_contents oh, and they have the story of the middle ages as well, so you can decide easily :) here it is http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=harding&book=middle&story=_contents HTH J

Hi, I thought i would reply since no one else had. We have had no problems with this. and in fact it is FABULOUS! even my 7 yo son learned all the countries in Europe working a few minutes per day/3 days per week for a few weeks-- We love it.. God Bless, Julie

did a little digging around - which I should have done earlier :) and found a good thread on this with some suggestions. I will post in case anyone else is seeking this info http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78667&highlight=dante%27s+inferno

I am wondering if anyone has used a version of this classic to "get their feet wet" so that they understand the story in preparation for reading it at the high school level later on. Thank you in advance Julie

Again, thank you so much for investing the time in sharing with me. It has been insightful God Bless, Julie

Heather, thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the glimpse into your home school and how you approach TOG with a CM flavor. It is always good to hear that you don't have to do 'everything' and still get a rich education.. I like the idea of doing the timeline figures a few at a time.. I also read at lunch, and would spend most of the rest of the time reading if my dc had their way! :001_smile: And sometimes I do! so other things slide.. God Bless, Julie

Thank you ladies so much for replying.. Angelina, thank you for posting the link to Harmony Art Mom's blog--it looks like a treasure trove of information for me!! Can't wait to dig in.. Wendy, thanks for sharing. I just have a few quesitons for you.. you said:

I am considering this method for my rising 8th grader because I think it will ease her frustration and build greater attention to detail and quality work. However, I am unsure if it would work with TOG. We are currently going slowly through TOG year 2 and I do not plan to change curriculum. If anyone has done this, I would greatly appreciate your sharing your experiences.. Julie

Just popping in to say-- check out Vision Forum They have a great resource for learning this as a family and it includes music. I think you can buy just the music, but there is instructional material to learn all the parts as well..And today is the last day that they have a free shipping and many free gifts depending on how much you might find to buy :)

a 2nd grader.. BIG HIT! we have memorized the first 4 poems in only 1 or 2 days each and my kids even spontaneously quoted them all to my parents when we were over for dinner---big surprise to me, who would brace myself for gearing them up to "perform" this way any ther time... enjoy!

that mini-books are the things you put into the lapbooks. You would not necessarily have to put them into the lapbooks (which are folders that are re-folded into a 'book' that opens in the middle and then cntain different types of mini-books). You could just make the mini-books and attach them to notebook paper and keep them in a binder... Howver, there are many places that can reduce YOUR learning curve and time as the teacher. Hands of a Child and Knowledgebox Central are a few places that sell ready to use lapbooks in e-book or CD format that you can print out the mini-books and your child fills them in and puts them in a lapbok. I think Knowledgebox even sells pre-made ones , which are lapbooks with all the mini-books ready for you in the lapbook your child just fills them out.. hope that helps :)

I think it is true that they can understand and appreciate more at a younger age. I never really shielded my oldest child (who is now 12)from literature, but my youngest (who just turned 7) has DEFINATELY been exposed to a LOT more older literature earlier. I just include him mostly with what the rest of us are doing, and have been amazed at what he understands andpicks up... last fall we were reading Men of Iron by Howard Pyle, which has some very complicated and "Old English" turns of phrase. and my children begged for it and really understood it. I have read Swiss Family Robinson to them and while we batted not an eye at it, I have a homeschooling friend who asked if we had a "modern" translation, because her children didn't understand it and they quit reading it. So I think it is like most things and if you stretch yourself you grow in understanding and appreciation..and if you don't you get flabby...:)

Hello, I just thought i would chime in since I spent about 45 minutes having the couple who designed it explain it to me. It looks WONDERFUL (and I was only stopping at their booth because I needed them to stamp my card so I could enter a drawing for a door prize :) The lady who wrote it had 25 years of working with children with special needs and learning disabilities and also 14 yrs homeschooling her own children..As explained before it covers grades 1-8 and comes from a more hands-on/ applying approach to then expecing the child to cover it on paper. LOTS of experiential things offered. The checklist is AMAZING and very easy to implement and see where each child is and what concepts you have covered. They also have an organized way to make sure you are reviewing all the concepts regularly while still only requiring 5 problems per day... HTH

. Anne, Thank you thank you...my kids will be so glad to try these. God Bless

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