I am working through Beautiful Feet Westward Expansion with my 4th, 3rd, and 1st grade kids. The books are great, just really way over my younger two's heads. When I ask for narration from the 3rd grader (who I think to be very bright) she looks at me with like this::001_huh: Normally she is very good at narration, with everything from her readers to past history lessons. So, I feel like I need to fix our history to get us through to the end of the year (we are just finishing Lewis and Clark). I need something more on the level of all three of them (but really more geared towards the 3rd and 4th). The problem is I am nowhere near a library and can't order books, so whatever I choose would need to be either off the internet or something I already have. I do have access to SL Core 4, but I am unsure how to make it work this late in the game. Do you any suggestions for an online schedule or something to help me finish this year of history? I want it to be something fun, engaging, and use good books. How's that for a tall order?!:D Thanks for the help!

Thanks. I will have to look at Easy Classical. Thanks for the info!!

Another Lynn, Thank you for your thoughts. That actually helps a lot. I am going to sit down with all of these options and make a list. I really do love AO, I love the book lists and, well, everything. I always get excited when I look through it, and then I get so overwhelmed when I think of using it! :) I have read so much CM stuff (books, articles, etc), but I often start to panic midway through a CM year thinking I am not doing enough, or doing it wrong, etc. :) That's why I'm trying to set myself up for success this next year. That is an interesting idea, though, to use AO for the younger one and have the older two doing HOD. I like it! We'll have to see if I can work it out. Thanks for taking the time to thoughtfully answer me!!

Yeah, Jennifer, it's that scary Core 5 that I can't get over! :) I don't know, maybe it isn't too bad?! But, then, the question I always come back to with SL is what to do with my 2nd grader, KWIM? Thinking, thinking.....

Ok, so I looked at HOD and I actually totally love it. It is really amazing. My older two could certainly work on the same level, but what would you do if you were me with a 2nd grader? Would you do something like Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory, or add in something else (say if you were studying Middle Ages) to keep him with the older two? Just trying to think this through! Thanks for the help!

Thanks for your insight. HOD is something I hadn't considered until now. Thanks for the info, I'll go check it out. Thanks for taking the time to answer me!

Hm, good thoughts. Have you done Core 5? I am wondering if it really awful, or if others have enjoyed it? I will look at Truthquest, thanks for the idea.

Sum Swamp :)

So, I've posted a few times over the past few weeks about my dilemma regarding my core/history curriculum choices. I live overseas so I need to start deciding what to use for next fall. My kids will be 5th, 4th, 2nd, and 4yo twins. I have used SL, Beautiful Feet, and SOTW over the past 4 years and we are finishing westward expansion this year. I have greatly enjoyed using living books as a basis of education and would like to continue that in some way or another. However, especially with BF and even with SL there are times that I don't feel I have a strong enough grasp on what the kids need to be learning from the reading, or I don't have enough background of the time period to answer their questions responsibly. I am a CM/Classical type homeschooler, leaning more towards classical as the oldest gets older. I love CM, but I am not confident enough in my knowledge (in general), to fully trust that the end result will turn out. :) So, I've been reading lots of old threads, comparing programs, and praying a whole lot about these decisions and I really need to decide what is going to work best for my family. So, here are my options (at least all that I've thought of up till now): SL, MFW, Biblioplan, TOG, AO or??? SL: I love SL's read alouds and readers, they are great and something I am going to miss (right now I use BF and add in Core 4 RA and Readers). I don't think that Core 5 would be a good fit for us, with all the things I've heard about it being tough. Plus, then, I wouldn't be able to combine the kids, which at this point, I would really like to do. MFW looks really good, but is it meaty enough? I wonder that there are so few RA (long chapter books), and I don't know how the whole book basket thing would work. We don't have a library, but I have a large homeschool budget, so I would just have to buy a lot of the books instead of relying on the library. Biblioplan- it appeals to me because it looks simple, and there are RA and readers for all ages. But, again, is it enough? After looking at something like TOG, it seems almost too simple. I really like the spines and the other books they have chosen, but again, wondering if I will feel like it is enough. AO- another possible option, but it scares me a little. I don't know if I am confident enough to make sure they are gleaning enough from their readings and grasping what they need to be grasping. TOG- wow. it looks amazing. and overwhelming. On the one hand, I would love to have all that info and ideas, and it seems so thorough. Another thing I like is that the kids start taking charge of some of their own education. Again, the library wouldn't be an option, but we have lots of the book titles listed left over from previous missionaries here. I think it *could* be really great, but I'm scared of it at the same time. So, what would you choose if you were in my situation. What wisdom do you have for me? Have you used one of these programs with children my children's ages and how did it go? Thank you so much!

Thank you for this post. It helps a lot!! Blessings, JoyinIndo

Thanks Jina for starting this thread. I, too, have my eye on this curriculum for next year. It seems a great way to do all ages of my kids together. I am anxious to hear from others who have done it with multiple kids. Blessings, JoyinIndo

Thanks. That gives me some good things to think about. I guess I like the idea of book suggestions that would work for several different age ranges. Thanks for the thoughtful response! It helps me think through Biblioplan a little more. Blessings, JoyinIndo

It is different than SL in that it just has the title "lesson 16" with numbered "to dos" under each lesson. For example, here is Lesson 17: Read pages 43-51 of The Year of the Horseless Carriage. 2. Study the map on pages 44-45 and if desired copy, color, and paste in notebook. 3. How did the Corps of Discovery know they had reached the Continental Divide? 4. What delightful discovery did the Corps make when they reached the Shoshoni tribe? In the beginning of the book, she lays out how you can do a lesson with the 4 R's: Read, Reason, Relate, and Record...meaning reading, narrating, discussing, and writing something down. We do a mixture of these things on any given day. Usually there is just one main book read per day, and then sometimes there's a little add on from either Abraham Lincoln's World or Frontier Living (things that go more in-depth from the books that we read). It's WAY shorter than SL, but I add in SL readers and Read Alouds, so in the end, it's about the same. Does that help? JoyinIndo

bump. :)

As I mentioned before in a previous thread, I am overseas and so I need to be ordering next year curriculum fairly soon. I love literature based history with a good spine and great read alouds and readers (and some hands-on added in). In the past we have used SOTW with Activity Guide, Sonlight, and BFB. My kids will be 5th, 4th, 2nd, and 4yo twins for next fall. I need something that is fairly complete, in that I do not have access to the library. We will be doing Middle Ages next fall and here is what I have narrowed it down to: SOTW 2 with AG- ordering ahead several of the readers and finding read alouds to go with it?! (we did SOTW 1 for 1/2 and enjoyed it) MFW RTR- with added readers and read alouds (not sure if I love the layout of this curriculum, but has many good aspects) or Biblioplan- downloading ahead of time and ordering the books. (this looks like what I am looking for... readers and read alouds for all different ages, writing helps,etc, but I am wondering if it is really good or just looks good?! It seems so simple) Whichever I choose we will be adding Hands and Hearts History Kits to it. We love these kits, being overseas, it comes with everything we need to do a little project every now and then! Can you share your thoughts on these programs with me? Stengths/Weaknesses? Thank you in advance! JoyinIndo

I second the BF California History. If you like read alouds and literarture based education then you will love it. We are using it this year (4th, 3rd, and 1st) and we are really enjoying it. It has great books, great notebooking ideas, and good websites that go along with what you are learning. However, if you are looking for a more traditional approach, I don't know what to suggest. HTH! JoyinIndo

I am currently using BF Westward Expansion with DS 10 and DD 8, and we are really enjoying it. Some of the things that we are reading are a little over my 8yo's head, but for the most part we are having a good time. Last year we did the Primary American History BF, and I felt like I was needing to beef it up a bit for the older one. Now I feel like I am constantly trying to simplify the length of readings and the assignments in the TG. However, I really like the reading selections with BF (I am learning things I NEVER learned in school). We have also incorporated the California History books with it and we are LOVING those. I'd say we like Westward Expansion but LOVE California History literature selections. We are also using the Readers and Read Alouds from SL Core 4. I think that SOTW on CD would be a great option, especially if you added the AG to fill in if you ever wanted extras. I am not familiar with the Boorstein book, sorry. Hope that helps a little! Blessings, JoyinIndo

Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I appreciate the info so very much. I understand about AC World since this year we are using Abraham Lincoln's World as one of our spines. I do have to do some explaining to my 1st grader, so that it something to keep in mind for next year. Thanks again for the help! Blessings, JoyinIndo

Bumping myself. :) JoyinIndo

Thank you all so much. I really appreciate the help! I am going to look at the articles Merry mentioned and then most likely order Level 1. I am excited to finally have a plan! Blessings, JoyinIndo

Sorry I messed up the quote above....I'm such a newbie I don't know how to fix it! :) JoyinIndo

All right, My son will be in 5th grade next fall and as I look ahead, I need to get a spelling program that can help him. His spelling is really awful. If he writes 5 sentences, he will have at least 10 words misspelled, and they won't all be hard words either. :( I, being a somewhat CMer, thought I could do dictation (Spelling Wisdom) and it would all turn out ok. Then, seeing that wasn't working, switched to Sequential Spelling since it was accessible here. It's ok, but not really helping. I have been reluctant to AAS because I thought (perhaps mistakenly) that it was teacher intensive, but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Do you think that AAS would be a good choice for us? And if so, what level do I start a 5th grader? Thanks for the help! JoyinIndo

SO, I am think I am leaning towards using MFW RTR next year with my children that will be 5th, 4th, and 2nd (with tagalong preschool twins). Since I live overseas, I need to be deciding what to use fairly soon, so as to be able to order it in time for next fall. I see that it uses SOTW 2 which I'm excited about (because my other option is to do SOTW 2 with AG). If you used this program, can you give me some pros and cons? What did you love and what did you dislike? What did you add? Did you use different science or use what they had already integrated? Thanks for your help, and for being eyes and ears for me! Blessings, JoyinIndo

Thanks everyone for the help! I greatly appreciate it! So, I think that I have narrowed it down to either MFW Creation to the Greeks OR SOTW Middle Ages (I know, two different time periods!). The good news is that one of the other moms here actually has both, so I get to look at them beforehand and hopefully then be able to order whatever read alouds or readers I want from the AG or TG. So, I guess if I can ask one more question (or two), if it was you, what would you choose? Should I stick to a 4 year rotation and do CTG, or do Middle Ages since we skipped it the first go around? Who has done MFW and loved it? It looks really great (love the Biblical emphasis) as I look through the TM, but I'm just wondering how much prep time it will take and if I will feel frustrated with the science portion (not having access to all the supplies needed)? If I did SOTW, I could just order something like Apologia with the Nature Plus kit already done for me. Thoughts? Honestly, I SO appreciate your help and input!! It's so wonderful! Blessings, Joy