I LOVE my Proclick! You can do better than $50 on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/ProClick-Spines-110-Sheet-Capacity-packs/dp/B00449Y9JG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1311982421&sr=8-6 Hope it's okay to post a link here. I have made coloring books for my young dc to go along with Bible readings. I made a handwriting/copy work book using George Washington's copywork book on manners. I bound up books to go along with SWR using the supplemental sheets they sell. I made cardstock page books, then as I went through FIAR, we filled them in with projects and assignments like a scrapbook. I have printed e-books and bound them. My dd has used them to bind books she has written. I've made cheap sketch books with them. You can reuse the binders when they are full. We have done little mini books with just a couple rings, you can cut them down, the kids love that. I'll be making my oldest her own weekly school schedule, so that will be Proclicked. I also made journals using pre-made journal topic starter pages one year for some of the dc. I'll make oldest dd a notebook using AJTL pages that go along with her Rome/Middle Ages studies she'll be doing this year. I can't think of what else, but we've Proclicked lots here! Lee, homeschooling 14yo dd 12 yo dd 10 yo ds 7 yo ds 5 yo dd and 2yo waiting in the wings

Hi and welcome!

We have used the CAT test from Seton in the past. There was no history or science in the years we tested for, which is probably 1st through 6th grade at one time or another.

Welcome! I've never read TWTM. I'm not sure how I originally ended up posting on these forums, probably because we have used SOTW off/on and other classical material such as VP. I can't say for sure, but I suspect there are others here who are not using TWTM, but still are able to glean from the bank of knowledge and experience in other resources and offer ideas and share experiences of their own.

Thanks for sharing your list!

The Great Courses has a DVD or CD program on nutrition. http://www.teach12.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1950 I just received a catalog from them, so this is fresh in my mind. I haven't actually used any of their material, but thought I'd mention it since I was just looking at the nutrition program.

We just enjoyed reading Rabbit Hill.

I agree! I love being able to make my own cursive copywork sheets.

Hi and welcome!

My children in that age range love Amelia Bedelia books. My youngest DS has always enjoyed true stories, even at that age. Just the fact that it really happened keeps his attention. Five True Dog Stories comes to mind in that category. They also like short story collections, Grimms, that kind of thing.

You know your child best of course, but based on my experiences with my children, that sounds like a lot. I guess if you were to just sprinkle the different resources here and there it wouldn't be so much. But then again, some children thrive in that kind of learning environment. I guess you could give it a shot and just be willing to drop some things for the time being if it seemed too much.

I'm in the "take as long as it takes" camp. I have found it works a lot better for us to pick a "quit date" and get as much as we can get done, done. Then we just pick up where we left off. Yes, it means we don't start new books in Aug./Sept., but it also means all the children are done at the same time and know when they will be done. I also know when we'll be done, and we don't end up rushing through stuff just to get done. At first, we just used this approach in history, but it has overflowed to all our subject. It has turned out to be easier on the budget too since I don't have to buy everyone's books for the year all at once. I just need to order them as each child finishes up with the old one.

This is how we use it: I look at the TOC to get a general idea of what is up coming in the guide. I decide which topics I want to cover and in how much depth. Depending on how many days a week you set aside for history, it is possible to cover more than one topic a week if you are aren't going really deep. On the flip side, you might want to spend more than a week in other areas. I have used spines to cover topics quickly. I have assigned independent books for areas where I want my children to dig deep, but I want to keep us moving. Once I figure out what "chunk" of the guide I will cover next, I get my materials together. We own a lot of history books, both non fiction and historical fiction, plus activity books, coloring books, etc...so I pull from what we have. But, if we didn't, this would be done at a library. Then we read the commentary and read the books, I assign whatever writing assignments go along with the topic (biographies on key people, map assignment). I also use VP along with TQ, so if there is a card that matches up with the topic, I assign the worksheet, and if I like the VP TM assignments, I'll use those. I also use the cards to see if a topic is covered in a resource we own that isn't cited in TQ. I have used AHYS previously. This year, we are using Ancient Egypt and Greece. Ancient Egypt and Greece is moving a LOT faster than AHYS did. There is just so much to those guides. Once we are through Rome and Middle ages, I'll use AHYS again with my younger children while my older children are in AR. I think there are as many different ways to use TQ as people using it. That's why I love it. It is so easy to make it fit your family's learning and life styles.

I don't think it's crazy. I think science and history can be learned through life experience, field trips and good books (both wordy and picture). Lee - hs'ing 6, ages 14, 11, 9, 7, 5, and 2

Teacher Created Resources has a Bat Thematic Unit available. Lee hs'ing 6 (13 through 2)

If I remember correctly, we did the the first book, Adventures with Books (or something) first. Bible Stories to Color we are actually just doing this summer with my 6 and 4yo since we were already doing a Bible notebook at the time. You can do that one whenever, it's stand alone. Then we alternated between books 3 (Counting With Numbers) and 4 (Do It Carefully). Once we were done with 3 and 4, we did book 5 which reviewed books 3 and 4 for the most part. Then we moved on to 6, and 7 when it came out.

I like these: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/category/WriteUponMyHeartCharacterCurriculum They contain stories illustrating the character trait or lack of, Bible portions that pertain to the character trait, verses, synonyms to look-up, discussion questions after the stories, what the verses mean, how we can apply to our lives. There are further ideas at the back of each book and directions for keeping a journal to keep you accountable as far as trying to develop better habits in character. We have done a couple, all orally, during our morning time together. Another I like, though it is a little over the heads of some of my younger dc, is http://store.iblp.org/products/COCS/

I found SL's LA to be a chore, and I always felt like I still had to add in grammar, spelling and a separate handwriting. They do have copywork/dictation in the LA, but I teach cursive first so I usually have to make up my own sheets to get the size font right and not have so much writing as to overwhelm new writers. I tried SL KLA, Core 3LA (both old and new), and Core 4LA (I'm slow to learn). There were some nice poem writing assignments, but now I realize it would be just as easy (and a lot cheaper) to get directions for different poetry and do that on our own. I prefer books that speak directly to the students so that they can learn independently when needed.

I'm not following TWTM book, so maybe this isn't any help to you, but yes, I do teach different age children together. My 13yo, 11yo, 9yo, 6yo and 4yo all do Bible (which is what we use for LA also) together. We cover the same part of the Bible, but their assignments and expectations are different depending on the age. Like if I'm dictating, I might have the 13yo do 6 verses, the 11yo 4, 9yo 2 and just have 6yo copy a verse. 4yo just draws outlines and maybe will copy a word if she wants. We also do history together. I assign books geared to age, read-alouds work for everyone. I find that the more mature read-alouds that might be a little intense for the youngest 2 usually don't hold their attention much, so if they wander away, I just let them go. Writing assignments are based on age/writing level. For the first years, I'm not too worried that they cover anything in particular. We will keep cycling through so I know they will see it all again. We have done some science together in the past, but now I'm just going to let my 2 oldest do science independently.

I own SWR, I understand how to use it, and really believe in it. I just don't ever seem to follow-through with using it. We start, then just kind of fizzle out. I guess it is the time it takes. Our LA/Bible portion of the day is one we are all involved in together, and history reading is done together. So, I end up feeling like I need spelling and math to be more independent. I had planned on using R&S spelling again this year (what I always seem to fall back to after putting SWR away). But, I just can't stop being pulled back to SWR. I thought of maybe trying to use the SWR markings and rules along side with the R&S workbooks... Then I come back to my senses and realize I can't revolve my life around perfect spelling. What I would LOVE is to have a workbook that would go along with SWR, so that after the words were dictated and marked, there was reinforcement activities the children could do independently...sigh. Is there a place for AAS (or any other program) in this? Thanks!

We're using Truthquest for history. The worldview is the reason I chose it. It is very flexible. I was using SL prior to TQ and couldn't take the daily schedule. I've found that I can use the books I already own alongside TQ and read/have them read as little or as many as I want depending on the child.

This is my favorite colored flag site http://www.33ff.com/flags/world-flags0001.html I like it because the flags come in different sizes. I made little flags with toothpicks and air-dry clay bases which I had the kids set up on the countries we had "visited" in our reading. The love this. For coloring in flags and maps, I like http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html They also have coloring pages and crafts for some of the countries. Mostly, if I wanted a country specific coloring page, I would have to Google for it. Just type in Holland coloring pages and you will probably find something. I just did to see what I would come up with and found this site, which I have used a lot but forgot about - lol http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/netherlands/index.htm

For your math and spelling, I would use the math quizes/tests and spelling tests to come up with an average for a letter grade. I'm not sure how your other curricula work. Maybe come up a list of goals for each subject and grade on a "exceeded expectations/satisfactorily completed work/needs improvement/unsatisfactorily completed work/didn't complete work" type of system.

My dd's 7th grade text had a pre-algebra unit. We skipped it because what it covers will be covered in her lessons this year. But, based on the assumption of the publisher, I don't think 7th grade is too early for pre-algebra.

I used CLE math 4 this past year and never used the TM. I did use the Answer Keys to check math lessons. If we go with CLE 5 this year, I will wait to see how much was forgotten over the summer. If my dd needs a lot of review to start off the year, I'll purchase the TM for the extra practice sheets and have her do them over the next summer. But if she's ready to roll, I'll not buy it. Or I might just pull the quizes and save them for summer review.