I'm a Catholic who uses Sonlight (finishing up Core 3 right now). I would definitely recommend checking out the yahoo group - there are lots of great files and red flags. I would certainly not classify Sonlight as Anti-Catholic. For the most part the things you might find objectionable are either in the notes (which are for the parent not the child - and easy to sift through) or references in the reading which I actually feel are good teaching moments. For example, one of the stories we read this year had a character making a derogatory comment towards "those papists" - it was a character in the book, not reflective of Sonlights veiws towards Catholics. I personally want my DD to see things like this because it allows us to talk about things that will hopefully help her to more fully defend her faith in the future. The only Sonlight Core I wouldn't personally use is 200 because it seems to be essentially a Protestant apologetics course, however, even in this Core Sonlight includes at least one book with Catholic (as well as Protestant) viewpoints (The Story of Christianity).

Have you looked into Sequential Spelling? We used it for the first time this year. It's cheap and easy to implement (less than 10 min/day). You could get the text for about $10, add in the Student Response Book (which I loved having but isn't necessary) and you will spend around $20.

Thanks...I was hoping that it really would be that easy :)

My 8yo dd is currently working on Singpore 2B. I'm considering supplementing with Miquon to help cement some of her math concepts. She is very good at working the algorithms but often doesn't seem to understand "why" the algorithms work...I'm hoping that maybe Miquon would help with this. I try to explain the "why" but I feel like I am often sucking all the life out of math when I do this. I don't want her to fear/hate math. I'm thinking Miquon might help her more naturally learn/explore how math works and build some confidence (is this true?) So my questions are: 1. How do you use Miquon as a supplement to Singapore...I am thinking of just using it side by side (not necessarily lining up the concepts at the same time)...does this make sense? 2. What level should I start with...should I just start at the beginning? I really appreciate any advice you can offer me...Thanks!

Thanks for all the input...sounds like it will be helpful...I'm adding it to my list :)

I have already recieved the cursive handwriting wkbk and it looks pretty straightforward...I'm wondering if the teacher's guide will help me out with scheduling and additional exercises? For those who have used this program...do you recommend the teacher's guide?

Why I decided to try Sonlight Core 2 next year: 1. I like the fact that everything is laid out for me in a 36 week schedule...I feel like I need that. I have struggled for the last year and a half with how much is enough/too much. I feel like Sonlight will take a huge burden off of me...I feel like I can breath easier now that I have made the decision to go with sonlight. 2. My daughter is an advanced reader...she reads like crazy and loves being read to. From what I have heard, if you have less willing readers, Sonlight could easily get overwhelming. I really don't forsee this being a problem for us and it will relieve some of my pressure to always have good books scheduled for her to read. 3. I did think Sonlight seemed pricey, but then I started adding up what I pay every year for DD's piano lessons...and suddenly it didn't seem so expensive :) Seriously though, if you have a good library most of the books can be borrowed. I've decided to splurge and get the books to have at home (I am finding lots of them used on the cheap...). The prices for the math/science/electives seems pretty in line with what I had already been using... 4. I tried Ambleside, and while I love some of their selections (especially the additional reading material) many of the books just seemed dated to me, my daughter never really seemed to connect with them. I really like the Sonlight book lists...even if they are twaddle :) 5. I love the way they lay out their history/geography. Funny, because what drew me to WTM was the history cycles. However, once I figured out Sonlights progression, I decided I liked it even better. I love the idea of doing a two year overview of world history (we read SOTW 1 last year so Core 2 will pick up where we left off), followed by a two year American History Survey, and then a year of exploring different cultures...I think this was the hardest thing for me to get over when it came to Sonlight, and I think if you really want a 4 year history cycle, then Sonlight might be difficult to do, long term anyway. 6. I like their more natural approach to LA. I haven't done a lot of formal spelling/grammar/writing beyond copywork, so I think their program will fit well with my LA philosopy. If you want a very structured LA, then I think Sonlight's LA probably wouldn't do it for you. 7. Also, we are a non-christian family and I feel like Sonlight does a good job of looking at other religions/viewpoints despite being a Christian program. I actually prefer using a Christian program because I think a knowledge of Christianity and the bible is so important to understanding our culture/history but I need a program that isn't to preachy (not to say that any of the other's are preachy, just to say that I didn't find Sonlight to be so...) Anyway, those are the reasons I decided to go with Sonlight this year :)

How about the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Adventures of Pinnochio...both very different than the movies and great adventure stories. My daughter (also 8 and loves adventure stories) also loves to hear Greek Myths and Fairy Tales...Black Ships Before Troy, Classic Myths to Read Aloud, The Golden Book of Fairy Tales. Also, have you looked at The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease? The first part talks about why it is important to read aloud to children throughout their childhood (not just before they can read) and in the back there is an extensive annotated list of read alouds for all ages. Most of the books are not classics, just good books to read aloud. You might want to check it out from your library to see if you find it helpful - I did and then bought my own copy :)

I have been using the unrevised activity guide with the revised SOTW 1 book, we are almost all the way through it and I just noticed last week that i had the old activity guide...so I guess there isn't a huge difference :) I have noticed a couple of times where one or two of the review questions for part one ask for info from part 2 of the chapter. Also the formating/layout of the new activity guide looks much cleaner...I realized I had an old version of the AG when I went to order the new AG for next year and looked at samples...hope that helps.

I do have the activity guide but we never do the activities...I usually get a few of the supplemental books from the library for my daughter to read (occasionally we will read one together) but I don't usually require them (she is a good reader and will often read or look through them all without prompting). We always do the review questions, narration, and mapwork...sometimes I will have dd write out her narration. We are also working through the book pretty quickly...my dd loves the stories and begs for more. I am actually thinking about switching to History Odyssey next year (with SOTW 2).

I would highly recommend Quicken...once it is set up (I must admit my husband set up all the accounts inititally, but I think it was pretty straightforward...) you can quickly upload all your financial information and update your transactions whenever you want. We have all of our accounts loaded into quicken...our bank accounts, our credit card, our retirement/brokerage accounts, our mortgage...we always know what our bottom line is and we are also able to see a forcast for the coming month...You can set up bill reminders (we do this even though all or our bills are paid automatically). Also, you can reconcile your accounts automatically using your statements every month (so easy!) I hate accounting...I love Quicken. If I can use it, then I think anyone can :)

I checked three of the "You Wouldn't Want to..." books out of the library last week for my 7yo dd (Aztec Sacrifice, Greek Athlete, and American Colonist), my daughter devoured them and wants to read the rest. They are cartoony so some might consider them twaddle...

You might be able to find a used set...I fell in love with the idea of NOEO too, but not the price :) I found a used Chem 1 set for a $125 and there was another one on the "for sale" board here...not sure if it's still there (I was going to buy it but I found another copy before the seller got back to me). I've also seen them on Ebay...just a suggestion, good luck!

For the last year we have been just reading various library books about science subjects...not much rhyme or reason, just whatever we found. My dd loves science and really wants something more structured so, for next year, I went on a search for something secular, that uses real books and includes experiments. I ended up choosing NOEO Chemistry 1. I like that I will have everything on hand for science and we will probably continue to supplement with random science books from the library. Just wanted to let you know your not alone...it took me forever to finally settle on my science!

The only formal reading instruction I did with my dd was 100ez lessons...after that she went straight into reading real books. She definitely would have been bored by a reading program but I can see how some kids might be helped if they are struggling with basics. My daughter loves to read and I would be afraid that "reading instructions" would crush the joy! I do plan to have her read "How to Read a Book" sometime in her middle school years (before she starts the heavy High School reading) but that is the extent of my formal reading instruction plan :)

I will be doing Chemistry next year with my dd and I am planning on using NOEO Chem 1...I had also considered a shorter program called Elements Intro to Chemistry (found at Rainbow Resource) which is more of a unit study...maybe good for half a year I was guessing. I decided on NOEO because I like the idea of having everything laid out for me and in one place (unlike this year, ha). I am planning on buying the complete kit but if you can get the books from the library you could probably do it for under $100 if you just buy the guide and experiments... Obviously I can't vouch for either program (although I have heard good things about both), just some more things to consider :)

Does HO offer suggestions for higher level read alouds or do you come up with those on your own? I'm glad to hear of someone using this sucessfully. It really sounds like something I might like but for some reason I am afraid to make the leap... Oh, do you use CHOW as a supplement or do you think this would be overkill?

Wow, thanks so much for that. I had considered asking a question about wether biblioplan could be secularized easily... We are actually reading through a story bible this year as part of ancient history but more from a story perspective...because I want my daughter to know the stories, so I don't have a problem with bible readings. The thing I really like about BP is that you can use it with different ages at the same time (i will be adding my son in a couple of years...). Thanks for your input!

Here's the deal: For third grade next year, we will be learning about Medieval History using SOTW 2. This year we used the Activity Guide for SOTW 1 and I found it overwhelming...so I am not planning on using it next year. We love SOTW and I will definitly use it again next year. At first I thought I would try to schedule my own resources and use Knowledge Quest maps for map work, but I am finding that too overwhelming. I feel like I need some sort of a framework, specifically a reading guide... I looked at Biblioplan but I think it is too religious for us. It looks like it would be difficult to adapt to be more secular. So the only other thing I have found is History Odyssey. I really like that it uses several texts for the spine (Usborne and Story of the World, plus CHOW if you want), and that it includes mapwork and easy activities. My concerns are that it doesn't include enough supplemental (optional) reading suggestions (hard to tell from the samples), and that some of the reading may be too simple (my dd is an advanced reader). Also I haven't seen any positive reviews here...maybe I am missing them? So my questions (finally)... 1. Do the lesson plans include many additional reading suggestions? 2. Would you consider this a challenging program for a third grader? 3. Has anyone used this sucessfully (happily)? 4. Any other suggestions for a framework to go along with SOTW 2? Thanks!

I can't wait to read these myself. Thanks for the suggestion. Before I posted, I did a search on Amazon for History of Science and didn't see this!

Looking for opinions on the Beautiful Feet History of Science guide...I'm considering it for next year. How difficult would it be to work around the religious aspects of the program? Does anyone know of a similar type of program that is secular? I can't find one. Thanks!

Thanks everyone...this is a huge help!

Can you give me some suggestions for literature for next year. We will be studying the Middle ages (using SOTW 2 - I found the activity guide suggestions too overwhelming last year). I'm looking for books to Read Aloud and for independant reading (8 year old, strong reader, not particularly sensitive to violence). What were some of your favorites that I shouldn't miss? Thanks!

I made an attempt to implement Ambleside this past fall...I decided that it was too busy for me and that I needed more direction so I moved back towards TWTM methods. The one ambleside "curriculum" I kept was to read a poem a day following thier progression - it is so easy...and I like easy! I hope it works out for you as well.

I guess I'm lucky that I live closer to Costco than the commissary...at least as far as organic milk is concerned. Funny that Horizons milk is only about .50 cents cheaper than OV at the Schofield Commissary - still over $4.00 (I believe it is $4.35 vs. $4.90)...so at $3/half gallon, Costco is considerably cheaper for me...with the price of gas I can see how it wouldn't be worth it for you :)