Several of the museums we've visited recently have teacher's guides on their websites that I look over and/or print out before we go. That way I can be sure to highlight any topics or exhibits that correspond to our lessons. Sometimes you have to hunt for them, but I usually find them under the field trip tab.

When I pulled mine out of ps and started with history we just picked up right then with the sequence in TWTM. This means that dd won't get a full rotation of each history year by the time she graduates, but that's ok with me. We're just going in 'order' each year. I'm a history lover myself, so I struggle with not going too deep into each subject too! ;) However, I find that the SOTW is pretty in-depth, and with the books I supplement from the library I know they're receiving WAY more history than they would have otherwise. Plus, the activity guides have a lot of great ideas in them to make history come alive.

We started 5th grade with the Mind Benders books and are finishing the year with Red Herring Mysteries. For 6th grade we are doing the Critical Thinking 1. I just got it in and looking through it I love it! It's pretty self-guided but there are some topics that involve discussion. The Mind Bender books are a great way to get your feet wet, and the level B&C books are more difficult problems. They aren't a formal study of logic but do work on developing the critical thinking skills necessary.

We also use the Discovering Geography books by Mark Twain. I had to do the first couple pages with them to help them get a feel for the book and the skills, but now they are able to do these on their own. Really great series!

We don't have the DVD, but I go over the new concept part of the lesson and do the mental math part with her, then she does the problems. I don't do the worksheets very often. It takes us about 15 minutes to do the first part together, and then it takes about 30-45 minutes for her to do the other part.

I've used the Zaner-Bloser for a couple of years now and have been really happy with it. I started with the level 2 book for both of mine.

This year, for 3rd and 5th grade we are doing Geography, Astronomy, Logic (for the 5th grader), Latin, Art and Music appreciation. I follow TWTM outline, so we are doing the Middle Ages in history this year. Our 'school year' ends in April, but during May we're going to do some fun state history projects. Next year we are doing Chemistry for science and the Renaissance thru the 1800s for history.

We use Zaner-Bloser Handwriting books. Pros are that they go slowly and give a lot of tracing opportunities, so my dc have a lot of confidence in their ability to copy the letters. The books are inexpensive, and I like that they have the child regularly evaluate their own writing skills.

I try to stay a week ahead of what we're doing, mainly so I can make sure I have what I need from the library for science and history and copies/supplies for activities. I also review the lessons in grammar and math to identify any areas that might need extra attention.

Sarah Addison Allen

I started the Rod and Staff study with DD this summer, and we've really liked it. We do 1 page a day, which completes a lesson per week, so it's good for a beginner. I've found that it really goes in depth and helps them understand what they are reading. I've also done more subject matter Bible studies that were short and specific to a particular topic, like kindness, thankfulness, etc.

I agree! Blogger is a great site for getting started - it's easy to use, free, and not overwhelming. I also like typepad for more involved sites.

I had the same problem with my ds, but he found a few of the Magic Tree House books like Knights at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, etc. that he really got into.

This site lists them out for you: http://www.biblestudytools.com/resources/latin-pronunciation-guide.html In general, you can pronounce the words as you would in English with these few differences to the vowel blends. Latina Christiana has a CD with it that they sell individually here: http://shop.rocksolidinc.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=rocksolid&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=241802394&Count2=158942818&Keyword=latina+christiana&Target=products.asp

Any of the Klutz art books are good for easing into art. They come with everything you need and the projects are contained in the book, which is nice. I like to download projects from www.artprojectsforkids.org. You can search by grade level or subject, and most can be done with supplies you already have. Klutz books: http://www.amazon.com/Watercolor-Artistically-Undiscovered-John-Cassidy/dp/1878257447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284611930&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Artistically-Undiscovered-John-Cassidy/dp/1570543208/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284611930&sr=1-2