eta: nevermind, thanks boscopup! The whole AG is available on pdf. :)

I have often wondered how necessary the teacher's manuals are... as I am super VP Bible and history curious :bigear:

AG= the Activity Guide for SOTW VP= Veritas Press TOG= Tapestry of Grace :)

:iagree: The text alone is not complete imho... (while I am sure some use it alone and are happy with it, it would not be enough for us) We added the AG and LOTS of books.

I am using SOTW with AG lined up with Egermeier's Children's Bible, and then a reading list from SL, VP, and TOG.

Not.Nice. :banghead: But I suppose good to know in case we ever go that route :lol: I did look at Biblioplan, but for this year, looking at the sample, it did nothing more that what I had already done. so, while I may consider it in the future, all the work is already done this year to give me the same end I think I would get with BP. Does anyone know what kind of history cycle SL follows?

oh, this is good to know. As I looked at it, one of the only things I saw edu track had that I couldn't get with HST+ was buying pre-done lesson plans...I will have to look for the Yahoo group, thanks!

I have not used HO, but I would imagine any curricula for the Ancients would be heavy on mythology. While some have issues with doing it with young ones, many dc are quite capable of understanding fact vs fiction (think basic mythical movies). I guess this would be very dependent on your dc, and perhaps how great a desire you have to do the 4 yr cycle. I cannot imagine skipping Ancients with my first grader, the year we have planned out looks like so much fun! ;) ETA: Just looked at the ages of your kids, and well, they aren't so young . . . . :)

I am currently using the trial, and have so many questions. I have searched, but still not found exactly what I am looking for, but feel free to post a link if these have already been answered. --Do I need to watch all of the videos, or can any be summed up quickly by anyone? (I will watch them if necessary) --What I input on the trial, will it be saved if I actually buy the program? --What does this do that I NEED to know? (I don't want to miss some great aspect!) --What might be the benefits of HST+ over say Edu-track? (or vice versa?) Any input greatly appreciated, thanks!

yes, there are 2 reasons I have not jumped on the SL train. 1) my fear of my kids needing and wanting more hands on (of course, SL is how I would have wanted to learn!) ;) 2) reading small parts of multiple books. I like to read the books from start to finish not several at once. Although for this year we do some of that, but only one read aloud at a time... I would really like to have that schedule done for me though! :lol:

:lol: I just started a thread just like this. I am having SL envy today as well...even though I am happy with what we are using. No advice just commiseration! ;)

I.E. the shiny new curriculum. dd is going into 1st. I have a great year planned out. (see siggy) I am excited about it, the kids are excited about it . . . However, today as I am cleaning out the schoolroom, I came across Sonlight's 3 week sample, and I feel the pull. Of all the curriculum out there, SL is the ONE that I have struggled with. We plan to do SOTW w/AG with lots of SL, TOG, and VP books. I have done A TON of work on planning this, I know it is going to be great, yet I still lust after SL. (I think mostly the book list and open and go aspect of it) Ultimately I chose not to do SL bc dd and ds are super hands on- love crafts, projects, etc. and I put together this program bc it combined the elements I love of all these curricula. So, tell me my super hands on children who cannot get enough glue and tape :tongue_smilie: would not be happy in SL :tongue_smilie: For what its worth, I imagine by the end of the year we will have read most of a SL core, since we are using at as a library reading list. I also know that we can try our plan and if partway through or at the end of the year, SL will still be there . . . so, help me stop second guessing!

Even if your cousin's problems were from homeschooling (not saying they are) then your sister using this as a case against homeschooling is like saying so and so behaves terribly, bad parenting has caused this, therefore I am against parenting. :001_huh: Not very good logic imho. Truth is, I often am the know it all in my family ;) and have often eaten my words . . . I imagine when you produce a responsible dd that thrives in society and succeeds, she just may have to eat her words . . . :tongue_smilie:

It was one of the few videos I actually watched ;)

I don't know if I would categorize myself as an angry homeschooler, but I will say it was a terrible experience for me. I begged my parents to homeschool for eight grade (all my friends were homeschooled). I don't know what I was thinking ;) My mom and I had a terrible relationship. I used Abeka video school and it was AWFUL. I begged to go back to school for ninth but family situation left us living part of the year in a different state so I wound up having to homeschool ninth grade as well. My mom helped not one bit. I was completely on my own, got pretty much no education those two years. I have been private schooled my whole life up to that point and never had to try for great grades, went back to private school in tenth (after basically skipping 2 years of school), and had to work my tail off to catch up (taking geometry and Alg 2 after really NOT taking alg 1, etc). I survived, made good grades went on to college and got a graduate degree, so honestly I don't think I was greatly "harmed" but I have always wondered how different my academic experience would have been had I not wasted those years. Also, the emotional and verbal abuse I suffered with my mother those years. . . some kids are lucky to go to school for 8 hours a day ;) Obviously, I am not angry against homeschooling, we love it! But, I am not my mother . . . I do still cringe when I hear people say they use Abeka video school though . . . I have flashbacks to the day I made paper clothes for my history teacher and taped them onto my tv knowing he would never step out of them bc he didn't move. I was right . . . :lol: I used to leave the tapes running and go out to the trampoline... great experience :glare: My homeschool looks very different! :tongue_smilie:

your child's age/grade_____ 6/first teacher's qualifications (degree, etc.)________ I know she has a BA, but honestly not sure in what Lesson length _____ (30 minutes, 45, 60?) 30 min Lesson frequency(once/week?)______ once/week Monthly cost $ ______ (per child) $50 Region where you live______ SW Florida

There are several co-op, homeschooling groups around here. Probably the largest homeschooling group is C.H.E.S.F (Christian home educators of Southwest Florida). I know there are others, just don't know any specifics. Are you looking for a religious or secular group? We attend a large church and belong to our church's homeschool group.

If I am understanding NY homeschool law correctly, US history just needs to be taught one year during 1st-6th grades. So, no, you don't have to do it now, just teach it at least once before you finish 6th.

thanks everyone!

on one site I see vol 4 recommended ages 6-9??? RR has them all listed grades 1-5...anywhere PHP or SWB gives "intended" ages? I would just like some proof or reference that says I am not crazy when I tell pp SOTW is not really intended for their high schooler ;)

I continue to hear conflicting posts about appropriate ages for SOTW 1-4. I was under the impression SWB wrote these for the first history cycle (grades 1-4), and could be utilized if well supplemented through 8th or was it 6th (did I read somewhere grades 5-8 could read it independently as a supplement?) Is this correct? If so, why do I keep reading about vol's 3-4 being too much for young ones (even 3rd and 4th graders)? I have faced this question irl and am genuinely curious if there is an "official" age range out there somewhere. Thanks!

I think I spent around $600 this year for 2 kids (1st and pre-k) but it was mostly for the first grader. About $350 of it was lit/history books so I certainly could have gone less had I more thoroughly utilized the library, or then again I could have paid more with all the fines I would be guaranteed to have! :lol: We budget about $1,000 per year right now, but that includes the annual convention we attend.

I really wanted to like MOH, but it did seem a little old for my kids. From what I have read it really works best for 3-4th grade up. For Ancients, simply lining up Egermeier's with SOTW should work well, but for medieval on, I may try something like biblioplan, as I am just thinking lining up church history will be more complicated than the Bible itself (although there is a list for both online I think) :)

If you are ok with getting it and just using the parts you want/need, then go for it. It sounds like you like the program, and honestly most complaints for those who say they wouldn't use if for youngers is simply bc they don't want to pay all that money for using only part of the program. It really is great, and it is nice to know you only have to buy 4 years and then you have them for the future. . .

I went round and round with history for this year... what is it that you are not sure about with TOG? What don't you like about SOTW/SL/MFW? Ultimately, I liked pieces of each and in the end put together my own program. Honestly not any cheaper than the other programs, bc I bought a lot of the books. I could have spent less by not buying them, but I am a library failure ;) TOG is a great program, and probably one I considered the longest. Ultimately I decided I would not be able to use enough of it for my first grader to justify the expense. It is certainly on the table to consider for future years, however. Like you, I have other littles and am trying to realistic about what I can get done, and really what is even necessary to get done. I just thought if I had TOG in front of me I would feel like a failure if I didn't "do it all." This wouldn't bother some at all, but it would me... For next year, I am using SOTW as a spine with lit selections from SL, VP, and TOG. Along with the narrations, maps, coloring pages, and projects from the AG, I feel as though we will have a fun and thorough year.