Ah! Okay, thanks for this info. With a rising third grader who isn't reading well yet and a 7th grader too, I need something more open and go.

Thank you both. Now I'm wondering if we will have time to do this curriculum. Mmm... decisions, decisions. Any other comments to help sway me one way or the other? I was planning on doing the Excellence in Lit curriculum next year too. Would Starting Points and EIL vol. 1 be too much?

How is the best way to read/teach this book? Do we need a guide (if so,which one?), or can we get the most out of it without one? I haven't read this book, but a friend recommended it. What did your kids think of it?

I appreciate your input. What do you mean that it's a lot of work? For you or for the students?

Thanks for letting us know. I will pray.

Thanks so much! Just the kind of opinions I'm looking for.

I'd like to know the answer to this question too. Also, would it take a school year to complete book 1?

Can someone tell me about this curriculum? I already know David Quine and his viewpoints, so I'm looking more for what you thought about the structure of the curriculum and the books used in it. Were the books engaging for your teen or boring? Was it easy to teach? Easy to learn from? Challenging? Any opinions are welcome. Thanks! Chronicles of Narnia, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, and Mere Christianity are books listed that I'm familiar with. What about: Know What You Believe, Assumptions, Answers for Difficult Days, How to Read Slowly, Never Before in History, and The Deadliest Monster. Any you would skip? Any you wouldn't? We'd probably skip Narnia since we've read those many times.

Could someone link this? I can't seem to find the right thing. Actually, I think I do see them now, but I can't find one for New Mexico. Are all the state available?

Last year I had a 1st grader and a 9th grader. It was hard. This fall mine will be 3rd, 7th, 9th, and 11th. I don't think it will get any easier anytime soon especially since my rising 3rd grader isn't reading yet. Sigh.

I agree--very interesting.

Okay, thanks. I'm not sure when looking at Amazon I'll still get the right thing. Is the "Teacher's Materials" book the one that's not needed then? I'll check out the link too to see if I can make sense of this. Ha!

When I looked this up on Amazon, here, I see that there is a student book, teacher's manual, and a teacher's materials book. I've decided from discussions on these boards before that I don't want the DVD's, but which of those three books do I need? Which did you find helpful to have?

Thanks to you both!

Where did you find the short stories for Excellence in Lit vol. I? I need A Worn Path, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and The White Heron. The others I can find at my library. I can't find these three at Rainbow or on thriftbooks.com either. Where else to check? They aren't included in the curriculum are they? I was thinking that they were not.

Can anyone recommend which book would be the best for my dd to read about her life? I found several different books on her life or written by her. I have no idea which book would be the best one to choose. There is one written by Kathleen White and another called Joni Eareckson Tada: Her Story--one of these two seems the most likely choice, but then again, I'm uncertain.

Maps that my girls made in their geography class for the final exam. Mapping the World by Heart.

I'm thinking about using the History Scholar pages for American history for at least part of our history studies. Can you recommend a book that would complement the pages? I don't want anything boring if I can help it. We've always loved history and have done it mostly together. But, this coming year, I really need my older two to be more independent with their history studies. I don't want to kill their love for the subject by making them read a dry, boring textbook.

Thanks for this link. This is what I THINK I was looking for. So, for .50 I have it and will try it. Can't beat that.

We finished Friday with the ITBS. So, tomorrow is day 1 of summer vacation!!!! We'll start back the last week of August.

I'd like to know about that second one you listed too. I've read the first one-our library had it. It's a great book. It helped me to understand more about keeping a journal, although I still felt like I needed something more to help me teach my children how to keep one.

Actually, that is a great idea. Really. I'll try to blog about it, and then post here when I do. Neat site and lapbook! Thanks for sharing. Thanks everyone--you've all given me some great ideas to go with!

Thanks for your feedback and for these sites!

I like this idea! I'll have to search for "Mother Culture". I have a vague recollection of that idea, but it sounds worth looking into. Well, I don't know if I'm qualified to teach a class. Ha! I've just done a lot of lapbooking with my own kids and with my class at church, so I've learned by doing. It's really pretty easy--you just have to dive in and make one. Using the premade ones first helped me to "get it". Oooo... A scheduling lapbook sounds fun too. I guess I'm not sure what I mean by skill either. :) I was just thinking something that a homeschool mom needs to know or do in her everday life. I suppose I could do some sort short Bible study and turn that into a lapbook too. Mmmm.. the possibilities!

I stock up on glue, spiral notebooks (usually around .15 at Walmart during school supply time), notebook paper, markers, crayons, pencils, and pens. I usually find what I need at good prices at Walmart after the fourth of July. All the other office stores and Target will have deals going too after the fourth. I also buy things for my kids rooms during the big back to school sale time because we can usually get cute things for less money---lamps, comforters, sheet sets, wall hangings, etc.