I love the scheduled nature of Sonlight but I don't love what I'm seeing of their K book selections. I don't have anything against Dr. Suess but in my opinion that stuff doesn't belong in a beautiful curriculum, which is what I've always heard Sonlight described as. Please describe your experiences with this year and if there is a lot I'm not seeing that is worthy of the $. We are atheists so any religious selections however lovely, aren't going to be in our plus column. Thanks, Amanda

What really worked for me was only buying the cheapest, grossest cigs. Good Luck!

My 4yo daughter is too! She loves the Errol Flynn Robin Hood movie. It is absolutely great. Did you know that the horse Maid Marian is ridding in the Sherwood Forest scene is the famous Trigger?! Pretty cool! En Garde, Amanda

My daughter is almost 5yo and doesn't like crafts but I was thinking that she may enjoy wood working. Are there any resources/books/sites with wood working ideas for super little ones? Thanks, Amanda

Wow! Thanks for all the wonderful responses! You guys are so great! My daughter does not have apraxia or anything physically wrong with her. She may be atypical in her development but the only area she is clinical is in her speech. The specialists at Vanderbilt University said, would normalize on its own by age 6. She has immature articulation but her receptive language is way above average. I have an email in to Oak Meadow asking about older versions without the Beatrix Potter. I haven't been able to find any for sale. I went to the website but couldn't find anywhere that stated you could try it online for a month. I asked about that too. Sonlight looks really good too. Is it workbooky? Thanks, Amanda

Thank you so much for your informed replies! My daughter understands stories at a fairly high level. We are reading Pinocchio and Stewart Little and are almost done with the Little House series. She loves the Beatrix Potter books but also loves The Hungry Caterpillar and similar books for little ones. We read a lot. Should I simply continue reading or should I start a formal program. I want to keep on challenging her in different ways that will be productive. The Ordinary Parents Guide didn't work because she couldn't say the word rhymes and she doesn't seem to be ready for symbols yet. Thank you a million times over. I'm worried about my different little monkey. Thanks!!!!! Amanda

I'm thinking about using Oak Meadow for my late bloomer/very late talker (1.5-2yo equivalent, not hearing loss related)/IQ 115-130, 4y9m dd. Problem is that I'm not the creative type and I'm also worried about the loose nature of the schedule. My dd doesn't seem to like crafts or coloring. I think she thinks I'm wasting her time:001_huh:. My dd doesn't like workbooks so that is a plus to the curriculum. Also, we already read the Beatrix Potter stories quite a lot. Is this a big part of the curriculum? Am I going to be paying an arm and a leg for these stories that we already have and craft ideas that she will have no interest in?? My daughter does like to be read to, cook, and practice letters (but doesn't know her alphabet or numbers). I like the slow/quite nature of Oak Meadow and the fact that it will continue her learning in a systematic way but I worry that she won't like the crafts or connect with the material. Anyone have a kiddo that didn't like to color or do crafts that still liked this program? I have also considered Sonlight. A better fit? We are atheist but I don't mind tweaking. Thank you for any thoughts, experiences... Amanda

Huge favorite here! My daughter would run into the room when she heard the opening credits before she was a year old! We found the woman who played young Beatrix online and emailed her. She emailed back and was so dear! She said it was a wonderful experience. I pop it in whenever I want a little something more in the background than music. It is so beautiful! Enjoy!

Have you heard of Dr. James MacDonald and his book 'Play to Talk'? He uses fun, child-led techniques that you can easily do at home. This is obviously a REALLY hot button issue. I'm not sure why. I think we can all agree that 99.9% of the people here are trying to do what's best for their kids and to assume hubris on a parent's behalf because of their therapy decisions is a bit ummm, not super nice.:001_huh: Take Care,

I broke my arm in the 4th grade at a private Catholic school. They let mejust follow along and I was excused from all written work. It was great!

Hi

I haven't read all your replies and maybe someone has mentioned this... You are not alone. Inflation of food prices is causing massive problems for many, many families. While I do not believe in relying on government largess for sustenance, I also think that the government has caused so many problems (inflation for instance, a hidden tax on the poor and middle classes) and allows for so much waste, that a person could consider accepting money from the government as part of a "refund" of what politicians have stolen from us through their atrocious management. Good luck, Amanda

Thank you for the fabulous article!!! The grammar emphasis and short lessons/longer lessons are great points. Thanks! More thoughts? Amanda

What does this look like? I just read WTM again and it looks wonderful except for all that library time, whew! I've also researched Charlotte Mason and read quite a bit of her writings and devoured Ambleside Online. I see a lot of ya'll have a CM influence to your WTM educational philosophies. What does this mean in practice? and why? Is it that you don't think CM style delivers enough of an education? Please 'splain... Thanks, Amanda

Hi Crissy, I also have a 4.5yo girl and am eagerly preparing, planning, and researching hs curric.:auto: You've got a twin in cyberland.:D Cheers, Amanda

Does anyone not like the D'Aulaire books and use replacement living books? Thanks. Amanda

Thank you for your fabulous replies!!!! Thank you, Karen, for the links! Any more thoughts?

I'm sorry, I forgot to give an age explanation--- I edited original post... Any thoughts for any age are appreciated... just don't call me crazy:tongue_smilie:

I'm researching which history books to purchase. I am slowly building my homeschool library for my daughter. She is only 4-- Don't worry, I'm not introducing her to formal academics for a couple of years. I want to have a skeleton curriculum in place, just in case I can't later on, for whatever reason. I understand that you can't really know in advance what will click with a child but I'm thinking- having some great, readable- history/geography/lit books on hand, will be a good thing, ya? PLEASE any opinions on... Hillyer--A Child's History of the World M.B Synge-The Discovery of New Worlds...... and other volumes Van Loon-- The Story of Mankind Marshall-- Our Island Story, This Country of Ours All of them????? Where does Bauer's Story of the World fit in here??? We are peace-loving, atheist, hippie, libertarians... If that makes any difference... I know, we don't fit in anywhere:001_huh: We are quite good at sifting... have to be. Thank you!!!!! Amanda:bigear:

Thank you for the group link! I don't know why I didn't see it. I love her teacher and the other parents seem very nice but we don't yet know them well or see them very often. Unfortunately there is only one group lesson a month. Thanks again! Amanda

I am new Suzuki parent. I am very happy with our teacher and dd's progress. I am looking for a resource for questions. Are there any forums? I haven't been able to find anything more than the Suzuki of the Americas site. Thanks, Amanda

I had a similar experience when I was about the same age. I think my mother handled it well. She told me that we would NEVER go back to that doctor and that she had complained about him. I often heard her advise other moms not to take their kids to him, although she never revealed the personal reasons, at least, not in front of me. She was matter of fact. No drama. It was not something we spent too much time dwelling on. I remember being glad my mom warned other moms. What a scum bag jerk!

I have been working with my DD for a couple weeks with TOPGTTR. Is it recommended that I continue to move forward even if everything is not being retained? We do 10 minutes twice a day with some review in between. She isn't remembering it all. Should I continue to move forward and rely on review to catch her up when she forgets, or go slower? I have been spending two days on each lesson. Is this fast? slow?? I'm afraid she'll get too bored if we go too much slower. Please share experiences!!!!! Also, is there a seperate group or forum specifically for this program? Thanks!!!! Amanda

I am so thrilled to see this topic and talk about Thomas Sowell's books! I highly recommend the yahoo group Natural Late Talkers. This group is full of parents who WILL NOT try to diagnose your child online. I cannot stand that!:angry: We aren't anti-intervention, just educated about what works for LT-ers and what DOESN'T! Beware of therapists who have an agenda or "outreach programs" that want to check boxes. We live in a society obsessed with labeling. Enjoy your LTer. There are a ton of therapies that YOU can do at home w/out a "professional". There is also a book by Jim Mcdonald called, "Play to Talk" that is very popular. My brothers were both LTers and lots of money, time, and angst was spent on "therapies"! What a waste! They matured in their own time! My heavens, I can't get them to shut up now! Not everyone is going to have "20 words at 20 months"!!!!! Oh, the horrors!! :ack2: And Apraxia, the new popular label, is actually usually used to diagnose stroke victims and extremely rare in children (although you'd never know that to talk to many "professionals"). I am so tired of ALL the LABELING!!!!!! People are different! Not everyone's development follows a check list and guess what... Those that don't aren't all in DESPERATE need of an SLP!!!!:ohmy: Do what you think is right and don't allow your mommy self to be BULLIED by pseudo professionals and their scare-tactic pseudo science! Take Care, Mommy of 2.7 yo LT-ing DD

"She is too fond of books and it has addled her brain." Louisa May Alcott