I've been bouncing back and forth with other ideas too. I own several books/resources to study Rome but don't own the MFW package for that yet. I do have an old version of the Sonlight Core D+E combined US history. So I could limit my kids studies to what I have on hand until I could go to the States to buy the rest. It would be cheaper. But then I'm looking at things that are much less complicated for history, like buying All American History by Bright Ideas Press, or A Living History of the World: America's Story, or Story of the World volumes 3&4, or Genevieve Foster's books, maybe using a Beautiful Feet guide. Aaahhh! There are too many options and I don't know how to break it down.

For the list of questions with guided discussions, I was thinking about Greenleaf press. They're excellent guides and you can go as in-depth or as light as you wish. Then I would just glean from the lists of read-aloud books/literature that you like--mine are MFW, Mystery of History, Biblioplan, Sonlight, etc. Right now I'm trying to decide what to do without having to buy too much other stuff. I've got this and that, how can flesh it out into something that will give the kids a good picture of what truly happened and God's purpose in it, etc.

This year my children are dd5th and ds2nd and we are studying Ancients with MFW Creation to Greeks. This is our first time going through the Classical History rotation. Last year we did MFW ECC. I had it all planned out. My dd5th would follow the history rotation with MFW (with little brother tagging along), doing Rome to the Reformation next year (6th), followed by two years of American History (7th & 8th). But, my husband and I are missionaries overseas and furlough is falling at such an odd time. We are planning on going December 2013, in the middle of dd’s 6th grade, in which they would be doing Rome to the Reformation. There are so many factors contributing to my dilemma but I need help deciding how to proceed. I’m really torn about what to do. I love the history rotation and have been so excited about it, but I also really want to take advantage of the opportunity we are going to have to spend 6 months in the U.S. I want to do field trips to all sorts of historic sites (we’ll be traveling most of the U.S. from Kansas to the East). I just think it’s an important opportunity for my children to experience living in the States and being American for awhile. I just can’t decide what to do about our history rotation though. Here are my options as far as I can tell: 1.Continue with Rome to Reformation as normal, doing the schooling in the car/hotels/on visits as we travel. I probably wouldn’t be able to handle an all inclusive program like MFW or Sonlight, though, so I would probably go with a text. 2. Start Rome for the semester before we leave. Take a break for the 6 months we’re gone, and then pick it back up when we come back. The draw back to this is that we’ll have to do some considerable review. It also puts us 6 months behind on our rotation. We could probably make it up over the next couple years before high school though. 3. Make 6th grade all about U.S. history, doing fun projects to prepare for the trip and then diving into it while we’re there. Then come back and do Rome to the Reformation for 7th and a 1 year U.S. History for 8th. It would be disjointed, and they wouldn’t get the in-depth study of U.S. History that I wanted. 4. Or, I could skip Rome to the Reformation right now and do the two year study of U.S. History for 6th and 7th, then go back to Rome to the Reformation for 8th. Disjointed, once again. But would accommodate being in the States for 6th grade and allow for an in-depth study of U.S. History with our trip as the focus. For high school I’m planning to use either MFW’s high school program, which follows the history rotation, or Sonlight, which starts with American History. I’m just in a conundrum over this… So, what would you do? And Why?

:bigear: I'm really struggling with this decision right now....

So, Mom2OandE, how would you approach hearing, reading, telling and writing without a curriculum? I'm very curious because I've been considering putting this off a little with my 2nd grader and concentrate on phonics review and reading skills.

Julie, I think MFW is wonderful and have really enjoyed this year and look forward to more. I understand your dilemma with purchasing curriculum that has lots of components and then adding book basket. LIke I mentioned earlier, maybe others can chime in on this, but I think Book Basket is more important for ECC than for the other years. I wish there was an easy answer for this, but being missionaries in a foreign country adds another challenge level to living and we have to learn how to maneuver through the obstacles we face. Lots of prayer and research and you'll find what works for you. I'm struggling with what to do for next year because we're going on furlough mid-year. My big question is, do I have someone bring down all these books for MFW RtR just to have to take all back to the States to finish the school year? I'm struggling with the decisions. But from what I hear it's many people's favorite year in MFW. I don't really want to miss it. I'm not quite sure what to do. But I've got a little time to make decisions and I can't forget that the Lord cares about my kids' schooling too, so I must turn to Him in prayer as I face this decision. Sorry for the vent :), I guess I needed to put that in writing and get it off my chest...But at least you know you're not alone. Hang in there!

Mine is about 5 hours per day. My husbands wants us done by 3-3:30 pm so the kids can have some daylight play time outside. And it gives me some time to do somehting in the afternoon as well.

My DD5th is in Epsilon this year. I set the timer for 45 minutes and she has to work on it for that amount of time. Usually she gets one lesson done and does a little bit of LOF. The amount of work they get done just depends on the lesson, I believe. At the beginning of the year, they get more done quickly because the content of the lesson is easier. As the level of difficulty rises, the longer it takes. So towards the beginning of the year, she'll get about 1-1/2 to 2 lessons done per week. But at the end of the year it might take 2 weeks to get through a lesson. So when I put a timer on she gets the school book done in a year.

Just today my 5th grade dd and I talked things over and we decided that she's better off finishing R&S English this year instead of trying to fit it in with ILL. She enjoys it more and is using a writing program, Writing Strands. I'm sad to drop ILL but need to cut some things so we have time to do everything else. I'm doing MFW but instead of doing everything every day, I'm trying to preread history and science and consolidating it to 2-3 days per week. The two weeks I've done it have gone a lot better than before. I might add another science component later on once we get things down. I'm just feeling that science is a little light this year for my 5th grader. I've switched from AAS 4 to Megawords 1 for my 5th grader--she's enjoying it more and I was tired of teaching AAS. And my son's Handwriting got changed from teaching cursive to practicing his printing--he's just not ready yet. I had a whole involved list of books to read for the year, and I've had to simplify it--only 2 read-alouds at a time instead of 4. I just couldn't fit it in and therefore it wasn't getting done. I also outsourced one of the series (Narnia) to audiobooks so we all can listen and I'm free to take care of the baby or cook or something other than sitting reading-aloud. I've gotten rid of some workbooks that my son enjoyed doing last year, but he's not into them any more. They weren't necessary anyway. It's a relief and we're finishing by 3 every day instead of 5. Whew!

We have so much in common: live overseas, thinking about curriculum way ahead in order to get it in time for the school year, limited availability for book basket. And the same first name. We're a couple years ahead in the cycle than you. We're doing MFW Creation to Greeks this year and did ECC last year. So this is what I did. I did not use Properties of Ecosystems very much. I could have spent more time pre-reading the information and then at science time summarized it for my children and shown them the pictures. I thought the book itself was really good, just too advanced for my kids. My 4th grader probably could have done more of it, but I had to accomodate my youngest (1st grader at the time). The 1st grader used the Complete Book of Animals along with living world and I supplemented several books like Wild Places, Oceans by Kingfisher, Deserts by someone else, that supplemented each biome. That was their "science" for MFW. I added a Discover and Do DVD & Book set about water, magnetism and the like, that they really enjoyed watching and doing an experiment every week. I agree it was too light for the year for my 4th grader, and I regret that. So for your younger, you will want to use the Complete book of Animals which I believe was scheduled in at the beginning of each week. I also used Usborned Complete Book of Animals and one of their animal seek and find books for him. He loved those. I spent quite a bit of time trying to pick at least one "book basket" book about the country and one about the biome, since I have no access to libraries. That took up quite some space in our luggage coming down, along with all the books I bought used from MFW. I even got the Teacher's Manuel through the sale boards here. My kids loved the Geography game, and even my 1st grader got pretty good at locating the most important countries. I didn't require him to memorize every single country, but he had a pretty good knowledge of over 50 countries. This year we are not going back to the States and I need to buy my books for next school year. I've been really struggling with the decision of how to justify the purchase of all those books, plus shipping, unless we can find someone to bring a suitcase down for us. But I probably won't be putting a lot into book basket. This is just my opinion: I think book basket and activities are what make ECC a full course. I don't believe the book basket is as essential for the other programs (they are full without it), though we have enjoyed a couple extra books. Another option regarding Book basket books, is to go the route of e-books and either use a Kindle, IPad or e-reader on my computer to read from. OR, look up websites and documentaries to download for that topic each week, instead of physical books. The books, therefore, that I didn't use were: World Geography, Properties of Ecosystems, Global Art (we didn't end up using this, but you might like to do art). We didn't use Hero Tales as much, I didn't enjoy it because it seemed to leave out so much of the story and felt disjointed, you could accomplish the same thing with those books that you thought about subsituting. We enjoyed the read-alouds, my 4th grader more than my 1st, so you might go with those books you listed. Kingdom Tales was pretty strong, but both of my kids loved it and asked for me to read it all the time. It has some really strong emotional topics, so you'll want to preread it for your child. But the allegory of Christ and our need for him is really amazing. Well, I have a baby needing me. I better go. I hope this helps, to see how someone who shares somewhat of your same situation dealt with ECC and the book basket situation. HTH

Jennifer Lynn, would you say the goal in the early years, is to develop a fluency in scientific thinking, vocabulary and such? I can't decide if that is better accomplished through exposing them to as many topics as possible or if that is better addressed through a systematic approach, going through the WTM cycles. I'm still processing all of this...It's a little overwhelming...

I'm just starting to notice this...usually she's fine, but then all of sudden she remembers nothing!

Ruth, thank you for the time you took to answer my question. I will need some time now to really think through not just goals but methodology. I'm afraid I've been severely lacking in that as I've been just trying to survive for so long. Now I want to be proactive and give my children the quality education that they need and deserve, no matter where we live. That's why I'm homeschooling, after all. I see with how you have done it, that it's not so overwhelming. Thanks for showing me that it IS doable. Do you think, with the fact that we live overseas, (therefore no library) that it would be best for me to find a program that gives me the complete deal in a box? Or should I try to get a main spine with complementary books? I can just feel myself panicking. But first, I need to think methodology, right? Hunter, thank you for all those links. Wow! I will look into them. I had no idea all that was available! Does this mean I can justify buying a Kindle for Christmas? :) Maybe I won't have to worry so much about how to get our books here. Mandy, thank you for sharing the titles that have been a hit in your home. I'll look into them. And it helps to see how you broke it up to give your kids some variety. Thanks all for the time and effort you took to write to me! I feel so blessed. I didn't even know where to look and this gives me a starting point of what to think about and where to look. Thanks!

Thanks ladies for your replies. Thank to Ruth in NZ and to every one who has weighed in. It's been a couple years since I've read the WTM and didn't realize that those science categories were included in the rotation. Thanks for clarifying that. I would love, love, love to use the library to do the plans that you laid out, Ruth. Awesome! But, alas, we live in a foreign country and the only library around has about 100 books in Portuguese. Our internet is also quite slow, and isn't reliably available every day, so I can't depend on it for a consistent study of science. I do, however, have a couple science encyclopedias for children (Usborne and one other, I don't remember). Would that be sufficient for one year (or two) of study, if I tried to flesh it out with internet resources? Or is there a program I can buy (and have brought down) that would give me the security of covering all the bases? I'm just really shaky in this area, and my kids love it so much. I wouldn't be so uncomfortable if I had the resources available like I would in the States, but having to have everything on hand and plan it ahead of time to have it sent to me, well, I'm struggling with it. By the way, I'm planning for a 3rd and a 6th grader. By the way, You guys are awesome!

I've been pondering elementary science, wondering what my goals are for my children in the science area. I understand the WTM/Classical perspective of children getting a foundation of understanding in Biology, chemistry and physics, with increasing difficulty. With hands-on and exploring the scientific method, the child has a good basis for future exploration. Then there are those that have more of an exploratory attack on science--giving children good science books, experiments in many different areas, nature study, etc. More informal, but giving children the opportunity to lead study through interest and dig deep into those things that catch their attention. I'm realizing I'm more of a middle ground kind of person. I don't feel comfortable with the less structured, interest-led science in elementary years. In what grade do you become more structured, if you follow less structured science. On the other hand, in the WTM rotation, where does life science, earth science, astronomy, and all those other interesting things fit in? So, can we discuss elementary science? What are your goals for your children--preparation for high school, understanding scientific method, exposure to as many topics as possible, and/or following their interests? And what do you use that helps you accomplish your goals? And, if you are less formal, when do you change to more formal studies?

I also tried MUS with my son in 1st grade and he didn't get it. (It has been wonderful with my older daughter--she thrives on mastery--but hasn't worked for him). I tried MM and he got overwhelmed with so much on each page and the same topic for so long. So I took a break from a formal program and taught him counting money and time with a workbook from Sam's while I researched what would be best for him. I ended up landing on CLE and have been so happy with it since. Math isn't a struggle with him. It's deceptive-- it seems so slow but he's learned so much more than he did with the other two. He does well with the flashcards, loves the speed drills, does well with all of the teaching. The TM is absolutely necessary, and I appreciate it so much. My son is happy, we speed up when I see he's doing well, and slow down when he's struggling. I feel like CLE has been a blessing in our home and am looking into the other subjects now too.

I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm enjoying MFW CtG a lot, so it's not that. I'm not sure, and I've heard such wonderful things about MFW RtR but I want to simplify things and make the kids school work as independent as possible. Maybe that won't be for History but in other subjects. I don't have to decide it right now, I keep reminding myself of that. But thank you for posting this because I feel like I needed to hear this in order to give myself permission to "break free."

2 dogs and 2 roosters and a chicken that is setting on 10 eggs. We'll see :)

This is what we're doing this year and it's working really well. I'm working on independence. I have a whiteboard with three columns. One for each child and then our together subjects. We're in a "routine", of sorts, where I teach our together subjects whenever the baby is asleep. And then when I'm caring for the baby they can work on their independent subjects. It's still a work in progress with getting everything done every day because we're getting used to doing school while having a little one around, but it's been a big help around here for the kids to see what's expected and what they've accomplished.

Don't forget to look into CLE (Christian Light Education) Language arts. There's a thread going on right now about it. It's complete and thorough. I'm not using it right now but am really considering it for next year for both of my kids.

I give a sticker for a reading book, and a sheet or book of stickers for curriculum. It is something they love for now.

For Kindergarten, I used Sonlight and even though I liked the reading and science, I didn't like their LA and I got turned off from it. I also felt the pressure to check off every box and felt behind most of the year. Then I went the opposite and did all eclectic, pulling from many different sources. I'm learning that I do need the "do the next thing" aspect of the boxed curriculum, but need to be able to tailor it to my children's levels and needs. Soooo, this year I'm doing MFW Creation to Greeks with a big mix of LA, math and stuff to compliment it. It's a journey of discovery for the children as well as the teacher.

Today was our first day, too. It was a good day. We're starting off slow, concentrating on getting our morning routine down and introducing the new books and subjects. I just realized that we needed to have some time to get back into the swing of things and not expect too much at the beginning. This is the first year I've had a First Day of School activity plan and it was a hit! I'm so glad and my school-disliking kid was having a good time today. We also had a great time praying together about our new year. And thanks to you, hive mates, because I got a lot of the ideas on this board.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. Thank you for sharing. It has encouraged me to spend some time writing down my goals for the year. Thanks.

I've been wondering the same thing. Does any one know how far apart the spacing is in the Sonlight timeline book?