Hi! I'm visiting from the K-8 board ... I know there's lots of time before we hit high school, but I'm working out what I want my trajectory to be like, and am having a hard time deciding where I'd like us to be in high school. The two main ends that make sense to me are to follow TWTM recommendations, or to base us out of TOG (and also follow TWTM recs ;)). We are secular but morality/ethics/character is central to my homeschooling efforts, and I am working toward a very firm grounding in Biblical studies. I'm not concerned about keeping us rigorous/accomplished in math & science b/c those are strengths in our household; also, Button is accelerated in math (and in language), which I mention in case that would change your suggestions. I'm just thinking that the structure of TOG might serve us well and result in a deeper, better-rounded education. But it may be that following TWTM recs, which I hope I am disciplined enough to do :001_smile:, would be even deeper and more rounded. Any thoughts y'all have would be very much appreciated!

I haven't seen those, but we just watched Sacagawea from the Schlessinger video's Great Americans for children series. I thought it was well done, and although it ended on a more cheerful tone than most modern Native American histories it seems appropriate for the little ones. The link is to their site, where the video is on sale through October, but we borrowed ours via interlibrary loan.

thanks for the ideas ... I've used some Kumon, and wanted something more artsy; but I'll try the site and look for craft options. fairymom: would you just get the Oak Meadow Arts and Crafts book? We have reading, math, writing, etc going already and I don't want to switch those out since they're working well ... thanks!

bump. :bigear:

Don't know, but the owner has had health problems (I gather) and is generally not current on mailing materials, etc. Can you find her e-mail and drop her a line? -- it took me 2-3 mos to get a reply, but eventually I did. The address I used was mail@nallenart.on.ca and her name is Norma. good luck!

This is for Button, who as you can see from the sig is 6 and in first grade. But he's decidedly, well, tardy in the arts-and-crafts area. It turns out that early K-level projects are just his speed (I've discovered from trying online projects). Any open-and-go suggestions, or curriculums/programs/etc. you like that make it easy for the mama? I want him to have fun, move along to grade-level in this area so we can do stuff from his curricula next year, and maybe learn a skill or two a la Charlotte Mason. Any ideas that address even one of these goals would be appreciated!

Do you want something young or old earth?

I'd heard that Kolbe was workbooky, which is one reason I'm leaning toward Veritas Press as my base (the other is their catalog, which has pointed me in some good directions already :001_smile:) Last night, looking at the Kolbe site, I thought that it might be a reasonable plan to do VP through 6th and then move to Kolbe; but I'll take another look at Kolbe's elementary plans ...

thank you both for the feedback ... it is true that some of the things that are best about our homeschool right now, and have helped Button really thrive, are from AO (like lots of outside time; his readers; a reminder for short lessons, which really helps when we hit a challenging math topic; and music). I did want an art study that was spread more across all of history, and music too as much as possible; and a more focused science, and something to help me develop his analytical writing skills (later, of course). We are doing well using phonics starting when he was 3, math then too, writing last year and grammar, writing and spelling programs this year which is all rather counter to the AO year 1 spirit: but Button not only enjoys them, they seem to be feeding his mind. Maybe what I will end up with is augmenting the AO/CM that works well for us with something that supports structure in these other areas, too. I'll look at the the TOG materials with that in mind. Button _isn't_ particularly crafty, but that may evolve ...

I'm thinking of using (largely) one of these for Button's 2-7 years (or planning to, at least ;)) and I realized I'd been looking for the best general program and not the best fit for him. He's advanced in math but his true love seems to be language and words. He's not so much a super-reading guy right now, but he loves stories, information, and uses beautiful words and really evocative phrases. suggestions? -- the idea is to give me some added accountability/structure, and him something that suits ...

Gears is what comes to mind here ...

:iagree: and :lol: Today on the playground, Button kept taking breaks from chasing to tell his playmate (a casual acquaintance) True Dog Stories we've been reading. Said playmate defected as soon as a more rambunctious opportunity presented itself. sigh.

Thank you, everyone! This has been such a help, and I hope for others who read the thread too ... Reading over the replies, I realize that 1) Button and I like structure; and 2) it probably makes sense to plan starting with what I CAN plan, and just sketch the other stuff in until it's more plan-able (perhaps college :)). I do want to record things more than I am, esp. for recycling for Bot-bot, and at the moment all my great ideas are smeared across my Google docs in no coherent order. So with your good feedback my Action Plan is: to start recording what we have actually done each day, post-hoc, in my nifty paper homeschool planner; and next month I'll purchase and get to know HST+ which sounds like a good fit for us. Last night I did write down what our daily plan is (we do most things every day) so I'm sure to hit the important stuff in the meantime. I'm also taking the idea I ran across on the K-8 forum today to get the fundamentals going (these we do every day) and add the other subjects one.at.a.time :) confession: I'm actually not "starting" first grade (in my own head, which is where reality resides, yes?) 'till January 1, so that I feel organized for it. This is a total secret from Button, who would be devastated not to be in first grade on the PS schedule, and a source of constant amusement for DH, since Button's reading and math are above grade level. But I am always relieved to tell myself "it's okay, you don't start until after the holidays!" :D (maybe a blushing face would be better)

:iagree::iagree::iagree: As a former learning & memory research person, I have to say this is an excellent strategy for upping retention.

Kolbe: rigorous as TOG or more so? (but Catholic) folks on the high school forum seem to find it rigorous, but maybe more boy- than girl- friendly in high school with the history foci (not history per se, but lots of battles etc.)

This caught my eye; maybe somebody's mentioned this farther in the thread than I've read, but Reading Pathways/Phonics Pathways might be useful here. She has a theory that some children struggle with the physiological mechanics of reading, that is, just moving their eyes properly, and her method works on training this. Button doesn't like phonics at all, I must say, but it's no problem for us to do a couple of pages a day (usually one review, then one new one that serves as the next day's "review") from Phonics Pathways and some days we do pyramids from Reading Pathways instead. If he's just miserable with it you can Google the book titles and find the website, which sells several games; there's also this addition to the series which I haven't used myself. Finally: if you haven't tried these I strongly suggest a trial. I found a copy through our library's interlibrary program. My mother-in-law, who tutors reading for ESL children about 8-9 yo, was so resistant to trying it when she was having trouble that I talked my DH into a complex reverse-psychology plot to get her to try the books; now she's sold, and has other tutors buying them too. a bonus: the vocabulary is fabulous. You'd be surprised at the innovative words in the three-letter section ....

... this corresponds to an earlier thread that placed VP as "more rigorous" than WTM/LCC, and those as "more rigorous" than TOG: folks seemed to agree that it depended on how the parent implements TOG. Since the original post has young ones in the signature, and mine are small too, I'm curious if those who find TOG extremely rigorous advise starting it with primary children, or following the common advice to wait until the eldest is in year 5? And do you find TOG more rigorous than a fairly faithful TWTM plan? (more :bigear:)

I tried it with Button when he was 5 and no, it was not worth the trouble. Ended up taking MORE time, but he loved it! I haven't tried it with a preschooler ...

:bigear: oooh, the rigor question. Am always interested. We're not Christian, so some of these won't work for us (everybody says there's no point doing VP Omnibus as non-Christian). still: :bigear: :bigear: :bigear:

neat-o .... [how] do you record what you do? thanks!

I sort of have planner envy. All those posts on the K-8 board 'round springtime with people who plan their year and make it "open and go" for themselves. Does anyone here do that? I'm trying to figure out if it is possible/desirable for accelerated and intense little ones. I can sort of imagine doing subjects as chains of events (like, MUS Gamma --> MUS Delta --> AoPS + Khan or something like that) but the details change over time; for ex. right now Button gets daily reviews of MUS Beta but I wouldn't have expected he'd need it. anyhow: anybody have luck with yearly planning? :bigear::bigear::bigear:

:001_smile: while there seem to be lots of folks here with littles who love pages of problems, Button hates pages of problems, and he hates using manipulatives to do math, too! But he's perfectly happy to _play_ with his math stuff, he just doesn't like using it to do his math work. Bill seems onto something when he says they like to do the math efficiently, and so using manipulatives seems less straightforward, but when they're small and the manipulatives are more efficient for them that may be a different story. (that was poorly phrased 'cause we have colds here and colds make me stupid. don't tell the kids I said "stupid" :001_smile:) also I've found that what they like to do, and what I think I would have liked if I'd had their opportunities, are often quite different (sigh.).

What do folks think of Sonlight Science? the littles seem to love it, going from board posts. Button liked it, but I wanted something more rigorous and I also am teaching evolution ... I sort have Sonlight-envy about it, though :)

Seconding the "Family Math" books suggestion, and the MUS when you want formal stuff; try Wrap-Ups maybe to keep him happy with learning his facts? (that URL is for the whole kit, but I'd just start with one or two to see if he likes it). Schlessinger Video has several math videos that are low-key and Button likes many of them, we get them from the library or from A+ online rental. There are lots of math board games out there if he likes that (Button can't stand competitive games, so we just did the puzzle versions). Also for sheer fun you could try They Might Be Giants' videos "Here Comes Science" and/or "Here Come the 123s" -- the 123s esp. is quite simple but fun, and the science one includes some fun magnitudes.

I'm going to second the Ambleside Online and Five in a Row suggestions. Ambleside Online has Year 0 and Year 0.5 Yahoo Groups, with marvelous reading lists. The focus on plenty of outside time if at all possible, and the high quality of the reading lists, were very helpful with Button who also needs structure. There is also a strong focus on handicrafts, so you could pull in Waldorf crafts you like or do something else entirely; I've found the Montessori Services website to be an excellent source for hand craft books & supplies (sewing, woodworking, etc.) FIAR was terrific, but I ended up dropping it b/c some of the books were above Button's level (at age 4) and I was trying to get them from the library, which didn't always work out for our lesson timing. If I do FIAR with Bot-bot I'll preview books from the library at the beginning of the "year" and, I think, purchase the ones I want to use. RightStart is a very popular math suggestion; we like MUS (Math U See), but have had to do all sorts of adaptations. If your son is interested in reading, you might enjoy a phonics program and good readers. People here have so many good suggestions! We've done well with Phonics Pathways, taking time off for a week or two here and there and making games sometimes; and the Free and Treadwell readers suggested by Ambleside Online have been far and away the best readers for my little one. For getting a more formal preschool going, here's what I found most helpful: regular times for meals and snacks; a morning "circle time" with music, songs, dancing around, maybe a math review or letter/word introduction, and checking his calendar for the day, month, etc; a set time for "formal" work with lots of breaks in between (we did this after circle time); and we tried to do an art or craft every day. Button is accelerated in math but was super wiggly, so we often ran races after each math problem and several times during phonics practice. Or did an "obstacle course" in the living room. :) much luck!