OK, I think I was misreading what Siloam was saying. Within each year, there is progression. UG Unit 1 starts at a lower level than UG Unit 4. I was reading it as Year 1 UG in general was an easier level than Year 4 UG and so on. Even if she was saying that.....listen to them. They know and I'm just a newbie too :001_smile: Ok, now :iagree:

Here's a good list of required and alternate books for each year, unit, and level: https://www.lampstandbookshelf.com/ZC/index.php?main_page=resources

Maybe this has changed in the redesigned because there are several chapter books/novels in Year 1 UG now. We won't be using TOG until next year, but I am already planning it out. I will have a ds using the UG material and I've purchased several of the books already. I've also looked at the current book selections for all four years, and it looks pretty even-handed across all four years in each level.

At Bookshelf Central, you can see all the books by year, unit, subject, and level. http://www.bookshelfcentral.com/

:bigear: We are coming from PS too and a so-so grammar background. I thought we'd start with with Bridge, but I'm interested to hear what the experienced people have to say :001_smile:

Count me in! My youngest and I are just getting started with PR 1, and we will all start TOG Year 1 in the fall :001_smile:

Mine are in public school right now (except for the 4 year old) and we are pulling them out next year to start homeschooling (partly because of your concerns about ps). Everyone has to do what is best for their family, and I do believe that ps can be a good option. It has mostly worked for our family until now. I will say this....I am looking forward to homeschooling next year partly because I think it will be a big relief for me. This year, between the 4 in school, I have NINETEEN teachers to deal with (even in elementary school, they had multiple teachers). Next year, I would have 24 teachers between my kids. Between all the drop-off/pick-up times, school volunteer meetings, teacher conferences and meet the teacher nights, school programs, parties and field trips, homework assignments, and extra-curricular activities, I feel like I'm running in circles. I honestly can't wait till next year when I can actually control the schedule more. :001_smile: I know that it won't be as much of an issue (at least the number of teachers involved) since your children are younger, but just be aware that there is still a lot that goes into having multiple children in school, esp as they get older but you have less control over it all.

Caffeine was the method we used for several years for my son before we went with medication. He still drinks a cup of coffee on mornings when he needs extra concentration. When he was little, he liked sucking on whole coffee beans as opposed to drinking coffee. I do think to get a true effect of the stimulant in caffeine, it needs to be in larger amounts than a few drops or some chocolate. A can of Coke was enough to see a difference when he was younger though. Of course, none of this is "scientific". We eventually went with medication because he needed more reliable/routine results than we could get with caffeine alone.

One of my kids' favorite treats is Nutella "s'mores". Take 2 graham crackers and spread Nutella on one and marshmallow cream on the other. Put them together and you've got a s'more. I prefer it on thick toast that you broil in the toaster oven. It's as close as I can come to some yummy chocolate toast that I got in Taiwan!

I found this today for an elementary science curriculum. I actually think I'm going to try it out next year with books from the library.

You need one for anything that you cook over the stovetop AND in the oven. Several of the recipes from the Julia Child cookbook use one (my original reason for getting one), but I mostly use it for slow cooking on the stovetop. I have a Lodge enamel cast iron dutch oven. I chose the enamel because it did not need to be "seasoned". I love it!

Just a word of warning though... Don't be surprised if you find yourself singing the song. It kind of sticks in your head! :001_smile: My 4 year old got several of the movies a few years ago, and The Letter Factory was by far his favorite. He's known his letters and their primary sounds for a couple of years now, but he STILL loves to watch it!

I am not starting to homeschooling until August, but a more relaxed, less structured science is what I plan on doing for my younger two. I picked up the book Literature-Based Science: Children's Books and Activities to Enrich the K-5 Curriculum from Amazon (I got it used for around $1 + shipping). It's a little bit older book, but our library carries most of the recommended reading. It's broken down into book suggestions for K/1, 2/3, and 4/5 with quite a few activity suggestions for each of the topics. Topics cover all areas of general science. I can't tell you if the kids and I will like doing science this way, but I think we will :)

In Texas, it's specified in the divorce decree specifically who gets to make educational decisions, and it is usually just the parent with primary physical custody not both.

I am certainly not any kind of expert on the question as I am just part-time homeschooling my 4 year old now and won't homeschool full time till next school year when all 5 of my kiddos will be home BUT... I went to the library and checked out lots of homeschooling books (including many of the ones mentioned here). After reading a few, I started getting SO overwhelmed, thinking "How in the world am I going to do this?". There was so much good information, but I really started feeling inadequate. I happened to also pick up a book by Diana Johnson called When Homeschooling Gets Tough, and it was the best thing I could read. While it is aimed at current homeschooling parents, her encouragement and her ability to put everything into perspective (even for someone who hasn't completely gotten her feet wet in homeschooling) made reading books like WTM and other big, thick books :001_smile: something I could do without becoming completely overwhelmed!

We are using Year 1 starting in August (our first time to homeschooling). I will have 1 R, 2 D, 1 UG, and 1 LG student. I'm SO ready to start!

Are you opposed to buying used? If not, Amazon has Atlas of World History (that TOG recommends) for as low as $14.69. I've found lots of good deals on expensive reference books on Amazon and other used book dealers online.

My oldest daughter loved the Animal Ark book series about a girl whose parents are veterinarians. I think there are around 50 in the series.

I am so happy to hear the excitement about TOG! I am new to the board and new to homeschooling too. I was planning on homeschooling my youngest (who will be K-age next year), and while looking for curriculum, absolutely fell in love with TOG. So much so, that we are bringing all 5 of our kids home (from ps) to homeschool next year! I actually found this message board when I was Googling reviews of TOG, and I have found SO much helpful information. We are starting with Year 1 (which I purchased about a month ago) and I will have 1 R student, 2 D students, 1 UG student, and 1 LG student. I am SO excited! I even checked out quite a bit of the reading material in all levels from the library just to look it over and the kids took off with all of the books to read for themselves! If that wasn't an endorsement that I made the right decision, I don't know what is :001_smile: Now to decide on the REST of my curriculum as well as a million other things! Good thing I've got 6-7 months to get it all in order :)