We use the Homeschool in the Woods figures along with the free “Book of the Centuries†timeline notebook pages from Simply Charlotte Mason.

Over the years I have used a variety of materials in a CM manner, I try to loosely blend CM, WTM, and a few other methods. Once you get the feel for a CM education, you can use almost anything, as mommyfaithe and others pointed out. Even Calvert, I suppose, although I haven’t tried that one. I have made up my own studies and we have used WTM recommended materials, AO, SL, Winter Promise, Oak Meadow, Beautiful Feet and more. You can get many ideas for literature and livings books from all of these different resources, as well as the many that were pointed out. Then you just need to read about the method. Just immerse yourself by reading about the CM way and you can use a variety of things as well. Have fun reading and browsing booklists.

Wow!:w00t: Enjoy him. :D

Congrats! That is wonderful. :thumbup: Way to go!

I think that WTM creates a blend of educational philosophies, and then leaves it up to the parent to choose which path to take (e.g. presenting choices). I see Essentialism, Perennialism, Existentialism, as well as Progressivism in the WTM, or Neo-classic education. If your son is not ready for the logic stage, you could delay it a little longer. Why change if the WTM method is working for you otherwise? Again, good luck with your quest for more knowledge. It really is enjoyable to learn about different types of educational philosophies, and then form your own according to your child’s needs. :)

Amen, and or religious affiliation/ preference. :D Obviously they have never heard of Charlotte Mason. :rolleyes:

I have used it since my oldest was in fourth grade, and then subsequently with my other children as well. We do phonics (including ETC), copywork, and dictation through third grade. And then start Megawords in fourth grade (or late third grade) for review and basic spelling. My children are natural spellers for the most part but I think it's good to have a solid spelling curriculum. This is great for largely independent work.

IDK, I am just starting the gluten free thing and I am not super consistent with it. Maybe it had something to do with the size of the chocolate bars and the fact that you don’t usually eat them? I hope you find an answer and heal completely.

A few thoughts: I like to think that I drive my children towards a Progressive type of education. One that is accepting of diversity, includes hands on opportunities, focuses on both problem solving and critical thinking, and also stresses social responsibility. I do not think that any of those things are polar opposites to a WTM education. Instead, I think it is important to focus on the individual child and their capabilities as well as potential. When you do that, you can tailor your educational philosophy to meet your true needs instead of trying to unnaturally fit into an educational box .... edited to add: (or I should say, “if†the process feels restrictive or unnatural to you or your child) edited a second time: :lol: (Oh, I sincerely apologize for any perceived snarkiness on my end. That truly wasn’t my intent. ;) I guess I just wanted to point out that seemingly “polar opposites†sometimes are meshed well together, if that makes sense. I also believe that in both public school and any given homeschool you will find blend of educational philosophies.) It’s funny that many unschooling/ relaxed type of parents like to use the Core Knowledge curriculum, which is Essentialist, as a base for their loosely woven studies. I hope you get a real answer to your question since I obviously haven’t really considered the differences between Neo-classical and Essentialist. I also hope you find a way to educate your children that truly works for all of you as a family. Happy homeschooling!

I found that out recently, too, for homeschooling in general. :D (not teaching high school yet, but I will keep this in my back pocket for when I need it) We are so doing Latin in HS. ;)

Love this. LOL. :lol:

I have never used the series, but it looks as if you could get by using something like I am this year. My ds is thriving with the Kumon books (and they are so nice and colorful as well). We are also using the Get Ready for the Code books and Singapore K math, between those three I think you will find many of the activities that are in DEL. Other than that, just read a large variety of books and have discussions while you are doing so. Well, I also have Winter Promise preschool for even more activities, but I am sure there is a more cost effective supplement out there that will have project ideas, rhyming games, and the like. I hardly touch that curriculum and I am sorry I splurged on it (not to say it’s not good, but rather that I do not have the time). The only reason I bought it was because I wanted something to “keep me on track†with preschool because I need to work so much. My little plan didn’t work. I actually enjoy doing "freestyle" preschool much more. Enjoy whatever you decide!

.. But yeah, MOH is generally the same for all volumes; everything relates to God’s plan and there are plenty of Bible scriptures and so forth. I can’t really think of anything great to suggest that doesn’t use SOTW. Beautiful Feet guides are very basic, they are pretty much read, discuss, write, some vocabulary, and cut/paste for the timeline. If you like the samples, you might find BF is much easier to secularize than WP.

Sparkpeople- Is that for accountability? That is a huge help. Beachbody also has something along those lines, I am a member. I may join the weight loss challenge group here eventually, just for positive support and or reminders to continue on the path to health. Join us; I am sure it will be fun. :)

I agree with exercising regularly, it really helps to naturally speed up your metabolism, as well as feed you those positive endorphins. Switching to good fats only- really helps as well. I haven’t needed to lose too much weight in years, outside of childbirth (when I really packed on the pounds) and a stressful event a few years ago (when I just put on a few pounds- maybe 10- and I naturally go up and down about five pounds anyway). But I am happier since losing the small amount of weight that I did put on a while ago. I lost five pounds doing Turbo Fire by Beachbody some months ago and I got a great waist as well, all while eating a ton, since it was really revving up my metabolism. I still workout with various methods, yoga and Pilates, as well as Beachbody workouts and other things. When I get busy in the winter with work and homeschool, I may not get to workout as often, but I do try for a few times a week. Something is always better than nothing. Many years ago, when I really did need to lose weight, I started by reducing carbs but that got very old quick. I moved to drinking a lot of water and eating healthier overall as well as exercising regularly to drop weight from childbirth. I also decided to eat smaller portions. All of those things worked. Then, because of health reasons, I stopped eating as much sugar. Suddenly I could eat a lot more. Later on, again mainly because of health reasons, I started eating more like a vegetarian. Lo and behold, I could eat larger portions after that lifestyle change as well. Recently, I am also eliminating most of the wheat that I consume. (It’s amazing how much more actual food our bodies can handle when we stop overloading it with things that it cannot process well.) I am not a picture of health, there are times now when I do indulge in a dark chocolate candy bar (about half at a time), a few cookies, cake, pie, tater tots (lol), chips, or whatever. But because I am eating healthy most of the time my body can handle the occasional treat without exploding. LOL. I also snack often (albeit small sizes) and I believe that helps me to both keep my blood sugar levels even and my metabolism running smoothly. Green tea with honey is great for a diversion when you are craving a sweet snack, as is a piece of fruit. After you cut down on sweets and junk for a while, your body really appreciates the naturally good stuff. Fall in love with healthy food, it's yummy!! So those are my quick tips for both weight loss and maintenance. :) You can do it. You have great tips here from everyone, now for those baby steps. We are all rooting for you. :party:

I have the Shark Navigator Lift Away Pro. And though I haven’t had it for long, I love it! You can get one for as low as $188. There is a five year warranty, swivel steering, great suction, and it is a hepa bagless but stays very contained. There is also no need to replace belts; I adore that feature.

Oh, I’ll second that as well. It has been a fav since I was about eleven years old...

Me three. :tongue_smilie: :D

Yes, please refrain from posting those sort of pictures. LOL. ;) Seriously, way to go and a huge congrats. You must feel wonderful. In the last three years, I have lost anywhere from a Chihuahua to the amount of chemical additives an American consumes each year... (btw, ten pounds of chemicals in a year, really?) (I do not need to lose any more weight, only stay in shape, whew!) Keep up the good work; you can do it!!!:)

.

My fifth grader’s LA line up: Winter Promise LA (for independent work), MCT grammar, Megawords, and varied writing assignments to compliment her studies (a pinch of IEW, a bit of Wordsmith, book reports, stories, etc.). We have really narrowed it down.

My husband and I used to be very careful about this sort of thing, but we have recently lightened up in the past few years. Sorry to offend you. I did share the Ryan Gosling blog with him and we had a huge laugh (that is our life!). Being that I also mentioned him in my thread, I doubt that he will get offended. I would never imagine that any of us WTM ladies were being indiscriminate and or indecent in our thoughts, but rather that we were sharing a little joke. We are all entitled to our opinions. Oops, I didn’t like that way that sounded. It was probably the wine talking, lol. In a nutshell, no I wouldn’t mind. Carry on.:tongue_smilie:

Oh yes, we can't forget about him. Big swoon!

(Spewing wine on the laptop screen) You have a point there, gee, is he that old already?? I am getting slightly older, but I am not ancient. Okay what about Patrick Dempsey, Matthew Fox, Hugh Jackman, or Matthew McConaughey (yum)? Or Ryan will do just fine, I suppose. Hmm, then again, if my hubby gets back in shape for the summer maybe I’ll make a private one of my own.:D

Works for me! :drool5::lol: