Thank you for putting these together for me Lori. D.!

I used to be on this board all the time when my kids were little! I homeschooled allllll the way through and we are almost done! I am now preparing to take a little group of middle schoolers through SOTW Ancients and I am looking for help like a newbie again. Where is the best place to go to find the latest supplements that go with SOTW? I am specifically looking for youtube or Kahn academy or literature supplement ideas. Things that will enrich the curriculum and ensure it is enough for middle grades. My SOTW activity guide is 12 years old. Is there a thread on here for sharing ideas or a different forum where people are doing this? thanks!

Thank you so much for finding this! I am so happy and relieved!

Does anyone else use this great resource? Did she move it to another location? I can't find the it and I always loved the lists of living books!

We loved and completed all the levels of First Language lessons, and participated in a year of the Classical Conversations Essentials program. We have a handle on grammar basics. I am looking for some kind of beautiful or interesting grammar curriculum for my middle schoolers. (could even be a high school level curriculum) Does this exist? Something that uses beautiful passages, or something that draws out nuances in grammar or talks about root words or just SOMETHING that would have us still working on grammar concepts, but not in a textbook way. Just to clarify, I understand that we do need the basic textbooks as a base, but I think we have had enough of that. Any recommendations?

We loved and completed all the levels of First Language lessons, and participated in a year of the Classical Conversations Essentials program. We have a handle on grammar basics. I am looking for some kind of beautiful or interesting grammar curriculum for my middle schoolers. Does this exist? Something that uses beautiful passages, or something that draws out nuances in grammar or talks about root words or just SOMETHING that would have us still working on grammar concepts, but not in a textbook way. Just to clarify, I understand that we do need the basic textbooks as a base, but I think we have had enough of that. Any recommendations?

I have A Child's Introductin to Poetry and I agree that it is WAY too busy. Not that you can't get anything out of it, but I think there is too much on the page and I don't care for the organization. That is not how my brain works!

Thank you so much for the ideas everyone. I know the MCT and IEW are probably excellent, but I am still looking for something a little more simple. I am keeping those in mind for the future.

I am looking for a basic poetry book that teaches the various literary devices like alliteration, personification etc. I am looking for something that teaches the device and then gives a poem or two that use the device. Why can't I find that? Any tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks you.

Susan Wise Bauer is so smart and talented that I am sure she could write FLL 5 over a long weekend. :001_smile:

I just logged on here today for the first time in FOREVER to ask the same question. I am heartbroken that FLL 4 is the last one. I looked at Rod and Staff, because that is what my version of WTM suggests, but I wonder if Susan Wise Bauer has newer advice for us. I loved that FLL was consumable and the way she teaches the concepts makes it so fun and easy to understand. We have about 15 lessons left in FLL 4 and I don't know what to do. BTW MCT is SO not my style and I can't imagine switching to that after 4 years of FLL. Also, from the excerpts I can see, both Hake and RS seem to cover the same things at the same level as FLL 4, so I am not even sure which level to choose if I did get one of those.

I would like to print black line maps of the continents and countries. Ideally they would also have a word bank and a key. Does this exist? TIA!

no doubt about it: Story of the World

not sure how good your library is, but you might be able to get WTM at the library.

I am the biggest SOTW fan you will ever meet! You should absolutely start at the beginning with SOTW I. Studying history chronologically makes so much sense! Get the activity guide and read as many of the suggested supplemental books as you can. For your older child, have them write their narrations on their own. For your younger child, they can dictate it to you.

thanks everyone. I just love FLL so much. I love the way she explains things, and lays out the pages and the concepts and I love the fact that it is consumable! I will miss it terribly. But content-wise, R&S will probably be ok.:crying:

What are people doing after FLL 4?

I would start working through MUS Gamma and go as quickly as you can. He will KNOW multiplication when he is done. What about the other math functions? addition? subtraction? he should have mastery of those. How is his reading?

I do. Like I said, I just started it, but so far I am so glad I decided to give it a try. I don't do the SG for MOH. I read each lesson aloud to my dds, in the order that I found on the schedule, some days it is MOH, some days SOTW, then I have them narrate. If it is a SOTW lesson, I also do the map. Then I choose a few of the sup lit selections that were my favorite last time I went through SOTW ancients and read those at a different time during the day. DD age 6 also does some coloring from the SOTW AG.

This is a great example of "making it work for you" because we do the exact opposite! We narrate and do the maps, but we don't do the memory cards or the hands on projects. We do the Veritas Press timeline flashcards, so the MOH ones would be a bit redundant. I use the narrations as handwriting and sentence structure practice so that works well for us.

yes! I feel like it is a LOT! but I decided I am willing to do it because we like history so much. One thing that is saving me at this point, is that SOTW year 1 does not have as much in the way of supplementary literature. I usually like to do a lot of suplementary lit that is in the AG, I am a former English teacher and dds and I love to read. But the sup lit for SOTW I is just not as much as for the rest. So I am hoping this works for now. I don't know if I will do this for SOTW 2. Also, remember I am ok with it taking two years...or at least 18 months.

I am only 6 lessons into it, but I have to tell "someone" how much I am loving combining SOTW with Mystery of History! I was on the fence and researched so many things before taking the plunge, but I am so glad I did. It may take us forever, but so far it is exactly what I wanted it to be. More Bible history integrated into ancient history. For those interested I am using this schedule. http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/sotwmoh.htm A few things: We are a history/literature family anyway, so lots of history is great for us. Also, I did SOTW ancients by itself with my daughter when she was in K. Not sure if I would like my new combined curriculums as well if i hadn't done SOTW by itself first. Also I, of course, like her majesty SWB's writing and narrative style better. I wish that she would write a SOTW with all the Biblical integration for us that want it, but of course, she is a little bit busy with other things. I will try to post back in a few months and say whether I still like it!

A non-homeschooling non-religious mom is asking me for ideas for a little summer unit to do with her kids on Character. To deal with lying and patience and some things like that. Anyone have a good curriculum, Christian or non-Christian for that? Or a series of books? Thanks so much, I want to help this lady, but we are Christians and mostly just talk about character along with our Bible study time.

Is there a good place to watch all the Bill Nye videos online? I have found a few here and there, but not a good place where they are all together and orgainized by topic. Thanks!

some other hs moms and I are starting a little girl scout alternative club for our 5-9 yo dds. does anyone have a creative name idea for us? the idea is to have a Christian character quality like courage, diligence, patience, a verse and an activity or craft that re-enforces it. Someone suggested "God's Girls" and while the sentiment is fine, it is just too "something" if you KWIM. any more creative ideas? it doesn't have to have God in it (although it can) just something that implies character development or being girls of exellence.