I have 2 boys that are bug, amphibian and reptile LOVERS! Your kids' lapbooks are so cute, what a nice learning tool to use lapbooks. I need to check them out do one soon! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Oh Elizabeth, I checked out Real Science 4 kids and it looks great. Do you think Pre-Level 1 would be good for my advanced 3rd grader? Will it last the school year if we do 1 chapter or so a week? Thanks a bunch.

I'm sorry, I was in a hurry to post...I will definitely be involved! I want a science curriculum that will challenge him and be interesting enough that he will look forward to his science lessons every week. Because he is an excellent reader, I'd like for him to be able to do most of any required reading by himself, and then we have discussion time/ experiment time together. As for total independence in learning, I agree w/ you, we as parents have to be involved, that is why we have not chosen to go w/ a soley computer based curriculum like BJU Press and Switched on Schoolhouse offers.

My 3rd grade son is already taking a science class through a local homeschool tutoring service, but it is NOT meaty enough for him. They are using the ABEKA 3rd grade science book but it is not advanced enough for our son and is quite remedial in my opinion. I'm looking for something he can do independently, as he is VERY motivated and an advanced reader. He devours books. Something like chemistry would interest him a lot. I've looked at 2 science books, BJU press 3rd grade science, and Calvert 3rd grade science but am wondering if I should do something like Apologia or something more living books oriented instead of textbook. Again, I would like him to be challenged but also work independently (maybe 2 days a week). Also, he will be taking the Stanford Achievement Test at the end of this school year so I'd like him to be able to test well, obviously. Thanks for any advice!!!!

Hi, my 1st grader began Math U See this last week and seems to like it but I ran into someone that said their kids did Math U See for a while but they switched to Saxon because their test scores (SAT?) weren't very good, not up to grade level. Is this a common problem? Lower test scores because the scope and sequence is different? We're not sure if we'll be homeschooling after this year, so I'm worried if he is going back to school he will be behind from doing Math U See this year. Any advice?? It's still early enough to change programs, cost is not an issue. Thinking of Abeka or Saxon math.

Can anyone point me to a good resource for my 3rd grader regarding daily journaling?? I have tried to explain the process to him, that he can write about anything he wants like what he did the day before, something fun he did over the summer, etc. SHould I just give him a sheet of possible topics?? What should i expect from him in 3rd grade? thanks!

I have watched the intro and am now in the process of reading through the beginning of the manual before continuing w/ the video, per her instructions. Mine also came with a CD-Rom disk that has all kinds of forms I"ll need that are in the book too. Thanks, I was worried I bought something too complicated and time consuming. It seemed the best choice, since Phonetic Zoo was a lot of $$$, and Spelling Workout seemed to tedious for a natural speller. My only other thought was sequential spelling, but I needed to make a choice! Thanks again ladies.

I talked to some "seasoned" hs'ing moms who said they don't like Spelling Power because it is too teacher intensive and time consuming. I'm really bummed because I bought it at our local hs'ing conference this summer and already opened the shrink wrap just this week!! Dang, it cost $60! I bought it to use with my 3rd grader this fall...he has always been somewhat of a "natural" speller, he doesn't struggle with spelling at all, and never needed phonics to learn to read...he taught himself when he was 4 yo. What do you think??? Should I have chosen something like Sequential Spelling? or Phonetic Zoo??

it is VERY different from the movie, and is very well written (very descriptive). My boys LOVED this book and begged us to read it everyday. We purchased it through Sonlight. There are some neat pictures throughout the book. A second favorite was In Grandma's Attic, have you heard of it? Also on Sonlights' RA list, it is a compilation of stories told by the granddaughter of a woman who lived in the late 1800s, early 1900s. They begged me to get the next 2 books with more stories.

Dh and I have 3 sons, 8, 6 and 4yo. Needless to say, mealtime is crazy at our house. No matter what we remind them to do (don't talk w/ your mouth full, don't throw your napkin at your brother, don't interrupt others, no potty talk about bodily functions, ask to be excused when you're finished, etc), we are not seeing any improvement in their manners. What mealtime rules are enforced at your house and HOW do you enforce them??!! Any ideas welcome. We've thought about being militant and telling them if they do not behave and show some respect for others at the table, they will lose their meal and NOT eat until the next...haven't done it though. Thanks, we just had a NUTTY lunch and I've had it!!

for your ds and that you will have peace in this situation...so sorry you are going through this, when it is your child is is so scary. ((((((HUGS))))))))

I posted on Saturday night that our dog had gotten out of our yard and a car picked him up (maybe thinking he was dumped and a stray). We were so upset that Buddy was gone, and so we did everything we could think of...we made a flyer w/ his picture on it and drove it all over town to all the vets and animal shelters. My husband ran an ad in our local paper. A man called this morning and said he and his wife thought he had been dumped (long story, they saw another car stop and supposedly dump him out, but they were actually trying to coax him into their car to avoid him getting hit). ANYWAY, we met in a public place and sure enough, it was our dog!!!! Thank you to all who prayed that we would locate him. I know God has much more important work on this earth, so looking at it with perspective, I am thankful! Just wanted to update everyone!

but I found TWSS at a used curriculum sale this weekend for $40! It came w/ 6 VHS tapes (yes, VHS, but they are the current version so who cares) and the teacher syllabus. I've been told is was a great deal. SO.....if you know someone who has TWSS maybe you could borrow it from time to time until you find it at a super good price, used. These deals do come up, you just have to be patient...no problem, huh? :) Good luck!

he also is allergic to some laundry detergents and we have hard water too, but we also have a water softener. For us, the allergy calms down a lot if we use detergent that is sulfate free. Sulfates can be a common allergen and it is found in many "free and clear" brands. I had to go to a natural foods store to find it. It is sulfate free and fragrance free. Ditch the fabric softener altogether. You probably don't need it ( I NEVER dreamed I'd stop using it myself!) anyway. Our clothes and towels are just fine w/o the added softener. Dryer sheets tend to be more irritating than liquid, FYI. Hope this helps!

I normally post on the curriculum board, but wanted to share a heartache tonight so please be praying for our family. I know it is not as serious as some posts I have read here before. We have lost our dear dog Buddy, for the first time since we've owned him for 9 years. Around dinner time, he somehow got out of our fenced yard and ran by the busy road by our house and someone apparently opened their car door and he jumped in and away he went with a stranger. Another motorist saw it and stopped and asked if we were missing a white dog and then told us someone in a silver car coaxed him in and kept going (we live near a busy country highway). MIND YOU, they were saving his life and I'm sure did it out of care for him (I would to!), since it is a busy road, but WHY wouldn't they immediately stop by nearby homes and try and find the owner????!!! It was right by our house!! Like an idiot, I didn't have his collar on w/ his ID tag since I bathed him a couple of days ago...we live in the country, so I don't worry about it much. Please pray that we will find Buddy, our boys will be crushed if he is gone forever. I have had this dog since before my kids were born and love him like a member of the family, I just can't believe he is gone, it happened so fast. Do you think someone stole him with the intention of keeping him, or just are holding him until they can report him to the local animal shelter Monday?? To make my worrying worse, he is on a special prescription diet and needs daily arthritis medication and this person who took him WILL NOT KNOW my dog has special needs. I was so upset tonight I couldn't eat dinner and can't stop crying, you'd think my kids were missing. :( Thanks for listening, I'm just so upset about this.

Thanks for the info! I'm glad I bought the right set. I am planning on getting the Tips and Tricks for $10, I've heard it's great.

I just purchased a used set of IEW Teaching Writing: Structure and Style for $40. It came with 6 VHS tapes and the Syllabus/Seminar workbook. It has a copyright date of 2000/2001. Is this an "ok" version or did I buy a dinosaur? I just couldn't pass up $40, even if it's not the latest version!

I like Sonlight's readers, read alouds and some of the history...is it possible to get a schedule w/o the entire IG? Does this make sense?

I'm totally dating myself here, but what do most people use now instead of old, full volume, dust collecting encylopedia sets? I was just thinking if my sons wanted to research a particular topic an encylopedia set would be very useful, esp. since they love books. BUT, they are only 8yo and 6yo and I don't know if they would be computer literate enough to have one on cd. I just never hear of families purchasing these expensive book sets anymore. Are there sets that are completely on cd that a young child could use? Am I missing something?? Cost?

on Sunday afternoons/evening, whenever I can get about an hour to think! I have a "master" plan for the year, but because you can't possibly adhere to a strict schedule or know exactly what your kids will finish or not, I don't see how anyone can do lesson plans more than 2 weeks ahead. I do them weekly and love it. The only exception would maybe be history and the boys' readers, I look ahead about 3 weeks to see what books I want to get from the library.

We're doing 4 days weeks too, but because science didn't get done much this year (my 1st year hs'ing) we'll do science during the summer. Our boys love it anyway, so it's not really "school." We're covering SOTW history, reading, SOME math review (they finished their books early), and LA. I NEED my Fridays to catch up on work around the house, plus the boys have their chores too! We're on week 34 so only 2 weeks to go!

I was told that MUS has spiral review built in...but, if you are in one of the lower levels, there's not much spiral review available yet...does that make sense? MUS is supposed to be a complete program, so over time, they will have that review.

I didn't like the LA...very boring for K, and too many creative writing assignments for my 2nd grader who isn't a "natural" writer. He needed more instruction on writing mechanics, which there were none in this curriculum, at least LA 2. Also, it is ALOT of reading. My 2nd grader devours anything I give him, but as a parent, I don't have 1-2 hrs a day for reading time, I just don't. We tried breaking up the reading throughout the day, otherwise we did over an hour of reading first thing in the morning, then they didn't want to any seatwork because they had been sitting so long. Also, NO activities...BORING. As for the individual readers, they are great. I love their book lists and use them to get my sons their library books. If I were to go w/ another all inclusive curriculum, I would go w/ MFW or Winter Promise. Some people LOVE Sonlight, so you need to "make it your own." I have a friend who just did Core 3 w/ her daughter this year and they LOVED it. Starting w/ Core 3 the history, readers and read alouds all integrate, I've heard people who have not liked Core C, 1 and 2 and then love it starting w/ Core 3.

Saw it at our state convention last weekend and it looked interesting! Just wondering if anyone is using it now or has used it and wants to give a review. :) Thanks

My son had a huge difficulty with all the creative writing assignments. We did LA 2. Each day has a copywork piece, a short grammar lesson/review and then an assignment that builds up to the last day, which is a writing assignment. My son has a hard time writing, period. So to sit him down and ask him to write has been like pulling teeth! The LA didn't even go into sentence structure, breaking the actual process down, and THAT'S what he needs. We are going to use something else for LA this fall, not sure yet. I do love Sonlights readers and the history and read alouds. Core 3 integrates the readers, history AND LA assignements so they are all linked. I've heard from friends this is a HUGE improvement from earlier cores/LA and their kids did much better. Just what I heard. Good luck! Julia