Ditto to silvermoon and merryathope. We use RS spelling but no vocab program. The reading is challenging enough in the TOG lists that we are confident the grammar is happening.

We use R&S English and Spelling both - we love the discipline and rigor it requires to each lesson fully.

We bought RS Latin and Spanish with the intention that it would be all they would ever need for FL. I found much what everyone else does - DS10 knows some Latin vocab but really has no idea about the language structure, formally. We have gone back to a parts-to-whole program, whereas RS is whole-to-parts. We will use RS after a few years of structured Latin as a supplement to practice listening and speaking.

No real suggestion, except to read Confederates in the Attic. This is a charming book by Tony Horowitz and his recounting of visiting the Civil War sites in your area is memorable to say the least.

We have been influenced here by some recent Circe podcasts on the nature of assessing children. Specifically: Christopher Perrin on the Medieval mentorship/mastery model and a discussion on standardized testing in today's American system. They certainly have us considering, "what now?" Besides reading the WTM (again) to be reminded (again) of SWB's recommendations for how to assess, I would like to hear from you all. How do you assess your children overall? How is it different from grammar to logic to rhetoric? How much do you use multiple choice vs. discussion to assess? Do you feel pressure to teach to a standardized test (either state required or college entrance)? :lurk5: https://www.circeinstitute.org/podcast/podcast-christopher-perrins-brief-history-assessment-methods-medieval-times-present

If you are both part of the church (universal, not necessarily the same congregation), then consider the scriptural guidelines for church discipline before involving the authorities.

We use the books - CD's take too much effort to print off. For us it's simply a time saver.

The unabridged Narnia series all read by British actors is quite fantastic.

At that age, I strongly suggest staying away from anything involving the scientific method or experiments involving theories. They are not in the right stage for this type of thinking yet. Stick to observational activities.

Boys Scouts and American Heritage Girls are not technically a curriculum, but might fit that bill. Also consider the "Drive Thru History" series.

I actually think they did have the right to secede, just like Texas or Alaska does today if they so choose. However, I am also glad Lincoln did what he did. How is that for non-committal?

Prioritizing homeschool over your marriage on a daily basis. Easy to do but negative long term consequences!

I wouldn't worry about phonics at this point - spelling yes, but not phonics. Keep them interested in books and reading a lot and you will be ok.

We are big fans of Memoria Press Latin's programs. So far we only have done Prima and Christiana.

Ditto to many of the comments above - we use both programs and always purchase the teacher's guide.

Lots of great responses to an important question as we lead out children through Logic stage discussions! I started out trying to read them all but quickly got buried (and frankly I wanted to read some books for fun). I have instead started reading only the classics/great books and then using Wikipedia for the others so I know the plot line beforehand. For example, in TOG1 this year, I have read The Wanderings of Odysseus but am not going to read the Golden Goblet. We also use quite a lot of audio books. An audible subscription is a good idea!

No teens, but we have 9 kids age 10 and under. Blog address below.

We have 10,9,8,7,6,6,4,2 and 9 months at home. Here are some tips from our 'stead.... 1. Focus on your health. Sprititual, mental and physical. This will give you the energy you need and motivation that is required to tough it out. 2. Set aside time for your marriage. This is one of the best gifts to give your children. If you raise brainiacs that don't have a proper concept of a healthy marriage, did you win? 3. Be ok taking a break. We have a rule that mom cannot be asked any questions between 3 and 4 every day. The only exceptions are if someone is hurt or missing. This daily mom time is pretty darn important. 4. Once these three are in place, then check out all the practical tips above. I don't have much to add that hasn't been said.

We use Rosetta Stone and are starting Prima Latina as well. RS is great for them to learn the conversational aspects of foreign language, which is impossible if the parents aren't native speakers. We are starting PL because we want them to understand conjugation and grammar. We recommend both for different reasons.

Our kids adore tapestry of grace. It is pricy (pricey?) but worth it to use. We love the multiple level usefulness.

Ditto for us as well. DS10 can write better with his eyes closed. Seriously.

Children should know *how* to use them, especially if they are planning on the AP test or to pursue any kind of engineering field. However, calculator use should only be about 5% of math class time. The focus should be on handwork - drawing the graphs out point-by-point, etc.. DH got his engineering degree from Purdue and saw a very clear correlation between success in college level math and more handwork time in middle school and high school math. His classmates who were whizzes at solving everything on a TI-89, but couldn't write anything out, had to repeat plenty of classes.

DS9 begins 5th grade next year, and for lack of knowing better, we are planning to follow TWTM's logic curriculum reco's (Mind Benders 5th and 6th grade, then Traditional Logic I&II in 7th and 8th). Any other suggestions? Plans you enjoyed?

We have nine with the oldest being 10. We have 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and K x 2 in school now. We use: Tapestry of Grace (multi-level shares subject matter) Apologia Science (multi-level shares subject matter) Math U See Rod and Staff English and Spelling Long Story Short devotionals (multi-level shares subject matter) Mind Benders and Dr. Dooriddles Handwriting without tears Championship Chess Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons Rosetta Stone (huge time saver) I would say the two main points in relation to your question: 1. Find curriculum like TOG that allows you to teach multiple levels on the same subject matter. 2. When this is not possible (like math), then have your children all work on the same thing at the same time. For example, all of our schoolers sit at the table and work on math together. This way it is easier to facilitate the learning.

Kildee House