By far the most interesting one I've ever read is The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart. It's the story of Merlin. The sequels go on to Arthur's reign. The Crystal Cave is an incredible read even on its own.

Can someone tell me the differences between Galore Park's Latin Prep and So You Really Want to Learn Latin? Do they have different approaches? Are they appropriate for different ages or levels? Have you used one or both? What do you think of them?

What age / grade level are you looking for?

I'm using the book Little Hands Celebrate America for our 4th of July unit study. Each page has information about a topic (The Bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, Mount Rushmore, Independence Day, etc) followed by a craft or activity to go along with it. There are also suggestions for books and websites for further learning. It's not quite a formal unit study, but it makes it really easy to create one.

Love your blog! I'll be back to visit!

I know there are plenty of people out there who don't do the projects in the SOTW AG, but we live for them at my house. In fact, we've found that there aren't nearly enough! My daughter fights listening to any non-fiction unless I promise a project afterwards. And the time spent making the project is the time when she really thinks about what we read and asks questions. Is there anyone who has done EXTRA projects and would like to share what they've done?

The highlight of my dd's summer every year is all the reading programs where she can earn free books or junk to fill my already junk-filled house. It doesn't matter what the prize is, she's willing to read for it. So who knows of some reading programs? We already do the library and Barnes and Noble.

A few years ago I applied for a job at one of the top daycare centers around here (MA). WITH A 30% EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT is was going to cost $425 a week for my daughter to attend while I worked. Needless to say, I didn't take the job. But it is normal around here to pay more than $10/hr for babysitting for 1 child. Sitters don't get a whole lot more with each additional child though.

I'm afterschooling my only, if that counts. For us, it means we get to be super project-intense, because I'm not juggling as much teaching.

We used lapbooks for preschool and k. They were nice and visual. As kids get older though, I think cohesive writing is more valuable than a report broken up into little pieces. I think binders are a good middle ground. You can mix written reports in with artwork, photos of projects, related articles, etc, so your kids still have a way to look back and enjoy their learning.

I agree that WWE requires no planning. However, I did feel the need to make my own copywork pages because the ones provided had super-jumbo lines. So instead of planning time, I have once-a-month typing time.

You'll find every teacher is different. My daughter's teacher this year tells me about upcoming topics so we can do extra research / field trips at home. She lets DD bring in books she writes at home and read them to the class. She's been so supportive! There are, of course, my-way-or-the-highway teachers out there. (You'll encounter more as your child grows up. Those types don't usually subject themselves to classrooms full of wiggly 7 year olds!) When you get one of those types, find out how concepts are taught in school. Use whatever method you need to make sure your kid understands the concept, but then teach them to use the school way. Treat control-freak teachers as a lesson in life: sometimes we have to put up with people we disagree with and sometimes we have to do something someone else's way for a while. Then we move on!

My daughter used Starfall for phonics. We use Sunshine Math for math enrichment.

I used the Wordly Wise vocab program through middle school and high school. Pros: the words match up very well with what's tested on the SATs and words student will encounter in college level reading. Some focus on roots. Cons: Not really an organized, root-based program. Instead the words seem to be loosely organized around topics. Kind of dull. Over all, I'd recommend it as a good way to expose students to the kind of words you want to see them use in their writing. I've yet to find a "super exciting" vocabulary program out there! But make sure you do plenty of review so the words won't be forgotten 3 weeks later.

Have you looked at the 4H curricula? There a a few different options. http://www.4-h.org/resource-library/curriculum/4-h-horse/ The youngest level is for grade 3, but there are probably parts of it you can use.

I plan in trimesters. It's ridiculous for me to plan a whole year at a time because I always find new materials, end up ahead or behind, etc. I spend a LOT of time planning, but that's because I am an obsessive schedule and list maker. For math, I used MM which doesn't require much planning. I print the worksheets and supplements from Sunshine Math and Singapore Challenge Word Problems. Then I stick them all in a binder and try to do 3 sessions of MM and 1-2 sessions of supplements each week. SOTW takes the most planning for me. I spend a couple of hours looking at recommended books and adding them to my list on my library's web site. I also choose the projects and activities for each chapter. I put all this info onto a form with a box for each chapter. (This probably takes about 6 hours to complete) Reading is simple. We read good books all the time. A few book lists and a weekly library trip take care of this. For grammar/writing I print out the student pages at Staples. Done. My biggest planning time use is choosing curriculum. I spend weeks poring over materials and oohing and ahhing before I finally make up my mind. :D

Grammar/Writing: FLL and some WWE Math: MM 2, Sunshine Math History: SOTW 1 Reading: Books! Bible: Episcopal Children's Curriculum Music Appreciation: Classical Kids series Art: individual artist studies (check out my blog for examples) Science: Not sure yet, maybe Mr Q I'll add in Life of Fred and some Critical Thinking Co materials if time (and the budget allow)

I have occassional seizures and have never used medication. One reason this is an option for me is that I have a very clear aura before I have one. I get really nauseous about 20 minutes before one occurs, which gives me time to pull over when driving, sit or lie down, or tell someone what's about to happen. I make sure I get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, and avoid triggers like caffeine and alcohol. My neurologist said that if the seizures got worse I'd have to consider medication, but since I only have them maybe twice a year, I can continue on without it.

My daughter is 6 1/2 and writes some of her letters backwards sometimes. Is that typical for that age? Will this fix itself over time with simple reminders? She also writes sentences and stories with an assortment of upper and lower case letters. She (generally) starts a sentence with a capital letter followed by lowercase, but as she goes on she throws occasional random capitals in. Is this typical as well? I know copywork will eventually help fix this, but I'm just wondering if its "standard" for her age group.

I've used sticker charts and rewards before for behaviors we were having a particularly hard time breaking (like arguing about every little thing all day long.) Eventually the charts always seem to fade away on their own and the behavior (mostly) remains improved. Now I use a boring part / fun part system for lessons. If you sit and listen to a chapter of SOTW or an artist biography, you get to do a big, messy project afterwards. You have spend 10 minutes practicing your math facts online before you can go to any other game site. There are still a few lessons that don't have a "fun part" afterwards, but it really minimized those.

Holding him back a year might hurt his self esteem, but being unable to keep up with his classmates may hurt it more! I would have a gentle conversation with your son about your concerns. Stress that since it is a new, much more difficult school, he's not really "repeating" the year. Instead, he's spending the year adjusting to a new style of teaching and learning. I guess another alternative would be to provide him with intense afterschooling this year and see how he does. But I would definitely hesitate to move him above his current ability level just for his self-esteem. If he can't keep up, the strategy will backfire big time.

Some of my favorites are: Shiny paint - mix corn syrup, water, and food coloring Sidewalk paint - mix corn starch, water, and food coloring. (Add the cornstarch SLOWLY) Use durable brushes. Jackson Pollack style splatter painting - best done outside on poster board or white fabric. You can use condiment squirt bottles to squirt paint or paint brushes to splatter it. Pink and Green Mama (which I am no way affiliated with) has an ebook of plans for a messy outdoor art camp for $10. (I'm sure you can find most of the ideas on the web, but if you want to save yourself some time...)

She sounds just like my daughter. We haven't found a "solution", but this helps: Exercise - if she doesn't get exercise every single day, she goes a little nuts. In the summer she swims for 3-4 hours a day. On winter weekends we often use the playspace at the mall or do a LOT of walking at a museum. She also plays soccer and basketball, hikes, and rides her bike. Mental stimulation - if she's not learning and thinking, the arguing and fussing gets worse. That's one reason we afterschool! Art projects - we do a TON of art in my house. I'll get her started and work with her for a few minutes than quietly stand up and start doing dishes, folding laundry, or checking my e-mail right nearby. Rest time - this is not optional in my house. For one hour every afternoon she can do whatever she wants in her room as long as she's quiet and doesn't come out. Consequences are always given if she harasses me during rest time. Over time, this has helped her learn to play independently for short periods of time.

DD6 has been getting webkins first thing in the morning lately. She also enjoys teaching her stuffed animals, reading, and making massive messes with scissors and paper.

I'm confused about the proposed schedules in WTM. When it says reading/writing/spelling/grammar 60-110 minutes a day, does that mean 5x a week for 36 weeks (typical school year) ? Or 5x a week x 52 weeks? Or 4x a week? Obviously, I'll adjust to make it work for us, but I like to know what the "official" recommendation is.