Maela, Sorry for the late reply! I've include the list of books I'm reading as part of our Family UU Studies, they are just books I feel the kids are ready for and suit them at their current level. As for GVS, this is my first year with it, but I love it, it very much suits us. Here's my new layout: Family * Oak Meadow Circle Time (Verses, Poetry, Movement etc) * My UU Studies Booklist (these reflect our values, studies, beliefs and interest in other religions): - Many Ways: How Families Practice their Beliefs - Accept and Value Each Person - Picture Book of Louis Braille - Mother Theresa: An Alms Bowl - Unitarian Universalism is a Really Long Name - Gregor Mendel: The Friar who grew Peas - Grandad's Prayers for the Earth - Tower of Babel - Greengard - Mr Goethe's Garden - Joseph the Dreamer - Greengard - Lech Lecha - Greengard - My Princess Boy - It's Okay to Be Different - Celebrate: A Book of Jewish Holidays - Miniature Stories of the Saints - Meet Jesus: The Life and Lessons of a Beloved Teacher - Maria Montessori: A Child's Biography - Picture Book of Saints - Bang: How we came to be - One Beetle too Many - It's Not the Stork: A Book about boys, girls, babies, bodies, families and friends Also we watch Animal Cops, Animal Documentaries and History Channel stuff together and chat about it. Atlas: With her, I am more just concentrating on exposure, than contemplation or memorisation. *DIY Language Arts (Its actually turned out very similar to Oak Meadow G3 LA, lol. If I had known, I would of just used that, but I had already made up my own more personalized version) - Musical Selections taken from Harmony Fine Arts program (used for dancing during Circle Time) - Shared Reading List (take turns reading passages) ~ The Rainbow Serpent ~ Flat Stanley ~ Little House in the Big Woods ~ Anne of Green Gables ~ Seven Little Australians ~ Heidi - Optional Journal Time & Silent Reading (she writes in her journal and has reading time to herself everyday anyone, I just scheduled it in as an optional independant activity so I can do things with my younger ones) - Poetry Books ~ When we were very young ~ Now we are six ~ A Child's Garden of Verses - Recitations/Memorisations (stuff she needs to work on, Full Name, Address, skip counting etc) - Day of the Week (Monday - Oral Storytelling (I become the typist for her), Friday "Freewrite" (this has been altered a bit for fun for her and timesaving for me, I just a bunch of pre-done a4 sheet prompts, from what ifs? to easter bunny work applications etc) - Copywork/Handwriting (I used Homeschooling Downunders Copywork & Handwriting books) - Bravewriter Lifestyle & Jot It Down projects (although, again, I tweaked the projects more for exposure and her handwriting level) *Math - Math on the Level * Read Alouds - Story of the World - Wonderland of Nature - A Cry from Egypt - Human Body Detectives - Me on the Map - Our Sunburnt Country * Extras: - Earthschooling/Bearth Institute Grade 3 blocks (exluding Math & LA) - Farming Project - Whole Family Rhythms SouthernHemisphere - DIY Human Body Unit *Human Body Unit (Uses Usborne Complete Internet-Linked book of the Human Body as the Spine) BODY BUILDING BLOCKS Your Amazing Body • Read: Usborne Book pg 8 “Your Amazing Body†• Watch/Play: The Human Body by Tinybop app • Do: Outline for My Body Book by Teacher Created Body Systems • Read; Usborne Book pg 10 “Body Systems†• Watch/Play: Schoolhouse Rock – The Body Machine (Youtube) • Do: Syrendell Body Outlines (Syrendell on Etsy - Anatomy for Kids eBook) • My Body: My Face Cells • Read: Usborne Book pg 12: “Cells†• Watch/Play; Cell vs. virus: A battle for health - Shannon Stiles (Youtube) • Do: Edible Cell Activity (Google) • My Book: My Cells Genes and DNA • Read: Usborne Book pg 14 “Genes and DNA†• Watch/Play: Bill Nye Genes and DNA (Youtube) • Do: Strawberry DNA Experiment (Google) MUSCLES AND BONES The Skeleton • Read: Usborne Book pg 18: “The Skeleton†• Watch/Play: Schoolhouse Rock – Them Not So Dry Bones (Youtube) • Do: Backbone Activity (Spelloutloud.com activity) • Book: You can’t see your bones • My Body; My Skeleton Joints • Read: Usborne Book “Joints†• Watch/Play: Learnwith Khan – Body Movements – Joints and their Types (Youtube) • Do: Ball Joint & Synovial Fluid Activity (Nuturing the Tender Years blog) Muscles and Tendons • Read: Usborne Book “Muscles and Tendons†• Watch/Learn: Muscular System – Kidshealth,org (Youtube) • Do: Tendon/Muscle Activity (Aclassofone blog) • My Body: My Muscles How Muscles Work • Read: Usborne Book “How Muscles Work†Moving without Thinking • Read: Usborne Book “Moving without Thinking†Reflexes • Read: Usborne Book “ Reflexes†SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS What is Skin? • Read: What is Skin? • Watch/Play; Layers of the Skin – KidsHealth.org (Youtube) • Do; Skin Layer Cake (Google) • My Body: My Skin Skin Changes • Read: Skin Changes • Watch/Play: How a Woud heals Itself – Sarthak Sinha (Youtube) • Do: Blister Experiment (Spelloutloud?) Hair and Nails • Read: Hair and Nails • Watch/Play: Learn Grade 3: Hair and Nails – KidsClassroom (Youtube) • Do: Cut Hair and Nails THE BRAIN AND THE SENSES Your Amazing Brain • Read; Your Amazing Brain • Watch/Play; Learn about the Brain – School Science for Kids – Braintofu • Do: Brain Hat Activity (Ellen McHenry) How the Brain Works • Read; How the Brain Works • Watch/Play: Brain – Human Body Parts – Magicbox Animation (Youtube) • Do: Playdough Brain (Google) • My Body: My Brain Seeing • Read: Seeing • Watch/Play: 5 Senses Human Body – Make Me Genius (Youtube) • Do: Light Box (DIY Lightbox) • Book: How your senses work • My Body: My Eyes Hearing • Read; Hearing • My Body: My Ears Tasting and Smelling • Read: Tasting and Smelling • Do: Scented Paint (google DIY) • Book: My Five Senses – Aliki • My Body: My Nose • My Body: My Tongue Sensation and Pain • Read: Sensation and Smelling • Do: Go Eat Dirt (oreo dirt snack) • Book: My Feet • Book: My Hands Thinking • Read: Thinking • Do: Backyard Scavenger (Photos of outside places and print, kids have to go find where photo was taken) Fooling Your Brain • Read: Fooling Your Brain BREATHING AND CIRCULATION Breathing Equipment • Read; Breathing Equipment • Watch/Play: How do my Lungs Work? – HooplaKidz (Youtube) • Do: Lung Model Inside Your Lungs • Read: Inside Your Lungs • Watch/Play: What’s Inside the Lungs – Dissection – Bristol Science Centre (Youtube) • My Body: My Lungs The Heart • Read: The Heart • Watch/Play: How Your Heart works – KidsHealth.org (Youtube) • Do: Heart Dissection • My Body: My Heart Circulation • Read: Circulation In the Blood • Read: In the Blood • Watch/Play: Blood – Body Parts Kids – Magicbox Animation (Youtube) • Do: Make Blood Activity (parts of the blood) The Lymphatic System • Read: The Lymphatic System • Watch/Play: Soopr Kids What is the Lymphatic System? (Youtube) EATING AND DRINKING Taking in Food • Read: Taking in Food • Watch/Play: Digestive System – KidsHealth.org (Youtube) • Do: Digestive Activity (Plenty of different ones around) • My Body: My Gall Baldder • My Body: My Liver In Your Stomach • Read: In Your Stomach • My Body: My Stomach In the Intestines • Read: In the Intestines • My Body: My Small Intestines • My Body: My Large Intestines Waste • Read: Waste • My Body: My Kidneys • My Body: My Bladder HEALTH AND MEDICINE Health and Sickness • Read: Health and Sickness • Watch/Play: Guide to Type 1 Diabetes – Lifeforachild (Youtube) • Book: Dido has Diabetes • Book: Rufus comes Home • Book: A cavity is a hole in your tooth • Book: Why can’t I have cake for Dinner? • Book: Everybody Move your feet! • Book: Sleep is for Everyone • My Body: My Pancreas Diseases • Read: Diseases • Watch/Play: Kids Singing about Disease – All of these Videos (Youtube) • Do: Moldy Bread Actviity (plenty of info around) • Book: I’m really ever not so well The Immune System • Read: The Immune System • Watch/Play: Immune System – Kidshealth.org (Youtube) • Do: Glitter Germs (plenty of info around) • Book: What Makes You Ill? Drugs and Treatments • Read: Drugs and Treatments • My Body: My Spleen Operations • Read; Operations • Watch/Play: Jasmine goes to operating theatre (Youtube) • Do: Operation Games Complementary Medicine • Read: Complementary Medicine BODY CHANGES SKIP THIS- • Book: I am Growing • Book: I’m Growing – Aliki • My Body: My Reproductive Organs • My Body: Put Together

I second Logic of English Foundations. Its between those two, has the feel of Writing Road to Reading, but is fun and perfect for little kids, it also has a couple of moving activities, and moving=remembering :) Only reason I didn't end up using mine was the thing that gets me on most Phonics programs - pronounciation and letter sounds (i.e. a has 3 sounds in american english, 5 in australian english, and goodness know how many in my mixed up accent, my accent isn't stable, so it stuffs up phonics programs for my kids lol, I have to outsource.)

The requirements are usually pretty low. In most states where its required you can get away with a few simple "lessons" covering the hours requested. A better option is having a clipboard available, and just log down each time you did something "health' related (re-explained how to brush, reminded them to wash their hands, answered a question about reproduction, did a simple study on handheld vs "sterile" bread in jars, out some mcdonalds fries in jars and documented, went to a dentist check-up, learnt how to chop vegetables, learnt how to understand nutritional info on packaging, etc etc). If you want a curriculum get some 'For dummies" books i.e. (Nutrition, clean eating, fitness, workouts, anatomy & physiology, superfoods etc), I have the Diabetes one, and plan to make up a unit from that. Because of my kids, most of my "health" units are based around diabetes (math nutritional calculations, insuin requirements, understanding packaging, foot care, finger care, maintenance of diabetic tools, anatomy and physiology and the Pancreas, current medical news and findings, eye care and checkups, and so on and so forth) for my son it means understanding nutrition, personal hygiene, and putting on weight, What I mean is the best health curriculum is intensely personal and directly related to the current state of the child. If they are smelling funky, work on personal hygiene stations and getting independant with things (including laundry) if they are quite stationary, work on getting them to understand how their body works, and what being at peak and non-peak physical fitness means to their body and its inner workings. If they aren't drinking enough water, show how water is used and works inside their bodies and why their bodies need it to function at their best, if they are too careless with their bodies during sports, show how to care for your body and fix & prevent injuries, and what unfixed/unprevented sports injuries can do to people later in life (and in the here and now, looking towards an older version of themselves is too distant, its not relatable enough for them, children most understand immediate consequences (although you can work this into distant consequences, dancer doesn't take care of her foot, she will never be a prima ballerina - distant, doesn't take care of her foot, no point in trying out for the academy tommorrow (because it will be hurt by the time she gets close to prima status) - immediate. If you want lists, keep clipbaord or planner/filofax/notepad around, and just be aware of your child, then you'll notice things in the health arena that need improving, note them down, then just work on one area at a time. Working on it can be as simple as having a little conversation, if you want review or to make sure he follows through, note it down for a review date on the calendar, when that review pops up, you can note whether you need to proceed further with that "Study" or the child has gotten it.

My ASD son is very much into 'Done two!, One more to go' type view of things :p So since we are moving onto something more complicated, I was thinking of having a clipboard chart that is like a pictorial Sue Dengate Workbox type thing, even though only a small fraction of his day is DIY, or maybe a MOTH type pictorial schedule that would include everyone for the day, with a way to add/remove done ones/change the schedule.(I can never get velcro to stick to lamination, even with a hot glue gun lol). Anybody have any ideas? I do have an IPAD (but its an original 1) but would prefer something paper that doesn't require charging and is always viewable. I had planned to do a moth type schedule (5 different ones for each day of school) so I can jump between each person anyway. Thoughts?

My ASD son is very much into 'Done two!, One more to go' type view of things :p So since we are moving onto something more complicated, I was thinking of having a clipboard chart that is like a pictorial Sue Dengate Workbox type thing, even though only a small fraction of his day is DIY, or maybe a MOTH type pictorial schedule that would include everyone for the day, with a way to add/remove done ones/change the schedule.(I can never get velcro to stick to lamination, even with a hot glue gun lol). Anybody have any ideas? I do have an IPAD (but its an original 1) but would prefer something paper that doesn't require charging and is always viewable. I had planned to do a moth type schedule (5 different ones for each day of school) so I can jump between each person anyway. Thoughts?

Last day to grab some bundles! I broke down and purchased three bundles: - Moms #2 (for the Luke Lists for my son) - Girls (For the American Girls History & Creative writing made easy for my eldest) - Unit Studies (the the Charlotte Mason Seminar kit)

Gosh, they are all used pretty quickly! I might just have to see if I can swing the supplies from the get go. (I normally buy supplies 6-9 weeks in advance that aren't perishable) .. Thank you! :)

Does any have a supply/needed materials list organized BY LESSON for this book? I just ordered it from Christian Books, but since I am overseas,, it'll take 2-6 weeks to arrive, and I'm writing up the schedule for that child now. I include supply lists and notes with my schedules, so I don't have to purchase everything at once, but have everything pre-organized. Thanks to anyone who can help. All I could find is the art supply pack, which would just tell me total stuff needed, and I don't have the money to purchase everything right now (just had to get a big load of firewood and replace the pump to our back tank, so pretty broke, lol)

It starts in a couple of minutes :p

BUMP :) has anyone seen a sample anywhere? :confused1:

Montessori, Unit Studies, Konos. Konos & Montessori we had to stop doing as we had to have more of a schedule due to outside sources. Unit studies I am just starting to get back into. T4L for helping me in a bad time.

Mine will be 10 in December. I had tried every program with her under the sun. 6+ months ago, it finally clicked, and that was after I backed away. She's reading about a 5-8th grade (gosh reading grades vary so much by site) - or 830L+ level for more challenging reading. I seriously saw all these kids on here reading about 4,5 etc, and I was pretty much in tears, thinking I did something wrong, until my daughter started becoming very frustrated and I backed off. I keep a well stocked library of all sorts of books available, and a comfy area, and she was moved from her curennt program (Reading Bears?) to Montessori/Unschooling. After a bit of that, she was moved over to T4L at a Kindergarten level (by then, she was already reading about a 2nd grade level - about 3 months ago) and just fast-tracked her (still doing so) and she's upto near beginning 2nd Grade LA now, and reading at her current level listed above. I should mention I don't get her to read outloud, but because she has a younger sister, she will just read outloud to her voluntarily, a gentle environment. I will ask her how her book was, and can I know what is what about? so I cna gauge whether she understood it, and how much she liked it etc. For the moment this is working for us. I'm not saying you shouldn't get your child tested, you know your child best. I just wanted to say there is light at the end of the tunnel <3

I did wander away from Literature based schooling, as my kids prefer to choose their own literature, and me force-feeding them lit as all of school did make them balk because of their different learning types. My eldest is project based, and after doing a more project-based unschooling, she finally settled in to that, and I went into more of a Montessori route. My eldest does best with me as the teacher, without a book, explaining stuff from my point of view or making up my own stories, similar to Steiner route (I did try Oak Meadow, but a whole long 30 minute story about a haystack, to introduce the letter H, and then having to artistically draw it twice, well, when I could just hold up a flashcard and say "this is H" and move on, whilst holding her attention, I don't see the point. So really not fond of the way Steiner Reading/Math is done. We could of continued upon the Unschooly-interest based road with montessori, but due to the kids diabetes, everything is kept on a tighter rein, and after having to many nosy-body people on the medical team trying to cause problems, I moved over to T4L as a quick catch up, and so I can throw something visible at the team should they bother me about it (:p), we are only just moving off that now. I purchase her whatever nice books she wants to continue her reading (I tend to get stingy with toys, but with non-twaddle books, if I can swing the money, I'll get it, this is how I grew up too. I had the school bookclub orders and I could choose whatever I wanted, as ong as my mom had the funds there. I also tend to get lots of secondhand books now and again, and keep an eye out at charity stores etc, that is how I have managed to build up a nice kids library of books, plus I put a cheap foam mattress in the corner of the lounge (queen size) put a nice quilt on it and threw about a dozen pillows down there, my daughter will often sit there and read. My middle boy is better with something independant, short and can keep his attention, so we are staying with T4L for him, plus curricula needed for his needs. He relies on other people too much as a crutch and tends to read body signals etc to get answers, with the computer program, that has stopped happening. My youngest is a worksheets and activities girl. She likes to get straight to the point, do the sheets with mom (anything together with mommy :) ) then do lots of activities and play. She is not upto too much reading. And she's not fond of computer school, even with all the bells and whistles, unless she is sitting on my lap and interacting with me. I'm going to start GVS with her. I gave all of this as background so you will understand where I come from, to say, I am going back to SOTW. I didn't get through more than a few chapters when we stopped several years ago, but it gets across History in quick, short lessons, and I have looked everywhere on History stuff and everything tends to be too much literature and stuff that would not hold my DD's attention, or completely boring. At the end of the day: If they don't pay attention to the book, I can read the paragraph myself, and recite it in my own words, as my own story - that they will pay attention to. Or on our weekly trip down to the bigger town, I can put the audio version on (and they can't escape mwah ha ha ha) and ask the activity book questions as they walk around the mall. In the end, it gets history done. My kids are not classical kids (woe is me *cue violins*) and trying to fit them into that mold doesn't work, but story of the world is quick, and the story-like nature of it makes it easy to remember. I've tried a lot of less-lit & lit based history curricula, and in the end, I've come back to SOTW. This time I'm going to keep it simple (I added all this etra stuff last time). I've tried Hideaways in History, kids loved the projects and the extras, but the main spine was horrible. In most of the curricula, my kids love the projects, activities, and "further enrichment" stuff, but the main/spine things they have always hated and refused to listen to. Story of the World is the best I have come up with. So not sure what type of kids you have (you would know best) this is just how it happened for my kids. Its ridiculous to me, there aren't more project-based, interesting, get dirty and in there history things, as history is SO interesting, but most curricula seems to make it boring, the closest I have found to making it more "our way" is the History spiel/performance Montessori uses (which is very involved, long and hard for me to remember and collect all the neccessary bits for one little performance), and Connect the thoughts (which is very classroom based and doesn't get across much per lesson, its a little weird for me). Story of the World is the most palatable of all the History Curricula for my family and get done quick, and has activities for all sorts of learners in the Activity guide. Hope that helps :)

DH got a very poor :scared: -7! But I got a 23 :confused1: which is isted as very poor too, so I guess we are made for one another :sleep:

I think we all would of had different names had our father or families not stepped in LOL. Well at least in my families case. I would of been Kerensa after some virgin in a Harlequin romance novel my mother was reading (sigh, still I probably would of preferred that name) my father stepped in and refused to have me called that. My Eldest would of been something stupid, as I came up daily with random weird names for her. I finally got an usual name for her that wasn't too weird. My middle child would of been Byron because of our Last name (A play on words) and because I knew it would annoy my MIL a billion percent. I still chose a name that I had hoped would annoy her lol. But hubby stepped in and refused that. My youngest I really wanted to be named Holden. Love the name, thought it was great for her (still upset about it). Everyone put their foot down and went mad (my parents, husband, parents-in-law) everyone never-endingly harped on about it till I gave up. I named her (first & middle) without anyone knowing, after a 60's TV character I loved growing up. Still woud of been better had she been named Holden. I asked her if she wanted to have it legally changed, she said no, she likes her current name. Even my daughter doesn't like the name *cue violins* :p

I use a Personal Planner http://www.personal-planner.com/US/for my eldest. It lists all her daily tasks, and she does them. Before that I used a Well Planned Day Student Planner, before that a simple spiral notebook. I use it right now for her independant stuff, but I was thinking of adding mum-stuff to their, so she knows what to expect. The PP one also allows customisation, so I could have special events in there, daily weather charts, places for her to scribble notes etc.

I was looking at it, until someone said the readers were too hard for the corresponding levels. I didn't want my youngest to be frustrated.

Learn Math Fast books

Math U see, Right Start Games, Learn Maths Fast, Jump Math or Math on the Level might be possible solutions

-Maryann Kohl Books -Artistic Pursuits - Montessori Art Abums & Scopes - Pink & Green Mama Lessons - Project Based Homeschool & Course - Waldorf Art Stuff - Ausburg Drawing - Easy Math Art Activities and Projects - Educating the Will - Harmony Fine Arts - Meet the Masters - Creativity Express - Painting in Waldorf Education - Bruin - Teaching Painting Wet on Wet Magic of Waldorf - Coloring with Block Crayons DVD - Atelier - Fairy World Crafts - Drawing with Children - Tin Man Press -Anti-Coloring Books -Draw n Write - New Child Montessori Art Guide -Form Drawing Guides -Oxfords First Book of Art -A Childs book of art I dont have a couple of these anymore, but these are all the resources that have graced my home. I tend to collect them more than actually use them lol, I read through bits and pieces for inspiration and ideas etc.

I'm going back to Bravewriter (Writers Jungle & Jot it down, not the Arrow/Boomerang Courses, I don't like them). If eldest DD wants she can continue with her T4L LA and can do a Time 4 Writing Course, but she'll be doing Bravewriter stuff as well. I have a Grammarland subscription somewhere, and I've been eying off Cozy Grammar. Youngest DD will be using GVS, which has writing and grammar suggestions later on. I am not a fan of workbooks and prefer to teach it in as much of a real life context as possible, get in there and get down to the childrens level and get mucky :D . Workbooks are usually too abstract. We also do living Grammar books etc, so things like Grammar with a Giggle etc. My daughter also has a journal which she writes stories in all the time, I got her a feature journal from Kikki K, so its something lovely and pretty that she takes care of and takes with her everywhere.

Its on the edge of my twaddle list, and I am more open with book choices. After perusing the sad collection of books at my department store (all thats left after most of the local bookstores closed) it and two others were the only ones that would even slightly challenge my reader (and that was more to do with length than vocabulary). My girl decided she wasn't interested and got the School for Good and Evil, which again was on the edge of being twaddle. What she has really become interested in is the British Colonial rule in India. Unfortunately its practically impossible to find interesting lower/mid elementary reading materials for that, and even the TV series she got excited about (Indian Summers), after researching I found it wasn't suitable (I saw something about S** in the description of it on one of the sites). So for the moment, twaddle it is. She has some more reading material coming from BD, it will just take a while.

Language Arts: Time 4 Learning & Time 4 Writing Science Basics; Time4Learning & Science4us Reading: She choose books + Scribd Unlimited Religious; UU Books Art: Creativity Express Math; Math on the Level Penmanship/Handwriting; Journal & Storybook History; Unsure right now, still deciding, she might follow along with her Sister. She does T4L Social Studies as well. Mopup curriculum; Global Village Unit Studies, chosen by her: Human Body Detectives (full series curricula), Guest Hollow Human Body Science, Hogwarts SCS Studies. Edited to add: Oh, we might do McHenry's the Brain as well, depending on time and interest ;D I think that pretty much covers it. Probably something I have missed ;p

LA, Math & Science, Social Studies. Or in homeschool speak: Phonics Reading Grammar Writing Handwriting & Typing Maths History Geography or some sort Science. And Science, History, Geography can be as simple or as in depth as time allows. Those would be my basics for Primary/Elementary.

Paper, preferably under A5 size, as I would like to fit it in my bag.