When your girls are a bit older, you should do Apologia's Zoology Flying Creatures. I understand birds and their habits so much better for having done this with my dc. And with your rich environment along a migratory path -- you should seriously tap into that! The book is so wonderful and thorough, that if your 5yo has any interest, you could read bits and pieces of it to her now. It would help you be able to observe a bird that visits better for the few seconds it is there so you can look it up after it's gone! Just my $.02. :tongue_smilie: Tami

Thanks Mom of 7, this helps me too!:)

My son (just turned 9) recommends: A-Z mysteries Trumpet of the Swan Charlottes Web Squanto Friend of the Pilgrims Owls in the Family Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg Misty of Chincoteague Dr. Doolittle Twenty and Ten Calvin and Hobbes HTH! Tami

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Thank you for the responses! If 4 really is a lot of review of 3 (can anyone who has used them verify this??), then I'm afraid my rising 4th grader would get frustrated. He has been diligent the whole year and gets frustrated when his math assignments beat something to death. I can only imagine he would have the same reaction with grammar. I guess I'm wondering if there is any concern of combining 4th and 6th graders for grammar. Their other language and reading lessons would still be separate and level-apporopriate. Uggh, this planning! Sometimes don't you just wish someone could TELL you what to do?!:lol: Tami

For those of you familiar with Rod & Staff, I have a question. My current 3rd grader is finishing R&S 3 right now. My current 5th grader is doing a more Charlotte Mason approach this year with Total Language Plus literature studies and the Daily Grams from Easy Grammar. The year before he did Shurley Grammar (after which we needed a break!). What I'm wondering is if I should do R&S 4 for rising 4th grader and R&S 6 for rising 6th grader, or would there possibly be a way to combine them? Afterall, grammar is grammar, no matter the "grade", right? Maybe I could do 4 with both of them? Or 5 with both of them? Or possibly I should just do 4 with the younger, and 5 with the older, since he hasn't done much formal grammar this year (no diagramming, just light review stuff). Could you help me decide? Tami:bigear:

Sonlight Core C (now called K) - such great read alouds! Horizons K Explode the Code I ran into someone last year at a homeschooling conference and I so appreciate her advice for K -- Keep it simple! Focus on learning to read, introduce math, read a lot of fun books. We have had a great year! Tami