[What age for Henty's Cat of Bubastes?]

I perused it with my rising 4th grader and decided to wait partly because it is so lengthy - we had other read alouds that would have been missed.....I agree middle school would be best...

[I went to the store today and bought (insert item here) only to discover that.......]

and they also poke litle conical shapes in the bottle of jars - peanut butter, jelly, mayonaise, etc. so that the amount looks the same to the buyer. They keep the price the same but sell you less product. Heard about it on NPR and went to my local store to check it out.......yup........

[Singapore Math.....]

We've used both US and SE, and are using the SE now so we can jump back into ps if needed and be on track.

 

The CWP, in my opinion, are one of the strongest parts of the program. We try to do a couple each day.

 

I found the HIG's a complete waste of time (for us). Scheduling doesn't make sense to me - we go at our own pace........

 

We're in 5A SE now and are supplementing with LOF Fractions. I'm very happy with the programs.

[S/O: Worth it to produce HS Materials?]

I have no problem selling materials. At all. (respecting copyright laws, of course). No - it may not be a profit-making business but many businesses aren't. I wouldn't be able to buy some of the materials I do buy (new) if I wasn't able to sell some of my used items.

[Lively Latin; Help getting started]

I do basically what the other two posters do wrt all the questions you asked.

 

Also, for many of us, the first lesson or two seemed to take particularly long, so don't feel discouraged. After that, it speeds up.

 

It's definitely my favorite curriculum this year.

[Any non-Christians use McGuffey's Readers?]

We educate secularly and are using the Elson Readers. There isn't much Christian content, and we've been really thrilled with them so far. We've used 3 and 4 and will start 5 in May.

[Nuts or Brilliant? 1st gr. combining AO & WTM. Plans included]

Well, in a perfect world, with robotic kids - I think this could work. And, I don't mean this as a slam.......seriously. But I think you've outlined a pretty intense and rigid program that looks GREAT on paper. HOwever, remember that you are working with c*h*i*l*d*r*e*n, and that they have their meltdowns, diversions, and all other unpredictable behavior. Also, remember that the beauty of hs'ing is flexibility. If I had to meet that schedule every week, I'd be outta here......I think you're placing quite a large burden on yourself.............Why set the bar so high?

 

Another thing to consider, is what it's worth to you to complete this schedule. If it's a challenge for your kids, you may find yourself in a lot of conflict with your child. So, I think you need to consider the balance between providing a rigorous, enriching program, and having peaceful harmony at home.

[Lively Latin question]

For a 4th grader, we do 1/2 hr a day - which is usually 2 worksheets. We do a brief vocabulary review every day.......It's an enjoyable program.

[Trying again: What to do after LL1?]

Latin Prep would be okay for next year for your (then) ten year old. Nine is the very youngest I would start a child on Latin Prep - ten is safer. I'd start with book 1, so you don't miss anything, but just move as fast as needed if the topics have been well covered by LL1.

 

Laura,

 

I know this has been discussed before, but I'm still not clear. If you do both LL1 and 2, and then go on to LP, I remember reading that LP1 would be mostly review - perhaps not do the workbooks, and that a lot of LP2 would be review, also, but perhaps good review. Given this info, I'm still not sure if it would be better to continue on with LL2, given that our plan is to then jump to LP. Would it be better to finish LL1 and then go straight to LP if we were headed that way anyway? Would we waste a year by doing LL2 and then starting LP? Any advice?

[Alex Rider books appropriate for 10 year old?]

Can somebody help me with the order in which to read these books?

[Trying again: What to do after LL1?]

I've been wondering what to do, too. Not because all the chapters aren't out yet - we won't be ready probably 'till the fall, but because after LL2 we will presumably go to Galore Park. From what I've read on these boards, Galore Park 1 would be mostly review. If that's the case, is it worth it to spend one more year on LL, before going to GP or should I jump into it next. That said, we really enjoy LL - it's been my favorite curriculum of the year for all our subjects, and I like everything we're using...

[Your thoughts on Rosemary Sutcliff books?]

She is quite high up on our list - We've read most that are mentioned - her Arthurian trilogy I didn't have time to read to 9 yo ds,but we did Beowulf, and the Black Ships before Troy and Wanderings of Odysseus. I just finished the Arthur books - I hold her in high regard as an author....

[do kids actually follow this stuff??]

I think the list looks pretty advanced - but I realize all kids are different. One thing to keep in mind, is to not feel compelled to read a certain level of book to a child of a given age. There is a good chance that the child will enjoy it more later, and get more out of it. Also, if the child can read the book on his/her own later, there might be more value. On the other hand, if they are willing to sit and listen, I'm sure it's good for their brains.....Don't stress about it. We're individual people with different developmental time frames, interests, attention spans, etc. I look at that list and hope I could get through all those books somehow through the child's childhood..........

[BTDT moms: What to do after Lively Latin 1?]

.......interesting - I'm pondering this myself. We really, really like Lively Latin and will finish LL1 this summer. LL2 is an obvious next step, and after that we're leaning towards Latin Prep (secular). However, LP has a lot of review, so I'm wondering if it would make more sense to jump to LP after LL1.............ooooops - did I hijack your thread? I didn't mean to.....

 

:lurk5:

[Is there an opinion on which (secular) latin program best prepares for the national]

Thanks, Leah, and I guess I should have rephrased my question. Besides the NLE, we're interested in doing some latin in the college board testing, too. I'm just not sure where to go....

[Is there an opinion on which (secular) latin program best prepares for the national]

latin exam? We're doing Lively Latin 1 and 2, and aren't sure where to go next.

[Lively Latin II: How far has Ms. Downs released to date?]

thanks!

[A Middle Ages year of read alouds?]

Laurie, we're doing middle ages too for a 10 year old. Look at my blog in my signature and in the sidebar on the right are our read alouds. One is One we're reading right now and I think it will be a favorite. We'll also perhaps read Pyle's Men of Iron. Also, in ds's self-read books, you may see some good ones. This is my favorite part of learning!

[Can I use IEW's history-based writing lessons without any other IEW products?]

We're doing it and I don't feel that we're lacking anything. It's pretty easy to see what we're aiming for..........

[Singapore Math - difference between US and Standard]

The SM website details the differences. From my recollection, nothing is taken out of the US books, but there is more review built in and a few more topics. We swithed to standards edition for 4A-5A and haven't had any problems.

[searching amazonand half.com for used books...]

I think when I did it I save only $0.50 on shipping of the second item......I guess that's where they make their $$........

[real science for kids?]

It's been discussed frequently here. I would use the search function (under the welcome in the upper right of your screen) and you will find countless discussions.

 

It's quite popular. I've used chemistry and biology level 1 with a 4th grader. The chemistry was quite good and the biology I'm less enthused about, but it's been ok. It's a bit pricey. If you want to save money you don't really need the instructor's manual - but she adds some interesting discussion in it.

[So, why have so many of us strayed from hsing as described in the WTM?]

Are you sure we have strayed? I don't consider choosing different curricula straying. A beauty of hs'ing is the ability to get a more perfect fit, rather than one size fits all. I guess I never considered it a requirement to use everything as is for it to be considered consistent with WTM......

[Blackline Maps with SOTW activity guide?]

Last year I used the blackline maps without the AG. This year, I used the AG without the blackline maps. My take on it is if your child is crafty (and about the age of the target audience for that volume of SOTW) just get the AG. My ds isn't crafty, and is 2 years older than the target audience of SOTW, so the AG was mostly a waste of $$ this year. I would have preferred to have just done mapping and reading.....

[Woodstove Advice Needed]

We're on our third LOPI. Third in that we've moved twice and have installed three of them. Our newest is about 7 years old and at the time I think it was the most efficient of the stoves. We got the insert model since we had a fireplace. I think the free standing put off even more heat. We really like it. Some of the really pretty free standings may not be quite as efficient, but I haven't looked at the info for several years. Ours is supplemental heat, in a very cold house in the mountains of northern CA with no insulation. If we had insulation, we would use a lot less wood. It's not designed for cooking........