Well my feeling is few kids are ready to start WWE higher then level 2. That doesn't mean it will take them 36 weeks to get through level 2, but most kids need to work on that for a few weeks first. Every other week or even every third week will probably work just fine. Even doing 2 lessons a week (so you do a dictation and a narration every day). But I think anyone can start in FLL 3 or 4. I would probably recomend 3, because you could get only one workbook and really increase the difficulty by having them switch writing out the whole diagrams instead of filling them in. (I think those workbooks are expensive!). Even if you did do 3 this year, you could skip to level 5 next year.

There are large sample of HO available on the Pandia Press website. For us HO was not worth it for grammar stage. There aren't that many projects (mostly just History Pockets) and it makes things too hard for me ;) I do love it for logic stage, having all that writing and outlining planned out is great! SOTW has lots of hands on activies- building things, cooking things, making things, games and so on. It is easy to just use SOTW and the AG, or make as complicated as you want- timelines, lots of extra books, as many activies as you want! I also prefer the chronoligical order of SOTW to the continent order of HO, but it isn't a deal breaker for me ;)

I agree to preview it. My oldest would not have liked it at 9. We watched it a few months ago and the boys were 11 1/2 and almost 10 and they both really enjoyed it.

We are pretty relaxed too. But I did find that last year (my kids were 5th, 4th, 4yo, 2yo) I really had to find a certain time of day for my older ones to get in a couple of hours of serious school, and our day was more like 5 hrs long then 2 or 3. But I don't use any of those curriculums, so I don't really know. I find the two things I really have to schedule is that solid time for the big boys to work (we do it early in the morning before the little ones are up), and my time off (for internet/reading/chatting). If I know that there are about 2 hours set aside for my time- extra early in the morning (I'm a morning person, in fact I am only up now because I am waiting for dh, who is such a night owl) and in the afternoon before dh gets up (he works nights, did I mention he's a night owl???). Knowing I have that time set aside helps me be much more productive with the kids, even if we don't really have a schedule. I am such a morning person, and teaching goes, and the rest of the day go so much better if we start off right. I realized last year, that maybe I do have to (and am allowed to) actually wake up my kids :001_huh: So the big boys get up and get to work!

If you've got boys, maybe this will work- A LITTLE BROTHER FOLLOWS ME A careful boy I want to be; a little brother follows me. I do not dare to go astray for fear he'll go the self-same way. I cannot once escape his eyes; whate'er he see me do, he tries. Like me he says he's going to be- that little brother following me. He thinks that I am good and fine; believes in every word of mine. The bad in me he must not see- that little brother following me. I must remember as I go through summer's sun and winter's snow I'm building for the years to be that little brother following me. ~~ Author Unknown ~~

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=241103&highlight=red+herrings+critical+thinking

Gutters do come in different colors, ours (on our house) are green. It seems to me like Home Depot or Lowes only have one or two colors in stock, but that you could order many, many colors. I don't know how much more expensive that would make them. I would think that paint on them would get scratched up pretty quickly, it is dificult to get paint to stick well to plastic or metal..

That was where we stopped when my kids were all grammar staged. Next time, the logic stage kids might add in a few of the complaints.

I'd put the 5th grader in ALL 5. It is designed to work even if you've had no prior grammar. If he has been doing fine with WWE 3, I'd probably put him in WWS 5 too. I am not sure about your 8th grader, but if he has completed R&S 5, then ALL 5 is probably not a step forward. Have you listened to SWB writing lectures? You can order them for just a few dollars to download from the peacehill press site. I don't think it would hurt to do WWS, but I don't think an 8th grader should spend a whole year on it, and the lectures would give you an idea of how to get him ready for high school.

Well, I don't keep anything. (Okay I probably have thier past year or two test records around here somewhere....) I wouldn't for any of the states I've lived in or would most likely move too, so I don't worry about it too much ;)

I didn't pay that much either. I can't remember for sure but somewhere around $40 for both books. Then I had to get the Investigations seperately, but I've heard they are online. I've seen it listed here at the for sale boards a couple times lately. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289313&highlight=cpo+earth http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287136&highlight=cpo+earth I find I have to go through everything ahead of time anyway and then I like a checklist I can write on and cross things out or draw arrows, and a supply list I can tailor to us, and so on. I am trying really hard not to add anything to this for science this year though, so I am curbing my desire to tweek! (Except for a book basket of just what we already have on the shelf ;)).

I talked about how I do it in this thread. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245775&highlight=spelling I have my basic list in post #6 and a little more detail in post #14. I would use WWE for both of them. I'd get the hardback and have them both start at the beginning of the samples (there are about 5 for each level) until they get where they need to be. I don't think any child of any age can go wrong with getting these basic skills down first. Probably your 2nd grader will start at the beginning. I think few kids are ready to start in level 3 or 4, but the weeks in the text might be enough to get your older ready for them.

:bigear: :D

It sounds to me like you are looking for something to fill up time, right? If you are already planning on doing history WTM style, this is just to keep them busy? In that case, I might get thier opinions. Maybe history isn't worth the money, maybe games or books would be better. Maybe they really dislike the looks of one or the other. We really like Noggin games and Quick Pix games. Both my kids play with no grown ups (not all games work well like that;)) , Quick Pix starting about 4yo (we love the animal game) and Noggin when they can read well (in categories that match what we are studing in history and science).

How old are your kids? Mine spend a lot of time watching the littles while they are waiting for me (especially taking them outside!). Last year I came up with a great plan :001_smile: My littles (okay, everybody really) like to sleep in late. So I get the big boys up at 7:00 and they work until 9:00 when we get the little ones up. We have breakfast and a break then. We get more work done during that two hours then the whole rest of the day :lol:

A couple of the internet linked Usborne history books might work. I know they have Viking World and Medieval World. (Viking World is on PBS right now- http://www.paperbackswap.com/Viking-World-Illustrated-History/book/0794503543/ ) I also like the Cultural Atlas for Young People The Middle Ages (there is also one on Maya and Aztecs and one on Africa, but they wouldn't work for as long). Foster's books might work too- The World of Christopher Columbus is the right period.

I've only done the first 6 chapters, but I have a supply list by chapter, and a schedule too. There is a sample of it here- http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279471 I know our format is a little strange, but the boxes are for things I have to teach, and the smilie faces are for more independant parts, one for each boy to cross off. (I don't know why the Investigations are smilie faces, maybe I should change that :confused:) On the real file, activites that need supplies are highlighted, that just didn't show up here. I'm an over planner, so I scheduled any thing from the TG I thought we might like and actually do, all of the investigations, and all of the skill sheets (in the table on page 404 and available online for free). I know I will cross things off, but they will never happen if I don't plan them. Send me a pm with your e-mail if you would like them!

I use personal unless the seller specifically asks me not too, or my buyer asks differently OR I am spending more then $25 or so. I do lots of $8-$20 transactions and I'd have to get ripped off/packages lost in the mail/scammed a lot before one missing package would add up to all my paypal fees. That said, I've never had a problem with a used book purchase from here or homeschool classifieds. There are lots of FS posts asking for non credit card payments to avoid fees, but from what I understand all transactions (except the personal tab) have fees, right? Does that mean everyone can accept credit cards for the same fees????

:iagree: Since we weren't going to outline every section anyway, I also found SOTW 1 okay for outlining (or at least better then the red KF encyc.) I posted similar to this a few months ago- http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232828&highlight=outline

I always thought the idea was to give some concrete measure of 100. Works well for Ks, today you've come to school 100 times. Sure maybe most kids missed a day or three, but it is still a clear, concrete measure of how long 100 days is. I've never understood how that translated to homeschool :confused: But maybe it is because school just flows into our life, I mean 100 days since we started reading books, I don't think so. 100 days since we sat and made letters at the table, nope. 100 days since we sounded out some letters, still doesn't really work for us. I think if you had some other way to do a 100 day celebration it might work better then 100 school days. Maybe 100 days since we lived in this house, or since we got our new kitten, or since grandma came to visit. Something that will stand out to them to help them see "100".

Yes there has been one revision, but it was very minor. The words/chapters didn't change at all. The chages were cosmetic (some different fonts, nicer maps, and much better formatting in the Activity Guide). So either text works with either AG, CD, or tests. The new student pages even work okay with the old AG (there is a bit of difference in some of map activies, but you can work it out ;)). But if I were buying new I would especially want the AG to be the revised one. The upgrades there are so much nicer, either text works okay, and some people really prefer the older CD's (a woman reads them) to the new ones.

We do basically 3 days. On Tue and Thurs we spend 9:30 -1:30 volunteering at a food pantry/pregnancy center. So our schedule has 3 full columns M, W, F and a column that says T/Th. My big boys do try to get the basics (think the 3R's) done 4 times a week, but if we don't get the T/Th boxes checked off I don't worry about it too much. I think 3 days would work just fine for 2nd and 3rd grade.

We like multiple copies. Maybe not for the 3rd grader, but at least two would probably be nice. They are cheap and easy to sell. Often you can find them for around $5-7. For sure get the Activity Guide. I find the student pages a cheap and easy way to get copies of all the sheets, but you are allowed to make enough for your family from the AG. The Audio book is very convienent, but not necessary. Are you using SOTW 1? If it is going to be your 4th and 6th graders' only text, you might like having the tests, but they are optional.

There is also Advanced Language Lessons for grade 5 coming out this fall/winter and probably by the time a current 1st grader needs them, the series will go to 8th grade. FLL/ALL are just so much better set up for homeschoolers. They really get to what needs to be known with out a lot of extra time wasters. If you want the scripting, I would go with FLL. But I also agree you can't go wrong with either one.

Each book covers a whole year. There are 28 units in the first book, but each unit has several activites. You won't have any problems streching out some of those for two (or three) weeks. Do you really just want to spend 1 week on mammals or only 4 weeks on the whole plant kingdom? In the Earth book that would mean doing all the planets or everything about rocks in a week. There are copies of all of the student pages in the main text, and you can make copies. We have done Life and Earth. I don't find the extra copies for Life very helpful, because I think it so early in content (I would have a hard time justifing it for 2nd grade bio, we've done it for 4yo, K, and 1st.) that my kids haven't been big colorers or writers. We usually just read the notebook pages together, and often don't write or just need one copy of the lab sheets. So paying for a whole extra set of student pages would be a lot of extras we don't need. When we did Earth last the boys were 1st and 2nd and, again, we didn't use a notebook page for each kid and we often did labs together. So we did fine with one set of student pages for both kids (and on the few labs they each wanted or need thier own I just made a few copies). I haven't seen the Chemistry, but it is the only one I would recomend for 9 and 10yos. Have you printed off the samples at pandia press? They have very large samples available and you can get a feeling for the levels and if you'd want all the student sheets. I am pretty sure the supplies list is available there too. I don't think you need a supply kit for life. I would recomend an inflatable globe, a rock kit, and a simple weather station for earth (it is going to have you construct one from paper plates and cups, but save yourself the headache and buy one). And I haven't seen Chemistry.