Reading level and independence aren't concerns for my oldest. I am going to take a closer look at the maturity of the content, though. This child is a history buff and has been independently studying the world wars this past year through books (from Eye Witness books up to novel-sized autobiographies) and documentaries. In fact, we've been immersed in war of some kind or other for years so I guess it is more the death of loved ones (including pets) that I would be concerned about.

Writing With Ease workbooks Math Mammoth Also, if you leave off the history, Lively Latin.

Ok, this helped us dig around and find a few things that he seems content with. Thanks, ladies!

I just found out "Scholarly articles" — is that the same as journal articles?

A friend has a rather ambiguous assignment and he called for DH's assistance, who turned to me, and I am turning to the Hive. lol Friend has to critique three articles on education. So .. He needs articles on education. No further specifcs given. English is his second language. The course is in English. In fact, I think it is part of an English degree (he is an English teacher and runs a small private school out of the city). Oh, and this is in Asia so I imagine we are looking for articles on education that are not U.S. specific. Ideas?

I really, really appreciate these responses. D+E is the core the website gave me when I clicked "Fourth Grade" and then "New to Sonlight". I noticed that choice for 4th allowed him to complete all the other cores up to 500 if he stayed with them so it seemed to make sense. I do appreciate the idea of being on the middle to higher end of the age range but that only works out if I keep each child in a separate core and I am fairly confident going in that if I make it up to two cores, that will be my max at least until one is much more independent. On one hand it makes sense to combine the older two and the younger two but that would put my daughter on the lower end of any core she does with her brother and, apart from age, they are so far apart that until reading here it hadn't crossed my mind to combine them. DS 9 has been voraciously reading-to-learn for over three years now and DD7 (Sept.b'day) is still learning to read. Emotional maturity is a little more difficult to discern, though. Together they could do B+C (the condensed cores are being discouraged, and I appreciate why, but I can't see us starting in the middle with C or DS9 taking two years with B and C). Theoretically they could start in D together but then that makes DD the 9yo in E, the 10yo in F, etc. DS was wanting world history next year but was okay with one year of American history, but less so two years. Not that the nine year old gets the last say. He just didn't see a whole lot that especially drew him to B+C (he is intimately familiar with CHOW) although there are books he made sure we wouldn't miss if he ended up in American history instead. His latest favorite history core resource is that encyclopedia used in Core G so he kinda has his eye towards that (he is torn in his own thoughts between World history with B+C but taking longer to get to F, and American history but getting past it to F sooner —apparently he has read on AH this past year, hence his thoughts pulling towards something different). Gah, I'm torn. Now I am in part disinclined to do B+C because y'all discourage choosing a condensed core but I don't see another way to combine these two. I have finally found the Sonlight forum, btw. Thanks for mentioning that.

I have a friend that has used it for years and I had a chance to look through the couple of cores she had on hand. I've spent some time on the website and looking at samples, all the reasons I might not really want to try it, etc. My initial thought is to try one core first. I was thinking of Core D+E for my nine year old — maybe including science, maybe not. I'm undecided on whether I should keep everyone together for any formal science we do while I try this one core this year. Then again, the science looks so interesting ... but would I risk overwhelm if I get my fourth grader his own science, too? What do you think? If all goes well I will add a second core the following year (Core B if I start out combining the younger three or Core B+C if I only combine the middle two). Would it be overwhelming to be running two cores with their own separate sciences? Is it more realistic to consider keeping to a different and combined science plan until highschool? Any tips? Extra considerations? I'm going to continue digesting the website and eventually call them, I guess, but for now, what do you ladies think?

I'm ashamed to admit that I came in here expecting ice-cream related drama. :blushing:

The notebooks described in the WTM are subject specific loose-leaf binders, all tabbed and ordered. Love the idea but it doesn't sync with my mind. This idea looks more workable for me.

I admit this was just really selfish of me to come out and confess this now after all this time when y'all would never have known otherwise. Sorry. And in another thread, I began a sentence with "So". I'm not really sorry about that.

I don't personally share the kilt lust, I was honestly just thinking of all y'all who would appreciate a kilt (and then felt guilty for even thinking of encouraging it, at the expense of a stranger, no less). I know many won't believe that but I maintain it is the truth. Im on my ipad and so cannot access the right emoticon to express my sincerity and innocence (if such a one exists).

For clarification, there was no "under" view. Only someone at the base of the wall would have had that kind of angle. There was no indecency involved. The moral conviction was over posting a photo of an unwitting stranger to a forum of kilt-lusting homeschool moms.

I have a confession to make. I hope y'all can forgive me. I was at a renaissance fair a few years back. There was this climbing wall .. and a guy scaling it .. in a kilt. Seriously. I thought of you ladies. I even snuck a photo for you (modest in spite of angle, no face). But still ... my conscience got the better of me. Instead of posting it, I deleted it. There. I admit it. I'm a traitor. No grudges, K?

So there I was, in Cambodia, rereading my copy of The Writer's Jungle the same day that, according to my Facebook feed, the author was traversing Angkor Wat (same country, for anyone not in the know). Little did I know that just weeks later I too would be at Angkor Wat and when I was it just happened to be the day before Michelle Obama. We were caught in traffic on our way out of Siem Reap while the First Lady and her entourage were coming in. You just never know who you are going to almost run into in the far away places of the world. :P lol And I apologize to anyone who can now not get song referenced in the title out of their head.

There is a book six. It was over at Queen's before the discontinuation was announced though only as a PDF. A FB comment mentioned this was due to the uncertainty surrounding continung to carry the product. Apparently people moved on to LoF and more people buy that than MLFLE because it keeps going (# of sales was another consideration mentioned).

Queen's FB page has a post about discontinuing the books (along with other books) and one consideration mentioned was that the series is not going to be completed.

I found books two and three on archive.org but not book one, and I can't access the ebooks on Google. Would anyone be generous enough with their time to get me book one somehow? I could PM you my email address unless you have a more convenient way. All I can give in return is my appreciation. ETA: Got it. Thanks! :)

I just got access to the author's FB group and while browsing through found a clarifying comment from the author about the benefits of the PDF option being that you can print it for multiple children in your family and thus save money. That clears it up I guess. :) Thanks for responding, Aiden. I had all the same thoughts and feelings. DH quickly assumed it just meant the PDF wasn't to be passed on to another household but even he saw awkwardness in the wording.

What does "one-time home use only" mean exactly? My initial thought was that I was expected to repurchase the PDF if I wanted to use it with another child but ... that's not correct ... right?

My nine year old is passionate about drawing and this year began seeking out tutorials to improve his naturally evident skill. He has always spent a lot of time drawing and has had great fine motor skills from very early on. My seven year old loves to cook. She has been a foodie since she started transitioning off breastmilk. I am thirty-something and still on the journey to finding my passion. Looking back on my own childhood, my mother did great by exposing me to a lot of different things but she pushed me to stick with nothing. I kinda wish she had but I don't fault her for not. I would have at least advanced in some skill with something theoretically. In reality, turning childhood into a battleground where I stand with a bull whip behind my tender offspring at the piano (or whatever) is not a life I choose for my family, either. Some of us need more time. Some of us need A LOT more time, and life experience, too.

We have done whatever works with the rest of our life at the time. This past year it meant taking summer off. In years past it meant schooling year round. This year we will have Aug. and Sept. off probably. Whatever happens, I "promote" in the fall and I don't plan far in advance for number of weeks on or days off.

I didn't vote. For my firstborn, 4, I think. Maybe three. Yeah, I regret it. I realized only through my own experience that his natural early knowledge and skill did not in itself signal the need to begin formal instruction. I'm thick like that. For my second born, 6. Not because I'd learned by then from my firstborn but from circumstances. On one hand I regret not starting earlier because she wanted to but then maybe she wouldn't have wanted to if her older brother wasn't. I was suffering PPD and she would have wanted anything that gave her more of my attention. My third born is 6 and has had on and off formal lessons. Same with my four year old. I suggest sometimes with the 6yo, he never really asks. My 4yo asks but is easily satisfied. My 6yo has already taught himself to read. In retrospect, I wouldn't insist on anything fromal before at least eight. Maybe nine or ten. But that is based on my own children, not something I would tell others they should do.

Yes. Pretty much everything. I have yet to solve the problem.

(For me) It isnt about belief or disbelief in a god, it's about film making/story telling. I read recenty there is a term for it—deus ex machina: (from Dictionary .com) 1.(in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot. 2.any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot. From googling It appears this was a fave episode for the majority of people posting their opinions online. I'm happy for them. :) Personally, I don't share the sentiment but I maintain high hopes for next week.