For 3rd and 5th this year we are using: Geography Through Literature Study Guide by Beautiful Feet. I absolutely love the books by Holling (we've read them before.) But usually what we do is just look up on the globe or a map wherever it is we are learning about in history. Honestly, the thing that has taught them the most was our world and U.S. placemats. I planned to have them learn all the states and capitals to go along with our history this year and was showing them the maps I bought for it, and they proceded to identify every single state. :001_huh: They picked that up completely from our placemats. I told my dh that it's a shame I can't do that for all subjects. :D

Well, you could add art and science(but theater is a form of art, so I don't know that you "need" it.

You'll have to let me know how you like it! I was very impressed with the price! :D It's even less than Artistic Pursuits (which is what I've used in the past) but it's VIDEO. Art is the one thing I really do NOT like to teach...a video would be wonderful..... I might try out the sample lessons with my kids before school starts and see what they think. :001_smile:

I stumbled across this on pinterest. Has anyone used this before? It is only $25 for a year and it's a DVD course. I'm wondering if the quality of the dvds is good and also if the projects are engaging. Here's a link

My absolute favorite series way back when I was in middle school was the Dark is Rising series (fantasy). (I think SWB even mentioned it somewhere in WTM, but I couldn't tell you where.)

here is one: http://tipgarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/one-pot-mac-and-cheese.html We like it but it might not need to cook as long as the recipe says, depending on how fast your crockpot cooks. I think it was all finished in 2 1/2 to 3 hrs in my crockpot. ETA: The nice thing about this recipe is you don't have to cook the noodles-just throw it all in the crockpot.

Wow! Great idea! I'd love to do the HP school, but dh and I aren't letting the kids read the HP books quite yet.... but they love Spiderwick!!

This. We tried using just SOTW one year, and the kids wanted more depth. So I pick an inexpensive guide to help me plan so I don't forget anything important (history is not a strength of mine.) Then I pull from the book lists like AO, BF, Sonlight, VP etc. I see what my library has first and preread some of the ones we would be reading for a long time to decide if I'd rather just buy them. We used the SCM guide last year (only $15!) for Middle Ages, and this year I'm using Truthquest b/c I liked their choices for spines better for Early American. I probably won't continue to plan my own in middle school on up, but I just hate paying all that money for a program for elementary. ETA: As far as planning out the whole year, usually only planning about 9-18 weeks works best for our family (books end up taking longer or shorter than I think, you'll find something extra at the library, or a cool video you want to add in from Netflix, things like that.) When I've planned an entire year at a time, it has never once happened the way I planned. :) I just try to decide where in history we want to be at for the end of the year, then plan a quarter at a time.

Mine is in my signature. :001_smile:

This was great! :D And great timing for me to read since I've been trying to decide all week if I should place another RR order (to get extra math, extra writing and extra mapwork...I already have what I "need" for the fall) :tongue_smilie::lol:

My dh wouldn't even let me TRY that one. (The only thing he has put his foot down about for homeschooling...) :lol:

I think mine is all in my siggy. Still trying to decide on math for sure....MM is not his favorite, but it is what I already have.

We will do science 5 days per week and history 4 (Friday we will be doing BF Geography instead of history.) We tried alternating a couple of years back, but found we'd rather do each daily.

I use to let mine sleep in, but last year we started waking them up if they weren't up by 7. We have an early bedtime, so they get plenty of sleep.

We have a basket in the kitchen that is used at different times during the day. :001_smile: After Breakfast: Bible (this year it will actually be Who Is God by Apologia) Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow A binder that includes: Poetry from AO that I've printed out Hymns (AO) Folksongs (AO) Memory Work (Poems, History things etc.) Wee Sing America CD Awana books (We only read one poem per day and sing one of the above songs.) During Snack: McGuffey Readers (one eats while the other reads then they switch.) Story of the Orchestra (once per week) Pictures for our picture study (and notes)-once per week Composer of the week notes and CD During Lunch I read: Pilgrim's Progress Tales from Shakespeare Parables from Nature Study Plutarch Wisdom and the Millers (only 1 per day) I'm thinking I might put the music on my ipod and just keep that in the basket this fall.

We use both. It's a good combo, IMO.

We do science daily and read about 2-3 pgs per day. Activities and experiments get one day each with no reading those days. It takes us about 25 weeks to get through a book this way, and then we do a different science for the rest of the year. The short daily lessons helped my kids with retention. When we tried to only use the books twice a week, mine would forget too much.

Actually, the books were written to be used one per year. For second grade I think one book would be a good pace. There is a lot of info in there so you don't want to rush. We usually do one book in a semester but my oldest is going into fifth.

I'm excited about some of the fun things I have to go with science (rocket kit, grow a frog kit, k-nex education gears kit.). Also, I bought some fun science stuff for the first week of school (root beer and bubblegum kits).

:party: The best part of the year!

We used it through level E (4th grade). I added some extra drill and some sheets from MM b/c with co-op it was hard for us to fit in the games too often. I'm skipping level G for the time being b/c I want to spend more time on long division, fractions, and decimals (and this ds doesn't really like the geometry lessons anyway.) I really liked the way they covered fractions in RS. ETA: Sorry, just realized I was on the logic stage board! level G was probably what you were wondering about! :)

Personally, I'd drop the Mosdos. If you're doing the three novels w/ MCT, then I'd just pick some other books to fill in the rest of the year (your choice or his) and discuss them orally. You could easily cover vocab, lit. analysis etc this way. I wouldn't want to add "busy work" type writing when you're doing Aesop (and I would consider "fill in the blank" worksheets "busy work" for lit.) (Not that I should talk...I have 2 science, 2 math, 2 history, AHHHHH!!! Maybe YOU should read my curr. choices and help ME cut stuff somewhere.....Nevermind that, I want to DO IT ALL!!) :)

Here's what my 3rd gr. will be reading this fall: Charlotte's Web American Tall Tales Stuart Little Homer Price Misty of the Chincoteague Little House in the Big Woods Little House on the Prairie Alice in Wonderland Christian Liberty Nature Reader #3. Some of these, like Alice in Wonderland we will "buddy read", and will be a challenge. I also like Bevery Cleary books for this age.

Mainly sports b/c that's what interests my boys (soccer and swim lessons). I'd like to start music lessons, but they haven't been very interested and DH says not to sign them up if they're not. :glare: Also Awana, but that technically has very little cost...the main cost comes from me being a leader and helping supply all the prizes and snacks each year. We've also done art classes through the local parks dept.

We are going to re-read it next year for my 8 and 10 yr old. Love it!!!