Also there is a Schoolhouse Rock audio version. As a parent, I find this particularly fun to listen to! "I'm just a bill..."

Beethovens wig CDs are fun--listen to classical music and learn about composers. Some songs are silly and not so educational though. It's a mix. My kids love them! Also agreeing on the Classical Kids series which are stories and music based on the life of one composer. We love them all, but Mozart is our fave!

Hmmm… this has been an interesting thread. It's making me rethink my science plan for next year. What about the Magic School Bus science books and the Let's Read and Find Out series? Would those work for the younger set? (like age 5) And then of course progress to more difficult books? (not necessarily for you, OP, as it sounds like you are looking for more. Just speaking in general) What would be a good progression of science books? I remember seeing a progression Ruth (I think) wrote about classic literature. Is there some sort of progression for science living books? I particularly like larger books or books in a series because we can use them for a longer period without having to think of what's next, IYKWIM? Any thoughts? Edited to correct typos

Also homeschool bits has continent lapbooks on currclick. Right now they are $.25 each. So you could get all of them for less than $2! Their lapbooks are more basic and simpler, so depending on what you want that could be good or bad! I just bought a whole bunch myself when they were having the $.10 sale because I have a dd that's crazy about lapbooks, and I think she could assemble most of it herself.

My kids have really enjoyed the Geopuzzles also! I I got some ideas on how to use them that have really brought their enjoyment to the next level. First, we assemble the puzzle. I had to help with this at first but now dd8 can do it on her own (dd5 still needs a bit of help). Then one of my dd's leaves the room, and we pull out 4-5 of the countries (or states/provinces for North America). Then she comes back and has to figure out what we've pulled out. As she remembers them, we pop them back in. She likes to pull out the hardest-to-remember countries when it's my turn. Sometimes we pull out oceans too. Another idea is to mix the Geopuzzles together. Then have them sort by continent prior to making the puzzle. Also I think Beautiful Feet has a geography study using living books. It might be for a slightly older grade level, though.

I find this so inspiring--thank you for writing out the details. One thought I had was to use The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease Instructor Text by SWB. I think this was mentioned upthread, but it can be easily confused with the WWE workbooks. This smaller hardback book covers narration, copywork and dictation, but you pick the passages from your own texts. It's just a good guide to make sure skills are being covered incrementally. It doesn't really cover grammar, though. As far as literary elements, I think a "teach the teacher" approach might work. Perhaps start with Deconstructing Penguins as its cheaper ($10?) and a quicker study. For writing, maybe a Bravewriter freewriting approach or some interest-led writing projects? There are lots of ideas and freebies on the bravewriter website. Thanks for starting this thread--I've been looking at all sorts of options for language arts, and this gives me some new ideas. Hmmmm...

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I was looking at a bunch of samples tonight, and it's all coming together (I think). :)

My dd8 will be starting 3rd grade in the fall. So far, we have been doing the FLL/WWE/AAS combo and that has mostly been going well. After reading all the threads on Classical Academic Press Writing & Rhetoric Fables, I think it might be the perfect fit. It just really sounds refreshing and different, plus it adds practice in some skills we haven't yet approached (elocution, word play, and probably a few others). So now I am trying to build our language arts lineup around CAP W&R Fables/Narrative. I want to keep it as efficient as possible (i.e. not too much overlap) with an eye towards beauty/virtue (yes, I've been reading all the lovely Circe threads). I will have a 1st grader and two other littles running around, so I feel the need to maximize the time I have allotted for dd8. I *think* we will keep AAS, but what else do I need? Would WWE3 be too redundant? What skills are taught in WWE3 that would not be taught in Fables? Also, does CAP Fables teach any grammar or punctuation? What's your best scenario language arts combo that utilizes CAP W&R Fables? Thanks in advance!

Thank you both! I had been looking for it too!

My library has the NEST dvd's--short 30 minute cartoon biographies on historical figures. They cover a range--Helen Keller, Galileo, beethoven, Ben Franklin to name a few. My kids love them. I think there are maybe 20 different ones? Last time I checked they were relatively pricy, but I never bought them because my local library has them all. Hope that helps.

The 3-disc audio cd set definitely has the timeline song. I believe the resource cd has sheets you print out--not sure if it has audio. C3 is great but time consuming to get all the tracks that are on the cd.

This is a great blog post to help you with some of your history questions. It's more specific to sotw, but I think you could still apply these thoughts to moh. http://mthopeacademy.blogspot.com/2013/08/history-studies-integrating-cc-and-sotw.html?m=1 Hope that helps

Any news yet? Curious if this will come out this month.

I also like to print out the public school schedule so I know which days they have off. That way I know when the local zoo, science center, etc. will be more crowded. I keep all sports schedules in my binder too for easy reference.

Thanks so much for the info. It helps a lot!

Thank you! That is tremendously helpful. Is the old version the one with the big green tree on the cover? Also are stories repeated? In other words, is the (story/legends) content in grade 1 included with the grade 2 book? Sorry if that sounds like a crazy question, but I'm not able to flip through it myself. :)

What are the differences in the different editions of the Core Knowledge (What Your --Grader Needs to Know) series? I see a 1998 version and a 2010 version. Also, if I'm starting with a 2nd grader do I need to do the K and 1st books first? I won't be using the whole book, just the language arts section (poetry, stories, sayings, etc.) Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Stack the States and Stack the Countries apps. Also there was a thread recently for the "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" DVD set. I just got mine--it was really inexpensive on Amazon. I can't check now, so I'm not positive, but I think it was $5.99 for 14 hours of episodes. The animation is a little dated, but my kids are still loving it.

Stack the States and Stack the Countries apps. Also there was a thread recently for the "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" DVD set. I just got mine--it was really inexpensive on Amazon. I can't check now, so I'm not positive, but I think it was $5.99 for 14 hours of episodes. The animation is a little dated, but my kids are still loving it.

If you are going to do this (which is a lot since RS is soooo hands on), I would recommend starting with Right Start B. It has all the concepts of A, but faster. I'm using both, but in a different way. My main spine is Right Start, and I bought the Singapore workbooks for extra practice. We are finishing up RSB and Singapore level 1 right now, and it has worked well. I haven't gotten to Singapore 3 yet, so can't comment on that. I don't think the revised versions of Right Start B and beyond are out yet. As far as I know, just A.

Thanks for all the input! I think the "without requiring it" part is key for us. My plan (so far) is to use it for history, and possibly science. So is this different from notebooking, or are they kind of the same thing? I guess when I think notebooking, I immediately think of cute corresponding notebook pages to download. Nice, but a lot of extra work on my part. But maybe I should just be thinking of it as "drawing and writing something you remember from our reading." Hmmm...still thinking about how to incorporate this on a daily basis. Do you use blank notebooks or just blank paper and a binder? How does the child know what to draw if you are holding the book? Yes, it may seem obvious if you've been doing it for a while, but these little details help! Thanks!

I came across this quote on the Ellen McHenry website (describing the Mapping the World with Art program) , and it made me pause. "Each drawing lesson has step-by-step pictures that guide the student as they draw an area of the world from scratch (starting with nothing but a blank piece of paper). This method of learning is absolutely ideal for kinetic learners, but I have found it extremely effective for all types of learners. (I found it so effective that after writing “Mapping the World†I now use at least one “draw-from-scratch†activity in every subject I teach.) " (emphasis added) So I thought I would ask, how have you incorporated drawing in other subjects to increase learning and aid in memory retention?

That one looked interesting. They also have a book that is geared to the Western Hemisphere. I don't think it will work for my needs, but here is the link in case it is helpful to someone else. You can preview the entire 100+ page book on the Carson Dellosa site. http://www.carsondel...sourceBook/1575

Interested in this too! Following.

Thank you for this encouragement! I bolded my favorite parts of what you said. It's kind of what I guessed would be true, but I appreciate hearing it from someone who is a few years ahead of me in this homeschool journey. I'm amazed at how little world history I know, so I figure that if my children will truly learn and know the timeline and each cycle's history sentences, they will be eons ahead of most, and that will help them tremendously when they get into the upper grades and college.