I haven't used FUFI but did use the VP guide. The games in the guide are fun but that's about all we used (and the appendix for creating our own Narnia timeline). At the most we did a few comp. questions orally. I highly recommend Roar! A Christian Family's Guide to Narnia - we used that with every chapter.

I agree! We prefer to read books like that for enjoyment first. Then, later on, we read them again planning to go deeper. We've read aloud and listened to the audio dramas of the Chronicles of Narnia so many times and this past year we finally read them again with the intention of discussing the characters and their choices, etc. But by then my daughter was so familiar with the story that she really enjoyed doing it. I plan to do the same with books like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

5th grader here - math (45 min - 1 hour) content subject/reading (1 1/2 hours) - we alternate weekly between history, science, and interest-led lunch afternoon meeting (30 min) - Bible, read aloud, etc. foreign languages & language arts (1 hour) - whatever work I need to go over with her independent work & reading (1 - 1 1/2 hrs) - depending on the length of daily assignments

Here are a few that I really like that I didn't see mentioned: Confessions of a Homeschooler Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus Aspired Living Education Possible Hodgepodge Not Consumed Classically Homeschooling The Planted Trees Sandbox to Socrates

We do daily recitation as well. I like to use the SCM method (I use a binder instead of a box and index cards). Nothing to buy - just memorize what we like. Here's what we've done each year: First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade

I had no luck finding a place to purchase in Canada. Do you live near the border? I ended up using a mailing company across the border and had things mailed there. I know the RightStart website sells downloadable version of the student workbooks, perhaps they offer other things now as well.

We're studying ancients this year and we're using the Dorothy Mills books as spines. I haven't seen her MA or RR books but I think they could work for what you want, if they are like the ancients books. They are not religious though. But you could add in that with a few other books (the Withrow series, 100 Most Important Events in Church history, etc.) I think her writing style is good, it's clear and covers a lot of content. Your 7th grader could read it independently but you might want to read aloud to your 4th grader. I do a mix of both with my daughter (5th grade). I'll read longer sections out loud and then have her read shorter sections. We're liking the ancients book and I plan to continue with her books next year.

We're finishing AAS 7 this year. I have no plans to use Vocab from Classical Roots when we're done. I owned the first 2 books and thought they weren't worth the time since we are studying Latin. If you aren't doing Latin then I think the vocab program could be useful.

I used all three of those programs. I skipped the copywork and dictation in FLL all together because I knew we were covering it very well with WWE and AAS. Depending on how my dd did with her spelling words, I would reduce the amount of dictation (we'd generally do about 2 sentences from AAS 3 times a week). I basically tried to spread out all the writing over the week so we didn't have all of it falling on one day. It's not hard incorporating all three, knowing that they are tackling different skills. I think you just need to be aware of how much writing your child can tolerate.

I don't see a problem with her rereading books you've already read to her. She'll probably enjoy them just as well since she's familiar with the story. Here's a list of our favorites - favorite first chapter book series for girls.

I believe it's the oral drill that's supposed to be before the quiz. The vocab drill is another of those sections in the back of the student book, after the grammar questions. Yes, I do both. On day one we watch the DVD (I have the teacher's book open to that lesson so I can read and take notes). The next day I present the full lesson from the teacher's manual, following the numbers. 1 - oral recitation/review, 2 - Latin saying, 3 - vocab, etc. I think it helps us both. The DVD is sort of our 'introduction' to the week's material. Then the next day we dig into the lesson and discuss, write out conjugations on the white board, recite, etc. Doing a little bit every day and constantly reviewing/reciting is really helping.

First Form is a definite adjustment after doing Prima & Latina C. But, it's solid and you will have the grammar forms down cold with this program. I had to sit down with all the pieces and work out a schedule so we were doing plenty of drill. Here's what we've ended up with: Day 1 - DVD, workbook pages 1 & 4, quiz the vocab drill Day 2- Teach the lesson from the manual, listen & recite with the CD, workbook page 2 Day 3 - Grammar Questions, vocab flashcards, and workbook page 3 Day 4 - grammar forms recitation with flashcards, vocab drill, workbook pages 5 & 6 Day 5 - Latin sayings flashcards, oral drill, quiz It helps too if I can at least study the lesson a week ahead and look over the workbook pages. I'm seriously considering getting a second workbook (for me!) when we get to second form Latin.

Very brief? :-) Cultural literacy.

We've cobbled together our own plans using Truthquest as a (very loose) framework, the ideas in The Well-Trained Mind, and lots of books and resources.

We really liked the Magic School Bus Chemistry Kit. Everything but some basic household things are in the kit. I combined it with ideas from The Well-Trained Mind - writing out the steps to the experiment, looking up definitions, and drawing diagrams. My daughter would do one of the experiments, fill out an experiment page and I'd choose a few words for her look up (usually taken from the MSB experiment card) in the encyclopedia and make a definition page. She had a lot of fun that year.

Love it! Yes, it takes work. Lots of work. You win the most concise answer award! :thumbup:

For me, rest means that I'm not frantically trying to cram too much into my day. I'm learning (continually) to pare down what we work on to the essentials, leaving us more time for discussion and interest-led activities. That means less stress and more learning for both of us. Having that work pared down also creates less of a "let's check this off the list and move on" mentality, which creates a lot of stress in our home. Preparedness is also a huge, huge part of it for me. I'm less stressed and more "restful" in my teaching if I'm prepared ahead of time and not flying by the seat of my pants. On the other hand, getting to that point doesn't feel very restful (all the reading and thinking and preparing...) :-)

We just had our first week back to and even with so many new subjects and a totally different schedule it went so well!

I'd say horizons or BJU depending on what YOU need, as the teacher. I really like horizons but I'm not a mathy mom and their teacher's manuals are no help to me. I've never used BJU (I did take a serious look at it after we finished the RightStart sequence) but I always hear great things about it.

BJU or RightStart if you're looking for scripted.

30 minutes free reading time (wiggly child who doesn't love to read, I keep a basket of books near the couch, dd can choose what she wants to read). This doesn't include assigned reading for history or other subjects. I plan to bring it up to 1 hour by the end of 5th grade.

Here's a list of our favorite elementary read alouds.

I like the Blast Off series too - there are 3 books in the series - Logic Countdown, Logic Liftoff, Orbiting with Logic Perfect for the grades you're looking for, good variety of logic problems and puzzles.

Last day! Today I'm giving away the first book in the SQUILT music appreciation series.

Day 4 - the Verbal Math Lesson. One more day to go!