Thanks, Moira... this is exactly what I was hoping to hear!

Or are you finding that the writing component is sufficient? We're only on lesson 6, and so far I haven't added any drills to ds's daily routine... I'm just wondering if any of you who are farther along have found that necessary?

I'll place another vote for Horizons-- I've used the early grades w/ both my boys and have been extremely pleased. Check it out!

My son writes directly on the printed pages. I'll reprint all the pages w/ writing on them for my next ds to use next year. I have read somewhere that someone uses page protectors, thus allowing dc to write directly on the sheets, then erase for the next child to use. Sounds like a good idea to me; I've just never found the time to do it!

As the other posters have said, LL is perfect for the ages of your dc. We've been using it this year w/ much success (and we've been enjoying it a ton!). We had completed PL and the first half of LC1, but like you, we needed a change-- LL has been like a breath of fresh air! Jump in... you'll love it!

My oldest two boys (7 & 9): ~swim competitively year round, 3 practices/week during the school year, every day in the summer. ~play fall and spring soccer ~participate in the Creative Arts Club at church ~participate in AWANA at church (my 3yo does this, too) Next fall when my little guy starts soccer, life will go from chaotic to even moreso...I just can't imagine what things will look like when our 4 month old gets older!

Virginia. Formerly Virginia Beach; now the northern part of the state (the Washington DC area).

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but we've been using a Horizons/ Singapore combo for a few years now and it works well; the two programs complement each other very nicely. I don't worry about matching topics; my boys just do a lesson in each every day.

Ooh! I second Rhesa's recommendation of the Sandra Markle books... she has a series on animal scavengers, one on predators, and another on prey. She also has a few animal stories out, as well. These are illustrated beautifully, while the 3 series above are filled w/ wonderful photos. My boys *love* these and have learned a ton!

Just to mention another option-- you could always purchase Rod & Staff 3 for your third grader instead of FLL. We've been very pleased w/ it-- it's very thorough and easy to use, and w/ it, my son now has a very solid foundation.

I use the library as much as possible. A few books I'll purchase-- spines, encyclopedias, our very favorites-- but between a couple very good library systems and ILL, I'm able to get pretty much everything I need. And seeing as our central branch is only 2 miles from our house, it's no hardship for us to make several trips a week. I reserve all our books online; the librarians collect them behind the desk and are then very happy to see me coming-- they're anxious to reclaim that large space on their shelf!

My boys *really* like these! We have several sets-- I think their favorites are the American Revolution set and the Medieval Ages one. It's amazing how much they already know from our studies, and how many extra tidbits they pick up from playing the games over and over and over again. We often take them with us to swim meets in the summer and it's fun to watch all their friends (who aren't homeschooled) gather round to play a game or two in between their races. I highly recommend them!

Your son might enjoy Boys Life-- my boys (7 & 9) received a subscription from their Grandpa and they really like it, though I think they mostly flip through and look at the pics as opposed to actually reading the articles! Your Big Backyard & Ranger Rick are also great!

Thanks, Stacia... that helps a lot!

I'm finalizing my shopping list for next year and would love to hear your recs. Thanks!

Wow!! Thank you so much for all your thoughtful responses! You've given me much food for thought, which is exactly what I wanted and needed. I'll start praying! And then I'll do a bit more research to prevent an impulsive decision... that never works out well for me! Blessings! Heather

Thanks *so* much, Elizabeth... everything you said resonated w/ me! And isn't it just crazy that we can't find what we want-- for this age, I don't think we're being too picky, lol! I think the main reason I haven't taken the plunge w/ Sonlight is b/c I really do like all the reading selections TQ provides. Like you said, I'd miss that w/ Sonlight, I think. I look at the catalog and, while their books do look wonderful, I end up thinking, "Is that all? Where are all the other books?" If I go that route, I don't want to have to flesh it out more-- that defeats the purpose. So perhaps I'll just check out Landmark. I've never seen it, and from what I hear, some like it , some don't, but at least it's not the same expense as an entire core. I think right now I'm just in the hand-holding stage. With a newborn and 3 other littles, I don't have the time I used to to sit and plan, lol! You know, perhaps I'll just look at Tami's schedule again, or even my own. The one I made used the VP cards for structure, just like you said, 1 card a week, but what threw me was the disconnectedness, just like you mentioned. I'd see all these other topics in the TQ guide w/ no mention of them in the cards and I'd end up thinking, "How can we possibly we skip that?" So I guess my problem there is that I'm having trouble picking and choosing what we need to cover and what we can skip. Oh... I'm rambling... Time to think and pray! Thanks again, Elizabeth-- as always, you've given me much food for thought! Have a super day! Heather P.S. When's your little one due? I just recently noticed in your signature that you're pregnant-- I know, I'm way behind the times here, but congrats!!! We just had another little one 3 months again and while she has certainly added to my work load, she's been a wonderful blessing. Children truly are a gift from the Lord!

will you please tell me why?? I'm thinking about trying Core 3 w/ my boys (I've heard so many wonderful things about it and my own history plans are not working out so well, lol), but I'm not yet convinced that Sonlight is for me/us. So... please share-- if you've tried it in the past, or looked in to it but went another route, what turned you off to it? Why did it not work for you??

Thanks, Vicki! Guerber is one of the many spines I have and I think it would work better for my boys as you've used it... as an enrichment-- a section here, a section there. Some of it they've enjoyed, but the majority induces a coma-like state in them, lol! Just this morning, in fact, I finally decided to put it aside for now-- I was just wasting my breath! Anywoo, I think i'll try and find a sample of the Abeka text online. Perhaps it'll be just the right thing for us, too :o)

I'm struggling this year w/ my own American history plans (sticking to them, that is) and am considering Sonlight 3 to follow up w/ Core 4 next year. I'm still not certain Sonlight's the best fit for us, though, so I haven't purchased anything yet. In my ponderings, I remembered that you were using, or were planning to use, Abeka's 4th grade history text... did/does your dd enjoy it? My problem is this... I've been using TQ w/ too many spines-- the jumping back and forth from text to text is too much right now, though I still love all the smaller books. So I'm not sure if I just need a different spine--- 1 spine!-- to organize and plan around, or if I'd enjoy the structure Sonlight provides... Anyway, I'd love to hear your opinions on the Abeka text when you have a spare second. Thanks!

We've been using Horizons and Singapore together since Day 1... I don't try to match up topics; we just work straight through both texts, a lesson in each text every day. I've been very pleased w/ this combo! We also use the Intensive Practice and the Challenging Word Problems books from Singapore when we need to kick things up a notch. Check them out-- they're great!

We have used the Explorers CD and the Colonial Times one, as well... the quality is top notch! The creator, Amy Pak, includes 25 lesson plans for you to follow, but I found myself picking and choosing which projects I wanted to do, depending on my mood and my boys' interests. The directions are super easy to follow and the variety of activities is wonderful-- more than we needed, in fact, but choices are always nice :o) Anyway-- this series is wonderful... I highly recommend it!

Oooh! I forgot The Sign of the Beaver & The Great Turkey Walk--- we *loved* both. Two very different books, but both great! We haven't gotten to Johnny Tremain yet, but I'm sure it'll be a big hit, too.

We're studying American history now, as well, and we've uncovered a few good ones. The Sonlight catalog is certainly a great place to start; check out the listings for Cores 3 & 4. Two favorites as of yet== Naya Nuki by Kenneth Thomasma and Om-kas-toe, by the same author. Also, we read 2 books that I found in the Winter Promise catalog... Blood on the River: James Town 1607 by Elisa Carbone & Flaming Arrows by William O. Steele. Both were big hits! (My boys weren't excited about Blood on the River when I pulled it out b/c we had studied Jamestown ad nauseum and they were over it! The title alone convinced them to hang in, go figure :o) Anyway... they loved it!!) I have a couple others on my list from the WP catalog, but the rest of our readings will come from Sonlight. They're just that good!

The Great Turkey Walk Because of Winn-Dixie The Tale of Despereaux The Trumpet of the Swan The Penderwicks The Cricket in Times Square A Little Princess Walk the World's Rim Blood on the River: James Town 1607