hmmm... double post.

Back in the old days, kids would start working on the family farm as early as 4 years old and go off to war at the age of 10 or 12. I just don't understand how we got to a point in our culture where our children have to be "children" until they hit 18, and if you push them too early to finish "child" things (like school) we are doing them some disservice. I'm not going to chase after wordly standards or listen to what society today says has to be the right progression. I think everybody's goal is for their child to be a functioning part of society. That is exactly what this family has done. I really could care less if my child had the perfect college experience at the age of 18-22. Unfortunately, that doesn't define a successful life, which also goes for the how competitive the college is that one is attending. Their are many kids who are wrapped up in getting into the best college and then blow off their life and not amounting to anything. Props to them to actually educating kids who are now hard working, contributing members of the world.

Love this. Bumping...

We do have Overdrive! A year ago when I was looking into all of this, Overdrive didn't have a way to download to Mac computers/devices. Since then, they have made an app. YAH!!! Now I just have to pick out what we will start with...

Thank all you ladies so much! Thank you for tracking this down!!!!!!! How well does that work? I have always wondered. We have a pretty old Kindle. Do they all do this?

This is the problem. I do not want to buy audiobooks for gifts, as I rather buy the ACTUAL books. My kids are voracious readers, so I feel the hard copy is a better investment. I would still like to supplement with audiobooks so my kids can multi-task. Cleaning room, playing quietly, etc. Ok, I need to search for this thread. 99 cents is doable.

Okay, this might be a stupid question. Someone just needs to walk me through this all. I have seen people talk about audiobooks on here for quite a while. About a year ago I was ready to set up everything and then looking into it all, it looked like it would be crazy expensive. How do you build am audiobook collection without breaking the bank? What thing (technical term, right?) do your children listen to an audiobook through? I saw someone post in another thread (I didn't want to highjack) that after bathtime, their children go into their room and start an audiobook. If I have two young girls sharing a room, what would I use to make this happen? I checked into our library and most of their books are on tape. Tape? Really? Then I looked online and macs aren't supported on their virtual library. Any suggestions?

Someone on here recommended this recently... http://unctv.pbslearningmedia.org It is free to watch and I just search for what topic I need, then narrow it down to videos for elementary. I have been using it for science. All the videos are pretty short, but it seems to be reinforcing the topics we are reading about in science. Its perfect for us!

I also plan on doing notebooking pages. I got this bundle from Currclick becasue I wasn't ready to splurge on her lifetime membership right now. As far as doing it lightly, I also should add that I only looked at their main book list, not any recommendations, unless the week looked REALLY thin.

They really don't have many books lined up each week for lower grammar. On average, there are about 3 books listed. Most are easy story books that are great read alouds. We have always read way more than this during the week. For lower grammar level, you can easily substitute books. The only reason you would need an exact book is if it is tied to questions from a student activity page. There are very few books that are needed for the SAPS and not every week has a student activity page for the lower grammar level. I made sure I had a copy of the ones tied with these pages. After I had those in hand, I checked my library, the local used bookstore, and Abe books online for either the book they recommend, or compatible titles. We read a lot, so even with all the ones they recommend each week, we will still have to add in additional read alouds. In the sense of doing it light, I am not going to feel bad if I don't get to something during the week. I have a schedule and we will get to everything that time allows. I am the exact opposite of a box checker, in that regard. Here is an article that really helped my confirm my convictions.

So, I'm in your boat and had similar thoughts. I am planning on using TOG in the future. It really has everything I am looking for... literature-based, biblically grounded, activities, all levels, etc, etc, etc. So what to use this year? I know that SOTW is great for this age, but I was not feeling it. I just knew it wouldn't get done. I can't say why, that is just how I feel. I was really leaning towards Sonlight. I was planning on a couple of cores for my oldest, then switching to TOG. Then it hit me... why am I buying something that I will never use again? If I am going to use TOG later, then why not buy it know, do TOG-light this year, get comfortable with the setup, and have the ability to read ahead if I want. So, I bit the bullet and I am so happy. We haven't started, yet, but it has the right level of hand holding I need, plus the right level of planning that I enjoy. It has a buffet that I work well with and I am already getting a feel for how the program works. I have to say that I haven't experienced the "fog" that everyone warns about because I don't have anything to stress and worry about! If we fall behind or dont get to something, its not a big deal because my children will cycle through it so many more times. Can one say it is too big of an investment if you aren't using it to the fullest THIS YEAR? I don't think so. I know I am going to get my money out of it in the end.

Love this question! :bigear:

I was actually the same way, so I am sure a child of mine will follow in line. I really do want better for my children. :bigear:

The private school my husband went to taught cursive first. Their reasoning was that it was more difficult to write letters letters backwards.

So you use their lists with the program instead of the AAS words?

I first want to say this is first time I have put two different quotes in one post. Yay me! Okay, there are several available. Is it the free version? They all seem like they come with spelling lists. Is there one that lets you use the tiles freely, outside of their directed spelling lists? We have a mandated quiet time around here for everyone. This momma needs it! It leaves me schooling when everyone is awake, so I have to find other ways to work around it!

Oh, that is such a good idea, as well. I was just looking back at AAS and I really do wish I could implement somehow in this house. Those two apps together might be just what I am looking for! Thank you ladies! (Any other suggestions are appreciated!)

Oh, she loves doing school things on the ipad. Do I need to buy anything else besides the app? Is it pretty self-explanatory without the actual program in hand?

We started with 100 EZ Lessons and my daughter just took off with it so we didn't even finish the book. I want her to know actual phonics rules, so I bought AAS. As much as I adore the program, it just wasn't reasonable with two younger children who just wanted to play with the tiles the whole time. I don't know if we need an actual teaching program, as she picks up that stuff pretty easy. Is there anything that does some kind of phonogram review? She loves workbooks and we have ETC. Does that cover all the phonograms? If not, is there something that works better? She will be in K this year, but is reading at a 2nd+ grade level and working more on a 1st grade level. (Math is a different story...)

And this... Accordion Timeline

This is a good link to check out with many ideas. Searching for that perfect timeline

I am wondering te same thing, as I keep looking into them every day. If it is for history, have you checked out history scribe? You can get it for 99 cents right now on currclick. It's by Westvon Publishing. The only reason I am not going with these as you have to draw a picture for each one and I'm not sure if that would stress my daughter out more.

My oldest is reading and spelling well, and I am looking to start with some kind of LA this fall. I want something workbook-based, as this is the kid who has blown through almost $50 worth of dollar store workbooks. She just digs that stuff. I have a friend who is using Sonlight Core A. I know a lot of people dislike their LA, but it looked like exactly what I needed. I mean, I only looked at the first page, so I'm obviously not drawing any conclusion about the program. It went something like... copy a sentence, write your name, box the capital letters, notice that names and sentences start with capitals. (We are not using Sonlight, though.) So, I'm looking for... -workbook based -entry level -solid program -nothing that gets too hard too fast Is there a program someone is raving about, or should I just get an Evan-Moor book? And do we need a writing program, as well?

Thank you!!!

I just thought I would bring this up. Maybe it has already been mentioned. I am trying to search reviews of Mr. Q Science Curriculum. Unfortunately, I cannot search for reviews because I was told that... 1. The following search terms are not allowed and were removed from your query: q 2. One or all of your search keywords were below 3 characters or you searched for words which are not allowed, such as 'html', 'img', etc, please increase the length of these search keywords or choose different keywords. Without "Mr." and "Q" all you have is science. That obviously won't give me what I need. So, basically there is no way to search for Mr. Q?