Hi, we are taking a road trip tomorrow, would love to find audio book kid friendly (boys 8 and 10) on the American revolution. Any recommendations? Thanks so much!

Hi, just wondering if anyone has any recommendations of audio books that we can listen to on our road trip? Would love it to revolve around History since I have yet to add our Mystery of History to our schedule (new to HS, this is my second month), but any learning audio books would be great! I have 2 boys, 8 and 10...thank you so much!

Thanks! That makes me feel better about not moving too fast with Winston. Do you have a writting program that you love?

Thanks again! I just reviewed Grammarland and ordered it on Amazon. I love the idea of it!

Thanks so much! I will check out all of this info. I am starting to get overwhelmed and have yet to add in our history or science...yikes! Plan to very soon! Actually just finished grammar with them and my second grader is doing much better than my 4th. I had my 4th grader do additional worksheets on adverbs, after we already did a few together, and when he gets the sheet he says, "what's an adverb again?" as if we didn't just spend 30 minutes on it! I feel like he just doesn't care, therefore not trying...ugh! Anyways, just venting...sorry :-) Thank you all for the info!

I am new to homeschooling 5th week (so not experienced) and I use RSD with my 4th grader son. You are instructed to do the transitional phases first if you are new to RS to help you understand the program and how to use the abacus. We are still in the transitional phase, so I don't feel like we have gotten into the meat of it yet. I can say from my limited experience that I get frustrated trying to learn the new way of learning with the manipulatives, but also see the benefit of it all, which is why I am sticking with it. Right now bc we are in the transitional phase he can basically do everything we do without the abacus, but we have to learn how to do it with the abacus. I just hope he isn't getting behind during this transitional phase. But like I said, I believe (and hope) it will be worth all the frustration in the end :-)

Thanks so much for all the feedback. I added all to my reading list for Christmas and we just started the Best Christmas Pageant Ever last night. I also ordered the Lion in the Box on Amazon ( our library did not have it :-( so I am looking forward to all the new reads :-).

This is my 5th week of homeschooling my 2 boys (2nd and 4th grade) and I still am not sure how it is going. I love it but feel like some things just aren't right, but really have nothing to base it on. We are using WWE 2 for both boys ( we started WWE 4 with my 4th grader but it seemed too advanced so switched). We are doing ok with WWE 2 but I wonder if they should also be learning how to write (paragraphs, intro, conclusion, ect) or if that is covered later in WWE? Also, we are using basic Winston grammar for both boys. They are doing good with it but this week we are starting to learn about modifiers. This seems advanced for a second grader, but again, I have nothing to base that opinion on. I got on the Winston grammar website and it indicated that abstract grammar should begin in 5th grade. I decided to print off review worksheets for this week because I believe it could only help, but I am not sure how far to go in the Winston grammar book, or if i finish it if i should go up to the next level or stick to review of the basic book. Honestly, my second grader seems to "get it" more than my 4th grader. Any opinions? When I talk to friends in ps schools they say their children can label the entire sentence, so that contradicts the abstract thinking statement by Winston. So I guess my question is should I continue on with the basic grammar book, where to go from there for next year, and should we add in more writing or is WWE 2 all they need? Thanks so much for any feedback. As much as I love this new journey, I can't help but to doubt myself sometimes. I don't want them to miss something because I don't know what I'm doing :-).

Hi, I am new to HS'ing and still trying to figure things out. We are going on our 4th week, and I really have no idea if I'm doing it right. We have yet to add in Science and History, but are hopeful to get it in very soon. Anyway,is there a fun literature type read aloud book for Christmas? My boys are 8 and 10. Also, is there a good web site for teaching how to write stories? We are using WWE 2 but it doesn't explain structure of a story (intro, conclusion, ect.). Thanks so much for all the help! I feel like I am getting burnt out and I haven't even gotten into a good routine yet. I find myself just wanting to decorate my house for Christmas and do fun Christmas stuff with them :-). Any advice is welcome.

This is my 3rd day of homeschooling and we are adding in a new subject everyday, but does it really take all day? Now I'm getting scared :-0

Thanks guys! I am going to check those out now. And creating a folder for each subject sounds good too.

Good morning, So excited I got an iPad yesterday on my second day of HS! Any educational apps for the kids or homeschool apps I should get. I downloaded stack the states and rocket math but have not used them yet. Also downloaded level finder (for the grade level of books for the kids) and accelerated reader, but I can not figure out how to get on the accelerated reader page (can't see where to sign up). Today will be day three for me. I am adding a new subject in everyday. So far I am loving it! Thanks for everyone's support!

Thank you for all the encouragement! What a wonderful thing to wake up to! I am excited! Thank you so much!

All the curriculum is ordered for my 2nd and 4th grade boys, Friday was their last day of school and tomorrow is our first day of HS. I am excited and nervous. I keep reading about taking it easy the first few weeks and adding things in slowly...is this really ok? I've heard that it is even a good thing to do so we can all adjust to the change. And as good as this sounds, I kind of feel like I am not doing my job if I take it too easy. Thoughts????

oh boy, i should have known that one :-) thanks!

thanks s o much! is there a good program that works well with winston grammar for writing? i forgot to mention we are also doing handwriting without tears, but if i understand right it is just learning cursive and correct way to form letters. i will check out the swb...what does that stand for? :-) i am still learning all the abbreviations :-)

also, when i get a reply to this post do i get some kind of a notification or do i just have to find it on the forum and check? i'm new to this...sorry :-)

yikes, i just placed all my orders today for our curriculum for my two boys (8 and 10). i am always concerned i am not covering it all. can you look at the curriculum and make sure it is a full curriculum. do i need to add to it. it doesn't look like i have any vocabulary or writing, but i'm not sure what year we need that. 10 year old boy... winston grammar spelling power rightstart math apologia zoology 1 mystery of history 8 year old boy... winston grammar spelling power saxon math apologia zoology 1 mystery of history do i need to add writing and vocabulary to this or does it come in later years? does mystery of history also cover geography and social studies? i will begin this journey in 2 weeks. thanks so much!

Thank you all so much for your help. I am going to look at FLL as suggested and add in some read a louds. My boys are good readers and enjoy reading, but what they read is fictional fun stories (2nd grader is reading Jack Russell detective and 4th grader is reading a series of unfortunate events). I will try to add in some of your suggestions and see how it goes. Any other suggestions for a "wiggly willy" 4th grader for grammar and composition? I plan on adding in spelling power and handwritting without tears, does this make it a full language arts? Do I need to add vocabulary? Do you think Mystery of History or Story of the world is best for a brand new homeschooler? I have to admit I am not a strong History person and the word "ancient" and thinking about reading about doesn't excite me. I don't know what it is, just not my favorite subject but I will do what I have to do to teach them and learn along with them :) Again, thank you so much for all the awesome responses.

Hi, I am planning on taking my boys out of school next week for fall break and start to HS them. They are 8 and 10 (2nd and 4th grade). I have researched curriculum like crazy and just when I think I have my mind made up I stress out and second guess myself. I am terrified of doing it wrong. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on curriculum. My 10 year old struggles in school and would be classified as a "wiggly willy" for those who are familiar with Cathy Duffy's book. He is very smart, just depends on if he enjoys what he is learning (and the way he is learning). This is what I was thinking... Math~ Math U see Language Arts~ Rod and Staff (however I am a little nervous about this choice...not excited about sentence diagramming but am looking for a full language arts curriculum). Also looked at Winston Grammar but doesn't seem to cover it all. Spelling~ Spelling Power History~ Mystery of History (to be done with 2nd grader) Science~ Apologia (to do with 2nd grader) Handwritting~ Handwritting without tears Is this a full curriculum for a 4th grader? I want to make sure I cover all the subjects that I should be. My 2nd grader is a rule follower, people pleaser kind of learner. He would be considered a "Perfect Paul"... I was thinking the same curriculum for him for all except Math. For Math I was considering Horizons. I thought I could do Science, History and Handwritting together. Math and Language arts separate. Does Mystery of History include geography and social studies or is that another curriculum... Thanks so much in advance for any advice. I am a little overwhelmed now that it is going to become a reality :-)