We also weaned away from a SL-heavy approach, to a more eclectic approach that incorporates what works for us from SL (while also using non-SL things as well). We never did like SL-LA- we use FLL, WWE, Zaner Bloser cursive, AAS, ETC, and SL readers (with whatever reading instruction book works- so far each child has done better with a different book). For all of my kids, we are relaxed in our approach and don't do anything formal until 1st grade (although they usually want to tag along quite a bit so they do some K level materials as desired, and they always sit in on read alouds). So we did SL P3/4 and P4/5 (just reading the books, never bothered with the guides/IG). I did do Core A with my oldest, following the IG and doing SL as it was written and that was a struggle for us. We love SLs readers and read alouds, but some of the history selections and the choppiness of the IG in the early cores was too much. It was a very freeing time for me when I came to the realization that I didn't need the IG-- I could pick and choose what worked for us and not worry about the rest. Getting started on our homeschooling journey, I was thankful for the idea of an IG, but once we got going I realized I didn't really need it. So this is the first year that we have gone off-IG and it's our best year by far. So we use a combo of WTM and non-WTM resources for LA. MM for math. Apologia (with complete kits from CBD) for science. And then we use the Veritas Press self-paced online classes for our history (my 8yo, 7yo, and 6yo all do the same class and they all get it equally well). We add in history books to read aloud which we pull from various lists (SL, SOTW, WTM, VP, etc.) And for certain lessons or areas of history that we are enjoying or want to learn more about, I tap into the SOTW activity guide. We also use the VP self-pace Bible classes and call it a day. Looking ahead to the older years, if VP continues to work for us, once we finish the elementary history cycle, their omnibus history classes for middle and high school are now also available online, too-- which I have read here and elsewhere, are very well done. But honestly, that's what works for us. What works for your kids could look completely different. As others have said, I would encourage you to take time to pick and choose the best resources for your kiddos and go with it. Some may be SL, some may be WTM, and some may be from other sources, as well. The beauty of homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility to tailor each aspect of the journey to your kids. Have fun!

We are working on the OTAE right now and we don't have the VP cards. We do have the Bible cards but don't use them all that much. The VP memory work is the event and then its corresponding Bible reference and/or date. Everything in the cards is fully covered in the lessons. Once we got a little further along in the course i did make some cards to help with a little extra practice but we rarely use those. We also supplement with Sonlight history books and readers and it is plenty with SL and VP. If you also have the CC cards or material i don't see any reason to add the VP cards to the mix. For us SL books and the VP class (without cards) is plenty. You can always order the VP cards laterm if you feel you need them.

We are doing the OTAE self paced course and i did compare with a friend who has the CC cards. Based on a quick perusal the CC cards include way more info. and events. Things that would cover 2 VP cards would be combined on a single CC card. For memorization in the OTAE course the focus is on dates, events, and Bible reference, and much of that memory work is covered in the song which is very easily memorized. I would suggest doing the 2 week trial for the VP course as that gives you a good idea of what its like.

Sorry, double post.

We use Click N' Kids. They have regular phonics, Looney Tunes phonics, and spelling. We've had the regular phonics for a few years and its very basic but gets the job done. The Looney Tunes phonics is the same but with cartoon bits as you go along. We got the looney tunes and spelling recently and enjoy them as well. All were purchased through the preschool buyers coop and we got lifetime subscriptions so it was a very good deal.

Thanks so much for all of the feedback-- all most appreciated! I think I was getting a bit hung up on the whole IG thing, which was making SL history difficult for us. What we've ended up doing is more of our own version of SL History, in that we use the books alongside the VP self paced course, and it's working really well. It's been very freeing for me not to feel tied to the IG-- not an easy thing for me as I'm a lover of checking boxes... Not sure where our homeschooling journey will take us, but we are having our best year this year, so I'm going to continue to go with what is working for us and just know that it may or may not look like what I plan for :) Thanks again!

I got our Bible and History at 50% off at the beginning of September. I called and asked if they were planning to make it an annual thing and they couldn't say for sure but if you sign up further emails you'll know when they do go on sale. Also if you purchase it at full price and it goes on sale within 30 days after your purchase they will give you a refund. They also did 50% in April and something at Christmas last year too.

I have lived overseas for the last 15 years and my kids were all born here and have done all their homeschooling. It is definitely possible and more and more easy every year. For us we get most of our books and curriculum from Book Depository and Better World Books, both of which ships for free around the world. But all of the foreign service people i k ow here do most of their shopping thru Amazon and Walmart or wherever as they have APO addresses. As you will have an APO address, you can ordering options are very similar to the U.S. And they also pay to ship your things when you move so however many books you accumulate as you go along can easily be added to you cargo shipment when you move. If you're going to do this overseas, the foreign service is one of the more convenient ways to go :)

Also agreeing that it sounds like it would be a good fit for what you need right now. But I could not get it to work on an iPad very well-- you need to download an app that will allow you to play the videos, and even then, it is really tricky to do some of the games and such on an iPad. So give it a test run on whatever device(s) you'd be using it on first (there are a couple sample lessons, and then a free 2-week trial). I would also suggest doing the 2 week trial and see how everyone feels. You will know by then if it will be a good fit. This is our first year using the VP self paced history and Bible and my kids are *loving* it. They know their history and Bible without having to try-- you can't not learn it the way the lessons are designed.

I think we are leaving Sonlight, but would like to share our story and get any feedback from more seasoned homeschoolers on things I may be missing or not considering. We have been with SL since the beginning of our homeschooling journey. We've done P3/4, P4/5, Core A, and are now on Core B. I also bought Core C and have it ready to go, but... We started Core B last year with my oldest, but didn't get too far as we were traveling for half of the year and focused on life experience instead of history. So this year, we pulled out Core B again, and I'm glad this is how things worked out as now my youngest is also able to keep up, so all 3 of my kiddos (ages 6yo, 7yo, and 8yo) are able to share a core for the first time. But... We also added in the Veritas Press online self paced history this year and I am finding it so much more organized and my kids are really retaining and getting history with minimal effort all around-- it's just presented really well, in short lessons, and all 3 of my kids share the class and know the material equally well. The big issues I've had with SL in these early years is that the IG has you go through the books in a kind of convoluted, haphazard way-- skipping around, or reading a short passage every Friday (I really wish the 5-day schedule was a true 5-day schedule and not the 4-day schedule with a few add-ons for the 5th day...). P4/5 was our first "real" IG, and yet we were hopping around the books, when it was just as easy to read through them front to back. Then came Core A-- also hopping and jumping around for our overview of history. We get a little out of it, but not as much as I'd like for the money we spend on the IG's. And now we're in Core B and not really getting to anything exciting history wise until several weeks in. I often read that the SL cores get good a few cores from now. But I don't want to buy a few cores now just to bide our time til we get to the "good ones"... For those with SL experience, when do things get a little more cohesive? For us right now, we do not do SL Bible, as that too just jumps around too much. Memory verses are from here and there. The devotional book in Core B is nice, but we went through that quickly enough. So we added in the VP online Bible course-- and my kids are now really learning (and memorizing) their Bible, from the beginning to the end (we also supplement with materials specific to our denomination). We tried Sonlights language arts at the K level, both before and after its renovation, and were equally unimpressed. So we just work through the ETC books and our handwriting books, and then add in AAS and FFL/WWE when appropriate. I never did give SL Science a try, as I never was able to get a complete materials list from anyone (i.e. what I can buy in the kit AND what I need to provide myself). We live overseas and "common household materials" is very relative. So we ended up with Apologia and their complete experiment kits. And then there's the read alouds, which we love. We always read way more than what is included in the core and are way ahead at all times, which is nice since it allows us to read sequels or other titles. We often pull from the reading lists over at Ambleside and also VP. Which leaves us with SL History. I already have the books and IGs for Cores B & C, and we are reading the books as we go through our VP class. But I find the IG a bit overwhelming in its organization and am having a hard time getting past that. Anyone else out there having similar issues? I feel like I've already made my decision-- go with VP history and supplement with SL books. All other subjects are already non-SL already. But I also feel sad to leave... Am I missing anything? Are there other things I should consider? And when is it in the later SL cores that things begin to mesh a little better? Is there a certain core/cores where people come back when their kids are older? Or maybe we will continue with our love of VP self-paced courses and just stick with them. Thanks for listening. I appreciate any feedback or thoughts.

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We use Veritas Press self paced online history. This is our first year and my kids are loving it learning the basics and remembering things. None of that would happen if it was up to me. We supplement with assorted books from the VP list, Sonlight, and SOTW. But the supplements are not the focus. They do the bulk of learning through the online lessons and we follow with related books as we have time and interest. Im using the Old testament and Ancient Egypt with a 8yo, 7yo, and 6yo. They do offer a free 2 week trial which was a nice way to preview the program.

We did not love RS. We tried level A for Kindergarten with my oldest and it wasn't a good fit. He didn't mind it, necessarily, but didn't love it or anything. Since he wasn't thrilled, and it was too time intensive for me (and rather costly for us), we put RS aside and gave MUS a try. That also didn't work (tried for about 8 months). Finally we ended up with Math Mammoth which we started in the middle of 1st grade. He doesn't love math any more now but he gets it and it gets done. We use the RS abacus and MUS blocks with the Math Mammoth worksheets and it works well for us. HTH

Another second for the scratch and dent option. I've also found decent prices over at christianbook.com

Where in Singapore did you find it? I live in Thailand and occasionally order specialty items like this from Singapore vendors.

Neither are available where I live. But the Proclick is available where my family lives, so I had considered it briefly since they could get one to me easily enough. About half of the curriculum and workbooks we use are from the U.S. and so would have worked, but I would have needed to have A4 books/pages cut down to size. So many variables :) Until I saw this post, I wasn't aware that there was a Clickman, which would be the obvious choice. So I'll definitely be going with that- even with the international shipping I'm pretty sure it will pay for itself in less than a year. Thanks again.

Out of curiosity, is the Clickman similar to the Proclick in that it can handle smaller paper sizes? For example, if I got a Clickman, could I bind both A4 and U.S. paper sizes? I've read up on the Proclick and understood that it could handle 11.5" and anything smaller (which wouldn't work with A4 as its about 11.7" or something like that), so I didn't give it much thought as I live in an A4 country. But with a Clickman, it sounds like I could have the best of both worlds... Just want to check before I actually order, though. Thanks.

Like the idea and the list. The only item that jumped out to me was "The Wonder Years." I remember watching it in middle school and high school while I was growing up, and have personally watched a few episodes again now that it's on Netflix. And I would say that some of the content may not be appropriate for all 3rd-5th graders (if your siggy is still current), so just something to consider.

Yes-- we use Foundations Press Bible Curriculum. It is written for multiple ages, beginning around 1st grade, and takes you through the entire Bible every three years. For us, we're just finishing up our first year with a 1st grader and then a 4yo and 5yo tagging along. The first grader got the most out of it, so I don't know that I'd recommend it for younger kids. But if your kids are elementary, middle, or high school aged, it would definitely work. It's also relatively inexpensive and easy to open and go. And I like that not only does it provide a good survey of the Bible, it also includes ways to apply and inductively study the Bible as well, which is something that I haven't found too often in materials for younger kids. HTH

I like the idea of getting a big group together, and may try that with our next subscription... For us, I contacted Reading Eggs directly and requested a long-term subscription. They offered a two-year subscription for $79.95 for the first child ($40/year) and $39.95 for siblings ($20/year). I have three children and got them each a two-year subscription. The total was just under $160 ($80 for the first and then $40 each for the other two), which works out to about $25/child/year. If you just have one child, it would come in at $40/year if they are still offering something similar. I just emailed them and asked and they got right back to me via email. The only thing was that I had to place my order over the phone because the online system is only set up to take the yearly or monthly programs. But even that was no problem, as the Reading Eggs staff person called me at home (she was in Australia and I live in Thailand). So I was pretty happy with the customer service and the pricing. Anyway, you may want to send them an email and see if they have any other offers other than what's on the site. HTH

Also chiming in to suggest starting with book 1 and taking it from there. We just purchased our SOTW1 materials and went with the book itself, the activity guide, and the audio. The audio is definitely an optional item, but it's very well done and we enjoy our audios at home and out and about so it was a good investment for us. I found the best pricing over at Christian Book Distributors.

My oldest did both HWT K and 1 books this year for first grade, and still finished in plenty of time. He also had copywork and his ETC the code books and some other things that required writing, so I didn't worry about not having an official handwriting page or two for the last several months. For a younger child that was ready and able, I think it would be fine to just go on to the next book when they finish. The only issue I can think of if you moved ahead with a younger child is that they may not be able to read all of the things they are writing in the HWT1 book, as there are longer words and such in there. And some of the LA exercises in the HWT book might be a little much (I am thinking of one page where they give you a picture and a word and the child has to write the compound word it makes-- i.e. a picture of a book + the word "shelf", so the child is supposed to write "bookshelf"). But those types of things are very minor parts of the book. We've also used other workbooks to fill the time in Pre-K and K. Mine have liked the Brain Quest books (not only writing, but plenty of writing practice along with things in other subject areas), Kumon books, and other inexpensive pre-k/K level workbooks.

If there is, I'd also like to know :) I have had good luck finding Sonlight IG's and SL-exclusive books here on the WTM classifieds and also at homeschoolclassifieds.com. But you do have to check regularly as they usually sell quickly.

We live in rural Thailand and these are audio options I've found and enjoy. Our internet is much better than it was many years ago, but still not truly high speed. I have been known to set my alarm to get up at 2am for a decent connection and do some serious downloading while the rest of the country sleeps :) books should be free free kay ray reads free karen savage free librivox free (classics and out-of-print books) audible (I've heard they offer a "lite" membership for $5/month, but just have a regular membership myself) learn out loud (wait for annual sales) christian audio (wait for annual sales) I also give priority to options that are available in e-book, mp3, or other downloadable format. We've got a Reading Eggs subscription that my kids like (I had to email them to get special pricing on a 2-year subscription cause the yearly/monthly plans are a little pricey; we paid $170 for a two-year subscription for three kids). Book Depository is nice, but doesn't ship everywhere. Thankfully, Thailand is one of their options. Better World Books also ships for free and does send books pretty much anywhere, but their pricing is not always so great. Amazon ships books and Kindles overseas-- $5/shipment plus $5/book; Kindle shipping depends on the country of destination. Zulily.com and overstock.com also ship internationally, but I've never used them. And I've also found that Christian Book Distributors has reasonable international shipping and a nice homeschool selection. HTH

We live and homeschool in rural Thailand, so no libraries. What we ended up doing was going with Sonlight for our history because it is all inclusive with every book we'd need (they offer a missionary discount, although some of their other promotions are better than the missionary discount). For our 2013-2014 year, we will be adding in SOTW as well. But just the SOTW book-- all of the suggested reading is not an option, so I try not to think about it. I also don't automatically assume that what is readily available for U.S. customers is going to be just as available to me. So before I get all excited about something, I first look around and see if it is: 1) available as an e-book or other downloadable format (preferred) and 2) if not, is it possible to ship it to where I am and for how much. International shipping costs are high for us (I budget $300/year, but try to keep it around $250), but... even with the added shipping costs, our entire homeschool budget is still something that we can afford (I'd love to not have to pay all that shipping, but I love being able to use all the materials we do get much more :) ). So don't compare your international shipping costs with the free or almost-free shipping that your American friend gets-- its apples and oranges. Yes, you pay more, but you are much farther away and your shipping just needs to be another line item in your homeschool budget, is all. For other publishers, also be sure to ask if they offer missionary discounts-- many of them do, but it's not always obvious on their websites and such. Many homeschool publishers are also offering more and more e-book options, so we are opting for those whenever possible. If you will have decent internet, the e-books and audio books that are freely available or available at a reasonable rate are growing exponentially every year. We use librivox.com for free audio books-- there are literally thousands there; not always the best quality, but they're free so I'm not complaining :) Audible also has a "light" subscription which is $4.99/month. You have to ask them about it directly, but it is much better than $20/month and the Audible versions that we've used have all been professionally done. Depending on your home library (or the library of the person whose card you will use), there may or may not be a good selection of ebooks if you go that route. So that's the practical side of things. The other big hurdle I had to get over was just changing my mindset. I love forums like WTM and others, as well as blogs and all of the other great online homeschool resources out there-- they are all so informative and helpful. But... most people are not in my situation (i.e. living in a rural area of a developing country with no libraries, no co-ops, no fellow homeschoolers, etc). So... for me, I had to stop thinking like a homeschooler in a developed country and start thinking like a homeschooler living in rural Thailand. It helped a lot. No, we don't have libraries or co-ops or other homeschoolers or any number of other things. But there are lots of things that we do have that many people don't-- it just took a while for me to be able to embrace what we did have and stop feeling bad about things we didn't have. Be sure and be in touch with people in your destination country now and when you get there-- find out what they do for getting things. That can be a big help for getting started, at least. HTH