My sons do things like that. I recently came home and my oldest son had removed a dresser drawer, put it on the front porch, and filled it with dirt. When I asked what was going on, he said he was making a habitat for roley-polies. I made him put the good drawer back and take out a plastic one from a Rubbermate cabinet. He is all about nature. Now, my youngest is more into contraptions, taking things apart, and making sparks fly. For over a year, we were constantly battling his impulse to remove our exterior door knobs! We literally had holes in our house for a long time! They are hilarious. I let them do just about anything as long as it's not too dangerous. Awhile back, I had a young friend who was coming over weekly to help me with house work. She was always amazed at what I let the children do. She told me that she had never been in a home like ours! I took that as a compliment!

Are you referring to the read-alouds from Core 1? We love them. The ones from Core C are great, too. My eight year old still enjoys those very much and it's the second go-around for him. Reading our SL read-alouds is our favorite part of the day.

We recently started a readers set. I ordered the schedule that goes with the reader package. It was less than ten dollars. It gives a brief overview of each book. This is all I need, but maybe you are needing more than a schedule and a brief overview. You may want to call SL or ask on the SL board though. I didn't order the LA IG or a new Core IG. The reader packages have been changed since I purchased my Core IG, so it doesn't really match up. That's why I needed the schedule. Anyways, the readers and the schedule would have been all I needed.

I've taught Core C once all the way through and am currently teaching it for the second time to my youngest son. I taught about 75 percent of Core 1 and then switched to My Father's World for a couple of years. But, during that time, we continued to use Core 1 - it just wasn't our main focus. I'm now re-using Core 1 with The Mystery of History Vol. 1. I really like SL and plan to use it until my boys graduate homeschool. The problem I've had with SL is that my children are three years apart in age and I really want to combine them with history as much as possible. And, SL hasn't worked so great for that. But, now that I'm using MOH, it is all falling into place. MOH goes along with SL very well and by using it alongside a Core, I feel like I'll be adding enough additional content that my oldest won't be slighted by using the younger cores. I plan to stick with MOH and plug SL in around those lessons. Core 2 goes along with MOH Vol. 2 well until the end when SL continues into more modern history. So, I plan to stick with SL (we love the science and will use that long-term, plus the reader packages) but I'll have to tweak it some to make it fit our family. I plan to stick with cores that are a little on the young side for my oldest. That's opposite of what works for many families, but it's best for us. My oldest loves SL but he is a little on the immature side as far as what content (history) he can handle and my youngest is a little on the mature side. MOH Vol 3 should be ready right on time for us, but if it's not, we will do a SL core until it is.

Wee Sing Bible Songs did it for us.

It's well worth it to us. I have one child who is what I'd consider average in math but he has an incredible ability to memorize facts. MUS has been great for him because the math facts are presented in a very orderly fashion. I had tried some other things with him before MUS. But, none of the things I had tried had such a clear and systematic way of presenting new facts and concepts. MUS has been so good for him. He memorized his facts effortlessly really. It just makes so much sense the way they are taught. Now, my other son is a math whiz. Math is already his favorite subject and he crunches numbers in his head with an above average (in my opinion) ability. He both memorizes and understands concepts easily. He loves MUS. The straight-forward, uncluttered presentation has helped him to move forward very quickly. I like that it is ungraded, it has just the right amount of review, and just the right amount of problems. So, my boys are quite different but they both enjoy MUS. I am very pleased with the results and I don't consider MUS to be too expensive at all. Don't forget, you will use the blocks long-term.

My boys learned the letter sounds, the short vowel sounds, and some blends starting at three years old. Both of them learned this quickly but both of them also stalled out around age five and a half. One day they could sound out short words easily, seemingly effortlessly, but the next day, they wouldn't even try. Beyond this initial jump, I didn't do anything additional with my oldest son until he was in first grade. Then, we used a program that is pretty fast in pace and he was reading fluently by Christmas of that year. I'm following the same pattern with my youngest. My youngest is doing a great deal of sight reading and reads silently a good bit. I'm not exactly sure how much he can read, but it's more than he lets on. So, they started early, but didn't finish for awhile.

I start out the year with $300 - $400 spent... then, each month, I spend anywhere from $50 to $100 on new books and extras. I don't keep up with it, but I think that's really close.

Thanks for the info. I think I'll just get it for myself and pre-read it. My son hates both war and Ancient Egypt. I'd like to find a read-aloud that he will enjoy from this time period. He thinks everything about Egypt is creepy and weird!!

Would this be an appropriate read-aloud for a 9 year old?

I'm getting everything together now. I'll have a first grader and a fourth grader next year. My first grader will be using MFW First Grade with MUS, Explode the Code, and Handwriting Without Tears. His science will focus on nature study and biology. My fourth grader will continue with MUS and Rod & Staff for Spelling and English. He will also be using The Mystery of History vol. 1 combined with Sonlight. Right now, I'm planning to use Sonlight's Science 3 - Intro. to Biology with him. But, I am going to pick up a copy of Christian Kids Explore Biology and see what I think about that. It is published by the same company as MOH and looks similiar in set-up. If I get the energy, I'm going to try to combine CKEB with SL to add a stronger Christian perspective. I really like the way the format of MOH and if CKEB is as much like it as I think it's going to be, it's going to be so much easier to implement and I can include my first grader in with it. He will continue with Prima Latina. I'm really looking forward to next year. MOH has gotten me very eager to start early but we do have some other things we need to finish up.

My oldest son will be a fourth grader next year. Here is what I'm thinking: 1.) Table Time - we start around 9:30 or 10:00 am. We get a late start because I work overnight shifts two nights a week and don't get home until around 9:00 am. Rod & Staff Spelling - about 15 minutes, four days a week Rod & Staff English - about 30 minutes, four days a week Handwriting Without Tears - about 15 minutes, four days a week MathUSee - about 30 minutes, five days a week copywork & dictation - a couple of days a week, about 15 minutes Sonlight Readers - he is assigned one or two chapters a day, five days a week - this only takes him a few minutes because he is a speed reader. I pull the copywork and dictation from these books. Prima Latina - about 20 minutes, four days a week. 2.) Take a break while I prepare lunch. During lunch, we start our Reading Time. We read for about an hour and a half. Bible or Bible story - 15 minutes or so, five days a week. History/Geography - Sonlight, 30 minutes or so, three days a week Read Alouds - Sonlight, 30 to 45 minutes, five days a week. Science - Sonlight, 30 to 45 minutes, two days a week. We do art on Fridays and have just started a Geography Club co-op that meets one Friday a month. I'm hoping to get him into Homeschool PE at a local wellness center one day a week. I try to take him swimming one day a week and we fit in nature walks when we can. For third grade, the one thing that often ends up getting skipped is the Latin. I am considering dropping Spelling for fourth grade to free up a few minutes for the Latin. Not sure yet though. In the late afternoon, he has to feed the chickens & fish, take out the garbage, and do other chores for 15 or 20 minutes.

Heather, thank you for the schedule on the yahoo group. Do you remember which edition (year wise) of CHOW that you coordinated MOH with? I have a 2000 edition. It has less chapters than the current CHOW, so I was just wondering which one you used for your shedule. Blessings, Donna

I JUST received my copy of MOH Vol. 1. I plan to begin this next year with a fourth grader and a first grader. My first grader will be using My Father's World First Grade as his main curriculum but I know he will want to sit in on MOH with us. The two will complement one another very well. I am already familiar with MFW First because I've taught it before, so I know it will all blend together. I know you want opinions and feedback from current and previous users, but I just wanted to share that I am thrilled to be gearing up for this. It really is exactly what I was looking for. I love MFW and the way that they integrate the Bible with secular history. But, I don't like unit studies (at all) and I don't need the total MFW package. MOH looks like it is going to offer me what I love about MFW without all the stuff that I don't need and want. I like the simplicity of MOH. I plan to combine it with Sonlight using some of the schedules on the MOH yahoo group. I like that it includes assignments for younger, middle, and older students. And, they look like assignments that my children will actually do. I love that it so thoroughly covers the prophets of ancient Israel. I like that the readings are very short, so we will still have time and energy to add history and literature readings from other books to it. I plan to do it just as recommended with the activities, the map work, the memory cards, and a timeline (we will use SL's Book of Time). I like that it includes quizzes and reviews. The longer I homeschool, the more I realize that I am all about ease of use and simplicity. I love a literature approach to history and have alot of resources in my home. But, I have often longed for a one-book approach that I can use as my framework and then add extra living books to add interest and detail. Also, the MOH web site says that Vol. III will be ready sometime this spring.

We generally like very visual books. We love Usborne books, for example, and don't mind the cluttered format. But, we've tried many Eyewitness books and my son (the oldest) always asks me to stop. He even wrinkles up his nose and says, "yuck" whenever we see them at the library or the book store. I will be honest though and share that I think the main reason he dislikes them is because there is just so much evolutionary teaching in the science books. We don't avoid the topic of evolution. We do use alot of books that contains references to evolution and we discuss it freely in our home, but these are just overkill in my opinion. In most of the books that we read, evolution is a part of the content but not so much a focus of them. We are creationists, so that's the bias. Maybe if it weren't for this, we would like them. I don't know. So, you may love them if you are looking for a very strong evolutionary bent.

My sister will be using Core A with her two and four year olds. I am a bit envious. I would have loved to be able to do that core with my children. I did purchase one of the books from Core A to give to my sister's children, but my five year old (he's doing Core C now) fell in love with it and won't give it up. And, I don't have the heart to make him (yet) because I love it, too! Looks like a fun core. Alot of fairy tales and my children don't really like those, but overall, I think we would have enjoyed it. I did just borrow my sister's copy of Ian and the Green Leafy Obstacle (I think that's the name or pretty close). My Ker really liked it. Have you seen the IG? I really like the way it is set up. No, it's not on a grid but it looks easy to follow and I like all the little side notes and motivating messages. I like it MUCH better than the old PK IG that I have. I guess that is now Core B.

I am using MathUSee because a mastery approach to math is the only one that makes sense to me or my boys. I wish I had learned math this way. I think I would have been more confident and more willing to tackle higher level math in college. I really enjoy math but never felt confident beyond Algebra and Geometry. I think it's GREAT that you have found a math program that you like! Stick with it and supplement with the Key To series (I think Timberdoodle still has these) later on, if you think it's necessary. Developmental Math is a solid program. I almost used that myself but went with MUS because my oldest son really "clicked" with Steve Demme on the demo tape.

I read to my Ker and 3rd grader for about two hours a day on "school days". On the week-ends, it's mostly just bedtime reading for 30 to 45 minutes. We are using Sonlight right now, so there is alot to read outloud. My oldest son is using the SL readers and other books on his own. I don't keep up with his reading (as far as time spent) because he likes to read and does so frequently throughout the day. With SL, I expect to be reading to them on a daily basis until they begin high school. Reading aloud is my favorite part of our homeschooling experience and one of the main reasons that I'm using SL again after using something else for awhile.

Peek A Boo, I agree with everything you said (theologically) except I do believe the children are being desensitized to the taking of the mark and I do believe HP is a part of that process. I believe it is a deliberate part of the brainwashing process that has to occur and it's one of multiple clear signs that we are at the end of the age. That's what we believe and that's why we won't give the books to our children to read. Also, I do not believe the future mark will be a lightning bolt but the lightning bolt is an occultic symbol of enlightenment. When that day comes, the deception will be so great, as you know. The deception won't come over night... there is a process. A whole generation has to be conditioned to receive a false Messiah. Willingly. Conditioning doesn't happen quickly. Maybe (well, clearly) you don't see a connection and I understand that. I deeply respect that because I haven't always seen it myself. But, unfortunately, after studying this for about three years, I now believe and am convinced that there is a connection. I do hope I'm wrong. Many warmest regards, Donna T.

I would also start at the child's grade level. I've only used two grade levels so far but we love it and I plan to stick with it. The upper grade levels are hard to look at... not alot of white spaces on those crammed pages. But, they are in the process of revising their spelling workbooks. I just received a sample page of the revised Grade 5 and boy, has it ever improved! We love the simplicity of the pages in Grades 2 and 3 and it looks like they are patterning the other grades after those levels.

Sonlight Core C might work. If you eliminate the Bible portion of the curriculum, it would be secular. It doesn't go very deeply into different cultures, but it is a nice introduction that can easily be fleshed out with library books or any of the resources that others have mentioned. We love it. It really would be just right for a first grader. Not many activities, just a few in some of the books, but these can easily be added by looking around on the internet for ideas.

You can do a keyword search at Biblegateway.com. You can search for passages with the word "fall", "heaven"... whatever. However, if you search for Lucifer you will only find that in the KJV because the modern translations have omitted the name. They replace the name Lucifer with variations of Christ's title of "the bright and morning star" as found in Revelation 22:16. Jesus said that He is the morning star, but all the modern translations muddle the identities of Jesus and Lucifer by translating Lucifer as "daystar", "star of the morning", "morning star", "shining star", "shining morning star". They are in essence usurping Christ's right to that title. No where does the KJV use that terminology for Lucifer.

Thanks! That is all very helpful. I was able to find some sample pages of the upper level courses. I think I'll add in some Writer's Jungle when my son is older and stick with R&S rather than adding something like Classical Writing. Seems like the WJ free writes would be a nice addition.

We won't allow our children to read the Harry Potter books because we believe they are helping to prepare a generation of children to receive the prophesied mark of the Beast. Harry's scar is a symbol of his occult illumination. In the occult, it is widely stated that Luciferic illumination is accompanied by an electrical force that causes the body to vibrate. Jesus said, "...I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Luke 10:18). The lightning bolt on Harry's forehead is a representation of his occultic baptism - the entering in of a satanic force. If you believe the Bible and read it literally, you know that at some time in history there will be a world-wide Luciferic baptism... that time when all in the world who deny Jesus will take the mark in (the Textus Receptus says on) their forehead or right-hand. If you don't believe the Bible or you don't read it literally, this is hog-wash to you. Do I think that reading Harry Potter will surely cause a child to deny Jesus Christ and receive a mark? No, I don't think it will. But, I think that the books are a part of a larger deception that will cause many to not see the plain truth that is right before their very eyes when that day comes. That's just our opinions about it.