Hi, We have a 9 yo ds and 11 yo dd. We are kind of done with "kid" shows. The last one they loved was Fetch (why, oh why did PBS pull that?). We love to watch Mythbusters and the new Unchained Reaction. I don't like all the language but my kids know what not to say and ask if they don't know. On Mythbusters, they do MacGuyver myths. Has anyone let their dc watch that? It is on Netflix streaming. Does it have suggestive s**ual situations or lots of bad language? I haven't seen it since I was a kid but what I watched as a kid is not necessarily what I would let me kids watch now. Before I go watch a bunch of old MacGuyver episodes, I thought I would ask. We love scifi. Dh and I love Dr. Who, Stargate, etc. I can't wait until the kids are old enough for that. Dh said he watched Dr. Who original on PBS as a kid but the new series on SciFi (or sorry, Syfy) and BBC America is a bit more adult, anyone agree? We also love cooking competitions on Food Network (I won't let them watch Top Chef on Bravo, though). Any other suggestions? It seems like our favorite time of the day is to sit and watch a funny or exciting TV show. It is a good for relaxing. In case you don't think I should have my kids watch so much TV: my dc read all day for school and an hour before bed. I am critically and chronically ill and cannot get off the couch very much. TV is something we can do together after doing school since I am worn out by then. Anyway, just looking for suggestions :) Thanks!

If you aren't going to use CHOW or LA, I wouldn't even do SL. I would just use SL's historical fiction to supplement SOTW using this list: http://homescool-ed.blogspot.com/2007/04/sonlight-books-arranged-by-well-trained.html We have done SL a few times and find SOTW with just more SL books is a better fit for our family. We do school all year, though, and only schedule one chapter of SOTW a week and one historical fiction every 2 weeks (my dd actually reads one a week because she loves reading so much!). We supplement SOTW and historical fiction with library books, mapping, SOTW test booklet, review questions (from the AG and me) and on video on the subject a week. It is so much fun! Much less stressful for us. We use the audio with SOTW and I have them read SL books that are on their level. None of us enjoyed me reading aloud (and I am too ill to do so anyway). Now I don't have to read aloud anything and the dc get tons of history.

Something for mom, not kids: Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life & Times by James Finn Garner. Made me laugh.

ooh, I want to use Further Up & Further In! It all looks great! We have tried to simplify as well but ended up with more worksheets LOL

We had to take everything away many times before it stuck. We took all toys from him once and only left a bed in his room and no access to any fun but books. We haven't had to take everything away for a year or so. It has worked. Maybe just pray about it if that is what you do or go watch Supernanny or something LOL

I am sorry you are struggling and homeschooling isn't as "fun" as it used to be. I had an 8 year old who was like that who I had pulled out of school at the end of his 2nd grade year. It was this last fall and winter that I started teaching him at home (I had homeschooled my daughter for a year before him). We had used SL with my dd and it had gone pretty well. She was a great reader and comprehended a lot. When my ds started SL he just couldn't get it. We moved down a core and tried again. Still no luck. I was thinking, "How did he get through 2nd grade in public school with this kind of retention and attention and get all A's?" First, we had a big talk with him about what we expect of him here at home and his attitude. Then, I studied other curricula and picked something different. We are currently doing SOTW WITH the book AND CDs. Seeing it and hearing it and reviewing it has really helped. I am more hands on with him than my dd but it could also be age. IMHO, there is no room in a homeschooling home for a bad attitude, disobedience and lack of respect. We have serious consequences for these because you can't go to college or work with any bad attitude either. This is life. In our house, not only does God demand a servant's heart, obedience and respect of us but we demand it of ourselves and our kids. We have set the bar high and when the kids don't meet it (not because of mistakes or problems understanding) they lose things that are important to them. For my son it is his Nintendo DS and friends. For my dd it is her favorite book series, friends and baking. I know I sound strict but we have a lot of fun here. We laugh and play and get a lot done. We do it together as a family. I hope the best for you and your kids.

I thought Notgrass' America the Beautiful was strong enough for an 8th grader, especially if you do it one year. You could add more historical fiction since there are only 8-10 for the year. You can also look at their high school American History, Exploring America. I have a friend who is doing that with her 8th grader but over 2 years. The Notgrasses are so nice to talk with and very helpful. Their material is so awesome!

Thanks for responding.

http://www.homeschoolconvention.com/hedua/convention/ Register and login and go to My Totebag in the lower left corner and see freebies from GeoMatters (eBook on Colonial Times), Latin Road and Knowledge Quest (96 page Ancients Maps!). It said there will be new freebies every week. If you have trouble downloading like I did, log out, close the window, reopen and relogin and it works fine. HTH, Jen

We didn't like it at all. The EHE was cumbersome and dry and took way too much time. Some of the books were great and others were a disaster. We sent it back after 18 weeks when my daughter came down crying that she didn't like school anymore because of Core F. She loves history now that we are doing SOTW. We still throw in a lot of extra historical fiction, which she helps me pick. We use paperbackswap.com or Amazon 4 for 3 promotion to keep getting more books. BUT, I see many changes have been made so it might be worth your time. I loved the idea of understanding the Eastern Hemisphere and the 10/40 window, it just didn't come together like we were hoping.

Has anyone read it?

I have heard good things about the Drive thru History series. We own The Presidents by History Channel which has a section on each president and the events that took place during his life. We own America the Story of US also by History Channel and like them. My kids absolutely LOVE How the States Got Their Shapes but it is not sequential. Drive Thru History American History: http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Thru-History-American-Special/dp/0982228309/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1332855007&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Thru-History-American-Special/dp/0982228325/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1332855007&sr=1-2 America The Story of Us: http://www.amazon.com/America-The-Story-Liev-Schreiber/dp/B003C27X44/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1332854857&sr=1-1 (I have seen this one on Netflix Streaming) The Presidents: http://www.amazon.com/The-History-Channel-Presents-Presidents/dp/B0007VY3ZK How the States Got Their Shapes: http://www.amazon.com/How-States-Got-Their-Shapes/dp/B005ELVCDY/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1332855223&sr=1-1 (You can DVR upcoming episodes) HTH, Jen

Does anyone have a schedule of using Augustus Caesar's World as a supplement to SOTW1? I don't have the book in hand and can't find it in the library. Is it worth getting? I have a 9 and 11 yo.

AAS worked for us, too.

There are a bunch of punctuation books on sale for $1 at http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/

We have been through the wringer with grammar and writing. I have a 9 yo ds and 11 yo dd who were pulled out of public school a couple of years ago. We have tried: Sonlight LA IEW TWSS/SWI A Easy Grammar Shurley English We are doing Shurley English 3 with both kids right now and neither of them are really "getting it" The jingles are annoying, the Question and Answer flows don't always make sense and the Teacher's Manual is scripted terribly. I think we are all confused! We haven't liked any of the other ones we tried either. Is it just that grammar and writing aren't supposed to be fun? We watched SchoolHouse Rocks DVDs and that was entertaining a couple of years ago but now they think it is babyish. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want writing and grammar to be the plague of our existence. Thank in advance for any advice! Jen

I found lots of $1 downloads by browsing. Some of them are a substantial savings and it can't hurt to have them on my computer for next to nothing! :)

We love it here, too. It just gives me so much extra time in the day and since I am so bad at math, I don't have to worry about transferring my doubt and misunderstanding of math to my dc.

TOPS has a book on Electricity. We used batteries, foil, clothespins, pennies, little light bulbs, etc. It showed how and why they work. It is a thin book but was helpful. http://topscience.org/books/electricity32.html Thames and Kosmos has some kits as well. Here is the link to the electricity kits, but they also have kits on renewable energy and lots of other fun things. http://www.thamesandkosmos.com/products/tech.html

I also have my dc do Typing Instructor every school day. They just keep going through the games to see how fast they can get. I also have them type writing assignments. They are getting good! They are 11 and 9 and have been using the program since August.

I would HIGHLY recommend Notgrass. Their America the Beautiful is geared for middle school but can be tweaked. It is rich, wonderfully written and has great supplements (We the People, Mapping). I know some who are using their high school programs on US History and Government and love it as well.

Notgrass is absolutely awesome!!!

I don't know how old your dc is but we have a historical fiction called Pocohantas and the Strangers.

We do Level 3 together with a 9 and 11 year old. I have the 11 yo do more writing. I also didn't want to rush and it is working fine.

I have a 9 and 11 year old. We do SOTW, Writing, Grammar, Geography, Science and Bible together. Then they have different reading supplements for History. Math, some language arts, Rosetta Stone Spanish, Typing, Music and Spelling are done seperately. They do a lot of independent work on the computer: Spanish, Typing and Math. In a few weeks we are starting Science Fusion and they will work at a different level on the computer. They also do some workbooks independently. We are having a great time!