For what it's worth, I think that's great if it can be managed, and if not, oh well. I do not have cooks or maids or waiters, so that stuff either has to get done at the expense of outdoor time or vice versa. I feel the need to be out with them. Maybe not right at their elbow, but out where I can see and hear them. I have folded laundry, done Bible study, read books, chatted with friends, and worked our garden while they were in another part of the yard playing. We have a wide-open fenced acre, very few toys, and only a toddler slide for play equipment. They do just fine. We have a mud patch they love (no sandbox), they play with the tee ball set, ride the bats like horses, play pretend (anything from doggies to bad guy/good guy battles). They poke at bugs and weeds and help me garden. We manage 45 minutes on average, but I do plan to do some seat work at our picnic table when I see that they can stay focused while outside. We also have a state park nearby that I will make use of for more directed outdoor time (plant & animal study primarily). I think it's fine to just make an effort to get them out as much as possible and not let cloudy skies hinder their play. I used to be one who thought kids couldn't play outside unless it was 75 F and sunny. Reading AO's comments on her writings snapped me out of that silliness. :D

:lol: It's Harvey's grammar. I'm so sorry. Hillyer's the guy that did A Child's History of the World, isn't he? Good grief. Well they share a few letters at least! I've crammed so much information in my head over the last two or three weeks that it's all running together. That'll teach me not to fact check, won't it? Thank you both for the input on Math-U-See. I really like what I've seen of them, but I didn't know enough to be able to tell if time was a real concern. I've heard of some families who just let their kids watch the instruction video as the lesson and then help them with drill. I don't know that we'll do that, but it's an option! I'll figure out spelling, I guess. Phonics Pathways does make mention of some spelling rules, like the -y ending must follow a double consonant if the vowel is short, so if there is only one consonant, you double it (fun, funny). I'll just have to sit down with it for a week. History is still my big debate. Is it worth getting both the Usborne and Kingfisher books from the get-go? I only want to do a couple of extra books on each topic, so I want them to be really well done!

Their 1st grade reading list actually coincides with many books on my "fun" reading list! Well how is the D'Aulaire "Greek Myths" book? And the Famous Men of series? That covers Greece and Rome, but what about some good books about the other Ancient civilizations?

I have read TWTM (1999 edition, if that matters. I've gathered each one varies a bit). I read both the Grammar chapters and all of the chapters on homeschooling in general. It lines up with the direction we were already heading; I just didn't have the framework figured out. I don't want to blindly use every book or workbook they recommend, particularly workbooks that we could do without. Also, I'm sure some great history and literature books have been published in the last 12 years. I'm not asking anyone to bash her booklist. I just want to know if there are other options out there beyond what was suggested in the 1999 edition and how they worked or didn't work for others. One Amazon criticism of the Usborne book was that it jumps around too much. But what does that mean? My children are 6, 4, and 18m. My oldest will be starting first grade. I need to catch her up on phonics, but she'll be starting more or less as SWB recommends. It looks like I'll be dealing with all 3 learning types, to varying degrees. The "plan" is to do 1st grade language with the oldest, phonics with the middle one, and let the baby just hang out with us. I'll bring the Ker along for the history, science, and read-aloud ride and by the time the baby is ready for 1st, we'll be starting Ancients again. The headache is figuring out what material to use. We are a Bible believing household. This doesn't mean that we require a specifically Christan text, however. We personally do NOT think that the Bible and history and science are all mutually exclusive. I would give examples, but I don't want to open cans of worms that divert the original point of this thread. We are much more concerned with accuracy and quality.

My oldest will start her first year in the fall and I'm trying to figure out which books I want to buy before all the used book sales this spring (we are on a very tight budget, but our library is severely lacking). I'm sure there are lots of threads on Grammar stage history texts (I tried searching and failed). What are some thoughts on the Usborne book? Are there any other books similar to that one that anyone has used and liked? Cohesion and accuracy are my top priorities. I've gotten a recommendation for Hillyer's grammar book. Thoughts on that? And is there a way to do spelling without using a separate handbook? We're trying not to load up on a bunch of handbooks (perhaps we're odd, oh well). Are there websites that lay down spelling rules? We have Phonics Pathways; would pulling spelling rules from that be sufficient (along with drill)? I really like Math-U-See, but SWB mentions that it is time consuming. Is it really all that time consuming? What is Saxon math like? Ok I'm sorry. I know that's a ton of questions. I've got a very fuzzy idea of where I want to go, but I want to get as good a feel for the material before I commit to it.