With my upcoming 1st grader I plan to use MCP for K, 1, and 2, and then move to TT in third. With my oldest we used MCP A, B, then MUS Beta, Gamma, then started TT in 4th and he transitioned easily.

ditto. My kids also like this game.

We are working through Memoria Press's States & Capitals workbook, along with Don't Know Much About the 50 States. The kids actually like the coloring of the maps and learning trivia about the states, which helps the state stick in their minds.

My kids have memorized scripture using Sing the Word audio cd that Sonlight sells. I would say it was actually pretty easy since my ds is very auditory and good at memorizing tunes. Because it was to a tune, it really stuck. We just had to practice every day and I think we learned a line every week (?) and we didn't move on until they could sing the whole song from the beginning with the new part for a few days in a row. Then we would move on to the next line. I would explain what each line meant so they knew what they were memorizing and I'd write the line on the white board as well so I could point to each word as we sang it. Eventually my boys memorized the entirety of Psalm 1, and a few other verses, and they actually loved it because of the music/singing. I think it was probably the favorite part of their day!

Does the Brother printer copy, too?? I don't see where it does. That would be a bummer. Love the 2-sided printing, though!

Interesting thoughts. Like I said, there are many nuggets of wisdom in TWTM and I'm *very* glad I read her step-by-step instructions for how to use narration, construct a history notebook, the LA notebook, sample schedules, book lists, and the other very practical stuff. I read the grammar stage section more thoroughly than the rest since that's what's applicable to me right now. My kids are in 4th, 3rd, and K right now (and I have 2 younger children coming along). I had mixed feelings about the book. There were parts I really "got" and parts that were disheartening to me because maybe I'm just a bit lacking in confidence that I can reach those goals (to put it mildly). I wanted to teach my kids Latin, Logic, and to make them "familiar" with the major philosophers and such, but the seeming intensity of the high school reading list threw me for a loop. I have thought about it and maybe part of my reservation has to do with my associating some of those works with my college years and the amount of effort I put into understanding and writing lengthy papers. But maybe I'm over-thinking it and they would be handled on a more "high school level" that I have never experienced and so have a hard time visualizing. Another thing that added to my feeling overwhelmed, I think, is that I read it when my oldest is well into 4th grade. So I read even the grammar stage section thinking, "woe is me, I have failed already!" because I didn't homeschool the way SWB suggests up to this point. lol I'm sure I will read it over again at least in part and perhaps as I get closer to the middle school and high school years it won't seem as daunting. Just wondered what others thought and if anybody else felt the way I did when they read TWTM. Anyway, I am also reading Laura Berquist's Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum and I don't find it quite as overwhelming as TWTM. I would have to think about them and re-read to articulate why, but one thing I noticed is that the age/grade at which Berquist assumes the average child would be ready for the next stage is a year or two later than what SWB assumes. I feel that it relieves some of the pressure, at least psychologically, as I know that SWB doesn't think the ages and stages are hard and fast rules per se. It's definitely a lot to think about and take in. Had I known, I would have started reading about homeschooling as soon as I got married. lol

My feelings went like this: :001_cool: :huh: :bored: :svengo: Loved: -Understanding more about what the trivium is and how classical education works. -SWB's explanation of how to use SOTW. -The instructions for keeping subject notebooks. -The explanation of what narration is and how to implement it. -A bunch of other little nuggets of wisdom I can't think of right now. Didn't love so much: -The uber-lofty goals for high school. Aristotle's Physics in 9th grade? Seriously? -The (over?) emphasis on memorization. Actually, it made me think more about memorization and decided that more of it in our schooling would be a good thing. But nitty gritty grammar rules? Lists of ancient dynasties? Overall, I'm glad I read it and I will probably implement some of it. But my biggest critique is that it seems SWB wants moms to teach college level material to her high schoolers. Being a mom of 5 (and expecting our 6th), I find it overwhelming to think of all the subjects and disciplines I will need to teach my children before I'm through (at least I think I'll be through at some point, lol). I know most moms find homeschooling overwhelming - doable, but overwhelming. And I feel that SWB raises the bar so much higher than what we already thought would be very challenging, e.g. teaching Algebra, Geometry & Calculus and doing it well, making our kids well-read and good writers, getting good scores on the SATs and getting our kids into college. Now we hear that we should be teaching our ninth graders Aristotle and Hippocrates? Our tenth graders Copernicus and Kepler? Eleventh graders Newton? And twelfth graders should be reading Einstein, Behe, and Hawking? Is it me or is this college-level material? I have a BA in Philosophy and studied Aristotle when I was 20-22 rather than 16. There's a big difference and I have to think that if I had read Aristotle as a 16 yr old, I wouldn't have gotten much out of it. This stuff is hard for learned adults to comprehend, let alone 16 and 17 yr olds. Isn't this what we send them to college for?

I was barely 5 when I started school and my mom wondered if she should hold me back and then decided not to. Later on, she wished she had done it. I did have some problems in school... never got horrible grades, but had a hard time catching on and always felt a bit behind. I think many things came into play. If I started school one year later I think it wouldn't have solved all my problems but might have helped me keep up. I graduated when I was 17. For public school, I would err on the side of holding back. For homeschool, I would just label according to the law and teach to his abilities. Comparisons don't come into play as much while homeschooling (thank goodness) and in reality there is a fine, gray line between each grade, which you can use to taylor your school to your child if you're homeschooling.

Sonlight Core D? My right-brained ds loves stories, especially with illustrations. Sonlight has LOTS of living books, so instead of a dry textbook (though they do use a spine), she can read interesting biographies & time-period novels. They also use a history spine, but fleshing it out with the living books makes a huge difference. Sonlight doesn't do many crafts at all (if any), so no worries there. As a supplement, I'd encourage you to get Wee See America, too. Dh & I love it and so do the kids. Lots of really traditional and fun patriotic songs that are good to know, and it's super well done. There are also a lot of songs from the time our nation was being explored and built up... railroad songs, cowboy songs, exploring out west songs, etc. I think they are SO great I am considering doing a study of each song. ETA: Even in 6th grade I still personally think your dd could get a lot out of Core D. Note that you can also get the "Advanced Readers."

:lurk5: I'm the same way. I haven't bought the Kingfisher Encyclopedia yet, but I'm seriously considering it since she has all the references conveniently laid out. We JUST did our first SOTW chapter the "right way" (or close to it) for the first time this year. Originally I didn't have the activity book but now I realize how helpful it is and am SO glad we are finally going to get somewhere with SOTW. It's only Feb, right? :svengo:

I'm excited and anxious about my oldest (9 yo boy) finally getting a dyslexia evaluation. The weird thing, though, is they didn't tell me what to expect at ALL. Not how long it would take, what test is used, whether it is written or oral... nothing. So I have no idea what the plan is. She did say she would email me some forms so maybe there will also be some info in there when I get it (I hope). Just wanted to share. I would be SHOCKED if he isn't dyslexic. I'm hoping to get some good advice / access to tutors or something that will help him overcome it.

ditto for ETC. Super simple for them to get the hang of and does the job.

I'm in NY. Yeah I am torn. I don't care in the sense that I know I'm just playing the test game, but I do in the sense that I can't bear to see my kids get a low score even if I *know* it's because we just haven't covered some things yet. But last year they were in the 60-something percentile (50 being average, of course), so that's fine. But dh wasn't impressed. :glare: I think they only have to score in the 33rd percentile or above (if I remember right) so, yeah, it's not like they are playing hardball, which is good. But I just would like them to do well, and dh says that anything we turn into the district, he wants to look good. It's dumb, but yet I feel like it reflects on me... basically because some people *think* it does. sigh. But I do want to cover my butt and make sure they have no reason to nit-pick us because our kids do reasonably well on tests.

If it makes you feel any better I will never let my kids read Harry Potter. No apologies here! Like you said, darkness, spells, witchcraft. Just not appropriate. Period. I literally think witchcraft is getting more popular among young people partly because of Harry Potter. It suddenly seems cool, interesting, like maybe there's more to it, maybe magic can be used for good, when in reality the Bible is clear that magic is evil. Always. So for Christians like us it is not a laughing matter. ETA: I do allow Cinderealla, Rapunzel, and other fairy tale magic where it is used in an incidental way to make a point or tell a moral story. Not when it is the focus of the entire book or series and gets into spells, etc. I can talk through the Cinderella type magic and the kids know that's not real and in real life magic is bad, but Harry Potter takes it to a new level. That's where I draw the line.

I definitely read a couple books that had some parts that were s*xually explicit when I was in high school. I can't even remember the name but I remember being a little... uh... shocked at the descriptions. So I definitely would ban books that revel in grave sins or lifestyles (fornication, witchcraft, etc, etc). Craaazy book banner over here! lol But it's not like those are exactly top-notch literature so it's not like I'm going to have to do much tweaking of our reading plans. I remember being assigned a book about James Dean in college that was also pretty much pornographic at times. It boggles my mind that that refuse was assigned reading from a college professor! I also read plenty of The Baby-sitters Club and Sweet Valley High which, although I don't remember anything as awful as what I mentioned above, was not real useful reading either. Crushes, gossip, blah blah. I will definitely steer my kids in a more fruitful direction. I'm thankful that now I have more of an idea of what's out there in terms of literature and I think they will have a lot of fun with reading as they get older.

Thanks. I saw the Seton chart but it doesn't go into any detail. Hmm I wonder about the CST. I'm just afraid to bother teaching to the test based on this list and then find out what the CAT covers is actually different... I know I was surprised last year that long division was covered on the 3rd grade CAT and it wasn't even covered in our curriculum yet (I didn't learn it until 4th grade in ps either). But this sort of thing drags their scores down artificially, so I just wanted to hit the skills I know will be on there. I thought sure this info would be online somewhere. :glare:

I'm looking for a grade by grade chart or something that will tell me which skills are covered for each grade. Is there such a thing?? Google is failing me!

I was ridiculously shy as a kid / teenager and I went to public school. I did have some friends, did do track & field, cheerleading, etc. But I would get really nervous before every single half-time routine even after I did it 100 times. And in truly social situations where conversation is involved... yikes, someone save me! I was also extremely self-conscious, so much so that I wouldn't walk to the front of the room during class to sharpen my pencil. "Let me see if I can write with the lead-stained wood hanging off this pencil... hmm." lol

I don't know, this makes me seem like the light-weight of the thread, but I kinda think if a boy is still at a point where he will bust into tears because he did poorly on his test and wasn't prepared like he thought he was, he just needs a bit more hand-holding. Not that he can't take the class. But I think taking ownership of his work is not like flipping a switch. This is his first non-mom class. He's 10. My almost-10 yr old would be the same way in terms of not realizing when he's not well prepared. "Are you SURE you know the words really well?" "Yup!" And we already know the answer before we asked it. I think that's fine and to be expected for most 10 yr old boys. If I were you I would aim to be overseeing, helping, letting him know when you KNOW he's not prepared as at 10 they often just don't realize, remind him to pay attention to the calendar and when his next test is, etc. Three years later, yeah, that's different. But like you said, this is is FIRST non-mom class. It's not an on-off switch... it's a learning experience and I think he clearly needs to be guided a bit. I wouldn't make much of how the ownership issue is going during this very first class which you also said is a lot of work. I'd help, guide, nudge, remind, teach him how to study, and he will get more proficient at handling his deadlines and studying each time. A couple years from now he will likely say in response to a reminder, "yeah, I know, mom. I already did." And then you can loosen the leash a bit more. :) Also, I think personality comes into play. Some kids just want to be independent "I don't want help! Don't give me a hint!" and so letting them loose with a course like this might be their heart's desire and they will do well with minimal interference. My 8 yr old is like that. But some kids are sensitive to failure and need more time before they can take that kind of ownership over their work. My almost-10 yr old is like that. He is easily frustrated, cries, and would just feel like HE's a failure if I let him learn to take ownership by letting him fail tests. All it would do is discourage him and make him hate school more. But I know that he won't always be this sensitive and when he's 15 I won't have to explain to him that he reason he failed was just because he didn't prepare enough. He will know before he takes the test how prepared he is, if he doesn't do well he probably won't cry, and he will be able to see the causes and effects clearly at that point. I say don't take a good goal for later on and apply it to *right now* when your son 10. This is something so much easier learned when they are well into the logic stage, at least. Why make it a tearful struggle?

Maybe not the right group to ask for encouragement in sending your child back to ps while you still feel uneasy about it, LOL (teasing). Seriously though, most of us are probably curious as to why you took her out in the first place, whether those problems are resolved after only one year, why you are still uneasy, if we should be encouraging you in the hard work of homeschooling instead. Knowing what the situation is helps people to get behind you, or not. -Just sayin. But I hope that you will have peace in whatever decision is best for your daughter and your family. Worry and anxiety is not a fun thing to live with.

k thanks. I see there is also a DK Series, which looks interesting. I don't know if they are a good fit for 8-10 yr olds.

And why? I'm looking for a good series to collect with all the "big ones"...Einstein, Edison, Washington, Lincoln, Rosa Parks, etc. Plus some lesser-knowns, hopefully. Preferably with really nice illustrations. I need suggestions for my 4th/5th graders next year. TIA!

What I've used most consistently is Evan-Moore Grammar & Punctuation workbooks. I have used the 2nd, 3rd, and a bit of 4th grade levels. What I like about it is that it's very simple, copies on the copier nicely, has a CD-rom with the whole e-book on it for easy printing, and it's very straight-forward. It can be very independent. Each lesson is 2 pages front and back (though the front of the first pages is the new grammar rule & examples). I can't say the kids love it but they don't hate it. OK, one of them hates it, but he hates any writing. The other one is fine with it. It does seem kind of repetitive, though. Same rules over and over, with a little bit more complicated application each time. I suppose it makes sense.

ditto. The phone number is on the CD case. They are super nice and helpful.

MUS only sells the dvd with the teacher's manual, and even most used sellers are probably going to sell them together because that's what most people want. But I would definitely look on Ebay and other used swap sites and they might have just the dvd.