I personally prefer SOTW at those ages, although I know you will receive different opinions. It is simple, engaging, all-inclusive, cheap, and my children and I have wonderful memories of all those years (I went through the 4 year cycle twice as my children aged). My kids loved the coloring pages and maps, learned how to narrate well, practiced their outlining skills in Vol. 4, and appreciated the projects we chose to do (chicken mummies, re-enacting a Celt war complete w/ blue body paint). I loved the "open and go-ness". TOG is great once you reach the D level and can utilize the discussion questions, or if you have multiple children and wish to keep them together, but SOTW does a brilliant job of making history engaging and planting seeds for later years.

Well, I currently have an 8th grader as well as a rising 8th grader. Their schedules will be similar: Math: Dolciani Pre-Algebra, LoF Beginning Algebra History/Literature/Church History: TOG Year 4 - D level Writing: CW Chreia Science: Apologia General Science Logic: Art of Argument Memory: IEW Poetry & Scripture Foreign Language: RS German, Mounce's Greek, Latin for the New Millennium I P.E.: Fencing

Let me encourage you that 10 and 11 year olds can (and, in my opinion, should) do quite a bit. They may grumble and complain in the beginning, since they are not used to it, but eventually you will all get into a groove and it won't seem like a big deal. Set one or two times for chores each day (for us it is immediately after breakfast and 6PM, while I am making dinner). That way they know what to do when and you do not have to nag incessantly. Because my children handle a lot of the household chores there is much more time to do fun stuff. There can be so much more time to bake cookies, go to the park, read aloud on the couch, make crafts, and just play if everyone is diligent to do their work. I am certainly NOT Superwoman. There are plenty of things that I don't have time for every day. But it IS possible to homeschool, keep a clean house, stay up with chores, and have plenty of fun family time. Homeschooling and a clean, organized home do not have to be mutually exclusive.

:iagree: We really, really enjoy this!

First off, things get so much easier when they are a little older - keep that in mind! Here are some simple, practical tips that I have learned over the years: *CHORES: One of the really nice side benefits of having a lot of kids is that you have a lot of helping hands. I cannot overstate how important it is to train your children to do chores well and consistently. We have morning and afternoon chores here. My oldest 4 do everything from loading/emptying the dishwasher, emptying the trash cans, vacuuming, dusting, washing floors, shaking out rugs, wiping down the bathroom sinks/counters, watering plants, switching dirty towels for clean, and putting away clean laundry. It only takes 15-20 minutes in the morning and 15-20 minutes in the evening. Make a list of what needs to be done and assign them chores. Teach them how to do them well and check on their work consistently. Soon it will all operate like a well-oiled machine! *ASSIGN TIMES FOR OLDERS TO LOOK AFTER YOUNGERS: When my littlest was a baby and toddler, my older 4 children would take 30-minute turns playing with him. My oldest daughter loved to do crafty things so she would get out the paints/crayons, etc. and create. My oldest loves to build things, so he would build towers for baby to knock down, or later, train sets w/ the Thomas track. Assign one child puzzle time, or an older child can push baby on the baby swing. *ROOM/QUIET TIME: This was crucial for my sanity. Until age 2 all of my kids did 45-60 minutes playing in a pack and play every morning. I had special toys that I rotated for that time. They began by doing 15 minutes and eventually worked up to an hour. Once they can be trusted to play in their room quietly they switch to room time. I have a large collection of books on CD which are an hour (or slightly longer). They know to play quietly until the CD ends - then they may clean up and come out. My four year old still has his room time and will sometimes call downstairs that the CD ended but he's not ready to come out :-) He just wants to play a bit longer. *AFTERNOON QUIET TIME: While the littles nap the olders must read quietly on their bed. This gives you time to recharge, make phone calls, take a nap, plan school, read, bang your head against the wall, whatever you need to do. :-) *COOK/BAKE ON THE WEEKENDS: On Saturday morning I like to make a huge pot of soup or tuna/chicken salad for some fast/easy lunches during the week. I will also make muffins for quick breakfasts/snacks and cookies for treats. This reduces the amount of time I need to be cooking during the week. Also get in the habit of setting the coffee maker and setting the table for breakfast before bed. It helps so much to get started on the right foot in the morning! Just a few simple ideas. I hope they are helpful. Hang in there - they grow up so fast!!

mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, shredded carrots/apples, applesauce, shredded zucchini

Aime - they are completely optional...not required in order to complete the writing assignment. They just give more info. and context.

I had my oldest, history-loving son create a lesson for my 7 year old history-loving son on one aspect of WWII that he thought the little guy would enjoy. He searched through books, created a list of reading (some aloud, some for the 7 year old to do on his own), created questions to do orally, as well as a craft component. they both enjoyed the experience (it went on for an hour and a half!)

Aw, this brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy your Daddy break!!! (And thank you and your dh for your service to this country!!)

I have a child currently in Chreia and one in Maxim. They occasionally do the optional literature assignments, but I personally think they are not enough lit. for an entire year. Maxim, for instance, has them reading: Autobiography by Ben Franklin Julius Caesar by Shakespeare The Story of the Romans by Gueber Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare (selections) That's it. I think the readings are great for context when imitating the writing and researching the author, but I do not think you could make it your entire lit. year. Perhaps you could start with these selections and add in some of the WTM recommendations to round out the year?

Well, my husband (a die-hard German) would answer, "that it's across the ocean." :lol: I love the food! The bread, the wine, the creamy desserts. Yummo!

Wedgits.

We just got a Canon MX870 about 3 months ago and I love it. Separate ink tanks (13.99 ea), wireless, ADF, 2 sided, great fast scanning, etc., etc., etc. It was a great purchase.

It was one of our favorite vacations and we never went into the actual casinos! The food is AH-MAY-ZING! Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay) is wonderful. Also, Bouchon (Thomas Keller- in the Venitian) is to die for. While at the Venetian definitely go for a gondola ride. We saw Cirque de Soleil, and thoroughly enjoyed the Art Museum in the Bellagio. There was a fantastic Monet exhibit there when we visited. We did the spa, had a massage, and laid out by the pool. It was really, really wonderful :-)

No, my 5th grader does not schedule her week...we will begin in the 6th grade. My 7th and 8th graders schedule their weeks with minimal problems.

Hi Julia! Welcome the the WTM boards! We are currently in our 9th year of homeschooling and have followed the suggestions in TWTM rather closely for most of it. I was especially drawn to the systematic approach of narration, copywork, and dictation. It just made sense to me - and it did give my kids a very solid foundation in the early years. When my son hit the logic stage, and we had finished all 4 years of Story of the World, I needed to find a history course for him. Now, this kids lives and breathes history. I knew the suggestions in TWTM wouldn't be appealing to him since he had already devoured both the Usborne and Kingfisher Encyclopedias. (Seriously, the Usborne is duct taped together - he used to sleep with it when he was younger!) He had read and re-read every page of those encyclopedias many times. I knew the suggestion to outline from the Kingfisher would be unsatisfying to him, so we tried History Odyssey for his 5th grade year. It was OK, and we worked on outlining. The next year we did Teaching Company courses. We practiced taking notes from a lecture - turning those notes into an outline, and writing summaries of the lectures. The next year he and his sister did the Teaching Company High School Early American History course - completing all of the comprehension questions and essay questions each week. This is our first year using TOG and it has been a godsend. I can keep all of my children in the same period, discussing the same topics, but working at their own skill level. With soon-to-be five school age children it behooves me to find a way of doing history that is more streamlined. My children have really enjoyed the reading selections and I have loved the teacher's notes and discussion questions. My history-obsessed son is also quite happy! So there is my long-winded answer. I still love TWTM, but have found a way of doing history that, while incorporating all of the same skills found in TWTM, makes my life easier and is more engaging for my history-loving offspring.

I expect Biblical teaching at an appropriate level and godly leaders who love the Lord and set a good example for the children in their care. And if they can have some fun there as well, that's the cherry on top. I would never leave a Biblically grounded church for that reason. After all, we are there to worship Christ, not be entertained.

Praise God!!! Rejoicing with you!

No worries at all.

Yes, we use Miquon all the way through purple. I use Singapore at the same time and treat them as two different subjects. I do not try to line them up at all. We have been very, very happy with this arrangement.

I agree with skipping it all together. We work on spelling as we have trouble with words in our writing.

Lost and 24.

The Vitamin Shoppe has always been pretty quick.

My 6th and 7th graders have done: High School Early American History Early Middle Ages Late Middle Ages

Thanks, Tina! It's nice to know others who are preparing for the same thing! We will discuss another sport. He actually likes to run, so maybe he can start entering in some local races. Thanks so much for the info!