We completed the NOEO Chemistry I last year and are currently working through Sonlight Science 4 and Sonlight Science 2. They are really very different programs. In both programs, you work through living books. NOEO is much lighter and takes much less time. This is what we were looking for last year and it was a great fit at the time! We wanted "more" for Science this year and that was why we switched. It wasn't anything bad about NOEO. I highly recommend going to each seller's website where you can compare the Instructor's guides. That should give you a good overview to differences in the curricula. Do you have a specific question about either program?

We are using Sonlight Science this year for the first time and this is the best year of science we have ever had! Science is their favorite subject and they can't wait until experiment day each week! (FWIW, we have tried/used Bob Jones Science 2; Rod and Staff Science 2 and 3; Apologia Astronomy; and NOEO Chemistry.) My 9 yo is doing Sonlight 4 and my 7 yo is doing Sonlight 2. I think Sonlight 2 would be a little too light for my 9 yo, so if I had to combine them, I probably would have went with Sonlight 3. I think you might be able to buy just the items you need if you have some of them already. I would price it out both ways to see which way is cheapest. Definitely get the generic science supplies kit and the corresponding grade level supplies kit, too. To PP -- Yes, IMO, you absolutely need the instructor guide!

:iagree: It is challenging, but do-able.

I would absolutely cut back to no more than one narration a day. (So, for example, history narration on Mon & Wed, science narration on Tues & Thurs, literature narration on Fri.) At this age I believe you are supposed to be writing down her narrations as she watches not her -- this should eliminate a lot of her frustration. Also, I'm not sure how much you are requiring, but narration should be no more than 3 sentences at that age. Ditto PP who said that narration removes the need for comprehension questions. Skip that part! :-) Also, it might help to read SWB's Tips for Narration It is hard at first, but it is so worth it! And, with consistency it gets sooooo much easier! I remember the time my oldest had his first 'excellent' narration all by himself -- he was *so* proud of himself. And, I was proud of him! It was a great homeschooling moment where he knew he worked hard to get there, and he finally did it.

Yes. What we do is work through a problem physically with manipulatives, then cover it with the textbook "pictorally" and orally, and then finish the lesson in the workbook. The home instructor guide is extremely helpful if you are confused on how to present a topic.

If by too much humanities focus you mean educating your children as laid out in The Well-Trained Mind, then no. I don't believe that it is focused too much on the humanities. I believe it to be a very balanced program. We spend equal time on history as we do math. We spend equal time on math as we do science. We spend equal time on science as we do all of our language arts combined (grammar, writing, spelling, penmanship, etc.). We spend equal time on language arts as we do Latin. If by too much humanities focus you are referring to the plethora of pre-packaged history-focused curricula that other vendors happen to be selling that call themselves classical, then yes. I believe most of them have too much of a focus on history, and are too light on other subjects, depending on the program.

:iagree: Facebook is for my IRL friends and family. This is a homeschooling message board where I don't *really* know any of you. On Facebook I get to see the daily life of my brother & sister-in-law who live in Texas, brother & sister-in-law who live in Oregon, and brother & sister-in-law that live upstate three hours away. I can keep in touch with my cousins (my mom is one of 10 and I have over 30 on one side!), my cousin-in-laws (my dh's mom is 1 of 8) and aunts. (No uncles on FB yet, LOL!) Even my mom and m-i-l are on Facebook. I can also keep in touch with members of my church on Facebook. (Almost all of the ladies with children are on.) I love that I can share pictures with all of them instantaneously and vice-versa. I love that I can see their interests, daily struggles (esp. stay-at-home moms), what books they're reading, new recipes, etc. I have no problem blocking applications. For those that complain about them, did you know you can block them from contacting you and then hide them on your feed? I have no problem not accepting friend requests from people I either don't know well or don't really like from my past. I have no problem dropping "friends" from my past that I thought I had more in common with, but find myself cringing on all of the weird quizzes & statuses that they post. All of my privacy settings are set at "friends only", so that isn't a security problem. I can go days without visiting here, but need my daily Facebook fix. :-D

Hi Amit! As others recommended, we have an afterschooling forum that might be better able to answer your questions, but I'll give it a try. For your first question, I would be actively involved in what my child was being taught in school. The Educated Child by William J. Bennett is an excellent book that you can use to evaluate what is being taught in your child's preschool through eighth grade classroom. I think the areas most to be on top of would be reading and math. Everything depends on reading ability, and if your child struggles with reading, they will struggle in every subject. Also, because limited ability in arithmetic will not only limit their upper math classes, but also upper science classes, I would want to make sure my child was understanding and excelling in their math classes. Singapore math makes great math supplement books, if you're interested. Here is a link to "Extra Practice with Primary Math." I know there are many programs that help with remedial reading and I'm sure someone else could recommend one, if your children need help in that area. I absolutely would supplement the other subjects you mentioned with books, books, books! A fun way to do this is take weekly trips to the library. When you're there, have your children pick out "one science book, one history book, one art or music appreciation book, one practical book (a craft, hobby, or "how-to"), a biography or autobiography, a classic novel (or an adaptation suited to age), an imaginative storybook, and a book of poetry." (List was taken from The Well-Trained Mind) I love this quote by John Taylor Gatto Reading teaches nothing more important than the state of mind in which you find yourself absolutely alone with the thoughts of another mind, a matchless form of intimate rapport available only to those with the ability to block out distraction and concentrate. Hence the urgency of reading well if you read for power. Once you trust yourself to go mind-to-mind with great intellects, artists, scientists, warriors, and philosophers, you are finally free. HTH! ~Heather P.S. What the heck has happened to this board? Why is everyone replying snarkily to the OP? This has become a disturbing pattern lately. If you couldn't help or try to answer her question, why not just ignore it?

We are an elder-led Reformed Baptist Church. Our elders are nominated and then voted on by the church. Our pastor is one of the elders. Although he is the only full time paid elder, he doesn't actually rank higher than the other elders. (We also have deacons, but they deal more with the ordinary business affairs of the church, not the teaching/leading of the church.)

Hyperdash is a favorite around here.

I wasn't worried at first, but I must admit I'm starting to get a little freaked out. The local news last night reported that a healthy 6 year old died due to H1N1. It took him super fast.

Oh my goodness Joanne. Sending prayers for your ds. :grouphug:

My 7 yo has loved reading by himself: The Little House on the Prairie series -- he's read it twice! If you're unsure, start with Farmer Boy The Mysterious Benedict Society (and the sequel) Encyclopedia Brown series Henry Huggins series The Boxcar Children series

Dover Evergreen Classics: http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-children-dover-evergreen-classics.html You CANNOT beat the price!!!

Samples from each book can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/Peace%20Hill%20Press

Newest editions: 5/4 - third 6/5 - third 7/6 - fourth 8/7 - third Yes, get the entire set. It will have everything you need.

From The Well-Trained Mind Chapter 5: At the end of this chapter, you'll find a list of major authors for each period. Search in the children's section of the library for books about the lives of these writers and paraphrases of their works. We've supplied you with a list of some of our favorite resources: retellings of ancient myths, of the Illiad and Odyssey , of Shakespeare and Dickens. First graders who are working with the ancients can begin on the fairy tales of ancient China and Japan, stories of the Bible, myths of Rome and Greece, Aesop's fables, stories about Plato and Aristotle, and simplified versions of Homer. Susan and her husband, Peter, spent six weeks reading through a lavishly illustrated child's version of the Iliad with their six and four year old. Since the children hadn't learned to be frightened of the classics, they were enthralled and eventually put on a puppet show with their stuffed animals: The Fall of Troy, starring a stuffed bear as Ajax. ... Don't be afraid to assign the child abridged and simplified versions of the classics. In grades 5 through 8, he'll cycle through the ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and modern eras again. If he's already read Great Expectations in a simplified form, he'll know the basic outline of the plot and won't be intimidated by the original. I have found this already to be true with my oldest son. He read through many of the books in the Illustrated Classics series back in first grade, and already in fourth grade he's read through more than a handful of the originals on his own. He loves finding the 'adult' version of the story! In fact, it's quite a rite of passage in his eyes, I think.

Congratulations!!!!! How wonderful! :grouphug:

Yes, it is definitely parts to whole. :-)

My middle loved Song School Latin put out by Classical Academic Press. He wasn't ready for Latin for Children A though, so in hindsight I wish I had waited a year on it.

For that age, I think it is perfectly fine! My boys loved that series of books! The Well-Trained Mind actually encourages this because it familiarizes students with the classics, they fall in love with the stories, and therefore they are not frightened away from them when they are older.

Or, I could have just dittoed HSMom2One's post. We posted at the same time. :-)

We use it five days a week, about 20-30 minutes a day. Our schedule is: Mon: Read Vocab list & chapter lesson, then watch DVD Tues: Chant and lesson page Wed: Chant and lesson page Thurs: Chant and lesson page Fri: Quiz My oldest is on LfC C. I assume you're starting with A, which I don't think has as many lesson days, but my memory could be off. Even if you don't have a lesson each day, definitely review the chants each day! Have fun! It is a lot of work and not always fun, fun, fun, but my son really loves Latin now and actually begs to do more Latin translations. What a weirdo! :lol:

:iagree: By WWE 3, they'll be reading them themselves. I'm not sure why the read aloud in earlier grades ... maybe to separate the skill of reading from the skill of comprehension for those that are not strong readers yet? Or, you could try re-reading the relevant paragraph (or a few sentences before and after the pertinent sentence) for the specific question she's having trouble on. What week are you on? I've noticed a huge jump in ability with my boys from week 1 to week 7. Things that they really struggled with in the beginning ... and reading comprehension was one of them ... they totally have the hang of now. Persevere!

We do First Language Lessons (grammar) 3X a week and Writing with Ease (writing) 4X a week. Grammar is Tues, Wed, Thurs and Writing is Mon-Thurs. We like to have Fridays be a lighter school day. :)