Thank you!

Hello! I am looking at The Classical Science Series for our science. We got started a little later in homeschooling so we are modifying our history science timeline. We are heading into our first round of medieval - early renaissance, I don't know whether to order the 1st - 3rd grade or the 5th - 7th. She's 10 and in the 4th grade. She's pretty mature. We did some science last year but focused more on the core subjects. I don't want the material to be "too young" for her but also don't want her to lose interest from it being too complicated. Any help?

Thank you!

I just bought No Fear Shakespear A Midsummer Nights Dream. It gives the original play with side by side translation. My plan is to introduce this to my 9 and 12 (13 in nov) year olds. Then have them recite a fave part. I'm seeing recommendations to watch the play first. Any suggestions as to which version of this one?

Hello all! Hope your year is starting out fantastic! I was hoping someone could help me find the Jackdaw Portfolios. Where is the best place to order?

It's totally worth seeing! We went this past fall in Louisville, KY. They will even do a little tour and explanation. We got some homeschoolers together and went as a group. We got a small discount for the group. They did the tour and a little skit. Really cool! They are both small and you have to be interested. It's like being on a pirate ship. My girls loved it. We stayed and looked around after the tour and most of the group was lingering off. The crew when we went were very helpful. They gave us all kinds of information on Christopher Columbus, his crew members, and the voyage. They also told us the entire background of the boat. There's some pictures and captions to read, and some items from the museum along the boat as well. My girls did a report on the boats once we got home. They had to give me the measurements, the history, the crew, and so forth. It was beneficial for us. We had to drive an hour there and an hour back to get to it as well. If it's something your kids are into, it is worth seeing. Here is the site http://www.thenina.com/. The site really just gives tour information and some background.

This is perfect! Exactly what I was looking for! It's encourage to know how well they did on the SATs and ACTs! Thank you!

Hello again! Full of questions aren't I! I'm about half way through TWTM book. It has mentioned that it is not traditional and neither is homeschooling. I realize that, but I'm curious to know how my girls will compare to their peers. I know there are exceptions and many kids absolutely excel, but what about those who didn't get a good foundation from the public school? After reading this book, I feel bad for not pulling my kids out earlier. I feel they have not been prepared for higher learning, critically thinking, or anything. They've just been given some basic facts and moved on to the next topic. Forgive me for worrying! Most of this is from my own fear of messing up my kids education, not the classical education! Does anyone do standardized testing? Also has anyone done these tests with older children who started in the middle? How did they compare with the average of their peers? I'm aware this type of education does not follow the traditional schedule, and actually I love that! I just want to make sure they will be prepared for college and success. How about SATs and ACTs. Do you find them more prepared for these tests? On another note, I am so excited about starting this! We are going to do some transitioning after break. My girls were not given a good foundation in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, so we are going to be incorporating the spelling workout books with English. I am super pumped!

Thank you! Very helpful! I think we will use it while we're transitioning to TWTM. We do have it, and yes the teachers manual has answers. However the way it is set up it looks like you can do as much research as you want on any topic. Thanks again for the help!! I really appreciate it!

Is this considered classical? Does anyone use this? Do you love it or hate it? I have a 3rd grader and 6th grader. I saw this and it looked promising. It looks like you can delve in as much as you want if the kids become interested. Advice please!

Thank you so much! You have been very helpful! I am loving this site! :thumbup: I'm beginning to find great ideas and lots of questions I haven't even thought of! Thank you!!!!

We are reading Classic Myths to Read Aloud by William F. Russell right now. I have an 8 yr old and 12 yr old however I also read it to my 5 yr old nephew who absolutely loves it!

Thank you! I have to agree with you! I'm finding so much helpful information on here! I haven't found a forum like it, and I've done lots of research!

The Well Trained Mind is what I'm reading. I figured I would need to read it more than once! Thank you so much for your detailed post! Already I'm finding things I have not even thought of! One of which, the great questions you asked! I'm so new at this and so afraid of messing up! We began homeschooling mostly because of our school system. I didn't feel my girls were getting what they needed and they were beginning to loose their love for learning. I've always been very involved, and the more involved I became the more I saw things I didn't like in the schools. The days are so busy, there really is no time for learning. Kids that are behind or ahead lacked the help they needed. My oldest is now in sixth grade, and although she is very bright, she struggles in basic skills. My youngest was bored and spent her time helping other students because she already knows most of the information. We've talked about homeschooling for years but I was afraid to pursue it. I finally realized it would be best to go on and do it. (I'm glad because we love it) Our schools here are now in the red, the high school is a priority school and the middle is now a focus, the elementary schools are on the way. This is not the education I want my children to receive and private school is too costly and too far to drive. The other reason is the negative environment and lack of supervision. I want my kids to socialize and spend time with friends, but I want it to be a positive environment. Teaching style, still trying to find this one! Initially I felt I needed a scripted, hand holding, type of curriculum. Mostly this was out of fear of messing up. Now though, I'm finding myself adjusting things to my girls and coming up with things on my own. The science is a powerpoint based curriculum with a homework packet and tips. I've made my own tests and tailored it to my girls. The history I bought is a text book similar to the schools and a homework and answer packet. I've made a powerpoint in each lesson and make the tests on my own. The powerpoint was mostly to make it a little more interesting than simply reading out of a book. So, here I guess I'm flexible right now. I like coming up with things on my own and I feel like I get better at it as I go. I could use either type, right now, I guess. The girls are kinda going with the flow and learning with me. They really like hands on learning, which is another reason I think this is better than public school for us. Lilly is laid back and will pretty much do whatever. Molly, my younger one, is a busy body. She likes to move, wiggle, dance, well, you get the idea. Over all they both do really well with hands on material. Sitting and reading out of a text book or staring at the computer bores them and they tend to loose interest. They used to read all the time, but over the years they seem to have grown to hate it. We are working on that. I've always loved to read to them, which they still enjoy, but it's a struggle to get them to read themselves. That's a lot! But I really appreciate your help! Thank you!

:seeya: Hello all! We are actually new to homeschooling. This is our first year. I have two little girls. We are loving it so far. I wasn't sure where to start in the beginning so I purchased some items, Abeka, Apologia, and Saxon. Well I got rid of it all except the Saxon and kept the Abeka Language Arts just because of cost. I went to US History from America's Core Curriculum and a science program by Ryan Murphy. They are ok, but not giving me that WoW feeling! I'm so glad I found information on classical education! I've actually just started the book and I'm really liking it! Although I do have LOTS of questions! I was wandering what you use in addition to this, if anything? Most of what I'm seeing is history; what do people use for math, science? Language arts, reading, and latin is integrated in the history (right?). Also, I have a 6th grader (12) and a 3rd grader (8 1/2); where is a good starting point? I saw in FAQ in 'older child' and 'multiple children' there are suggestions, but is there one thats better or preferred? Should I scrap the curriculum I have (which I don't even like except the Saxon), and start with this after Christmas and go through summer to catch up? Thanks and sorry for all the questions! Amanda

:seeya: Hello all! We are actually new to homeschooling. This is our first year. I have two little girls. We are loving it so far. I wasn't sure where to start in the beginning so I purchased some items, Abeka, Apologia, and Saxon. Well I got rid of it all except the Saxon and kept the Abeka Language Arts just because of cost. I went to US History from America's Core Curriculum and a science program by Ryan Murphy. They are ok, but not giving me that WoW feeling! I'm so glad I found information on classical education! I've actually just started the book and I'm really liking it! Although I do have LOTS of questions! I was wandering what you use in addition to this, if anything? Most of what I'm seeing is history; what do people use for math, science? Language arts, reading, and latin is integrated in the history (right?). Also, I have a 6th grader (12) and a 3rd grader (8 1/2); where is a good starting point? I saw in FAQ in 'older child' and 'multiple children' there are suggestions, but is there one thats better or preferred? Should I scrap the curriculum I have (which I don't even like except the Saxon), and start with this after Christmas and go through summer to catch up? Thanks and sorry for all the questions! Amanda

:seeya: Hello all! We are actually new to homeschooling. This is our first year. I have two little girls. We are loving it so far. I wasn't sure where to start in the beginning so I purchased some items, Abeka, Apologia, and Saxon. Well I got rid of it all except the Saxon (really like it) and kept the Abeka Language Arts just because of cost. I went to US History from America's Core Curriculum and a science program by Ryan Murphy. They are ok, but not giving me that WoW feeling! I'm so glad I found information on classical education! I've actually just started the book and I'm really liking it! Although I do have LOTS of questions! I was wandering what you use in addition to this, if anything? Most of what I'm seeing is history; what do people use for math, science? Language arts, reading, and latin is integrated in the history (right?). Also, I have a 6th grader (12) and a 3rd grader (8 1/2); where is a good starting point? I saw in FAQ in 'older child' and 'multiple children' there are suggestions, but is there one thats better or preferred? Should I scrap the curriculum I have (which I don't even like except the Saxon), and start with this after Christmas and go through summer to catch up? Thanks and sorry for all the questions! Amanda