:iagree: though I tend to do a few more then 1 or 2 a year. :) I love the type that comes with their own research guides. Those are wonderful and pack full of information. I/we have learned a lot from the guides themselves, then the booklets are just reinforcement activities. I (and my oldest dd) cut everything out a head of time before we do a lapbook. It is just easier for us. The kids enjoy it. Though my 11 year old son would be happy just listening to the guide and not completing anything. LOL But he does it. :)

Agree, they all have to have their own. This make a wonderful keepsake as this is something hands on they did for themselves, by themselves (sometimes with help though). Children will add different information in the booklets and it is great to see it completed in "their" handwriting. It make take a little extra effort on your part, but the reward is great. :) Have fun! ~Tina

We use Home2Teach online writing courses and LOVE it! Classes cost $75 per class (4 a year, 6 weeks per class)) with discounts for multiple children. They (the teachers) do all the instruction, correcting, and work directly with the child. I don't do anything. :)

LL7 is not a writing curriculum. for Writing, we use Home2Teach online classes along with Latin, Apples Spelling (and I may add AG this year, but not sure. She is well grounded in grammar, but AG would be good for review). I find the Lit analysis a good fit for our family. Each find it a perfect fit for our family. DD enjoys this program greatly. HTH's more. :)

Don't they have a co-op manual available for this one and botony? Just went and checked and they do: HERE. But like someone else mentioned, there are free ones at the yahoo group. I agree, review (with a quiz board perhaps) and projects in class. :)

My only complaint is that there isn't page number referrals to the comprehension questions. I purchased the book from them, hoping that since I did this, there would be a perk of corresponding page numbers for answers. But nope. :( I don't have my guide out, but I think you just need to purchase 3 separate student workbook pages, not the student guide. The workbook pages are consumable, not the student guide. HTH's

I used this is a small co-op setting last summer and it took us getting together 13 days for 3-5 hours each time to complete Colonial Life. We did a lot in the CD, but not everything. This was one of the BEST studies we did a group setting by far. Just so I understand, you are meeting for 40 days through out the year for 1.5 hours each day? If you pick and choose what you want to do and not do it all, it would work for you. You can't do it all getting together with that limited amount of time. And I commend you for being able to pick and choose. Boy, I'd have a hard time. But I have one of "those" personalities. :) If you are planning on doing the lapbook, you may want to focus on the pages/sections that go along with the lapbook. You could always send home the pages you didn't get to as homework. We also did the copy work and vocab cards on our own with a quizzical board during co-op time. If they got the answer right, they got a treat (m&m, skittle, etc.). You will also have to squeeze in her HIGH QUALITY projects too, and bake some of her goodies. What a blessing this study was for our families.

Agreeing with Melinda. :)

I spoke with my friend and she said she never got around to using and it's been so long she can't remember everything she thought about it. She did say she wished the pages were turned horizontally and that there wasn't so much prep work involved (I guess there is a lot of cutting involved to get the timeline up and usable). She just never had the time or wanted to dedicate the time to use it. Don't know if that helps or not. I sure wish someone's that used it would comment. Not because I would use it, but I like to hear others thoughts on items like these and I would like to see your question answered. :) I use Knowledge Quest timeline books. They are hardbound books. The only negative is that I wish they went further ahead in years. If I could afford any timeline book, I would purchase Amy Pak's from Homeschooling in the Woods: Record of Time. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her timeline, but with 4 children who would use it, it makes it kinda pricey. I purchased the ones from KQ on a bump and scratch sale and got them really inexpensively. Amy (from Homeschool in the Woods) also gives a lot of other ways to do timlines w/o purchasing a timeline book. Check out what she shared HERE. Good Luck! :)

I have a friend that purchased it. She says she wished it was laid out length wise instead of the way it is set up. I don't think she ever got around to using it. I will ask her and get back with you. :) ~Tina

LL isn't really a writing program. They offer 2 writing assignment suggestions per book and occasionally writing in the activity pages. We use Home2teach online writing classes for writing. I/we love LL! :) My only disappointment... I wish they had pages number referrals to the answers to the compression questions in the teachers guides. Especially for the books they sell. It would make it easier on me and my dd if I could say, "look at page #... and see if you can find the right answer." Instead of saying, "well you got to search for it." or just tell her the answer when she gets it wrong. That is my only complaint thus far. :) ~Tina

You will learn right along with them. :) I learned so much when we used them. :)

I agree! We did Colonial Life last summer and it was AWESOME! I couldn't recommend them highly enough. :) Darcy, yes, you must get them. :) I have the first 2 and I will be getting the next 2 as well. I am using SOTW 3 with Jake and Holly and AAH with Jess and Timmy this upcoming year. TT cd will be a perfect fit to use through the year. I don't have the gumption to do them only for a whole year, though I think they would work out wonderfully.

I have used them (please see here for more information on them from this thread. I don't want to retype) :) My dc haven't used this feature yet, but I am sure I will let them down the road. I have used it to create booklets though and it works wonderfully! I am very impressed with this feature.;) If your son doesn't like to cut, I would suggest cutting and folding the booklets for him in advance if possible. He can use the type-it in feature to make the booklets and maybe you both can sit down and cut them out together. You could comment along the way saying, "Oh I didn't know such and such." while you are cutting his booklets. I bet he would enjoy sharing that way. :)

For lapbooking Hands of a Child sells Type It In lapbooks that you (or a child) can type the answer into the booklets and then print them off. They only sell them for the ebook version and only cost $2.00 more to get this feature. Not all of their items have this feature, but a LOT of them do. Just make sure you click the appropriate one when ordering. You can't save the pages you type up unless you have the full version of publisher. If you don't have it, remember to print of which ever booklet(s) he made before you log out of the program. I LOVE this feature, especially for the Template Pack. With this pack I can make up any lapbook we want to on our own. :)

Writing Tales. :)

I enjoyed this movie as well. Very touching. :)

Oh {{Lee and Sandra}}, I am praying for you both! I have gone through a miscarriage as well. It is so hard. I think the strangest thing is when the Dr. asks you how many pregnancies you've had and I have to say 6, but I only have 5 of them with me here on earth. The other one is waiting for me up there. :) I am praying for you both! ~Tina

If you are good with grammar, I'd say no. Did you know that the old version of Daily Grams 2/3 comes with the answer key in the back? I used this one with 2 of my children. It is all pink. :) Here is what one looks like: DG 2/3 Also check HERE. And there are some here on the is very board: HERE. If you purchase anything used, always ask if there is any writing in it. :) With Daily Grams 2/3 there isn't lines to write on, your child would need to use a spiral notebook to complete the assignments. But of course if you want the new one, don't worry about what I just shared. :) I know when I looked at the revised ones, they took out the tests from the student books (for upper grades) and made them a separate book to purchase. So now you have to purchase 3 separate books to use for 1 year. I really didn't see a big difference otherwise. Did anyone else see anything different with the newly revised ones?

We do both. My son loves the creative part. He comes up with the most amazing stories. :) Since you have done 2 narrations so far, have you done any of the creative writing yet? Maybe do the creative writing with him, a few times to get his juices flowing and see how much fun it would be to change the stories around. Maybe use a favorite pet (or character) in place of the main character, etc. HTH

For the last couple years we used Home2Teach and DD loves it. I am very pleased with it as well. They do all the correcting and instructing. She has improved GREATLY and I see what she learns in writing class flow over into her other writing. I highly recommend this one. :)

I have a fables book already, so that isn't an issue for me. You could find fables online to read though. I checked out the squids book from the library. My son loves these poems. :) He reads them to dad all the time. We can keep the book for 3 check outs (3 weeks per check out), as long as no one puts a hold on it. We have been blessed to have it for awhile now. :)

I have used Video Text Pre-Algebra with my oldest. It is ok... Though we haven't used TT pre-Algebra, I do plan on using it in the fall with my upcoming 8th grader. We used TT7 and she enjoys the cds and the way math is taught. :)

Here are some wonderful project from Enrichment4You. Here is a free American Revolution Unit Study.

Why not lapbook it? There are lots of lapbooks out there relating to american history that comes with guides and extra suggestions/activities. Add in a few read alouds, and a craft here and there and ta-da, a wonderful history currriculum.