Red!

I'm also interested!

We had been using it up until a week or so ago when we switched over to the newer Loyola Press version. The books are excellent and really, very much like the newer version except obviously Catholic, whereas the new books are not. Also, I didn't find much of the writing portion in the old books to be usable, but maybe that's just me... I switched because I thought we needed something with more review built-in. I didn't realize how little the books have changed over the years! The kids do love the full color pages of the new books, but after this year, I may switch back to the Lepanto Press books and supplement with Exercises in English for the extra review needed.

Here's our plan: Religion: Faith & Life (Ignatius Press) History: Second half of BJU's American Republic. Usborne History of Britain + supplements. Literature: S1: Science Fiction, S2: Graphic Novels + Poetry study Grammar/Writing: Voyages in English 7 + Killgallon & a few other resources for writing. Vocabulary: Vocabulary from Classical Roots Math: Undecided Science: CPO Life Science Art: Scott Foresman Art Foreign Language: German Saturday School, if we move!

I thought I'd share this in case anyone else is interested... First, I discovered yesterday that the California (Focus on...) student textbooks for CPO Earth Science, Life Science and Physical Science can all be found here as free .PDF downloads. Second, if anyone else plans to use the CA version of CPO Life Science, I've matched up the chapters and assignments with all of the free materials found on CPO's regular life science website. I've also included supplemental labs and other extras: Part One, Part Two. Lastly, I've put together a supply list for the course.

Our report is up - there were a lot of changes for us this week!

I'm not sure if this has been posted before or not, but just in case it hasn't, I thought I'd share. The McGraw Hill Education website for Alabama has all of their Language Arts workbooks online free to download (for grades 6-12). This includes spelling and vocabulary workbooks, and enrichment, practice and reteaching workbooks for grammar (they include diagramming) and composition. Also an SAT-9 Practice Workbook. It's great when you're looking for a few extra practice pages to reinforce a concept or as a supplement for pretty much any language arts program. Anyway, here's the link: Language Arts Workbooks.

My kids are very much the same way and the way it works around here is that everything goes on the schedule and they have to read what is assigned. Twice in the past month or so, they've been pleasantly surprised by a book that initially they were dragging their feet over. In fact, last night my dd opted to read her assigned book before bed, rather than the book she'd been reading for fun. Only once or twice have I allowed them to not finish a book and that was because they found it so painfully boring that they simply weren't getting anything out of it. However, I try to avoid selections like that as much as possible. You didn't mention your son's age, but I noticed more resistance from my boys when they turned 12. Frankly, it's hard to get them to do anything these days! However, the assigned readings have not killed their interest in reading.

I'm not Elizabeth either, but thank you for the review! I've been dissatisfied with our American history text this year and this looks like a much better option, so I think I'll be switching over. For anyone else who is interested, I found a preview of the Student Activity Manual at ChristianBook.com.

Ours is finally up.

:iagree: I would also add: http://showerofroses.blogspot.com/

Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots by Scott Hahn is also very good.

I had a busy reading week...This past week, I read: 1) Cullum by E. Arnot Robertson: A 1928 novel about an intense and ultimately heartbreaking first love. 2) Just William by Richmal Crompton: A humorous book of short stories about the misadventures of a schoolboy and his friends. This was a fun read & though for children, intelligently written. 3) The Mitchells: Five for Victory by Hilda van Stockum: Another children's book...The book follows the adventures of the five Mitchell children during WWII. 4) How to Run Your Home Without Help by Kay Smallshaw: Written for British housewives in 1949 when "help" was scarce due to the war. I was pleasantly surprised by this book & learned quite a lot from it. I'm sure I'll be referring back to it often.

I would say it's incredibly easy to set up, so there aren't really any cons. I don't make near as much as Candace mentioned - in fact, I think I've only ever gotten 2 payments & one of those was because some very kind person did a whole lot of shopping on Amazon after following one of my links. I would be linking to the books that I do anyway, so for me it's actually easier to use Amazon's code because it saves me a few steps and really, that's why I do it. The money, if and when there is any, is just a bonus.

This week I'm participating in Virago Reading Week, so I've chosen Cullum by E. Arnot Robertson for that. I'm also still reading Mariana by Monica Dickens and The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit.

I've downloaded Audible books on my Kindle & you hear the actual audio book, it's not the automated Kindle voice that reads to you.

If you're really interested in visiting literary places, I would also recommend Once Upon a Time in Great Britain (A Travel Guide to the Sights and Settings of Your Favorite Children's Stories) and How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books. I've been working on a British Lit book list for my kids, so here are some books for the UK, which may or may not be useful: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (various locations along the Thames) The Country Child by Alison Uttley (Life on a Derbyshire farm at the end of the 19th century) Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (Set in the English Lake District, there's a whole series of books that follow this) Mary Poppins by PL Travers (A series, better than the Disney version & set in London!) Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian (London, WWII) The Children of Green Knowe by LM Boston (series, inspired by the author's home in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire) Any books by Noel Streatfeild, Enid Blyton, Richmal Crompton (the "Just William" stories, some can be found in the public domain), Joan Aiken.

My book for Week 3 was "The Journal of a Disappointed Man" by WNP Barbellion (my review is here). This morning I'm finishing up a light but highly entertaining read, "One Pair of Hands" by Monica Dickens (great-granddaughter of Charles)...

I'm playing catch-up here! Week 1: William, an Englishman by Cicely Mary Hamilton (My Review) Week 2: Inheritance: The Story of Knole and the Sackvilles by Robert Sackville-West (My Review) Currently reading The Journal of a Disappointed Man by WNP Barbellion, but not loving it so far.

I would go with ePub, or at least that's what I've been doing with my NookColor. They look great & work just fine.

I voted "Other" because our tree came down Saturday. I had planned to leave it up until Epiphany but it was pretty much "done" -- dropping massive amounts of needles if anyone so much as brushed up against it.

I would start with Scott Hahn's books (he was a Protestant minister who converted, his conversion story can be found here), then Mike Aquilina's. Scott Hahn's Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots will address most of what you've brought up in your posts. You can also do some reading on his website: Saints, Mary, Purgatory.

The books can be hard to read after watching the series because they're so completely different, however, they are excellent in their own right (as an autobiography/social history). There's also Heatherley - a sequel to the three Lark Rise books, though it's OOP & can be a challenge to find. You can also find Heatherley in A Country Calendar and Other Writings by Flora Thompson. Lastly, there's a Lark Rise cookbook, though alas, it does not contain a recipe for Queen's Cake (which made me rather sad!).

I've put my responses below in bold:

If you want it primarily to read books, I would go with the Nook. The NookColor is especially nice and the app store is rumored to be opening soon, which will give it even more functionality. Also, it has a 7" screen which is much more conducive to reading than the i-Pod touch's 3.5" screen.