I don't read aloud at night either, for the exact same reason! :)

I’m hoping to get some help or advice on how to get my kids to enjoy and love being read aloud too. I have 4 kids, ages 9, 7, 3, & 9 months. The 3 year old will sit for just about anything…she enjoys the cuddle time. My oldest two is where I’m having trouble. My 9 year old will sit and listen, because she knows she has too. My 7 year old acts just plain miserable until we are finished. Neither beg for me to read †just one more chapterâ€. They moan and groan when I read more than 2 chapters or so. I don’t think it’s my selection of books. Examples are the first three Narnia books, Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, The Green Ember…just to name a few. Currently I’m reading to them The BFG and as an incentive to sit and enjoy being read to, I promised them I’d take them to see the movie this weekend, if we finish the book before then. You’d think that would excite them a bit, but just this morning my 7 year old said to me, “mom, I don’t really care if I get to see The BFG or not.†What!?! What’s wrong with my kids?!? (kidding, of course! 😉) Seriously though, this is kinda a big deal. We are screen free during the week…hardly ever take our kids to the actual movie theatre, ( we usually wait for the movie to be released to DVD), so I thought that this would have really excited him to want to sit down and listen to the rest of the story. Am I going about this all wrong? I try my best to do voices and make the reading fun, but it’s obviously not working either. What am I doing wrong? What should I do differently? Do I just need to be persistent and pray the day will come when they ask for “one more chapterâ€? I am open to any suggestion or criticism you all may have. Thanks so very much! 😊

I definitely want something low pressure. So, would you suggest I start with Latin then? Especially since my kids still need to work on their grammar skills in English...

Such good questions to consider. I think I'd prefer them to sample some things so that they can choose which language they want to pursue in the upper grades. I wouldn't mind learning alongside them, but it isn't necessary. And no, they both need more teaching and practice with learning English Grammar.

I’m looking for some suggestions on where to start with a foreign language for my children, ages 9 & 7? I have no second language experience, other than a little bit of Spanish from high school. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I had someone else tell me this as well. I think I'll have him take the placement test on the TT website and go from there. Thank you!

I'll have to take a look at CLE for my 2nd grader. Thanks!

For the past few years, I've used either Horizons or Singapore as our math curriculum. Not quite happy with either has caused me to research other options. I keep coming back to TT. I was wondering, though, since TT does not start until grade 3, what you used prior to it? My children are 9 & 7. I haven't had either take the placement tests yet, I'm just going off of what I see in the table of contents, and I'm not sure if my son who just finished up Singapore 1, would be ready for TT 3. So, I'm just trying to get some other options to look into.

I'm wondering when would be a good time to introduce my kids to Anne? Should I do it as a RAL, or have it be one of my daughters lit suggestions for the upcoming year? Do you feel it makes a good RAL, or one that would be better off enjoyed on your own? My oldest is 9, going into 4th grade. I remember meeting Anne for the first time when I was in 6th grade. My teacher that year LOVED Anne. I admired my teacher and still remember her enthusiasm. If it hadn't been for her, I'm not sure when, or even if, I would have ever read Anne. Since then, I've fallen in love with Anne myself and L.M. Montgomery in general. I'd love for my kids, especially my daughters, to fall in love with her stories and don't want to rush it, but I'm just so excited! :)

I'm also wondering about writing. I've yet to do any formal writing program with my children. My oldest is 9. I purchased Story Starters used awhile ago...wondering if this would be a good place to start or if I should purchase something else?

I have RLTL 1 and ELTL 1 to use with my 7 year old who is still learning how to read. I'll be using RLTL throughout the summer then adding in ELTL in the fall...if he does well with his reading this summer.

I'm using RLTL1 with my 7 year old. He's still not a fluent reader, but he's getting there. I also purchased ELTL 1 for him and just ELTL 4 for my 9 year old who is reading fluently.

Thank you so much for your reply! I 'm definitely trying to avoid over supplementation. I want our days to be meaningful not crammed full of too much stuff. To be honest, I'm not really sure if my kids are natural spellers. My 7 year old is still learning to read and my 9 year old spells by sounding words out. Sometimes she gets them right, sometimes she gets them wrong. :) Would you suggest I just give the program a chance first before adding anything in to see how she does? And...another thing I am stumped on is a writing program. I bought Story Starters used a while ago. Have never really looked through it yet, but would it be a good place to start, or should I start with something else altogether, or simply just wait? My oldest is 9 (4th grade).

This is how I'm feeling...not wanting to add something just to add it. I'm also wandering which spelling would be a good fit.

Do you find that ELTL is complete, or do you feel the need to supplement? I bought ELTL to use with my 4th and 2nd grader next year and I was just curious if I needed to add anything else for spelling instruction? Other than that, it looks pretty good and I'm excited to give it a try.

I wasn't aware of a bundle sale! How much are the savings? LULU is having 27% off that ends at midnight, so I went ahead and ordered Wayfarers Ancients Term 1, Botany, ELTL 1 and 4, and RLTL 1. Hoping I don't regret it now that I learned of this sale! Ha!

Thank you for the info. LULU.com is having a sale that ends at midnight and I'm trying to decide what to purchase. I'm thinking of buying it all...ELTL, Quark, and Wayfarers...and just pray I like it, or just go ahead and sell it if I don't. I've done some google searching for reviews and the ones I have found have all been positive, so that's definitely encouraging. Have you ever used RLTL? I wouldn't need it for my oldest, but I'm wondering if it would benefit my son or not. He is 6...almost 7...and still not reading. What I've been using with him up to this point has been ETC books as well as easy readers from Usborne and the library.

I was hoping to get some feedback on the barefoot ragamuffin curriculum. I'm in search of a new science and history program to use next year with my to-be 2nd and 4th graders. What are your thoughts/opinions on wayfarers and the Quark Chronicles? Are they complete? Are they typically used as a spine? From what I am reading on their website, they both sound like something I'd like, but I'd love some honest feedback from those of you who have actually used it. I'm also very curious about ELTL and RLTL. Are they to be used together? How does ELTL compare to Bravewriter...another program I am very interested in. Any thoughts, opinions, or how you use this curriculum in your homeschool would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

We have been using Singapore math this year with my 3rd and 1st grader. Both are only a few pages away from finishing workbook “b†and I’m stumped on what to do next. My daughter (3rd grade) would probably do fine moving on to the next level, but my son (1st grade) definitely would not. So, I’m wondering what would be best to use from this point on? We’ve been playing some math games and are using flash cards, but I think once the workbook is done, he will still need something in its place. What is life of Fred like? Would it be good to use in a situation like this? Honestly, I don’t think I want to push my daughter ahead either…a little more review would be beneficial to her as well, so anything you can recommend for both would be so appreciated! And while I am at it, I’m not real happy with Singapore Math. The way things were presented to be taught and explained were, at times, confusing even to me. So, going forward for next school year, what might be a good math curriculum to use coming from Singapore? I’m open to any and all suggestions and advice! Thanks so much!

We have been using Singapore math this year with my 3rd and 1st grader. Both are only a few pages away from finishing workbook "b" and I'm stumped on what to do next. My daughter (3rd grade) would probably do fine moving on to the next level, but my son (1st grade) definitely would not. So, I'm wondering what would be best to use from this point on? We've been playing some math games and are using flash cards, but I think once the workbook is done, he will still need something in its place. What is life of Fred like? Would it be good to use in a situation like this? Honestly, I don't think I want to push my daughter ahead either...a little more review would be beneficial to her as well, so anything you can recommend for both would be so appreciated! And while I am at it, I'm not real happy with Singapore Math. The way things were presented to be taught and explained were, at times, confusing even to me. So, going forward for next school year, what might be a good math curriculum to use coming from Singapore? I'm open to any and all suggestions and advice! Thanks so much!

That is a fun idea...and so easy too! I'll definitely have to start this! Thanks!

Yes! Geopuzzles! My kids would love these! Thanks for the recommendation!

I haven't heard of these resources before! Going to definitely check them out! Thank you!

I actually bought the guide and all the books at a used book sale for $20! I was holding onto it until next year or the year after, but maybe I'll pull it all out and take a look through it to see if it would,he a good fit for my kids for right now! Thanks! :)

I'm starting to implement the use of a morning basket into the start of our homeschool day and am looking for some great geography books to use during this time. Map books, read alouds, anything you can recommend would be great! Thanks! :)