Thanks...I wanted to look at samples, but I bet RR will have that, too...at least some.

Does anyone know what is going on with their website? It says it is under construction/maintenance, but I was wondering if this is expected to take a long time. I've been checking for about a week... Thanks.

I'm so sorry for your loss...

Loved A Single Shard!

Well, my 5th grader is MUCH easier than my rising 8th grader, so some of his is planned... Grammar: R&S English 5 Vocab: He's a great speller, so we're skipping spelling and going with Wordly Wise. I can easily make a list of missed words to use for spelling. Writing: ????? Yikes! No idea! (maybe just the R&S lessons?) Write Shop E Literature: TWTM Reading Suggestions and things from SOTW (Maybe MOSDOS now that they're up and running...) Math: CLE 500 History: SOTW 4 Science: Elemental Science Logic Stage Earth Science NOEO Chemistry II Latin: He'll still be finishing FFL and then move into SFL Spanish: No idea...this is so hard! He's almost done GSWS, so he'll need something else. Foreign Languages for Kids Critical Thinking workbooks, guitar lessons, sports, and something for health ******As much as I think the above is how we're headed, he is currently doing the BYL unit study on Harry Potter, and he really enjoys it. I am debating doing the other unit studies next year...just not sure...

Thank you. May I ask how she is able to answer the required questions in the delayed class? Does she just email the teacher? How does that work? Delayed may work for our schedule better, if it is available as an option.

For those that have taken this class, what is involved in the actual class time? Is there some type of socratic discussion of the history topics? What "happens" in class? I'm really trying to "step up" my 8th grader's history (next year) and I'm researching my options...thanks!

Yes, dvds won't go anywhere. Sorry, if I wasn't clear.

I received an email from them that said they will no longer be selling the cd/pdf option. It will only be the printed option available. I don't know what means as far as the content is concerned, though.

Well, she does design it and use it for her kids, so maybe that played into this year more so than others.

Looking at 9th grade just overwhelms me... This will be my 1st and at this point, we're not sure if he'll be homeschooling or not, so I just keep working on what I think he needs to work on...his weaknesses. Following this thread, though!!

Thank you for your response. I was considering my 5th grader UG, not quite D yet. He likes SOTW, so I'm fine with keeping that. Do those readings line up with the D readings, so I can do read-alouds, discussions, etc. together? I think the main reason I'm drawn to TOG is the socratic questions and teacher's notes to facilitate that. I feel like I fall short in this area. I've looked at Teaching the Classics and it was definitely on my list of possibilities, too. I also need to look at TOG's lit selections for the year because I know my son has read Anne of Green Gables, which is the first one in the sample. If I have to sub out a lot of books, then the lit portion won't be a benefit. I asked to join the year 4 Facebook group, but I have not been added yet. The admin asked why I wanted to join, and I responded, but haven't heard anything else. I was hoping that group could help me decide, too...

Thank you. I'm struggling with the book selections...most are not at my library. I haven't checked the ILL yet, but will do that. Do you use Writing Aides? Or add a different writing program?

We are doing ES Logic Stage Earth Science. It's a lot of work...for my kid. I guess it depends on how much time you can put into it. Each week, there is an experiment, sketch to color and label, dates for the timeline, reading and additional reading, and finally, the report. My son doesn't love science, but he works quickly. If I need him to "catch up" and do a lot one week, it's manageable, but I don't think he could keep up the pace for 18 weeks.

bumping in hopes someone on this board uses TOG...

I have looked at their website oodles of times and just kept writing it off as too confusing or too much for our family. As my oldest is quickly approaching high school, I wanted to give it another look just to see if it will fit our needs for next year or in the future. (He'll be in 8th grade next year.) I understand that it's a buffet and that you don't have to do everything, but how do you use TOG in your home? How much is reasonable? I want to make sure I'm challenging him appropriately, but I can easily overwhelm him...I do it all the time! Also, I see that they have writing topics and a "writing aids" guide. Is there writing instruction in the guide? or would you use a separate writing program (I was considering WWS2 for next year)?? I have looked at the samples and the bookshelf site, but I wish I could look at the books I NEED...the core books or whatever, so I can find out how many I would need to purchase vs. what I can get at our library. Is this specific list anywhere? And have you found the book purchases to be expensive? or are they readily available at the library? For literature...how good is the lit instruction and discussion? Finally, we are doing Early Modern this year and will end around 1850. Year 4 of TOG starts with 1900. I hate just skipping time periods! Would you buy unit 4 of year 3 and start there? or that just too expensive for no good reason? I appreciate all input. I wish they had a sample week of something closer to where we are in our history study, so I could "use" it for a week and see how it works for us. My kids don't want to go back to Jamestown since we just finished that...

Agree that it would be too long of a day for a scout to build AND race! Our pack strongly encourages the kids to do the work on their own depending on age (Webelos should do 90% of the work, but Tigers will need more help). To make sure everyone has access to tools, etc., they hold a workshop and the more experienced dads help everyone. We went last night to the workshop. In 1.5 hours, my son designed, cut, and sanded his car. The pack leader used a power saw to help get each kid started, and then he set them up with their own individual station for sawing and sanding. Boy Scouts were there to help, too. The Boy Scouts supervised the work but also gave tips on design from what they've seen in the past. It was really awesome, but it was 1.5 hours and the car is not painted and doesn't have wheels on it yet! Finishing AND racing in the same day sounds like chaos!! I would think that in this situation, they probably didn't consider that your son will need a different environment. Maybe approach the activity leader and let him know your concerns and come up with a solution together. Maybe part of the work can be done with dad, but they want the child to "finish" on his own on race day?? Some type of compromise is surely possible. After all, all scout training emphasizes that FUN is the goal!! If it won't be fun for your child, they should help accommodate. Good luck.

Love your field trip list! I live in MD, so I really need to get to work because I haven't been to many of these!

I have highlighted all throughout it, so I wouldn't get rid of mine until I've had plenty of time to mark up and compare the two! :)

my son used W&R in 5th (Narrative, book 2). He hated it. I thought it would be fun, but he really needed more direct instruction. He used WWS in 6th. For him, this worked much better because it was very broken down and specific. Both taught Narrative (well, we were using the narrative book of W&R!). You can look at generous samples of both online, so I'd really take a good look and see what you think your child would respond to more. Maybe try a practice week with each?

We used Biology II. I thought it was dry. My son didn't mind it, but he's a "get it done" kind of kid and he could just read and do his notebook page and be done. I have gone back to other packages often, but I just don't like their notebook pages, and I can't get past that. I just feel like if I'm paying that much money for a curriculum, the notebook pages would be a little nicer. They never tell you which one to use, which is probably because the child (or parent) should think for herself and make her own page, but my kid and I both needed more direction. :) (all of that being said, I *might* use it next year for my 5th grader, but only b/c I already own it!)

I haven't used a lot of the curriculum you mentioned, but I'll try to help. My ds did FLL3 and then went on to Rod & Staff 4. It's thorough and he doesn't seem to mind the dryness of it. We do some orally and we don't do every single exercise. It also has writing included, but you can skip those lessons if you want. Have you tried All About Spelling? I have not used it, but it's highly recommended on these boards. When I was thinking about ds' 4th grade year, I considered Writing and Rhetoric for writing. (We used WWE up through level 3) It looked fun to me, but ultimately, I didn't think it was a good fit for him. Look at that. Also, consider IEW.

Me too!

LOL...yes, but I don't necessarily think it stops at 12. Mine turned 13 last week and I'm pretty sure nothing has changed! :)

Are you able to look through the AG for SOTW4 (or maybe the Sonlight website-always a good resource!) and pick the books that you'd most like to read and take those with you? Or do you have a kindle that would allow you to check out electronic materials from your library here in the states? I'm sure they wouldn't have all of the books available that way, but my library has a lot of electronic resources that I can "borrow."