Thanks for the info, I ordered it too!

We love Sonlight! I look at what books we should should read, then open and go. We also love workbooks. I use both, but I don't always order them from SL. We never used ETC. But if you would like her to have some activities that she can do independently, this might work for you. AAS is all about the parents involvement. It did not fit my teaching style. I couldn't keep it organized. My dd enjoys workbooks. We read together. She reads aloud. And she works on her workbooks. At that age she needed encouragement and lots of help to get started, but then she would sing the answers to me as she finished them. We did use Calvert and it was crazy!!! Back and forth, this workbook and that... we didn't last 3 months with it! The books were great, but the schedule was way too much for us to follow. We will use some of the books, but in our own way. Homeschooling is quite exciting. So many curriculums and methods to try. Of course it is quite a bit of trial and error. I hope you enjoy your first year!

I love Sonlight! We've been Sonlighting for about three years now. Core A, B, K, and now 1. It's a bit expensive, and we still piece different things together but overall i couldn't imagine using any other curriculum. I don't exactly follow the schedule, i tried but i am not a box checker. I just use it as a guide to know which book to grab off the shelf. We use FLL, WWE, AAS,and ARFS (oh and HWT) for LA. Those of course we order elsewhere. But Sonlight just sort of rounds everything out and oh how wonderful all those books are!

I know things are getting done when we get near the end of the book and go "oh, I guess I need to order the next level!" We use Sonlight. We have the schedule laid out. I even have a planner (which I occasionally use). But in reality we just keep chugging along one book at a time and a few pages at a time. We are enjoying the journey without focusing on the finish line! I don't recommend this method unless you are very laid back and live in a state that is homeschool friendly! My daughter is very bright and is doing well in spite of me.:001_huh:

Hi and welcome! I started my dd on FLL when she was 5 1/2. We did one or two lessons per week. She enjoyed the memory work, (we use the the poems from the book). Now we are cruising along and doing 3-4 lessons per week. Honestly, she could care less about nouns or pronouns . But she will repeat the definitions and do the copywork with ease. I love using FLL. What I like best is that there is built in review at the beginning of most lessons. So if you do take it fast or slow your child is given time to learn and memorize the concepts without a ton of busywork. After over six months my dd can still repeat the poem The Caterpillar (oh and the definition of a noun, too).

Did you already buy it? Or are you just trying to decide? The peg board is well loved by my dd. It helps them learn geometric stuff. And maybe early fractions. I have yet to use it with Horizon's though. The squares (if they snap together) are just to help them add and subtract. I didn't buy the whole kit, just the hundreds chart, peg board thing, and the video. Oh, I did make the bean counters. They are a blast. dd loves to use them. Their in the video Mathtacular.

Maybe you were looking at a newcomer package. They include a lot of extra like a box of math supplies that might run $75. Or The Artistic Pursuits kit that is quite expensive too! I cringed at the prices of Sonlight at first, but I don't want to have to search for each item on my own. (I learned that while exploring Ambleside Online.) I'm willing to pay for the work SL puts into these cores. I don't get every little thing through SL, but I also don't feel the need to add on a lot of extras at this point. I could choose a curriculum that runs under $200, but it might just be work books. Then I would have to factor in all the overdue library book charges. I think in the end I've saved time and money through SL. I don't like ordering too much over the internet, and I satisfy my book cravings through their wonderful selections.

How long do the lessons in the workbook take? I like the idea of copywork coming from the read alouds we are doing. But I'm not sure how much work is involved in prepping. I noticed that there were exerts from some books in the workbook, is the whole workbook like this? I suppose I might be able to add the books into our reading schedule. I'm still trying to decide what to order. I love using FLL because the lessons are so short and simple (and scripted). Does WWE follow this same principle?

So far I would make no changes. My dd is thriving. I let her use manipulatives to make it a bit more fun. She has difficulties with skip counting threes, so erasers on a number chart turns it into a game. Normally we finish the lessons in ten minutes, some days we do two lessons. I have looked into other curriculums, but horizon fits her learning style and my teaching style at this time.

I noticed the same thing going from Horizons K to Horizons 1. 1 seems so much easier. I wasn't sure what to do at first. Finally, since my dd love to do two lesson a day, we do one lesson from each book. This way we finish up what's left of K, yet we can get through the beginning of 1 at the same time. Occasionally we do skip problems in K. (Dd hates doing problems on the curvy part, so I cross these out.) But she rarely misses any problems at this stage. As for the TM, I am trying to make an effort to glance at it one or twice a week. It gives me a heads up for teaching new concepts. But for me its just comforting to know its there. If dd us struggling to learn a concept, I may check the TM for a new way to present it. (So far the only thing she's confused with is money!!!LOL).

Okay, I got the planner too. Yes, I love it. Its wonderful. On Saturday or Sunday I sit down and write in a weeks worth of assignments. I use to write them on a very boring reproducible grid. But this planner gives me room to reschedule my SL IG. It also looks much more professional. I could easily keep 10 to 12 years worth of school records with this method. It was well worth the money. The ink cartridges alone would have set me back $15 -$20 if I were to print out my own.

I don't think your children will miss out on anything if you skip over some of the classics. Shakespeare's plays will still be around for many years! I dropped AO after seeing all the books on English history, BORING! Then I read TWTM, but my book list doesn't come straight from that either. Actually Sonlight picks most of my reading material! So I fall under the Eclectic group. But I still incorporate ideas from Charlotte Mason and Classical. A lot depends on the subject, and how my dd learns. Relax! It takes time to figure out which curriculum and method to choose and how to best apply it. That's part of the fun of homeschooling--we get to pick and choose!

I didn't read all the posts, so forgive me if I repeat anything from previous posts. But I seem to remember from reading TWTM that with young children you start with a child's version of the classics. Try reading a few of those Illustrated Children's Classics. (I'm sure someone out here knows if that is the correct name!) They are short, simplified versions of long, tedious, yet well written classics. I was surprised how much I enjoyed these as a gentle introduction into classical literature. I spent a year tutoring a boy. We read may of these books instead of the more modern children's series. Then later when I braved the world of classical literature on my own, I understood the stories much better. As for Latin. No tomatoes here! Just get them a cd with some great Latin hymns. Maybe learn what they mean. That's a great way to learn a bit of latin. :001_smile:

I actually bought a cheep slate from the dollar store and drew two lines on one side. I cut my "blocks" out of craft foam. (But we never really used them.) Oh and later for the pencils, just took gardening shears (the kind that cut small branches) and cut pencils in half. Stick an eraser on the end and you have the perfect size pencil. I still do this, and my dd is 6. I never bought the music cd, but I wish I did!

I buy regular pencils and cut them in half with gardening shears. Now I have two short pencils. Then I just stick a new eraser on one, sharpen them up and their good to go. We also use HWT, but I just didn't want to order the special pencils. This works out well because we double the amount of pencils we get in a box, and I know which pencils are mine and which are dd's for school.

I only have one child. I bought the shoe boxes, the shelves, the e-book, and a bunch of velcro. My dd was so not interested in the boxes! We use them now to store school and craft supplies. I use the top two rows to hold some school books, but they go by subject rather than assignment. I love the extra storage but hated the book. Oh and no way could I just pull out the boxes and pile them on the floor, we keep them shelved at all times. What we take out goes right back in.

I am loving Sonlight. Whether I choose to use CM or Classical methods, SL will easily adapt to these for me. The books are incredible, the Instructor Guides add structure (saving me time), and the customer service has always been kind. My dd also enjoys most of the books. Some are slightly above her comprehension, but I am willing to redo these when she's a bit older. She is now reading many of the books from our first core (p3/4). And as we continue on our journey she will have a healthy library of books to read at her leisure.

I want to continue my education. I do not have the funds at this time, but I would like to use the next year or so to prepare myself. My writing abilities need work. And it wouldn't hurt for me to brush up on math as well. What would you recommend for a person who barely graduated high school and got very low (C's and D's) grades in junior college. My husband is in his mid 50's. I am in my mid 30's. I we are not in the greatest of financial situations. I would like to develop a ten year plan. My goal is to get my degree and then apply to seminary to become a pastor. Where should I start?

I agree with some of the other posts. As much as I love SL, I still refer to AO reading lists. I was a bit too impatient to wait until my dd was 6 to do school. SL has wonderful preK and Kindergarten. AO just has a booklist. She wasn't quite ready for the longer books, SL gently increased her attention span in less than a year. Now I use the AO booklist to supplement SL. I do not use SL's LA or science. I have heard they are changing the science though. I actually love the idea of doing a nature notebook. I am looking forward to starting one this year. I believe you can use many of CM's techniques with SL. I try to keep lessons short. I believe in establishing good habits from the beginning. Sometimes I slip and get lazy (workbooks). But I am learning as I go. I am looking forward to my dd doing copywork and narrating stories. She is almost 6, she loves books, her reading and comprehension is improving every week, and she is has beautiful handwriting. I am in the process of rereading some CM books and TWTM as my dd is nearly ready to take the next step in her education. I however need to refresh my memory and implement all that I've learned about her learning style as we move forward. I hope you find some of this helpful!

I was seriously considering AO. At first glance SL seemed way out of my price range too. However once I realized how much I hated reading books online, and that I am not organized enough to order and organize AO's books, SL's prices seemed a lot more reasonable. Also, SL is very diverse. The stories are from all over the world. AO seemed very European focused. Of course, I just researched the first 2 years or so. CM is very concerned about reading "twaddle," SL uses some books that could be considered this. It's easy enough to skip these or substitute them. I love Sonlight, and my dd is thriving on it!