Yes - I agree about entering the readings into a table format.... just a reminder for anyone who may not know it... there are yahoo groups for each ambleside year with table format schedules in the files section. They are really helpful!

That sounds a lot like us. I also wanted to start with an Ancients year. We started the year with Christine Miller's Story of the Ancient World and added in CHOW chapters where appropriate and a few of the IS chapters... although I may back track and start with Julius Caesar in CHOW and IS when we start back up. We also listened to some of SOTW vol1 cds at the end of the year, mainly as a follow up and because we have piano lessons on Thursday morning and it was something we could do in the car (and you can't beat Jim Weiss!) I have wanted to keep a 4 year cycle, but when I look at the pace we would need to maintain, I'm less certain about it. Five years ago with my oldest I started with 1 year of ancients (started with and quickly abandoned MOH; switched to AO Year 1 and added in CHOW and a children's Bible to complete ancients). Then we did Yr 2 mostly as written. Then during year 3 I sped us up to get us more in line with WTM (but as we ran out of chapters in CHOW we began using SOTW 3 and 4 more which he listened to on cd. I was more hands off due to a pregnancy one year and a newborn the next. He also did a lot of extra reading on his own on the side and listened to Diana Waring's cds or SOTW cds all the time). But I digress! As I ponder how to do Yr 2 this time, I'm thinking of slowing my youngers back down - too many students, too little time :) Parables from Nature - when I read some of these to my oldest for the first time several years ago they were not a big hit. Then this year I read several to my 2nd ds and he really liked them (and I think *I* was more *sure* of them than when I first read them). Ironically, my oldest loved Burgess Bird Book and my 2nd ds moaned every time it came out - which was rare for an AO book and I know some other kiddos who preferred Parables to Burgess, fwiw. But, for Parables.... you might want to pre-read just so you know where the story is going and or where is a good stopping point if it starts to feel too long. Shakespeare - I agree. I barely dabbled in the tales at all and decided to wait until older.... I think the picture book substitution is probably a good idea for us this time! Sorry to ramble on so long... and apologies to op for hi-jacking the thread... but maybe some of our conversation will be helpful to you too. Another nice thing about AO is that many of the readings are free online, so you can give it a try before you spend much/any money. Best wishes with it!

:iagree: Excellent post! We love AO here! There is a richness in many of AO books which I have yet to find anywhere else. We are also looking forward to YR2 next year (except for my oldest - who will do Diana Waring's RRR with a few AO Yr 7 selections thrown in). My only decision will be whether to do it at AO's pace or try to speed it up a bit to keep us more in line with a 4 year cycle (what about you Medieval Mom?). (Oh, and I am going to add in the student pages from SOTW vol 2 to have coloring pages and maps at the ready).

I'm with you! You know what my 1st grade dd said her favorite subject was (about 2 months into the school year)? Copywork. Yep, that's the only fun we allow around here. Copywork. If you're really good you can do another page! :D

:iagree: Encore!:hurray::hurray: it's a rainy, boring saturday - give us more! :lurk5: (Oh, and thanks for the laugh too! :D)

Well, we never got to Epsilon... but we switched to CLE.

Excellent point - we are dipping our toe in by borrowing the DVD from the library. Thanks for the suggestions! Magic Flute will be our next one - if the library has it :)

I'm sorry to reveal how culturally illiterate I really am.... can anyone recommend child-friendly operas? I don't mind a little inuendo, but we tried Marriage of Figaro and the "adult situations" were central to the plot. We enjoyed it, but I'd like to choose more carefully next time. Thanks for any suggestions!

I think we're just in 502 and we've had some outlining lessons too.

Woo-Hoo! Way too excited! :D

Hi, We were a bit behind with FLL and so we were maybe 20 lessons into FLL4 when we started 5th grade. It was going fine, but after we got more than halfway through the book (don't remember exactly which lesson number) it just seemed that he outgrew it. I didn't see too much ahead that wouldn't be fairly simple to just explain one time, etc. I ended up buying a couple Light Units of CLE LA 500 (5th grade). It has been a good combination of review and new material. We obviously won't finish it this year, but I'm not worried about being half a year or so behind. There is also the possibility that we would only use a couple levels of CLE LA and then use Analytical Grammar later (right before high school?) So, yes, you can use FLL 4 in 5th, but it might get too easy before you are done. Btw, I'm not sure what your experience would be if you were going straight from FLL3 to CLE 5 - there might be some diagramming that your dc hadn't seen, but I don't know if it would be a problem or not.

Whew! When I first read the title, I thought you were going to give up the MCT hummer! Different kind of simplifying! Your ponderings on the benefit of being vs. doing reminded me of hearing SWB talk about the importance of reading in our attempt to classically educate ourselves. Paraphrasing badly, she talked about the difficulty in our culture of setting aside time to read/study, etc. instead of produce results with our "to-do" list. Anyway, I think hanging out with kids builds the relationship and that's an important part of being a Mom and a homeschooler. I think it's hard for us to do this, especially depending on how long ago we may have been in the workforce. We need "de-working" just like the kids need "de-schooling." :D (P.S. you could always bring your laptop outside and research next year's curricula - that would be doing something, right?) :D

Laura, Thank you so much for seeing this post and responding. I knew you had an "earliest age" recommendation, but hadn't gotten around to searching the boards for it. My to-be 3rd grader will be 9 in December, but I agree with everything you said above. I had hopes of keeping the two together, but Latin Prep looks most appealing to me.... Hmmmm.... I either need to find something else to use for a year or else teach them separately. Or.... just review GSWL the first part of the year, start Latin Prep after Christmas with both and go very slowly.... Thanks again for posting.... it's best to find these things out ahead of time! :001_smile:

I'm enjoying using this. I don't think you can beat the price. I'm using it with my 11yo and 8yo. Their vocab. memory would be better if they drilled - they only know what they know by doing the 10 translation exercises that go with each lesson. Simple homemade flashcards or chanting endings daily would improve their knowledge, but we are not spending much time which I like. I know there are Latin Programs for younger children that focus on memory with little to no translation, but I think I would hate doing Latin this way - what would be the point? Translation is fun - it's like working a puzzle. Your 7th grader could go through the book more quickly, or you could slow him/her down and keep them together. Your 3rd grader may do okay if he/she has good logical reasoning skills. A good grammar base is helpful, but honestly my 8yo had never heard of indirect objects or probably some other grammatical terms and he's doing fine.

It sounds like you have a good understanding of where your daughter is. With the things you've said about her reading, I would make that the priority - and it sounds like you are. I haven't used the specific Queens LA book you mention, but tried an earlier one with my dd and eventually felt like it either overlapped with other LA materials or didn't accomplish what I had hoped. I'm not saying that will be the case for you.... but .... look at is like this.... Maybe your spelling should be incorporated with your phonics - instead of another subject to check off. Maybe FLL would be gentle enough (I would consider going back to FLL 1 and 2 while you work on reading of FLL3 if you think she can handle it) and you wouldn't need to pull in madlibs, editor in chief, etc, etc. (I say this because for *myself* when I have too many options I begin to get overwhelmed and for *me* I do better when I pick one thing I have confidence in and do it.) Copywork is fine - and I would use it to reinforce phonics too. Have her read it to you, or mark phonograms or whatever. For comprehension I would definitely add in narration - you could start with Aesop Fables if you wanted. They are more easily retold because they are short stories and you won't be wondering where to break to ask for a narration like you might in a longer work. Or you could start with WWE 1 for narration and copywork. While she's certainly old enough to work on cursive, I wouldn't consider it as important as reading. Lastly I would read aloud some better books to her to whet her appetite for better books. If you used WWE, it's quite likely that some of the excerpts there would lead to some books she would like to hear more of. They would make great read alouds. I also wonder if it would be helpful to listen to a book on tape or cd while she follows along with the text? Where is Oh Elizabeth? - she is much better at making alternate suggestions than I am! Btw, if you've already hit the "order" button you can just smile and nod and say "thank you very much." LOL!

My oldest is 5th grade this year - so I haven't had a 6th grader yet.... but I'm wondering if your dd has writing assignments each week that require an hour/day, does she really need Writesmith? And I understand the benefit of copywork and dictation, but does she need penmanship too? IMHO, at this age you could do copywork or dictation 1x or 2x per week and that would be sufficient since she is doing other writing. I know these are not probably your real time eaters, but sometimes doubling up (if you don't need to) just bogs you down - mentally as well as efficiency. Also, if she's working on writing for an hour everday, then couldn't you get through your grammar text by doing it three times/week instead of every day? My other thought is that maybe you have more outside the house than you need, especially for this grade level? If you're doing a full schedule at home, and you have a Friday get together as well as CBS, violin, gymnastics, then I hope you won't mind me asking what in the world your other co-op is doing for you? It seems that others say it's not too much.... but if it were me, I would streamline a bit and see if I needed that many activities outside the home.... (Or else, if that Thursday co-op is accomplishing something for you academically can it count towards the time you need to spend on a subject during the week?)

I haven't used it yet, but I'm planning to use Diana Waring's RRR next year. Your oldest two would be the right ages for it. Whatever you choose for the older two you could get SOTW vol.2 cds and Student Pages (coloring pages and maps) for your younger one - then pick something to read aloud to all as little or as much as you have time.

Hi Angela, I'm not a MFW user, but thought I would post because I'm planning to use CLE LA next year as well.... and I keep playing around with what to plug in for writing. I would like to use Lost Tools of Writing someday, but I don't think it will be next year. I'm thinking about trying WordSmith Apprentice hoping it will be gentle, appealing, for my will-be 6th grader. Although I don't use MFW, I do prepare a grid-like schedule for him each week - I try to alternate LA and writing assignments.... So, going by MFW's grid maybe you could do CLE LA for the 3 English days and whatever you figure out for writing on the 2 Writing Strands days. If you think that won't be enough writing, you could always flip-flop it every other week. If it means I lack time for a light unit or two - I'm not too worried about it - we'll just keep plugging through and possibly switch to AG for 8th/9th grades. P.S. I've also considered R&S for the composition lessons alone. If you end up doing that I would love to hear how it goes!

:hurray: Now remember, you have to come back and tell us what you buy - I haven't had "fluffy mail" in a long time!!! What fun!

You've gotten some excellent advice so far.... I also like snugglebottoms that Mrs. Mungo linked. There is also a snugglebottoms with velcro. These are some of the cheapest fitted diapers - and if you need more absorbency you can add a folded flat or something when baby is older. A couple of quick definitions.... fitted diaper - a diaper with elastic around leg openings and usually either velcro or snap closure for ease of use - but no built in waterproof cover. All in one - (AIO) - same as fitted except the waterproof cover is built in Pocket - a diaper "shell" with a pocket for inserting the absorbency (sometimes microfiber, or you can use a tri- folded prefold diaper) - these can be and usually are AIO - with a waterproof cover built in. Pockets are sometimes more difficult to launder especially if you use a microfiber insert. Now.... flats and prefolds are easiest to get clean, but hardest to use (a bit of a learning curve with how to fold and pin). Fitteds with a cover - is a nice happy medium because they are easy to use, but can still be washed well. Another "brand" you might want to look at is MotherEase - It offers two basic styles - a "one-size" (meaning it will fit a couple different sizes depending on how you snap it) and a regular sized fitted called Sandys. They also have two styles of covers - the Mother Ease Air Flow is the most popular. Most of my experience with cloth diapering is during the toddler stage. I tried to use cloth with my last baby when she was a newborn and I had forgotten how often you change newborns (for cloth or disposables!) No matter what I was using on her, I was changing her all the time and it was a bit exhausting. I don't want to be discouraging.... if anything I would say that disposables won't allow you to change a newborn any less often! Going by diaper prices here it was not anymore cost efficient to use cloth in the beginning because they grow and change sizes so fast (if you're using fitteds or AIOs) - but that could be very different where you are. One more .02.... when I was trying to use cloth on my newborn, I really liked the Mother Ease Sandys with the Mother Ease Air Flow cover.... they are side snapping with elastic across the front of the waist which made it the best newborn diaper to go under the cord (imho). Oh, and someone above mentioned hot water for stripping.... For washing I think hot water is almost more important in the rinse than in the washing part. So, in your case - definitely get those dipes in the sun and if you notice an odor than you may need to arrange a hot water rinse. If they don't have parts that can melt you can boil them on the stove. If they do.... then set your wash cycle to low water and add some hot water from the stove. If you stay away from microfiber you probably won't have much trouble from this. Blessings for a healthy delivery and for your cloth diapering venture!

:iagree: Also, I know you didn't ask for curricula changes, but if you're doubling up anywhere I would contemplate if you can drop one and just use one per skill subject.

Here's mine. (He'll be doing middle ages next year to sync up with older brother) Bible: BSF - Isaiah, and VP Bible cards History and Geography: AO Year 2 w/ SOTW Student Pages LA: Lit - AO Year 2 Reading - Elson Book 3 Grammar - FLL3 Writing - CW Primer Spelling - SWO C Science: Sonlight 1 (maybe - he would combine with younger sister) Math: CLE 3 Latin: ??? (We'll finish up GSWL. Older bro will probably go to Latin Prep, but I'm thinking 3rd grade may be too young for this.... we'll see). Poetry: IEW Piano Lessons Competitive Chess Art/Music appreciation - AO Maybe some Living Memory?

Karis, I am sorry. I misread your response to Linda as coming from a pp and misconstrued that she/you hadn't understood the response I'd already posted. I apologize for responding too harshly and for misunderstanding your post. Speaking of grace, thank you for extending it to me. :001_smile:

See thoughts above.

Alison, I have forgotten the ages of your kids, but if you're considering CTC, another option might be Diana Waring? She has a couple different book packs (like HOD) so you can decide how many you want depending on your budget. I haven't used it yet, so I can't give you personal experience, but I think the CDs and the student text serve as "spine" and the other books are for further exploration. Another option with more narrative spines (but no book packs.... you would just have to make your book list and order wherever you choose - or look for used, etc.) is Ambleside Online. But if you're looking for an Ancients year, AO may or may not line up with the ages you need to fit. Also, I think judging the "genre" of narrative spines by your experience with SOTW 4 might be misleading you. A lot of folks who enjoyed SOTW 1 - 3 (or other narrative spines) struggled with SOTW4 because they felt the modern era was more difficult. (We have SOTW on CD to listen to for fun, but I haven't used them week in and week out for an entire school year, so I can't offer personal experience.) About Genesis: Finding Our Roots - some have said it is better for an older student, but I agree with Donna - it does have info that you're not likely to find elsewhere. My oldest ds (5th grade this year) read it on his own - we did not do any of the end of chapter stuff. If you decide to go with CTC you could read and summarize - or I bet Carrie has it scheduled in small chunks. We are finishing a year of ancients that I put together without a plan. I started with a loose plan and made adjustments as necessary. I understand the difficulty in finding what you're looking for....Some plans were too structured and some were too unstructured.... Hope you find what you're looking for!