I think that the content of the book is what is most important. We do stay away from Harry Potter, but we read Narnia. At our house, we talk about what is happening in the book i.e.- is the "hero" someone who does witchcraft or is it the "villain" doing the black magic? I have been slammed by some friends for this, but right now my kids have no interest in HP. As a matter of fact, my eight year old is terrified of the advertisements for the movies, so they wouldn't be watched even if it were something I approved of.

We have just begun to this year. I love it. My kids are learning things that some adults I know do not understand about faith. I never learned the catechism when I was younger, so this is another chance for my husband and me to keep learning. Blessings,

We love The Sun is a mass... my kids even made up a goofy dance to with it. Our "official" school is Questions by Tom Chapin. The first line is What is the weirdest smell which is very fitting for a house full of boys.

I have to disagree with that statement. I think that TOG is wonderful for younger children. For young children there are wonderful picture books, LOTS of hands on projects, and lots of maps made with salt dough. Personally, I wish that I knew about TOG sooner.

With you having young children, I think TOG would be great! There are so many hands-on activities each week. The activities all go along with what they are reading. There is a lot of map work, which I thought the kids would be bored with, but my kids love it!! Plus, I like the fact that one teachers manual works k-12. Everything is well organized. just wonderful!!

One that I have been trying to get at my church is called Generations of Grace. It is a shame that so many companies put out curriculum that is so pathetic. What is worse is that so many churches (like mine) use a certain company because that is what our denomination recommends.

My oldest son has said that he wants to be a NASA engineer since he was in the seven years old. Now, he wants to add being the president to that. (that part makes me cringe) My middle son wants to make Chinet paper plates for Huhtamaki. That is cringe worthy because even if there are still factories in America by the time he grows up they probably won't be there for long. My youngest says he wants to be a preacher, but he is not sure if he will like everyone's eyeballs being pointed at him. :glare:

We have a huge vinyl timeline that we bought from Konos. It works, but I would like something a bit easier on the eyes

From a Christian perspective, I want my children to know why I do not believe evolution. I agree that saying "The Bible says so" is not the thing to teach. We have looked at Science from a Creationist point of view. The curriculum we use talks about evolution and has information on why old earth evolution is hard to believe. As far as our history goes, we believe that the story of the world is the story of God. We look at what God expects from people and then as we study nations or certain time periods we look at if that people group did things to honor God or shame Him. We read literature from all kinds of sources, not just the Bible. Our math is not like what you mentioned either. We do normal math.:)

I am very grateful to be able to homeschool my kiddos. There are so many people around me who have uncertain futures, maybe through job loss or illness. God has blessed me so much that sometimes I have to just burst out in song. Yes, people think I am strange, but that is okay with me.

Tapestry of Grace is awesome! Having children that are small, it is very easy to substitute books that you already have or can get from the library. Buying four year-plans, you will not have to purchase curriculum again. It is very costly if you buy the year plan, map aids, lapbook kits, writing aids, and ALL the books. Not so much if you prioritize what you need. HTH Kelli

My boy have played several times. They take the cushions off the couch to build their pirate ships. They just recently saw on the news about a pirate attack off the coast of Africa and one of them said "You mean pirates are REAL????" We were able to have a big talk about real pirates and what they did (or do). It opened up a lot of discussions about how bad things are sometimes glamorized in books and movies, and how we always need to firm in our Bible studies so that we do not get desensitized against evil things.

What part of East Alabama? We are in Guntersville.

My kids love Apologia. We have not found it to be dry at all. Even my oldest, Mr. "I want to be a NASA scientist" has learned things, but it has not left his brothers in the dust. Kelli

I think you should go to the Tapestry of Grace website and get a free three week that they offer. We have recently bought Tapestry and love it!! There are so many great book suggestions for the younger ones and a lot of hands-on projects so that they do not get bored. I have heard several people say that they do not recommend it for young children, but I think it better to start them early so they can study each cycle more.