So for those of you who skipped one or the other, do you think it makes a difference which one? Would 8/7 or Alg 1/2 be the better book to skip if I need to speed things up?

I haven't seen one coordinating it with the Bible, but there's one coordinating it with MOH 1, which is a more biblically focused text for the same time period. It's at Paula's website, but I don't have the link handy on this computer.

:thumbup: Way to go, mom! That sounds much better. :)

Do I read that right, that you're spending a total of 4-1/2 hours a day JUST on the 3 R's? That's wayyyy too long at that age, even with two doing it. What are you using in those areas? Are you using the Bible and science lessons from MFW? If so, then I would drop Apologia Science OR the science in MFW, one or the other. Same with Bible... Bible in MFW and the Expl. Bible Study? Drop one or the other.

If I remember right, FM of Rome was one of the *recommended* purchases by the author. You'll find it listed in the book basket at the back of the TM. Use that book basket! :D

Oh, we did this, too, and I think it helped solidify in our heads just who belonged to whom. THAT was one of the hardest parts... the relationships of all these crazy people! :lol:

:laugh: Ummm, yes, you left out a few things. Sounds like several things, in fact.

We ran into the same thing last year. I felt like they tried to cram too much into too short of a time period, and finally realized why others like VP and MOH spread their history cycles out into 5 years. Taking just 13 weeks for Ancient Rome was a LOT. We ended up dragging it out much longer than that. FTR, we loved the content and learned a lot... but it was too much for the way it's scheduled.

I would use CLE before I'd use ACE. CLE is a more advanced than ACE, meaning, I believe it makes the student *think* better. I consider ACE to be pretty dumbed down in most areas. I agree with the pp who suggested ordering a sample pack of LightUnits from CLE. You can request certain grade levels to be included in that sample pack, or let them send you a hybrid (their choice) of subjects and grade levels. Also be sure to get their Scope & Sequence.

I am REALLY liking the sound of that right now. :001_rolleyes:

I had signed up for the free 30-day trial and I really, really liked it. I couldn't swing the $99 for the year at the time to go ahead and buy it, but I'd probably still like to. Two features that I especially love: the Book Finder, which links you right to the book title, cover, ISBN, author that you're looking for, and plugs it into the schedule where you want it; and the fact that I can access it from ANY computer. It's not downloaded onto my home computer, so I can use it from anywhere. Since dh is military and we travel at least a couple times a year, this is a big deal to me!

Hold on a sec! The PLL that MFW sells is different than the one you linked at Amazon. The PLL that MFW sells comes from Lost Classics Books and is for 2nd & 3rd graders. There are samples here: http://www.lostclassicsbooks.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.100.exe/index2.htm?E+scstore

We live in the city, and while we're close enough to "nature" to be able to do nature walks and all that if I made it a priority, I just don't. We have entirely too much going on in our modern, busy lives with church and other things. And I have one dd in particular who loves her Abeka science textbook. ;) But some things we've done to incorporate nature study into our home are to read more living science books, the CLP Nature Readers, and nature coloring books and posters (Dover and Rod & Staff both sell some nice ones). We're also friends with a couple families who are surrounded by great climbing trees and a barn and chickens and a large garden and a creek and all sorts of "nature things", as well as children who are always handling bugs and other creatures. My girls LOVE to spend time at these friends' homes, and I always send them in their "safe play clothes" because I know they're going to come home good and dirty. :D Owning and caring for pets can also be an easy way to incorporate natural science. We have 3. Photography and graphic arts are another way to "modernize" nature study if you have anyone interested in those skills.

Queens Homeschool has some wonderful American history readers for that age group.

Keepers: My Father's World for history/geography/Bible (though I'm tweaking it a bit to emphasize some parts over others) PLL/ILL Applications in Grammar (7th grader) Saxon math Singapore math Abeka Science & Health (7th grader really likes this) Building Spelling Skills from CLP (we've used this forever and no one complains) Studying God's Word from CLP Artpacs from R&S English from the Roots Up (the girls think this is fun) Still trying to figure out the best approach to phonics with my K'er. We're also looking forward to starting Latin and French later this fall. That's one reason I'm downsizing our LA choices from what I thought we were going to do a month ago.

Do you want or mind Christian content? If Christian content is okay, then you might look at the Progeny Press study guides... they have quite a few to choose from. Even just doing two of them (one per semester) might be sufficient if she's doing lots of other reading, too.

I was also going to mention Enchanted Learning. They have a ton of worksheets and simple activities for French. You could also get videos and CDs from the library which can be fun or purely instructional or both. We had a big stack of them here at one point.

:laugh: I understand. I have the same problem. ;)

:iagree: Absolutely! Much of the reason so many Americans today are ignorant in politics and religion is because they know little to nothing about the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation. MARR really is the "setup" for American history. Except I can't imagine doing it in "only" 18 weeks.... :001_huh: But it's better to do it the way they have it scheduled in 18 weeks than not at all.

Sue, I'm not sure if this is "right", but I have my dd do 2 pages a day from Key To while also doing Saxon and Singapore. (Yes, we're trying to make up for lost time. :blush: )

:iagree: And it appears you and I were typing (last post) at the same time. ;)

And I think this is exactly what the author of the MP article was saying. She may have had a poor of choice of words in "fit history to the child", implying that she agreed with a child-centered education, but I didn't get that at all. If you read the article as a "whole" and couple it with the entire curriculum of MP, it seem obvious to me that she was simply saying there's nothing wrong with doing a year or two of American history, and learning how to learn at a grammar stage level before jumping into the Ancients. I'm confused and disappointed as to why some responded to the article with such an angry and defensive tone... almost as if it was a knee-jerk reaction, or perhaps they felt they were being attacked for starting with Ancients in 1st grade? :001_unsure: I'm not sure, but I never had the impression that that was the author's intention. Because she offered an alternative way of doing things doesn't mean she or anyone who agrees with her are STUPID.

The way I use this book is by reading a section and talking about it with my dd, asking some narration prompts and discussing the meaning. Then I have her color the coinciding page in the coloring book that you can get to go with it. I also have her (or sometimes help her as needed) do the occasional activities such as making the simple timeline showing Christ and the cross in the middle of history.

Kathleen, here's that other thread I mentioned earlier: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44893

Thanks, Jami. :) And to clarify, I had mentioned Sayers because she's so often lifted up as the be-all and know-all to classical education. There are so many who think that chronological history *from day one* is as crucial to a classical education as is the study of Latin (whether Sayers actually said it or not), and it seriously frustrates me. I hate the implication that one isn't doing it "right" if they don't start with Ancients in 1st grade. :confused: