I agree, I think this would work, too. I discovered by accident when researching my dd's allergies that the h2 and h1 combination works very well together for numerous different "allergy type" problems. One time when one of my daughters had a mysterious rash that would dissipate with Benadryl, then come right back, and it had lasted for several days, a friend of ours who's always researching gave her an "antihistamine cocktail" (with my permission). It consisted of 1 Benadryl, 1 Zyrtec, and I think the third item was Claritin but I'm not positive about that. It cleared her up, and the rash didn't come back.

I'd not heard of the diagnosis "heat urticaria", but you described my youngest dd who has had a LOT of skin and other odd health issues. (She's also the one with LDs due to a speech disorder.) We've been through a lot with her, including many visits to allergists and dermatologists. It doesn't take a whole lot to make her itchy or give her a tummy ache, but I've discovered through trial and error that a dose of Benadryl every single night at bedtime seems to make a difference. We've tried some nights without it, because like you, I really hate having to give her these meds every day/night of her life. But we've tried going without and there's a noticeable difference within a day or so if she goes without. Since she does get the Benadryl every night, I only give her Claritin or Zyrtec by day if she's absolutely miserable or I know she's going to be outdoors quite a bit. One pill doesn't seem to affect her a whole lot, though, and she can't wait until bedtime to take the Benadryl on those kinds of days. If she weren't getting the Benadryl, too, I'd be giving her double doses of the other. Meanwhile, I've had a lot of problems with my sinuses over the years and had tried *everything*. Of course there's certain things I can't take during the day because of drowsiness, and I'd developed an intolerance to the non-drowsy stuff. The only thing that was working for me was Alavert D-12 (Loratadine w/Sudafed), but of course you have to go through the pharmacist to get the D-12 stuff, so that was annoying. Then I got really, really sick at the beginning of July and went to the doctor. After she swore up and down that I had Whooping Cough and insisting that I get vaccinated for it (before even examining me :blink: ), she finally decided that my allergies were out of control. She told me to take TWO doses of Claritin every day.... PLUS Benadryl at night PLUS an inhaler PLUS something else, I don't remember what. Oh, some kind of nasal spray. I had immediate improvement and I do think her dx was right, but every time I went outside, I regressed. After a few days of all these meds, I was a MESS. Then a friend of mine had me try a natural alternative and it WORKED! I haven't had any problems since, nor have have taken anymore OTC allergy meds. Anyway, all of that is to say that I think your dd will likely be fine doubling up on her doses. (Just saying that as one "allergy mom" to another.) I tried the natural remedy on my dd, but it just made her worse because she's allergic to some of the herbal ingredients. So unfortunately, I'll have to keep giving her the commercial stuff for now. :001_rolleyes:

Just a heads-up, Jean, if you haven't already begun ATB with one of your students... It will seem *very* light if you've been doing an integrated lit-based curriculum all along. The mapwork and timeline book are SUPER easy. My middle dd did ATB last year for 8th grade. She enjoyed it at first, as she enjoyed being able to work at her own pace independently. But after several weeks, she got extremely tired of the writing style (it felt like the author was talking to a little kid), and was anxious to start high school work early. I allowed her to do so, but only on the condition that she actually *finish* ATB, too. She wasn't really learning much history, as it was primarily animals and famous landmarks around the country, so she was bored. She did finish it.... eventually. :tongue_smilie: We start the history cycle over again in 9th grade using MFW AHL.

I think your science plan would work since your student will be a 7th & 8th grader when you get to EX1850 and 1850MOD. Land Animals (w/other books, not Apologia) are typically studied in EX1850, but since he'll be doing General, it's no loss to move that subject to ECC. Likewise with Chem/Physics and moving it from 1850MOD to CTG. During RTR, however, *BOTH* Human Anatomy and Astronomy are studied that year... two full sciences, one each semester. Apologia is used for Astronomy, so no change there, but you'd have to decide whether you want to use the resources MFW has scheduled for the H&A study, or use the Apologia H&A book instead. By that point, you might enjoy a break from Apologia for one semester. ;) So there ya' go! :)

That's why I had issues with listening to the MOH CD (which is comprised of the author's personal summaries of the story, which is what the main MOH text *is*).... we had already studied the time period using MFW, which schedules everything you mentioned on a weekly grid similar to the way SL does it (except from a more declarative Creation viewpoint), including multiple resources, so we had a much fuller picture of the story than *just* one author's conclusions. But I'm not familiar with the "Famous Men" book that MFW sells, Merry... ?? To which book are you referring? I thought I had everything they sell. Unless you're referring to Augustus Caesar's World which they use in RTR? (Which is scheduled in conjunction with the Bible and other materials that give a fuller picture of Ancient Rome.) They do have the "Famous Men of" Greece, Rome, etc. books listed in their Book Basket, and Marie actually recommends these books as an optional purchase item. But they don't sell those books there.... they don't want to become a "book company", nor do they have the facilities to do so. Anyway, just wondering which "famous men" book you're referring to.....

Found one that you can listen to immediately... I've not heard this one before, but it sounds good so far. (Listening to it now.) "School at Home or Family Discipleship?" http://www.hche.org/Mp3.jsp?id=973&SectionID=3

Here are some... I don't see the one I linked above, though. (Note that the CDs from their website are actually cheaper than both the CDs AND downloads on this site!) https://resoundingvoice.com/?s=hazell&post_type=product I'll keep looking.

You know, on this topic of "planning ahead".... Someone earlier mentioned that they literally read through several of the MFW manuals in order to see the big picture and make a decision. I actually did something similar.... not with the manuals themselves, but I did print off all the sample lessons from all the years of MFW and read through those. It gave me a pretty good idea of their overall goals and philosophy. Be sure to read not only the lesson plans showing on the grid, but also Marie's notes following the grid. Take a look at *how* they're using the different books, and what ages the different books are intended for. See if you can see what she's trying to pull together over the course of a few weeks... or a few years. See if you can see her long-term vision. (And don't forget high school, too!) Then I started listening to some of David's conference CDs, and one in particular was what made the difference for me.... keep in mind that I had also read The Well Trained Mind shortly before all this. I liked that TWTM gave me an overall "direction" or "plan" for the content subjects, but I'm too CM to spend that many hours a day on academics alone, and TWTM is also missing biblical worldview. So that's why I went searching in the first place and found MFW. (My oldest was 9 at this point, and prior to that, I was just sort of "winging it" from year to year in the areas of history, Bible and science.) Anyway, the CD that turned on the lightbulb for my dh and I was "What Should 21st Century Christians Be Teaching". Although I believe it was a slightly different title at the time, but you can order the CD here (about halfway down): http://www.mfwbooks.com/products/M50/105/0/0/1 That CD explains some of the differences between what MFW does and what you find in a "classical" education.... and WHY. If you don't know WHY you're doing what you're doing, or why MFW does this or doesn't do that, then it's hard to stay the course when life gets difficult.

Yes, that's what I said. Romans chapter 5 confirms this. ;)

Actually, I think it *is* a fact that Esau was red-headed. From Gen. 25:25 in the NKJV, "And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau." And then in verse 30, "And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary. Therefore his name was called Edom." (Edom in Hebrew means "red".) The JPS (Jewish Publication Society's English translation of the Tanakh/Jewish Bible) puts verse 25 this way, "And the first came forth ruddy all over like a hairy mantle, and they called his name Esau." The word ruddy is a translation of the Hebrew word Admoni, which means red in reference to hair. So I think the author of MOH is right about that. BUT..... you reminded me why I haven't been using MOH all along. :001_rolleyes: (I was watching this thread because I was reconsidering it for my youngest.) Several years ago, after we had done the time period for volume 2 with another curriculum and we then listened to MOH 2 on CD, I just about came unglued because of her "opinions". We noticed *several* things she said that really didn't portray fact but were clearly her personal opinions. (I had forgotten all about this!) Now, everybody has 'em, right? Opinions, that is.... But it was the WAY she said certain things that bugged me... as if they were fact, when we had studied history with other (reliable and Christian) sources that showed something different. I guess that's why I've always preferred to use a wide variety of resources for studying history rather than one author's (or publisher's) "opinion text", with some facts mixed in. :confused1: Her dependence on Wikipedia as a reliable source is bothersome, too. I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound slanderous. I really don't. This is just my opinion about studying history in general. If you ARE going to consult sources like Wiki and trust the author of any (one) history text (whether it be MOH or someone else), make sure you're getting the full picture from more reliable sources as well. Dahliarw, what is "WOS"? I agree with you on the other comment, though... it doesn't matter whether Eve technically sinned first or not, because God held ADAM responsible. He was *supposed* to be providing for and protecting the wife that God gave him. (Which he then blamed God for -- for giving her to him -- instead of taking responsibility for his own sin!) See Romans chapter 5. It was because of Adam's sin (not Eve's) that Christ the Redeemer had to come. To me, that's a very important detail that shouldn't be left out when telling the story.

Okay, so you decided this route without having seen the CTG manual, correct? So you might not have understood what all is there for younger kids... Maybe you said this earlier in the thread, I don't remember, but did you use MFW 1st? That year and CTG actually dovetail very nicely together.... just FYI for anyone who has both an older sibling and a 1st grader. :) In fact, some of the same activities (for younger kids) are in CTG that are in the 1st grade program, which is a Bible overview year.

I'm not sure what "ready for CTG" means by those who say that. You ARE understanding it correctly, Amysue. :thumbup:

Again, it depends on your child's skill level *when he gets there*. Like I said in my last post, that's something you won't know until he gets there. You'll have to compare where he's at in skill level with the placement chart on the HOD website and see if it fits. But you'll also have to decide what you're going to do with the other kids if you put your oldest in Preparing. That's NOT something you need to decide, or can even know, right now. This question should go in the "think about that later" box. :001_smile: *MY* concern, personally, from one of my posts way earlier in the thread, was that CHOW (the main history spine used in Preparing) would be too much for a younger child. Again, that's something you'll have to think about later when you're reading to possibly do the program and take a look through the book to see if you're okay with how the author addresses the ancient pagan cultures, myths, and all that. This is kind of one of those "personal family preference" things. Also, I like the book Grandpa's Box a LOT (which is the other main history book used in Preparing), but it does present the Christian life and biblical stories from the Old Testament through the New as a "spiritual battle". Which is true, but it's a concept some younger kids might not "get". And that's okay... there's a lot that some younger kids won't get no matter what we're using as a family read-aloud, main spine, or whatever. They'll get it again later, when their little minds and hearts are more mature. I think that some people who haven't used it are assuming that CTG has a lot of graphic material in it. It doesn't. Let me explain. Yes, MFW CTG *is* appropriate for 3rd/4th grade. It's appropriate for any age, in fact. Yes, all the elementary MFW guides are appropriate for 2nd-8th graders -- and even younger, as the "2nd-8th grades" definition is referring to the age of the oldest child in a multi-age setting... primarily for practical teaching purposes. If you're a mom who's not fond of, or is unable to, teach multiple ages together, then this likely won't be a good fit for you. But for those of us who prefer to keep our kids together in the content subjects, this is who they're talking to. :) The main spine in CTG is the Bible... the Old Testament, to be specific. The history period covered during that time frame include Egypt and Greece, both of which are often mentioned throughout the OT as references to their pagan gods, leaders (often by name), wars with those pagan countries, WHY God told them to go to war with so-and-so, etc. So for example, you'll learn why God sent those particular 10 plagues when Pharaoh wasn't wanting to let the Israelites go free from their slavery in Egypt. (Each plague represents one of the gods that Egypt worshiped at the time.) So Marie is really tying biblical and secular history together here... ALL of which is again referenced (quoted) many times in the New Testament by both Jesus and the Apostles. I remember that when I was a brand new Christian, I began reading my Bible in Matthew because I wanted to know exactly who Jesus was when He was on earth, how he lived, etc. As I read through the NT, I kept noticing all these references to the OT and I was confused by that. So as soon as I finished Revelation, I was anxious to go back to Genesis and read the OT so that I could find out what those references in the NT meant! Well, that is EXACTLY what Marie is trying to do here in CTG... even right down to the Jewish feasts. Marie does NOT schedule the graphic scenes of the OT for younger children to read, however. (A more thorough study of the OT is scheduled in high school.) But in elementary CTG, Marie schedules the "main story points", so to speak, in order to show how the entire OT points to the coming of Christ, and the symbolism of all those "types and shadows" of the OT and what God intended for them. In fact, when you begin RTR, there's a review of the OT prophecies of Christ as you study the founding of Rome -- which happened right before Christ came, during the "silent years" of the Bible between OT and NT -- His coming, and the significance of the power of Rome at that exact time in history. Anyway, then on the grid you see a lot of days where there's an "Advanced" reading listed.... this would be for older children who can handle more details of what's going on. So there's two different readings.... a "younger" one, and an "advanced" one. You choose. If you have an older child who can grasp more detail, then you would read the "younger" scheduled reading aloud as a family, but read the "advanced" assignments with the older child 1-on-1 with him, OR have him read it independently. Or maybe have Dad do it in the evening. Whatever works best for you. Book basket has a lot of books (and some videos) that are age-appropriate for a wide range of ages, so you can supplement with this -- as time and interest allow -- for everyone in the family from preschoolers all the way up to Mom and Dad. ;) Secular history in CTG comes from Book Basket and a handful of books that are used as reference material, which are scheduled on the grid. History and Bible both are presented with a literal 6-day Creation worldview. Really, the only books scheduled on the grid in CTG that might not be appropriate for a younger child are The Children's Homer (skip it if you want), and some parts of Streams. And it isn't that Streams isn't "appropriate" (as far as content is concerned), but rather, that it's a high school text which is included for either the parent to glean and summarize more geographical and historical detail for the kids as you see fit, or for an older child to read on his own *if* he's wanting or needing "more". IOW, Streams is treated as "reference material" in MFW. You do NOT read it cover to cover. (Well, I guess you could if you wanted to.... LOL) Part of the goal of MFW is to teach our children to consult multiple resources to search for the facts because *everyone* has a bias of some sort.... there are many different opinions about Christopher Columbus, for example. :rolleyes: MFW teaches you to do the research and come to your own conclusions on this. Only the Word of God is infallible. But that's why you see such a wide variety of resources throughout the MFW programs, and Bible is a heavy part of it.... partly to teach the process of research (without depending on the internet, hopefully), and lay a foundation for better communication (both written and oral) in the future, and part of it is to provide a variety of resources for the range of ages, abilities, and interest levels that each family might have in their homes. So, if you've seen Grandpa's Box (one of the main books used in Preparing), then you can see how it would actually fit very nicely with MFW CTG. Even CHOW would work if you really wanted to use that book, too. It wouldn't be necessary because you'd be duplicating content, but it would work. Actually, both of those books would/could be split between MFW CTG and RTR. Ditto with all the other books scheduled in Preparing. In fact, many of the Preparing books are scheduled in CTG and RTR *or* are listed as optional in Book Basket. So if you're drawn to Preparing primarily because of the books that are scheduled.... you don't need to take a whole year to do Preparing for that. It certainly won't hurt if you want to, but you don't need to. (IOW, you won't be missing anything by NOT doing Preparing.) However, maybe now you can see the reason why some of us suggest doing Preparing in between ECC and CTG, if at all. :001_smile: One more comment re: age-appropriateness. I mentioned Book Basket for a wide range of ages, but there's also the various cooking activities, art and music, crafts, games, science projects, notebooking assignments (Marie's instructions for different ages) that make CTG -- and each year of MFW elementary -- appropriate for both younger and older kids. Since we're having a church picnic on Saturday for our *whole* church family, from preschool through adult ages, I'll use that analogy.... think of planning a large "family" activity like that. You're going to have food, movies, games, activities, etc. there for *everyone*, right? Well, it's kinda' like that in MFW elementary. Yes, some books and assignments are intended for older kids, but the opposite is also true. That's what makes MFW a multi-age curriculum in all of those "content" subjects. But each child still does the 3 R's at their own level. I hope that helps explain it a bit more and doesn't just make it more confusing. :001_cool: Keep asking questions if you're not sure!

Agreeing with this. *IF* you're going to do Preparing at some point, it would fit best between ECC and CTG as far as *content* goes (world geography, then world history overview, then begin world history more in-depth), BUT..... that would assume your child actually fits into the "right" skill level for Preparing at that time. And that's something you won't know until you get there. And even if it does work out that way, what will you do with the younger kids while oldest is doing Preparing? If your intent is to school your children together in the content subjects throughout the elementary years, taking a year off to do a skill-specific, approximate age-specific program for one child is going to throw the rest of them off. I made this mistake, and it was a BIG mistake, as it messed us up the rest of the way through. I've never been able to get back what I had before we did that. :sad: Pulling one child out of the "group" to work independently changes the dynamics of everything. It really does. I sooooo wish I'd stuck to my guns and kept doing what *I* thought was best for the whole family instead of catering to the wishes of one particular child. Especially at that age. (And said child now agrees with me and admits that she was being selfish at the time. ;) ) It's not like she was already in high school and wanting to explore other options as a young adult who's trying to find her path. She was a CHILD, and the content subjects are important.... that's not an area that I want "scripted" for an elementary aged child to work from independently. I want ideas and guidance, and I want an overall plan, but that's for her dad and I, and our pastor, to teach, not someone who doesn't know my child and our family. Our family dynamics in the learning process are important, too. Now some families may have a child that they *need* to teach separately from the others for whatever reason.... but I'm telling you all this because it's important to keep in mind for YOUR family. And again, as far as a "filler" year, I want to remind you that ECC has a junior high supplement package which is intended for 7th or 8th graders who've either: - not yet had the exposure to missionaries and exploring the different areas of ministry available to us, or - those who need a better handle on geography in general and will be doing a 4-year history cycle in high school instead of the typical "1 year geography, 1 year world history, 1 year American history" path, or - those who've done ECC at a younger age, but only did the younger, age-appropriate activities at that time, and now, as 12-14 year old in puberty who's about to launch into the world of high school and is thinking about things differently than they did at age 8 or 9, can get something very different out of the program than they did at that younger age. Trust me, kids at age 13 "see" things very differently than they did at age 8. ;) Their prayer life is different, their thoughts about eternity are different, their thoughts about the world and people around them are different, their knowledge and understanding of Scripture is a little deeper (or should be), and they're just more mature in general. ECC for 8th grade doesn't have to be a heavy workload... it's okay to focus more on writing and other areas of language arts and math that need strengthened before high school instead of history, and there are other areas of "social studies" and electives that they can take time to explore, too. And if it's okay for a child to cycle back and repeat one of the history years in the 5th year, then why not geography and missions, too? And another, more thorough reading of the book of Matthew? See what I mean? So as far as a "filler" year, it doesn't HAVE to be either before OR after ECC. It can simply be ECC *again*, only more in-depth and with more meaning the second time. :) We really do have a lot of options.... and maybe that's part of the problem. :lol:

Examples? Sometimes the evidence of biblical history exists outside of the Bible itself.... I do know what you mean about speculation, though. Heck, a lot of pastors -- a *LOT* of a pastors, especially these days -- speculate a whole lot about what things mean without first consulting the Greek and Hebrew languages, archeological evidence, the culture at the time and what the direct audience would've understood them to be saying, etc. So while I agree that we have to be careful with extra-biblical sources, that doesn't necessarily mean they're incorrect.

Well, I didn't really elaborate on the "formal" LA that MFW recommends because the OP had stated that they like what they're currently using for the 3 R's. But I did say that the grid has places where she can write in whatever she's using for each child on their own copies of the grid. :) And yes, Marie describes *how to use* their recommended LA choices in the teacher notes at the front of the manual, so the guidance is there if you want it for those resources. (Reading Marie's notes is crucial to understanding what to do and how to adapt things for the different ages you're teaching, if you're unsure.) It's also wise to read up on a CM education to see how that compares with what Marie is doing. Sometimes we have an idea of what we *think* CM is vs. what it really is, but then we get into a particular program and we go, "Is this really CM or not? Just how many of her methods do I want to pursue in MY homeschool, anyway?" It's okay to not do ALL CM in every single area -- we don't live in turn-of-the-century England, after all. ;) And homeschool laws are different in every state here in the 21st century U.S., so.... you have to apply what works for you, and discard or supplement what doesn't. Educate yourself, AmySue. :001_smile: Your original post sounds like you know what you want in general, so go with your gut. One of the biggest mistakes (or maybe we can call it "part of our education"?) that we moms can make when homeschooling is to be doubleminded and lose precious time with our children trying a lot of different things that really aren't US. Now sometimes it's valuable to try something else, because sometimes we just don't know whether it'll work unless we try it. Sometimes we have to try different things to find our groove. But in hindsight, as I look back over our 13 years of homeschooling and am about to graduate our firstborn, I can honestly say that the BIGGEST mistake I've made is trying and re-trying things that I *know* don't work for our family because I read a post (or multiple posts) by others raving about it and making me second guess my choices. In the end, I find that I'm pretty eclectic, but I like having a "spine" so to speak to work out from. I'm pretty CM'ish, so when I start getting overwhelmed, I go back to reading her books (or books about her) to ground myself again. One of my favorites, or rather a set of two, are called A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison. I also like For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley. If you haven't read any of those, I highly recommend them. The original series of books that Miss Mason wrote can be found online here in update language: http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html Another important factor? Get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, and stay in the Word. These three areas being messed up will cloud up *everything*. :rolleyes: Enjoy your kiddos! When people tell you that they grow up too fast? They're not lying. :001_smile:

Oh, not a problem at all! You're right, ADV *is* light in LA compared to 1st. Now it's my turn to say that I should've explained that a little better. :001_smile: For those who aren't sure what we mean... Because the main core of the 1st grade program *is* phonics, reading, and language arts, it's pretty complete in that area. But then they re-direct the main focus of the program after 1st grade because you're (general "you") more likely to be wanting to combine children in the content subjects once they know how to read, so it might seem like a big switch in both skill and content. With ADV and forward, they then provide more flexibility in the areas of math and LA to better be able to accommodate multiple children. Hopefully that makes sense. :)

Okay, I went back and read a couple of posts that I'd missed earlier..... A few people mentioned Book Basket and the library, but I didn't see anyone mention the fact that Marie has asterisked some of the titles in Book Basket that she recommends for purchase. Thus, if you're one who likes to have the books on your shelf instead of using the library, you can do that. Lots of MFW users buy books from SL or HOD or other places to use in lieu of Book Basket (library). So that's an option, too. In fact, you'll find many of the titles from several different companies -- SL, HOD, FIAR, etc. -- on the MFW BB list. They're book titles... and if they're really good ones, they're bound to be sold or recommended by a lot of different curriculum providers. ;) You'll also find some *video* recommendations popping up on the MFW BB list here and there, which will go along with whatever you're studying in history, science, art, or Bible. (Not every week, but several times throughout the year.) The BB list is always broken down by week # and/or topic, so it's easy to look at it ahead of time and either buy, or get from the library those titles that you're interested in perusing. Another thing I like about MFW is how Marie has listed all the consumable materials (or materials you might not normally have in the house) that you'll need for projects each week at the beginning of that week's lessons. For example, in Week 33 of ADV, right at the top of the page across from the weekly grid, she tells you to check for ingredients for Navajo Fry Bread (shown below on that page), a plastic bag, bucket or circular object such as a plate, thread, and the Miracle Worker video. I always check the following week's supply list a week ahead so that I can add whatever I need to that week's shopping list. Someone mentioned writing.... MFW follows the CM (Charlotte Mason) philosophy of NOT doing a formal writing program at this level, so, like CM, they focus more on simple copywork, narrations (both oral and written), and dictation to help build a foundation for that skill. (Written narrations are part of the whole notebooking idea, and you'll find pre-printed narration sheets in the Student Sheets set. That's not ALL the Student Sheets include, though.) Then they recommend beginning a more formal writing program in 3rd or 4th grade, depending on the student. Also, you'll begin to see weekly letter-writing scheduled in ECC. BUT.... there's also plenty of room on the weekly grid in ADV to write in your writing/composition program if you're using one. So there's that flexibility. It just depends on where *your* child/ren are at, and what you're needing to focus on with each one. Anyway, just thought I'd add a bit more insight to make you crazy. Just like the rest of us. :hurray:

Just to explain a bit more for anyone who's not aware.... Adventures (and all the MFW years, in fact) do schedule LA skills via copywork, narrations, dictation, and memory work. Then Marie has left a block on the grid for each of the other "formal" skills, i.e., English, Spelling, Handwriting, Composition, etc., as well as Math. That's where you can plug in whatever you like best for the 3 R's. This is one of the things that makes MFW flexible for multiple ages that you're schooling together... each child gets the 3 R's at their own level, according to your choice. When I was schooling my girls together in the elementary years, I would always photocopy the grid, one for each child, and write in their 3 R's on their own copy of the grid, and then put that right into their binders for permanent recordkeeping. You can wait until the oldest is in 2nd or 3rd grade to do Adventures.... but focus on the 3 R's and Bible between now and then, as well as reading lots of quality children's literature and fun, hands-on science. Meanwhile, I still recommend FIAR for this. ;) Really, FIAR is fun and flexible.... you can simply enjoy the booklist and not do any activities with it, or use the manuals and do everything there, or just some of it, or however you want according to time and motivation. FIAR is a *wonderful* resource that I will never sell... I did it exclusively with my oldest at that age, and have "rowed" some of the books with the other two off and on whenever they fit nicely with a history or science topic in MFW. But I may have to buy another set of manuals so that my oldest doesn't steal mine when she has her own kids. :lol:

I would NOT do Preparing before ECC. *If* the OP was interested in even doing HOD, I would say to do ECC first because it's easier to keep each child at their own level in the 3 R's with ECC, and at the 2nd and 3rd grade levels, there's still a lot going on when it comes to laying down a foundation in the 3 R's. And CHOW (or any world history spine that covers secular ancient history), which is scheduled in Preparing, is going to cover some issues she may not want to address with a younger child. Or at least I wouldn't. When I had a little one present while I was doing RTR (ancient Rome) with my two older girls, she would either be napping, or busy playing with her toys while I read from our main spine and not paying any attention. (She listened in our scheduled read-aloud, though.) We didn't have much of a problem with the pagan side of history when doing Creation to the Greeks with MFW because the bulk of it is Bible, and MFW doesn't schedule the graphic parts of the OT at the elementary level. (With older kids in CTG, you would use more of Book Basket to cover however much want from the secular side.) I believe that Calvert, the publisher of CHOW, schedules that book for 4th grade. I do think there's a reason for that. Besides, the lowest age recommendation for HOD Preparing is 8. Thus, my recommendation for a long term plan would be either: 1&2: ADV 2&3: ECC 3&4: CTG 4&5: RTR 5&6: EX1850 6&7: 1850MOD 7&8: ECC with junior high supplement and a deeper study of the book of Matthew or whatever she else she wants to do at that point, while giving the students time to focus on writing skills and other areas of weakness before launching into high school. 8&9: 9th grader starting high school (MFW AHL?), with the 8th grader doing the history of his choice, or doing something "unique" that year such as focusing in more detail on a particular time period or topic of history, or doing more in-depth literature study, or whatever he's liking at that point.... For example, if he has an infatuation with animals, he could do a study of the history of the horse and participate in 4H or do an Intro to Vet Science course.... Lots of options at that point which Mom probably doesn't even need to worry about right now, because a LOT will happen between now and then. ;) *OR* 1&2: Five in a Row 2&3: ADV 3&4: ECC 4&5: CTG 5&6: RTR 6&7: EX1850 7&8: 1850MOD 8&9: 8th grader in ECC w/junior high suppl. (see above), and 9th grader doing high school (possibly MFW AHL?)

Thanks so much for the links! :)

The alleged anti-Catholic views of CM were brought up earlier in the thread. My only point was that CM, being a member of the Church of England, would've naturally had anti-Catholic views because of the history behind it. She was a British teacher. You remember all the controversy between the CoE and the RC, right? It lasted for a VERY long time, as a matter of fact. Yes, we're talking about particular interpretations of CM.... and her alleged anti-Catholicism is one of them. (*I* didn't say she was anti-Catholic; I was responding with a perfectly legitimate reason why she may have been anti-Catholic, if in fact that is true.) I agree that her methods can be applied no matter what... even if you belong to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Although that sounds an awful lot like twaddle to me. :P Spy Car, what you're describing is modern day ecumenicalism. For the better part of England's history, Anglicans and Catholics were NOT friends.... so no, I won't reconsider. ;) OT, but this is funny because we visited an Anglican church on Christmas Eve one year. When we first went in and sat down to wait for the service to start, not quite knowing what to expect, one of my girls asked me if this was a Catholic church. I told her no. But then the priest or whatever he is came down the aisle with a huge white banner in front of him, in all of his robes and glory, with all of his entourage carrying banners and such things, and then he stopped and kissed a giant Bible on a pedestal in the middle of the aisle, my dd turned to me and said, "See Mom, this IS a Catholic church!" :lol:

This would make sense given the fact that AO claims to be a CM curriculum, and CM belonged to the Church of England. Considering their history (let's keep it in context, yes?), we shouldn't expect CM to promote books that support the Catholic church! :001_rolleyes:

Aacck. Yes, I see what you mean. ;)

It is? :huh: