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Nature Study/Journals, Music appreciation/Composer Study, Art Appreciation/Artist Study, Drawing, Foreign Language and United States study? Can you tell me a little more about when these are started and what is covered?

MTMM has nature study/journaling scheduled in it. The younger guides occasionally have you go outside and observe something for science

Music appreciation/composers are covered in Rev to Rev, Bigger has hymn study

Art appreciation is covered in RTR

Almost all the guides have drawing in them on the notebook pages for science and history. Preparing through MTMM use the Draw and Write through History series.

Foreign Language is not covered till high school but is super easy to add in yourself if you want it sooner

Beyond and Bigger both cover American History. Rev to Rev includes a specific study on the 50 states and MTMM has a president study

Hope that helps!

Nature study starts in at least LHFHG if not LHTH. They start science notebooking in Bigger? I don't think they do any in Beyond.

Music appreciation is started in LHTH with Bible songs. In Bigger they do a hymn study which includes learning about the people behind the hymns. I think Mozart is studied in Preparing? I can't remember exactly.

Art appreciation as in looking at art and learning about it I think is first started in Res to Ref? I can't remember if there is any before that. I know at some point they do a study on da Vinci.... I think that's in Preparing? Preparing and CTC run together in my mind but I can't figure why they'd be studying these people in Creation to Christ They also do a Shakespeare study in Res to Ref. They paint watercolor pictures to go along with Robert Frost poems in CTC. And other art projects are done from LHTH on.

Drawing is started in Preparing with Draw and Write through History. Although they also draw things starting in LHTH.

There is a states overview in Bigger, and I think they do a more in depth states study in either Rev to Rev or MtMM....We aren't there yet.

Foreign Language is where HOD is "lacking" in my opinion as a CM based program because they don't start a foreign language integrated in the guides until the high school guides.

All this is off the top of my head though... hopefully it's not terribly off

Great! Thank you. I want to add in a nature notebook every year for the boys. We are outside a lot and I don't think a short sketch or study would take more than a few minutes. Foreign Language is something I definitely want to start before high school. I struggled in high school w/foreign language and was hoping to take advantage of the boys' sponge like memory in these young years. I was curious about what music/composers are going to be covered so I can add in a few more. Anybody know if instruments are learned? How about Peter and the Wolf or Nutcracker? Sound like I might want to add in a super light artist study as well. So, in Bigger do they learn where all the states are located on a map? Do they learn where each country is on a map?

Here is the summary for the geography section of bigger:
One day in each unit includes exploration of a geography concept that stems from the history story. Concepts range from learning about the continents and oceans, to learning and applying cardinal directions,
tracing the routes of explorers, reading maps, exploring geographical
terms, and following directions. The included activities help students gain basic geography skills while learning about the world around them. A world map or globe, and a map of the United States are needed for the geography activities.

Hopefully somebody that has done it can post more.

Just by browsing ahead, it looks like Bigger does an overview of the states geographically (original colonies, area President Jefferson bought west of the Mississippi, etc). Also, each state is put on an index card with the abbreviation and if desired, the capital. The seven continents are learned, plus countries in Europe pertaining to different explorers, with map work done showing routes of those explorers from Europe to America, etc. Just a few things I saw in the guide.

Tawny, the art study in RtR did a great job of introducing artists and styles...that would be the place to get library books to further your knowledge of any that get you excited. The composer's study in Rev to Rev is fantastic, in depth and teaches instruments, music periods, composers and their biographies, all while presenting great pieces of their music. The states, presidents, signers of the declaration....all are well covered in depth from RtR on, while being presented in a more age appropriate way in younger guides. I don't see that you would need to add anything beyond foreign language unless you really had a special desire to pursue a certain topic because your child is passionate about it . I have learned the hard way that trying to add to the guides only leaves me burned out and I don't actually give proper attention to the learning within the guide