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I am glad to hear this. You are very good at taking a book and working it really well into the curriculum.
I really like the way the science is written.

Ladies,

I love the opportunity to get together with this group of ladies to share ideas for our upcoming guide Resurrection to Reformation. It's as if we're sitting down with cups of steaming cocoa to chat about our latest thoughts. So, grab the cocoa and here we go!

We are planning to begin the year of earth science with a focus on astronomy and the heavenly bodies. We'll do this using Apologia's Elementary Astronomy book. This book is being updated to add more full-color photos and is being planned with a new layout. The written textual content will remain the same. With the updated version due to be released in 2011, we feel this book will be a wonderful long-term, living solution for the beginning of our earth science year. Here's a link to the book, where you can see inside the current version: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/ ... ducts_id=1

We also strongly considered Signs and Seasons, which is superb. But, we felt it would be too difficult for the target audience. However, if you have older kiddos you may wish to consider this book. It is worthy of high school credit if you do the included field manual labs at the end of the book (which are very extensive). The book is also beautifully written.

Next, we will move into the study of the physical earth. This will be done through A Child's Geography Vol. I: Explore His Earth. Since this book covers physical geography, it fits very well within this part of the earth science plans, covering a myriad of earth science topics within its pages. It is a written in a wonderful, living style and is so God-honoring. We are excited about using this book within this area of our guide.
Link: http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/A-Chi ... Earth.html
Peek inside: http://www.achildsgeography.com/explore ... free-chap/

Then, we will end the year with your choice of two options. Option 1 includes the books below, which read very narratively and biographically. They provide engrossing glimpses inside the lives of the many men who impacted the study of earth science. John Hudson Tiner has a way with words that makes science come to life. I have learned so much through reading his books! We pray your children will too.
Exploring Planet Earth by John Hudson Tiner
Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick
Isaac Newton by John Hudson Tiner

Option 2 is for those who have already used Exploring Planet Earth within the Bigger Hearts Extension Pack. It includes the books below:
God's Design for Heaven and Earth (Our Weather and Water book only)
Teacher's Supplement from God's Design (needed if you desire an answer key, worksheets, and supply list). You can do without the God's Design Teacher's Guide, if you can do without the listed items. Option 2 is not needed for those who will be doing Option 1. We will schedule this book within our plans but will not write our own experiments and questions, as these are already provided within the book itself.
Link: http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicS ... 9,191.aspx

So, there you go! Are you out out of cocaoa yet?? I am!

Blessings,
Carrie

Aaah. Now we're talking. This sounds fabulous.

I have to admit as much as I wanted to use the AIG books...my copies are sitting on my shelf unused for the very reason God led you elsewhere.

Good work!

We also strongly considered Signs and Seasons, which is superb. But, we felt it would be too difficult for the target audience. However, if you have older kiddos you may wish to consider this book. It is worthy of high school credit if you do the included field manual labs at the end of the book (which are very extensive). The book is also beautifully written

I love this idea! I'm bookmarking it for a plan for my oldest who will be 14 by the time we hit this curriculum Great idea!!

Great picks, in fact so great we already picked them, hahaha! But I think my kids could do Signs and Seasons by then and that is something on my shelf waiting to be done and it looks awesome so we may do that and add the biographies. What you have though sounds great together. It's going to be a great guide and we can't wait to use it!

This sounds great! What a fabulous idea to included the Child's Geography of the World Vol. I! I was not a fan of the earlier picks. I don't know why, but it just didn't sound like the typical HOD-Charlotte Mason-style. This does! Thank you for reconsidering and reorganizing your thoughts. Now, what about extensions? Will there be RTR extensions?

This sounds just right, and makes me just as excited as all the rest of the HOD picks.
(I was not familiar with the previous choices.)

juliekay,

There will be extensions in the new Resurrection to Reformation guide. They will be targeted to extend the history readings and will be for ages 13-14 (although I must admit that the interest range will go much higher, as I thoroughly enjoyed reading these books, and my own avid-reading 14 year old is enjoying piloting them for us this year)!

There are excellent book picks in the Extension Package (and we searched high and low to find them)! We read so many books before finally finding just the ones that we selected. Each does a tremendous job of giving a feel for the time period and for making history come alive through its characters. Quite a few have a harder reading level, but not so tough that a strong, mature reader won't be able to handle them.

We also have put together a History Interest Read-Aloud Set (which will be the Basic Package). However, it is designed so that it also can be read independently, if preferred, by a 5th or 6th grader (or by a 7th or 8th grader who may be very sensitive or may not a strong enough reader for the extension pack).

Blessings,
Carrie

Yes, I like this better!

I'm so glad to hear it! These book choices are definitely in better alignment with our overall philosophy.

We will also write and plan a weekly experiment with lab sheet, a weekly notebooking assignment, some sort of vocabulary and questioning, and will likely alternate oral and written narration assignment by week.

Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie wrote: We also have put together a History Interest Read-Aloud Set (which will be the Basic Package). However, it is designed so that it also can be read independently, if preferred, by a 5th or 6th grader (or by a 7th or 8th grader who may be very sensitive or may not a strong enough reader for the extension pack).

That sounds great! It will give us lots of flexibility. Can't wait to see it all!

Thank you for continuing to update us.

I love the idea of a history interest readers set. We've been trying to add some more of those books to Beyond because my DD loved Squanto so much that it left her wanting more of the historical books.

This does sound great. I had been wondering if you had considered Signs & Seasons. I also thought it may be a bit too much. You just need to get busy writing those high school guides and be sure to work that one in for us.

I was going to add Apologia Astronomy in this year, so now I can save it and have it all planned out for me (even better) I also have the Ann Voskamp book that we have not had the chance to use yet either AND the Signs and Seasons for future use. It is as if you looked at my bookshelf of things that I would like to use but have not gotten to yet and will plan it all out for me. It's like having a personal guide planner for everything I want to use!! Very exciting

Gina

I have both Exploring Planet Earth (picked up at a used Homeschool event for only $2!!) and A Child's Geography. I have read through most of Exploring Planet Earth, loving it! I had hopes of going through A Child's Geography with my dd this year or next, but it is so rich in details that I thought it would be shame to go through it now when she wouldn't be able to grasp or appreciate the information contained in it. It is so exciting to see that it will be scheduled in the RTR guide and we wil be able to enjoy it with Carrie as our tour guide!! Thank-you for sharing your choices.