I don’t know about you, but I love having what I need right at my fingertips. Whether it’s a menu plan so I don’t have to panic at 5pm, a candida protocol to improve my gut health, or all the books available on the Robinson Curriculum CD’s. 🙂
Enjoy!
Required Reading
There are 236 books between the required reading and the supplemental reading lists. 196 (83%) of these books are available to download from Amazon.com onto a Kindle. Of those 196 books – 161 (82%) are FREE to download. The rest of course, are printable from the CD’s.
- 1879 McGuffey Primer
- 1879 McGuffey First Reader
- Nursery Rhymes – Various Authors
- The Life of George Washington – Josephine Pollard
- 1879 McGuffey Second Reader
- The Tale of Jolly Robin – Arthur Scott Bailey
- The Tale of Solomon Owl – Arthur Scott Bailey
- Our Hero General Grant – Josephine Pollard
- The Tale of Paddy Muskrat – Arthur Scott Bailey
- The Bobbsey Twins at School – Laura Lee Hope
- Childhood’s Happy Hours – Various Authors
- Columbus and The Discovery of The New World – Josephine Pollard
- The Bible for Young People – Josephine Pollard
- Fifty Famous Stories – James Baldwin
- Four Naval Heroes – Mabel H. Beebe
- The Rover Boys on The Great Lakes – Arthur M. Winfield
- The Rover Boys on The River – Arthur M. Winfield
- Five Little Peppers and How They Grew – Margaret Sidney
- Five Little Peppers Midway – Margaret Sidney
- The Rover Boys at College – Arthur M. Winfield
- Tom Swift and His Airship – Victor Appleton
- The Rover Boys on The Ocean – Arthur M. Winfield
- Tom Swift and His Air Scout – Victor Appleton
- The Adventures of Pinocchio – C. Collodi
- The Rover Boys on a Tour – Arthur M. Winfield
- The Swiss Family Robinson – Johann David Wyss
- The Rover Boys on Treasure Isle – Arthur M. Winfield
- Ben Pepper – Margaret Sidney
- Uncle Remus – Joel Chandler Harris
- The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island – Arthur M. Winfield
- Aesop’s Fables – Aesop
- The Rover Boys in Southern Waters – Arthur M. Winfield
- Joel Pepper – Margaret Sidney
- Heidi – Johanna Spyri
- The Rover Boys on Land and Sea – Arthur M. Winfield
- Tom Swift and His Motor Boat – Victor Appleton
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm – Kate Douglas Wiggins
- The Rover Boys Down East – Arthur M. Winfield
- Do and Dare – Horatio Alger
- Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll
- The Rover Boys on a Hunt – Arthur M. Winfield
- Uncle Remus Returns – Joel Chandler Harris
- Jack’s Ward – Horatio Alger
- 1879 McGuffey Third Reader
- Just So Stories – Rudyard Kipling
- Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates – Mary Maples Dodge
- Boy Knight: A Tale of the Crusades – G. A. Henty
- Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat – Victor Appleton
- Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
- Bob, Son of Battle – Alfred Ollivant
- Little Men – Louisa May Alcott
- 1879 McGuffey Fourth Reader
- The Pied Piper – Robert Browning
- The Life of Lafayette – Henry C. Watson
- Brave and Bold – Horatio Alger
- Facing the World
- David Crockett, Scout – Charles Fletcher Allen
- Up from Slavery – Booker T. Washington
- Captains Courageous – Rudyard Kipling
- Told By Uncle Remus – Joel Chandler Harris
- The Hound of the Baskervilles – Arthur Conan Doyle
- Uncle Remus and His Friends – Joel Chandler Harris
- 1879 McGuffey Fifth Reader
- Picturesque America #1 – William Cullen Bryant
- Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
- Tom Sawyer – Samuel L. Clemens – (Mark Twain)
- Memoirs of U. S. Grant Vol#1 – Ulysses S. Grant
- The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
- The Second Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
- The Pathfinder – James Fenimore Cooper
- Memoirs of U. S. Grant Vol#2 – Ulysses S. Grant
- Life of Washington Vol#1 – Washington Irving
- The Song of Hiawatha – Longfellow
- The Prince and the Pauper – Samuel L. Clemens
- Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe
- Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
- Life of Washington Vol#2 – Washington Irving
- Poems of Kipling – Rudyard Kipling
- 1879 McGuffey Sixth Reader
- Life of Washington Vol#3 – Washington Irving
- The Spy – James Fenimore Cooper
- Picturesque America #2 – William Cullen Bryant
- Diaries of George Washington Vol#1 – Washington
- The Law – Frederic Bastiat
- Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
- Diaries of George Washington Vol#2 – Washington
- Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin – Franklin
- Pudd’nhead Wilson – Samuel L. Clemens
- Diaries of George Washington Vol#3 – Washington
- Poems of Oliver Wendell Holmes – Oliver Wendell Holmes
- Afloat and Ashore – James Fenimore Cooper
- Diaries of George Washington Vol#4 – Washington
- David Crockett’s Autobiography – David Crockett
- Not Yours to Give – David Crockett
- The Vicar of Wakefield – Oliver Goldsmith
- Economic Sophisms – Frederic Bastiat
- Life of Lincoln – L. P. Brockett
- The Friendly Arctic – Vilhjalmar Stefansson
- What has Government Done to Our Money? – Murray Rothbard
- The Song of Roland – Unknown
- Economics in One Lesson – Henry Hazlitt
- On That Day Began Lies – Leonard Read
- The Holy War – John Bunyan
- The Soldier in Our Civil War Vol#1 – Frank Leslie
- Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood – George MacDonald
- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea – Jules Verne
- Heather and Snow – George MacDonald
- The Life of Stonewall Jackson – R. L. Dabney
- The Mysterious Island – Jules Verne
- The White Company – Arthur Conan Doyle
- Environmental Overkill – Dixie Lee Ray & Lou Guzzo
- The Heart of the Antarctic Vol#1 – E. H. Shackleton
- Tom Sawyer: Abroad, Detective – Samuel L. Clemens
- The Soldier in Our Civil War Vol#2 – Frank Leslie
- The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt – Roosevelt
- Oliver Twist – Dickens
- Huckleberry Finn – Samuel Clemens
- Memoirs of William Tecumseh Sherman – Sherman
- Don Quixote – Cervantes
- Life on the Mississippi – Samuel Clemens
- Cicero’s Orations – Cicero
- The Federalist Papers – Alexander Hamilton
- The Heart of the Antarctic Vol#2 – E. H. Shackleton
- Julius Caesar – Shakespeare
- Of the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals – William Harvey
- United States Historical Documents
- The Enterprising Americans – John Chamberlain
- My African Journey – Winston Churchill
- The War Between the States – Alexander Stephens
- Ivanhoe – Sir Walter Scott
- A Tale of Two Cities – Dickens
- The Health Hazards of Not going Nuclear – Peter Beckmann
- Rise and Fall of the Confederate Gov Vol#1 – Jefferson Davis
- Faraday’s Lectures – Faraday
- Flat Money Inflation in France – Andrew Dickson White
- Caesar’s Gallic War – Julius Caesar
- Lincoln’s Speeches and Letters – Lincoln
- The World Crisis – Winston Churchill
- Rise and Fall of the Confederate Gov Vol#2 – Jefferson Davis
- Fifty Years in the Royal Navy – Admiral Sir Percy Scott
- King Henry V – Shakespeare
- Two Years Before the Mast – Richard Henry Dana
- Common Sense of the Exact Sciences – W. K. Clifford
- Paradise Lost – John Milton
- Wealth of Nations – Adam Smith
- Paradise Regained – John Milton
- Institutes of the Christian Religion Vol#1 – John Calvin
- The Prince – Nicolo Machiavelli
- Hamlet, Prince of Denmark – Shakespeare
- Institutes of the Christian Religion Vol#2 – John Calvin
- The Ultimate Resource II – Julian Simon
- Access to Energy – Arthur Robinson
- An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Vol#1 – John Locke
- An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Vol#2 – John Locke
- Observations on Daniel and St. John – Isaac Newton
- Bellum Civile – Julius Caesar
- De Bello Gallico – Julius Caesar
Additional Reading
These are not required but are supplemental.
- Little Prudy’s Dotty Dimple – Sophie May
- Dotty Dimple at Play
- Dotty Dimple At Home
- Dotty Dimple Out West
- Dotty Dimple’s Flyaway
- Dotty Dimple at her Grandmother’s
- Little Prudy’s Sister Suzy
- Ruth Fielding of The Red Mill – All by Alice B. Emerson
- Ruth Fielding at Briarwood Hall
- Ruth Fielding At Snow Camp
- Ruth Fielding at Silver Ranch
- Ruth Fielding At Sunrise Farm
- Ruth Fielding and The Gypsies
- Ruth Fielding in Moving Pictures
- Ruth Fielding at College
- Ruth Fielding in The Red Cross
- Ruth Fielding at The War Front
- Ruth Fielding Homeward Bound
- The Bobbsey Twins in the Country – Series all by Laura Lee Hope
- The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore
- The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge
- The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat
- The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook
- The Bobbsey Twins at Home
- The Bobbsey Twins in a Great City
- The Bobbsey Twins on Blueberry Island
- The Bobbsey Twins on the Deep Blue Sea
- The Bobbsey Twins in the Great West
- Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle – Victor Appleton
- Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout
- Tom Swift and His Wireless Message
- Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera
- Young Salesman – Horatio Alger
- Strive and Succeed
- Slow and Sure
- Phil, the Fiddler
- Erie Train Boy
- Young Acrobat
- Making His Way
- Only an Irish Boy
- Sam’s Chance
- Andy Gordon
- Paul, the Peddler
- Charlie Codman’s Cruise
- Joe’s Luck
- Frank’s Campaign
- Andy Grant’s Pluck
- Hector’s Inheritance
- The Cash Boy
- Luke Walton
- Walter Sherwood’s Probation
- Bound to Rise
- Jed, the Poor House Boy
- Risen from the Ranks
- The Tale of Reddy Woodpecker – A.S. Bailey
- The Tale of Chirpy Cricket – A.S. Bailey
- The Tale of Old Dog Spot – A.S. Bailey
- Elsie Dinsmore – Martha Finley
- Elsie’s Girlhood
- Mildred and Elsie
- Elsie’s Children
- Border Boys in the Canadian Rockies – Fremont B. Deering
- The Border Boys Across the Frontier
- Dick Hamilton’s Fortune – Howard R. Garis
- Dick Hamilton’s Cadet Days
- From Office Boy to Reporter
- Harry Watson’s High School Days – Frank V. Webster
- The Boy Pilot of the Lakes
- The Pony Rider Boys in the Rockies – Frank Gee Patchin
- The Pony Rider Boys in Montana
- The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali
- The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico
- Camping out Days at Putnam Hall – Arthur M. Winfield
- The Rover Boys in Camp
- The Rover Boys in The Air
- The Haunted Mine – Harry Castleman
- The Wonder Island Boys – The Castaways – Roger Finlay
- The Wonder Island Boys – Capture and Pursuit
- Nuclear War Survival Skills – Cresson H. Kearny
Science Books
- The Mechanical Universe – Olenick, Apostol, and Goodstein
- Answers to the Mechanical Universe
- Beyond the Mechanical Universe
- Answers to Beyond the Mechanical Universe
- Supplementary Physics Problems – Foster Strong
- Statistical Mechanics – Norman Davidson
- Chemical Principles – Gray, and Haight Dickerson
- Thermodynamics – Lewis and Randall
Language Skills
- Penmanship Practice
- Grammar Table of Contents and Introduction
- Grammar Primer and Main Course
- Grammar Reading Passages
- Answer to Grammar Exercises
- Basic American English Spelling
Vocabulary Exercises & Flashcards
- Vocabulary Exercises Table of Contents
- Vocabulary Exercises
- Vocabulary Flash Cards
- Math Flash Cards
- Phonics Flash Cards
Other
- 1611 King James Bible
- complete 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
- complete 1913 Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language
Hi, I'm Paula - wife and homeschooling mom of six. Several family health issues, including candida and Lyme disease, has created a passion to take care of the bodies God's given us. My husband Travis and I are now free of the candida overgrowth that once caused bloating, brain fog, joint pain, and much more. I love helping clients from around the world to do the same with our Kicking Candida Program. Join our community on Facebook and via weekly newsletter where I share recipes, articles, and insight on living healthy.
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One question..from the required list. You started all your children reading from the beginning of the list? or did you go down the list and start them off on their level of reading?
This looks very interesting to me. Having purchased a curriculum for next year already. I am thinking of maybe starting this after that. This will give me time to really research this way of teaching. My 12yr old already teaches herself. I just look at her work. I am trying to do the same with my son. Boy’s can be very challenging in that regards.LOL.
Thank you for sharing this.!
Hi Mary Kate,
Yes, we started all the kids from the beginning of the list because these books are older and the authors write in more advanced language than most kids are used to reading. Even though we figured they wouldn’t have too much problem reading the first books, we wanted to make sure we weren’t unintentionally pushing them through it too fast.
Plus, there are spelling lists associated with most of the books. The example sentences for the spelling words are taken directly from the books. RC chose their spelling lists based on SAT tests and we wanted to make sure we covered those well too.
Boys are challenging. LOL – although our girl is only two so I can’t really compare. 🙂 Many of the books are war/adventure so my boys are loving them. Hope that helps!
Hi Paula,
So just to clarify from the previous comments…
You begin at the top of the list with your Kindergarteners? Is there any way to figure out where the books for (approximate) first graders begin, 2nd graders, etc…??
Thanks!
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
How’s your homeschooling adventure going? 😉
Yes, we begin at the top of the list with kindergarteners, depending on if they can read, of course. Basically, I teach phonics with Phonics Pathways
– this isn’t part of Robinson, just something I’ve used for several years that I’ve really liked. I only use the main Phonics Pathways book, not all the extra stuff. We just sound out vowels and start putting them with consonants to create longer and longer words.
Once they’re able to read, we start them on “I Can Read” books and begin the Robinson book list.
I did find this list online in which someone put the books according to what grades she thought they were ‘geared toward’. I glance at it every so often, but I don’t adhere to it and I don’t show it to the kids.
Personally, when we started Robinson our kids were in a variety of grades. We had them all start from the beginning of the list because many of these books are more advanced than what most kids read.
The older boys finished the first several books in a couple days and are quickly moving through the list. It might seem like a waste of time to start them at the very beginning, but doing it this way ensured that we weren’t sticking them somewhere in the middle and getting them frustrated by giving them books too advanced for them.
It works for us, but each family is different and what works for one may not work for another.
Hope that helps . . . let me know if you have any other questions!
the link posted to the matching “grade” levels is gone, would any one share their list?
Hello, I am going to be schooling my kids at home this coming fall (entering 2nd and kindergarten) and hopefully my baby boy when he is older. I LOVE this approach-but I do wonder if I can skip over the “biblical” books or if they just show some religious information? I believe kids should be made aware of different religions-but even I do not push what I believe or do not believe on my kids. My husband would have a cow if one of the kids started up on Bible this and that. Also, does schooling this way meet state requirements? Is it too much to expect for me to say-use this curriculum and also add more to it? I was hoping to have lots of fun crafty hands on ideas for the kids when they have finished their main course work. (let’s say for Presidents day-they can work on a project that week and explain it to the family-reading a short book that is age appropriate and maybe putting together a presentation or something)
I know all the stuff they do in public school is not always needed, but I also know I need “busy work” to keep my kids out of trouble and they LOVE to craft and build things!
Hi Tamika,
Those are great questions. From what I’ve seen, the only “Biblical” book is the entire copy of the King James Version Bible. It’s a good read. 😉
The books on the list aren’t overtly Christian, but the characters in those books are those with work ethic, honestly, integrity – all the qualities the Bible teaches as should be a way of life.
You’d have to check with your individual state to find out what’s required. We add a few things that our state requires and you can certainly add projects that you’d like them to do too. My older boys are enjoying a class from Currclick.com on World History right now. It’s not like history isn’t covered amply with RC, but it’s good for them to learn in a variety of ways.
Good to know. I actually just watched his video and he did say that though there is mention of Bible “stuff” he does not push religion. That works for me! I do have another question. By adding to the curriculum with “fun” hands on things-is that counterproductive to the Robinson’s way of teaching? I know he says you don’t need to spend the time with the kids, but I LOVE my kids-I like doing things with them. I really don’t want them to sit at the table for 5 hours a day and not do anything fun.
One of my favorite parts of homeschooling is being able to do what I want and what I feel my kids need. We do RC, but we don’t do it EXACTLY as he describes. We add in English and do online classes occasionally – and sometimes I assign other books and require certain essay topics. Homeschooling itself is going outside of the box and teaching your children how/what you want. If you want to do hands-on activities with your kids – I say go for it!
Hi, Thank you for taking the time to post this information. I’m prayerfully considering using RC in the summer. My boys will be 13 and daughter 10. From your experience looking at the books, do you think I need to start them at the beginning of the book list? Or should I use the vocabulary words as a guide.
Another question I have is other than the books being listed in order of difficulty, are they listed by subject or grouped by era? Or is it sporadic? I should know these books, and the titles sound familiar but when I was in school I needed Cliff Notes for my Cliff Notes. I hated reading. I love it now, but I honestly struggle with reading the classics. So I say that to say, I’m not sure what these books are about. Is it safe to say, they read these books to teach them proper grammar, how to write correctly, spell correctly, vocabulary and some history facts? Then I add, Saxon and a writing assignment. Do they read just the one book for two hours a day. Or do they do like Sonlight and read different books at the same time? He mentions tests, where do they come in? Any help I’d greatly appreciate. Thanks and God Bless you for blessing others by spending the time to write this out.
~Kendra
Hi Kendra,
My boys started RC at ages 13 and under. They were already voracious readers, but I still had them start at the beginning simply because classic books often use older language that they weren’t familiar with, even with all the reading they did. The vocabulary words are specifically chosen words from the books that are on SAT tests. I don’t know that you could use it as a guide.
Perhaps having them read out loud to you from a few books to see when they start becoming difficult would be a good start(?).
The books are not listed by subject or era. Sometimes there will be several Tom Swift books in a row, but then it will go to others that may or may not be in a series or in the same time frame.
The whole grammar issue is one I do ‘cheat’ a little from how RC plans it out. I’m kind of a grammar junkie and I just can’t wrap my head around the idea that reading will teach them proper grammar, punctuation, and such. I use Rod and Staff’s English books in addition to RC.
R&S’s English is a fairly intense. It’s a Mennonite based program so it only goes to grade 10 but by then they are at (or above) the standard 12th grade English.
When the kids do their lessons I do take shortcuts. They don’t always have to do the lesson plan problems AND the worksheet problems. If I feel they have a good grasp and their lesson plan grades are good, I don’t have them do the worksheets.
I also sometimes let them skip on writing full sentences for every problem. For instance, if the directions say, “Write each sentence and underline the verbs”, then I’ll just have the kids write the verbs.
But not always. 🙂 If their handwriting needs improvement I have them write them all out. But that’s R&S. Just my take on what I do if you look into that option.
Like I said, I just don’t feel comfortable leaving English up to reading books and hoping to learn all there is. If they can’t spell, use correct grammar, or write a business letter properly. . .
So our day looks like this: Saxon Math, R&S English, a writing assignment with reading, and then reading from the book list.
The writing assignment with reading is also my ‘variation’ from RC. I chose a ‘topic of the month’ such as plant science, geography, or Bible, instead of letting them always choose their own topic. They read about it for 30 min. each day and then write an essay about what they’ve read. We use books from the library, internet, or our collection of used books we pick up at library book sales and garage sales. Fridays are ‘chose your own topic’ days.
Then they read from the RC book list for 1 1/2 hours. We have A LOT of other books, so when school is done they can chose anything else to read. We did Sonlight one year and have a collection of their books so they have a lot of variety to chose from in their ‘free time’.
The tests are spelling tests that are on the CD’s. Some of the books also have tests you can give after the child is done reading it. Not every book has a test though.
Let me know if I can answer anything else! 🙂
I am considering this curriculum once again… My problem is that most of my children are not good readers. My nine year old is still struggling to remember letter sounds. And while my 12 year old and my 17 year old can read, their comprehension is terrible. And my 12 year old can’t spell anything and resists learning. So I am wondering if RC would just be a waste of my time or if they would actually grow from it. I really need independent learners bc I still have 8 kids at home and now my parents are moving in with us be my mom is failing and my dad needs help taking care of her.
Hi Amy, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reply – I’ve been struggling with morning sickness. 🙂
I understand your struggle. . .it’s not easy to know for sure how your kids will learn from it. My gut thought is that the more they read, the better they’ll become. Perhaps simply incorporating more reading into your current schedule, or taking some dedicated time over the summer for ‘required’ reading will help you see where they’ll be once the school year begins.
Thank you so much for all your information it’s very helpful. We are a military family and have decided to homeschool are oldest son. Can you tell me on what cd I can find the vocabulary exercises, phonic flashcards?
Thank you
The CD with the vocabulary and flashcards is part of the Robinson Curriculum – it comes with the program. Do you mean which of those specific CD’s?
Yes I do. I just received my robinson curriculm the 2.2 version. I went through all the cd’s and couldn’t find it.
Thanks
I have the 2.2 version as well. The vocabulary words are on each CD – if you look at the top tabs, the Vocabulary Tab is the furthest to the right. When that is clicked on, there are three various vocabulary tabs along the bottom left. Hope that helps!
Are these all the topics studied for the entire curriculum, which is listed above? Or are there more listed on the CD’s?
This is it. As we’ve done RC ourselves, I’ve found that we’ve added a few topics back into our school day (ie. English & Spelling), but like any homeschooling family, we tweak it to fit ‘us’. 🙂 You might want to read the follow-up article I wrote: https://wholeintentions.com/2014/07/robinson-curriculum-updates-new-plans/
Hi Paula,
Thanks for the detailed information. I haven’t purchased RC but would like to implement the reading list. How do you know when to incorporate the optional reading? I’d like my kids to read as many good books as possible, and this seems like a very comprehensive list. I’m just wondering how to go about reading almost all of them with the list being divided into required and optional.
Lastly, is it necessary for me to purchase the entire curriculum to get the spelling lessons at the end of some of the books?
Thanks, Jaz
There’s not really a specific order to read the books. We ended up just adding in the optional ones when we felt they were at the right level and interest. And yes, you would have to purchase the entire set of CD’s to get the spelling portion.
Hi and thank you for your valuable input. I have been homeschooling my kids for years and have played with parts of the RC. I have the booklist and my kids have read many of the books, not in any specific order. In addition to the booklist as well as the Saxon Math that my kids do, does the purchase of the actual package provide a lot more of additional worthwhile information? I am not opposed to the expense, I just want to make sure I will get more than just a booklist. I would appreciate your input.
Thanks,
Peter
We do the same thing – playing with the parts of RC that we like. In all honestly, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t purchase the entire package. The curriculum does include full books and spelling lists, but if you don’t need those it sounds like you’ve got all you need. 🙂
I am looking at the book list and contemplating on how to start with my struggling 4th grade boy who only wants to read Big Nate graphic novels. Should I start at the beginning with the Mc G primer or with the 3rd reader which I just purchased. And to you use these books for oral reading time? Or for him to read independently? And lastly, how does reading time practically work in terms of should he have an hour a day to read these books?
Hi Carla, I think much of this can be tweaked to your situation. However, for what it’s worth, I would tend to start at the beginning since the books in this list are (in my opinion) a higher reading level than what kids tend to read now.
Oral reading time. Is that you reading to him, or him reading aloud to you? It would make sense to use it for either of you reading, but the more he does of it, the better he’ll get at it. You might want to start with him reading orally, just so you can monitor how he’s doing with it though.
I’m not sure I understand your last question. . .Should he have an hour a day to read these books? If I understand your meaning, I would strongly encourage it. If he’s not used to reading for a full hour you could start out with 15 min. then 30 min., 45 min., etc. until he’s reading for an hour a day. Does that make sense?
Is there a list of books that are free on Amazon – or do I have to search for each book to see if it’s free? Thanks!
Most of the books are free. Some are available on amazon and some are available elsewhere. A link to the books can be found here. http://rosegate.dreamhosters.com/rc-books.html
Thank you for sharing such valuable information! My first question is about beginning Saxon Math as part of the RC. I read that the child needs to know his math facts first. Does this mean all addition, subtraction, multiplication and division? And up to what level (e.g., answers within 100)?
My second question is about moving between public school and RC. I’m considering taking a year off of work to homeschool my second and third children while the public schools are closed due to Covid 19, however I might not be able to afford a longer sabbatical. Would the RC allow for one year of homeschool and then a return to public?
Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
Yaffa, this comment was buried – I’m sorry to have gotten to it so late! We’ve always used Saxon Math, so I don’t know how others compare. That being said, we didn’t do a lot of the ‘extra’ manipulatives and such that Saxon suggests in their early elementary curriculums. We did however, encourage the memorizing of math facts as they became introduced in the lessons. So, for instance, when they started learning addition, we started memorizing the easier addition facts and then working our way to the more difficult. We practiced in the car on drives, at suppertime, and such, but it wasn’t a 30 minute session of memorization, if that makes sense. We put more emphasis on multiplication tables than anything else.
As far as your second question, that’s hard for me to answer. I’ve never had to transition between public and homeschooling, so it’s hard for me to know how RC would fit into a transition. We’ve used RC, but never RC alone. We’ve always supplemented in areas we felt there might need more emphasis. The joy of homeschool is that you can mix and match, and really find what works best for each child. I hope your school year is going well!