I do remember doing the Shield thing a lot. The Deku Shield just looked silly, and I can't say I ever needed the thing until I had to start fencing with random enemies.
As for the time of the temples, there's a lot of ways you can go about going temple to temple. Include the minidungeons as well, and there's a lot of paths you can go about. But you always start going from Childhood until you get the Hook Shot, and you will forever end fighting Ganondorf. This much is certain. I remember going from the Forest Temple dirrectly to the Water Temple in one game play, for example.
Start will always be: (Deku Tree / Dodongo's Cavern / Inside Jabu-Jabu / Hookshot Get).
Then you could do the Forest Temple, or the Fire Temple, or the Ice Cavern.
Once you get the Fairy Bow and Epona, you could clear the Gerudo Training Ground and slay Big Poes.
With the Ice Cavern done and Fairy Bow, you could go to the Water Temple.
Once the Forest Temple is done, you can go back to the past and do the Bottom of the Well.
Finish all of this, especially the Bottom of the Well, and you can go to the Shadow Temple.
You can't even begin the Spirit Temple without finishing the Gerudo Fortress and the Bottom of the Well.
And you can go from the 1st Half of the Spirit Temple to the Shadow Temple then back to the Spirit Temple.
Or you could save the Shadow Temple for last.
And then you go to Ganon's Castle.
(and yes, while I did go Forest-Water-Fire myself, all of this guide like info was gotten from an awesome guide on Game-Faqs. Freaking Gold Skulltullas).
