What are your hits and misses this year so far?

[Insertcreativenamehere]

I've seen this topic in the past and find it fascinating. I've also gotten some really good advice on curricula to check out or avoid!

My school-age kiddos are in grades 7, 5 and 2.

Hits:

Claritas Classical Academy memory work using Cross Seven videos. They make Morning Time and memorization effortless!

Math in Focus 2. DD is making great progress and enjoying math! I'm also using Math Lessons for a Living Education alongside as review/reinforcement and that's going well.

 

Beast Academy 4/Math Lesson for a Living Education 5 for DS10. He likes Beast but needs some review/more independent math, hence MLLE.

 

G&B Space Science. We did Mystery Science last year and it was a huge hit, but there just aren't enough new lessons to use it as our main curriculum this year. My 2nd and 5th graders love science with G&B and want to do it every day. 

Misses:

The Good and Beautiful History 1. We didn't like jumping all over time and are happily back with SOTW.

Not sure yet:

G&B Lang Arts. They're doing levels 2, 4 and 6. I love the integration of art and geography but I'm not loving the all-in-one aspect. I'd also wanted a lighter grammar year to focus on writing and this isn't it ... We switched from CLE so I should have been cognizant of the all-in-one aspect beforehand, but it's just so pretty ... :) 

Math Mammoth 7. DS came from CLE and is having a hard time adjusting to this new format.

Edited September 25, 2017 by insertcreativenamehere

[nixpix5]

Hits so far (for all kids either together or separately)

 

VP self paced history

ELTL

Adventures in America

What's in the Bible videos with

Vos Children's Bible

Loupe on lanyards and

private eye curriculum

VP Lit guides

Evan Moor Geography

Draw the USA with United States Cookbook

BJU math 2 with dvds

Rod and Staff English 2

Apologia Astronomy

SCM proverb cursive (love so much!)

 

Our usual hits are still working...

A beka phonics

MUS

Singspore math

Rightstart

Spelling You See

 

 

 

Misses:

TG&TB Language Arts 2

Cantering the Country

A beka Health

[Jackie]

Hits according to both DD and me:

- Beast Academy. She had a love/hate relationship with this last year, but is just plain loving it right now. It's my ideal program for her, blending fun and work, at just the right level, and just the right amount of work.

- A home brewed Cultural Geography class. Heavy on the reading, plus a few documentaries and a lot of food.

 

Hits according to me, but not necessarily DD:

- MCT Paragraph Town. She's doing some great work here, and it's just the right amount of hand holding for me. Yay! It's a real stretch for her, though, which she's finding frustrating.

 

Hits according to DD, but not necessarily me:

- Hoffman Piano Academy. She had already made progress in private lessons, but because they're taught so differently, we pretty much had to start over. Therefore, she's not really learning anything or making progress. But she's enjoying it!

[Guest]

The only real miss so far is BA for oldest -- she's just tired of "puzzle math." Dd9 is still enjoying it. So far so good switching to Dolciani pre-A for oldest.

 

I'm not going to list everything going well, bc I don't want to relist all my curric and surprisingly, things are going pretty well so far.

 

The biggest hits have been LLftLotR, Fallacy Detective, McHenry Botany, Seton English 4, and Draw Write Now.

[mykidsrmyjoy]

Hits:

CLE Math4 and Language Arts 4

BJU Science 4

Logic Liftoff

I Can Do All Things Art

 

Misses:

Mystery of History-I think I'm just not using it correctly. I'm sure it's a great program.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

We're further into our school year than many, due to starting in May, & have been fortunate enough to not have any overall misses.

 

Definite Hits -

 

Continents & Cultures: I built this one myself, so luckily I like it! Some countries have been bigger hits than others, but that's inevitable I think. We have hit my "minimum goals" each week & had time for many extras, so I am calling it a win!

 

Evan Moor Reading Comprehension: This was a freebie I snagged. The passages are written at just the right level for DS to read & since he prefers reading for a purpose to leisure reading, they have been a good fit. They are nice & short; only 5-10min.

 

Mixed Reviews -

 

RightStart B: We *loved* RS A, & have enjoyed RS B, but I have had to condense quite a bit. We'll finish it this month. I will give C a shot, but am also borrowing Singapore to see if it's a better fit going forward.

 

Logic of English C: DS flew through LOE A/B, but this book has taken for.ev.er! Nonetheless, his reading & confidence have definitely improved. We will finish this week, then take Oct/Nov off for NaNoWriMo.

[MyLife]

Hits:

Abeka Phonics

Explode the Code

Math Lessons for a Living Education

Shurley English

WWE

AAS (I was dreading it, but it's going well)

VP Self Paced Bible

VP You Teach History

FIAR

Artistic Pursuits (when we get to it)

Dance Mat Typing (when we get to it)

 

Misses:

VP Legends and Leagues

 

I am feeling a bit tired by all the planning involved in VP history, FIAR, and my homemade geography. Although I like these, I am going to use something more open and go next school. I don't want to burn out.

[blendergal]

We're 1 month into our 1st year of homeschooling, and I'm grateful for many "hits":

 

Old Story New devotional

Handwriting Without Tears

Singapore Math, Life of Fred, and Prodigy Math

AAR and AAS

Mystery Science

American Revolution study

 

Misses:

 

Lightning Literature -- I love the book choices, but the grammar is moving way too fast and the big writing projects every week are too much for my 2nd grader. I can't see us doing more than one a month.

 

Keyboarding Without Tears -- Not loving it so far.

Edited September 25, 2017 by blendergal

[nixpix5]

Hits:

Abeka Phonics

Explode the Code

Math Lessons for a Living Education

Shurley English

WWE

AAS (I was dreading it, but it's going well)

VP Self Paced Bible

VP You Teach History

FIAR

Artistic Pursuits (when we get to it)

Dance Mat Typing (when we get to it)

 

Misses:

VP Legends and Leagues

 

I am feeling a bit tired by all the planning involved in VP history, FIAR, and my homemade geography. Although I like these, I am going to use something more open and go next school. I don't want to burn out.

I forgot to add Legends and Leagues to my misses but it has been a miss for sure for us.

[shinyhappypeople]

The biggest HIT has been Saxon 7/6 (2nd ed.) for the 7th grader.  This is our second year with it and I absolutely love it.  It's like a pair of sensible shoes.  Not flashy or stylish, but sturdy, functional and gets you where you want to go. 

[bookbard]

Afterschooling here.

 

I think the best thing we've done this calendar year has been Khan Academy's storytelling course. It has led to much thoughtful discussion about the meaning in books and films, and has led to creating fantastic stories. 

 

 

[ByGrace3]

We are one month in and most things are going really well.

 

Hits:

Mom made Gospels study/morning basket

Biblioplan (love! It's exactly what we needed this year)

IEW Fix It (for Ds)

FLL2 (younger dd)

AAS

Megawords

Reading and Reasoning

NAC

AAR

 

Old faithfuls/getting the job done even if not with much excitement:

Math Mammoth

God's Design for Heaven and Earth

Middlebury Interactobe Spanish

Analytical Grammar

 

Not sure yet:

Tabletclass pre-algebra

 

Misses:

We are not enjoying the Lively Art of Writing so far...not quite ready to abandon it but we may be getting close.

[HomeAgain]

Hits

Life of Fred - no surprise here.  It was a hit last year, too.  I'm glad I didn't give up when Apples was met with lackluster enthusiasm in K.  It was just too soon.  He now reads them on his off time.

 

BFSU - it's work, but definitely worth it!  I was on the fence about starting the K-2 book with a 2nd grader but I'm glad we didn't skip it to go to volume 2.  This is one of the most fun parts of our week.

 

GSWL - He loves it.  The lessons are just right for him.

 

SOTW - a year of knights and chivalry?  Yes!  I have a 4 day format going that starts and ends the week with bigger activities.

 

ELTL - we've given this our own flair, and while he doesn't look forward to it, he is learning quite a bit and doesn't dread it.  We both really like the book selections, too.

 

Dictation Day By Day - an older program, but one he requested to do again this year.  We do it in place of ELTL's dictation because it spirals and builds. 

 

 

Misses

Outsourced ASL - last year he had the amazing opportunity to learn at the university with a deaf instructor.  This year, his (hearing) teacher can't figure out the difference between 'p' and 'q', and seems unprepared, and it's a class of children.  I'm looking for other avenues for the spring semester, even if it's me taking a class at the college and asking if he can sit in.

 

 

On The Fence still

Right Start - I see how it works, and it's fine, but neither of us have found a lasting love in it yet.  It's just...sturdy.  And Fred is more fun.

 

 

 

[2_girls_mommy]

biggest hit for us: moving together time to a morning basket time. We get some daily therapies in, some looping through extras with our Thinking Tree Journals, go over calendars, etc. I used to think this stuff could wait until after the academics, but found that it often got skipped because kids could drag out the essentials until there was no more time. Now, they know they have to finish math and latin, etc. So we get this in first, and somehow, they manage to get the other stuff in too. 

[mirabillis]

Misses:

 

Lightning Literature -- I love the book choices, but the grammar is moving way too fast and the big writing projects every week are too much for my 2nd grader. I can't see us doing more than one a month.

 

 

we started with lightning lit at the older levels (grade 7 & 8). liked it so much we started looking into younger levels. we got the 2nd & 3rd grade books, and this year got the 1st & 4th grade levels.

 

2 things:

1. we do not do any of the composition projects for the younger grades. i think they are waaaaaay too much. my current 6th grader is using the 4th grade book (as it just came out - and he needs an interim lit book) and the writing assignments are just right for him.

 

2. i found that using the younger levels older works. my 2nd grader is currently using grade 1 book. going well. my 6th grader using grade 4 book. my 4th grader using grade 3 book, etc.

 

just FYI for what works for me. we have other grammar and writing programs,so i just wanted a literature/reading component and this really fits the bill.

[rebcoola]

Hit so far for oldest DD is Fix it Grammar she loves it.  On the Fence is Redbird Mathematics. No real misses but we didn't have much new this year.

 

Hit for youngest is MCT Island.  Miss was Spellwell it was to easy and causing tears.

[Loesje22000]

I can't seem to find a proper textbook for German grade 10-12

(German starts in Middle School here so dd has already covered 2,5 years of German)

They all look the same as the one dd refuses to use. :(

[BearWallowSchool]

Hits:

 

CLE Math for 2nd & 3rd grades

R&S Math for K'er

R&S English 3

MP Latina Christiana

 

Misses:

 

AAS...I know it's popular, we just can't make it work.

[Saddlemomma]

So far, thank goodness, DD is loving her first year of high school all her classes.  While she's enjoying the ancient aspect of her Ancient Astronomy class, she's less enthused about the technical side of it.  That is the only complaint I've heard. 

 

HITS: 

• Science: GCP Joy of Science w/text
• History: Loves SWB's History of the Ancient World paired with Historical & Chronological Context of the Bible (2ND FAVORITE CLASS)
• Bible: OT study using ESV Bible; Words of Delight; Book of Enoch; Lost World of Genesis One; Genesis lectures w/Dr. Michael Heiser & GCP
• English: Surprisingly DD is quite enjoying Elegant Essay; Daily Warm-Ups Grammar & Usage paired w/FIG; Ancient Lit
• Strategy: GCP Masters of War: 33 Strategies of War; The Art of War; 33 Strategies of War; Strategy Six Pack (FAVORITE CLASS)

JURY'S NOT IN:

• Math: Started Mr. D Math two week's ago (more about that in the MISSES).  DD seems to like it well enough (haven't heard any complaints).
• GCP Ancient Astronomy: One of her picks for an elective, but as stated above, DD's not into the technical aspect that comprises 1/2 the class.

MISSES:

• CLE Algebra: DD hates math in general and suffers from math anxiety. We started CLE last year.  DD struggles with the abstractness of Algebra because she's a very linear thinker.  Once we hit Book 6, things went downhill quickly.  I slowed the pace greatly and figured we'd finish over the summer.  I hired a tutor, but they didn't get through the books. Unfortunately the TM skipped steps and I found several inaccurate answers which caused a lot of headaches and tears.

As soon as the summer ended, I figured we would finish Algebra in the fall and then begin Geometry.  I finally realized it would be best if we started Algebra all over again to try and get DD a firm foundation before moving on.  Hence, after much research, I settled on Mr. D Math.  I'm hoping this program will finally get her over this hump.

[mytwomonkeys]

So far....

 

Hits:

Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra

Apologia General Science

Seterra for Geography

 

Misses:

The Good & The Beautiful Language Arts 7

(Although I do like the sentence dictation and reading selections, so we will continue with those)

Edited September 25, 2017 by mytwomonkeys

[keirin]

This year has been difficult for me - I got pregnant with baby #4 in August right before school started. I thought at the time that this was clever timing because it meant the baby would be due late April/early May... a great time for a break, I thought! But ugh... this pregnancy has been my hardest so far, lots of nausea and exhaustion, migraines... just general yuckiness that is making school really hard for me to get done. I've cut back a lot of the extras I had planned because I just haven't felt up to the extra planning it would take to pull them together.

 

So...hits and misses....

 

HITS:

Singapore 1A and Addition Facts that Stick / Subtraction Facts that Stick - math has been going well. We did Singapore for Kindergarten, and if anything 1A feels too easy. But I'm willing to work through it anyway for the reinforcement of concepts that we touched on last year. I was originally hopeful that we would finish 1B and go on into 2A this year but now I'll just be happy to finish 1B. See above.

 

Beautiful Feet Books Early American History Primary - although I've cut a lot of the "notebooking" from this curriculum and we're mostly just reading aloud and using the discussion questions, it's been a hit. My kids are learning it and enjoying it.

 

ELTL1 - this has been great. My kids love the literature selections, and they are getting to hear Aesop's Fables. The copywork and gentle grammar introductions are just right and I'm seeing improvement in handwriting from this alone.

 

Memoria Press Enrichment - We don't always get to it but I enjoy it and so do my kids. The memory work is something we always do and it's been really great. I like the picture book selections and art cards.

 

Neutral -

Royal Fireworks Press Aesop's Fables: Books about Reading, Writing, and Thinking - I made a master list of the fables in these books and matched them up with ELTL1 so that I could pull them in instead of just reading the fable from ELTL on the weeks they matched up (yes, I did that way before the pregnancy happened). We've done a few and some of the tasks are just above my children with their so far limited exposure to grammar. They do like some of the ones we've done.

 

Misses -

Science - I just haven't gotten around to it. It keeps getting shoved on to the back burner for "another day" that rarely comes. :/

[Element]

Hits: Not doing history with my high school student. (After 6 years, it's time for a year off. I don't know any other 9th grader who can tell you about the Defenestration of Prague as clearly as he can, and we're both ready for a break.) He's doing Micro/Macroeconomics and hoping to CLEP out of at least one of them. 

 

Dr. Wile's Discovering Design with Chemistry. We are secular homeschoolers, but I could not find anything as challenging yet easy-to-comprehend as this program. Sure enough, it's a huge hit. He just skips the religious bits (there aren't many.) 

"How to Read Literature like a Professor... for Kids" (for the youngest.) I absolutely love this book. It's super simple but clear and engaging. It mentions s*x a few times (nothing specific, just "___ can be a metaphor for death or s*x," etc.) so pre-read when using with younger students if this may cause offense or confusion in your home. (Sorry, I haven't been on the WTM boards in forever, and I'm not sure if the word is still avoided, hence the asterisk.) 

 

Acellus for Science, Social Studies, and Health for my child with minor health and learning differences. Good grief. Just get. it. done. No more tears. Take my money. 

 

Memrise & Duolingo, as supplements to foreign language programs. 

 

Misses: Adler's "How to Read a Book" (for the eldest.) This book is one of the driest books I've ever read. It contains valuable information, so we will continue slogging through it, but it's a true chore. We read 2 sections a day, and then cleanse our palates with some Poetic Edda.  

[2_girls_mommy]

So far, thank goodness, DD is loving her first year of high school all her classes.  While she's enjoying the ancient aspect of her Ancient Astronomy class, she's less enthused about the technical side of it.  That is the only complaint I've heard. 

 

HITS: 

• Science: GCP Joy of Science w/text
• History: Loves SWB's History of the Ancient World paired with Historical & Chronological Context of the Bible (2ND FAVORITE CLASS)
• Bible: OT study using ESV Bible; Words of Delight; Book of Enoch; Lost World of Genesis One; Genesis lectures w/Dr. Michael Heiser & GCP
• English: Surprisingly DD is quite enjoying Elegant Essay; Daily Warm-Ups Grammar & Usage paired w/FIG; Ancient Lit
• Strategy: GCP Masters of War: 33 Strategies of War; The Art of War; 33 Strategies of War; Strategy Six Pack (FAVORITE CLASS)

JURY'S NOT IN:

• Math: Started Mr. D Math two week's ago (more about that in the MISSES).  DD seems to like it well enough (haven't heard any complaints).
• GCP Ancient Astronomy: One of her picks for an elective, but as stated above, DD's not into the technical aspect that comprises 1/2 the class.

MISSES:

• CLE Algebra: DD hates math in general and suffers from math anxiety. We started CLE last year.  DD struggles with the abstractness of Algebra because she's a very linear thinker.  Once we hit Book 6, things went downhill quickly.  I slowed the pace greatly and figured we'd finish over the summer.  I hired a tutor, but they didn't get through the books. Unfortunately the TM skipped steps and I found several inaccurate answers which caused a lot of headaches and tears.

As soon as the summer ended, I figured we would finish Algebra in the fall and then begin Geometry.  I finally realized it would be best if we started Algebra all over again to try and get DD a firm foundation before moving on.  Hence, after much research, I settled on Mr. D Math.  I'm hoping this program will finally get her over this hump.

After over a year of working on Algebra with mine from a textbook, we switched to Mr. D's for geometry. We are in about week 8 here. Mine seems to like it better than me and a textbook. If I decide it works well for us, we will go whole hog and use it for both next year. 

[mirabillis]

 

Misses -

Science - I just haven't gotten around to it. It keeps getting shoved on to the back burner for "another day" that rarely comes. :/

 

science has routinely been put on the back burner despite my best intentions for years. don't beat yourself over it. now that my oldest is high school, he's knee deep in biology & chemistry, etc. and i've got my next youngest 8th grader taking derek owens' physical science to prime her for the high school sciences. they don't seem too worse for wear having back-burnered it for many a year... esp during the elementary years, imo.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Hits:

Mathusee

Human Odyssey (yes, I use this for high school and we love it)

Apologia Advanced Biology (Anatomy and Physiology) -- my dental or medical inclined student needs this and I would be utterly unable to teach it were it not for Apologia

Figuratively Speaking (we have been using this on and off throughout high school.  It's wonderful.)

 

Misses:

Abeka Chemistry

French III (finally gave in to my dd's hatred of French as she has completed the obligatory 2 credits of foreign language)

[Syllieann]

Hits:

Bfsu, as always

Homegrown geography with music

Mbtp la (continued hit for ds, new hit for dd)

Printing with letter stories from iew

Rod and staff spelling (dd thinks this is fun, though I just hoped for quick and effective)

 

Getting the job done efficiently and reliably:

All our maths: mm, cle, miquon

AAR

 

Miss:

Teaching art myself for multiple ages. I think I might need to use a DVD program so my hands can help my 4 year old while someone else models for my older kids. I dread this time every week, but I feel like I owe them art since they aren't in school.

[OlgaLA]

My highschooler loves her DE classes, so it is a double win for me :)

For 5th grade we have two obvious hits: McHenry's Elements and A Pirate's Guide t' th' Grammar of Story.  Everything else just works.

[Farrar]

Hits:

Prufrock Press's Exploring America

Twisting Arms

Mom planned graphic design course

Mom planned astronomy course

 

Everything else is fine. No misses, unless you count Spanish, which I haven't quite gotten together. Maybe you really do get better at this eventually.

[Saddlemomma]

I forgot to mention that DD is thriving with her choice of Japanese for a language.  She loves her language coach. Three weeks in and they are speaking Japanese together with short phrases.  DD is catching on quickly.  I sincerely hope it lasts  :thumbup1:

[....]

We are on week 15 (we started late spring).

 

Hits:

 

Mathusee Algebra 1 for my math-struggling-VSL.  Why, oh why, did I not try this program with him sooner????  I should've used this with him years ago.

Saxon Algebra 2 - for some reason, dd15 is actually doing better with Algebra 2 than she was with Algebra 1

MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures - my 9 year-old actually knows where most of the countries in the world are located (and a bunch of their capitals!).

Easy Grammar series - several of my younger kids are using this.

Daily Grammar - high schoolers are using this for one last review through grammar - and it's FREE!

Electricity Investigation Kit from Home Science Tools

Sheep organ dissections from Home Science Tools - the sheep heart was actually difficult to dissect, though!

Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel - dd15 is in love with this book

Thames & Kosmos Catapults and Crossbows

German Easy Reader: Super 500 for Beginners - they made a lot of progress with this book

Deutschakademie Audio Course - and it's FREE!  Lol

Anything by Mark Twain for the 12 year-old

Progeny Press study guides

 

Misses:

 

AOP's Health - we are going to finish it, but, boy, is it painful.  My kids just do not like things that resemble school.

Too many subjects at once - I had to put us back on a block schedule.  I need to put on my horse blinders and realize that is the only schedule that works for us.

[....]

I can't seem to find a proper textbook for German grade 10-12

(German starts in Middle School here so dd has already covered 2,5 years of German)

They all look the same as the one dd refuses to use. :(

 

Yep, huge problem here, too.  When I was in high school, we used a textbook for about 2 years and then the lady switched us over to just reading books.  We read Berthold Brecht, poems, short stories, eventually some Goethe, etc.  I just plan to do that, too, I guess.  

Edited September 26, 2017 by Evanthe

[lulalu]

Hits:

Miquon

BFSU

Read Aloud selection mostly from Sonlight with a few other added in

Voss Story Bible

 

Misses:

RightStart A

100 EZ lessons

Leading Little Ones to God way too dry and boring

 

 

Getting the job done:

AlphaPhonics

HWOT

 

Still Unsure about:

Spelling You See A it feels like I really could have diy this, but is nice to have a workbook to just do the next page with

[MyLife]

Hits:

Prufrock Press's Exploring America

Twisting Arms

Mom planned graphic design course

Mom planned astronomy course

 

Everything else is fine. No misses, unless you count Spanish, which I haven't quite gotten together. Maybe you really do get better at this eventually.

What about your planner? Is it a hit or a miss? Edited September 26, 2017 by MyLife

[Loesje22000]

Yep, huge problem here, too.  When I was in high school, we used a textbook for about 2 years and then the lady switched us over to just reading books.  We read Berthold Brecht, poems, short stories, eventually some Goethe, etc.  I just plan to do that, too, I guess.  

 

We have exit exams here, and those are definetly not possible to pass by reading alone.

We read along the textbook to keep dd engaged.

[ScoutTN]

Hits:

Science Shepherd Life Science

Latin Alive 1

Dolciani Pre Algebra (online with WHA)

K12 Human Odyssey

 

Treasured Conversations!!! LOVE â¤ï¸ this with ds!

Tiner science books for ds.

SOTW, always.

 

No real misses in the sense of it doesn't work. Dd is a bit disappointed in her lit class @ a local tutorial.

Edited September 26, 2017 by ScoutTN

[Farrar]

What about your planner? Is it a hit or a miss?

 

They're a "fine." I made myself a planner too though, with the Staples ARC little binder things. I deem it a "hit." ;)

[Mavy]

Hits-

BJU Math 1 and 2

Beast Academy

AOP pre Algebra

Cottage Press Primer and Fable and Song

Bookshark History and Science

 

Fine-Writing Road to Reading

 

Missed-

Righstart-I thought my girls would love it, but they really did not. That was fine with my because I do not love teaching it.

[deerforest]

I honestly don't have any misses yet this year. I've made a few tweaks but nothing major:

 

- Contemporary US history--using Prufrock Exploring America, American Odyssey, Hakim, Zinn, Takaki, Crash Course, tons of documentaries. 

- AoPS algebra -- I'm honestly totally surprised by how successful this is. She's not going through it quickly but she is totally owning it and, dare I say, enjoying it.

- Spanish -- still loving Español Santillana. Perfect fit for us.

- Culinary science -- using Guest Hollow as spine but added a ton of other things including Gourmet Lab. DH and DD are actually doing all the cooking experiments together, and he is doing the readings too so I don't have to.

- English -- Oak Meadow 8. It's going pretty well but we dropped the vocabulary that always makes DD nuts. Her first essay is due this week..we'll see how that goes!

 

Our biggest challenge is time. She has something going on nearly every day plus performance gigs most weekends right now. Feeling a little overdrawn because of that! She's still working through converting my weekly schedule to her daily schedule. We're using the planner from Order out of Chaos, and she seems to like it pretty well.

[PineFarmMom]

I've seen this topic in the past and find it fascinating. I've also gotten some really good advice on curricula to check out or avoid!

 

My school-age kiddos are in grades 7, 5 and 2.

 

Hits:

 

Claritas Classical Academy memory work using Cross Seven videos. They make Morning Time and memorization effortless!

 

This looks really good! About how long does it take per day? I like that it would line up with the 4-year cycle!!

 

My only issue is it seems pricey for memory work.

[....]

We have exit exams here, and those are definetly not possible to pass by reading alone.

We read along the textbook to keep dd engaged.

 

Ack! I know you have a lot more rules you have to follow with homeschooling than we do.   :(  That would be frustrating.  We own the first Komm Mit textbook (I think it's Holt) - that one is fairly decent, I guess.  Textbook learning with languages is just so strange, though.  I went to a language school (a long, long time ago - Lol) to become a translator/interpreter and we didn't use textbooks.  It just seems like a strange way to learn a language.  And frustrating for you to even find something!

[SeaConquest]

Hits:

 

AoPS Academy is amazing! It's $$$$, but I'd sell a kidney to continue it.

Athena's Advanced Academy for chemistry and literature.

Language City Academy for French. My son enjoys it, and the teacher is great, but it is moving FAST! Definitely better for older kids.

SOTW, as always.

 

Misses: Me dropping the ball on teaching writing because I'm too busy right now with my own classes. :(

[PineFarmMom]

Hits:

 

Math

Everything math is a hit here! All 3 of these younger boys of mine have math brains.

8th grader: Derek Owens Algebra 1 - this one is huge for us!!

6th grader: dolciani pre-algebra - another awesome one

2nd grader: challenging word problems (now that I've learned to schedule it into our day!! )

The cuisinaire rod instruction videos while he plays with the rods - he loves these!!!

Singapore math- constant source of positive, for years now

I've finally hit a groove with the youngest for math that includes drill, mental math, CWP and manipulatives. We spend about 40 minutes 4x per week but it is time well spent

 

Language arts:

EIW for 6th and 8th. I needed this breather from me always teaching. It has been a good fit!!

 

Prima Latina - we are enjoying just snuggling up and drilling this together. I do a lot of the writing. It is amazing how fun and painless this is when we treat it like a joy. 😊

 

Tapestry of grace - I am owning this and doing it my way, and this is another constant source of truth and joy for us.

 

Apologia science - elementary levels and physical science. I have tried so many curricula for science. I kept avoiding this one but it is perfect for us. They are getting so much science knowledge these past two years!

 

Kay Arthur New Inductive Study on Revelation - we are loving this. I tried the kids' version of John last year and we didn't like it. I print their own bible worksheets so they can mark key words, and we discuss as we go, looking up info in commentaries and In the Greek.

 

SCM art portfolios - the boys don't love them but they are painless and we are learning new artists.

 

Fallacy Detective/Thinking Toolbox - this gets the job done, they like it, and it is painless for me. Twice a week during lunch I ask the questions from the book.

 

Meh:

 

Spelling workout - I've used it since the first day my oldest started 1st grade, 16 years ago. I don't love it but it gets the job done

 

Cottage Press - I may love it later. We don't yet.

 

Second form Latin - we used to love Latin but the older boys are tired of it. Their lives are busy and they would like me to toss this.

 

We don't have anything we hate.

Edited September 26, 2017 by PineFarmMom

[Insertcreativenamehere]

This looks really good! About how long does it take per day? I like that it would line up with the 4-year cycle!!

 

My only issue is it seems pricey for memory work.

It's 3.97/month. It takes 5-10 minutes. My kids say it's cheesy but they are constantly singing the songs around the house and ask for them every day. Nothing has made memory work so easy for us so I consider the price worth it!

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[PineFarmMom]

It's 3.97/month. It takes 5-10 minutes. My kids say it's cheesy but they are constantly singing the songs around the house and ask for them every day. Nothing has made memory work so easy for us so I consider the price worth it!

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Did you get the teachers guide too? That was what seemed high to me. I think it is $45 for each year. Of course, over a school year the videos would be around $40. But once you memorize Them, they are there. 😊

[Runningmom80]

Hits - almost everything!  Big History Project is fun, Singapore isn't working for my DD, switched her to Shiller, but I switched my DS from MM to Singapore and it's working.  AoPS for my oldest, AAS for my twins and our co-op!

 

Also, my 10 year old is using this book for Friday free writes and loves it. https://www.amazon.com/Write-Brain-Workbook-Revised-Expanded-Exercises/dp/159963838X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X4BHSNM7MBNGF0YZ30M9

 

Another hit is using Trello for planning

 

Waldorfish art!  Most of us love it! http://waldorfish.com/weekly-art-lessons-1/

 

Misses - Math Mammoth.  I just really wanted one reasonably priced curricula to work! 

 

Things we aren't getting to: Morning basket (a constant struggle) Uzinggo, and our mythology unit.  I need to work on those

 

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by Runningmom80

[hollyhock]

Everything is going well here. LLATL is a hit once again for middle school English-phobic boys. I'm still a bit undecided about Master Books' astronomy. The text seems very technical while the worksheets are easy (so far).

 

Our only miss is the SOS computer elective I was going to have ds15 do. Tech savvy hubby took one look at it and didn't recognize any of the contents so we didn't even attempt it. I found a free Udemy course instead. Expensive mistake.

[coastalfam]

Hits: 

Beast Academy

Math-U-See (as usual)

Word Roots Beginning (Unexpected hit. DS2 tells me all the time how much he enjoys this workbook.)

Prepared Dictation! (DS2 and I grew tired of AAS, and lo and behold, plain old prepared dictation is working better for him.)

RLTL is working fantastic for DS3, with a couple fun adaptations because he hates to write on paper. 

Typing Without Tears! This was my most unexpected win curriculum wise this year.

AAR1 for my oldest son, who has Down syndrome, is working well this year. We might get pretty far in it. Exciting! 

Wayfarers to tie all the rest together (I am so appreciative of this planner, though I change up the schedule to fit our own crazy life.)

 

Misses:

HWOT Printing- not because I dislike it, but it turned out to not be necessary for one child, and the other child needed a different approach this year.

Artistic Pursuits. I like the program a lot, and my kids enjoy the art history portion a great deal, but the truth is, they just don't really want to do art projects. It's too expensive to purchase for kiddos who could care less about the projects. Probably should have seen that one coming. Oh well.

 

[Jame]

Hits

 

AAR 4

MUS Gamma

SOTW Vol 2

Wordly Wise 3

Mystery Science

 

Too early to tell, but going well so far

 

Easy Grammar 3

Daily Grams 3

Writeshop Junior (so far it's going well, but we've only done one lesson.)

Math Mammoth 3 (we tried this as our main math curriculum, but we just do the word problems and MUS is our main math now.)

Spellwell b (not too sure about this one. Wanted more spelling rules taught, but Spellwell doesn't really teach any.)

 

There aren't any "misses" so far, but we'll see how that goes. We're pretty happy with how it's going so far.

 

 

[LMD]

I love these threads!

 

We are 10.5 weeks away from finishing up our year! Woo!

 

Hits:

 

- Using botany notebooks as our main workbook. This was a game changer - especially for my 1st & 4th graders. They do most of their work in them and they are lovely to look at.

 

- using my bullet journal to plan out a subject into a list, ticking it off as we go. This keeps me on track so much better than anything else I've tried.

 

- setting my older two independent reading lists. They have their own history/science/literature lists to work through and I require a response. They are learning a lot more this way and have thrived on the independence.

 

- doing a little art everyday.

 

 

As for actual book/curriculum hits:

 

- Genevieve Foster books for history. Everyone loved it.

- Ellen McHenry science.

- slowly reading aloud together and doing dictation from Plutarch, Shakespeare and Spurgeon (looped)

- Jousting Armadillos preA.

- Life of Fred is always a hit.

- homemade first grade LA (combining wwe, lem and reading steve parish nature books)

- MCT is always a hit too.

- adding in singing in morning time, we sing preschool songs and foreign language songs.

- Spelling using natural speller and spelling city for the older two.

 

Misses:

 

- preschool. I still haven't quite figured out how to fit in a structured preschool. We're pretty haphazard! Kid has a great life, lots of playing outside, with educational toys etc.

 

- exercise, P/E. We quit swimming and I haven't got anything sorted... we occasionally do some stuff at home but not organised well at all.

 

 

It's been a good year so far!

Edited September 27, 2017 by LMD

[Elizabeth86]

This year has been difficult for me - I got pregnant with baby #4 in August right before school started. I thought at the time that this was clever timing because it meant the baby would be due late April/early May... a great time for a break, I thought! But ugh... this pregnancy has been my hardest so far, lots of nausea and exhaustion, migraines... just general yuckiness that is making school really hard for me to get done. I've cut back a lot of the extras I had planned because I just haven't felt up to the extra planning it would take to pull them together.

 

/

Sounds like we are in same boat! Not to mention #3 has stopped napping. Sigh. This hasnt been my hardest pregnancy, so at least that...