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Dp.......Sorry my tablet was acting crazy

I tried the student dvds a few years ago with ds, now 8th, but he doesn't enjoy video learning and just prefers that I teach him. I sold it and moved on to other things. After many failures, we are back to IEW. I watched the TWSS over a few Saturdays and took lots of notes in my seminar workbook, then we started with a themed book. We are only a few lessons in, but it is going much smoother than any other writing program we have used in the past. And, I am happy that I watched the entire TWSS up front. It isn't necessary, and watching one unit at a time would work, but after watching the entire thing I see where it is going and what things to stress. I have confidence that I can teach it because I saw how Mr. Pudewa makes the entire process so doable.

If RS has been working for your dd, then I would definitely take a break, play some games etc. and try again. However, RS is the only curriculum that every made my ds cry. He is not a hands-on guy and all of the manipulatives overwhelmed him. He just wanted me to teach him what to do and give him some problems to work. We moved on and the tears went away. So, if your dd doesn't do better after trying some of the tips previous posters made, perhaps it just doesn't suit her learning style.

Mine has been in use for about eight years. Other than a scratch, it is good. I clean it with alcohol, and occasionally give it a rub down with WD40.

I have failed my 14yo in the writing area. I can write all day, but teaching it was another story. We have tried many programs over the years, but it was like pulling teeth, so I would fail to follow through. Or, some of them we did work diligently with, but they just didn't give either of us the structure we needed. I bought the TWSS and the SWI a couple of years ago, watched the first couple of units myself, then had ds start the SWI. He hated it because he is very much a just-tell-me-what-to-do kid and Mr. Pudewa likes to talk. I enjoy his humor and extra tidbits of info, but ds did not appreciate it. Since I had not watched the entire TWSS to see where it was going, I sold it and moved on. FAILURE! So, this summer I got the TWSS and watched the entire thing. It clicked for me. I bought a couple of themed programs to use for our first year, and ds completed lesson two which was to rewrite a paragraph from his KWO. It was the best paragraph he has ever written. I have lesson 3 to grade later this morning, so I am hoping to see the same quality. I will say, I can't just hand it to him. He has needed help picking the key words even at 14yo since we have never done it before, and I am having to take his first draft to go over his checklist and recommend some ideas, but it is a skill that needs to be taught. Hopefully, he is picking it up quicker than his younger siblings and will be more independent in the future. But, again, that is my fault for not teaching him in the past. My 4th and 5th graders are also working through a themed program, so I expect their skills to be so much more developed by the time they are his age. I am loving IEW! It has finally given me the skills to teach my kids to write. I can see that it is a little over formulated, but even Mr. Pudewa states that his program is not going to result in perfect writing. Instead, it gives them a foundation and some skills that are drilled until mastered, then you allow the dc to use them as they fit.

I wanted to start the first week of July, but was overwhelmed with it all. Finally, I sat down and made myself plan out six weeks. That still took more time than I thought, but I got it done. We started the second week of July. We plan to finish the six weeks, then take a week or two off. I will do more planning then. I think my next planning sessions will go much more smoothly and quickly since I will have a better sense how to break everything down into weekly/daily plans. I have also learned that I have over planned some things, so I am glad that I do not have a whole year of plans to adjust. I can adjust the remaining ones I have on paper, then make more attainable goals on the next set of plans.

I've been aggravated because I did take pictures and list all of my stuff on some FB pages and some here. I have sold very little. Some of my stuff is new, and buyers want to give me half price or less. Um, it's new. I expect to be able to discount it some, but I am not giving away new stuff unless I give it to some of my hsing friends. Then, I had three people message/email me saying they wanted the same program and requesting paypal information. They never paid and never responded when I asked if they were still interested. If I didn't need the money, I wouldn't bother.

I contacted her through a couple of email addresses that were on the details of my paypal transaction. She contacted me within a few hours and got me all set up. I downloaded all of the videos the next day since others were having issues with them. We started this week and really enjoyed the program.

What titles do you consider "must reads" before your kids graduate? They can be specific Bible studies, books on spiritual growth, biographies, even fiction as long as you feel they were inspiring in this area.

MFW year 5 would meet those criteria, but is more than history. Or, check out Diana Waring's History Revealed. There is a modern level. You read the text, pick what books interest you, listen to her lectures on cd, map, timeline, do some research, and some output. You decide what areas you want to go deeper in, what your research topic will be, and what sort of output will be done (writing, a skit, and much more). She doesn't leave you hanging though, because she gives you tons of ideas for output to fit your dc's style, book recommendations, and research options. Samples of that level here: http://www.dianawaring.com/store/history-curriculum/world-empires-world-missions-world-wars But, check out the samples of the other levels for more ideas. The critical thinking and worldview discussion questions in the margins of the TG are great!

Ah, I didn't know that. I may very well consider S&S for fall 2014. These look GREAT! Thanks! For my younger kids, I have Konos level 2 coming so I can dig through it. I would really love to go into more of a unit study approach for them until high school. If Konos doesn't work out, we may consider S&S for one year. Then, we may just pick unit studies on whatever interests us at the time and focus more on skills until high school. We have already planned to use BF Early American for this year, with some of their Geography thrown in along with extra hands-on stuff. Another thing that I am concerned about with WP is in high school. I have been researching MFW, and all of the talk is about how it teaches a Biblical worldview and really takes every reading back to compare it to the Word. I don't see that in WP. What about lit. analysis, is that in their LA?

Yes, the resale policy is a big thing for me. I would only order their exclusive items from them and find everything else myself. But, to not be able to resale the guide is a biggy. I count on being able to recoup some of my money for future hs purchases. I've done some looking around at unit studies on these topics, but still end up with lots of paper crafts. My ds would balk at those.

They typical complaints: disjointed, no commentary or discussion questions. Some of the books were over their heads and some babyish. Many were just boring, but I always find spines boring. When I tried AS1, and owned AS2, I had just left Sonlight after many years. The primary reason I left was that I had done the elementary cores and was not looking forward to doing them again. I just don't like to repeat the same materials because I need something new. Anyway, WP just didn't seem to flow like SL. I wish I could order it and look through it.

Yes, I do limit screen time. I do offer up chores when I hear, "I'm bored." We have our swimming outings, Tae Kwon Do lessons and church activities. We have art stuff, but my boys aren't crafty. We have shelves and shelves of books. What I am looking for are specific new things, links to products that your kids have enjoyed. I think we need some new stuff to spark some new interests.

I am going to use Primary with my 4th and 5th graders this year. I purchased it in the past and never got to it, pulled it off the shelf last week, and decided that it is enough for OUR purposes. That said, my goals may not match yours. I have hsed with history focused curricula for over a decade. The last two years, I have taken a different route. Bible is our focus, with LA and math taking the next priority. Those are the areas that I expect "enough" in terms of workload and advancement. Content subjects have been moved down the list. I also have no desire to have EVERYTHING planned for me. So, I have BF primary to use as our "spine." Both of the kids could read it on their own, and perhaps they will on some days. We also have BF Geography and will take breaks to work through a book here and there. I have the Time Travelers cds that we will pull some projects from. I have the MFW Exp.-1850 guide and some of the books that we may pull some ideas from. I plan to do some Draw & Write Through History drawings....they may be all we work on for history on some days. I also have tons of books that I have collected from years of doing SL, HOD, and MFW that I will line up on the shelf and have them make reading selections from. So, while we are doing BF primary, it is not all we will do. All of this will be written in my planner as a buffet and we will do what we have time for. Whether or not it is enough for YOUR 11yo depends completely on your goals for history. Look through the guide. If you expect more from your 11yo (perhaps more writing, some independent reading on topics of interest, etc.), it may meet your goals. Or, you can buy both sets, do the primary one with both, and let your 11yo do the extra stuff that the intermediate set schedules independently. As for Truthquest and which I prefer...definitely BF. I have two levels of TQ here. I purchased them last year as a revolt against all of those years of prepackaged curriculum. I like it as a resource. I want to love it and really use it. I went through both guides last summer, purchased a couple of spines, highlighted all of the books that I own in one color, highlighted all of the books my library has in another color, and set out to use the program. After a few weeks, my kids disliked listening to the commentary and were often "done" with the subject after just reading that. Since I really didn't want to use a spine, I felt that we were stuck on one topic for a long time with just reading books. We just weren't moving forward. If I had started it years ago, or if I was only using it with my elementary kids, then I would have probably proceeded. I honestly don't care if we stick to any kind of rotation before high school and wouldn't mind it we spent several years on American history and then fit in what we can of world history when we can. But, I was also teaching my 7th grader who had not studied American since early elementary and wouldn't get to it again until 11th grade, so I wanted to get through an in-depth American study with him for 7yh and 8th. TQ is an awesome guide and I REALLY, REALLY want to love it, but I found that I fall somewhere between wanting to plan everything myself via a resource like TQ and having it all done for me with something like SL, HOD, or MFW. BF provides me with a guide and a plan of good literature, but is flexible because if we get off track with a rabbit trail, craft, etc. then I don't feel behind in my schedule.

Why is it that I am so drawn to the Winter Promise catalog? It is so beautiful. But, I know from past experience that it just doesn't fit. I owned AS1 and 2 at one time, and I found the same issues that others have mentioned with their programs. Yet, Sea and Sky looks so great for the future. Is there anything out there that is similar in content? Honestly, I wish companies like MFW would put out theme-based programs. History is just not what I want our school to be centered on anymore. Studied, yes, but not the focus. I know there are unit studies out there, but so far all I find are ones that are mostly paper crafts and dry facts. Something literature based with hands-on choices would be great.

What about the writing? Ds is currently a very poor writer due to my lack of proper instruction. I have tried various writing curricula in the past, including Writing Strands, and failed miserably. I can write and did very well on my own papers in college, but I am a math nerd. Teaching writing has been the area that I really struggle with. After struggling against the strict methods of IEW for several years (just seems too formulamatic for me), I finally watched the entire TWSS and will use it with all of my kids this year. I think it will do the trick at giving us the structure that I have missed when trying to implement other programs. I think it will get ds up to par with basic writing skills and give him the structure and style tools that I have not been able to intuitively instill when trying to use other programs. My sis is also a middle school English teacher and has agreed to coach ds in this area this year. Once that foundation is hopefully laid this year, will MFW teach him to think? To write with meaning? I think this is the area that I am most afraid of missing if I go things on my own. While the style of other materials appeal to me, I often find the questions related to it either completely absent or just requiring regurgitation of facts. This is the aspect of LToW that appeals to me, it is supposed to teach kids to think. But, I have it hear and despise the TM. Otherwise, I guess my main issue with MFW, or any other packaged curriculum, lies with the fact that it is all chosen and laid out for me. In many ways that is so appealing because I already have so much on my plate and don't think I choose all of the materials, schedule them, make it fairly independent, and bring in all of the critical thinking questions that I am looking for. Yet, it is also unappealing because I look ahead and see college looming. In college you have to do what you have to do. I would love for my ds to be able to have an interest-led high school career. I would love for my dc to be able to spend their years at home studying history and science through the lens that appeals to them.....for one that would be to study history by focusing on battles and weapons, for another that would be to study history with a focus on technology, etc. But, I do not know how to organize that, meet all of the requirements that they need to get into college, and add in the critical thinking skills that I want them to have....nor do I have the time. Perhaps I need to have 8fillstheheart come spend time with my kids and design our studies. I keep reading her posts, but I just don't know how to do it, at least not for high school. I am headed more this way with the younger kids.

I am looking for some fun items that will inspire my kids to do something besides beg for screen time. We have puzzles, snap circuits, games, etc. It is hot here, so outside stuff will probably not get used, plus we live in a neighborhood with nothing interesting outside. I would like things that don't require much from me since I am prego and tired. I have boys ages 14 and 11, and a girl that is 9. What items should I check out to inspire creative, perhaps educational fun?

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but we have this for the coming year: http://www.homeschoolscience.com/homeschool_science/astronomy.html It includes materials for two dc and the paperwork is reproducible. Lessons: 1-track the moon's cycles 2-observe moon with binoculars and draw as much detail as you can while learning vocabulary 3-use a lamp, ping pong ball, and a ruler to learn about phases 4-make a map of the solar system with stickers 5-model planets with clay and balloons (you do not "build" the system, just form the planets to certain sizes for comparison) 6-interplanetary hike (make flags to represent planets and pace off comparative distances between them) 7 and 8-create artificial gravity by spinning a cup of water 9-create an artificial greenhouse with plastic container 10-observe constellations, then create your own design for one 11-15 observation lessons, they tell you what months are best to do each one and have maps and the like to help you find what you are looking for 16-curved space, shows how even though objects tend to move in a straight line, space forces them to move in a curve, uses a balloon and a bb It appears that most, if not all of the supplies are included though I bought the version without binoculars since we own several sets. The lessons do not build on each other, so you can jump around or skip any that do not appeal to you. Everything appears simple to do since I am not much of a hands-on teacher and despise gathering materials and building projects. It just seems doable.

Julie, Thanks for your responses. They do help. I guess ultimately, I am fighting with myself. Part of me wants to plan out things the way WE want, and another wants the simplicity of it all planned for me. I really wish I could order all of the programs that appeal to us for high school and really dig into them to see which direction we want to go for high school. It is so hard to really see what a curriculum is like just from samples and browsing at the convention. In order to use the online sample I would have to purchase the books used, and I have read that it still doesn't give you a good idea of the LA components. While I find MFW chooses great materials, they are not always exactly what I would choose if I put things together myself. It is the pre-planned, written to the student aspect of MFW that appeals to me. Do they not do a timeline in the hs levels? We have been lazy with that, so I was going to have ds do it on his own in high school.