I am thinking about math for 2nd grade. My DD7 is fine in math, doesn't love it, but understands it (she might even be a little bored in the curriculum we're using). I would like to try to set her up to be able to do Algebra in 8th grade so she can do Calculus in 12th if she wants to. I've read about California math standards meeting that goal. I don't think I want to use Singapore for a variety of reasons that I won't bore you with (and obviously the Standards edition meets this goal). Without accelerating, what other math curricula would get DD to Algebra by 8th? I'm wondering if Horizons does, since I keep reading that it is accelerated, but I realize it only goes through 6th. What do people use after that as a good fit? I'm currently using BJU math 1, which is so/so for her. I'm considering switching anyhow, maybe to spiral versus mastery. But definitely not to Saxon - I own it and don't like it (for me to teach at least). Thoughts?

Another vote for AAS. My dd 7 is similar in reading level (could read at 5 with no phonics background, but then had beginning phonics in private K) and is now on chapter books. I've gone through OPGTR with her and AAS (getting reading to start level 2). Its a good fit for her. I started far into OPGTR with her, just having her read me the lessons. We're now 3/4 through the book. Occasionally we hit a sound or word she doesn't know, which is good. AAS is slower than where we are in OPGTR, but she'll hit all those rules again. I wouldn't use AAS for beginning to read because I do think its too slow for that application, but for spelling it is perfect for us.

I don't use Sonlight, but I've used their book lists. I've noticed that lots of the Sonlight books you can find used through Amazon, Exodus Books Online (out of Portland), a local Halfprice Bookstore if you have one. If you are a member of PaperbackSwap.com (or you can join if you're not), there are books on there too (esp. the readers) that you are getting "free" (too long to expalin pbs here - check out their website to see how it works). Plus there are other good avenues for used books - these are just a few. Oh yes, Ebay is another good place. Also, you can order the items they sell through Rainbow Resource a little cheaper possibly. I second the library suggestion, but it sounds like that's not a good option for you. I personally hate buying all the readers that end up being read once or twice. Also remember that you can later sell your books, and recoup some of your investment. I spent more than a Sonlght year would cost for 1st grade this year, but I console myself with comparing it to what private school cost last year. :) Plus, I chalk up some of it to "teacher training"!

This is an excellent idea & point! I was thinking about this thread last night, along the lines of 1st graders not really knowing HOW to do their work promptly (especially with my dd being by herself). I'm going to try demonstrating too! Thanks!

I don't know if this will help you... it takes about 30 - 40 minutes on average to teach and help my dd7 go through the worksheets for BJU 1. It probably takes me 5 or 10 minutes to prepare (I just read through the lesson quickly, get the manipulatives together in my workbox, tear out the worksheets for the lesson; I keep all the manipulatives and charts together in one tote and just pull out what I need for that day). Its not every time that I have to print something out (really, you could do this for a whole chapter one time and spend just a few minutes), just once in a while. I do use Calculadder 1 to supplement. I just have one child so I don't have to worry about time, but if I had 3 or 4 doing BJU math it would get pretty time intensive. But at elementary level, maybe most curriculums are to some extent. I definitely agree with everyone who has said it has to be taught.

:lol: My dd would LOVE this! Yes, I need to chill out a little, I'll admit. This is good perspective, OhElizabeth.

Not sure what level you are targeting, but here's my experience: I bought the games set wanting to use it to help my dd 7 with her addition & subtraction facts. It is sitting unused in the basement. We played one game once, and it wasn't very fun. I keep getting out the book and looking at it trying to figure out how to use it (I can read it, I just mean trying to figure out how this is going to help her with her 0 - 20 addition & subtraction facts besides sums of 10). It is not written in a very fun & friendly fashion. From what I see, the main games for this level are Go to The Dump, which is like Go Fish, and Old Main, based on Old Maid. I expected more, I guess. I did read a review saying you can tell it was written by an engineer (it was, and I am one too, but I guess don't like reading things written by engineers!!!) It is all black and white and very dry. I'm seriously contemplating selling my set. Maybe it would be better for the higher level math practice beyond the basic addition & subtraction facts. I'd love to hear what games in this set people find helpful for little kids learning their +/- facts in RS Games. P.S. I just ordered a game set called Giggle Facts for addition & subtraction games, and the Peggy Kaye book mentioned above. Giggle Facts looks like it might be good.

Well, I see I have a lot of company in this misery :) We've named our school Noodle Academy because getting my daughter to work is like pushing a noodle! The treasure box is a good idea; I have one, but was only using it for completing a Calculadder level. I'm going to try it with the stickers! I see you are using BJU, which is the same math we are using. Getting my dd through those worksheets is about to make me pull my hair out.

My dd7 is a V E R Y SLOOOOOW writer, both letters and numbers. She CAN write faster, and do her work faster, but she generally seems to be purposefully going really slow for copy work and math worksheets in particular (for most everything that involves writing really). It's like she is zoning out. Today on the math drill worksheet she was stopping at +1 problems for more than a few seconds like she had to think about them. She knows them, there is no reason to not just write the answer. It isn't that she doesn't understand or know what to do. She is choosing to go slow. She can form her letters & numbers just fine, and in fact by going slow she makes them sloppier. Any ideas on how to speed her up? I am going nuts on this, and it is all I can do to keep my cool. (Please don't tell me to not make her write!)

We've used BJU 1st grade this year. I chose it because it is traditional and it is mastery (Abeka, Saxon, Horizons, CLE are spiral). I LOVE the teacher's manual; it is almost scripted and layed out really nicely. The workbook pages are colorful and engaging. It uses ALOT of manipulatives to teach the concepts and you need to use the TM to teach; just the workbooks alone will not cover everything. They are assuming you're teaching the lesson. It may seem kind of expensive (about $100 I think), but that pretty much includes all the manipulatives (punch out cardstock) that you need other than unifix cubes and a scale. It also doesn't include flashcards like Saxon does, but it does include drill worksheets, and a CD that you can print (must print for some lessons) from for charts and extra worksheets. The curriculum includes a main workbook and a review workbook. There are enrichment pages on the CD. I don't think there is enough drill, so I've supplmented it with Calculadder 1. However, I may have done that with other programs too because I'm hyper about math facts. From what I have read, it is a more advanced curriculum than Saxon, but not as advanced as Horizons or Singapore (on grade level). I know many people do Saxon a grade level ahead though. I'm not sure how it lines up with Abeka. As for is it easy for a non mathy person to teach, I would say definitely at this level and from what I have seen it is later in elementary at least. I also own Saxon 2 and would say that it would be easy as well (it is TOOOO scripted for me, however, and I can't tolerate the plain black and white of it). I have a MS in Engineering so I'm definitely a math person, but I wanted a traditional math curriculum (maybe because its how I learned math).

I don't have any experience with the others, but have been using BJU 1st with my DD7 this year. I love the TM (almost scripted, but not like Saxon where its word for word) because of how its organized & all laid out for you. It is ALMOST open and go at least for first grade. You definitely do need the TM to teach it. When I've looked at other TM's I appreciate this one. It is very colorful, and the theme of the year (clown & his pet seal) adds a nice bit of interest for my DD. I like that it is mastery, however it does sometimes means too many problems to work, especially with having a main workbook and a review workbook. My issue with it is that it is VERY manipulative driven, and my DD might not really need that so much. Its almost distracting for her I think, but I guess MUS is heavy on manipulatives too, right?. I don't mind that it is teacher intensive (I don't like the idea of independent math learning in elementary). Also, the drill isn't built in too well in my opinion. They keep saying things like "practice subtraction facts learned so far" or "choose a game from the appendix to practice facts", for example. Unlike Saxon, which has a specific method for approaching the facts, it seems loose to me. I've supplemented with Calculadder 1. I do think there is enough review of previously covered topice, though. I'm seriously considering going to something else for second grade, maybe Singapore or Horizons, that isn't so manipulative driven. Overall, I think BJU is a good program, though at grade level it is not advanced; I don't think it gets you to Calculus by 12th grade unless you accelerate.

To fit all the letters & still have room to write. I have 2 2x3 boards mounted on my wall with one low enough for my 7 year old to write on, which is where we do all the AAS stuff (she does more writing with a dry erase marker than with tiles, however). The other board is right above and what I teach from for other subjects. I got them at Target for $15 or so. They aren't industrial quality but they work well enough for home use. The only bad thing is that the tiles do tend to pop off the board easily if you have it hanging on a wall.

We are huge Dave Ramsey fans, and do alot of what he says. We benefited greatly from FPU, although we didn't have any debt other than our house anyhow. However, I do think he goes a little overboard on retirement & other savings (15% a month is a HUGE amount to be putting into retirement for many normal people's budget, especially if you believe in tithing!). I think for most people that if you follow what he does to the letter, you end up spending very little discretionary money and possibly creating some family resentment. Every time I say "What would Dave tell us about this" my husband reminds me that he's speaking from a position of extreme wealth and its easy for him to say "drop the _____" (yes, he got there by partly being "gazelle intense" as he says but he also is entrepreneurial in a way most normal people could never follow). I think there is a balance to be had. I'd even go so far to say that it is OK to reduce your monthly retirement savings a teeny bit if you have to in order to afford some reasonably priced kids activities. No you don't have to spend money to have fun or be around other kids, but as in most things in life there needs to be some moderation. I'd be more likely to find other holes to plug (like eating out less, using cash all the time etc.) than totally cut out kids activities.

Math: BJU 1, Calculadder 1, Wrap Ups for Addition & Subtraction LA: WWE1, FLL 1, AAS 1 (starting 2 soon), Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, BJU Reading 1 (books only, not the workbook), Lots of library books & read alouds (many from Sonlight's curriculum list) Penmanship: HWT somewhat, doing a little in the Grade 2 book now (lines too wide in Grade 1, I feel like copywork is mostly enough for this) Science: Living Learning Books Volume 1 (this is a classical K-2 science approach somewhat like WTM recommends) plus Classical Conversations Science memory work History: SOTW 1, Classical Conversation History Sentences & Veritas Timeline Cards Fine Arts: Artistic Pursuits 1, Classical Magic & library books on composers, some art & music in Classical Conversations Bible: Leading Little Ones to God, Children's Story Bible (Vos)

Please answer this only if you do standardized testing for your kids. I know this can be a controversial area, and I'm not looking to debate whether testing a good idea. My DD 7 is going to take the Stanford Achievement test for the first time in April. Where I live we either have to test or do a portfolio assessment, and I personally am more comfortable with testing, especially since school is not out of the question for the near future. My question is what do you do to prepare your child to take the test? I don't want to "teach to the test", but I do want her to understand HOW to take a test. I bought a Spectrum test prep book for Grade 1 just to let her practice reading the questions and filling in bubbles. Anything else I should do?

Finishing Kindermusik for the Young Child (goes through age 7), then will start Piano lessons. My DD did Music Together from 18 mos until age 4, then Kindermusik through this year. Loved both programs (Music Together is my favorite though, but it it only goes to age 5). Using Classical Magic (LOVE IT!) for learning classical music, along w/ Mike Venezia biographies from the library for learning about the composers. For Art, we are starting Artistic Pursuits Book 1 right now, and I have high hopes! I own Drawing With Children, but haven't used it. We've had a little (VERY little) music in Classical Conversations, and a bit more art, but not what I'd consider adequate.

They can do something called a Charge Back I think, by claiming it was damaged, they didn't receive it etc. But you as a seller do have rights and Paypal will go to bat for you. You should go to the Paypal website and read up on the help page about seller protection. I have sold probably 50+ items on Ebay and always been paid via Paypal and never had an issue. Most people are honest, and at least through Ebay their reputation is at stake because of the feedback system.

Its been a few months since we've used this so I don't remember it exactly, but it was a complete waste of money for us. My daughter hated it because it is very repetitive and not fun. I thought she would like it because she likes to play around on the computer. The child is penalized if they don't have good keyboarding skills (they have to type short words) and my 7yo doesn't know where the letters are and can't do it quickly. It is timed so if they type the word slow, it counts against them. Also, it gives them "rewards" and she quickly figured out the getting a bug wasn't as good as a butterfly (or whatever the different ones are). I did not like that the "free play" reward is just access to online games -- nothing specially designed or super safe. My advice is save your money. There is another thread on here from not too long ago that someone asked the same question that might give you more insight. At the very least, do the trial before you buy. And the Homeschool Buyers Co-op has a discounted rate if you decide to get it.

We have dropped HWT and are just doing WWE, plus some additional copywork. My opinion is that if you've covered all the letters and they understand how to form the letters, copywork is all you need (but I think they need it daily). If they don't get letter formation, then continuing with a handwriting curriculum is necessary. I'll go back to one when we switch to cursive.

Vol. 1 -2 and Classical Karaoke for kids by Marjorie Pearson. This is a wonderful program that I just ordered in December. It teaches themes of classical music and then words to that theme to help you remember them. My daughter LOVES it, and so do I. It is available from Rainbow Resource for about $30 for each book/cd combo. You can hear samples on Sing 'n Learn, who is the distributor (and also sells it for the same price). I really love that as you are listening it says the name of the piece and the composer. It is only the themes, but it definitely will get you started on learning classical music (and make you want to buy or check out the longer pieces). Rainbow has a really good write up on it. LOVE IT!

Yes, there are expensive curriculum, but it all pales in comparison to a year of tuition at a secular or religious private school. In my area it ranges from $6,000 to $12,000 and up. Makes any homeschool curriculum seem like a real bargain to me (I always think about this when I'm feeling bad about money I've spent).

My daughter is on step 20 of Level 1, and in the fall I didn't do it every day (now I am). She just turned 7 and is in first grade and we started AAS in September. I just ordered level 2, and wished I'd saved myself the shipping and gotten both at once. I've seriously considered going to WRTR or SWR, but the open & go approach of AAS is really nice. We do alot of writing on paper or whiteboard vs. using tiles, however, since my daughter despises them, and really they drive me a little nuts too; if they are on a white board that is hanging on the wall they tend to pop off REALLY easily if you hit the edge of them. I actually have her write the list of words for each step in a little notebook like SWR and WRTR (and she knows some of the WRTR methods, so she underlines phonograms even though I don't ask her to). By the way, AAS does eventually cover all the words on the Extended Ayres list by level 5, just like WRTR (though SWR has added other words I think). The main difference is that the words are grouped by rule (not so in SWR/WRTR) so they have to start out easy it seems to me.

I ended up using Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, with lots of library reader books (and the BJU readers, which are pretty good) plus the Now I'm Reading series by Norah Gaydos. Now I'm Reading has cute little books that you put a sticker in the front of every time you've read one. They usually carry them at Borders. Those all worked well here.

Also Crown Financial Ministries has good materials from a Christian perspective http://www.crown.org

I haven't read all the other posts in complete detail but... I am using AAS and OPGTR right now, and contemplating switching to WRTR. I have my daughter writing the AAS words in a notebook (She hates the AAS tiles). We are actually using WRTR phonogram cards (actually, they are Riggs, which are slightly different with some of the rules on the cards). The question about what AAS covers...it covers the entire Ayres list that WRTR does, and all the same rules. However, it does it in a different order and different approach. It doesn't having you writing a notebook and learning to mark words. It moves slower than WRTR. For what its worth, I ordered the Spalding 1st Grade Teachers guide and sent it right back; it is really written for a classroom (and it is expensive - $70) and unless you plan to use all the Spalding LA (which I do not) it is not worth it. I do recommend the Spelling DVD that they have though -- you can see how to teach spelling in action (Though its in a classroom). The 5th Ed. WRTR is really all you need (and you can read some guidance on Christine Miller's CLassical Christian Homeschooling under Orthography for how to use it too.). I also got a copy of Mari McAlister's Nuts & Bolts to the WRTR from Adoremus books for about $11. Its a homeschool mom's version of how to use WRTR; for the price, it is pretty helpful (it goes along with the 5th edition WRTR).