Are you saying that BP lists the VP cards for each week? That is very cool, and I didn't realize that (and I own the VP cards). I've used BP in the past, but don't think my version had that included.

Yes, that is it. None of the libraries close to me have it, unfortunately.

Interlibrary loan is what you mean, I think. I can only submit an ILL request to my local libraries -- and they do the searching to locate and place the request. I can't actually search unless it is a library in one of the 3 systems I use. There is one system in my area (far from my house) that has some sort of larger network that is searchable, but I have only heard about it from friends. You might find that info on your library's website. Some libraries also charge a fee for ILL now, just fyi.

Thanks for posting all the great ideas everyone!

And it is $1 right now!

Thanks ladies...those are some good ideas! Wish I had the luxury of a family member close by but the closest is 300 mi away. I"ll have to rack my brain for ideas for anyone that might be able to watch her once in a while (all of our babysitters are school aged). I do the high chair thing with the stokke chair (its a Swedish chair for toddlers and up that they can be strapped into), but she's still super noisy and wants to get up and down constantly and do the buckle. I tried the pack 'n play right after we first adopted her at 11 months and she makes so much noise in it that it is now in the basement school room (which we don't used much) for a "safe" place to be if we have to go down there where all the choking hazards are. I guess my main problem isn't truly that I'm trying to teach for very long at a time. It is that I can't keep her occupied for more than a couple minutes and she is so super loud that it is hard for dd to get anything done with the racket, and I have to stay not too far away from dd9 to keep her working. I appreciate the ideas!

...to spice it up. We're almost through the 3rd week. It seems so chopped up to me with lots of worksheets and too little reading (beyond the bookbasket, I mean), and my dd9 seems to be losing interest (esp. with two weeks on USA). This is the first time I've ordered a multi subject curriculum so I think my expectations were off. I really got the impression it was going to be "fun" but so far it is pretty boring for dd9 (except for the world cake). Last year I did MFW Adventures, but borrowed it and added a lot to it. I thought ECC looked a lot better, but maybe I was wrong. If you're modifying the schedule from the way the ECC manual is written, can you tell me how you do it? I have a feeling we may like it better by doing all the geography together on a day or two, all the science one day, etc. I'm just wondering what might be working for other people. Thanks!

I went to one several years ago because my dd had major issues with hand writing, and was coming out of private K to hs. I thought it would be helpful, but really for the price it was a big waste of $. It was truly geared for classroom teachers. Spend much less on one teacher book and read through it (I agree, they are all pretty similar; I did get all of them and all the workbooks as part of the training) and MAYBE some of the extras, and you'll get as much, imo.

If you have a toddler along with just 1 student in the later elementary grades 3-5th (not K-2 where they are just needing an hour or two per day), Please, PLEASE, tell me how you are getting it done! I want all your best secrets!!!! I have a 20 month, active and loud girl, who takes one nap from about 1- 3ish. She gets up at about 8:30, and school starts about 9 (dd9 gets up and gets ready, eats, and does piano by 9). I have a 9.5 year old 4th grader who I'm trying to do: MFW ECC CLE 400 math IEW SWIA (alternated with WWE 3) R&S 4 English LOE Essentials (which I haven't yet started since I just ordered it) HWOT cursive The fourth grader is just barely able to do anything independently. In the SWB lingo, I'm still pretty much the parent at elbow to keep her working. My goal is to move her to more independence this year. Trying to do several hours of "real work" with the 4th grader while the toddler is awake is insanity, but it also doesn't work to try to cram it into when she is asleep in the afternoon. The 4th grader is not at her best in the pm so trying to do math and english after lunch is not good at all, so I have been doing the skill stuff in the am, and ECC in the pm. If I had 1 more child to take turns and occupy the toddler, I think it would help me, but I do not. I can't find a way to work 1:1 with the 4th grader for more than a minute or two without the toddler making so much noise and distraction that it is impossible. I am finding myself just throwing sets of toys at her all morning long trying to keep her from completely distracting the 9 year old. And I'm sitting on the floor the whole time with her because if I sit a the table she goes crazy. Sometimes I can stand and try to teach for a few minutes. She will sit in a stokke chair for a very short time and "color" but that doesn't last very long. Please tell me what you do that works! What is your daily schedule? How do you occupy the toddler? Thanks in advance for your best secrets!

I will be a dissenter for FLL 3. My dd did fine with FLL 1 and 2 (and I would use them again with another child), but FLL3 was a bust. There was very little retention. I just switched her to R&S 4 and it is a breath of fresh air for both of us. The biggest improvement is that there is instruction in her textbook. I hated that all of the instruction was in the FLL teacher's guide, and she would just tune me out. I actually have her read aloud at least 1/2 of the lesson to me. Then we do the oral and written practice (though most of the written I have her do orally, or I photo copy the written practice page and use it like a worksheet). If you don't like R&S 4, I have a hard time imagining you will like FLL3 (but I could very well be wrong). My dd could mindlessly fill in the worksheet pages without me even going through the scripted lesson. The only things she retained were the jingles for the parts of speech (helping verbs, state of being verbs, prepositions) and she did enjoy the poetry. I will tell you though that my dd does not totally have the simple predicate/simple subject mastered; she is getting it, and did well on the lesson 8 worksheet today, but I can see she will need review for it to stick. And she covered this back in FLL3 too, but it is like it is new to her.

My dd has used Spelling Power, and it took her at most 15 minutes per day. They are only studying the words they do not know how to spell, so it is time saving in that way. I own R&S 4 but we aren't using it. I'm switching her to LOE because I feel she needs remediation. Another program that would not be time consuming (though not cheap) would be IEW's Phonetic Zoo.

I am pretty sure Rod & Staff is considered a mastery approach to grammar. There is good review built in, too.

Love it..we do it as an after dinner family devotional. We memorize the catechism in the original language using the CDs tha Veritas Press sells. My dd is 9 and we started it when she was 7. we are reformed, so theology is consistent for us. I agree that those who don't like the West. Catech. Will not like this book.

I own both the old and the new. They didn't not change much at all -- the illustrations are professional artwork for picture study in the new versions (vs. amateur pencil drawings in the combined), and between 1 & 2 there is no carry over of the poems (they don't have you review FLL1 poems in FLL2 in the split versions, but they do in the combined volume). Otherwise, they are the exact same. I don't even know what lessons they took out because I believe I compared them page by page when I got the new editions. The formatting is definitely better in the large paperback editions (easier to read).

I think it is one of the greatest homeschool myths that everyone is finished by lunch time! I have to remind myself of this all the time, because every single homeschool book you read or seminar you go to you hear this (and online people always seem to claim it also), but yet I don't know very many people in real life who are able to do this. Just do what works for you and your kids and it will be ok. edited to add: For the number of kids you have and what you are trying to accomplish, I think your schedule is great. And you're not even starting school until 9:30, because you're doing other important things for your family, so to expect yourself to be done by lunch is really quite unrealistic pressure to put on yourself. (we start about then too because I NEED to exercise everyday at 6 am, and I then can't get everyone fed and ready until 9, then dd does piano until 9:30).

My 9 year old dd still does those things to some extent, though she has improved over the past 2 years (she doesn't do that with the contractions). I asked our optometrist about it, since she also does vision therapy and she didn't think she had any issues once she examined her. I think for my dd it is a maturity thing; she does read fluently out loud, has high comprehension, and reads above her grade level. For a long time, I would use a card or flexible bookmark above the line she was reading to help her improve her "tracking." I'd give it some time, and try to give her tips on how to improve as other posters have suggested.

I'm going round & round on grammar for dd9. We didn't quite finish FLL3 (got to lesson 78 or so) because of upheaval of adopting a baby. So now I am going back & forth on FLL or R&S 4 (which I bought at convention). I like R&S better than FLL in many ways, but there is so much writing which DD is going to struggle with (I know I can do it orally, but then why not just do FLL if it is going to be that teacher intensive). I wonder if I should just stick with FLL and switch to R&S or Hake for 5th grade. If I do go with FLL, should I just start the school year fresh with FLL4, or do I need to finish FLL3 with dd first? I don't own FLL4 to compare, but I think I remember there is a lot of review in the beginning. Opinions?

There are no content differences between the hardback FLL 1/2 combined and the new versions, EXCEPT (remembering from last year) they have taken out the poem reviews in FLL2 that include poems from FLL1. I read somewhere before I bought the separate version of FLL2 that the narration and copywork had been changed to line up better with WWE, but that is incorrect. It is all still included. Also the picture studies are actual famous artwork vs. drawings by one of the co-authors. The bigger, paperback versions are definitely easier to read. There are no workbooks for FLL1 or FLL2; all the work is oral, and copywork is done on separate paper.

Since you have gotten no actual Essentials user's experience, I'll chime in. I have many friends who do CC essentials through the CC that I have been part of (though I have not had a child old enough for Esssentials). From what they tell me, I can't imagine you would add any grammar to it (or any writing, if you are doing the IEW writing). It sounds like it is extremely thorough (one friend told me it was like getting grammar from a firehose for her kids). And I cannot imagine having my dd do any grammar in the summer, but maybe your kids will tolerate it. Another friend of mine has done 3 years of Shurley and both she and her kids are totally burned out on it; for this years she is using Daily Grams and is switching to IEW SWI. Hake looks really comprehensive (I'm considering it), so to do that WITH Essentials does seem like overkill from what I've seen/heard of them both.

Can you tell me about the 1 page summaries? What do you mean you have to "pry them off"? I bought this last fall and we have used it off and on. I really like it but keep wishing I had it printed out and bound to refer to. I haven't because it was so may pages to print. I don't do well with just having the computer or ipad going without also having a printed reference with it.

I have easily spent over $1000 each year on 1 child (probably pushing $2000). I am continually amazed that people can spend less than $500 for 1, let alone more than 1. I admit that I rarely buy anything used, however, because I would just rather have my curriculum in perfect condition. Also I have no capability for creating my own curriculum so I am almost always buying things that are ready to use (scripted or at least divided into lessons).

I just came across this last night and wondered if anyone had ordered either the student or teacher planner and how you liked either planner? It looks interesting... http://www.aplaninplace.net/

We are half way through it (started in Feb. with dd9) and will pick it up again this fall. It is kind of "kitchen-y" because many of the experiments involve food and you definitely do not need any fancy chemistry equipment (we have used kitchen equipment like glasses, jars and Pyrex), but that could make it more fun. I have considered buying some test tubes and beakers, but haven't. I did buy goggles and science thermometers as well as some nice periodic tables from Home Science Tools (which is where I got RSO Chem). I wish I'd ordered it 3 hole punched and not bound, because I ended up cutting off the binding and doing that myself. DD does like it, but doesn't love writing on the lab sheets too much. The experiments and activities are pretty good. Right before summer, we finished the section where they make a sort of "lap book" type of scrapbook for the first 18 elements. You can download 3 weeks from Pandia Press for free. I would recommend it, but I do think it might be best geared for third grade or older, and not 1st or 2nd (too abstract, imo, for 1st or 2nd). Forgot to add -- we did use the Kingfisher Basher Chemistry book (my dd loves all of those books), and a little bit of Fizz, Bubble, and Flash! just because I have those 2 books.

We are on week 16 of WWE3. At this point, the goal is to get them to summarize the passage (not all the details, but the main idea of what is happening in the passage) in 3 sentences or so (or 4 sentences -- I don't think there is a magic number). The comprehension questions are leading them to organize their thoughts so they can do that. If they can't do that after the comprehension questions, then there are a few more very pointed questions to make it happen. They should always answer in complete sentences. This is the WWE3 workbook I'm referring to. I haven't tried to apply it exactly to science or history; I just let my dd narrate more free form in those subjects (but still in complete sentences).

Call IEW and see if they can walk you through your issue. They have great customer service and want to help you use their products.