I don't think you need permission. There are all kinds of blogs out there written about a particular curriculum, book, etc. As long as you make it clear that you are not an MCT representative and you do not post copies of MCT material, you should not have a problem.

:iagree: I had a really hard time getting anyone to give me any suggestions when I first started, and I got all of my first year materials using Cathy Duffy's book. She also has a web site with additional curricula reviews. http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/index.html I listed some of the other materials I used to decide on my first curriculum on my blog. http://myfamilyiseternal.blogspot.com/2009/10/finding-my-first-curriculum-or-scary.html Tracy

I am LDS, and I have purchased it and will begin using Year 1 in July. I did some very thorough research. When I asked the question on the LDS homeschooling list, most of the people that responded warned me against it, even though they had no experience with the program. But out of that exchange, I did come in contact with a small number of members using the program, who started the TOGLDS Yahoo Group. It is not a very active group, but if you ask your questions on that forum, you will get more experienced answers. And then I can forward you the samples of how the church is portrayed in Year 4. As far as I can tell, there is nothing anywhere in the TOG materials that is offensive to any religion. But some people are much more sensitive than me. For example, many LDS members were offended when they heard that the TOG materials warn parents to preview the www.lds.org website before letting their children check it out. But I felt that this is just general good advice. I have looked at alternatives written from an LDS worldview, and I'm afraid that they just don't even come close to comparing to TOG (IMO). I will watch for you on the Yahoo Group. Tracy

This is only our first year, so take this FWIW. I feel like I want dd to experience a satisfying amount of both challenges and successes in every area. In her stronger areas, I have to go out of my way to challenge her so that she doesn't think that it is always easy. In her weaker areas, I have to be thoughtful of the challenges that I give her so that that she can experience the thrill of mastery rather than just the frustration of difficulty. In our house, we have a motto of sorts, "I can do hard things." It seems simple and trite, but whenever she does something new, she says it with such pride and excitement. Tracy

Thanks so much for posting this. I have been feeling really bad since I decided that dh and I would memorize together with dd5, because she is memorizing way faster than we are (and I am the slowest). I really appreciated the guidance at this site. Tracy

:iagree: When dd started skip counting in her math program, she was so excited that she already knew the answers from Schoolhouse Rock!

We have been using it since January with dd5. I bought it for next year, intending to complete the science program that I already had, thinking it was a great, albeit overpriced, curriculum. When I started looking through BFSU, I got so excited that I just had to get started. It does take some preparation time, because Dr. Nebel walks you through exactly what you can expect from the children--from common misconceptions to what you can expect them to learn (which is a lot). I did see one person indicate that she thought the "great lessons" were packed into the beginning and they were not as good after that. I have not seen that happen for us, yet. Considering the very reasonable price of this curriculum, it is worth having, even if you don't use it as your main curriculum. Here is my review of the program: http://myfamilyiseternal.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-of-building-foundations-of.html Tracy

I wouldn't give up TOG just yet. I agree that you are going to have to figure out what exactly she doesn't like. But it sounds like, for starters, she is overwhelmed by the binder. So get rid of the binder (for now, at least). I would tell her that you are going to do history differently and then use SOTW as a spine for TOG (but don't tell her that you are still using TOG). Read SOTW with her and then use TOG for activities. Work on a timeline. I would just do that for a couple of weeks to see how she takes to it. If it goes well, I would then see about gradually adding in literature readings, mapping, writing, etc. When I read about how your dd wanted things explained to her, I imagined a child that wanted to interact and share her experience with you. I don't know if that was correct or not. But if so, then maybe history will be more enjoyable for her if it is a special time with you. Just a thought. Tracy

:lurk5:

I agree with other posters that you don't need to change it if it is working--for now. I thought Horizons K (also spiral) was working so well for my dd5. Although I thought she was capable of more advanced math, she was not a mathy child, and didn't really have much interest in it. And then a few weeks ago, she started to do her math work at bedtime instead of her normal reading time. Then she asked for multiplication. I bought her a multiplication book from a local teachers' store to "test the waters" to see if she was really serious, and she has been working in it for a few days now.:001_huh: I think with a gifted child, you just have to always be prepared to brace yourself to take the hard left turn:driving:, regardless of what may be working right now. Tracy

:iagree: BFSU is very inexpensive and easily usable for either religious or secular homeschools. IMO, the book suggestions are just "icing on the cake"--not at all a critical part of the curriculum. Tracy

:lurk5: We are starting next year, too!

:lurk5: I've seen KISS described very positively on another forum. I will be interested in what others have to say about it.

You might be interested in reading Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. It is not about curriculum or homeschooling, but it addresses all the problems that result when kids develop that insatiable need to be connected with their friends. Tracy

My dd5 is a bit like yours--less visual and more verbal. After doing Horizons K this year, I have decided to more to CSMP for next year. It uses storybooks to demonstrate certain concepts. It has a lot of word problems and games. There is a substantial visual component, but it is presented in the form of games that we can play together. (She is a very social child.) Tracy

:lurk5:

My dd just turned 5yo, and we were doing phonics in the fall. I felt that it was just busy work for her, because her reading level was soaring way past what she was doing with phonics. So we turned our efforts toward phonics from a spelling perspective. I was really surprised to see that spelling and reading were such separate skills. She spells quite well for her age, but it is so much harder than reading. For her, it is an enjoyable challenge, we will continue to do it. We are using Spelling Workout, but if I were to do it over again, I would look for a spelling program that was less writing intensive. Tracy

DD5 started talking at about the normal age-about 17 months. I always got the impression that she didn't want to talk until she could say it correctly. Since then, she has systematically corrected all of the normal speech problems that kids have (like "r's", for example).

We are doing Five in a Row (our favorite part of K), Horizons Math K, BFSU for science, Spelling Workout, and copywork for handwriting. We are switching our math to CSMP next year. If I did it again, I would find a spelling program that was less writing intensive. Tracy

Not everybody lives in a library district. And it is not just about living in the city or country. We just moved from a fairly large city in the Chicago suburbs, and we did not live in a library district. It would have cost me $180 per year to have a library card. I always thought that this was too much. But now that I have access to a library, I realize that it would be totally worth it. I pay at least that much to the library via taxes. And we have 30-40 books out at any given time. Tracy

I also play flute, and my 5yo very much wants me to teach her. But every time she tries it, she can't get a sound out of it. I would go with other suggestions for instruments that require a similar embouchure and fingerings and plan for a possible transition later on. Tracy

I struggled with this issue a lot. Dd just turned 5yo, and we are finishing up K. I know that she is capable of doing FLL. But for me, the question was, does she really need to do FLL when she is only 5yo? We already do memorization and copywork. I was attracted to the "get-cozy-on-the-couch" approach to FLL. But ultimately, I decided that I would not do grammar until she is at least the age of a 1st grader. The programs that I have chosen for math, history and literature are fairly rigorous, so I wanted to make sure she had time to just be a kid. And by 6yo, I think that FLL will be too easy for her, so we will probably just wait until 3rd grade and do MCT. I don't think that there is any right or wrong choice. But I think there is much more to be considered than just the age or giftedness of a child. If the child is younger than school age, you have to look at the whole of what they are doing, as well as the child's interest level and learning style. You want to make sure he has time and opportunity to explore his own interests and passions. I have no doubt that my dd would enjoy FLL. But given the big picture, it just didn't fit in with our needs and goals. Tracy

I don't particularly like those "dumb readers," either. But my dd knew her basic phonics, and she loved being able to actually read a book. (We used the Nora Gaydos series.) We only used them for about 4 months before she was able to read books from the library. We only spent about 5 minutes reading one book per day. I probably could have done phonics with her and then jumped into real books later on. But those little 8-page books gave her confidence that I don't think she would have gleaned from a phonics program. It was a good investment of both time and money. Tracy

Although I can't comment on your specific problems with allergies, I have had some experience in dealing with behavior issues. My instinct is to reward the good behavior rather than punish the undesirable behavior. She may very well be eating poorly just to get your attention. If that is the case, then withdrawing your attention is only going to exacerbate her behavior rather than resolve it. You need to set something up where she gets a reward for eating properly. The frequency of the reward will depend on the frequency of the behavior. The reward has to be frequent enough to guarantee substantial success. Figure out what motivates her, and tell her that after "x" amount of time, if she has eaten properly, she will get "y". You can even set up different levels of rewards--a small daily reward and a larger weekly reward, for example. Possible rewards could include special time with a parent, screen time, money or a special gift, a field trip, etc. It sounds like she has a tough road ahead, and she it is just hard for her to do. This will help her to feel positive about her condition and learning to live with it. Tracy

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