We love the format of Math Mammoth - the direct teaching on the page, intentional teaching of mental math concepts, solid word problems, no separate TMs, the extra videos are wonderful, etc. However, I have a couple of kiddos that could benefit from a more spiral approach. They complete the Mixed Review at the end of each chapter, but they could use a bit more review throughout the chapter. I'm trying to wrap my brain around what that would look like. The lessons in MM are already so long that I occasionally split them into two days. I can't imagine adding any more work into the math portion of the day. It would just be too much. But they're already a little behind where I want them to be in math, so I don't want to stretch the lessons out even more so they get through the level slower. I don't require that my 1st and 3rd graders complete all of the problems in the section. I sit with them for math, so if they show a few times over that they have the concept, we skip the next ones. My 5th grader, however, asks to do all of the problems because she wants the extra practice. She struggles with math and doing all of the problems makes her feel more confident. I will admit that I've looked at CLE Math about 100 times and really like the way it spirals. But we already own all levels of MM and I know my kiddos can work through it successfully, so I'm hesitant to switch. I feel certain they would place a grade level behind if we did switch. So then there's that. But it's format is very enticing! So how do you add review for those kiddos that could use a bit more spiral, but want to stick with a mastery approach? Any other thoughts/wisdom you could share?

Plaid Phonics and Horizons K both have solid phonics instruction that are worksheet based. I've used both extensively and they've worked well for my kiddos. ?

Milknhoney - I'll take a look at Trail Guide. I've looked at the in the past and decided that it wouldn't work for us, but I don't recall now what my reasoning was. ? I'll let you know if I have questions once I look over it again. THank you! LauraBeth and 2ndGen - I LOVE LOVE the idea of doing a lighter-type study over the summer. Typically, we take off 6 weeks during the summer, and then school the rest. However, we have just moved in the past 3 weeks. While putting our house on the market and the actual moving process, we lost weeks (and I mean weeks) of school time. So sadly (for me!), we are doing heavy school throughout the whole summer. Boo. On a typical year, that would be a great suggestion for us! I'll tuck it away for another year when I'm not trying so hard to play catch up. ?

Thank you so much for your suggestions! These ideas are quite varied, so I'm sure I can find a good fit for us. I might look at the course syllabi for JA and Mr. D. and then pull those concepts out of our MM 7. Really appreciate your help! ?

My son is finishing up his 7th grade year at a private boys' school. Previously, I homeschooled him from beginning through 6th grade. This year has been a lost year academically for him, unfortunately, especially in math. His school uses Saxon Math 1 for 7th grade, and he was bored stiff. The school moved him up to Saxon Math 2 (8th grade) and I honestly think that's been worse for him. We tried Saxon in the early years, and the spiral, jumping from topic to topic nature of it drove him crazy then and drives him crazy today! I need for him to take a real Pre-Algebra course this summer, with my assistance. We're not yet sure of his school situation for next year (possibly back home or potentially a cottage-type school), but he will need to take Algebra I during his 8th grade year. He wants to take Alg I, as he's totally unchallenged this year. A bit of background: This is a bright boy that catches on easily. He enjoys teaching himself, but also enjoys interaction with a teacher. He doesn't need a ton of review problems, but just enough to make sure he's got the concept down pat. Once he gets a concept, it's sealed in his brain forever. haha. He enjoys a mathematical challenge, or any challenge for that matter. I have MM 7, of which he's worked about a 1/4 of the way through while on break during Christmas and Easter. What resources do you suggest I use to get him up to speed for Algebra I this fall? Thank you in advance for any recommendations! ?

Any ideas on what you'll use for world geography? I'm just researching options now, especially for my rising 6th grader. I can adapt it to fit my rising 4th and rising 2nd. Thank you for replying! SUPER helpful to see what your plan through high school looks like.

I really appreciate you typing this all out! It helps me wrap my brain around what my possibilities are with my multiple ages to consider. I'm going to put your plan in a spreadsheet (just as a framework), and then see what that translates to for us. I, also, really have my eye on some type of world geography course! Trying to research and find one that might fit for us.

Ah! Okay, I understand now. I think I read your first post with very tired eyes, and just didn't catch that you only did the read aloud and Bible portion in the evenings. ? Yes, I really like the maps and coloring pages better in SOTW AG as well. The maps are so crisp and clean. Even my 1st grader has learned a TON of geography using those maps!

I've printed MM both ways - as color and as B&W. My kiddos prefer color (I print in draft mode), but MM is totally doable in black and white. If using B&W, I do find it best to print on gray scale using "black ink only" option to differentiate some of the bar models, etc.

2 Girls Mommy - That was such a thorough explanation! Thank you! My brain is slowly thinking through middle school and high school. It was very helpful to read how you've planned. MerryatHope - "Do what works for your family" Yes! Totally agree. ? Just trying to think through what that might look like in practical terms. Holly - Oh my... How in the world do you tackle all of the history (and accompanying activities) at night? By about 4pm, I am done with the day and can't fathom taking that on the evenings. So you're looking at moving away from BP next year? Or adding the Day 1, 2, and 3 plans into the BP mix?

I love the 4-year history cycle as outlined in WTM, and this has been a constant in our homeschool since the beginning 8 years ago. For those of you who adhere to the 4-year cycle, how do you fit in an extra study? For example, I love the idea of Notgrass for a year for my rising 6th grader and letting the rising 4th and 2nd tag along. Or possibly doing SL Core F (the Eastern Hemisphere study). Or doing a fun geography and cultures year with all of my kiddos. Where do you add those in? How do you decide which year to replace in the 4-year cycle? (We're currently doing bare bones Biblioplan, and I don't feel like I can add anything else to our day. With 1 child in private school, 3 homeschooled kiddos, and a 15-month tornado, I'm already doing school solidly from 9-4 most days. I can't add in one more thing and still stay sane. So I'd have to replace something.)

Thank you so much for your responses! As I’m reading through, I have several questions. Since we’re moving into our new house tomorrow, I don’t have the brainpower to ask them coherently , so I’ll come back in a couple of days once things have settled a bit.

In my ideal homeschool world, my kiddos and I would read a great book together and then sit around and discuss it - literary elements, characterization, etc. But in my realistic world, we are doing nothing even remotely close to this. :) We do read alouds together, although not nearly with the tenacity as years past because I have a 14-month old tornado who doesn't nap well. Getting interrupted every couple of sentences just isn't fun for any of us. My girls enjoy reading and believe it or not, they enjoy workbook-style learning (especially my 5th grader). So I'm researching reading curriculum for the coming months. Even though most families are at the end of their school year, we're moving (close on the house in 2 days!!), and we've taken 8 weeks off. Essentially, we are getting ready to complete the last half of our school year starting in 2 weeks and rolling on through the summer. I'd like to go ahead and make a decision so I can order materials and get started. -- I am looking for reading curriculum for my 3rd grader and 5th grader. I can't combine them, and they will need separate assignments. -- The 3rd grader is a bright little thing, but a bit lazy in getting her school work done. She needs a bit of pushing, as I haven't done much of that this school year (I just haven't had the mental bandwidth...there's only so much mental energy to go around, you know?). She would really enjoy reading a story and then analyzing it a bit. -- The 5th grader is a very average student, and a voracious reader. Reading a book/story and then answering analysis-type questions would be a dream come true for her. Here's what I'm looking at so far: CLE - They get great reviews here on the forums. I'm not sure I understand though - is one lesson supposed to cover only 1 day? That looks like a lot. Is it a 5-day/week program? I can't exactly tell from the samples. Do I need the TM? BJU - Is this meaty enough? It's really hard to find online samples from BJU, which I find annoying! They're so expensive and they NEED good samples if they want my money. ;) Mosdos - I've used Mosdos in a limited capacity with my 7th grade boy. We used it for 3 months before he started attending a private boys school. Are all of the levels similar as the one for 7th? I believe it's Jade that we have. Also, we didn't get to discuss nearly as much as I would have liked. The TM is HUGE and I was pretty overwhelmed by it. I was unsure what to discuss and what to leave out because there is just so much. Do you have any other suggestions? I'm leaning towards CLE, but would love to hear any thoughts on these three programs or others that have worked in your family. Thank you! Lauren ETA: Whatever we use needs to be completely spelled out for me with minimal prep time. I already spend quite a bit of prep time on history and science and just don't have any more planning time available. So it needs to be open-and-go if possible.

We have grown out of our house and will be putting our house on the market and moving in the next 2-3 months. Do you have any advice for keeping up with school during a move? I need some very practical help and suggestions. I don't feel like we can take a tremendous amount of time off, although I know that some time off will be necessary for packing, actually moving our things, etc. My 5th and 3rd graders are not where I want them to be academically for the year based on my own goals for them, and I want to keep plugging along. Also, reading hasn't totally clicked with my 1st grader, so I don't want to just call off school for her, even though she's still little. (I am a big fan of play based learning, for what it's worth...) I considered doing just the basics: grammar, math, Latin, writing. But we're already behind where I projected us to be in history and science is practically non-existent right now as it is. There's part of me that thinks it's absolutely okay to put school work aside for a month or so and just school through the summer. Yet, there's another part of me that doesn't want us to get any further behind. Any thoughts or suggestions or wisdom? Any experience with moving a whole pile of kids will still schooling them? [My 12 yo is in a private school this year, so I'm only teaching my 10yo, 8yo, and 7yo. There's also the 11-month-old tornado along for the ride.]

I ran into this same issue with my then 5yo. We did a lot of fralala's suggestions. We also played a lot of Sum Swamp, used pattern blocks, played Skip-Bo (the kid or adult version both work well!), Phase 10 (we play as a family and she and I were a team until she could stand on her own) and any and all games with dice or dominoes. Lots and lots of games. We had the best time! She also memorized so many of her math facts just from playing so often. I was shocked at what she retained!

I posted in the wrong sub forum. Sorry about that!! Re-posted in the General Ed board.

We used Horizons Math K years ago (maybe 6?) and it was not a good fit for my child at the time. It jumped around way too much for us. Do you have specific questions about it? Not sure I can help, but I'll try. :)

I know you've already made your decision about HWT, but I thought I'd chime in since I've used both that and AAR Pre (both of which I LOVE!) The AAR Pre has SUCH super cute activities that we have loved! They are very manageable crafty ways to learn letters and letter sounds. For HWT in PreK, we used the Wooden blocks to make letters and that is an incredibly valuable manipulative, imo. I used a sheet of construction paper with a smiley face in the starting corner as a guide. We also used these sheets and they were such a hit: https://shopping.lwtears.com/product/LAM/products-by-type So the wooden pieces plus those laminated capital letter pages were a great combo for three of my kiddos! They are pricey, but I found them used at our local homeschool store.

Yes, this was also the case with two of my children. They needed to move on conceptually, but had the *hardest* time memorizing the number bonds. I did choose to move on with them, and it turned out to be just fine. :) We spent time each day working on number bonds and math facts in general, and they eventually could internalize them.

Thank y'all so much for taking the time to respond! I looked at Biblioplan and :hurray: it looks fantastic! I'm sad that's it's not in our current budget though. Maybe I can revisit it again for next semester. I would need several of the levels, plus the companion, etc, so it got a little pricey. Yes, I'd love to go WTM way, but it doesn't help with the planning piece of it. I'm considering still using TOG for my D son, and only using SOTW for my 5th, 3rd, and 1st graders as it's scheduled in TOG. Brainstorming on how I can make that work in a very streamlined way....

I think I would really like the heavy schedule for 3 days. Then I could take that and make it my own, whether we can only have 4 days of school that week or 5 (due to appointments, etc). When you say you "added a bunch", what types of things did you add? More reading? Additional literature? I'm just curious what you thought it was lacking. Thank you!!

Hmm. I've just spent 20 minutes looking over all of the materials for Biblioplan. I'm intrigued! Does it have the in-depth thinking questions I'm looking for? I couldn't quite tell from the sample. Thank you for the suggestion!

I'm a long-time user of TOG. We've used it since my oldest was in 1st grade, and he's now in the 7th. Each year, I've looked for something different, mostly out of my not wanting to plan so much and partially because of Grass is Greener Syndrome. With a new baby in the mix, I really don't have the time to plan to the degree I need to in order to make Tapestry successful for us. Don't get me wrong - I do love many parts of Tapestry. I'm just not sure it's a good fit for us this year. We're about 5 weeks into our new homeschool year, and I'm drowning quite a bit with planning. Actually, I'm drowning a lot if truth be told. Can you help me find other curricula that might be a good fit? Here are some details: -- My kiddos are 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st (and the baby) -- I love the rigor of TOG and would like something on the same academic level, especially as we are in D level with my oldest and UG/D with my 5th grader. This is my wish list: -- Living books as much as possible, though I'm not opposed to the occasional text -- Rigorous books selections for my D and UG/D students - not fluffy below grade reading assignments -- Assignments laid out for me -- Incorporates history, literature, art, music -- All kiddos on the same period of history at the same time -- Classically-based (we're finishing up the Renaissance/Reformation time period and want to move to the next topics chronologically) -- Biblically based Any suggestions on what I might look at? I wish we could all do SOTW (we would be entering book 3), but I don't feel like that's enough meat for my oldest, even if I supplement. He's a very bright, eager learner. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you! -Lauren

Hi Deborah! I don't have much experience with writing curricula, but about your daughter's spelling issues: Have you thought about using a spelling curriculum for her? My 10 year old daughter is an atrocious speller. While she is not dyslexic, she has spelling tendencies that very much look like dyslexia. We have been using All About Spelling, and we're heading into Level 4 soon. I kid you not, without the rules of All About Spelling, she would still not be able to spell words like hurt (r-controlled) or beach (uses a vowel team). Her spelling has improved by leaps and bounds with AAS, in ways that we could not achieve with copywork. She really needed the rules of spelling and lots of examples in order to be able to apply those rules to her own spelling. Just throwing it out there in case it might be a good fit for your girl. :)

I could have written this post! Especially this: "For a busy, and frequently overwhelmed, mother, I can trust that they have been introduced to the basics of grammar, english conventions, and writing with no prep and minimal interference from me." So true! I, as well, have used R&S English since close to the beginning of our homeschool life. I started with Grade 3 for my oldest, who just started R&S 7. We've done almost all of the grammar and writing assignments (except writing a business letter for magazines in the mail...) and my children have covered much more writing instruction than I realized. In fact, a few months ago I started a thread because I was nervous about not using a writing curriculum with my oldest two (5th and 7th). As we have ventured into more intentional writing instruction this year, I am so pleasantly surprised at how much they know. This can only be attributed to R&S! Grade 6 has several exercises on outlining and summarizing, which have been helpful. I also couldn't agree more that the exercises need to be on paper and not all oral, in order to gain the most bang for your buck with R&S.