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Msweetpea2

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Everything posted by Msweetpea2

  1. okbud, Do you still prefer CP? Do you think ts more thorough? DD8 is bright and loves reading and writing. I want to ease her into the rules, but not stay stuck there. Once She gets something, she 'gets it' and wants to implement or move on.
  2. Okay new question for ELTL users - my DD8 is rising 3rd grade. Looks like she could be between ELTL 2 and 3 (renamed to B and C)... is ELTL 1 not necessary at all? Can I do an amped/sped up version or just skip? I will be purchasing ELTL A if I go ELTL route but I can't start ELTL A with DD6 until she is more comfortable reading because I have 4yo and 3yo boys who won't allow super extended reading times unless I'm reading to them. On the couch. While they drink milk or spill crumbs everywhere. :wacko:
  3. Thanks for the input ladies. I liked that CP reinforced spelling as well. I know RLTL is phonics and spelling (and reading - which is mostly what I'm using it for... my DD6 almost 7yo needs help learning to read). My DD8 is a fluent reader but could use some spelling and phonics review and I know she will be far more advanced than RLTL 1 (which my 1st grader needs), and I know ELTL doesn't cover the spelling and phonics since its more grammar and diagramming. Just trying to figure out how it would work to teach DD6 RLTL 1 while teaching RLTL 3 and ELTL 1 to DD8.... or if I should just give DD8 CP. I saw the dictations/copywork were longer (my DD8 doesn't mind writing at all and is currently working on a book about magical pirate cheetahs?) and I did think the nature portion was meh, but I've got a really neat nature study thing already, so that wasn't a selling point...mostly it was the spelling, vocab and layout. Hmmmm.... I'm going to go pour over the samples again. Thanks! I really appreciate it.
  4. I don't have any specific help to offer with scheduling as I'm newish to getting my HS act together, and I'm also a weird person who alternates between wanting a routine, getting bored with said routine, being more spontaneous and then feeling chaotic so I cycle back around to wanting a routine... HOWEVER, I just wanted to say that it sounds like you are doing a fantastic job and 4 kids is no joke (mine are 8, 6, 4 and 3) and the younger two are boys :blink: I'm sure some ladies on here will be more helpful with specifics, but a glass of wine and nice hot bath usually help me feel a little more like me and less like an exhausted overwhelmed Mom. (btw... I generally have to demand 'me' time. My husband is great watching the kids, but doesn't always recognize my need for a little bit of down time to save my sanity. He's slowly reaching that point where he can see the look in my eyes that means I need space now so we all make it to bedtime :willy_nilly: ) You're doing great!! Being a Mom to 4 kids is exhausting enough but when you add in educating them? Rockstar status for real. :coolgleamA:
  5. Sorry to bump this, but wanted to check in with anyone using Cottage Press. Do you still love it? I'm going with RLTL for my younger girl (1st grade) who needs to learn to read (and I think reviewing phonics won't hurt my fluent reader DD8), but I'm REALLY torn between Cottage Press and ELTL for my 3rd grade DD. She reads at a 5th grade level and is a quick reader. I'm worried ELTL will drive her bananas to go slow (whereas my DD6 would enjoy taking her sweet time). I love that CP has vocab and spelling and its workbook style all tied together. After reading through every possible review I'm leaning towards that more, but I don't know if it will be weird teaching RLTL to one child and CP to the other... I plan on getting the RLTL Workbook, and I do REALLY like Kathy Jo's concepts, but the seasonal primers with the passages and the layout give me all the heart eyes. Thoughts??
  6. I know this is from last year, but which did you end up going with - Cottage Press or ELTL? hope this year is going well!
  7. So what level of RLTL would you recommend for DD8 (who reads at an almost 5th grade level)? I was thinking ELTL level 1 would still be great for her (she's starting 3rd grade and hasn't had any specific grammar yet). I would definitely be using RLTL level 1 for my DD6. Thank you SO much for your feedback. I'm a fan of less is more too :thumbup1:
  8. That's actually really helpful - the reason I was looking at Aquinas Learning AL is specifically for the whole memorization/classical style with a broad overview. I like the concept of open and go, but realized it wasn't a 'sole' curriculum and I was worried about 'overloading' by incorporating it into the other subjects (Math, LA, Science and History). But I DO love the idea of memorizing baseline facts with fun songs while they are young so that they become second nature as they grow... I'm realizing I can probably find a happy way to blend my CM mom vibes with my classical persuasions. Thank you! p.s. I would be just using materials at home, as Aquinas Learning only has 'communities/co-ops' on the east coast. Apparently they are the 'catholic' CC... My husband is Catholic. I'm not, but we'll be throwing in some Saints book into morning time as I lean towards the ecclesiastical/mystical side of the church (I guess I don't really fit in any box :party: ) Hope this year goes great for you! :thumbup1:
  9. Okay so now my next question would be - whats the difference between Cottage Press and ELTL? From my understanding RLTL is a spelling/phonics/reading and ELTL is more grammar/writing/dictation (with some picture study thrown in). Is this accurate? I LOVE the idea of my daughter starting to learn grammar in a gentle (and very natural for us) way - through reading good books (bonus...she's already read some of the selections). From looking through CP, its got vocabulary (which I LOVE for my DD8), spelling/phonics, shorter reading selections, writing/copywork, narration, picture/nature studies... however, it says grammar but I didn't see any until level 2 primers. Is this just a matter of preference? They are both affordable and use beautiful passages/books. I haven't seen many reviews of CP on here.
  10. They just updated requirements (I'm in OR). It's not annual - they have to take an approved standardized test by August 15th of the year they complete grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. I have to find and pay for a 3rd party tester (they have an list) and then choose which test. "Approved tests are the two most recent versions of the following: California Achievement Test (now TerraNova) Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills Iowa Tests of Basic Skills/Tests of Achievement and Proficiency Metropolitan Achievement Battery Stanford Achievement Test Battery OAR 581-021-0026 (1)(a)" I'll obviously look into those in a few months, but it basically has to have a math and verbal section so they can combine the scores and make sure your child is 'on track'. They have to be above the 15 percentile to pass and above the 23 percentile if they want to join school funded extracurriculars. Some school districts don't request the results at the younger levels (at least that's what it says on the website)?
  11. Thank You! - I just did the reading test... my 6yo scored at .4 grade level (she doesn't remember the long vowel rule if a word ends in e after a consonant, but recognized she was saying it wrong. For example she knows 'rat'. She read 'rate' as rat also.. she knew that rate should be different, but didn't know how.) My 8 yo is at 4.9 grade level. :ohmy:
  12. Thank you for sharing those links! I have a little extra benefit of living super close to Powell's Bookstore which carries a surprisingly awesome number of older and out of print books. I SO appreciate 'bunny trails become treasures'.... thank you. Its incredibly helpful and reassuring since I often feel like I am on an island alone. My heart is happiest when my kids are learning by just being (pumpkin patch trips, discussions while cuddling on the couch, car ride songs, etc) - thanks for the encouragement.
  13. Thank you!! As someone who likes being spontaneous and go exploring - these are awesome resources to letting her review and play and stay 'on track' if we aren't home. <3
  14. Would it be possible to use these side by side? I have a 6.75 year old (1st grade) who needs the Foundations program to help with reading (and set a good baseline for grammar rules). She knows how to write letters and knows some very basic phonograms so she can read very early readers but is not confident and guesses some words unless I make her sound them out. I also have an 8 year old (3rd grade) who would be in the faster paced Essentials since she is an incredibly advanced reader. She knows some basic grammar rules, but I want to help her memorize more (along with a program that helps with spelling). Both enjoy writing. My 8 year old really wants to learn cursive as well. Should I just do Foundations for the younger one and find a different, less all-inclusive thing for the older? (like Cottage Press with some spelling?) Any Moms have close in age, but not quite in skill set and use LOE (either or both)? I know I need Foundations for the 1st grader if I go with LOE... I'm trying to figure out cost vs. reality vs. sanity :zombie: The other option is to use RLTL with DD6 and RLTL & ELTL with DD8... (clearly I've got my act together with T-10 days :ack2: )
  15. I don't know how to edit my response, so I edited the title? Sorry! Maybe it's just being on my phone instead of computer.
  16. Crum. I also wanted to add that at the end of this school year my DD8 will have to take a test to make sure she's tracking. Since she is naturally bright and has a great memory I'm not overly worried BUT it's also why I want to make sure she has some extra of those rules/foundations for writing/grammar.
  17. Okay, I took a little break to breathe and enjoy summer and not stress and just focus on other fun things like switching out seasonal clothes and rearranging bedrooms ;) A few days ago I started researching again in depth. I'm still trying to figure out the whole morning basket thing - I understand the concept and we have a lot of beautiful choices to read from, I just don't know how the heck to 'structure' it or make any sort of memorization coincide with whatever else we are learning. I'm not worried about it too much since I can utilize some of those sing songy resources for memorizing basic facts (and I can keep singing the ones I have made up over the years - wish I could upload audio to give you all a good laugh about our days of the week and months of the year song). Audio books = yes and brilliant for the car. I know that one of my kids is super visual like I am, but they are all incredibly gifted with listening and auditory skills courtesy of their dad and his crazy talented musical genes. Thank you again for all the wonderful suggestions and encouragement! I think after some reflection (and loads of research) I need to A) calm down and remember that my kids LOVE to learn so I haven't done a total crap job thus far and B) focus on specific ways to help with foundational skills (like reading) and go from there. I realized in all my researching that the minute any particular curriculum started getting super authoritarian in tone I was OUT. Like, no. I need structure and guidance, but I also need freedom and grace. Here's what I'm loving at this point and I would absolutely appreciate knowing if anything seems duplicated or non-matchy since I don't have actual hands on experience with most of these resources and I'm basing my ideas on samples, prayers and other Mom's reviews. (Seriously though, honest reviews with specific examples are the best and give such a good feel to those of us waiting to pull the trigger on spending money - bless you awesome ladies for taking time of out your days to write them!) DD 3rd grade (8yo) Math - Math Mammoth (thinking of also adding Beast Academy as fun practice) LA - thinking of just combining it and going with Cottage Press (I probably would get CP primer one and two). I like Apples and Pears but not sure if it would bore this sweet, super advanced reader out of her mind. TBH I don't care as much about my kids spelling things perfectly at this point as I do about comprehension and sentence structure. I feel like Voyages in English (the newer second edition NOT the old one) might be a good supplement here for the grammar practice because it lays out the rules and gives some practice. My kids def like a blend of artsy stuff AND workbook stuff. That may be my fault but whatever. They like gold stars and stickers as much as snuggling and reading a good book so I think we'll be okay. History- I'll probably start SOTW and Adventures in America Geography - will be tied into history and I'll use the fun maps and stuff that are included (or find some downloads.. freedom ladies, I'm reminding myself I'm not a prisoner to any one thing) Science - haven't nailed it down but really liking the looks of Mystery Science as a fun supplement DD 1st grade (6yo - will be 7 in oct) Math - Math Mammoth (also possibly Beast Academy) LA - this is toughest for me to confirm as my main focus is helping her with learning to read and having confidence with reading. Again, I like the idea of combining, and I really like LOE foundations (I think my 3rd grader might even benefit from some of the rules, but it looks like she would be level D or just straight to Essentials) since it covers reading, spelling, grammar too? I don't think the Dancing Bear book will work with her, although I do like Apples and Pears for spelling. I really need a gentle, but straightforward (and repetitive until mastered) help for her with reading. She knows basic phonics really well but gets overwhelmed stringing them together AND with seeing a lot of words on the page. AAS is a solid no for me, but I'm still open to AAR. History and Geography will be same as DD8 Science - Exploring Nature with Children looks awesome and is affordable and almost has a lot of the same concepts as Cottage Press (go figure since they are both CM based). I'll be using this with all 4 of my kids as a fun way to get outside and breathe in life. I'm going to do read alouds, ask questions/engage conversations, figure out this whole morning basket thing (which will cover music and arts, which ARE really important to us as a family), do some fun and random and unit based arts/crafts, and possibly throw in some Latin and a latin based language (we have resources for Spanish, French and Portuguese). The good thing about most of the choices I've narrowed it down to are they seem pretty open and go and have lesson plans built in. That's a HUGE plus for me because I just can't with mapping that all out right now. I want to in theory, but I also want to nap (and that's sadly in theory too at this time in my life). Lesson plans already included = winner winner, thumbs up and all that jazz. Any holes? Any duplicates? Am I totally crazy?? (that's possible :willy_nilly:)
  18. yes! thank you for this suggestion. I was recently telling my husband a list of what I had done last year and realized it was more than I really thought, but writing it down is SO good since I'm so visual. Do you use CC as your curriculum? the reason I'm drawn towards Aquinas Learning is it takes all the prep work out of the way for me and is open and go... then there is that side of me that feels like maybe I'm missing out on some of the other awesome individual curriculum out there I really like. Car audio coffee nap sessions sound GENIUS!! thanks again
  19. Thank you so much for this. I love a lot of these suggestions! Have you found AAS difficult to implement? It looks like a lot of prep work with cut outs and stuff. At this point, I'm more concerned with helping my second oldest's confidence in reading so I would lean towards AAR, but I'm not sure about prep level for that as well. So glad your family is all on board! My husband is actually a professional musician, so he has instrument and theory covered over here! :) He also loves doing any type of calendar of saints and practicing prayers with the kids. Hope your planning is going well, and thanks again for replying!
  20. I'm not as familiar with MOH, but Adventures in America https://elementalscience.com/collections/adventures-in-america seems to have the format you are looking for (not sure about CDs) but there is both Teacher guide, Student Activity Notebook and an eBook with extras. Hope that helps! :)
  21. I've searched all the forums but have found minimal feedback on this newer curriculum (albeit what I've found has been positive). Anyone used it and loved it? Didn't like it? Thoughts? I've figured out what I love if I were to make up my own stuff thanks to others helpful suggestions... now I'm just getting to the final countdown of either purchasing this for the 1st and 3rd grader OR doing my own thing. Would love any reviews to help sway me one way or the other! Any AL families out there??
  22. Promise I won't! I already apologized to her and she just laughed and said, 'Mommy I know you are a good teacher - sometimes I just like to read ahead' :blush:
  23. Thank you so much for continuing to chime in! I think I needed to hear that its okay to let my oldest self direct on certain things (and yes, 8 is SO young in the grand scheme, but since she's so bright and independent she seems much older academically). Its a good reminder that even if I don't do perfect grammar or cover ALL the things in science, she'll be just fine ;) I'm checking into all your many helpful suggestions and I def think simpler is better. My biggest challenge is lesson planning. I start out with great intentions and 'perfect' details and end up feeling lost and defeated. Probably in part because I have one child who wants to keep charging ahead and the other who likes to take their sweet time. I think if I can find a way to create a decent guideline (to make sure I'm keeping on track with the general goals) then I won't feel like I'm 'failing' them by not covering enough ground, or not challenging them enough. My DD 8yo will have to take a state exam at the end of this upcoming school year (right around when she turns 9yo) and I'm trying to find out the expectations for that. From what I've seen so far, she should have no trouble, but I just want to remain aware and stay on track so she doesn't feel overwhelmed. (We don't really do tests at home - at least not like standardized ones.) This is the other reason why I have been looking at something that was a little more like a put together 'curriculum' (like Aquinas Learning or certain parts of Build Your Library and aspects of Memoria Press) so that I felt like all bases were covered and I wouldn't have to lesson plan and stress myself out. On the other hand, if I start something and dislike it, I'm apt to just toss and start over. :scared: Morning time seems ideal for us - a great way for my younger guys to be exposed to classical music, art cards, history timeline cards and (geography?), along with some rich stories and poems. We're big fans of songs and prayers too. Thanks again for the encouragement! Its been so helpful to hear you all support me in giving myself permission to figure it out, while also telling myself I'm not sucking at life! lol :thumbup:
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