One of my kids played football so he already knew people before the first day since they start practice over the summer. My other starts this coming year so we have really had to work to find where she could get to know people ahead of time, for her it looks like it is going to be the band. Dont know if you tech school has summer activities,but might help. Acedemically our school is so bad, they have no trouble adjusting to the school work, which is good they have enough social things to learn. Like how to not try so hard?

Logic of English has a quick reference card. But I use the Spell to Write and Read Spelling rule flash cards more often because that is where I started. They are bigger than AAS and alittle more visual for the kid. Front has a visual, back has rule to memorize and maybe some examples and exceptions. I've used the programs so the rules are familiar to me, if you are not familiar with the rules, I don't know how helpful they will be... they probably will, but maybe not as much or will take more effort for you to learn them to pass them on.

I guess I am one of those that likes the whole year planned out ahead. It gives me great joy, guess we are all different . Excel and I are best buddies. The younger the kid is more more I expect I will need I to adjust as the year goes on, but I function much better having a plan and dropping things than trying to come up with it on the fly. So I can hold it loosely. And I tended to look at some things I planned in week chunks instead of daily chunks. But I TOTALLY agree with taking the time to make the curriculum as open and go as possible, if it’s not already . It may come with experience to know what that means for you and for each curriculum , but for us if I had to find scissors to cut the timeline figure out, didn’t happen. Having to take the 2 minutes to copy a map , usually lost a lot of time to regather everyone. 1000 hrs for a first grader just feels like a lot to me. That’s 5 1/2 hours a day! I expect my 2nd grader to be done in 4 (I hope that’s realistic next year) I would have to include piano lesson and practice and read alouds at night and outside sports for gym to get enough hours, wow. For sotw I would make a 36 week grid and make each week look pretty similar, even though some weeks you will have to double up on some chapters cuz there are 42 or something like that. So just decide how you want to us it and what pieces. So Monday you read the chapter and narrate. Tuesday read an extra lit books. Wednesday do map and time line . Friday pick an activity from activity book you want to tackle or something like that doesnt MP enrichment already have a schedule planned out? History and science are usually the ones that take the most time to plan because I add in so many extras and adjust already made schedules. the skill subjects are easy, I just divide the lessons evenly over the weeks

I really enjoyed Dr Jenner and the speckled monster by Marrin about smallpox vaccine and The Great Trouble: a mystery of London, the Blue Death and a Boy called Eel by Hopkinson. This was a awesome story about a boy helping a doctor solve the mystery of what was causing all the death in his neighborhood. Moving from old ways of looking at disease to using good investigative practices to get to the science behind it. Loved it!

I was actually thinking fix it. But was struggling alittle bit with placement, where did you start?

I’m no professional here, but I can speak from our experience. Vocab that you pull from a read aloud never worked for me, I get too caught up in story and don’t want to stop, I think the context is good, but still easy to forget. Just doesn’t get done. We did wordly wise for like 5 years. My daughter never really engaged. last two years we have done word roots from critical thinking company. In this program you have to work to decifer which collection of roots,prefixes and suffixes (words) go together to match a definition. So you really come to absorb what the differences are, having to think beyond memorizing. And my daughter has to engage to think at this level, not just fill in blanks. I personally use vocab as a mostly independent subject, but if you wanted to play some of the word roots games or make flash card (I think ctc has an app for root flash cards ) it could add even more. Last year we did both wordly wise and word roots and my daughter said she learned so much more from word roots we dropped wordly wise this year.

I have used fundamentals , pre algebra and algebra 1, then my kids go to public school. i would agree that you should have at least an average math student and be willing to work with them. I have really appreciated the thoroughness as well. I feel the explanations in the text are very adequate to understand the concept, and the example problems are very helpful. I feel it is important to walk the student through the explanation because sometimes important information is in a tiny one sentence paragraph between examples that the average student will skip over. the review sections at the end of each lesson are well planned for remembering what you have learned and preparing for the next section . In the levels I used I wouldn’t have said the word problems were especially challenging, they seem to practice certain types of problems, but I’m also coming from Singapore with very challenging word problems l. I guess I have to admit that there are challenging word problems. They were in the dominion in science section that we never had the time/energy to tackle. Which is a shame because I feel that is where the writer really shares his love for math and how it impacts all areas of our life. we generally did the odds and it would take between 30min and an hour. For one child who struggles more in math, on some sections we went back the next day and did evens if The TG told me it was an important concept. One kid was stronger in math and he did more C problems. In the algebra text the teaching on sequences was broken up to like 1 concept per chapter, I wish they would just cover the topic all at once. I also didn’t particularly like they way they taught one kind of factoring, I just taught the box method instead in that section that I learned from Jacobs algebra. Other than those two tiny annoyances I LOVE bju math for these levels. Foundations was a difficult shift from Singapore as far as workload, not writing in the book and lessons were much longer, but after those adjustments math became my daughters favorite subject. I buy used on amazon ,ebay or homeschool classifieds. TG are necessary for answers key and it tells me which sections are more optional or to spend extra time on. Ive once bought the student activities book for my daughter who really struggles to retain, it has a more extensive culmitive review for each chapter so I could see better what wasn’t sticking.

i have one kid like that who math just doesn’t stick with lots of practice needed I agree with stick with the program and just throw in lots of extra practice either the SM extra practice books or key to... even just a little behind to keep reminding them what they learned last month. Singapore is fairy quick to get through so supplementing is totally doable and that way you don’t loose continuity cuz you are doing the same program throughout. I feel when you get to book 5 and 6 is when Singapore really gets good, so I wouldn’t want you to give up before that. when I get to book 6 we do every possible review problem in the textbook, feels like year 6 is mostly review anyway and kind of short

So most of you seem to suggest RS 8 is enough grammar, If there was not more to teach what could i use for efficient review then for 8th grade before she heads to public school??

Having done rod and staff English from 3 to 8 would you continue with 9/10 for 8th grader? Why? what other paths have you chosen and why? (we don’t use the writing in R&S , just grammar)

I have placed several orders with them. And yes they generally come in several shipments from their different locations. I have had wrong book delivered twice. One was cleared up fairly quickly, they sent me the right book. the other time they sent me the SAME wrong book again! And when they had to send it the third time they no longer had it. Which was pretty annoying, They refunded my money with an apology. I had to wait till it showed up in inventory at better world books to order again. Thrifttbooks was not quite as quick to respond as I would have liked, but I don’t feel like they are going to stiff me. I don’t really expect much in quality so I don’t pay much attention I guess. But tagging the title seems like there should be less room for error, but they do struggle with that part. I guess I’m willing to deal with some hassle when their books are so cheap.

So I would love to hear WHAT it is about k12 human odyssey and OUP World in ancient times that everyone loves and how are the two different. And how would you compare them to Stow

I agree that the only essentials here are the reading , math , handwriting and having a habit of doing those most every day. But I would disagree that the FIAR, history and science is “too much”. The curriculum you picked are mostly read and play anyway, they just give you structure to your reading and playing, But those are the things I would hold loosely if you or your kid are just done for the day And don’t feel bad dropping it if he takes the whole morning melting down about something else. Honestly for me it is the non essential (at this age , anyway) that brings the spark for me and what the kids really enjoy , but they are still not necessary.

I would not feel any pressure to use the extra books, they are there is your child needs more practice, I’ve only use a couple over the many years I’ve used the program with several kids. At some point the teacher guide becomes helpful to understand the different way this program does math. (Maybe as early as 3rd , but definitely by 5th) I’ve never used them to actually teach, but when I got confused by the bar diagrams and what the point was I consulted them Or to get a better understanding of the way they were teaching mental math. Im strong in math so honestly at some point I stopped using the textbook too and just used the workbook, but I believe the textbook would get you most of the content if you use manipulatives regularly and go from concrete to diagram to abstract as they expect. But if you struggle to teach/understand math AND you can’t stand the guide then .... well... So if you are willing at some point to learn the bar diagrams, mental math, and can work with manipulative and can support reinforcing /memorizing facts , I would say stick with it. Cuz it’s a great program And it is working for you

I totally thought it meant shout out... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ice cream scoop! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had the same question. My son leaves in aug for basic and gets back in March from AIT, the two colleges I asked weren’t excited about the deferment option, but seemed to say they would do it especially for military personnel. The ROTC guy I chatted with suggested there would be time during his AIT to apply for colleges. I just didn’t like not being there to help him, not that he couldn’t handle it. One school we looked at had a department that dealt with those in the military and helping make sure they get what they needed to get through school. My son almost got into the language school too, passed the dlab, but it was another month till he could enlist , and they changed what the passing grade was in that month.Arg. So guess I don’t have a strong suggestion either way sorry Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Distractability leads to many errors, you forget where you were and what you were doing so it’s very easy to skip steps. You miss read a number because you wrote it 5 mins ago before you were distracted and it was alittle too messy. So maybe the focus should be to develop attention span and focus? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have been a long time Sonlight user, at least I call myself that, my use of it over the year has changed and probably doesn’t really represent it anymore but it is my base. The books! Yes I love the books! Schedule! Yes it brings confidence Timeline! Love it Combining! Wonderful I totally agree with almost everything on both your love and don’t love list! These are some ways I have adjusted. 1.Science -we have chosen NOEO, it is similar to Sonlight in someways, but I think it schedules MUCH more coherently. Experiments kit are great to have on had because the exp. actually get done! It is not over kill, it is just enough so that we get the content but it is very doable when I have a lot on my plate, (this year I’m actually wishing for alittle more) but I am very pleased with the prep my kids have after the 6th grade using this program 2. I rarely use the IG discussion, but I don’t feel guilty about it 3. Geography I agree , I have added maps from sotw for 6th and 7th and map trek for 8th, 4. I don’t pay full price for a core, have once or twice , but generally I will find a used copy of ig , just have to make sure it’s not too old, then buy books from our local used books store or thrift books, better world books. doesn’t work for everything but I save lots of money that way, I still by timeline figures from Sonlight, and maybe I’ll just skip some books , too hard to find or too expensive We don’t use the LA either we use FLL, WWE, rod and staff English, iew. This year added plaid phonic , more to get the spelling and writing going , not so much the phonic for reading So yes after all that it sort of looses some of the greatness of being all in one, I agree, but I’m honest with myself that I’m not going to find anything I will be happy with anyway, I’m always going to be tweaking Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Our group started with our family and one other. Now we have added a third, 8 kids We meet together mon-thurs. Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours and Tuesday and Thursday we meet 5 hours and I get one of those days off a week, where I can drop the kids and do my own thing. The other day I have all the kids and the other mom takes off(The mom of the last family added doesn’t seem to want the away,she does little teaching but is always there). What it looks like subjectwise has changed over time but we usually cover together science and English (rod&staff, wordly wise, spelling, writing/iew ,we teach reading on our own). History,math,And whatever else we want are on our own, when apart. (This year the k and 1st grader are doing history and science together) One mom teaches the older kids and the other the youngers, then we switch we meet at her house first 2 days of the week and my house second two days. There is enough space for us to work in separate rooms and little kids to play, (most days[emoji12].). What I like most about this set up is that it gives structure to my day, kids are more motivated when a friend is next to them(after they learn it’s not time to play) and it keeps school contained and me from getting distracted by other things, the hard thing is you spend a lot of time with these folk so ya need to get along and mostly like each other We generally pick curriculum together and I print out a schedule for each kid which they and the moms are happy to follow , as long as I don’t expect them to do too much when apart. It keeps us all doing the same lesson so we can do it together .english they are expected to do some work on Friday like some vocab and spelling test and a r&s worksheet , but no science on Friday until they are 7 or 8th grade We also take what we call a home week about every 8 weeks and either side of Christmas where we schedule minimum school work, just enough as needed so we can finish certain curriculum in the year. This provides a break from each other, opportunities for doctor appts, and focus on other things and time to just be home and all slow things down You are probably thinking bigger scale but thought I would share anyway Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have active 1st grade boy whose not crazy about school, and am trying to figure out if WWE is enough handwriting for him? We do the shorter copy work selection in WWE and that's it. 2 days a week. He writes a word or two in science and history in the week and about every other week he does a sentence from LOE C. Is less better if I make him work on neatness? Or does he need more practice to be more fluent? I have two kids that write legibly and two that don't,so guessing this isn't my strong point as far as teaching goes. This kids letter formation is correct most of the time, though he still has some issues to work on (spacing, putting the g on bottom line instead of middle and stuff like that) (and he apparently loves to color!) For some reason I just feel he has to complete a workbook to feel like he will have good handwriting .... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For some kids I just have them draw the diagram (dry erase board?) and point to where each word goes, kind of teacher involved though, you can't really check It later. When the kids are younger I have the standard diagrams drawn in the back of the notebook as we learn them, they just choose the right one and tell me where they would put the words. But I know in the higher grades that's not possible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I totally get Lost Tools of Writing structure with the 3 canons of Invention, Arrangement, and Elocution. And I love that it gives different tools under each canon that the students could utilize in their writing. In WWS1 I see that she is trying to provide similar tools to access during writing, but I can't catatorize them into the LTW canons very easily, or even see the big picture. We will be using parts of both of these next year and I want do what I can to intergrate the thoughts at least to some small extent. Are WWS tools in a whole different realm?? How do they fit together? I used WWS1 for a previous child. I was more of a loosely involved coach, but I am familiar enough with it to know that it develops the description of person, description of place, description of scientific discovery, historical sequence, etc. But I am not familiar with classical writing in general so the big words used in WWS are just lost on me. (maybe if i read through wws2 and 3 i could see it, someone save me) Can someone provide clarity to me? Thanks

As HomeAgain said, there are different ways to use the kits, which will probably vary on your goal and style, It might just take some experimenting to find out how to make it work best for you and your kid. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love NOEO because it gets done. It is a manageable amount of work and the experiments are all right there and require minimal energy on my part to happen. So it works. I love the biographies and picture books ,too. I have used all of levels one and two (except bio 1) and feel my kids are well prepared for future science. So if you think the experiments will not be exciting enough, it is possible, I thought they were plenty adequate. I would say the hands on are more of a discovery activity not true "experiments" where you have a control group and are trying to answer a specific question. I think that is totally fine for the k-6 age group. Because it's so doable you can keep it as your core. If you feel need for more some options may be : Several of the programs have a activity book that the schedule only requires some of, if you are hungry for more dig into those. OR Pick a topic for the science fair and take some experiments further. OR pick three or four extra fun things out of the home science tools catalog to add spice . You could buy like a whole Chem kit to supplement but I would guess the YSK would already cover half of what is in a big kit so would be waste of money. Every day doesn't have to have a bang, just throw a couple in there. OR maybe a TOPS book. If wanted to add more flair to the science kit you could buy some of the Magic school bus kits. They are by the same company I think but they add a lot of color and some "toys " to make it alittle more fun, though it's very similar. So you said you hate supplementing, and here I gave you supplementing ideas , sorry. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk