I agree - try the red one first. Have you looked at the samples on the common sense press website? There is also a LLATL yahoo group. HTH

:lurk5:

Just a :lurk5: because I want to know too :)

:lurk5:

:grouphug: and prayers as you search. It is so emotionally hard when our dc aren't happy at church.

:thumbup: Well done, Mr Ellie!!!

No, not necessarily. But I think having a paid children's minister would be fantastic; our Sunday school coordinator is great but she works full time outside the church as a teacher. I think it is really hard that my dc each have four different teachers each year. That really doesn't allow relationships to develop. My dd being in a difficult class is probably a separate, but somewhat related, issue.

Thankyou Wendy! I appreciate all the detail because it really tells me "how" a church can become effective in its chilren's ministry. I should add that dh and I think the church is very sound in its biblical teaching and the sunday school curriculum is also very good. It is really just the issue of pastoral care.

:grouphug: That's really hard. Dd is struggling with self esteem issues too.

Thanks for all your thoughtful replies. Dh and I have a lot to pray about....

Lara, I feel so sorry for your situation and pray that you find your spiritual home soon :grouphug:

That sounds wonderful Kristen! Your children's director sounds lovely. Is she on the staff of the church?

I am having been thinking of my sweet dd (10.5) and her experiences at our church. She only has a few girls in her class and most of them won't play with her after church (sadly, they are not really nice girls). There is one very shy girl and I have been trying to coach my dd how to talk to her and we have had two play dates at our house (not been invitied to their house yet) but this hasn't really translated into this girl becoming a "church buddy". In fact, I don't really see them interacting at all. Anyway, this has led me to wondering if my dc get much pastoral care at our church at all. We don't have a children's or family's minister. But I think the biggest factor is that the Sunday school teachers are scheduled in blocks and only teach 7 - 9 weeks at a time. So each year my dc each get four different teachers + four different assistants. I teach too but I am "full time", as is the Sunday school coordinator. We still have trouble getting teachers to staff the Sunday school. I have been thinking that we should consider changing churches to one which has a larger children and youth ministry so my older dd has more opportunities to find friends and to feel connected. I would also like to think that somehow someone is looking out for them besides just my dh and me. But I don't know what to look for - how can a church care for its children and youth? Edited to ask: Would you consider changing churches for this reason?

:lurk5:

Hi Penny I notice from your other posts that you like unit studies so i don't think you would find Weaver any more difficult or time consuming than other unit studies. We used Weaver vol one about 2 years ago when dds were in Grade 3 and K. I didn't buy any of their supplements; just the basic volume. Here are some things I can remember.. I was very impressed how the author was able to use one topic to span several grade levels. So all your children would study "cities" for example and then you would turn to the appropriate color coded grade level pages for that unit to see which activities, vocab words, concepts etc would be suitable for each student. I haven't seen any other curriculum that claims to be "multi age" so well organized in that regard (must admit I would love to get my hands on TOG one day) However, I was very unimpressed how the current publisher has failed to update Weaver. The booklists are very out of date and it was strange not to have any references to finding information online; it was obvious Weaver was written pre internet and no effort had made to update it. Having using HOAC, Amanda Bennett, MFW and HOD I was also used to having online support from the curriculum publisher but there was none for Weaver. It's is a shame when you think of the work put into it by the original author. Something like Weaver is ideally suited to the internet age. There is a fantastic "unofficial" yahoo and facebook page which I did find helpful though. Like other unit studies, sometimes the topic which the author had derived from the text can seem to be a bit of a stretch. Thinking of one FIAR study where we studied copper because there was a picture of a kitchen in the book and you could see a small copper saucepan hanging in a corner :tongue_smilie:.... Normally this doesn't worry me too much but I can remember feeling a bit uneasy sometimes because it was the bible which was being used in this way. It seemed almost as if some passages were used as an excuse to introduce a topic. Sorry, I can't remember any examples and this may or may not worry you. I guess a lot of Weaver Moms don't feel this way so maybe it is just me. The other thing we personally missed from Weaver was handouts that could help us document our learning. We do a lot of lapbooking and notebooking and there were very little resources for that in the volume we used. I found it very complete; I recall the science being very challenging. All the best with what you decide! Jane

Thankyou Negin!!!!

:iagree: It is so well organized by topics that it is easy and efficient to use as a supplement.

sorry, double post

I had exactly the same problem with my dd (then 7 or 8) when we used MM.

As I suspected, there are lots of things to include in a contract that I hadn't even begun to think of :tongue_smilie: I think I will leave them to work out their taxes. Luckily BIL does the payroll at his work :)

Hi Fancyme - we don't use MFW math. We are working our way very slowly through CLE math level one and adding lots of hands on activities/ games for addition and subtraction practice.

My sister is hiring a live in nanny to help look after her son (3 yr old) while she and BIL work. The nanny would also be responsible for transporting my nephew to some activities. I would like to help them set up this arrangement with some sort of contract; they are under a lot of stress with new jobs and have other complications in thier lives at the moment. They would like to include such things as the nanny not being allowed to bring other individuals into their home or car. I have never had to hire a nanny before so I need help thinking about all the things that should be included in a contract. A sample contract online would be great if anyone has a link!

Thanks Crystal. It's helpful to see a list of all the things we need to cover. I haven't ruled out using Primary Language Lessons btw. I just happen to own LLATL which makes it more appealing :)

:lurk5: Just trying to work out what sort of curriculum and/or level would be suitable for my dd after she completes the phonics in MFW first grade. I suspect some of Red LLATL would be review of the MFW phonics but that's probably ok. What else could I be considering for LA after she completes MFW first grade? We are about 2/3 through the year.

Hi This is a question for those who have used MFW first grade and either didn't continue with MFW or didn't use their LA recommendations for the higher levels ... what did you use for Language arts after first grade? I am thinking of moving into red LLATL but would like to consider the other options too. Thanks!