It wasn't the curriculum because we loved NAC and will use it later on, it was that we introduced cursive too early I believe. I do agree with what SWB says about not introducing cursive early and her reasoning goes on to say that "many children need to print because they need the visual likeness between what they’re doing and what’s in the books they read" It really is true - at least for us. With HWT, it was always WITH tears for dd LOL. :tongue_smilie: Just goes to show that each child is so very different!

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

Wanted to update this post - we did decide on NAC and started it and did a week or so. It is great BUT...dd's reading started slowing down and getting worse AND for the first time, she had letter reversal in manuscript AND forgot the strokes of several letters in manuscript! Her writing looked horrible! So we put it away until mid 2nd or 3rd grade and she was ok with it. She said it made her hand hurt a lot anyway.

We have been using it and enjoy it! :D

Thanks! :D Anyone else?

We just go on to the next level. We are using Saxon Math and dd is almost done with 1 and we will continue on with 2 soon. However, dd loves math and its been easy for her. For a child who is struggling you may need to do just another math in the same level. Or print out some free worksheets online in the areas the child struggles with.

Not sure that it is necessarily better but for dd she prefers the tiles. We have used the whiteboard for the past 8 months or so and since implementing the magnetic tiles from AAS along with OPGTR it seems dd is retaining more and she likes it better!

I would use the same thing we are using now - OPGTR - but would have started it earlier and used the magnetic tiles. Since we got AAS with the magnetic tiles, we use them along with the OPGTR and dd loves them!

We are doing the Apologia Elementary Sciences and I LOVE them! However, dd doesn't care for the notebooking that goes along with them at her age right now. I'm looking for another science to supplement with that has more hands-on activities (labs/experiments) and worksheets. I've checked out the preview for Real Science Odyssey and was decided on that. Then I saw Real Science 4 Kids and then I saw another and another and well, you get the picture....it had my head spinning!! I just want a simple science that doesn't have a lot of reading (she will get that in Apologia) but has more hands-on things to do each week. That is why I had liked RSO - it seemed it would fit really good with Apologia as a supplement. We already own Considering God's Creation and its too advanced for dd right now - we will add it in later years. Any suggestions or experiences with RSO or RS4K? :confused:

There are only 5 elementary Apologia books currently (until March 21 when Human Anatomy is available). The books only have 14 lessons and you can easily do 2 books a year. So you could go through them all in 2 1/2-3 years and then repeat them. That gives you 2 times through the books on different levels. Just a thought. I've read a lot of posts on here about the Botany being a bit advanced. Here is the sequence we plan on following: Astronomy (doing that now at K-1 level) Zoology 1 Zoology 2 Zoology 3 Botany Not sure where we will fit in Human Anatomy yet, I suppose it depends on dd preference. I'm still looking for something to supplement with because dd wants more worksheets and hands-on activities (she doesn't care much for the notebooking at this age)- I'm thinking of RSO.

:iagree:Same here! I think FLL 1/2 can be done in 1 year rather than 2. So for the 2nd grade year we are doing R&S 2.

This reminds me of a few weeks ago when my dd was teaching an adult friend of ours about thermonuclear fusion - it was one of those proud homeschool moments for sure! :D

We do year round schooling and take breaks whenever we want. So if we want to take a week here and week there off in summer, we can. I don't change anything as far as what we do - we continue our regular subjects. If one day its going to be sunny and warm - we just say forget school, we're going to the ocean! ;) Also doing some school outside and a lot of nature walks, etc. I think places are so crowded during summer so we try and do most of our field trips - zoos, aquariums, museums, etc during times when kids are in school - less crowds that way!

My dd is only in Saxon 1 but I also did Saxon in private school so I have experience with it. It is thorough, you reach mastery in each concept through much review and I think its the best. The last Saxon I completed was Advanced Mathematics - I would have went on to Calculus my Senior year but I opted to do half day school and work on a job. I always knew when I had a child one day that I would use Saxon! ;)

We had bookmarked some to watch and then went back and they were all gone. :sad:

Thanks! :D

:iagree: Rod and Staff - you may need to start a year or so back because they tend to be ahead of public school.

Not sure on why they are not listed in the WTM book but they do have a link on the website showing WHEN to implement which readers while you do the OPGTR, we have used it and its been working great! However, I just use Bob books, Abeka readers and MCP readers for now. I found all the MCP readers at our local library - they are very expensive to buy! http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/readers-guide?___store=default You don't need to have readers along with OPGTR, you will find they get a lot of reading daily within the lesson but I do prefer to have my daughter read in the evenings as well so we use the readers.

If your dd did well with HWT than maybe that is the best option to continue on with. My dd cried with HWT and it wasn't for us so each child is different. I have also read the benefits of beginning earlier rather than later with cursive - that was my motivation to start early and I wanted something on dd level so we went with NAC.

If you count the hour of reading, dd does "school" about 4 hours a day but the actual time in the homeschool room is about 3 hours on weekdays. Times are estimates and sometimes we finish sooner or later than the allotted time below. Basics - 2hrs daily Bible - 20 Phonics - 30 Writing - 10 Spelling - 10 Grammar - 10 Math - 40 Other - 40-60m History, Geography & Social Studies - 60; Mon, Wed & Fri Science - 40; Tues & Thur Art, Music & Home Economics - 20 each; 1 day; usually weekends For reading, she reads orally for 30 minutes everyday (Bob books, MCP readers) and then we read to her 30 minutes a day from books above her reading level. Evenings are usually spent listening to audiobooks, doing chores, computer games and videos. I keep a stack of audiobooks from the library for her to use when she plays in her room, colors, etc.

I think OPGTR would be the best choice because by the time both of them finish it they will be reading on a 4th grade level. If you do a lesson a day, it will take 2 years to go through the book but we do anywhere from 1-3 lessons a day and will finish it by fall, so it will have just taken us 1 full year. I think its the best one out there and very thorough. My dd is a Kindergartner and I call her that but she is doing 1st grade level work and moving on in some subjects to 2nd grade level soon. In some countries they don't even have K, children just start with 1st grade. From what I understand, the Mennonites do this as well (Rod and Staff curriculum). In my state we don't have to report anything till the child is 8 but I will most likely list her whatever she would be according to her age when we do start reporting.

I could be wrong but from what I read about Spelling Power it is supposed to be for 8yr and above. We chose to do All About Spelling and then move on to Spelling Power in a few years. Update: OOPS! Thought you were asking about SP, I see you meant SWO.....we plan on picking that back up in the fall, my dd wasn't ready for it yet until we finish OPGTR.

We just started this week with Memoria Press' New American Cursive and my dd loves it! She is writing really well with it and begs to do in the evenings as well. The 1st book is intended for 1st grade level so it works well for those wanting to introduce cursive at an earlier age. ;)

Besides the copywork in WWE1 and FLL, I just open up the KJV Bible and pick a verse for my daughter to copy. You can also use any classic book and pick a sentence. :001_smile:

I don't go by the public school "school year" - we do year round schooling and when we finish one level in a certain subject, we go to the next. The great thing about homeschooling is you go at your child's pace.