Yay! Thanks, everyone, for all of this wonderful information! I've found that homeschoolers are so supportive and open with their expertise which is really very lovely. I am grateful! I'd never heard of Brave Writer -- it looks neat! I love the idea of revisiting the books we treasure (especially Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and The Vanderbeekers!) which an eye towards grammar and literary analysis. That said, while I get that part of the program -- the "Arrow" -- I feel like I can't get a really good grasp of the writing part of the curriculum entails, even after reading through the website and the free samples. Does anyone have experience with this program? And yes, a couple of you pointed out that Voyages in English is a more traditional, school-like package...as I was looking at it this morning, I realized that's why I was drawn to it: it looks like something I would have used in elementary school. As I imagined really using it on a daily basis I quickly realized it's not the one, even though the content seems appealing and thorough. And thank you, most everyone, for pointing out that WWS is indeed intense! It does look like a fabulous program -- I very much admire Susan Wise Bauer (I've read The Well Trained Mind and we've enjoyed the Story of the World series as read alouds) but it does seem like 1) this would be a better fit for my girl when she's older and 2) it doesn't necessarily jive with my theme of light and fun for this year. I looked into Grammar Galaxy -- it looks like a fun approach to grammar! My kiddo is a dyed in the wool lover of stories and learns very well from a story format so this one is potentially a really good fit. Maybe we'll do the Writer's Apprentice, Grammar Galaxy, and occasional Arrow packets from Brave Writer? Though Fix It Grammar does seem like an interesting approach...hmm! I have set a limit for myself to make a decision by Tuesday because I can feel myself slipping into the realm of overthinking 🙂 That said, I will look into Winning with Writing and Writeshop as well! Thanks again everyone -- each one of your responses were so so helpful! Really excited to be homeschooling this year -- I think it's going to be really fun 🙂

Hi there! I am totally new to homeschooling. Just last week I decided to pull my child from 'virtual school' as it was making our entire family miserable so here I am: an overnight homeschooler. I already have math, science, and history covered but I am seeking awesome curriculum for writing and grammar. I'm not planning on teaching reading comprehension or "language arts" in the public school sense as my kid is a voracious reader and I feel like that's enough for this year. I am actually very excited/nervous about this learning at home adventure but I have spent literal days reading about curriculum and feel like I will never stop if I don't just put my foot down and make a decision. I'm hoping seasoned homeschool parents can help me with this? Important to know about us: 5th grade kiddo, super bright, avid reader, lover of school. Secular curriculum is very important to me (totally open to religious stories or exploration but nothing that teaches religion as fact). I'm going for fun and light this year -- the world beyond is so heavy and crazy right now, I'd like our home environment to be a haven. I've narrowed it down to the following: Writing & Grammar: "Voyages in English" -- this looks like a lovely program but is it quite religious? The Loyola Publishing website implies this may be the case. "Fix It Grammar" - I delved into the IEW approach and quickly discovered it wasn't my cup of tea. The grammar program looks quite interesting though I can't find sample pages anywhere. Thoughts? "Wordsmith Apprentice" - this looks like a really fun way to teach writing though I'm worried it may not be very thorough? "Writing With Skill" - this looks very comprehensive but perhaps a little bit intense. Thoughts? Any recommendations for grammar programs are most welcome! I haven't found any that really appeal to me. Also open to any suggestions for writing curriculum or general life advice. Apologies if this post seems slightly neurotic -- if that's the case, then it's a proper reflection of my current state of mind 🙂