I've heard of this but haven't actually looked at it yet. I'll go look, thank you!

I've honestly never heard of Wise Owl Polysyllables but I'll look it up because I'm curious now! Oldest is 10 going into 5th. He's always read above grade level and reads constantly. I noticed that his vocabulary isn't exactly where I thought it was and he's mispronouncing many unknown words because he just doesn't want to take the time to break apart the sounds if this makes sense. As for comprehension, he's very black and white so does great with recall or looking back to find answers but struggles with inferences and such. In addition, things he used to know well (homophones, metaphors, similes, antonyms, and synonyms) get confused or he asks me to remind him again. Not a big deal, but he used to know them like the back of his hand and now he doesn't. I really want that stuff back in his schoolwork to be regularly practiced or I absolutely will not remember to periodically go over it while chasing down my 1 and 2 year olds!

We did formal reading curriculum (CLE) from the very beginning. Last year was the first time I let him just read read read. Oldest loves to read, hates to write. Lol Yes, we need a curriculum again. When he has read a book multiple times (he rereads books he enjoys many times over) and then cannot tell DH what several words mean that he should've been able to figure out based on context, there's work that needs to be done. These are simple words to figure out such as the word quench. I also miss the simple things like literary devices and terms that he learned along the way when we used a curriculum. You bring up things I have thought of too. I certainly don't want to kill his love of reading. This is why I thought something like CLE would work because it's a reader full of short stories rather than full books. On the other hand, I thought maybe using Novel Ties for individual books would work well, too, because he'd see the vocab words used in real books. And now I just cannot make up my mind either way. Lol As for your last paragraph, I had the same mindset all last schoolyear and ran with it and have seen little growth in his reading which was reflected in his test scores at year-end. It could just be that he was so far ahead of his peers in reading last year and now they've somewhat evened out, though. 🤷

I need an open and go reading curriculum for fifth grade. Oldest won't look up unknown words or ask so a curriculum is a must this year but bonus points for one that emphasizes good character too. I really like the simplicity of CLE and R&S but am very unsure because I remember lots of conscientious objection in the CLE readers. I've also considered Novel Ties study guides for some of the literature books we'll be reading along with Notgrass From Adam to Us. Any suggestions or others I haven't thought of that might work? I really need to make up my mind asap because I have to report what we plan on using to the school district soon.

I made elderberry syrup today. The boys are very happy. Middle is over the moon because he gets to have his syrup 3 times a day because he has a cold. They only get 1 dose per day when healthy.

Believe it or not, I'm considering CLE Reading for Oldest. Again. Why? Because of all the options, it appears to be the one that might actually get done and still accomplish the skills I'm looking for. It's CLE, R&S, or Novel Ties for some of the Notgrass literature books in From Adam to Us. I need a box curriculum for reading this year. Just letting him read lots of books isn't an option because Oldest won't look up or ask for the meaning of unknown words. Help!

Some do not allow their boys to get their ears pierced. In our case, my son was genuinely confused when he read that part because he's never even heard of a boy his age having their ears pierced so he thought it was a misprint that belonged in the girls book. I just told him some do and he responded, "Um, okaaay. If you say so."

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Thankyou! That's the series I mentioned that I'm looking at for my 3 boys! I haven't purchased them yet because I can't seem to find any sample pages to view at all.

It might help if you specify age and what you want covered. Some books discuss physical and emotional changes only, while other books also discuss sexual stuff and girls. I am currently researching the same. I had my DS read a book called Guy Stuff last year with DH which is not from a Christian viewpoint but it was mostly about physical changes, hygiene, and nutrition although disclaimer: there was one small blurb about taking care of ear piercings. I'm currently looking at a 3 book series by Luke and Trisha Gilkerson that is for both boys and girls. Also, The Ultimate Guys Body Book by Larimore https://www.amazon.com/dp/031072323X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_i_6NCWCAMXAW5MDZXS1J3T?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Rod and Staff, hands down. CLE does not give enough practice on the new part of their lessons, IMO because the concept gets brought back around in the spiral later on. This led to frustration and tears here because it didn't click with my DS the first time around. I know CLE teaches more stuff earlier than Rod and Staff, but this is so that the basics (arithmetic and math facts) are learned WELL before the other stuff comes into play. Once the basics are mastered, everything else is easier to learn.

I need a dictionary for this. I'm much stronger in phonics than in vocabulary and I'm trying to quit coffee which makes me a little slower in comprehension, too! 😂

Love coconut aminos! I'm allergic to soy so I use it as a sub in recipes that call for soy sauce. I haven't tried oyster sauce before but I've seen it at our local grocery store. Now I'm curious.

I told my mom I'm giving away some of the baby stuff Newbie no longer needs. Things like the infant carseat cover and newborn insert thing, wipes warmer, teething toys, bibs, ect. My mom said, "Oh no. Please don't. Last time you did, you got pregnant again!" 😂

Lots to read today and I made it back! @Slache Oldest read Where the Red Fern Grows this past schoolyear and cried. Then he got mad and said we should just "extinct all the mountain lions!" Later, he decided Summer of the Monkeys by the same author is a much better book. Especially the part where the monkey steals the boy's pants. 🤣

He doesn't really NEED anything and we have more toys than a toy store, so we're just putting money in his savings account and the older kids are going to help me make and decorate a birthday cake.

@Slache Our babies are gonna be a year old soon! Time sure is flying!

My phone let me back in and I come back to snake eggs?! No. If I found snake eggs, I would not be watching them. They'd be sling-shotted as far away as humanly possible. I scared of snakes, Critter. Has nothing at all to do with having a boa constrictor wrap around my neck and squeeze Jungle Book style once upon a time. Wait, yes it does. And where's Mama Snake, btw? THAT is the million dollar question. I'm not against snakes, I respect them. I just prefer to keep them at a safe and greeeeaaaaat distance.

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Like @HomeAgain I also taught D'Nealian manuscript first, then transitioned to cursive. I keep a chart of both alphabets with arrows taped to DS' desk for reference.

R&S, hands down, of the 2. i deleted my original account back when the tech problems were going on or I'd link you to past threads when I was pulling my hair out over CLE. Unlike CLE, R&S doesn't just spoon feed things like the diagram skeleton to fill in; it teaches the student to think through which diagram to use and draw the skeleton needed, thus retention is so much better. It also really improved DS10's penmanship and stamina in written output because he was using real paper instead of workbooks. I like that we can do a fair amount together on a whiteboard and skip anything I know he has mastered or slow down and do extra work in weak areas because there are more than enough examples and even a booklet of additional worksheets to use or not at your discretion.

We're using From Adam to Us next year. I know it starts with Creation but not sure how in depth. I've heard some just skip the first lesson. It was my first thought when reading your post because of the audio supplement.

Ah, Oldest wants a good overview without much violence or gore; not an easy feat in ancients.

Thank you. I just looked up the Medieval Thrifty Guide and these don't appear to be quite what I was hoping for. Very funny but not enough info to satisfy my bookworm. I wasn't aware of the Jr Genius Guides by Ken Jennings but I'll look them up. I saw that, but I think we've beat the American Revolution to death around here. 😂

I see Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, and Medieval.... too bad there isn't an Ancient Egypt!