Has/Does anyone use this? I think it's the top contender for next year, but I've never heard of it til I started researching. We're in FLL 4 right now and dd is really digging the workbook format. We used MCT last year, and while I wanted to love it and it was very entertaining she got lost in the story and had minimal retention. I've also looked at previews of R&S and we need something a *bit* more secular, lol. JAG is on the list, but I do prefer something year-round. It feels more stable/balanced. Other programs we are/will be using (so you get a feel of what works around here) are Spelling Power, WordlyWise online, Reading Detective and either Brave Writer or K12 writing (she's doing that this year, I'm not impressed, but it's not a fight and getting her to write at least a little).

Has anyone used it? And is it worth $60 vs. getting Wordly Wise per dd's request? I know it's totally against his program to rip the components apart, but I'm going to do it anyway, and my curriculum budget went out the window when my computer (and dh's) suddenly needed to be replaced. I think I will splurge and get the grammar and poetry books (we got the whole Island set from a friend on the cheap for this year!).

Oh yes, she devours any book I bring into the house! I do assign her a novel a week, and generally she's through it in the first day or two.

I'm trying to simplify and I don't think it's working, lol. Dropping something and not adding a replacement is driving me batty. Here's what I'm looking at for 3rd gr: FLL 3, BraveWriter Writer's Jungle (including some of her ideas like poetry tea) and Spelling Power. I might have to add in Wordly Wise since she's been begging me for it again. Strange child. If it makes a difference here's what we're coming off of this year: MCT, Spelling Power, Wordly Wise, Reading Detective, Writing Strands 2 (plus some writing prompts) and lots of narrations.

Thanks, that was what I needed to know- about the holes. She has done diagramming with MCT, but was a modified version. And one of the main reasons I am switching is that MCT moved a bit too quickly and she could remember from day to day, or even the next week, but after a month it was lost. I actually have copies of both 3 and 4 from the library sitting here in front of me and am still not entirely decided.

I'm looking for my dd who will be a 3rd grader next year. She's already completed FLL 1&2, and the MCT Grammar Island series this year. Would it make sense to go with FLL 3 or 4 next year? It looks like 4 covers pretty much the same material, just moves a little faster. And most of the topics she's at least been introduced to. She's already said she'd rather do MCT again next year, but I'm just not seeing enough retention for that kind of price. Open to other options as well, something open and go, but not too worksheet-y.

I think a 3 book lit unit would take about 3wks, lol. Dd devours books, so I usually just have her narrate once a week. Any reccs for mechanics? Thanks so much for the schedule! That was one of my biggest challenges this year, trying to coordinate it all.

We used Island level this year and I supplemented quite a bit. I really liked it though and am strongly considering getting town level for next year. Can someone please tell me what the differences are (vocab component looked pretty different) so i know what I need to supplement? This year we did spelling, writing strands, reading detective, and wordly wise on the side.

He can count and read til at least 30, but he can't remember what to do with them. No recall of facts what-so-ever and sometimes subtracts instead of adds, even though we haven't covered subtraction yet. So it takes a long time to work out problems since it's 'new' every time. Yet I've seen him fly through 20 single digit problems in penguin math in 65 seconds with 1 or no errors. That's one of the reasons I'm thinking whats in front of him is an issue. Also: see tantrums. What is CSMP?

Forgive me, what's the point of doing it every year if it's all just repeat? Honestly she already knows way more than I ever got in school. When do you call it enough?

He's not tantruming with Essentials, which is the full color, big pictures book that seriously sometimes only has 2 problems per page. But he doesn't look forward to it at all either "awww, not math! I hate math". I did 1A Singapore Std. with dd before switching to MM and I didn't think it had enough practice, and wasn't in color. I think I still have the textbook somewhere, maybe half color would appease him, lol. Maybe I could find an online game or app to supplement it? He doesn't 'get it' quickly. We also had Saxon 1, which of course I just sold earlier this year. I've pulled a few ideas from it though. Oh, and getting it done fast isn't his goal. He'll sit there staring at it for ever if I don't constantly remind him, now write down the answer. What's the next question? How can you find the answer (I don't know the answer!)? It's very one-on-one intensive and he still complained he didn't like it because he had to do it himself.

My son is having tantrums over math and I just don't know what to try next. Right now we're on Singapore Essentials B, but I know when we finish that the standards ed. is a bit different. We've also tried some Miquon which he was fairly disinterested in, but at least not the throw down tantrums he had over Math Mammoth. (which I love for my dd, but I think is overwhelming and not his style). He doesn't like manipulatives. Odd, I know. But everytime I suggest that perhaps we should use them he gets mad. Not too much per page- I think that was one of the Mammoth issues. He's a sensory-seeking type kid, I think color and pics would draw him in. Which makes the not liking manipulatives even weirder. I think maybe a spiral program would be a better fit for him since he dislikes doing the same thing over and over and over, but he just can't seem to remember numbers so it feels like we're beating them to death. He likes the couple of Starfall freebie math games and I can get him to play Penguin math or Hungry Fish on the iPad. Suggestions?

I'm starting to think about what I want to buy for next year, my dd will be a 3rd grader. In 1st gr. we did FLL 1&2, which she enjoyed, but I wasn't keen on the next levels so we switched to MCT this year. Grammar Island was great and Sentence Island was good. Looking at the Town level it looks like a lot of repeat. Any suggestions to switch again, or skip around in this series? I was kind of looking at Growing With Grammar just for ease of use, but I don't know if she'll get much out of it after doing 2 pretty good programs. In addition to whatever grammar we choose I'm also looking at: Spelling Power, Writing Strands, Reading Detective and Wordly Wise.

My kids bracelets have their name, both my and dh's phone numbers, and peanut allergy written on the underside. You can't read it at a glance, it has to be flipped over. The phone #'s are important since they are off on playdates and such now and that's a quick and easy way for any adult to contact us.

Thanks!

I don't want to have such a long school year next year and am looking for the best places to combine sotw chapters to end up with around 36-40wks. Does anyone know which chapters have less reading and projects associated with them? Or 2 shorter ones that mash up well together?

My 2nd grader started in Aug and we are about half-way through level 4. She's reading closer to a 4th, maybe 5th gr level though and I think that's partly why she's gone through it so fast. She's really starting to struggle now so we've slowed it down a lot. We got the basic kit with the letter tiles, teacher manual/student kit combo for each level, a roll of sticky magnet from the craft store, a not-quite big enough magnetic board (yeah, you really do need the big size) and I ended up getting the card box shortly after starting. Otherwise it's just basic stuff like pencils, spiral notebook and reward stickers.

I want to use Mr. Q Earth Science next year. Does it typically go on sale other than January?

That sounds so familiar. Lately dd has gotten really bad when I ask her to do something- tears, foot stomping and "I don't want to!". Same kind of deal, she was in ps and never challenged at all and now balks every time I ask her to think rather than spoon-feeding her. Unfortunately I don't have any good solutions yet.

My dd has always been into it, but ds doesn't want to do anything either. Same boat- tried playdough, paints, coloring, gluing, even paper airplanes. Zero interest. But he loves building Legos, so he is creative and using fine motor skills. And he will look at art projects so he's not totally craft deprived, lol.

I saw some at Learning Palace awhile ago. Price wasn't bad, $5-6 for a ream if I remember correctly. I am currently printing mine from Zaner-Blouser right now (I think it's labeled 3rd gr.) so she has her copywork right in front of her.

We're doing 1st this year: Science- Elemental, I find it kind of dry and boring so we add a lot of library books and some videos to it. Only one small hands-on thing a week :( I've added a couple weeks of health before the human body unit, mostly just finding books, talking about and practicing healthy habits (eating right, why we need exercise, sleep, good hygiene etc). Also did a week on introducing puberty. Will likely change to REAL Science Odyssey next year. Math- Singapore 1st semester, Math Mammoth 2nd semester. Both very good, but going with Mammoth next year due to it being more independent (I will have 2 next year), providing more practice, cheaper, and I got the .pdf so it's reusable for ds and she can do it on the iPad (a huge motivator for her). History (SS)- Story of the World WITH AG. Gotta have the AG :) We're really enjoying it. Language Arts- AAS for spelling- excellent!, FLL for Grammar- dd LOVES it even if I am sick to death of nouns, Copywork (from reading or poetry) for her handwriting, no creative writing yet, Reading- choosing novels and having her narrate, answer comprehension questions I've come up with, OR reading aloud. She's very advanced in reading. We are finishing up OPGTR after taking a year off, but she's only finally having some difficulty now that we're in the last 20 lessons from the end.

I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one who only uses one program for each subject! I feel kinda weird sometimes when I see people with huge lists of materials for kids, but I couldn't imagine myself actually using them all properly.

My dd started at the beginning of the year as a 1st grader with a high reading level and we did a lesson a day for levels 1 and 2, now that we are on level 3 I split it into 2 days per lesson. We're still not spending more than 15-20mins on spelling and do most of the lesson. If it has a ton of extra words I usually choose a handful and if she gets them all correct then we move on. My ds is 4.5 and I can't even imagine starting with him yet, it probably would take 2 weeks to get through a lesson.

Current plan- subject to change of course! Math- Mammoth 2-3A (starting 2A this spring) Language- Spelling Power, MCT Island Reading- make my own Science- REAL Science Odyssey Earth & Space History- SOTW 2 & AG Geography-??? outsourced: Piano, PE, possibly art & American history