Background: Did SOTW 1 through chapter 26 with AG in K. DD disliked the reading (but learned), liked the maps and coloring pages, and loved the crafts (we did not do any of the extra books). DH and I felt she needed a little American history (will do this in K with our next two!), so we bought BF Early American History. DD is kicking and screaming (sometimes quite literally) when I mention history now. I am keeping the American history. I will probably cut some of the program to speed it up as she will get it again in the four-year cycle. Question: What can I add to BF to make it interesting? She NEEDS crafts/activities to cement things and keep her interest up. Are there any crafty/activity books that work well with the program? TIA

I am using WP AW (the only one I have used) for my animal-loving 6.5 yo dd. She is advanced in her reading and is *very* crafty. That being said, we are using PARTS of it for the first WTM rotation of biology (we did botany this past summer and will be doing human anatomy this summer). She loves the OSS books and we are using The Animal Kingdom (not needed for a Ker) and HHH Journal (not needed for a Ker) as well as ONE of the activity books. She is liking it and it's not too much for us because we are only doing parts of it. Your older two could use some of the 2nd+ resources if you wanted to incorporate them into it (for their science). Last year, as a Ker, she did SOTW 1 with the AG (maps, coloring pages, and crafts). It was OK. We were more focused on the 3Rs (I was pregnant/had an infant). This year for history we are using BF Early American History because it is light. I'm not adding any crafts because there are more than enough in WP AW (we do the Alphabet Art portion with my younger dd also). So, for a Ker, AW would probably be MORE than enough! HTH:001_smile:

:iagree: This book was a tremendous help when I was getting started!

:iagree:My kids were wiggly (as most little ones are) and this worked well. The Leap Frog company also makes a magnet talking letter toy (I do not have the packaging anymore so I'm not sure of the exact name). The main piece is smaller than my hand and then there are letter pieces (26). When the letter is placed into the main part and pushed, that letter song is sung. It's hands-on, letter recognition, and letter sounds all in one:) My dd learned all of her letter sounds through the video and the toy (I used nothing else until she was reading cvc words) and now at 6.5 she reads at a 4th grade level. My second dd is now doing the same thing. Good luck and enjoy:D

:bigear:

...please help me decide. After looking at MFW, HOD, and several others, I have pretty much narrowed my history search to EC history schedules (because I ONLY need history). My dd, now 6.5 yo, has done through Ch. 24 of SOTW 1 with the AG (activities and maps only, no extra reading) and it has been OK so far. I feel like it is lacking. It is the subject that gets the least amount of time during our school week. My questions are: Should I start with NT, Greece, and Rome now or finish SOTW 1 as I have been and pick up with EC Middle Ages? Since dd is young, which books should I use now, and which ones should I save for later? I was thinking the Greenleaf and Kingfisher books as well as the additional reading for later? Are there any books, like Days of Knights and Damsels, that you add for a hands-on, crafty girl? Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

Dd uses Spelling Workout. I has a "rule" for each list. I like the way they are grouped and the lessons are short (5mins/4Xwk). We have been using it for almost a year now with dd who is a natural speller, and it is working well. CBD has samples http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntk=keywords&Ntt=spelling+workout&action=Search&N=0&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1&Go.x=22&Go.y=13. HTH!

I LOVE mainlesson.com!

I, too, am in the same boat as the OP. After I complete SOTW 1 with dd, I will be moving to MFW RtR. I need something *scheduled* to put some "meat" onto the "bones" (I used the AG activities but not the extra books thus I felt history this year was lacking). I know that she will be young, but I am not planning on using ALL of the books (this time around). I am thinking I will cut out Augustus Caesar's World, Streams of Civilization, and possible Trial and Triumph and Human Body for Every Kid. She will get those when she is in 6th grade (as could the OP's dc). I have three dc so someone is always going to be on the young side. A BIG, HUGE plus is the program will be able to be used MANY times over for ALL of my dc. I guess if you break it down to what age gets what books, it is like Biblioplan...but it is much more than just history! I was drawn to it mainly because it has the Christian view I believe SOTW is severely lacking, it has Apologia Astronomy scheduled (which I was planning on using anyway), and it has Fine Arts scheduled. Again, if it is not SCHEDULED, I usually do not do it (at least not now with a little one crawling around and another beginning to read).;) So, does any one think that is doable?:confused: How does that sound OP?

Verity, I am also interested in using this program next year with my dd and am trying to get all the pros and cons of it! Could you please tell us why you are switching programs?

Thanks again! I think it will fit my dd perfectly.

Thank you hmschooling! One more question, if you will, about R&S 3. I think I remember seeing it does not teach prepositions. Is dc finding it difficult to diagram because of this?

hmschooling, I am very interested in using cw primer with my dd next year. She will be finished with WWE 2 and FLL 1/2 and 7.5 years old. Do you think it would be a good fit (too easy)? I see that you are doing R&S 3 along with it. How is that working out? How long do both of them take each day? Thank you for the wonderful review:001_smile:

Here is the link that explains the difference https://www.singaporemath.com/FAQ_Primary_Math_s/15.htm and also one with a side by side comparison https://www.singaporemath.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/SSUSandSTD2009.pdf. It looks to me that the Standards is up to par with the Mathematics Contents Standards for California Public Schools. IMO it changes the content of the Singapore curriculum. I bought Signapore because it teaches differently than the US standards. HTH:)

:bigear: bump

My dd loves Spelling Workout. She is 6.5 and a natural speller as well as a fluent reader. She is in the last third of level B. I have level C here. There is a "pep talk" at the beginning of each lesson giving the "rules" for the list. The pre-lesson, if you will, is a story (they seem to be all non-fiction) with a few spelling words used. There are six small activities (only the first one uses all the words) per week. The first one usually splits the list up by phonetic rules. The second and third are activities such as rhyming, scrambled puzzle, dictionary work, or word shape puzzle. Then there is a writing promt where the student writes a paragraph using as many list words as he or she can. The last activity is proofreading. There are five All-Star Words with different prompts. There is a dictionary in the back which includes all the list words. There are 15 words per list until week 20 when they increase to 20. All of the list words are written in cursive after lesson 18. Here is a link to the table of contents: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=628172&item_code=WW&netp_id=222193&event=ESRCN&view=covers#curr. IMHO, these words are easy for an above average third grader. For example, week 3 has faces, wagon, and danger and week 35 has hour, our, pear, pair, and pear. Happy choosing!

My dd started using it last year when she was 5. We used the first one with success. When she started the second one, the complaining started:confused:. I switched to MCP Phonics and have been using that ever since. She said she liked the colored pictures and the take-home books at the end of the unit. The ETC are all black and white, but quite silly (which was the one thing she liked about the series). The good thing about ETC is they are only $7 a book, so if it does not work, you can switch without feeling guilty. Happy choosing:001_smile:

I ordered WP AW for my first grade animal lover two weeks ago and we are still waiting for it to even ship (I have heard it takes a long time for WP to ship all of your order). We started SOTW 1 and language arts two months ago. I have heard (from the WP site and forum) that if you are doing WP AW with a younger, get the extras for 2nd grade and up (minus the read-alouds) and it can be a science curriculum for your 4th and 5th graders. I have no experience with MFW so I cannot make a comparison. Good luck!