I waited until DD was writing to start a spelling program.

I forgot to mention the Jonathan Park audios! They are a HUGE hit here :).

I generally like apps more than software programs (cheaper too most times) - and I can make a bazillion recommendations on those too :).

Core A is a lot of fun, but I honestly might do 4/5 this year, then do Core A next year :). That way you get 4/5 in (so many great books!)

My oldest DD LOVES the Mystery of History audios. I'm buying all of the What's in the Bible DVDs for ancient history too, they are awesome! Librivox - well, yes, always!

We're doing core B+C this year with my just turned 9-yo and it's great. I think you could do B (it's a bit more relaxed than the B+C in some ways, but you get more great read alouds than cramming world history into one year) and combine your 6 and 8-yos in it, and either let your oldest do the 4+5 readers (that's what we're doing), or just free read if she's advanced :).

Have you looked at Christianbook.com? They have look inside for their books, including A Reason for Handwriting series.

Argh, sorry - duplicate post!

Here is another free sentence diagramming app - Sentence Diagram. For iPad, was $1.99 but it's been free for a week or two now. I've had it up on my page of free and on sale apps for a while now - it looks a bit advanced for MY understanding of diagramming though, so I'm not sure how good it is! Hope it might help someone who knows more about diagramming than I do ;).

It does move pretty quickly. My DD (was 8) tried it with me, but I put it aside for now - the videos are awesome, but it moves fast.

HOTA is really good and even includes other fine arts, like music appreciation etc.! Artistic Pursuits is a great program if you just want art!

This is awesome - Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization I might try this with your oldest - First Language Lessons 3- teacher guide only Do you have the books for these? If so it would be nice for read aloud time, if not just use books you have on hand so you don't have to worry about spending more $$ - FIAR vol. 1, Beyond FIAR You could gently try your youngest with vol 1? - First Language Lessons vol. 1&2 I would ONLY use the HWT stuff if you wanted to use that style of writing - otherwise get a cheap workbook for the style you prefer.

I'm another big AAS fan - it is a great OG based program, but scripted (YAY!) and pre-planned so you just open and go. We are almost done level 2. What I love the MOST about it is that my daughter actually applies the spelling concepts she has learned to rules that we haven't studied together yet - she applies them forward to more complicated words too, and that is the best sign that it's working to me!

Anne did a great job of explaining what a core is! I just wanted to share my own waffling experiences between MFW, SL, and TOG. Because we live rurally I need everything 'together' and ready to go, so I would have to buy all the books I needed in advance either way. I spent 100 hours or so figuring out TOG and how it works but still couldn't knuckle through all the decisions - too many decisions for me, and my Y1 U1 never got off the ground :(. SL actually gets done here though because it is open and go. On this - I thought it might help to be reminded that the single largest indicator of intelligence is vocabulary. And one of the best ways to develop vocabulary is in context - by reading to your children and discussing words as they come up. Though it may not seem academically 'intense' reading aloud to your kids actually IS so good for them, even an 'advanced' education, AND they love it, you can cuddle, and get those warm read aloud fuzzies on the couch at the same time!! :) Have fun!

YES. It is a very full core - we're doing it right now, and it can DEFINITELY be spread out. We're also getting in around 3 days/week doing the 5 day schedule :).

I haven't used STOW, but I do use SL. If you can find it used it is a great deal - but even if you buy new, the reason it costs so much is because of ALL the BOOKS you get - they are worth it - great library builders. If you like open and go, SL is really the bomb. TOG....it takes a lot of planning. I probably spent 100 hours figuring it all out and couldn't get the 1st quarter of year 1 off the ground :(. And if you buy all the books it is even more expensive IMO. Honestly...I don't add anything to SL and none of my kids mind! They just love the books, and I'm a book mom. If they wanted to I'd provide them with crayons/paper to free draw, but they all just like to snuggle up with me and listen to the books. I'm not super hands-on mom so I just read the books, do timeline/mapwork with my oldest, and call it good!

I agree with level 1 unless your child needs more work with phonemic awareness (starting sounds, rhyming, etc.) but if blending is established, you're probably good to go with level 1!

I just wanted to add that I've been reading through Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson and I JUST read the part where he talks about what he considers non-essentials and essentials. It definitely doesn't line up with the 'classical ideal' but I think it's very realistic for many many families. Basically, his thoughts are - reading and writing, basic math, Bible. We are getting a *bit* more than that in, but it is important to stay grounded and real. If you can get the basics in your kids will be okay - it really is best to get those nailed before adding anything else into the mix :).

The times we've done the Rs only have been sort of cyclical and dependent upon our family situation. Right now we're actually using content subjects (history, geography, still working on adding science back in). But I can tell you it's been very hit and miss over the past 3 years those content subjects! They've rarely been done, not due to intent, but due to circumstances (babies, moves, PPD etc.) We actually have had days where if we got Bible done it was a success. :lol: The most important thing for children to have is a foundation in the basics, and parents to interact with. A loving responsive parent can provide more support and guidance in general knowledge subjects than most ps children receive at school.

I'm actually glad to hear AAR Level 1 goes slowly (waiting for ours to come in the mail). My newly 6-yo isn't consistently blending without guessing yet, so she needs to go SLOWLY with this, with lots of practice on individual words, so I'm glad it doesn't rush ahead :). Thanks for sharing!

I've never been able to get TOG off the ground despite spending likely a hundred hours with it - I really need something open and go. I also do feel TOG is best for older students - it's a bit of a complicated system to put in place for youngers. BUT I did have the TOG drooliness for a good year at least, own the 1st quarter of year 1 and some supplements but just couldn't get it to go for ME as the teacher :). SL does get done around here though :). Which 2 cores would you be doing? The younger ones are very easy just to read to youngers at nap time or before bed. We're currently doing core A and core B+C here.

Yes we do it. PDF Expert, it lets you zoom in and move the screen around/write on it etc. HTH.

I think Artistic Pursuits would be great in a co-op setting. It's pretty easy to teach too :).

YES. We aren't right now - we're actually in gearing back up into content subjects mode, BUT we have had to scale back drastically in the past due to PPD, new babies, moves, etc. It really is okay if geography/science/history don't get done if you get the basics covered, encouraging independent reading, and do read alouds IMO - even if they are unstructured. My children are of course happier when we have a full plate including content subjects, but there have been periods when it just wasn't happening.

I guess my big question is if she's still getting phonics instruction? It sounds like she needs some more to help her tackle the more advanced phonograms. I agree with others that you could start up AAS for phonics reinforcement and reading support, but don't give her readers she can't tackle on her own yet.