Just go more slowly with smaller children :). This is to master in any case, so you don't move on until you have a poem down. The CD doesn't break it down, it's just Andrew Pudewa reading it straight through, but he does emphasize, add drama, pacing/pausing etc. as appropriate. We say the poems ALONG with him when we are memorizing a poem, then try it on our own once we are fairly sure that we know it. On longer poems we do break it into smaller pieces ourselves though, so I just stop the CD after it goes a wee bit past what we already know :). Time is pretty variable - it depends on how many times you practice your new work and what techniques you use to do that, how many pieces are in your repertoire, if your children insist on reciting individually (like me!) etc. The first poems are pretty short so you can get a lot of those in quickly. To start it might be as short as ten minute sessions, but you could easily build up from there with practice. Most of the poems in level one are less than a minute long on the CD. There are only three in level two that are longer than two minutes in length. HTH!

Do it! :D:auto:

Oh, how sweet! At our house it would be like - party time! My children love hand me downs :). Maybe there are pictures/activity pages in them your children could craft/create with (or destroy in the case of tiny ones?) My mom is still homeschooling my youngest brother (18 years my junior) and she passed down his MUS stuff to us! Love!

I am personally using First Form right now and it is a great program. For me, I love the DVDs! I definitely don't think you need an online class for this, especially with the DVDs. This is my favorite Latin program by far - it feels like FINALLY the gaps from my two years of high school Latin (with a program that was weak on grammar) are being filled in. I finally am starting to really, truly understand the Latin grammar. First Form is my friend. :)

We have been in Alpha for almost two years now too. Sometimes I feel like we will never be done :glare:. I am glad that I am not the only one. I guess my daughter is non-mathy, whenever we have had to take a break - new baby, moving etc. she has forgotten almost everything. Only...four...lessons...left.... Ahem. That being said, I like Primer, I am going to use it with my just-turned-five year old as soon as we get a few more lessons of Alpha done and I can justify buying Beta (I'll throw in a student Primer text). Primer does NOT require mastery, and honestly - I don't know how many five-year-olds are up for the kind of mastery that Alpha requires. Depends on your child! Do they need gentle, slower, easier from recognition of numbers into gentle addition? Get Primer. If they are ready to start mastering math facts (addition and subtraction) in fairly short order you could go with Alpha.

I will also say that you can definitely get started :). It sounds like your daughter has firmly established a foundation in reading now, so you can definitely work on spelling. We started AAS alongside of our early phonics, but put it on pause until DD was more confident with reading and started using it again, this time as systematic intensive phonics/syllabification review (and for encoding/spelling of course!) So yes - now is the time!

I think if you go slow even four-year-olds can get in on it. Mine certainly did! The first poems are so funny and easy for children. They now even memorize OTHER poems spontaneously that they come to know and love in our poetry reading segments of the day.

I love Andrew Pudewa's talks (though I have only listened to mp3s) isn't he great? Another vote for yes. As for four being too young - no WAY! My second born was four when we started, what four year old doesn't love Ooey Gooey? Seriously! :) Have you tried Ooey Gooey on your little ones Rosie? :) The Vulture is great too! My daughter WON'T memorize independently though, that means I have to memorize the poems and practice them with her :). Ah well! Ooey Gooey Author Unknown Ooey Gooey was a worm, A mighty worm was he! (punctuation might be off, because I haven't done this as copywork) :)

Well, I'd get the DVD. I think I maybe looked at the TM once or twice about place value, but otherwise, not really.

Well, I supplement topically for math, money etc. as desired, but I also use MM to teach all the different ways that they have of tackling concepts. MUS is GREAT for really mastering the ways they teach, but I like being able to approach it from another angle too! SOooo, what we are doing is I use a MM page at a level behind where we are in MUS just to cement/review/reapproach etc. If we are working on subtraction topics, I'll use the addition sheets etc. Hope this helps!

I must have it mixed up with Alt. 7, the other one year condensed world history. Man, my brain is scrambled tonight!

4 day has fewer books than the 5 day. I always want the 5 day because I can. not. pass up the books. Just can't do it :O! Doesn't core 1+2 only come in 5 day in any case?

We don't do formal vocabulary at all. I have found that reading aloud with informal discussion of advanced vocabulary along with Latin gets the job done very well :). I imagine that in your son's case, even more so with all the reading he is doing!

Is it the Answer's in Genesis preschool curric? They have one, and since D is for Dinosaur is a Ken Ham book, it made me think of that one.

Oooh, score. Looks interesting!

All. the. time. Who wants to scan and then print? Or photocopy? And I live in Canada. Can you say shipping? ;) And I have four children (so far), loving the reproducibles on the computer to START with :).

It really depends. Some parents start it right away, but we have waited until some reading competency was established. That way it is more of an intensive phonics review for us, because our reading program didn't teach syllabification and ALL of the rules (A Beka - A Handbook for Reading).

We really like Even Donkey's Speak from Gospel for Asia: http://www.gfa.org/store/item/even-donkeys-speak/ Incredibly rich, true-from-the-field missionary stories from Asia :).

Definitely Sonlight, but I'd sub out the LA :).

We plan to use this free lapbook: http://69.5.17.14/lapbooks/orchestra.htm

We are using it, and it is well, well loved here. My 8-year-old wants to do it despite the fact that she is reading well. So today I let HER teach it and all the children had a blast! It is very, very easy to use - open and go in fact, and is too, too much fun :).

We are just finishing 2nd, and our best open-and-gos have been Sonlight, All About Spelling, Rod and Staff 2. We are starting our second round of K now that DD #2 is 5, and really, really love AAR Pre-1, but it depends on how old/where your K'er is at.

Well, I would pick one grammar, drop vocabulary and just use read alouds to teach vocabulary contextually.

You are welcome :). I find KJV easier to memorize because the language is 'different'. I also like it better for cultural literacy, because when you quote from the KJV most people recognize by ear that you are quoting scripture and not your own thoughts when you throw it out into conversation :). We read NIV devotionally, ESV, NIrV etc. but I memorize in KJV :). The Bluedorns do Psalms in the KJV too, do you have that link to their free download? I can look it up for you if not, I love their Psalm 2!

All of Romans 6-8 KJV! http://www.songsofscripture.com/ We have this - it is very nice!