My crew is ready to move up to the next stage of Cricket magazines. We plan to subscribe to only TWO. Can you tell me which of these your kids most enjoy? These are really just to have decent things to read for fun, not to supplement specific schoolwork. If you have mags you love from other publishers, those recommendations would be welcome too! Thanks! ------------------------------------------------ FACES magazine takes young readers around the world and back to get an honest and unbiased view of how children in other countries and world regions live. Both visually and intellectually exciting and entertaining, ODYSSEY magazine presents science as a vital link to daily life with the most current research on cutting-edge topics. COBBLESTONE magazine has been telling America's story since 1980 and is the recognized leader in the study of American history for children. So fun they won't know they're learning! DIG Into History magazine is where history and archaeology meet. Exclusive scoops and photos from actual dig sites, as well as up-to-date, engaging articles, offer readers a unique chance to come face-to-face with history. MUSE magazine is the science and arts magazine for kids that’s spot on with the facts, but off-kilter with the jokes. Explore the world in a fun way with MUSE! CRICKET magazine publishes only the highest quality fiction and classic literature and nonfiction stories on culture, history, science, and the arts. Each issue includes a signature cast of rambunctious bug characters who offer humorous commentary on the stories.

We have tried a variety of typing programs. Dance Mat Typing is the best out there, and it is free!!

Thanks! Going to an info meeting tomorrow night!

Thank you!!

Does CC do a new guide every time after Cycle 3? I have misplaced mine. I have a copy of the old one, and can muddle through the rest of the semester if there is a new one coming out this summer, but if it isn't going to change, I need to go ahead and get a new one now. Thanks!

This is super helpful - thank you!!

Thank you so much for sharing!!

Anybody ever tried a university model school? We are considering it for next year. Thoughts?

I put my kids in public school this year for the first time (3rd & 2nd grade). We are in an excellent school district. (It's been interesting - I'm glad we did it, and they have learned a few things they could never have gotten otherwise, but we've learned those things now and I'm ready to bring them back home!) Writing consists of "you have 30 minutes - heads down pencils moving". No topic, no guidance, no grading - just fill the pages of your comp book. My kids now HATE writing. One of them wrote in hieroglyphics for several weeks before telling me about it and I told her to stop. The teacher didn't know b/c she wasn't looking. The most / only important thing in public school writing is quantity. For my kids, who were used to doing a few really good sentences, the stamina required to write for 30 minutes straight was a really tough transition. If there is a possibility of going to public school, I would focus on: - reading - a HUGE focus where we are. The school is much more interested in nonfiction reading than fiction. - math - place value, and being able to solve problems lots of different ways are the focus - mid-3rd, they are expected to know addition & subtraction well, and are working on multiplication & division - hand stamina That's it. There's nothing else that they can't jump into cold.

Thank you!!

Thank you SOOO much! Heading to the bookstore in the morning!

Thank you thank you!!

We started with Miquon, then went to RightStart. Miquon gave my kids such an awesome intuitive math sense. Following up with a formal sequential program was perfect. I wouldn't do a thing differently!

A kid that LOVED and was so inspired by the book "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio would also love ____________________. This is for an 11 / 12 year old - my niece who loves to get "real books" from Aunt Megan because I am the only person who doesn't buy her twaddle or yet-another video game! :)

I have one kid who wants to learn computer programming. Anybody know of an app or program or game that might work toward that goal? This kid is 9 1/2 years old. He is very advanced for math, but has NOT had much computer experience. THANKS!

Their Facebook page says "4D will likely be available early next spring. (spring 2015) Books have been released on roughly a six-months-per-level schedule, but we are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to speed production of the books for grade 5 to around 4 months per level (in which case, grade 5 will be completed in the summer of 2016)." and "Late 2016 is the optimistic projection for the first 2nd grade book... predictions that far out are very tough to make."

I've flipped through the placement tests, and am feeling a little better!

My kids went to public school (3rd & 2nd) this fall for the first time. It was a one semester deal - they are coming back home at Christmas. We are in an excellent school district, in a great school, so we felt like we wanted to give it a try.) Being able to read needs to be your top priority. Everything else is less important. For writing, it is all about volume. My kids were writing one and two sentences at home. Good sentences with proper punctuation, subject/verb agreement, etc. At school, they are just told "write in your notebook", and they all sit quietly and write for 30 minutes. No topic is given, and no one is reviewing any of it. Needless to say hand stamina was a major problem for the first month of school, but it's been fine since. The teacher says "heads down pencils moving" a LOT. Handwriting, writing on the lines, proper pencil grasp, etc is not important at all in school. If it's halfway legible, it's good enough. For math, be SURE they have a really solid understanding of place value and number sense (for example, 1428 means 1000 + 400 + 20 + 8; 100 is 10 10s; etc). We had very little technology at home. For the 2nd grader, it hasn't been an issue as they basically retaught everything from 1st, but my 3rd graders have found that area to be a challenge. It's little things like browsing on the internet (what words, where to type, etc.), logging in with a password, turning the volume up and down, knowing how to move around and click, etc., that they have struggled with. If you cover those three areas, you should be fine.

We are considering sending our kids to a university model homeschool school (2 days a week) next year for math and language arts. For math, the triplets would be going into Singapore Primary Math 4A Standard Edition. The youngest child would be going into 3A. These kids have all been in different math programs at home - Math Mammoth, RightStart, Miquon, and MathUSee. Can you tell me how far we need to get through in the other programs to be ready for Singapore Standard Edition 4A & 3A? Thanks!!

For language arts, we ONLY did reading & handwriting until they were reading WELL. After that, we started spelling. I didn't add grammar until this year. We now do spelling, grammar, and writing, but we only do two of the three subjects each schoolday - I just rotate them.) None of those subjects takes more than 15-20 minutes tops. After 15 minutes, I start looking for a logical stopping place even if it isn't the end of the lesson. The writing lessons should cover handwriting/copywork/dictation, but I do a separate handwriting program just because it is an area that my kids need some extra work. We do read-alouds during breakfast and lunch, or else listen to them in the car. Being a captive audience tends to help my kids focus. :)

In our house, it seems like FLL2 and WWE1 are about the same difficulty. I assume it stays that way throughout the series, so we would do FLL3 & WWE2 together, then FLL4 & WWE3 together.

Good to know that others have run into this and not been ruined for life. I will check into the recommended items above - THANKS!

My kids had Woodcock-Johnson testing yesterday. Overall it went well, and I was pleased with the results. No big surprises. One area that I knew was a problem but was worse than I expected - punctuation. My kids just don't seem to notice it or bother with it. Copywork has not done it. FLL1 and the first 2/3 of FLL2 haven't done it. Is there something quick & easy, and hopefully NON-parent intensive that I can do this summer that is effective at teaching them proper use of punctuation?

Thanks!

We have finished RightStart B (the old version). We would like to transition to Math Mammoth. What level would we go to - MM2?