...a book that will hook my 6yo and hurl him into the world of reading for pleasure? We finished 100EZ and are working our way through OPGTR. He is doing a fabulous job with the primer but I want to give him a "real" book that will whet his appetite for reading and catapult him to the realm of wanting to read. He is very capable. He just doesn't seem to have the drive. I know he will love it once he finds a book that reels him in. He is bored with the phonics practice readers. Please no suggestions along the line of anything "Harry Potter" or magic or spiritism related. Thanks!

This reply was so helpful, THANK YOU! I think as a new homeschooler I feel that I have to follow curriculum exactly as it's written. We are currently doing Saxon 1. I haven't seen Saxon 2 yet. The placement test on their website said he should be in Saxon 1 so there must be something coming up soon that he won't already know. I will see how skipping ahead works.

I know this is going to make me sound dumb, but I'm new at this so I have to learn some time. What is the difference between spiral and mastery?:blush:

Yes, this is us! First of all, I've only been having him do one side of the worksheets, unless he seems to be enjoying himself. I do think he already knows a good deal of Saxon 1 just from being alive; however, the placement test on their website pegged him for Saxon 1, so there must be some new stuff coming. My littles are 3 (almost 4) and 21 months. The almost-4-year-old has just given up her nap. :willy_nilly: I was not ready for this... So we are also adjusting to that new dynamic. We are requiring her to still have quiet-time in her room but she keeps coming out! So I spend a good deal of my teaching time reminding her that she has to stay in her room and DS and I keep getting interrupted.

This sounds interesting. I might try this. Thanks!

DS turned 6 in May. We pulled him out of PS KG in January and since then have been doing phonics and math worksheets just to keep some "school" momentum. In May we started some of our 1st grade curriculum. We plan to be year-rounders and are currently doing OPGTR and Saxon 1 4 days/wk with intentions of adding the rest of our 1st grade curriculum in September. I am already having trouble. I dislike Saxon. This is to the point where I'm fighting tears (my own) when it's time to sit down and do the lesson with DS. On the one hand, this may be because we are working through things he already knows and maybe it will get better when we hit the point where he is being challenged? I was doing 2 lessons/day at first just trying to cover the material and get us to where he is learning new things. This is proving to be an impossible task with two younger children that constantly want my attention. On the other hand, DS is a quick learner. I wouldn't call him advanced or gifted, but he doesn't need a lot of repetition. (unless we're talking reminders about chores, etc!) He can talk me through the morning meeting and I don't have to prompt him with questions. I sense that he's bored and I certainly am. Should I stick with Saxon or try something else? I went with Saxon based on WTM recommendations. I'm not familiar with any other programs and don't know how to go about choosing something that may be a better fit for him. I really don't want to begin the habit of jumping ship on curriculum so early in my homeschooling career, but the thought of continuing this Saxon program for years and then having to teach each level twice more to the littles is daunting... Any input? I'm a little intrigued by MUS as it seems like it would be less teacher-intensive. But I really don't know much about it. This has turned into a novel. Sorry about that.

I graduated in 1997 in NJ. I learned the locations of all 50 states and that was the extent of my experience in World Geography. My DH went to the same high school and is quite informed about World Geography. Although he credits his fascination with his father's huge world atlas and NOT the classes he took at the public high school. I remember a lot of American History, but nothing about World History aside from a little bit from the World War II era. The really sad thing is that I attended one of NJ's first "Star Schools," whatever that means... I am very much looking forward to studying history the WTM way with my kids. I will be learning right along with them. :001_smile:

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I have the Kenmore Elite. It's 3 years old. I LOVE IT!

I posted a couple of weeks ago asking if I should pull my DS out of PS KG. He had just returned to school from winter break and we realized he was exhibiting signs of stress and anxiety. The overwhelming input from the hive was to just pull him out. However, DH asked me to wait another week or two just to be sure we weren't being impulsive or overreacting. So we waited a couple of weeks and this past weekend we decided we'd had enough. We pulled him out Monday. I'm happy to say our sweet boy returned immediately. I am just flabbergasted that KG was affecting him so much. So now what? I have my first grade curriculum all purchased and waiting for our August start-date. (He doesn't turn 6 until May.) We've been allowing him to decompress this week but we have been keeping up with our 100EZ lessons (we did lesson 64 today) and doing some math worksheets from a KG book. He really enjoys math. I was planning to start Saxon 1 in August. I have the homeschool kit along with the manipulative kit. Should I start it now? The KG workbook math we have been doing this week is too easy for him and I want to keep him stimulated and interested. He is asking for math everyday. I re-read the WTM this week and the suggestion for KG is to keep it informal and focus on the 3Rs. Would anyone be willing to give me some suggestions for what to do between now and August? FYI-I have DD3 and DS1 in tow. DD3 likes doing workbook pages like her brother. I have Saxon KG which I was planning on starting with DD in August. (She will turn 4 in June.) I just really need some direction here. Thanks!

Thank you for posting this idea. I don't have the books in hand yet, as I'm still deciding which direction to go. I will keep this in mind.

Thank you! This is a good suggestion. I'm more drawn to pick-up-and-go with minimal planning since there are two little ones underfoot, but if I started now, I'm sure I could put together a schedule using WWE as a guide. I'm hoping that once 1st grade is laid out then my younger two will just repeat the program. I hope, I hope, I hope....

Thank you for your suggestions. I have been looking on-line at used books. As you said, I don't want to compromise on quality which is why we are sticking with SWB's top picks for our first year. When I started to add everything up last nite I started to hyperventilate. I didn't know about ordering just the student work pages from PeaceHill Press. Thank you for that info. I appreciate your input.

Thank you for replying. We are currently using 100EZ and are about half-way through. We will easily finish in the next 2 months. I'm not thrilled with it but he is on a roll so we will complete it. I was thinking of trying OPGTR with my younger 2 when they are ready. I am confused. I thought WWE was a handwriting course. Is this not so? WWE was my first choice but I am willing to consider HWT or another similar program if others have had success and would recommend it as a cost saving measure. I neglected to list my music and arts plans. Music is going to fall to my husband. He is a classical pianist and has an extensive collection of music in many genres. He is going to piece together his own curriculum. We are working on art. I am a knitter but beyond that I am not very crafty or creative so we may ask a friend to take on this task. Thanks again for your response.

Hello everyone. I am a newbie just getting my feet wet planning for a first grade curriculum to start in July. I've been reading the other posts regarding this and I have so many questions and wanted some feedback from all of the pros! I will try to keep this from getting to long. We are going to go strictly TWTM way for our first year while we find our way. But I have 2 littles that will hopefully be reusing at least some of DS' 1st grade curriculum. Here is my starting line-up: SWO A&B FLL WWE SOTW 1 with AG Saxon 1 Math Science using the spines suggested in TWTM Am I forgetting anything? My question: Some of these are fairly expensive when it comes to replacing consumables. For example the workbooks for WWE are $35 for the level 1 workbook. If I hope to keep costs down, would it be wise to use another program such as HWT or Writing Strands? Any other suggestions? I'm obviously overwhelmed at all the curricula available out there which is why DH and I have decided to stick to the recommendations in TWTM for our first year. However, homeschooling 3 children could quickly get very expensive if we aren't careful. What would you all advise? Just to inform: We are not interested in any religious-based programs. Thank you so much for any input! I am learning so much from reading these boards and am trying to find answers to my questions before posting for personal advice.

Thank you for your reply. And yes, I'm on Ravelry! I love that website although between the time I spend on there and here, I could be doing a whole lot more knitting and definitely homeschooling 3 kiddos :blush:.

We are in NJ and according to the law we aren't even required to notify anyone of intent to homeschool although I would imagine that would apply to someone who isn't already in the system. I'll have to notify them that he will no longer be attending if we pull him out. When you pulled yours out, did you just call the school or were there forms you had to go in and sign? Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

My DS is also allergic to red #40. We have informed all of our close associates and friends of his sensitivity. Sending a snack would be a good safety practice. I also wanted to mention that we have noticed that DS also reacts to non-edible things with red dye, ie: handstamps, temporary tattoo stickers, some markers, etc. His reaction is the same; uncontrollable and overly emotional behavior for 3-5 days. We discovered this when he was taking a gymnastics class and the teacher would give each kid a stamp on their hand at the end of class. Could this be a possible issue for your child? Hope this helps...

Hello, I am completely new so please bear with me. Although I have been reading the boards for a week trying to get my bearings and learn the lingo. I have three kids, ages 5, 3, and 16 months. DS is in public school kindergarten right now and we are planning to begin homeschooling him this summer. We had planned on writing a letter to the principal to remove him from public school in June when the school year is finished. However, we just had a wonderful winter break and today was his first day back to school. He just got on the bus for afternoon kindergarten and getting him ready for school today was awful. I didn't want him to go back and was feeling sad about sending him. He was his usual sweet self for most of the break and today his sassy, back-talking, disrespectful alter-ego reappeared. I don't know if this is just a coincidence or if it is related to his having to go back today. I'm feeling so bad right now because we argued and fought before he left for school. I just don't know what to do. We are reluctant to pull him out mid-year as we would like to part ways with the public school on good terms. We have no desire to burn any bridges in case we are in need of their services in the future and I don't think they will take too kindly to our pulling him out in the beginning of January. Does anyone have any insight? If you would personally pull him out now, how would you word the letter to the school? We are in NJ, which on paper appears to be very homeschooling-friendly, but we don't have any experience with how the local school board feels about the matter. I am so distressed. I feel so badly about sending him today. I want him home with me. I don't know what to do and haven't been able to discuss the matter with DH yet. Please help. Knittingmomof3