I was just coming to recommend Floradix - it is really awesome stuff!

It doesn't bother my DS one way or another, but DD's concentration goes WAY UP if she can listen to music. We usually do classical or at least some kind of instrumental/no lyrics stuff.

$60 a month for a 30 minute lesson 1x each week (plus cost of materials); from our church organist.

Now see, there you go complicating my decision! :D That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for, though; need to think about it from all angles. Thanks!

We are! I don't add in many'fun' things, because we prefer to unschool all that kind of stuff in our afternoons, so we use the workboxes to divide our academic subjects into manageable chunks. We have a regular order of subjects, but sometimes I'll allow them to change up the order just for variety. I'm sure we'll continue with them; it really helps my kids, especially DD, to see what they have next and when they'll be done for the day.

See, my DD enjoys the cartoons in SM, but almost *too much* When they want you to tell a story, she breaks into a great creative-writing style story and could get lost in the details ... without coming back to the math involved, LOL, so the black-and-white format of MUS (and MM if I'm printing it) works well to minimize distraction for her. Thanks for your thoughts on lining up Blue rather than Light Blue with MUS, and for the Currclick tip. :D

equivalent in rigor and better explanations - sounds encouraging, thanks! :001_smile:

Thanks - that helps clarify things for me; I have to keep reminding myself I'm not evaluating it as a main math program but as a supplemental program. :)

*bump* this is a busy place! :D

We love Sonlight! At four, though, I would definitely choose one of the preschool programs - P3/4 and/or 4/5. Despite the title, Core K is NOT kindergarten level work. It's for an age range of 5-7 years, so yes, some use it for kindergarten (I use it for K and 1st grade) but it doesn't compare well to traditional kindergarten scope and sequence. Instead of a huge focus on ABC-123s it involves learning through listening to longer read-alouds without pictures, many of which have a emotional subjects younger children might not understand. If you're considering it, definitely check out Sonlight's Choosing Forum, which is free to access, because many find their 5 year olds struggle through it, and several Moms recommend it for age 6/first grade. I don't think my 4 year old would have been ready, and my 5 year old doesn't grasp as much of the emotional content in the core stories whereas it's a great fit for my 7 year old. If DS were my only, I'd have done 4/5 for kindy and saved K for his first grade year, but I wanted to attempt to combine them. You can use a core over 2 years, but I'd suggest 4/5 for kindy and saving K for first grade if possible. We've read several of the 4/5 books from the library this year and have loved them; I'm sure it would make a great start to both your library and your DS's education!

Yes, another Math Mammoth question :tongue_smilie: I spent yesterday evening comparing the MM samples for 1A-1B-2A to my Singapore 1A-1B. I liked what I saw, and am going to use some of the samples in the coming weeks to test it out. I spent this morning reading all the MM posts I could find on WTM :D I know I can get MM for significant savings at the Homeschool Buyers co-op. What I want to know is if it would be worth switching? MUS is our main math program; it works wonderfully for DD. I'm always going to supplement, either with Singapore or Math Mammoth, because I like the mental math emphasis and how switching once in a while helps them look at the math from different angles. I have always assumed (after all my initial research) that I'd go with Singapore, and it works fairly well for us but is a lot of books to juggle and student books to repurchase for DS. And if it's the best for us, then that's what it takes, and that's ok. Then I started hearing more about MM (how they are similar but MM is all-in-one and easier to teach for some but not considered as rigorous by some, and that it has additional games/links/worksheet generators for use) I don't want to switch all the time, so if I switch now I'll probably stay with MM from here on out. I don't want to switch just because it's the new fad, and I don't want to switch from Singapore to MM if MM is truly a less solid program, but I've heard mixed reviews. Since it won't be my main program, though, does it matter so much? I'm not mathy. DD isn't either, but DS is. I'm using MUS because it's easy for me to teach (and for DD to learn). Singapore challenges me, even at the 1A/1B level, even with the HIG. I'll always buy the HIG, and probably not all the extra books outside text/workbook, since it's my supplemental program. So in that sense, perhaps MM would be a better fit for us - easier for me to understand/teach, cheaper, all-in-one rather than multiple books? I'm going to drive DH crazy with my rambling back-and-forth, so instead I submit my question to you fine ladies ;) In my shoes, was a non-mathy parent teaching MUS as my spine, would you choose MM light blue series or continue with Singapore text/workbooks as a supplemental program? Thanks! :D

OH I'm not alone! My DD drives me insane sometimes ... Playing background music helps her a LOT; she will even ask me for some at times when she realizes it. I often play instrumental stuff so she's not tempted to sing along, but even singing is better than incessant noise!

I love your rules!

I like it stir-fried with a little adobo seasoning and garlic.

I keep an empty vegetable can on the stove to pour off any cooking grease.

Georgia is not bad. Not as easy as the do-nothing states, but not among the worst either. We send a declaration of intent, keep/mail in attendance monthly, write an annual progress report (but just keep it for 3 years), and do standardized testing every 3 years starting in 3rd grade.

twice a year for dental appointments!

LOVE the cake and the booklet idea, thanks! We used some ideas from Apples4theTeacher to have some fun (*gasp*) worksheet activities during read-alouds this morning, then both kids read some Dr. Seuss books to each other during reading. This evening, we'll probably have Green Eggs and Ham with Daddy! :Big Grin: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/dr-seuss-birthday/ I may print the activity book as well; my DD would love it!

Well, my 7 year old is in first grade this year - we moved back from overseas when she was 4, and at 5 she was just not ready for kindergarten (CS and church classes). The school year started just 2 weeks after she turned 5 so we put her in K4. She's still socially immature and easily distractable, so we see it as the right decision for her. I know that down the line that means she'll always be a year older than 'classmates' but I figure homeschool will make it easier for us to 'accelerate' her back up a grade if needed. Interested to hear other responses, though.

Yes. Though some junk is sent from a fan page or group, and there's no Block listed under it. There should, however, be a line with a time stamp and "via RainbowHeartPuppyFarmSmilesWithLoveMafia" which holds a clickable link. Open that page, and on the top left under the picture should be a link to Block Application. :)

:iagree:

We've used Sonlight's old and new Science K, loved them, and will do the old Science 1 (adding in some of the newer books/dvd) next year. It doesn't seem to occur to my kids that the experiments don't always line up with the reading. Book selections are great, experiments are fun, and the DVD is nice for when you don't want to take the time to do an experiment. We watch a lot of Magic School Bus here as well :)

Oh that's good to know! I'm debating on R&S spelling or some other program (Spelling Workout or other?). I'm also considering something like WWE for dictation/narration so it's good to know R&S has some dictation built in. Must go google for TM samples now ... :)

It's a great program. We're switching to R&S English next year, because I want a more integrated program for grammar/writing, but as a stand-alone grammar program to use beside WWE I think it's great!

For 2nd grade LA, I'm planning R&S English 2 R&S Spelling 2 or Spelling Workout Sonlight Readers 2 int ETC 4-5 and some WWE-inspired dictation/narration/copywork (probably not all as written)