the reason DH is really set on saxon is we already own all the level from k to 7/6 from a friend of his at work :P could we say use it along with something like MEP or should I get DH to pony up and get her some SM?

thanks for the thoughts! DH and I talked tonight after I called my dad (ex PS math teacher) and came to the conclusion that we should do the same thing for DSD1 and we are doing for DSD2 in phonics and start at the lowest level and go as quickly or slowly as needed and work our way up through to where she should be at now. So we will start with 5/4 then go into 6/5 then into 7/6. The game plan will be to cover as much as possible this summer and then keep on going through the school year to help her get back on track. I'm also going to throw in SM CWP since she is obviously weak in that area.

well Dh and I sat and talked about it before bed tonight and decided to buy ahead in workbooks when we do our yearly ordering for SM. For Saxon we'll just have the kids do the work on another sheet of paper. We'll also buy the consumables for things like mcruffy for the younger ones but any consumables over a certain price will get shared and written on a separate piece of paper. So I just did my SM order for 3 workbooks each of 1A and 1B :p

So I gave DSD 12yo the saxon middle grade placement test to get a better picture of where she was at. We were going to use MEP but were a little unsure and DH likes the idea of SM and saxon better. So anyway she got only 12 out of questions 1-20 correct and didn't make it much past that part of the test even after 2 hours of time. In the beginning of the "score" section of the test objectives page it says that students scoring under 16 questions out of the first 20 questions right are at an average to accelerated 4th grade level. DSD is going into 7th grade this year and I just would hate to put her back into 5/4 and have it be way way too easy. We have the girls every other week so we have only 4 weeks of time in which to really work with them and I want to make the best use of that time before school starts in august. We will of course be continuing supplementing her math through the school year so this is more about finding the appropriate place to start. Would you place her in 5/4 like the score section puts her at or 5/6 which would be one grade lower then she would be at in PS this fall? Also she seems to have the most problems with word problems would it be a good fit to supplement the saxon with SM CWP? Thanks so much for your help!!!!!

The way we personally attack the different learners thing is that we supplement like crazy. All of our kiddos have been pretty mathy kids and we like to approach it from several angles so we use 3 programs at once. Now if one child flows better with one of the 3 that is their spine and the other two are the supplements. Basically we pick what we think is the best and most educational and provides the best examples for several approaches and get them. Right now for us that is RS, SM and Saxon. We are in LOVE with SM and RS and don't see ever taking those out so that is the main thing we are looking on whether to buy consumables ahead with.

first off thanks so much for the help! This will be my first time doing K and I want to make sure we are set to go and on the right path. Constructive criticism welcome :) This is for a mathy, early reader boy Mcruffy LA 1 FLL 1 AAS 2 SM STD 1A - Main Saxon 1 - supplement Rightstart B - supplement Mcruffy Science K with extra thames and Kosmos kits HWT Galloping the globe Mind Benders and critical thinking core book trying to decide if we need any history other then just doing galloping the globe. I don't want to start SOTW until his first grade year.

Ok so we are using lvl 1 now and I don't really see anything in the resource pack that can't just be saved and reused for the younger kids except the certificate and the chart. Are all the levels like this or do the resource packs become more consumable in the later levels? Thanks!

the books? Seriously though I think most of the rest you can make or buy cheaper elsewhere and I hate the feel of chalkboards so we use mini dry erase boards with no problems.

we love evan moore here!

Ok so this is a S/O of the how far in advance do you buy curriculum thread LOL My question is when you have several kids in ranging ages and you plan on passing down curriculum will you buy consumables like workbooks in advance for your other kiddos just in case or no? I wouldn't buy multiples when buying for my 12yo but for my 9yo just out of 2nd grader I am considering it since DS1 is in K now so not far off from 2nd grade and I'd hate to have to buy all new TM and texts if there is any edition changes and would rather just pass everything down. KWIM? I've gone back and forth on this though since I have two more after DS1 in line so that would be 4 times the consumables ordered LOL but on the same note 4 times the use on the non consumables.

well we have two olders (12 and 8) so I buy in advance as far as some things fro afterschooling the 8 yo that can be passed down to my boys. I also will buy up to second grade for my oldest boy if it's something I know I love and will use and it's a great deal. That leaves us pretty much covered from pre-k to 3rd grade. With my 12 yo we use MEP to supplement her math so buying there but things like writing strands and logic we'll buy ahead and save cause they can be passed down. I wouldn't buy say science ahead too far because theories can change sometimes and new advancements are made therefor not such a good idea to buy ahead however if it's something like the history of science that may be a safe bet although some things once believed in history have changed as further discoveries are made as well. So I say a few years ahead in thing like LA, phonics and math should be fine :P

I am looking for some really good selections for my DSDs to read this summer. They are not strong readers and HATE reading but we want them to gain better reading comprehension and expose them to more meaty books then picture books and diary of a wimpy kid style books. We will have them m-f every week from morning till 5pm so they will have ample time to read. Also I do an in-home daycare type thing and was wondering if there are good books that would work for readers for the olders to read aloud to the little ones (ages 3,4 and 2 18 month olds) thanks for the help! :)

We want to use MEP with my 12 yo DSD, who will be going into 7th grade next year, during the summer. I can't find a placement test type thing and I don't want to put her into anything that is too hard either. thanks for the help!

DSD is going 0n 9 in sept. and going into 3rd grade. She didn't learn to read until late in the 1st grade year and didn't learn much phonics in her PS. She has been struggling in spelling through 2rd grade getting Fs and Ds on tests. We want to try using All about spelling with her during the summer so she gets a better understanding and doesn't have trouble in 3rd grade. Should I put her in level two and just work through it at a fast pace so she gets more firm understanding of phonics or is there a better place to start with her?

I just ordered McRuffy science K which is all inclusive open box and it looks great and has very good reviews

now I know from my past few years of research that there are literally tons of math programs out there. I know that each have their strengths and focuses in different areas which is why so many people use more then one math program. Is there any resource out there with a chart or list of the strengths and focuses of the various math programs out there or at least the more well known ones? I have seen a lot of people say they love SM but supplement with something for math facts cause SM isn't as strong in that area. Being a person with a horrible run through math as a child lacking so many concepts and facts that I never made it past geometry I want to make sure my kiddos are not lacking in some area even if it means using more then two programs together. We love RS, SM and manipulatives here but I don't want my kids being weak in facts because I have not added something in for that. thanks for all your help!

thanks for the replies and suggestions. I think we wil end up doing a blend of the three programs. Stopped OPGTR now and continuing on with AAS and then adding in McRuffy. The only thing that makes me waffle is the decision to get only the transition set when I still will have 2 more kids to go through the system. If I do just get the transition set can you get just the first half of the program later on down the line ( we are talking years here as DS2 is only 14 months LOL)

OK so DS is halfway through OPGTR but hates it now as it's too blk and white and boring for him. We added in AAS and he LOVES that but wants more and wants more readers and games. I've been looking into McRuffy phonics but starting with the transition lessons since DS has a very solid foundation in the consonant sounds and the short vowel sounds. Now for future kiddos ( I have 2 more that will go through this once they are old enough) Does it sound crazy to start OPGTR and AAS then switch out OPGTR for McRuffy after the initial consonant and short vowel sounds are learned? I want the kiddos to be asking for lessons not dreading it. :p As it is now DS wants to learn more on how to read so badly but always says to me "i need something else mommy" when I pull out OPGTR. thanks!

Has anyone here used it? I am specifically looking at the K lvl science and it is the most affordable and appealing of the secular curricula I've looked at. I am really looking for an easy on mom open box curriculum that is secular and fun for the kiddos. thanks!

For instance if we are already using RS and SM together will there still be any areas lacking that need supplemented? DS is very mathy and would do math all day if you let him. DS is halfway through OPGTR and we are adding AAS as he gets kinda bored with just OPGTR and has been asking for more. Would it be silly to add another program to the mix or switch out OPGTR for something else like Mcruffy? DS is way more visual and LOVES readers. We've gone through all the ones we have on his level a bunch and he constantly asks for more. He loves one on one lessons but is not really into OPGTR and kinda avoids it and says he needs "something else" LOL He is my first HSing from the start ( I have only ever afterschooled my DSDs) so this is all new to me and I have a very curious boy begging me half the day to do more school. I don't want to burn him out but as long as he is motivated I don't want to have him lacking in an area that one of the curricula didn't cover KWIM?

I may be a bit newer to HSing but if your kids are not burnt out then there is no such thing as too much math! My sponge is math obsessed so we do 2 complete programs + extras and he still begs for more :lol: I haven't really used MEP that much past supplementing my DSDs but I hear it is a fabulous program! But we LOVE RS!!

So DS is a learning sponge and LOVES doing "school" His most favorite part of the day is when he gets to go to his special desk and work with mommy with workbooks and such. He knows all of his letter sounds and can read/sound out CVC words and loves to point out box starts with b and so on. So my first question is can we start all about spelling at this point? He wants more workbooky and activity stuff to do other then OPGTR and readers. He has already torn through evan moore books and the explode the code that I have. Second this kid loves math, loves to recognize groups ect. He would do math and play math games all day long if i let him :) So we have been dabbling in RS A testing the waters so to speak and I think we are going to get going on it. He has already completed most of SM EB A std ed. He plays with rods but we are still having issues (mostly mommy is having issues) figuring this miquon thing out. It is ok to pretty much do full RS with SM since we are planning to go full SM after level C or so? we've been doing some thames and kosmos stepping into science experiments but DS has asked for workbooks :p Has anyone used the SM earlybird science? is it good for little ones? He watches his big sisters write and he tries his best to copy them. He has gone through a gillion workbooks from WM doing tons of mazes and tracing letter ( he does really well for being so young) Should I try introducing some writing to him? If so I have looked at HWT and zaner blosser does anyone have any input either way? DS is my first born so I am new to this and he is begging me almost constantly to do "school" and asking many questions and wanting to do so many things so I don't want to tell him no or that he needs to be older when I know that he is mentally ready for it now. KWIM?

Can you use it in a secular manner? I would like to use it for my DS but we are a secular family and I have hear that it tends to be bible heavy. Are there any other good geography programs for younger kiddos?

Me :) I was Goth back in the 90's . We are talking black hair, shaved eyebrows, black eyeliner and combat boots :lol: I was more into industrial music and still am but to look at me back then I would have been labeled a "goth" Anywho I grew up just fine. Got married and had kids. Personally I don't think being "Goth", or "Punk" or any other subculture is bad but sometimes bad things can be associated with the group like drugs or something. As far as just being goth goes though I wouldn't be too worried. It is just a method of self expression and will most likely be gorwn out of :)

I'm from cinci and have driven back on occasion just for Skyline chili :lol: Seriously when I was preggo that was my biggest craving LOL. I might go back for the con w/ my dad while visiting my gram. DH couldn't go though with work and all. I definitely recommend the museums at the train station. They are the most interactive museums I've ever seen! We take the kiddos every year when we visit and they LOVE it!!! Also the zoo of course rocks as well. :)