Thanks, ladies! I will look into those. -Deborah in VA Enjoying our homeschooling journey. Along for the ride... dd (11) dd (8 in Aug) ds (5 in Aug) ds (1)

I used the SOTW tests with two of my kids and I found them to be a good way to review (or test) the important points of each chapter. They are worth the money, imo. You could make up your own, but these are well done, so it would save time (something I seem to always be short on! lol). -Deborah in VA Enjoying our homeschooling journey. Along for the ride... dd (11) dd (8 in Aug) ds (5 in Aug) ds (1)

We are doing Calvert 3 and 6 now and rarely, if ever, do the experiments they recommend. Like you, I just never have what we needed! We have also used NOEO science and they have the The Young Scientists Club - Experiment Kits that have everything packaged up for you. You could check that out. -Deborah Enjoying our homeschooling journey. Along for the ride: dd (11) dd (8 in Aug) ds (5 in Aug) ds (1)

I am looking for a good typing program for the elementary age. Any suggestions for a program that would work with Vista? Or perhaps an online program you liked? Thanks! -Deborah Enjoying our homeschooling journey. Along for the ride... dd (11) dd (8 in Aug) ds (5 in Aug) ds (1)

If you are looking for an elementary program, we liked NOEO Science. The program uses a lot of "real" books and even comes with all of the stuff you need for the experiments. Noeoscience.com It follows a classical / Charlotte Mason approach and was designed by homeschoolers. They have chemistry and physics. Good luck! -Deborah Enjoying our homeschooling journey. Along for the ride... dd (11) dd (8 in Aug) ds (5 in Aug) ds (1)

We tried Calvert K with my younger daughter. She was 4 at the time and I found it to be a waste of time. She flew threw in a few months. I found it to be overly simplified and, if she was ahead in one subject, the lesson plan made it difficult to "mix things up," so to speak. Now, I am not against Calvert in general. The same daughter is using Calvert 3 now and my older daughter went through Calvert 4, 5 and now 6 -- and I found that, after 2 the program gets much better. We have decided not to do Calvert next year, but that is for a multitude of reasons, not because we dislike the program. Recommendations for starting out, if you don't do Calvert? My son has done Singapore Math, starting with the Earlybird series. He is not quite 5 and is doing 1A right now. He really likes the program. For phonics, he really likes Explode the Code and we like the Ordinary Parent's Guide for reading. We have also started Singapore Science recently and he likes that, too. Hope that helps! Good luck! -Deborah Enjoying the homeschooling journey :001_smile: with my amazing kids... dd (11) dd (8 in Aug) ds (7 in Aug) ds (1)

Hello there! My name is Deborah and I am new...and old...to these boards. lol When I started homeschooling my oldest child 5 years ago, we used a bunch of different programs a la WTM. I spent hours on the (old) WTM site boards, agonzing over all the programs I had to choose from for each subject. Then we switched to Calvert for two years. Now, we are ditching Calvert in favor of the more ecclectic approach and here I am again...agonizing over all the various curriculum choices! My latest quandry is the math selection for my 6th/7th grader (ready for 7th or above in all but math, where she is more on a 6th level) -- I have been reading about Teaching Textbooks and am intrigued with the step-by-step instruction they give. I think my daughter would really benefit from it, since I have a hard time showing her some of the concepts in a clear manner (I am so not a math person!). I have been reading various posts about TT and some of them mention that the younger grades are not as good. I am looking for something that will help her solidify the basics and make math fun -- she had a hard time enjoying Calvert, which is a very traditional in approach. Have any of you used TT 6 or 7? Could it be supplemented with exta practice so that it would be a comprehensive program for 6/7 grade? Also, any recommendations for a science program that can be used for 7th, 4th and K at the same time? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give, Deborah (Hawaii homeschooler, transplanted to Virginia, still enjoying the homeschooling journey :001_smile: -- proud mom to dd (11), dd (almost 8), ds (almost 5) and ds (1) )