I think I can understand what you mean by this. We are doing Chreia/Maxim this year as well, and the samples given in the first few lessons were confusing to me as well. I actually looked up other samples online so I could more fully wrap my brain around what we were accomplishing and why. Once I understood where we were going and read further into the lessons, I became more appreciative of the teaching, the samples, and the approach itself. We don't use the DVDs, which might possibly have made a difference early on. We usually come up with our own ideas and often don't consult the samples unless we are stuck and need some inspiration for writing that paragraph. Sometimes the samples are super helpful and beautifully done, and sometimes we like our own choices or interpretations better. That is okay! Classical education is about teaching students HOW to think, and if we are thinking along different lines than the teacher's guide, that is okay and sometimes even preferable. I am happy with Classical Composition and have already purchased Refutation & Confirmation for next year. I can't wait for it to arrive so I can look through it! Having said all that, I feel that a formal writing program acts as almost as a supplement with all the other writing we are doing with MP. In fact, I'm pretty sure Highlands Latin School did not even include a writing program in their earliest days. Intense instruction in Latin, grammar, and excellent literature guides (which often include meaningful composition exercises) all work together to produce capable writers. High school students are also studying Rhetoric, which I'm pretty sure is almost like a writing course. All that to say while I think CC is a very well done program that will yield good results, I don't consider it to be the "meat and potatoes" of our MP curriculum.

We really like Memoria Press' Geography programs. They have one for states and capitals, where students memorize the capital and location of each state. Then two years (Geography I and Geography II) are spent memorizing the capitals and locations of almost every country. You read a page about the country and fill in the workbook, then do occasional quizzes and tests to drill the memory work. What I like about MP is the constant review. While doing Geography I, states and capitals are continually reviewed so it stays fresh. Same with the next year's program. Geography III is a more advanced world geography course for middle school. Students learn a bit more in depth history of the land and learn to draw a map of the world from heart, while still reviewing countries and capitals.

We used full cores a few years ago and loved them. After that I decided to combine the kids for content subjects and do more notebooking, so for two years we only used MP for Latin and Classical Composition. This year I decided to go back to the full cores and am very glad that I did. The subjects are so easy to use and I love that we only hit certain things once a week, giving us more time to focus on the basics. I also really appreciate the mastery approach of MP versus just giving exposure to various topics. My kids remember a lot of what they learn, more than they did with our notebooking methods. Obviously it won't be a hit for everyone, and sometimes you need to just try something before you know whether it is a fit. I do regret buying the Jr K package because that level is something that I can easily do on my own with no plans. I'm not planning on buying kindergarten either. I will use First Start Reading, but just go at our own pace. We already use Rod & Staff for math, and prefer it for English, too. Here is a blog post I wrote last July about why we went back to using full cores this year.

I think your plan sounds good: Either FLL for 1st or save grammar for 2nd (my vote) R&S grammar for 2nd on CLE for reading We have always done R&S for grammar and love it. It is thorough and easy to use. The instructions are clear and helpful so eventually students can do a lot of it on their own. CLE reading is also great. While I've never used R&S for reading, I think CLE covers a broader range of literary skills and my dc really like the stories. Even though they aren't Bible stories, there is still lots of scripture packed into the lessons. We have done CLE reading with R&S grammar and they work together fine.

Just curious how old you dd was exactly when you started MP Jr.K with her? I have already purchased it for my son who will turn 4 in September, but am trying to gauge his readiness. He can count and knows his letters and sounds, but we haven't really done any writing practice yet. Sounds like we should work on that first?

I ordered 6th, 4th, and Jr. K a couple of months ago and can't wait to begin. We used 2nd and 4th a couple of years ago, then veered away for a few subjects this year. I'm excited to get back on track. I love the ease of use of the lesson plans. I also love the quality of the books studied. For me, it's the best of both "living books" and classical. The science books, for example, have a lovely narrative style, and the history (classical studies) books are wonderful. My kids LOVE the geography because they absolutely rock at rattling off the names of countries and capitals. It is thorough, and it is challenging. The study guides require a good amount of writing and thinking. The tests and quizzes require studying beforehand, which has helped me teach good study skills to our kids. There are certainly times when we all feel the rigor of the curriculum, but then we are so proud of ourselves for chugging along and learning all that we've learned. It is truly a mastery-type curriculum, vs. exposure only. That means that you aren't just reading good books, you are diving into them, pondering them, and are expected to remember the material later. The workbooks are not busy work, they are well designed to help kids pull out the gold from what they are reading and then reviewing it often so that they retain the information.

We really like CLE this year. I felt like the topics covered were varied and thorough, and I love the character building application built right in. We have used one level of BJU in the past and enjoyed that as well, but I think CLE is a better deal for the price and contains fewer bulky components.

I have taught LC twice to 3rd graders. It takes us about 15-20 minutes per day where we are working together, and then extra time for them to complete the written work (although that could be done together as well). We do oral recitation and flashcards every day, then go over some translation exercises together. There is plenty of practice if you include the review worksheets and games. I do find that my kids need to do some extra copywork at least once or twice per lesson in order to spell the words correctly on the quizzes. We do First Form Latin in 4th grade and so far that has worked well. It is a nice follow-up to LC because so much of it is a repeat, but more in-depth. The form series is nice because there is so much written work, aka review, per lesson. I think a 4th or 5th grader who has not done LC could still be very successful in FFL as an introductory course, but it does include much more material. My 5th grader has been doing SFL this year, and we're very pleased with that as well. It really is just the right amount of daily work to cement the material. I already have Third Form on hand and have been studying it myself to prepare for next year. It looks like it is a much bigger leap than the other years- LOTS of workbook pages for every lesson and some tricky grammar. I think that being a bit older when hitting that TFL would probably be a benefit!

Ha! Now those are two that I'd consider the abridged versions for! Les Mis bogs me down every time I try it. I can't get much beyond the thirty pages on the history of convent architecture. War and Peace got the best of me last year about halfway through. Kudos to anyone who has made it to the end!

Yes! This is one of my all time favorites, one that I read and re-read often. It will definitely be one that we read in full.

I mostly read aloud history related novels. The books I assign for independent reading are what I'd classify as "literature," just great age-appropriate books that may or may not have anything to do with our history time period. I pull books from various sites and curriculum providers (Sonlight, AO, VP, MP, etc.) for these.

Phonics, math, and gentle handwriting practice. Other than that, read aloud as much as possible! You can cover science, history, poetry, literature, and art appreciation just by reading good quality picture books. No need for output at that age!

I really liked using DEL for my older two at that age. They enjoyed using it, and the activities were pretty creative and different from your standard preschool workbooks. My favorite preschool combo is DEL, ETC primers, and HWOT. I also like R&S Counting with Numbers for some gentle math. Having said that, MP products are excellent and I'm sure they would do a great job, too.

Of those, CC is going to be the least expensive and is no prep at all.

Thanks! I'm thinking about getting the Usborne Intro to Art one used. Our library only has a limited amount, and they are considered reference books.

I would like a book that: - Has decent sized, full color pictures - Has information about the artists and the particular piece of art - Is interesting for upper elementary/ middle school age - Is inexpensive - No projects, just art appreciation I don't want to do a curriculum, just introduce some art appreciation into our morning time. I'd like it to be in a book format so that we can just add it to our couch time, when we do Bible and poetry. I'm looking at some of the Usborne books, but they don't have samples so I can't tell exactly what is inside.

We used FFL and are now doing SFL without the DVDs. I have them, but dd balked at watching the lessons and prefers that I teach her from the TM myself. It's been very doable, and I enjoy learning along with her. I'm hoping to continue this method all the way through high school. I do try to stay a lesson or so ahead of her, but don't always achieve that goal.

Thanks, Susan. I am leaning towards keeping things the way we're doing them since it is working well.

My dd in 5th is using CLE 5 for reading this year and I'm very happy with it. I also have her reading novels constantly. Each day she is assigned a certain amount of reading, then writes a short 3-4 sentence summary. Once the book is finished, she writes a book report/ simple analysis. She is an extremely advanced reader and writer, and joyfully handles everything lit-related that I give her to do. Would we be better off sticking with this route next year for 6th grade, or moving her into something like Lightning Lit for the purpose of streamlining (only one reading program, rather than how we are essentially doing two currently)? I know Lightning Lit is for 7th, but like I said, I'm confident she could handle it. My long term loose plans include doing Excellence in Literature and units from Omnibus. Btw, we don't use a separate writing program, just do it the WTM way.

Math: Rod and Staff 5 Latin: First Form Latin Grammar: Rod and Staff 4 Spelling: SWO Composition: MP Classical Compostion: Fable Reading: MP literature and poetry History: MP Greek Myths, States and Capitals, Christian Studies Science: MP Astronomy Bible together: Long Story Short- we started this year and are about halfway through. Love it!

We are using BJU 4 right now- without the DVDs. I am combining my 5th and 3rd graders, who each have their own Activity Manual. We do not use the tests. My kids are using it semi-independently. I write page numbers in the textbook and activity book for them to complete on their own each day. They complete this early in the morning, then sometime later in the day we all go through it together. I ask them a few of the review questions from the TM and we discuss the answers to the workbook. Whenever there is an experiment or hands-on activity, we do it all together. Besides my time discussing and doing activities, I spend some time each week reading through the lessons on my own to prepare. I think that if they were not doing this independently, I wouldn't need to do this (other than glance at the experiments and supplies). Really you can just open up the TM and read. I have not found it to be especially time intensive. I like the scope and sequence, and that we are not stuck on one topic for too long. My kids find it engaging, and usually enjoy the workbook and the activities. What I don't like is the price, since you need so many components. I'm not sure if we will continue with BJU next year because of the price, but we're very happy with it this year.

We also enjoyed FIAR in a simple, no extras, kind of way. Every time I used it, though, I ended up quitting before long. For K and 1st grade, I like to just read books without necessarily having a connection. We still read lots of FIAR books, but also used Let's Read and Find Out science books and history picture book that weren't related to FIAR books. Personally, I found this easier than trying to keep a unit study going at those ages.

Math: Rod and Staff 7 Latin: Third Form Latin Grammar: Rod and Staff 6 Writing: Classical Composition Chreia/ Maxim Reading: MP lit guides and poetry History: Famous Men of the Middle Ages, MP Geography II, Christian Studies Science: MP What's that BIrd, History of Medicine Bible together: Long Story Short ETA: edited with updates

That's a good idea about calling for advice. We have used a lot of MP and like it, but I'm leaning towards Saxon since I know so many people who use it, thus have a built in support system for that. Prentice Hall looks good, too, but I'd heard that there are only answers available for the odd problems, and that sounds difficult to navigate.

We've done read alouds over lunch or snack time. The downside is that I miss the leisurely eating/ chatting part of lunch. Lately I've just been doing it after we're done with everything else in the afternoon. The downside of this is that they just can't wait for me to finish so they can play outside.