Victoria, Hong Kong ... I think ;)

This blog has some excellent tips.

We started with big birthday parties at 5 and we stopped at 10.

Tina, thank you. :) Now, thinking about it, I should have chosen a different thread heading - "Root-Based Vocabulary Program" or something . ;) My top choices, in case anyone is interested, so far are. I would still love to hear your thoughts and comments. VOCABULARY FROM CLASSICAL ROOTS - ELEMENTARY - made by EPS, always a good sign for me. Simple, workbook-oriented approach Would later move on to actual Vocab from Classical Roots - books A and up GETTING STARTED WITH LATIN - I like the look of this very much. Amazon has great reviews also. If I were to pick a Latin program, as opposed to a roots-based vocab program, this would most probably be my first choice. http://www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com/ ENGLISH FROM THE ROOTS UP - No workbook or tests, etc. if I understand this correctly. Apparently, the flashcards are more helpful than the book and are really what's worth getting.

I'd like to start teaching my kids Latin. They're already bilingual. Dd takes French classes. Ds should be learning Spanish, but that's another story. My preference is that my dc learn Latin mainly for vocabulary, to help them with the roots of words. I'm not so focused on grammar and verbs, if you kwim. Am I wrong in this approach? Am I doing them a disservice by thinking this way? We all prefer the workbook format and we also prefer secular curriculum. Since they won't be speaking Latin, programs like Rosetta Stone or CDs, I think, would not be worth spending money on. I would love to hear your recommendations and thoughts. Programs I'm looking into: Vocabulary from Classical Roots Latin's Not So Tough TIA. :001_smile:

Yes, I never noticed that mine is related to my monthly cycle until dh pointed it out. I've had it less lately, maybe due to certain supplements I take. Yoga helps also, as well as swimming. Most women lack magnesium. Make sure you're getting enough. If you want to know about other supplements, let me know.

My dd is 11 ... books she has loved recently, in the past year or so: Harry Potter series The Edge Chronicles The Emily Windsnap series The Secret of Mermaid Island Books by Shannon Hale - Enna Burning, Rapunzel's Revenge, Forest Born Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters All American Girl books, although she has outgrown them now Guardians of Ga'hoole books Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

We didn't like Wordsmith Apprentice very much. It was okay. Since we have Wordsmith and have just started it, it's working out better, so far. :001_smile: We're loving Apologia Jump In so far and that's working out very nicely. They have sample pages. Very appealing to reluctant writers. Fun and engaging program. Some of the notes I gathered about it before ordering. Open-and-go format Workbook For 5th-8th grades, junior high, or even reluctant high school student Appealing to reluctant writers Assignments are short and not overwhelming Very easy to use, one assignment a day or however long you want to use it Incremental approach Covers all types of writing – including essays and research papers Student learns a little each day by doing a "skill" Breaking down into steps – easy to use Student-led – instructions are simple enough for student to read on own There is a lot of leeway as far as what to write about Very little teaching required other than answering a few questions and checking work The student can work very independently and do each of the skill areas on his own The parent just coaches them through writing their assignments When you get to the actual writing assignment, you can, if you need to, take longer than the author suggests. You can have the student work on 1-2 paragraphs a day and then you can work on revision together. That way you can ask him questions like "So what is the main point of your paragraph?" and "What is another way you could say that so it would be clearer to your reader?" Jump In has enough material for 2-3 years if you include the "Writing Plunges" in the Teacher's book. After that, it could be used as a reference and you could use different topics for the different formats. I love this site for reviews as well as Cathy Duffy's reviews. We have Hands-on Essays to use after Jump In. I've heard great things about it. I'm also considering this for later ... but am not sure, since I really did not care for JAG.

I have not used Spelling Power, but did research it at the time. Maybe I shouldn't be posting here. For us, AAS has been THE best homeschooling purchase that we have made in a long, long time. It was well worth the $. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has even come close. We tried so many things for our son's spelling. For those who are strong in spelling, this program sets an excellent foundation. For those who are not, such as my son, this program works like an absolute charm. You work at the speed of the child. There is as much review as they need. What I particularly love about it is that there is no learn it for the Friday test and then forget it. He has ADHD tendencies like your dd.

This 20-question quiz doesn't take very long and is interesting. :001_smile:

Yes, he started at level 1 at the age of almost 10. It was quite easy for him, but I'm glad we started there. You can certainly start at level 2. And for us, as well as for many, the workbooks are sufficient. I don't know much about the Strong Fundamentals book. I think it's more of a teacher manual, more theoretical-based.

My first also, at the age of 13. Oh, we did start Midsummer's Night Dream at the age of 11 or 12, but I never liked that. Dh says that The Merry Wives of Windsor is a great one, but I can't find it in a nice version for our dc and I also can't find a DVD of it. I really would like them to see the plays in DVD format also.

We currently use Twin Lab and are very happy with it and notice a difference. I love reading reviews on vitacost.com I have been doing some research on supplements and quality. I would not buy vitamins -- supplements of any kind -- from a grocery or discount store. Not only do they add "junk", everything you are consuming could be junk. Regulation is not in place to be sure that what they "say" is in their product, actually is. Some do not contain what they say they do -- many contain less than what they say they do. All of the following, as far as I am aware of, have 3-party testing. Nature's Sunshine is a great company. Nature's Plus is another one. Rainbow Light - food-based. I have also used the NOW brand, and have been happy with their products. I keep hearing great things about Shaklee also. Twinlab, Source Naturals ... all of these I've used and still use. Happy with their stuff.

WT may be too easy for your 6th grader. It was for mine. Nice program, however. Apologia Jump In is working out quite nicely. :D I am excited to start Hands-on Essays in a year or two. We have it. Just haven't used it yet. Keep hearing wonderful things about it. These two sites help me a lot. http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/reviews/curriculum/reviews.aspx?id=663 http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/grammar-composition/hands-on-essays.htm Other programs that I am considering: Classical Writing Imitation in Writing Meaningful Composition And for later ... Teaching the Essay and Research Paper Format Writing Write Shop I have not yet found a writing program that I absolutely love. Jump In is the closest so far, but I honestly hate teaching writing, and would, if I could, gladly pay someone to do so. No resources like that here. Writing is so subjective to grade and a complete and utter headache. :banghead:

Heather, thank you, this is one of my top choices. My only gripe with Winston is that, if I am correct, it does not teach punctuation. I would ideally like something that includes punctuation.

Tara, what you just said is key for me "the wisdom of ten years ..." - think I'll most likely order it. :D :grouphug: Lovely to see you here, Julia. :D I'm still amazed and a bit overwhelmed at the amount of traffic here :ohmy: :D. I've never come across any homeschooling forums that's as busy as this one. Thanks for the reassurance and warm welcome. :grouphug: I have not looked at the WTM site recently. I'm going to search for their conference handouts. I'm more of a reader than an auditory person. Handouts are definitely more my style. Thank you also, Jana. :)

She was 11. Some light grammar before - English for the Thoughtful Child, Queens, Wordsmith Apprentice, things like that ... all that I can remember for now. For us personally, this was the worst homeschooling purchase we made this year. Dd (and I) became so turned off by grammar. I'm looking into some others. I'm almost ready with my decision. The best ... AAS for ds and WWE. Problem is I really have been eager to later start Teaching the Essay and Research Paper, and, although I know they're not at all like JAG and AG, I can't help but be slightly concerned. :confused:

I need to do this. I'm so not an audio/listening person. I need to sit down and listen. Thanks for the reminder. BTW, LOVE your avatar. :D

Our ds age 10, but he was 9 when he started WWE ... a late reader and very reluctant writer, but now he's getting better is on WWE Level 2. It's working out very well. Narration, copywork ... dictation starts at level 2. Yes, I would think you could start with a 10-year-old who doesn't like writing. We only use the Workbooks. HTH.

Can I just say how happy I am to see you here, Merry? :grouphug: :D

I was all excited to start JAG (Junior AG) with our dd several months ago. Sadly, after lots of trying, and after having completed more than half the program, we had to stop. It simply was not working. I really wanted it to work and then to move on to AG. I had my plans! ;) We really took our time, me sitting with her, and trying to get her, as well as myself, to understand. Grammar is not my area by any means. We gave it many chances. My daughter did well in it for the most part, but there were parts of it that she absolutely despised and, may I add, she was VERY vocal about hating it. She kept begging me for a different program, as well as asking me to go online and write some reviews, which I am now doing. If you want specifics, the things she couldn’t stand about JAG: * The lack of page numbering and organization – hard to find what she was looking for – no Table of Contents or Index – this is easily remedied, I know. Nonetheless, it drove her nuts. Like me, she likes structure and organization. They encourage the student to go back and look through their notes, to have an open test-taking process, yet, they have an unorganized manual. * I think she would have liked a bit of color or visual appeal. * It simply got too detailed and difficult for her – we completed more than 2/3 of the program, but I would say that she only probably enjoyed and understood the first third. Initially, I loved the idea behind JAG and AG - the organization, the fact that it was for only 11 weeks a year, and so much more - but sadly, it really is not for my daughter and definitely won't be for my son. I think this sort of program appeals more to Competent Carls - and neither of my children are Competent Carls - if you KWIM (Cathy Duffy learning styles). I can only imagine this program working if: the child is a Competent Carl type of learner wishes to major in English at college the parent is very good with grammar and diagramming the child doesn't mind grammar overkill and learning every. single. grammatical. detail. :001_huh:! the child doesn't mind dry - as in really dry - materials

Thank you so much. You're really helping me in the decision-making :001_smile:.

We don't have a good library here, but thanks anyway. I still can't decide if I should get the newest version or not. :confused:

I'm new to these boards and am excited to be here. :D I have the 1999 edition of TWTM. Much of the recommendations I'm sure are outdated. Does anyone have the newest 2009 edition as well as the 1999 edition? I'd like to know if it's worth forking out $27 (never mind shipping) for this. Is the newest edition basically an exact repeat of the older version? Amazon doesn't have enough sample pages for me to make a good decision. I must admit that I have hesitated to join these boards, since I sometimes find the TWTM approach very, very overwhelming. I know and understand that the publisher required them to list each. and. every. single. thing. It is my understanding that few do all that they suggest. Maybe I'm wrong ... WWE is definitely a very refreshingly gentle approach and not at all what I would have expected. We are loving it :D. Nonetheless, I can't help but feel overwhelmed, guilty, and inefficient when going through this book. Thanks for hearing me out. :001_smile: