Thank you so much, Melissa! :thumbup1:

Thanks, Lisa--looks like a great alternative if you just want to subscribe for a year (maybe with 1 or 2 children?) We have 6, however, and so I think it would be more economically sound to be able to purchase something to keep and reuse. I didn't see any option to buy the videos. It's good to know that Dana Mosley is available in a variety of formats, though ;-)

Awhile back, there was a thread that detailed how the Chalkdust Math curriculum is not all proprietary to Chalkdust, and that individual components (even the videos with Dana Mosley) are available to be purchased used, usually at quite a discount. (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73803&highlight=chalkdust) The thread listed ISBNs for the 4th edition materials. Currently, Chalkdust is using the 5th edition of everything. I wondered if someone who is using the current 5th edition of the PreAlgebra materials would be willing to post the ISBNs. We are looking to purchase all the materials but cannot afford the almost $400 price tag. (Of course, if you are in the market to sell the 5th edition PreAlgebra materials, please PM me with a price. That would work too.) Thanks so much!

Ooooh, thanks for the link to the podcasts, Josie! I'm downloading them into iTunes right now. Would the subject matter be over the heads of (or too mature for) a 10 and 12 year old? (I'm realizing I'm on the high school board and my kids aren't quite there yet! ;) ) I'm sure that, as a frequent listener, you have a pretty good handle on what the content is like...

Josie and Carol, I just had to pipe up and say how delighted I am to find other Lutheran homeschoolers here. Yay! We are a rare breed :D Thanks also for the tips on CPH. I was also glad to hear your perspective on the Voyages books, since CPH annoyingly does not provide any page views :thumbdown: I may have to pick your brains on other issues too, since there are no Lutheran homeschoolers in any of my circles here.

Perhaps someone in your household agreed to a free trial and didn't tell you? You should be able to look in your account history and it will tell you of a "start date" for your Prime membership. If you just discovered it, nobody ordered it, and you haven't used it, you can contact Amazon customer service and plead your case. They have always been incredibly generous in any customer service issues I've had, even when it was my own fault. Hope you will get it resolved satisfactorily! P.S. For the record, I though Prime an unnecessary extravagance (ok, well, it is) but I was won over after the free trial. Wow. I am SO spoiled now! I love ordering even 1 item I need and getting it 2 days later. Sending gifts for no charge. Of course, I'm ordering more from Amazon now too, so I'm sure they're quite happy on their end. So if you can't fix it, perhaps at least you'll be able to enjoy it! :001_smile:

Stephenie, My oldest child didn't really bloom academically until after he turned 8. I was really panicking for awhile. Any pressuring just resulted in tears and frustration. It was a great comfort to read Dr. Raymond & Dorothy Moore's book "Better Late Than Early." I encourage you to do your mama-heart a favor and check this one out of your library. ;) BTW, even though DS #1 is now 12, he still *really* needs supervision and hand-holding or he daydreams and lollygags around. Sometimes I wonder if he will ever mature! :D But it is a great comfort to see him reading, spelling and writing so much better than he was a few years ago. I kind of expected slowness with a son, but my second child is very verbal and seemed precocious for her age, so naturally I was surprised to discover she ALSO is an incredibly reluctant reader, writer, and poor speller. This flummoxes me as I was always an incredibly good student, and very talented in all those areas. She is SO much like me in so many respects that I naturally assumed the academics would be a snap. Nope. Not so. I totally understand your discouragement (especially when it seems all your homeschooling friends have 4-year-old daughters reading at a third grade level, blah blah blah...). :blink: I have noticed a lot of progress with my daughter in the past year though. She just turned 10 this spring. Sometimes kids just need time, maturity, and continued encouragement. Because of the public school mentality, we tend to expect all kids to do XY and Z by a certain age, and if they don't, we panic that they are <gasp!> behind. I have no doubt that your daughter will bloom in her own time! Keep loving her and encouraging her. Spend some time with Raymond & Dorothy Moore and hopefully you will feel at peace about just being patient. (((Hugs!)))

We are currently using this as well and even my developmentally-delayed almost 9-yr-old reluctant reader is enjoying it. If you go this route, I would HIGHLY recommend buying the CD-rom which is sold separately. Yes, it's more than the price of the book, but there is an animated introduction and interactive activities that go with each lesson. We always begin with the CD-rom and then when we do the lesson in the book, they're already familiar with it. All 3 of my littles are really enjoying the Giggle Bunny :D Here's the book: http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Lesson-Teach-Child-Lessons/dp/0913063029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277264402&sr=8-1 Here's the CD-rom: http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Lesson-CD-ROM-Michael-Levin/dp/0913063088/ref=tmm_other_title_0 I have tried a variety of programs (incl. many of the ones already listed here) and this is definitely my favorite. Every mom and every child is different though, so you'll need to buy something that "fits" you :)

Ladies, I am SO grateful for all of your recommendations thus far, and esp. the notes of when you preferred a certain version/reader. It is wonderful to have such a big list to look up on our library website now! :D Please feel free to keep chiming in! One can never have too many great suggestions!

OK, so surely somebody out there must listen to audiobooks and have a few they can recommend? ;)

My older kids (DD 10 and DS 12) love listening to audiobooks during naptime for the little ones and when we take long car trips. Our library has quite an extensive collection, but I'd love to have recommendations that your family has enjoyed. Off the top of my head, some we've listened to include: -All the FOF radio theater productions of the Narnia books -All of Beverly Cleary's Ramona books -All of the Harry Potter series -All the Nancy Drew books that have been put out as audio books -We've also enjoyed science fiction such as The Supernaturals and The Hunger Games Please tell me some that your children (or your whole family) have enjoyed. :thumbup: Thanks in advance!

Yes, it's closest to D'Nealian, even though it doesn't come right out and call itself that. It does teach both styles of capital Q though--the one that looks like a curly 2 (yuck!) and the O-based (much better :D). HTH!

Megan, thanks for this tip! I looked it up on Amazon and it has very favorable reviews from others as well. I am downloading his freebies from the website right now to get a better look. :D Also, I have appreciated everyone's links to web resources as well. I am bookmarking them all to check out! Thanks, ladies! :thumbup:

It looks like fun, but I am wondering how practical it would be to do with 5 students...would I really need to get 3 extra student packs? (Adds another $75!) Are the craft projects worth it? Or could I photocopy the student books that would come with the original set and assemble my own extra student craft materials? Thanks for your input!

Thanks, all of you, for the suggestions and the links so far. Savannah, we're in MO so I don't think we have the same Discovery Ed. perks here :) Anyone else out there want to chime in with top shelf favorite resource?

Jackie, I am unfamiliar with Discovery Streaming. Is it free, or something you pay for to have a subscription? Can you give me a link to the Spanish lessons streaming section? Thank you!

We have enjoyed using "Cheerful Cursive." http://rainbowresource.com/product/Cheerful+Cursive/018482/1274767611-1961829 Good explanatory intros and letters are grouped by type of stroke. Instead of tracing over a dotted version, the tracing portion is actually inside of cursive letters (done "bubble letter style" (for lack of a better way to describe it). This has actually made it easier fro my kids because they can still see the letter shape outline around where they are writing, instead of it disappearing under their pencil/pen, etc. We took our book apart and laminated the pages so we can use a Vis-a-Vis pen and wipe clean when finished for the next kid.

You may wish to check out Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space. Cheaper at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Kids-Explore-Earth-Space/dp/1892427192/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274767066&sr=8-1 but more info, reviews and previews of table of contents, etc. over at CBD.

Just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful links on this thread (and links to threads with more links!) I'll be bookmarking this thread until I can check out all the sites mentioned. We also like Starfall (previously linked) and I like the homeschooling (and home management) printables available at www.donnayoung.org as well as the online grammar tests at www.englishgrammar101.com/Lessons/Default.aspx (Navigation is through the sidebar and no password is needed for individuals or homeschoolers.)

If you could only buy ONE resource for teaching Spanish, what would it be and why? Also, if you have found a FREE resource that you love either online or through your local library, would you mind sharing it here? My children (who range in age from 3-12) want to learn Spanish. We had started with German (Muzzy and Rosetta Stone) because we have German heritage, but I think we've come to the conclusion that Spanish would be more practical. So your input about the Spanish programs or resources you love would be greatly appreciated! :bigear: Thanks in advance!

For those of you who have tried this, is it just overpriced "pretty" silly putty? Or have you found it really helpful with your wiggly children? If so, do you have a preference between color-changing, glow-in-the-dark and heat sensitive? Thanks for your thoughts/input! (BTW, for those who clicked on here wondering "what is thinking putty?" here's a link: http://www.timberdoodle.com/Heat_Sensitive_Thinking_Putty_p/284-heat.htm

Are you hoping to purchase German curriculum? (If so, I have Rosetta Stone and Muzzy, both in German...just PM me) Or are you hoping for people's recommendations on particular programs they've liked best? Wow--just to have a fluent tutor (even a non-native!) is an excellent head start!

I agree! I just purchased this for the coming year but find it will role better into our earth & space science curriculum for the year rather than what I typically associate with geography (studying and mapping countries, learning various landforms & water bodies, other map skills, etc.)

People with "gifts" as their love language tend to be excellent at both giving and receiving gifts. Those who have some other primary love language seem to struggle a little more. When they give something, they may expect something in return (even if it's just gratitude) and when they receive, they do want to reciprocate. Part of it is upbringing, too. My parents (who have "talking" and "acts of service" as their love languages) do not LOVE giving gifts like I do (I'm a "gifts" and "physical touch" person). They feel obligated to "return the favor" because they don't want anyone to feel they're taking advantage of their generosity. I have tried to tell them that for gift givers, much of the pleasure is to just see the other person receive it and enjoy it, and to not get in the way of people's desire to be generous. They're still working on it ;) Anyway, try not to take it personally. Their desire to "pay you back" may be something they were taught or something they learned through negative experience. Whatever the case, just count it as a sign that they appreciate your gesture and keep being the generous, wonderful friend it sounds like you are!

I really enjoy FB. It's very easy for me to get sucked in on forums and spend WAY too much time there, but with FB, I just check status updates briefly throughout the day. I'm a very relational person, and reading people's updates gives me a little peek into their mindset at any given moment, as well as the chance to interact in a much more economical & efficient way than calling, snail mailing or even e-mailing. (We've moved 13 times and I have friends all over the country, so keeping up with all of them would really be a challenge otherwise!) I also love how people who all know me (but don't know each other) often wind up interacting through comments on status updates. I don't play all the games and frankly can't figure out how many folks have the time to play so much! :D (Of course, I'm spending time too, just interacting instead of playing.) People who like to gossip in real life can find a way to be hurtful with or without FB (though using social media apps certainly make it more public!) So for that, I'd blame the people, not the application! :p