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Roxy Roller

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Everything posted by Roxy Roller

  1. Has anyone used this writing curriculum? It looks like it is loosely based on The Lively Art of Writing. http://www.thewritefoundation.org/13_Introduction.html
  2. Thank you, Robin. I like the looks of this, but I am on my last child, and it seems a little over my budget.
  3. Thank you all for your posts! I will check into these options. Thank you for reminding me about StartWrite. I have it, so maybe I need to just make up my own sheets and work from there. I might see if I have my daughters old Abeka worksheets, to guide me in a reasonable progression.
  4. A little background... ...I taught my DD11 cursive at the age of 4 with Abeka. She has beautiful handwriting. I tried to do the same thing with my three sons in the middle, and we suffered through a couple of years with it before I dropped it and switched to manuscript. They started cursive again when they hit 3rd Grade and they are all handwriting beautifully now. The other day I was telling my DS5 that he was printing his 'o' wrong. He was going clockwise, instead of counter-clockwise. He threw down his pencil and announced that he wanted to learn cursive instead. I said that he had to learn his printing first. Later, I realized that maybe he could learn cursive like his sister. I just assumed that he would be like his other three brothers. I guess my question is, what should I look at for a 'cursive first' curriculum? I don't really have any desire to go back to Abeka, and I honestly want something that is open and go - he likes workbooks, and is very independent. Thanks in advance!
  5. I am looking for math drill games that I can download to my computer. I have a slow internet connection, so online games do not work very well. I am looking for basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Any suggestions?
  6. I agree that all of these programs will work, the reason I like Saxon Phonics 2 for a older student, is that it covers all of the spelling rules in one year, which is great if you just need a brush up. Most of the programs listed above are multi-year programs.
  7. If you listen to SWB's audios, she will say that a poor speller, needs to run back through a phonics program. We have struggled with spelling here, and we have tried many spelling programs. We are now using Saxon Phonics 2, and all of my older children are going through it - even DD11 is sitting in on our lessons. It is a thorough review and includes a mix of phonics and sight words. It is time-consuming, and expensive, but I will tell you that it is the best homeschooling decision I have made in a long time. http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=saxon+phonics+2&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1&search= ETA: Take it from someone who has BTDT - do everything in your power to correct the spelling problems as early as possible. I have found that now that we are working more on content, I wish that we would have corrected the skill area of spelling sooner.
  8. Maybe we should design one together? I wish I had more hours in my day!:tongue_smilie:
  9. Are Knowledge Box Central and Live and Learn Press the only General Science options for lapbooks or notebooks? Are there any more out there that are done a little, well, nicer? My DD is very creative, as am I, and these look rather childish for use at this age. I am looking for something that has more continuity as far as actual design. And yes, I could design mine own, but with 5 children, time is a factor in my household. Are there any other options?
  10. I have tried many programs - Abeka, AAS, ETC, OPGTTR and PP. Ultimately, I have learned that it has to be a program that you as a teacher will be consistent with. I am currently using Saxon Phonics, and it is getting the job done. I am using it remedially for my three older boys(we tried all of the above programs). I want to make sure they don't have any 'holes', and I have just ordered the K level to run my youngest through, before using Saxon Phonics 1 in the fall. It is fairly expensive, and uses a mixture of phonics and sight words. The thing I like best is the TM, it is scripted and includes a huge amount of review EVERY DAY. It is time-consuming and thorough. I have seen huge jumps in my three oldest boys spelling and reading. I am thrilled. There are samples at christianbook.com.
  11. :iagree:- for the same reasons. My children are doing TOG together and they love it. I would hear a lot of complaining if I tried to separate them. They love telling Dad what they are learning and everyone has something to add to the discussion, even the K'er, who is often playing while we are doing the bulk of our reading. I can see this playing out even more in the future as they get older. I know some teach to the eldest, but I find that with 5 kids that are still pretty young, I tend to lean towards somewhere in the middle.
  12. I love my HP LaserJet 1100(not the all-in-one). I have had it for 10 years and it still works like I bought it yesterday. I wonder if you could find one second hand. I have a color ink-jet, but honestly, it is rarely used. We print almost everything in black and white. I have printed thousands and thousands of pages on this printer. The ink cartridge is around $70, so not cheap, but it lasts forever. I literally think nothing of printing out a 300-400 page book, like one of the SOTW Activity Guides.
  13. I am amazed and in awe of a lot of the ladies here. There are too many to list. I will be thrilled if I can come out at the other end of this homeschool journey with just a portion of the knowledge here. I just want to say that I want to be like you when I grow up!:001_smile:
  14. I am planning SOTW2 with BiblioPlan MR&R to get a church history. BiblioPlan uses the Famous Men series and schedules other readers and read-alouds that come from a Christian POV. It also has a schedule for MOH as an alternative text.
  15. I emailed BiblioPlan, and the first half of the Parent Companion will be ready this spring, the last half will be ready in the fall. I will be using the Famous Men series that is scheduled in the BP guide, as well as one of my Kingfishers for my DD to outline from.
  16. I am currently doing TOG Year 1 with my children, but I will not be continuing with it. It is funny that you posted this, because I just ordered BiblioPlan MR&R and the SOTW2 Activity Guide, today. I have downloaded the activity guide and I am in the process of downloading BP. I am planning on using a combination of BiblioPlan and SOTW2 for next year. I 'may' also get VP MR&R to add in for my DD who will be in 7th Grade. I am happy to hear that others or contemplating the same combination. I am adding BP for the exact same reason that the OP stated. I want a little more Christian Worldview and Church History than SOTW provides.
  17. We choose to do 4 long days - 8am to 4 or sometimes 5pm, for 3 of the days and the 4th day isn't usually quite as long. I have asked my children if they would rather have shorter days and work on the 5th day, but right now, the answer is a resounding 'no'. They like the 5th day to do whatever they want(usually Fridays). I try not to schedule it, but sometimes we have appointments on that day, or field trips with our homeschooling group. Today is their day off this week, and 3 of the 5 are figuring out, on their own, how to weave bookmarks and little rugs, using a cereal box as a base and yarn. One of them is going out to shovel the sledding path and the little guy has a box and is making something;). I love to see how they fill their time on these days off. They are not allowed movies or video games until 4pm, so they find their own things to do. Sometimes it is just curling up by the fire with a good book. I can see that math and science might make this schedule hard for my daughter when she hits 7th grade next year. She may have to do some work on that fifth day, however, I know she will be motivated to get her work done on the regular school days so that she can do things with her brothers on their day off.
  18. I did Abeka with my DD from K4 to 3rd Grade, and then we hit a wall. During her 3rd Grade year, we went through 3 math programs and finally settled on MUS. I also switched my oldest son at the same time, and he was in 1st Grade. We had to do math through the summer, so that we could start the 4th Grade/2nd Grade book in the fall. I do not regret that decision. I would try to take a break first and see that works, and if it doesn't, you still have time to switch to something else and work through the summer to start your next level in the fall.
  19. I am currently using TOG Year 1 with five children. See my brood in my signature. I am also Canadian. I love TOG, but with 5 young children, I do not feel like I am using it as it needs to be used, to get the full benefit. I will not be using it in the fall. I have been doing lots of research and I am narrowing down my options. Feel free to private message me if you want to chat.
  20. The program is Pattern Based Writing - it is only available in ebook form, but here is a link to an essay about it - http://patternbasedwriting.com/PatternBasedWriting_Student_Writing_Success.pdf?vm=r. I hesitate to recommend any program, because I have found that there is no 'right' program for everyone. We each have to find one that resonates with us as homeschooling parents, and our children. As I have looked through this one, I feel that it fits what I want for writing and I also think that SWB's method of outlining will work beautifully with it, which is what I was exactly what I was looking for.
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