I have a 6 year old going into Gr.1 (who's a bit behind due to PS), and an 8 year old going into Gr.3. I've researched, researched, and researched and I think I have it all picked out. Any critiques? Things I'm missing? K/Gr.1: McRuffy LA Kindergarten BOB Books for readers & library books Math Mammoth Gr.1 Gr.3: McRuffy LA 3rd Grade Books of his choosing from library/home Math Mammoth Gr.2 BOTH: Science: REAL Science Odyssey - Earth & Space History: SOTW Vol.1 Geography: Canada, My Country w/map Piano Lessons FIAR & BFIAR for both as a fun supplement I may also add a typing program as we go along, I don't want to throw too much on them at once since this is our first year. For health/gym it will just be out daily "life". Cooking, discussing things during meals, playing at the park, etc. We'll probably put the kids in swimming lessons and maybe karate & dance. I'm also going to be reading The Boxcar Children series to them aloud and just asking questions for reading comprehension (my older son needs to work on this a bit.) Whaddya' think? :bigear:

I don't have any feedback on the program as I just ordered it yesterday, but I agree that they look awesome! I did a ton of looking around before ordering and I couldn't find one bad remark about them. The customer service is awesome, I emailed him three times and he always got back to me within a half hour. I was hesitant at first just because they only went up to Gr.3, (my oldest needs Gr.3), but the Gr. 4 program should be finished in August and as far as I know he's planning on going up to Gr.6.

Anyone else used either of these programs?

Are you finding that your kids are retaining their math facts? It seems this is the main problem most parents have with spiral vs. mastery, is that some kids didn`t retain as much since it`s constantly moving on. How long have you used it for?

Has anyone here used both? Pros and Cons of each? This will be my first year HSing my 1st and 3rd grader, so I`m unsure of what type of learners they will be for math. I had decided to go with MM, but now I`m going to use McRuffy for LA so I`m considering just using their program for Math as well but would like to know if their Math is as well liked as MM. THANKS!!

I like that Spalding is an all-in-one, but it looks kind of old-fashioned/boring to me too, so does MCT. *hide* Maybe I need to be more open-minded, but because my kids have gone to PS already, I just know that they're going to groan when they see either of those curriculums. I've definitely decided against LLATL after reading all the reviews. I really wanted it to be great as I love the idea of it! I'm looking at CLE right now, any feedback on it? I know it`s religious, but how religious? I don`t mind a bit of religion thrown in and the odd mention of God, but I don`t want a completely religious-based program. I LOVE the look of McRuffy, but it worries me that I`d have to find a new program in two years for my oldest son. Would I be better off just piecing together my own curriculum now so I don`t end up jumping around too much?

I feel like I've been beating my head against a wall! I'm getting ready to start my first year of HSing with my kids, who will be going into Gr.1 & Gr.3. I have all my curriculum picked out except an LA course for my Gr.3er. For Gr.1, I was just planning on doing ETC, reading BOB books, and Canadian Handwriting A since she is not reading yet. Once she's reading I may add in a spelling/grammar/writing program. For my Gr.3er though, I have no clue! I believe strongly in the 3R's, and want the kids to get a great base in reading/writing/math. I'm looking for secular curriculum, and it seems like all the great LA programs are religious based. I would prefer an all-in-one program since this is my first year. Many people have told me to just read books and do lots of narration/dictation/copywork, but that seems unbelievably boring to me! I've looked at WWE and FLL but they look so boring. :001_unsure: I was looking at LLAL and was starting to love it, then I read the reviews on homeschoolreviews.com. :( And they weren't good! Most people said it needs a lot of supplementing, so I'm thinking if you need to supplement so much then you might as well piece together your own and save yourself the money. Any feedback or suggestions? Or even suggestions on piecing together a curriculum myself? I was thinking of doing Canadian Handwriting C, Easy Grammar Gr.3, and I'm unsure about writing, spelling, and vocab. Edited to add: Does anyone have feedback on McRuffy? A couple people have suggested it to me but it doesn't seem to be very popular and I'm worried about not using something that's tried-and-true.

I have a dd who did kindy at public school, and I'm now going to HS for Gr.1. She isn't reading yet, so that will be my main focus this year. I'm going to use Explode the Code with her, and if it's needed I may also add TYCTR in 100 lessons. I'm planning on using Canadian Handwriting A with her, and using BOB Books for readers. When she's not able to read yet, would you add in anything else for a Language Arts program? Or maybe add in things once she learns to read? Grammar? Spelling? Writing? Vocab?

Thanks!! I didn't realize I even could do that since I'm ordering off of amazon.ca. That's a great deal compared to purchasing each set of student pages for 4 kids altogether. Thank you!

Thanks! I think I may go with the CD, book, activity guide and two copies of student pages then to save time copying, as I also have two other younger children that will hopefully use this in coming years. I'll skip the tests. One other question, how long did it take you to complete one book of the series? I plan on doing history maybe a couple times a week.

Is it worth it to buy the whole package? I was thinking of just getting the book and activity book, are the tests and CD worth it? Do you prefer to just read the stories to your kids or listen to the CD? What about the student pages, are they a must have? (My kids are in Gr.1 & 3).

What about Noeo Science? They have a physics kit or you can buy the experiements/books separately: http://www.noeoscience.com/physI.html Oops, the above link is for the Physics I kit, they have a Physics II kit for Gr.4 and up: http://www.noeoscience.com/physII.html