Thanks so much you guys.... off to Google!

Straight to the point... is there other curriculum that is similar to Five in a Row? Most of my kids are older now but I have my last little surprise babe about to start school. I swore to myself when I found out we were having him that we would do some FUN literature based learning in the early years... well, that time is here now and honestly I'm so busy and FIAR just looks like I have too much to put together on my end to actually get it done. So, what would be similar in the sense that it is literature based but provides activities and not just discussion questions? I know what to use to teach phonics and math, but I'm looking for that little bit of magic, interest, and fun. I have not researched lower elementary curriculum in so long I have no idea what is out there. Thanks so much!!

I am currently using CLE LTR for the second time with my almost 1st grade son. I really love it! My first son began reading with OPGTR along with ETC. He really, really hated it. In hindsight I know I was pushing too hard, but at the time we blamed it on the program. So we found CLE LTR and couldn't have been happier. It really pushed him into fluently reading. I definitely never looked back at ETC! The CLE 1st grade LA program is not meant to be started until the first 3 or 4 lightunits of LTR are completed - they go hand in hand. We started this with my oldest but he really struggled with it (once again, cause I was pushing too much). I am currently waiting for my new order of lightunits to arrive cause it will be perfect for my 2nd little boy. By the time they are halfway done with LTR they are good and ready for the Sonlight 1st grade readers. HTH!

We are finishing up Adventures right now, with just turned 8 and 6 year olds. So we were using it for Kinder and 2nd grade. My kids loved all the stuff we did and have enjoyed every story, other than some of the more boring biographies. Having said that, we will be moving away from MFW this year (after also using Kinder and 1st grade MFW). I don't care for the MFW LA or science suggestions, so I just couldn't justify spending the big bucks on it anymore. I also have a difficult time getting to the library and reserving the books we needed. After I failed to do it well for the first month or so I decided just to buy a bunch of books from the booklists. Sadly most of the books I purchased were just ok. My kids weren't thrilled with them and neither was I. I also felt like it was lacking in the Bible area. The names study is great (my kids have their posters proudly displayed in their rooms) but I was just hoping for a bit more meat. So there. I'm the one dissenting voice. :huh: I think it can be a great program, it just wasn't a good fit for us.

We started out with MUS, tried MM and ended up moving to CLE Math. With MUS my son was very bored with the mastery approach, and like the original poster mentioned mine forgot the "tricks" after a couple of weeks. We moved over to CLE and he started telling me math is his favorite subject. A LightUnit is just another word for a workbook. There are ten for the year. Each LU is divided into daily lessons (between 10 and 15) , 2 quizzes, and a test. The teachers guide is very detailed and shows you how to teach each concept. I personally think CLE math is a bit ahead in the younger grades... not sure in the later. In math 1 and 2 there are a lot of review questions, so we are able to cross out a few each day for him to skip and he feels like it is something special. He also really feels accomplished when he finishes a LightUnit and gets to start a brand new one. For 1st grade math we wrote a special reward at the top of each unit to celebrate completing it... you know, little stuff like going to get frozen yogurt. He was so movitated to do his work! Not sure what my long term plan is with math, but plan on sticking with CLE for as long as it works!

We used MFW 1st last year and are currently using Adventure with my two boys (5 and 7). I am considering switching to the SCM history for next year. When we started MFW 1st my son was already ahead of the reading level as well. We trudged through it but he HATED it. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal cause it was easy, but we eventually dropped the blue book. He enjoyed the Bible reader but was very unhappy with the Bible notebook. He was frustrated he couldn't draw that well and really disliked writing the summary sentences. Looking back now, I wish I had done something like SCM. I really created a negative attitude in his mind about school from that one year. I know lots of moms on this board are push, push, pushing in those early years but I think the gentle pace of SCM is perfect for that age. We school year round so I was hoping to fit the 6 years into 5. They should be coming out with a new guide in the next few weeks to include the new spine.

We use CLE for Math and LA (and love it!). We have been using My Father's World for history and science but are making changes in that area. We are working on switching over to Sonlight for history and hopefully Nancy Larson for science (if I can find the funds).

We used MUS Primer and half of Alpha for my now 7 year old son. He really hated how many problems there were on the MUS pages. This seems crazy to me cause it is really not that many, but for some reason it overwhelmed him, even though it was only one page. I also realized at the halfway mark that he could figure out any of the problems, but didn't really understand them. He knew how to get the correct answer with the blocks, but didn't get what it meant. So I decided to supplement with CLE cause I was hesitant to give up on MUS. But just 2 units into CLE we dropped MUS completely. Even though CLE is 3 pages my son doesn't mind it. He loves that it is just a few of each type of problem. And more importantly he suddenly understands it and is now able to memorize it. He is now able to use his MUS blocks for his CLE work if he gets stuck. Having said all that (sorry for the tangent!) if you decide not to stick with MUS I think you should pay extra attention to some of the written directions in the CLE manual. I didn't realize till 70 lessons in that almost every day I was supposed to have my son show me certain numbers on the hundreds/tens/ones chart in the back of the unit. We started doing that but with his decimal street that we made last year. Overall we have been much happier with CLE. This year I am planning on supplementing with RS for my kinder son cause I'm hoping it lays a better foundation with place value than MUS. I feel like I have said nothing helpful, but I wanted to share our experience with the 2 programs. :001_smile:

You should check out Christian Light (CLE). Each subject comes in what they call Light Units, but are really just workbooks. :001_smile: Lots of blanks to fill in, but also really strong academically. We love their math, language arts, and reading. We write tiny rewards (like going for yogurt) at the top of each workbook and it thrills my son when he finishes one. He really feels like he has accomplished something.

I am currently using CLE Learning To Read with my six year old, at a pace a little behind his reading ability. We were using Explode the Code and he hated it, but is quite happy with LTR. I am too! I was looking at the schedule they include at the beginning of the TM and realize that they suggest starting their Language Arts program soon. We having been using FLL but would consider switching or supplementing with the CLE LA. So my question is for Learning to Read users - was it beneficial to add in the LA or was it just repetitive? I've looked at the samples and just can't decide...

We have been using Intro to Science this year and I am super happy with it. The subjects interest my kids (5 and 3) and it is very easy for me to implement. We've been happy with the books she suggested, and the kids love all the notebooking pages. If she didn't actually have a page all ready for me I would never take the time to take a photo, print it, and then let the kids narrate a sentence about the experiment we just did. They adore looking back through their science binder and talking about everything we have done. Without a doubt we will be using it again next year for first grade. Are some of the drawings not of the highest quality? Yes, but it certainly doesn't seem to bother my kiddos. And haven't noticed a grammar problem, but I don't have the best grammar myself, so who knows! :)

We are currently in about halfway through our kindergarten year, and I see that my son is just NOT understanding numbers. We are working through McRuffy K math, and it is generally going really well, flying through everything not number related. I have been extremely happy with the program as our first start in HSing. My son was very anti school until our McRuffy books arrived, so that alone was worth the $! I think he has really missed that basic understanding of numbers and place value. I know it is just Kinder, but I can see that moving ahead he will just be lost. I have been planning to move to Singapore for his first grade year, but I would like to supplement the rest of our K year with something to really give him a strong math background. So, I guess what I'm asking is what would be the best supplement for the last 6 months of our K year? Rightstart A? Math U See? I was drawn to RS, but it is kinda pricey for me for just a supplement that I don't plan on continuing down the road. Any thoughts and ideas are appreciated! Thanks! Laura :)

It seems kind of early, but I am trying to make some decisions for next year, while I still have my tax return to spend! :lol: I am currently using McRuffy K phonics with my son, and I have been pretty much happy with it. We originally started with OPGTR, which my son hated. Tears every single time I pulled it out. Once we started with McRuffy I had a son who begged to do school. He especially loves the funny readers and characters, and so do I. We are also working through ETC. There are times when both he and I feel like it is moving too slowly, but my son is not a super speedy reader, so I feel like the reinforcement is OK. We had a baby this past fall, so we started school late, so we are only half way through K. My problem is that I do not love having the grammar and spelling all tied together with the phonics. I had originally planned to just continue with McRuffy's 1st grade phonics, but after having studied the samples online, it appears to be heavily grammar and spelling centered. I feel like if I dropped those parts and just stuck with their phonics portions there would not be much left. And I feel sad to not use the other programs I have been researching for years, like WWE, FLL, and AAS. Has anybody else switched from McRuffy K to something else for *just* phonics for 1st grade? I feel tempted to just suck it up and go back to OPGTR, but I really feel like my boy would miss the readers. Any other McRuffy users have these issues?

I am about 80 lessons into it with my five year old son, and I pretty much am happy with it. It is definitely short and to the point, and my son does not get overwhelmed by the amount of work required each day. I am liking the spiral approach, and it requires the perfect amount of work for my easily frustrated son. Very open and go, which I appreciate since we have a new baby in the house. The games, which I thought would be boring, have been a huge hit with my boys (even my 3 yo). I also love how he works all kinds of skills into each page. Sometimes it directs you to write the answer next to the purple rhombus, or the orange rectangle. So many times you get 2 lessons in one. For some kids, though, I can see how that could be overwhelming. I *occasionally* wonder if it is not moving fast enough. But I think that is just my crazy need to push, push, push! :)

Don't know about the vendors, but we are currently using it and loving it. My boys are 3 and 5, so we are just using the student activity pages and the timeline cards. My boys LOVE this, and beg to do it every day. We didn't buy the CD for the music, but have regretted it. I have had to search for equivalent songs on itunes and it just would have been so much easier to have it all in one place. At this age we are doing 1 lesson every two days. We do the timeline, review questions, and then the Bible story the first day. On the second day we repeat the timeline and review questions, and then do the application and coloring page part. I am very impressed with how much my kids are picking up, especially my three year old. They eagerly hold their crayon boxes just listening for the instruction on what to "do" in each box. They really love it, and they stay super focused. My oldest son is doing kinder this year, and we will stick with the 3-K level again for first grade. Hope that helps! Happy to answer any other questions!

I ordered this for my kindergartener, and even though we haven't started it yet, I am beyond pleased with it!! My son HATES anything resembling school work (his official response "Mom, thinking is hard."), and this is the only thing having him get excited about starting kinder! I told him about a few of the experiments and he tells every person he meets about it! I love it! I downloaded and then had someone with access to a printer print it for me for free....... but I would have done that anyways, just cause it is so much easier to make second copies of things and such. You know, those, ooops, my 3 year old just spilled juice all over that and I need another copy moments! :001_smile:

:bigear: Hoping you'll get some replies!!

I've been looking for a Bible curriculum/guide to use with my kindergartener this year, and think I've finally found what I wanted in BSGFAA for 3-K. We already read from the Bible daily and do a quick devotion in the mornings, so I wanted something different AND easy since we will have a new baby in the house come September! My question is if I need to order the teacher's guide? When you click on the link for the 3-K page, it shows just the Beginner Student Pages, and the Beginner Time line listed. That was all I was gonna get, but then I read a few threads where people said they just used the teacher's guide and not the pages. That got me thinking maybe I needed that too! I would also love any reviews from people that have used this for their littles..... I mostly see people using it for the upper elementary grades! Thanks!!

I'm interested to hear what others have to say about this! I seem to have the same ideas as you, Angel - just ordered McRuffy phonics and Math K this morning! At this age I think the history/social studies/geography is really the fun part - and really just an extra. I just can't seem to find something that seems fun! Most of the options are at opposite extremes - either really advanced and boring, or just coloring pages of Abe Lincoln! ;)

No advice here.... But I am anxious to see the responses! I have pretty much settled on McRuffy phonics K for my son, but can't decide about the math. :bigear:

Shay, it's not so much that I want a "schoolish" program, it is just what I lean towards due to my teaching past! :001_smile: Most of the programs homeschoolers use just don't seem like "enough" compared to what you do to teach in a public school! Ha! And yes, Ellie, I do figure he's just about where he should be - I just want to make sure I pick the right thing for him to progress! Everything just seems like too much, or too little. I'll have to check out the Alpha Phonics.

I am looking for experience/advice for choosing a phonics curriculum for my 5yo little boy. We used MFW K for preschool this past year, but he is still struggling with reading just CVC words. He knows all his letters and sounds, but is having a hard time. I started using OPGTR, just through the CVC lessons, but he still guesses all the time. It's almost like he does well during the actual reading lesson, but if we're some place else and he tries to read something he has no clue. SO, I have been researching what to use for kinder for him. I feel like he needs something perhaps with a few more bells and whistles, or maybe just more practice. I am intrigued with CLE learn to read, heard great things about Abeka, and as a former public school teacher am drawn to the "schoolness" of BJU. Any ideas?? Also, we're expecting baby #3 at the end of the summer, so I don't want something overly teacher intensive! Thanks in advance!!