I have been trying to decide if I should add a more "formal" (for lack of a better description) supplement to MCT for grammar. My ds has completed Island level. I don't think he is ready for town level. He would only be in 2nd grade next year if we were in ps. I would like to add some writing exercises and have some measurable grammar work this coming year. I noticed some people referring to Killgallon books. Any thoughts on if these would be appropriate for a 7-8 year old. He is likely more at third grade as far as ability level. We have not really worked on writing specifically. Also, I was considering critical thinking co's Language smarts program as a fun way to review concepts he learned in MCT island level. Any thoughts would be appreciated!! Even if you think I should go an entirely different route or just stick with MCT alone. Thanks!

Love it! I am from GA and it doesn't bother me that it is a state name. It is unique, yet traditional.

This is an answer to prayer!!! I have been planning this topic for next year with my 2nd and 1st grader. Thank you so much!!!

Orient expressed. They have great coordinating outfits. I actually decided to rep their line for home shows this year. I have bought from them for 7 years. You can order on line. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about time frame as far as getting them. I typically get them quickly. Sometimes depends on what you order as far as availability. Good luck!

IEW: primary arts of language. You child is probably past the beginning. But, it would still be a good match I think. You could decide where to start. They have a money back offer if it is not a good fit. The price tag is much better than PR. It uses AAS for spelling. I find it VERY similar to the meat of PR. (I have sold PR recently). So far, we LOVE IEW PAL. We also use MCT. This is great for my visual learner!!! Good luck!

We love Windsor Hills. We have stayed there twice in 4 BR home. So close to the parks! For future reference, or if anyone else needs an idea, you may want to look into Caribe Royale Resort. They have 2 bedroom villas for really good rates. They have a one-day sale each wednesday. It was very clean when we stayed. It had tons of space for the money. It is also close and has a shuttle to the parks. We typically stay on property at the wilderness lodge or boardwalk villas. The caribe royale was suprisingly nice for the $$. Have fun!!!

First.... hugs to you! I think hearing how you should be able to do it is the last advice you are looking for. My kiddos are about the same age as yours.. 7,6,4, and 2. I have the same "ideal" curriculums picked out and sitting on the shelf. I keep trying to make them fit our life. The reality is they just don't at the present time. I have bought and sold Phonics Road (multiple times, which is scary considering my children are rather young). We loved MFW adventures as well. The reality is that with children these ages, life NEVER goes as planned, and it seldom goes the same two days in a row. So, I find myself beating myself up for not following through with my "schedule". I have looked at curriculum options so many times until my husband says I must own some of every curriculum ever designed. I tend to gravitate towards the same ones you have listed. So, long story short....I can relate. On a positive note, I think I have finally hit a place where I have peace and can breathe. I finally quit buying curriculum that is scheduled. If it is scheduled , I have decided to think of it as day 1,2,3,4,etc. vs. week 1 monday, tuesday,etc. This has helped me just push forward as we can vs feeling like a failure if we only accomplished 3/4ths or 1/4 of the days plans. I always thought that the weekly would keep me on track. I have found that just knowing what is next in each subject is a better fit because I don't become discouraged at the end of each week. I have set quarterly goals. I will evaluate our progress at that point. I WILL NOT let myself obsess over how much or little we did each day. I will look at the big picture not become stuck because the baby had a bad day or the oldest just wanted to be outside. We do have structure. The three oldest have a checklist and a folder with some independent math and vocabulary to do each day. The checklist has chores and all of the school work listed in general terms (this helps me to keep track that we are actually getting something accomplished). Each night they bring me the checklist to get a small allowance. This puts the responsibility on them (one less thing for me to remember to do). They also must complete independent tasks on the checklist before having any screen or outside time. If I become busy and the day falls apart, I know that they have at least completed some math, reading, and vocabulary each day. I try to have reading be related to history so that it is being addressed even if I can't get to it. IEW PAL reading and writing has helped us immensely. My oldest are not really using the beginning since they can read well.But, we are doing story sequencing and discussing copywork together (which is most of the time that it takes). The youngest is not doing AAS yet. But, otherwise I really have been able to use PAL phase 1 and 3 simultaneously with different children without requiring too much individual time. It is definitely working better than when I was trying to do PR. We do Rightstart math. I instruct the third child for just 10 minutes or so (only 3 times a week) and then have the oldest play math games with the 3rd. We are using MOH for history and we all do that together. It is very manageable. I used to try to add 10 things to it. I have stopped adding although I still try to use VP cards. I love them. We are slowly doing apologia astronomy. SLowly being key. It is the last thing I worry about getting done. If they want to be outside we try to look at creation around us and chat about it! My oldest is doing math online with EPGY math. I can't say enough good things about it. PM me if you want details. He loves it.....which is saying a lot!!! I have no idea if this will help or confuse. Just thought I would share what FINALLY works for us! I send you happy hugs and prayers. Just realize this young stage is just a stage. Find some things they can be independent with and just move forward as you can with a big goal, not daily or weekly, in mind. Oh, sorry for the broken grammar and stream of thought writing..I am tired!!! Good luck, Kim

Thanks for all of your comments. I was leaning towards WP AS1 and I think you have nudged me a little farther that way!! Thank you!

No, I just changed my signature. My oldest is 7.5, then 6.5. They are reading at 3rd -4th grade reading level. So, I think they can handle sonlight 3 for sure. They read sonlight advanced 2 readers this past year. I haven't seen WP.

We love it! If you like IEW's approach to writing, I think you would be happy. feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. I do like AAS though. We were using PR. This has been a positive change for us. Oh, their return policy is great. So, you could just try it out .

So, I have bought and sold MFW adventures. It was a great program, but something about it (which I can't put my finger on) did not resonate well with my crew. I think it may have been the notebook and maybe the CLP and the MFW Story of the US book that that sort of had us feeling like we were drudging through instead of enjoying the books. I still need a american history resource. I considered pulling one together on my own...not happening. So, I bought Sonlight 3 on this board. I thought we could do the history read-alouds and readers. Then I loooked at WP American Story 1 last night. It looks like it uses wonderful books. I have not heard many positive things about WP customer service, so that makes me a little concerned. I guess I am wanting something that will engage my crew. Anyone out there use these??? Any thoughts? Pros/cons???

My 7 and 6 yr. olds are loving MCT and I have added IEW PAL:writing. We are only using the third phase of it (it starts with letters, we are well past that). Then we will move into IEW TWSS. They have some create your own lessons that will be age appropriate. If you haven't looked into IEW, it is worth looking into for sure. We tried WWE, and I got the same looks that you describe every time I pulled it out. Mine seem to be responding well to IEW. They have learned how to summarize stories and organize those thoughts quickly. I HIGHLY recommend IEW. It sounds like you may be able to just jump in with TWSS and the earlier create your own lessons with your daughter. My 7 year old is full boy. That is why we started with PAL. The return policy at IEW is AMAZING. You can try it out and if it doesn't work, they really do take it back!!! Oh, and MCT is AMAZING as well. I could go on and on about it all day. My kids LOVE it compared to everything else!!! Good luck!!

Love IEW. Mine are too young for TWSS. I had purchased it last year not knowing when we should start it. I have since purchased their new PAL: writing. It is a great "bridge" for my older two since they are not quite ready for TWSS. We are starting in phase 3 of PAL:writing. I am very pleased with it. My younger two are able to start at phase 1 of PAL: reading and writing. I can't say enough about good things about IEW. EXCELLENT customer service!!!!!

I am laughing as I read this! Right before I read this my son stated, " Do we have to have family dinner tonight? We do that too much. I just want to eat a hotdog". He said this because he saw me bring home ice cream from the store. It must be calling his name! Anyway... yes, we do eat dinner as a family as much as possible! I can say most families we know have too many activities to be home at meal times.

I am starting to feel like I am a walking poster child for IEW PAL: writing. It incorporates AAS and has copywork, story sequencing. I am really loving it. I also feel like I finally have LA "covered". We do this and MCT Island at a slow rate. Let me know if you have questions about it!

Still following this thread for a miracle answer!! Bath soap is what I use to get the stains out. It seem sto work better than dish soap. I just would like to get rid of the problem altogether!!

Oh, It is a book that you read together with "review" buit in. There are four books per level. We are working on Island Level. Grammar island discusses all the parts of speech, clause, sentence. It s based ona four-level analysis. I am not doing it justice in my description. If you end up needing more details PM me and I can be much more descriptive. All that to say ... not too teacher intensive or student intensive. We just read it together and work as we go. You could do as much or as little as you want at a time. There is sentence Island and a poetry and vocabulary book as well. There is also a practice Island book if you feel that you need some worksheet type work as you go. LOVE this program. Let me know if you need more details.

Not sure about sample of MCT. But, if you buy it you won't be disappointed. I was reading the thread, and I was about to respond with MCT as the perfect fit. Then I saw your question about it. I Love it, my son loves it . It somehow works very well. (I am in a hurry though so don't judge the grammar program based on my typing and writing skills at this moment!!!) Good Luck!!!

I would look at IEW's new PAL: writing. We re in the same boat as you are. DD and DS 6 and 7 are reading well. We haven't addressed writing except copywork with WWE. I just felt like we were behind with the "writing component" of LA. This program is INCREDIBLE. In fact I have sold most of the programs people have suggested since i bought this. It uses AAS (Which is great by itself but even better with this). The AAS is part of each "lesson" with copywork, stroy sequencing, all that you need. I can't say enough about how much I love this. I feel like we are finally covering the writing portion of LA adequately and will be ready to move on with IEW TWSS later! Truly can't say enough about it!!!! Check it out ! Thought I would add that the PAL : reading is great but you won't need it for the level at which you are working. The best part of PAL:writing is that it is all laid out day by day. No pulling from 3 or 4 different books. Good Luck!

We have the same problem. UUGH! It is driving me crazy. I read somewhere online that it is fabric softener. We typically don't use dryer sheets. When i first started noticing them we were using Purex sheets with the detergent softener and all in 1 sheet. I stopped using those. The frequency of the spots has definietly decreased. In theory you can rub the spot with soap (normal soap) and then wash it and it will come out. I have a stack that is waiting for me as we speak. I would love to know if anyone has any other ideas re: cause and solution. I can't afford to continue wasting very nice clothes at this point!!

We just switched from the latter part of PR 1 to AAS. I had no idea that AAS used flashcards with the phonograms just like PR 1 until it arrived. I had actually just bought it because it was part of the IEW new Primary arts of language. So, I thought I would change all of them over to AAS. We have been using MCT for grammar and LOVE it!!! So, my older two (6 &7) are doing AAS (going through 1 and 2 quickly thinking we will settle into 2 or 3??), MCT Island level, and IEW PAL Writing (we are starting towards end:part III composition with style). My middle (5 in May) is starting IEW PAL writing and reading. He enjoys it. It has a phonetic farm for all the phonemes. It gains his attention much better than PR. I had horrible guilt for giving up PR because I felt it was so wonderful in theory. But, with a houseful of primary age kiddos and preschoolers, it just wasn't happening for us. I sold PR and was worried I would regret it. Since the AAS and PAL materials arrived, I feel I have the best of both worlds. The flashcards with the phonemes and all the sounds presented very much like PR in a much more child/mom friendly presentation. I know there are people out there that feel PR is easy to use. With 4 children at different levels, I was falling way short of using the PR material in an effective manner. Probably my own fault/issue...not PR. Hope this helps!

I think you would be ok with level 2 as well! I am actually hoping to post that on the for sale board today. So, let me know if you are interested! Thanks!

Have you looked into IEW? Mine are not quite ready for it yet. So, no personal experience. I am waiting to get to use it. It looks great for just writing. Maybe someone out there has actually used it!!