We've used Bob Jones K5-2nd. I used the review book(1st & 2nd) as our starting of the day as a review from the day before. It helped him review while I helped my younger son with his lesson. Then I would teach the older son his lesson and do the workbook page. I took the review and workbook apart and put them in a large notebook together side by side for each days lesson. I never bought the manipulatives packet....just printed what I needed or used other items at home. We used the tests for 1st and 2nd grade. It's helpful to see that they are really understanding it. I didn't buy the answer keys though as I could just figure out the answers on my own.

You can do the work at home....just buy the Foundations guide, Audio CD, tin whistle, timeline cards and tutor recommended books for science/fine arts. The program is wonderful....you can look on the CC to get an idea of what the tutor presents in a given week and just do that at home. That said....we started our CC group last year with one in K4 and one in 1st grade. I'm so glad we did....they learned so much. It was and still is, as we rejoined our group, the thing we look forward to each week. We LOVE CC. They have kids who they can relate to who are learning just like them. I have parents who are a support to me. You will be amazed at all that they soak up even at their age. I know that each year we will just build on what we've learned. If you have a group near you, go to an open house to see just what the program offers. Even if you don't join a group, you can see what is done in a day to know what you could do at home. I know it can be a hard decision whether to join or not....you just have to figure out what is best for your family. Either way, CC can be a blessing, I'm sure.

Art/Science Cards - They are beautiful cards....kind of like the VP timeline cards. They have a picture on the front and the topic (like the science sentence) and then on the back...the answer to the topic with related information. They are well done but not completely necessary. The necessary information is covered in the Foundations guide. It depends on how your child learns and how you use them as to if they will be helpful to you or not. The Audio CD has all the memory work on it....One CD has it by subject and one CD has it by week. We use our Audio CD to listen at home or while we are riding in the car. The Memory Work Resource CD is a CD-Rom that you can put in your computer to see a visual picture presentation with the memory work. I let the kids use the Resource CD for review time but you don't have to use it. You can also join the online resource which has the Resource CD information on it....it just means that you don't keep a copy of the Resource CD work...just can use it online. CC's History work is not really based just on a time period but also on geographical areas. This Cycle was European based....so we covered things in SOTW 2-4. I have all 4 books on CD and we listen to the chapters that go along with the history sentence we learned for the week. Then we look up more information in the Usborne World History Encyclopedia and other books. You will see that many people do things differently in each group. It is completely up to you how you want to do it. You're free to use whatever you want for whatever works best for your family. Often in the spring/summer CC has parent practicums...where they also have a bookstore. If they have one near you, you could check out all the things they sell before you actually buy it.

I bought PR1 and really wanted to like it. I really believe in the method of learning phonics/reading/spelling. I found that for me it didn't really work for the way I like to teach and the way my son learns. I found that we both work better with more mastery style lessons where an idea/rule is presented and then worked on. I couldn't wrap my mind around the way that PR1 worked so I ended up finding a phonics/reading program that did that and use AAS to go with it. It has worked out for me so much better. Another issue I had with it is that my son isn't on the same level in all areas that the curriculum covers. By picking different curriculum for the LA subjects, I was able to fit it to his levels better. I believe that PR is a GREAT program but it just didn't work for us. Many find it is the right thing for them. The thing I found tough was that I had to spend $200 to find out it didn't work but I was able to resell it and get most of my money back. Good luck figuring out if it works for you and your child!

My boys LOVE the Focus on the Family Radio Theater edition! It's great and priced great on amazon.

Here is what we will do as part of our CC group next year: History - Story of the World and Usborne Internet Linked World History Encyclopedia/library books going along with the history sentences (American History for Cycle 3) Science - We will either find a curriculum that covers the same topics of Cycle 3 (Anatomy and Chemistry) OR do science experiments and Usborne Internet Linked Science Encyclopedia/library books to cover the science sentences. Literature - Not sure if you mean reading books for literature or grammar/writing. For my younger kids we will keep working on phonics and basic reading while adding spelling(AAS)/grammar(FLL)/writing(WWE). My older son will be working on literature studies of novels while doing AAS,FLL&WWE. Your older student being in Essentials will not need anything when it comes to grammar or writing as they will be covered in that class. You will need to pick your own reading and math but most other things can be covered by your memory work....or you can add more to it....or do completely your own thing with your curriculum. You will see that the range of what people do varies greatly in each class. Each year I'm in CC, I find that I'm more able to use CC and bring in things to go with it rather than just using CC as an add on program. Hope you enjoy your group next year. We love ours and can't imagine doing anything different.

Be sure to check out your local CC group! I'm in a group here in SC and love it....so much that I'm tutoring this year and all 3 of my kids go. It's a wonderful program and you can tailor it to fit your family as you like. You pick the curriculum that you want to do for your family when using the Foundations Program. I use CC as my spine and work from there....so for History and Science we to the same topics as CC but I pick the curriculum that we like (We used Story of the World and Apologia Astronomy this year). The Foundations Memory Materials will help give your child pegs to put other information on....so they learn these facts....and then when they come across something they learned in CC.....they have a light bulb moment and add more information to it. It's very cool to see that happen. They have a great time in their class learning the work together, sharing their presentations, doing science experiments, art projects and learning music/tin whistle. I can't imagine doing school without it at this point and hope to stay in our group for many years to come. Check it out and see if it would be a fit for your family!

My son started CC last year in the K4 class and is now in the K5 class this year. Things I learned through it are that they will see the information again if you stay in the program so there is not a huge pressure on them to learn it in K4. You will however be amazed just by being in class, reviewing at home and listening to the Cds in the car how much they pick up. I will often catch my son singing the history songs around the house or on the swing...which is so cool to me! Another thing is that each week they have to do a presentation...you could start working on those skills so that it is not a shock to you child to stand in front of the class and present. During class, they get the chance to do cool science experiments, play the tin whistle and do art projects. It's not a sit down all day and be quiet kind of program but there are expectations that they cooperate. You will be in class to help them stay focused and you are there to learn the material too. It's a great program and I have a daughter who is 3 and I'm looking forward to starting her when she's 4. Good luck making the decision that works best for your family.

We don't have a full set of encyclopedias but what we do have are the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedias. We use the World History and Science books to go along with our memory work from Classical Conversations. We read the pages and then look up interesting websites from the Usborne book. They are wonderful in that the websites links are found online so they are more likely to be current. Good luck finding what works best for your family!

Bible - Awana Phonics/Reading - Discovering Intensive Phonics Reading - We read to him, have him read to us and have him read silently Spelling - All About Spelling 2 Grammar - First Language Lessons 1/2 Writing - Writing With Ease 1 Math - Math Mammoth 2 and some Bob Jones 2 History - Story of the World & Usborne Internet linked World History Encyclopedia Science - Apologia Astronomy, Classical Conversations & Usborne Internet linked Science Encyclopedia Memory Work - Classical Conversations (we base a good bit of our work on what we are learning there) Geography - Classical Conversations and Puzzles Art - Classical Conversations and Art Class Music - Tin Whistle at Classical Conversations Cursive Handwriting

I can't speak of the long term results of CC as this is our second year but I can say that it has made such a difference for our family. I've got a son in 2nd and one in K5 who love and are thriving in CC. There are always families in the CC groups that either use CC as an added thing to their school or who follow CC as their basis of their school. I would say last year it was an added feature of our school but as I've learned more about the classical model and fallen in love with what CC offers....we have made CC our foundation for this school year. I'm so excited that my kids from an early age will have the Foundations program and then continue hopefully into the Challenge program where they can use the information they are learning now to expand their understanding. Lots of people say that it is expensive but I find that it is such a quality program with tutors who work very hard to do their job. You could always find out if there are tutor positions available as that is what I do to help with the cost. As far as your questions: 1. Have they excelled with the memorized material? My kids are young but have picked up so much of the material. The great thing is when you are learning something else and they tie in their memory work.....that is what makes it all worth it for me. 2. Did they forget it all? I would say that some of the memory work is easier to memories then other so some of the subjects need more work to keep them fresh. The wonderful thing for our family is that they will see this information again when the go through this cycle again but will have a different understanding of it as they will be older and know more information to put with the memory work. 3. Have they developed a good understanding of latin? I would agree with other people who posted when we say that they are just memorizing latin information but not doing a latin program....that comes later. 4. How are they doing in high school and college? Can't speak to this part as my kids are still young 5. If you had it to do over again, would you do CC again? We are having re-enrollment this week and so I sat down with my husband and kids to see what they wanted to do. Husband said he assumed that we would as we've done well with it and the kids were so excited to know they would be going back to be with their CC friends and learning that way again! 6. Do you think it would be beneficial to use this material at home (just the memory work and some of the curriculum...not the foundations book)? You definitely could do the program at home....that said....I don't think that would work as well for us. We love the accountability of being in the group.....love the people who do CC with us....and the time to enjoy our friends who are walking the same walk of homeschooling. 7. Did the kid's enjoy being apart of CC? My boys love being in CC. We do enjoy the time with friends and the fun of learning together. They enjoy the field trips that they go on with their CC group. Like I said, they were excited for another year which says it all for me. 8. What should be my expectations coming into it? If you're checking CC out....go to an Open House and/or Parent Practicum to get a better understanding of the program. I'm not sure which program at CC you are looking at......but know that you're a part of the program. The tutors job is to help you understand the classical model and how to introduce material to your kids. Then you get to review and further cover the information at home during the week. It's not a program where you drop off your kids and have a cup of coffee while running to the store. CC has been such a blessing in our life....I understand that it's not for everyone though. So check our your local group to see if you think it would work for you. I have no doubt in my mind that it is stretching my kids education to challenge them to be better students while having time to enjoy being with others in the journey. Good luck!

I just got my ipod touch 64GB today in the mail. I had already downloaded my SOTW vol 2, 3 and 4 to my iTunes. It looks like to me that all 3 are about 3 GB of memory. It says I still have 56 GB left. I think that if you bought one of the bigger ipod touch you would be fine to put them on and other things. Just depends on what you want the ipod for as to if you want the classic or touch. I wanted to do more with my ipod then just music. So far I'm glad I got the touch....but time will tell! Good luck!

Usually Amazon is very fast with shipping but I'm seeing the same thing. Usually I can do free shipping and it gets here 5 days after it ships. I've been waiting for dvds that were shipped and it hung out in NJ for a long time with Fedex. Finally made it here to SC after 9 days. So it will take twice as long as usual. I guess lots of people are ordering right now with their Christmas money or something. The one thing that makes it all worth it is the money I saved which helps to buy other things. If I bought it at the store....I would be spending much more on the price and tax. Worth the wait even though frustrating! Hope you get yours soon!

Welcome to Greenville and you'll love it. Well, at least we do. We've been here for almost 7 years after relocating from Philly area. As far as an association to register with..... I use Insights on Education which is located here it town. You can check them out at http://www.insightsoneducation.org I've used them for several years and they are great. It is $40 for your family to register with them for the year. You have to send them your end of year report and then they will send you a transcript for your records. There are tons of people who homeschool here in Greenville so you won't be alone. There are many homeschool groups to choose from. I think that Insights On Education's web site has a list of them for you to see what is available. I belong to Classical Conversations in Simpsonville which I really love. There are many options for you to figure out what works best for your family. As far as the area, Greenville is great. If you're looking for an area that might be like the mountains....then you would probably try up near Paris Mountain and Furman University. I live south of town so I'm not near that side of town and don't know any subdivisions that I would recommend. Downtown Greenville is fun with cool stores and wonderful activites going on during different parts of the year. There is tons on shopping and stuff to do. We have a Children's museum, zoo, museums and state parks. All in all, a wonderful family place where we plan to stay for many years to come. As far as Spartanburg.....just like any city....there is crime and don't judge the whole town by the news. My parents have lived in Spartanburg for 20 years and love it. I would say that Greenville has more industry and is larger than Spartanburg. Don't know if that helped.....feel free to ask more questions if I didn't cover what you were wondering. I know that it's disappointing to have to move but hopefully you'll find that Greenville is a wonderful place that you can call home. God Bless!

Wow...didn't mean to start a discussion on mastery vs. spiral. Just wanted to share that like many have said....not every program works for every family. I love to hear both sides of a curriculum so I know better what it's like from those who have used it....so I can make a better decision for my family. My way of relating it to the mastery vs. sprial was that I have just realized what kind of curriculum I need to use. That is what I was trying to get across. I hated to have to spend that much money on PR to learn that lesson but I'm ok with it as I realize now, really what I'm looking for. For my family, we understand a mastery program better and incorporate review throughout. I love that AAS reinforces the OG Phonics/Reading program we have found. I'm also ok with going with a bunch of different programs instead of one if that is what helps my kids to learn. The thing I really love is when they overlap and we can talk about how we have already learned that in reading or spelling. The best thing about homeschooling is that we can find the curriculum that works for us as teachers and for our kids to learn. I'm even learning through the process that what I used for one might not work for another child of mine. I wish you all the best as you seek to use what works best for you!

Can I say that I've loved reading this post....people sharing their hearts as they venture on this homeschool journey. I can say our house has had a journey too. We started with Bob Jones which teaches word families....realized that isn't how I wanted to teach reading. Tried OPGTR,ETC and Plaid Phonics which were ok..then found AAS....which was great and loved the OG approach.....so I found the approach I was finally looking for.....now to find a reading program to match. I spent so much time researching it and went with PR1. I had high hopes but once again began to realize more about myself. If you frequent these forums....you have seen the debate for math about Spiral vs. Mastery. Well, that is what I found with PR. I realized that I like the mastery style approach and found that PR was not like that. I had a hard time following it and so once again started my search. I am currently using and enjoying a OG program called Discovering Intensive Phonics. It is more of a mastery style program and has reinforcement on the computer which my kids love. We are using DIP, AAS, FFL and WWE. After we finish our phonics curriculum (by end of 2nd grade) we'll go on to literature studies while continuing to do AAS, FFL, and WWE until we start Classical Conversations Essentials program which uses IEW. Good luck in your journey!

We are using BJU Math 2 but it would be the same.....we don't use the manipulatives that you can buy from them. I bought the Saxon manipulatives and also a abacus so we use these. However, if you want, in the teacher CD I believe that you can print the manipulatives there to use if you want. As far as the review workbook....I use that everyday! I have him start with the review workbook page that goes with the lesson from the day before as our review time....while I'm helping his younger brother do his K5 book. Then we do the lesson in the workbook. I feel it's a good way to make sure that there is enough review for him in the curriculum. It is both review from the previous days lesson as well as cumm review.

We here love Bob Jones Math and have used K5, 1st and 2nd grade 3rd editions. We started with Saxon but realized that it moves each lesson to different ideas which cycle back around. That was too much for my kids and I to handle. We love how Bob Jones is hands on and teaches concepts in chapters with review mixed in so we don't forget what we've learned. It's very colorful, fun and has great stories weaved through as each book has a theme. Has a few verses from the bible here and there but is not so highly Christian that you could not leave those out if you're not. You might want to check it out! Good luck!

http://athome.readinghorizons.com/store/ages-4-9.aspx Here is the link to the program I bought. I purchased the software and instructional material package.....saw on the side that they have a coupon code "ReadToday" for 25% off. My opinion about what to buy.....well it is completely up to you. I like having both but you could do without one or the other. I would go by what your child needs. If they can work more independently and enjoy the computer....the computer program explains the lessons and they work through the marking process by clicking where they need to put the markings. Also, the stories that are in the books are also read on the computer program. By the way, the computer program does have a place to see how they did each lesson. However, If you did the computer program only....the program would go much faster and might not include everything that is in the program. There are some lessons in the print that don't have a computer lesson. The teacher materials are great for us as we work through the lessons on the white board, do worksheets and play games. It helps me to know what they are learning and how they are doing. We work through the lessons for several days making the information stick. Let's see if I can give you an example of how they mark things..... Rule #1 - The vowel is short because it has a guardian consonant. u* met x So from above(it won't post the markings in the correct spots but you get the idea!)....you mark below the vowel with an x. Then you mark the guardian consonant with a star and then you mark the vowel above with the short vowel mark. Yesterday was a fun day for my 2nd grader.....he was doing a lesson about how C says /s/ before e & i with a rainbow s above the word. Then we went to do All About Spelling....had the same thing in it. Great reinforcement! From your questions: 1. The online webinar is helpful to understand the program but I'm not sure you can teach it from there. The program is not complicated but involved. 2. The reading books that come with the program use the words that follow what they have learned. They do NOT have the markings so the kids never read stories with the markings.....you can talk about them if they come across a word that they find difficult. The program would last you for probably 3 years if you do the print program. Here is what it covers: The program goes from learning letters...blends....short vowels...long vowels....five phonetic skills....suffixes....diphthongs....digraphs....special vowels....jobs of y....decoding skills....syllables....extra skills like schwa, prefix, suffix, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, heteronyms, palidronmes letter doubles...etc. As you can see....it's more than just learning a few skills. I wish is wasn't so expensive but I also feel that I got a really indepth program that will work for years that all 3 of my children can use to learn to read. Any more questions....feel free to ask!

We are using the home program by Reading Horizons. We love it. It was just what I was looking for. My 2nd grader and K5 boys are both using it. My 2nd grader struggles with reading not because of him but I think more from me bouncing around programs. I started him with AAS and realized how much I liked O-G Phonics programs. I decided to give DIP a try as I could return it if I didn't like it......not the case at all. It's kinda pricey but you get so much and can use it for 2-3 years. I bought both the print and computer materials as a set. It has 2 teacher manuals, 1 manual (games, worksheets, tests,etc), CD-rom that has the worksheets and great info on how to do the program, classroom charts, flip charts, set of books and the Computer program which correlates with the print lessons and has some fun games on it. I do the lesson on the white board with them individually, have them complete worksheets, read the stories and then do the computer program as review. The program has a way of teaching the phonics rules where the kids learn to mark the words. It's great for visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners as you are seeing the markings, saying the sounds and writing/marking words on the board. Then my kids get the review and enjoy the time on the computer. For example - My K5 son so far has learned 8 consonants and 2 vowels. Then they take these letters to make slides and basic words from these 10 letters. He will keep developing more letters and basic words. My 2nd grader has worked through 4 of the 5 phonics rules (2 short vowels, long vowels, silent e). He's made real progress this year. I expect that using this program from the beginning will mean that my K5 son will be farther than his brother at the same time. Wish I had found this program earlier. The program is very easy to use after you get a feel for it going through all the information that they give you. You also get an online informational program to help you teach it. All in all....a great program! Any questions, just ask. Good luck choosing!

Our family just started our second year of CC. I will tell you that I did CC last year as a supplement but this year I understand it more. We use it as a starting point for our curriculum. This year CC has us studying Middle Ages so we're doing Story of the World 2,3 &4 at home to go along with the History sentence for the week. We also study Astronomy so we're doing Apologia Astronomy at home. People in each CC group see the groups use in different ways....as a supplement or their core. Either way, it is a fantastic program. As far as the expense, you are paying for the director, tutors, facility and supplies. Our director and tutors work really hard and also try to keep cost down as much as possible. Beyond tuition: You purchase your first year, the guide, timeline cards and tin whistle. You can also purchase the CDs and memory cards. Another option is that if you're in a CC group you can do the online community for a very reasonable price that has the CD information on it plus other things that people have added. The nice thing is that the foundations program can be used from K4-6th grade so after the original expense, you can reuse them each time the cycle begins again. Foundations has 3 cycles and all kids no matter their age (K4-6th) are learning the same material yet the expectations are different based on their abilities. Some people quit after doing the cycle once but I see the benefit of doing them again as it just helps the child learn the information better and they understand so much more with 3 years more understanding and growth. For the daily schedule: Opening time, New Memory Work, Presentation, Science Experiment, Fine Art and Review Games. You stay with your child through the day. Most moms who have more than one in the program rotate from week to week between their kids. I agree with another post that tutors job is not to teach but to model for you how to help your child learn the memory work. They introduce the weekly work and then you are to expand into what the work means....the tutor won't do that for you in class. The tutor comes up with interesting ways to help the children memorize the information. They also teach them how to present in front of others, what are the important parts of science experiments and appreciation for the arts. I would recommend that you visit the group to see if for yourself. If the cost is an issue, maybe you could see about being a tutor in the future. I'm doing that this year and it pays for my kids to participate. Another thing to better understand the CC model is to attend the free parents practicum that they offer in the summer. I am fully sold on CC and my kids are K5 and 2nd grade. They love the group and can't wait to get there each week. They are learning so much and have a wonderful outlet for friendship and accountability. I also recommend Leigh Bortins books "Echos in Celebration" and "The Core" to get an idea about her education philosophy so you can understand if what they do at CC would work for your family. Good luck with your choosing what is best for you. As for us....we love CC and make CC a huge part of our educational process.

Your boys would be doing the same memory work week to week on the cycle that you choose. I'm in a CC group and we're doing cycle 2 this year, so if you want to join a group in the future, you might want to do that one. To do the memory work, you need the foundations guide, which will serve you for all 3 cycles. VP Timeline Cards - purchase the timeline cards and use them in the order found in the guide. The Audio CD and Memory Resource CD have the same information on them....one is just audio and the other is for the computer with graphics. If money is a factor, just buy the one that fits your children best. We use the memory cards for review time..you could just review info from the guide...but these are handy for the car and are like flashcards. We also use text like: Classical Music for Dummies, Drawing with Children, Discovering Great Artists and 201 Awesome Experiments: all which help with the fine arts portion. The children also learn to play the tin whistle, which you could do or not do at home. This year they also made Science Flashcards. They are pretty and explain in more detail the Science sentence for the week. I know everyone can't be in a group....but we love ours and find great time learning while in the community. Either way though, CC has great information and tools to teach your kids about learning! Good luck!

We're using Discovering Intensive Phonics by Reading Horizons. It's a hand on type of program where the kids use the white board and learn to mark words as they learn the rules. There is also a computer program that you can do with it or separately. It's kinda pricey but can be used for K-2nd and it's full of ws, game ideas, phonetic readers and is very easy to teach. They also have one that is for older kids. http://athome.readinghorizons.com/ Check out the web site and you can see what the program is like. Good luck! :001_smile:

We use Discovering Intensive Phonics. It uses the O-G approach and has the kids working on the white board and marking the words. It also has a computer program that you can do by together or alone. http://www.readinghorizonsathome.com/

:iagree: We have been using it this year for about a month....not sure why you would really need TM unless there are extras in there. We just listen to the songs on day one and discuss the words. The other days we do the worksheets and relisten to the songs. It's a gentle program and you can totally figure out the answers in the text.