I have to say that I love it, too. My 1st and 3rd graders have done great with it. I find the other "color" math programs really distracting. The kids haven't had any trouble writing in the space allotted. 1st grader is almost through 2B and still no issues. From time to time (very rarely) they have written on the facing blank page if they wanted to draw a diagram or write out something (we print off the pages single sided and 3-hole punch them and put them in a 3-prong folder). And because she does walk them through the steps, they really "get it" -- usually without any explanation from me. It gets done sooo consistently because they don't ever have to wait on me like they used to with other programs. ETA: We also do play the RS card games from time to time, and the beginning of each MM chapter has a list of math games online that deal with that topic so my kids think it is a fabulous treat to get to try out some of those. We actually don't do this part very often at all, but they love it when they do.

It seems like it is a couple of times a year.

What kind of sale price, and was it for a set or what? Also, are you (or your dd) using the study guides? I'm really wondering more about that. Thanks! ETA: Were you referring to the sale being for YC or HH?

http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage-store.php?pid=sample

Ugh. I just wrote this long reply on a couple of things, then accidentally closed the tab! So, long story short, it doesn't look like the YC is included in the $140 set (Advanced World History), but it *is* included in the Basic World History. Maybe you could make a substitution?? I have seen a sale for free shipping, but it's been a very, very long time since I've seen anything else. And even free shipping hasn't been very often, I don't think. I disagree the generalization that HH's books are dime store novels are poorly researched, but of course I had not thoroughly read them all myself and agree that it's always good to preview or pre-read when possible. But check out this comprehensive listing from their site. There are many books that would frequently be considered as a great "spine" for history -- comprehensive histories by Macgregor, Marshall, Eggleston, Guerber, Synge, etc. Are they biased? Of course! What isn't? I personally am very irritated by H.E. Marshall's oft-raved about volume because of the her bias. So I might opt for, say, Guerber instead just because I personally find her bias more tolerable. But that's how history is, whenever it is written. Some biases are more obvious than others, but history, by it's nature, is filled with passionate viewpoints. For young children, the stories of history are wonderful, and the older they get, I would assume that students would also be doing more and more research outside of whatever basic reading they are doing. And in high school they would also be considering more opposing viewpoints and contradictory accounts, etc.

Alas, no. I do own the YC set and planned to buy the HH Young Readers set too, but there is some crossover. I picked YC first because at the time, it was the sale price and there were books from across a number of subjects that I knew my kiddos could use, whereas HH is of course just history. My plan was always to purchase both, but I haven't yet gotten the HH. HH does have a free e-book each month, though, so I would definitely recommend those! LoveBaby, I really would like to hear more about the guides!! Can you describe them, as well as how you use them -- in as much detail as possible? ;) Also, my understanding is that the Young Reader's Guide is different than the others. Can you explain how?

Yes, $49 for a couple weeks at Christmas ending Dec 31st, but I've seen it since then for that price -- at least once in 2013, if not twice. If you don't mind waiting it out a bit, I'd think it would come around again. Alternatively, you could just email and ask if they have another one planned. Now if only Heritage History would also have a sale, I would be set! Good luck!

lol -- why yes I do! Thank you for correcting me. ;) Guess my memory needs a little refreshing, eh? I've corrected my original post so I don't confuse anyone else. And Jen, thank you for your thoughts. I will have to give that some thought.

OK so I've looked at Creek Edge Task Cards and Classical Conversations materials and I realize that there are some things in common that I have a longing for. Maybe because I am a "list person" myself, but I like the idea of having, say, certain "tasks" to do for geography or a science or whatever. I like the Creek Edge ideas, but... well, I guess I'm cheap. :( I am not a big hands-on person, but I could handle a little bit of it, which my kids would love I'm sure. Has anyone tried to make your own? I'm thinking with all the resources out there there's got to be a way to pull together "tasks" and things to do in a subject area without having to reinvent the wheel. Or do I just break down and spend the money?

I print off a semester's worth of pages (part A or B for each child, 3-hole punch them and put them in a big binder. The kids each have a 3-prong folder and I put a whole chapter (sometimes 2 chapters) in there for them to actively use. When they finish the regular chapter, I hand them separately the cumulative review page and then they do the chapter test. I keep the cumulative review and chapter test pages in their folders of work for the year, toss the regular daily chapter pages from their personal folders, and put the next set of chapter pages in their folder. I have on occasion kept a single page or two from a chapter, to put with the review/test pages, but that's not very often. I use to print off the new chapters or tests/reviews as we went along, but I found that it became a hindrance to them getting their work done... they were often waiting for me or there was a printer problem or whatever. ;)

Thanks for all the quick replies! I guess I'm just being a perfectionist, lol. I'm going to get some of these made this afternoon. Thank you!

I've looked at a few websites, and some say to basically laminate everything first, which really seems like overkill when I only have 1 child left to use the preschool resources -- or they talk about using a glue stick for the "game board" adhering to the file folder. But that seems like it will wrinkle and be too little. So I feel ridiculous asking, but if you make file folder games what do you recommend for adhering? And are you printing on regular paper for game boards and cardstock for the "pieces"? Do you use velcro and such? Also, if you have any pre-K or Kindergarten sites or Pinterest boards for this topic, I'd love to hear! Right now I am just attempting to make file folder games using the IEW Phonics Games book. Thanks so much!

I like you're thinking, urpedonmommy! lol Nice shelves, dontknow -- I love that you have hooks for the dress-up clothes! What are the ages of your kids? Love those pics and would love to see more from others....

Thank you for the suggestions! I really appreciate hearing firsthand recommendations!

I seriously love hearing what everyone does! And I also love to see visuals, so dontknow or anyone else -- post photos! yay! :) kijipt -- this is very interesting to me. How old are your kids? How did you "price" stuff? Did you plot and plan your prices?

I have been struggling with my weight creeping up (and up) since my late 30s (darn that metabolism change!), and would really like to buy a decent digital scale for once. I'd love to find one in the $15-$20 range, if that's even possible, but really would like an accurate, reliable one. Suggestions? OH! And it cannot be the kind that has you stand on it in bare feet so that it can also measure BMI (or whatever it's doing). One family member has an electrical implant that would interfere, and I want one that everyone can use. Thanks so much!

What does that mean? I'm not terribly active on the boards, but while some of my posts might not get comments as much as I like at times I just chalk it up to the high volume of posts on here. Just curious what you've experienced.

How old are your boys, and what size box does each have for Legos? We recently started down the Lego path and am feeling unsure how to do this so it doesn't get out of hand. This decluttering is such a nagging topic for me. <sigh> ETA: Sorry, I didn't notice the topic was already a month+ old! But my previous question still stands. :)

I've definitely been told (in word and deed) that I am the "wrong kind of Christian." I'm used to it, but it does still bother me... particularly because those who have this attitude seem to be very un-Christ-like about how they do it. lol I recently moved to a new area, and this is ALWAYS in the back of my mind as I meet people, unfortunately. My past experiences with those who consider themselves the "right kind of Christian" has me always anticipating fallout from new people I meet. We have SO much in common in terms of education, family structure, values, and more, yet apparently that isn't enough for some. I think I'm more self-aware on being accepting of religious and political differences because I am so used to being in the minority. But to be fair, I know there have been times I have excluded others -- not intentionally, but maybe I wasn't very welcoming to someone new just because I already had a group of friends and... well.. it takes effort and I was tired. Pathetic? Yes, I am.

I did physical therapy for a summer to help with this problem and (at doc's recommendation) bought a night splint and inserts for my shoes. The inserts are fabulous! I use to wear them all the time, inside and outside, but over time (along with regular stretches and other exercises learned in PT, I've been able to get away from the inside wear. However, I'm now going back to inside wear because I can feel that it's beginning to act up again. HIGHLY recommend the inserts for all day wear.

asmall -- how old are your girls? I'm wondering about thoughts on LOF elementary in terms of doing it all. My 2 are, at times, working through LOF. They've are almost done with B, and even though they enjoy it, I feel like the math in there obviously is just sooo easy at their age. But then there will be occasional references that I think are kinda cool, so I'm hesitant to have them skip ahead. Thoughts? Just let them enjoy it and not worry?

Love this thread, as we are trying to move to a more minimalist way of living but it is so sloooow going. Especially since I've been homeschooling for over 15 years and already own a ton of stuff. It's hard to let go! If you were going the Kindle route, buying a few might be a consideration. Besides Yesterday's Classics books (which cover some history, science, good lit, etc.), you could also get the Heritage History CDs -- tons of history there, plus there is a "guide" to go along. You could skip loading the high school material.

I love the suggestions as we use MM too and have RS games and Primary Challenge and LOF (and computer games!). But this is a case, for me, where I have too many great resources. OK, so I'm not complaining, but wondering if anyone could recommend a rotation or system to utilize these more. We took Christmas and most of January off from MM and then they did LOF books, and I have intentions of using things more systematically but... well... ya, that hasn't really come to fruition. Would love to hear of others' routines with multiple supplementals!

Does anyone know if this (Living Memory by Campbell) is available anywhere (or rather, anywhere with a lower price) than Lulu? I've seen references to it being between $20-$25, but Lulu sells it for $35 (plus shipping!). I felt like I could buy it at $20, but jeesh, that's almost double! :(

Yes, I totally agree! We have been doing CM-style narrations for a while and they are quite good at that now (definitely better than me). But we only more recently starting doing the SWB 3-sentence summary and they are struggling with that. I do have that bigger picture that you mentioned (all the different ways we need to recall info in real life) in my mind though, as we persevere. :) That valuable process of sifting through information is why when I ask them sometimes to draw a picture for a story/chapter/reading I also have them find a quote to put down (or I write for them), because it is surprising how perfectly-chosen the quotes can be. I wonder what other approaches to narration they could be doing that would be valuable. Hmmm.... After going through these processes, it is exciting to see how well they do transition to writing. Really enjoying all the comments/thoughts!