We use First Language Lessons starting in first grade up to fourth grade and it is well-rounded instruction. I like to use Winston Grammar in 5th grade and there is something about those flash cards that makes it all "click," maybe b/c it is hands-on. Since WG is only grammar (it doesn't cover punctuation, sentence-combining, etc.) we use Daily Grams as well. There is also Advanced Winston Grammar which my ds will be using this next year and he will be in 7th. HTH (hope that helps)!

@hmschooling - thank you, yes I am familiar w/Marie Filion of The Easy Spanish...we use it for Spanish and love it! I actually signed up to be a beta tester for her yet-to-be-released Hebrew program but have heard nothing yet. @MommyinTraining - I agree w/Renee...Sarah and David would probably be a good starting point for you. @ReneeK - thanks so much for your posts. We are exposed to spoken Hebrew on a weekly basis although it is in liturgy and not conversation, but I agree it does help! I have it on my list to take a closer look at The Learnables. Thanks and blessings to you all!

We've used MUS for 7 years (Alpha through Zeta) and we are continuing on with Pre-Algebra this upcoming school year. I use it for all 3 of my kids and have found it to be effective w/their different learning styles. MUS is all about mastery, for instance my dd finished Delta level this year and it was division, division, and more division. She knows her division PTL! ;) MUS definitely drives a deep "tap root" in the area of math it is covering that year. In addition, Mr. Demme on the accompanying DVD explains the concepts in a very clear way and answers the "why do we do it that way" thought that some children may have. Also, Mr. Demme is a mathematician and homeschool dad which I feel is a plus. However the down side is MUS doesn't always do enough review of past concepts. I've found my oldest child needs more review so my solution has been to do an additional page of math from a curriculum that is more on the "mile wide, inch deep" end of the spectrum. I use a grade level BJU math text and they are readily available second hand. I'll have him choose either the even or odd problems on the page. It has proved to be a big help: he scored PHS on his SAT 10 this year in Math Procedures. So that is what has worked for us. There is an excellent website called www.homeschoolmath.net which has curriculum reviews. It is run by a homeschool mom from Europe who has a PhD in mathematics. She also happens to be the author of Math Mammoth, another great choice that was mentioned by someone in a previous post. Blessings and HTH!

Glad to see others that love science fiction! I just finished "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke and you might add that to the fantastic suggestions of others. BTW, some sy-fy purists don't consider Jules Verne science fiction but fantasy. Just FYI!

@Jlynn - BTW, thanks for letting me know about the last 3 volumes of Omnibus possibly having less of a Reformed bent b/c of Gene Veith's input and contributions. I'm going to look at IV, V, and VI (which I think will be out next year?).

@Ester Maria - thank you for helping me eliminate what you know won't work for my situation, I do appreciate that! @ReneeK - Based on your experience, I think you just helped me eliminate Sarah and David. I may check out The Learnables as I have heard good things about it and we do want to build vocabulary. Do you currently use something for Hebrew?

@ Cedarmom - thank you, it's interesting I talked w/a friend this morning who used it and did the same thing you did...use it as a springboard for discussion about differences in doctrine and then came to their own conclusions. @ Jlynn - I am considering using Omnibus starting in 9th...I don't know if my oldest (will be 7th) is quite ready for the type of discussions that it will bring up. I noticed that you used SL Core 5 this year...how did you like it? I am considering that too b/c I love that it covers Asian/African history, which so many other ones neglect. @ Carol in Cal. - thanks for your input regarding Omnibus being more literature-heavy/history-light. I noticed you used Spielvogel which I hadn't heard of until yesterday...and then here it is again. I will look into that too!

@ Ester Maria - thank you, I've never heard of Tal-Am and Tal-Sela and will look into it. Is there a website you can refer me to? In regards to more info, I do not speak Hebrew and am about the same place as my kids (12, 10, and 8) are in reading and pronunciation. Initially I wanted them to learn it to read from the Torah scroll, be able to read the Tenach (since English can be a "limited" language sometimes :001_smile:), and then study Hebrew further in college if they so choose. But we do occasionally listen to Israeli radio online and have a couple of Israeli friends so I see the value of knowing modern Hebrew as well.

Check the IEW website b/c they will post when someone in your state/county is doing an IEW parent/teacher seminar on how to use the program. These seminars are from 8am-5pm (yeah, long, I know) and go through all 9 units. It puts the program into "bite-size" pieces for better digestion. :tongue_smilie:Then you can use the DVD's for more in-depth instruction as you get to that unit. It's definitely a labor intensive program and one that we have quit mid-year before. But we have come back to it b/c it really is a solid way of writing instruction. HTH!

We've had good results with Winston Grammar. My ds used it in 5th after a frustrating year with Simply Grammar. He liked Winston Grammar and the use of cards to identify the parts of speech helped him alot. He got it. He isn't really a kinesthetic learner (he's more of a visual learner) but somehow laying out the cards with each sentence helped him in labeling the parts of speech correctly. Last year he did Easy Grammar and did fine, but we are going back to Winston again this year and doing the Advanced Winston Grammar (he will be in 7th). I am going to have him do a page in Daily Grams to keep up with punctuation, sentence combining, etc. Just FYI, Winston Grammar is grammar ONLY, meaning it doesn't cover other things like punctuation, letter writing, sentence combining, etc. that Easy Grammar does. There is a lot of overlap if you are using both Easy Grammar and Daily Grams. This is becoming a long answer for you, but just so you know my dd has used First Lang. Lessons since K and just finished FLL level 4 and it has worked great for her. I am going to have her do Winston Grammar this year since FLL doesn't have a level 5. HTH and good luck to you!

Does anyone have experience using Sarah & David to learn Hebrew? My 3 dc know the alef bet and vowel points and are able to read Hebrew...but we are lacking in vocabulary and have gotten into a tangled mess with grammar and tense (present and perfect). I've looked at Sarah & David online and it is kid-friendly and fun looking but I'd love to know if anyone has actually used it. A similar question: has anyone used Easy Hebrew? It is a correspondence course taught by an Israeli believer who lives in the Midwest (US). It's supposed to be for Jr. High and up. If anyone has any experience using it, I'd love to hear how it worked for you. In the past I used The First Hebrew Primer by EKS Publishing but this is an adult beginner's course and we worked through it v-e-r-y slowly (2 years). We did ok until Chapter 7 and just stopped b/c it was too heady explaining the tenses. Just FYI, I know of Rosetta Stone but don't want to use it (too $$$ for me!) and I glanced at The Learnables but am unsure about how it really works. Thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions! I have learned so much from this forum and am continually blessed by reading all your posts!

@ Michelle - thank you, I did get a copy of Omnibus III and stayed up late last night reading through some of the selections. I love the meatiness of this curriculum and like you, I may just skip certain sections. @ Chris - thanks for reminding me that I can omit things! Ha ha! Sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious. :tongue_smilie:I was in a discussion w/my ladies summer book club last week and we talked about how everything has to be read with discernment...and so your comment was a bop on the head for me that this thought applies to curriculum too. @ Shelly - I've never looked at Great Books before, so I will definitely check that out. Thanks for the suggestion!

As I plan my oldest ds's life for the next 6 years (7th-12th) :), I am trying to come to grips with a History track for him. We've always done unit studies and loved them but I feel it's time to have a more serious/rigorous plan for jr. high/sr.high history. All that to say I'm debating about Sonlight and Omnibus. I like what each curriculum covers, however I am concerned about the theological/doctrinal bent of Omnibus. The Reformed, 5 point Calvinist beliefs are definitely NOT what my husband and I believe...but I don't know to what extent Omnibus is infused with this viewpoint. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? I've scoured this forum and a few others but haven't found any threads relating to this particular issue. Thanks in advance! I love this forum!