'Pink' Love your room. As a former Montessori teacher I am drooling over all these lovely materials. My kids are older and that stuff is so expensive here...

It's in my siggie. We are hoping to add some formal music instruction, a second language studies and extra sports but will have to take it easy and add in as possible because of all remedial work.

I have changed my siggie and we will probably re-start in three weeks time. This week we are busy with VBS (I am also teaching), next week will take a break and will only ask the kids to read. Just received most of my materials but I am missing a few items. Want to take some time to look over and plan. Also need to catch up with work. After that we will start with Math and LA for two weeks and then last week July we will start with the new stuff. The plan is to add a new subject every couple of days.

We use Horizons as our main program. My kids benefit from a spiral approach and Horizons seems to meet the needs but as far as conceptual and mental maths Singapore is superior. So we also use the workbooks from Singapore. It has been a miracle as it helped my son to process abstract concepts and mental maths principles. This year we will be adding the Chalanging word problems. So we will be using the Workbooks and CWP along with the Answer Keys. We are using level 2 and level 4 for a 3rd and 5th grader. When we took then out of school in South Africa we realized that they were at least one year behind. My daughter has used Singapore Standard Edition at her school level 2 for third grade.

We started with the 5 day and at around 12 weeks changed to a 4 day. I have found that sometimes we are ahead and will include a 5 day book. Some history and RA books are so interesting that my kids fly by. All the readers are still included in the 4 day plan only at a faster pace so if you have a weaker reader that can be a problem. My daughter is a strong reader so that is not a problem. With my son we read six days a week so that is also ok. I have bought the five day program and we will probably read some of those books during the holidays. My son has LDs and so does my daughter, we have to do lots of remedial work and therapies so I find that a 4 day works better.

I will send he an e-mail... Thanks a million... I rfeally want some quick to do with both but would like to supplement up for my elder to read on her own.

Thanks... We have been doing SL Sc1(B) and 3(D) but my 11y DD pretty much read the books on he own and completed the A/Sheets. I would check the A/Sheets and make her correct some of the writting or the stuff that was not correct. Even though she seem to be ok I have not seem much retention. We love the books but it seems to much. My 10 y DS has major problems and his reading is on a basic grade 1 reader. We are working through various therapists. So the two of us do science when we can together. My 5th grader is a good reader (scores on a grade 11 with compreension) but hates any writting. She has lots of learning gaps in grammar and writting as well as basic science from School. They were both in school up to 2010. I want science with everything in one place. No prep on my side (I work from home) that I can use for both. Now my major question is if there is some kind of forum or support when looking into adding books and extention stuff for my eldest. Somewhere I could get some ideas. Also note that we are on the Southern Hemisphere where the seasons are different. Also not easy to get good stuff from the Library here or supplies. That was the original reason I went for SL but it does not seem to work.

:bigear:

I have a 3rd grader (dislexic reading at early 2nd grade level) and a 5th Grader. Would I need the writting aids, what else besise the DE Version and the books would I need? Thanks in advance...

If one purchases one Unit of DE do I also have to purchase the print version. Also how do the writting AIds and everything else works...

On saying all of this there is this woman in CT South Africa that does a bunch of cores at once and she has 8 kids. Each kid does a diffrent core but from Core D they start doing most of the readings by themselves and she gives then run of the IGs. I tried that with my daughter who is a very advanced reader but she would not cope. Check her blog: www.se7en.org.za By the way she is seven + 1 and has been having a new baby ob average every two years. She has very good tips on SL with multiple cores.

You have just made my day. LA is a big problem around here. We started HS last year and I have 11 year old, very strong reader but weak writer and with no grammar basis (5th grader, CLE we tried was 400) We tried SL LA last year and it was a tottaly bomb out. Doing CLE and she cannot stay on track, she has two many gaps in LA and writting. I want something scripted that I can work with her and was looking at the samples for FLL on Christian books and thought this could work, I also though of starting her with FLL 3. Seing I have a 3rd grader (9 year old) who is reading at early grade 2 level I could start him on FLL1 and by the CD. Does it look like this would work?

I am finishing up Core 3 with both my kids. I can tell you that my daughter who loves to read reads all advanced readers and some of history as well. So we would never would heve done it with regular readers only. Really love this core.

The more I look into TOG the more it appeals to me but on the other side we need to be able to get all our books in as we do not have a decent Library here or the books would not be available. Also Shipping into South Africa is very expensive and I am worried about getting books from different places. I would have to put a lot of planning into TOG which worries me... How could I use TOG? How could I get the books...

You are welcome took a while to check if it was ok but it took a while to reply as we were driving over 600k from our probbly new mission.

1. Where do you work? Came to South Africa as a foster MK, previously converted by Missionaries in Europe and fostered by the same familly when my bio familly needed help. Long story the converted Christian that become a missionary later. Went on mission trips to Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. 2. What is your job? Studied at Bible College in South Africa whilst doing local mission work in the townships, advising Aids Orphans, working Schemes, translation and interperter (I speak Portuguese and French amoungst other languages which is quite handy in Southern Africa), counsellor for Girls in Danger of becoming victims or who were of Economic Enslavement to Prostituition, Sunday School, VBS Teacher and Holidays Teacher, working with Autistic and Special Needs Kids, Singing at funerals, cleaning elderly people houses and gardens, serving meals and cleaning at church, decorating for VBS, assemble and writting VBS, Sunday School and Holiday programs for Sunday School. Printing materials... Whatever needs to be done. Most was done and is still done on a volunteer basis. Whilst on missions outside South Africa mostly counsellor and Religious Ed Teacher, women's groups leader and Sunday School teacher or facilitator. Went on mission trips to Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. What' s your favorite thing to do? Was probable the special needs kids and the danger counselling in the townships which I no longer do. At the stage I enjoy my volunteer involvement with my congregations various children's and ladies programs. 4. What do you like best about being a missionary? I do not consider my self as a missionary any longer as I have made this our family's home. But in a way we can all be missionaries in our own communities. But with the work then and my church work now I love to see the everlasting joy that the Lord gives to all of us specially thay on fire attitude of a new Christian. Also the hopen and love Christianity gives to so meny that have nothing. The smile of my littles in their Sunday School class when they finally get it. The love for God's word in their hearts and their mumbled prayers at the end of class. '' Thank you....God...for ma, pa, my cat, teacha, my fiends...'' They are so pure and full of joy.

I came to Africa as a MK and then studied here and did some mission work. Ended up marrying and making Africa my home, we are still very involved with church work and are at the moment at an hotel 500 miles from where we call home, planning and seeking ways to move and diversify my work whilst if this move happens we will be planting a new congregation and probably assist with some of the congregations across the border. We will become 'tent-makers' missionaries Lord willing..

I live in South Africa and we cannot rely on the Lybrary. I buy from SL with all the differant shipping rates and taxes piece meal the curriculum would not help. SL give us lower shipping than other I pay around 26% shipping and 16% taxes. It is steep but what can I do...

:grouphug: Praying for all the families. It was around 9:00 am here and we saw the first live images of the Tsunami. It was terrifying. Praying for all affected by this disaster...

Thanks for the suggestions but I scared that IEW and WWE would be to parent intensive. Really loved the samples I looked into IEW but have not looked into WWE. Looked at some samples of Writtings strands, it looks ok and it says it is only 10 min parent teaching. I do not mind spending 20 min but would not like something that takes longer. How does WWE/IEW/WS compare as far as teaching, time and being specific with th emecanics o writting. Also where should I start? Thanks again...

I have a 5th Grader (11 last year October) that is a very reluctant writer. We used SL LA last year (first Year Homeschooling) that has not worked. Would like to have a Writting curriculum that teaches the mechanics of writting. We are putting in the order for this year and are planning to change LA to CLE and Horizon Math also to CLE. What are your recomendations? She reads way above level. We had her accessed and he reading comp level are Grade 9 +. But she hates writting. Her grammar is also very weak.

Just checked Hor 3 and there are no tests on TM. I guess that only starts from level 4. Sorry for asking again. The kids learn well with the spiral but feel that there is too much repetition in Horizon. Also we do not do any of the re-enforcement work as per TM. Is CLE not so burdersome? Is it more self directed? As far as level Horizon is quite advanced. How does this compare to CLE?

My dd feels Hor has to much reptition and it takes too long to do all the ops in a page. We hardly ever used the TM and that is where all the Flash Card work was scheduled. We also did not do most of the sheets. I would also like something more self directed as I work from home and need something that the kids can do on their own. The LU feel like that. My question is to do on level of work. Horizon is quite advanced how does that compare with CLE? Thanks...

Being our first HS year we did a mix of Horizon with Singapore for both kids last year. Although I felt retention was good with Horizon my dd hated it and my son is also starting to complain. I have looked at CLE and it feel better. Have given the samples and did Diagnostics tests. However can some tell me how these two programs compare.

School here runs from Jan to Dec. So we are starting a new year after our very bad first HS year last year. We were inturrupted by double death of my parents in love in an airplane crash, loosing my DH job and renovating two houses and moving... So at the moment we are finishing up last year stuff and will start with new materials in March. DD 5th Grader CLE LA 400; CLE Math 400; CLE Reading 400; SL4 Readers; Sonlight Science 4 DS 3rd Grader - Reading below level CLE LA 100/200 combo; CLE Math 200; CLE Reading 100/200; SL2 Readers; Sonlight Science K History/Geography - Sonlight Core 4 Combined Science - Apologia Astronomy Art & Music & Foreign Language - ???