We are going to try Harmony Fine Arts this year (after totally slacking in art last year). Art and music appreciation laid out in a weekly schedule (whick I obviously need), but with flexibility in exactly how much you cover. Years 2 and 3 schedule an Artistic Pursuits book in one of the options. I understand the author is on these boards too. :)

Add me to the list of those over-thinking handwriting. I'd planned on using HWOT all the way through, but I really like making my own worksheets for copywork, spelling, etc and (even though I like it) that cursive font seems too distinctive to match (without paying for additional software). I've seen some members here recommend Pentime. It's very inexpensive and the transition year (level 2) from manuscript to cursive looks like it might be just what we need. (And the cursive seems traditional enough that I can use freebie worksheet generators). Here's hoping anyway!

FLL just did not work for us either. We used Growing with Grammar last year. My 7 yo was able to do it pretty much independently. I thought we'd switch to something else this year (R&S or MCT), but I really like that he can work through it by himself so I've ordered the next level of GWG. Simple, short lessons - I feel like at the very least he's getting a good introduction. Once I get my youngest reading, maybe I'll feel like I can switch to some grammar we all work through together... maybe starting KISS in third grade.

I also agree RS is teacher intensive, but I wanted to mention that after that first kid it's soooo much easier. We only did RS A before moving on to Singapore, but teaching it to my youngest (2 years after her brother did it) was so much simpler since I already understood the concepts, activities, etc. We only did it twice a week to finish the first level in a year and just played games (or did nothing - ha!) on the other days. Hope you find something that works great for both of you!

We do half of a Mental Math section from the HIG every day before we start our lesson. We call it M&M math here bc *yes* I give the kids M&Ms for right answers. :p We also do a math game (usually from Right Start) and beginning last year (with Singapore 2), we added in Intensive Practice 1. We're just now advancing levels, but doing the IP a year behind seems to work really well as a review without seeming too simple. Even so, I'm not sure we have our multiplication facts down as well as I'd like. He's great at "figuring them out", which I think has great value, but I was thinking of getting some of those math wraps to help him with his recall.

I've loved BFSU since first hearing about it. But after two years of it not getting done here, we have to try something else. I finally decided on Elemental Science. I feel like I've dropped the ball a bit, so we are going to try both Intro to Science and Biology for the Grammar Stage this year. The plans come with a 2-day or 5-day option. We won't start up until Sept, but I've read lots of good things and looking through it I am very excited. It looks like there are supply kits you can buy, but there are supply lists well presented in the teacher's guide as well. Ideally, I will read through BFSU and incorporate some of those ideas into our lessons. I think it would be very beneficial, but I'm not holding my breath.

Just found this and love it! What an excellent resource. Thank you for your work and for sharing!

Thanks, this is great!

We bought it recently, but we're only in our second week of implementation so I'm not sure I can provide much input. My almost 7 year old seems to really be into it, but it's still a ways over my 4.5 year old's head... The workbook is still a bit much for my 7 yo. I think it's got some great ideas, but it boils down to give, save, spend - which a lot of people seem to implement on their own. But I've always liked a system. :tongue_smilie: Some people aren't into paying for chores ( a commission is how it's presented in his plan), but that's the route we went. I don't thnk you'd get as much out of the kit if you prefer an allowance. We bought the kit that came with the readers, because our library doesn't have them. But they have been a real hit already! I probably can't offer any feedback that isn't already mentioned in the reviews on his site, but overall I'm pleased with the purchase. HTH!

We use an adaptation of the Simply Charlotte Mason method... we keep our work in a tabbed binder. I downloaded Living Memory by Andrew Campbell here for lots of ideas. I think the binder suggestion is actually in his book. I bought an older version of a Classical Conversations Foundations guide off Amazon for just a few dollars and have pulled a few things from it as well. Hannah Wilson's guide is also here and free. :)

Buy or check out Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook if you can. Full of excellent suggestions! I appreciate his notes on not just good books, but books that actually lend themselves well to being read aloud.

Mine enjoy How It's Made episodes.

We use the History Odyssey timeline: http://www.pandiapress.com/?page_id=58 I bought the sticker pack too and we've used some of them, but sometimes I just use the picture from the SOTW cards (from the activity guide), or the free clip art from the Usborne Internet linked encyclopedias, or just google images... Depends on what I decide to add to the timeline each week. We're also in TOG 1... They don't recommend a timeline for just grammar kids, but it sure was a big help for us during the "flashback" there in unit 1. I like being able to add other events to it too, we don't just use it for TOG. When we went to a Da Vinci exhibit, we added him to our timeline. When we visited some replicas of Columbus' ships, we added his voyage. That seems to really help my kids (and me!) grasp some of the whens and whys. I also had ours laminated at the local teacher's store so we can write on it and add/remove figures with sticky tack.

I had similar concerns, but I would move on. The way it's laid out it seemed to me that we had several weeks of other topics before needing to know those facts cold. But I'd find a way to review the facts for at least a few minutes each day... using rods, card games, etc. CWP proved to be a bit too much for my young 1st grader. We use IP as extra practice and unit reviews. My kid balks if he has two many pages though, so we're a few chapters lagging in the IP... which actually works good as a refresher. I think we will probably be using CWP 1 when we are actually in 2A/B next year... or we'll see how it goes over the summer. Reading through some of the longer problems was really bogging him down if we had already done work in our other books.

You can always add as you go. My kids are probably just a few months older than yours... we did K and Preschool last year. Maybe include a handwriting program? Mine both like HWOT and my 3 yo is fully capable of the beginner book... I think they just changed the name to My First School Book. She's also doing MEP (Reception) this year. Fun, free, and a way for her to "do math" like her big brother.