Hi there :) I was reading through an apparently archived thread (from 2008), which means I can't reply and "update" the thread. I tried to send a message to "angela in ohio," but it says she's not accepting new messages. So, I thought I'd paste the message from the archived thread here...hopefully to jog someone's memory for those of you who were perhaps posting in that thread. ALSO: the link given in the thread no longer works. Does anyone know if it's changed/domain name changed or something? Here's the post by "angela in ohio" (who it says hasn't been active in about a month, but maybe she's just busy...as we all are! I haven't been active here in probably over a year myself, LOL): Posted 28 April 2008 - 01:10 AM mamao32001 said Here's a list of free online lit guides I use. --------------------------------- I wasn't sure if that was her website or just one she used. But, since one of the previous posters from that thread said "Thanks for your Wall of Books," I thought maybe it was her site (???). Thanks! ~Tasha

Holy Smokes Erek's mom!! I've just learned of the Sisters in Time series for girls and was Googling for a similar series for boys (for my son). Google turned up this thread, and your post was awesome! Thank you!! :hurray:

Well this is all very....interesting. I can't really get on board with the idea that a curriculum is "behind." It seems to me that you'd just place your child where s/he will thrive, regardless of what level or grade number is on the cover...right? As for not being prepared for pre-Algebra, I just don't see that in the ACE community (speaking of others who have gone on to higher levels of Math). I guess it goes back to "birds of a feather" and how you'll find LOTS of good, positive stories in the ACE support group (so maybe that's why I have seen more positive reviews?). In any case, just as I finished writing this, my husband and I sat down and decided that Charlotte Mason seems middle of the road for what we like (unschooling & PACEs), so currently I'm exploring those options. Never-ending. :(

I just posted a response on another thread (and linked to my blog there so I won't do it again. I don't want anyone thinking I'm just blasting my blog all over the boards...especially as I usually just lurk here). I wanted to make a comment on something: I see this said a lot...and it's true. However, as a former unschooler, I like to think of ACE as being what Kindergarten USED TO BE, like back when I was in Kindergarten (which was about 1985). These days, public schools push Kindergarteners entirely too hard, IMO. Some can handle it but those who can't are labeled--even in Kindergarten! :blink: ACE teaches Kindergarten the way it USED to be: gentle. ;) This is in direct contrast to most other publishers, I know. However, as a homeschooling mom (which we all are...), I tend to look at the bigger picture. What will things be like in the grand scheme of things. Unlike public schools, I'm not just focused on THIS year..or THIS standardized test. And, in the end, it appears that ACE prepares children quite nicely for high school and eventually college (at least, I base this on veteran homeschoolers with moms of college graduates).

Also: I've addressed many comments from the naysayers on my blog, but just real quick here: -The science and social studies paces ARE very fill-in-the-blank. However, in *our* home, science and social studies learning doesn't stop there. ;-) They get "critical thinking" from other things we do (I like checking out Living Books that correlate to their PACES). Also, the Lit/CW paces have a LOT of critical thinking. To each her own and all...but I just wanted to address that one very common negative comment about ACE. :-) I'll also add that another thing I enjoy about ACE is that it is VERY "just the facts, ma'am"...which means we aren't spending alllll dayyyy longggg immersed in school-related stuff. I prefer to spend the 2.5-3 hours it takes to get PACES done to just get it done and move on with the rest of our day. {I do have four kids, after all...so I'm speaking of the start of child #1 to the end of child #4...but some days it takes less time} I know others feel differently, but I prefer not to spend the day focused on academics. We enjoy getting OUT of the house, spending lots of time out of doors studying nature, on nature walks, doing lots of read-alouds together, handicrafts (beading, scrapbooking, card-making, etc.). The straightforward no-frills approach of ACE lets us do that. Is it my "favorite" curriculum? No, not really. As far as curricula goes, there are more exhaustive (and exhaustING) programs out there. But, coming from an unschooling background, I prefer to keep curriculum to a minimum. I've also noticed that 80% of the negative comments (all over the web..not just here) come from people who have never even used PACEs. Just saying. I've also used BJU's DVD program (as high as 3rd grade) in the past and that is EXTREMELY mom-intensive up until about 2nd grade. (I only mention that because I saw someone suggest that. Trust me, ACE's K program is going to be WAY less work on you than BJU's K5 DVDs!!!)

Just popping in... I've written several posts on my blog about why we LOVE ACE PACEs. You (and others) might find it useful. :) Blog: http://gracebasedgodlytomatoes.blogspot.com/ {The posts related to the ACE PACEs seem to be pretty popular on my blog, so you can find many of them on the right side of the main page. Also, I noticed that another WTM forum user pasted some of my blog posts on her blog. I'm okay with that! BUT, she mentioned that the link wasn't working. That's because I changed the domain name.}