I was originally planning on Analytic Grammar, but now I'm considering Hake. My son uses the hardback Saxon books and he's a creature of habit. Something as simple as the similar textbook will be a bonus for him. We both love spiral as well.

Yes. I love that!!!! So does my son!

Thanks for the 6.00 shirt link!

Thanks for sharing that. I keep meaning to visit over there more often. I have to say the telling a story backwards tactic is one of my favorites. It was hard for DS1, but once he got it we enjoyed the story.

I have only used MP CC. DS1 is on Fables. I have the DVDs, and I love it. He went from hating writing to loving it. The fact that I dropped a lot of busy work helped that. Since I retained CC, I think he sees how important it is. If you have specific questions, let me know. (I also plan on using IEW in between CC) I don't like how many words CC puts in the outline. I prefer the 3 word limit of IEW. I also like all the techniques CC suggests. I told DS1 he is keeping this workbook and taking it to college, so he has it as a resource. Once I blend all those techniques with IEW's styles I think his writing will be awesome.

What a great idea. I had my son in school for 4th grade last year. His math was great. His reading comprehension has always been lacking, because he gets bored when he reads. His grammar and writing needed a lot of work. My goals were grammar, writing, music, and foreign languages. I hit grammar intensively with Shurley during the first semester. I use Memoria Press CC Fables stage to help develop his writing skills. He went from hating it to loving it. Because I have a scaled down approach, the kids now have time for adequate music and foreign language practice. He is quickly becoming proficient on his drum kit and his band percussion kit. He is also making great strides in French with Pimsleur. I don't know if that helped. I find that I emphasize different things different years, depending on what is lacking. Another big one this summer will be encouraging the habit of reading independently.

Over all I get what you are saying. We cut out a lot of busy work when the baby became high maintenance. It was a blessing in disguise. The Memoria Press books we use are great (CC 1/Fables, FF Latin, and Prima Latina.) Abeka math workbooks are great for us. We are more focused on memory work and regular music practice, read aloud, and silent reading times than a lot of the other busy work.

Thanks I will try that. Our whole family is learning, so I'm looking for a range: easy books for the kids and classics where I'd recognize the story for myself.

Do you know of any books for children (or classics for adults) in French on kindle that also have audible versions? Thanks for the help!!!

I recommend Pimsleur. It is not exciting, but it works if you do it daily. Our whole family is learning Pimsleur French. Also, I just found Little Pim on Amazon Prime yesterday! woohoo. I'm so glad our children are doing French first (although we do Latin, too.) I think French is harder than Spanish. If they learn French first, Spanish will be a breeze.

:lurk5: my 3rd grader loves hands-on science, too!

I asked a similar question when my oldest was 6. A very wise friend suggested that I start on French and save Latin for 3rd. It was a good choice for us.

Abeka

LOL I was going to do the same thing. We are in AAS5 in 5th grade. I need something independent next year, so I am going to look at IEW PZ as well. :)

I just did this. I have a K (doing 1st), a 3rd, and a 5th. I was trying an approach where they checked off assignments in their planners and everyone was doing different things. This worked for a while. Then when the new baby came nothing was getting done. I was also frustrated that we were not doing anything as a family. I've scrapped most of the busy work and am using CCM cd's at home (comparable to CC cd's at home). They still have planners, but I've created a time schedule. 8:00 Bible 8:30 Memory Work 9:15 Music/Latin/French 10:40 Snack 11:00 Math/Funnix?/Grammar/Writing/History/Science (this is mostly for the oldest-the younger two do math and some grammar. I have grammar built into the memory work as well. I'm hitting history in science in the memory work. The oldest does his history, science, and writing independently.) 1:00 Lunch 1:30 Read-aloud or audio book 2:00 Indiv. reading (all of us on the couch, even me) 3:00 clean up If we get to the next time and the first thing wasn't done we move on anyway. I finally feel peace and like we are getting school accomplished. I'm trusting the less is more approach. hth

I tried 2nd and 3rd grade Lit. I liked the guides, but ultimately I put them on the shelf. I had to totally revamp our schooling and we were never reading on the couch as a family or doing read-alouds anymore. I'm trying to hit comprehension and vocab through family time now. I was more worried about my oldest's comp. and vocab. He rushes through EVERYTHING and doesn't pay attention. I'm finding that (1) Latin/French and (2)reading together are doing a better job. Overall I love MP and still use Latin and writing. I just had to cut out busy work and the lit. guides fell under that. hth

Can you elaborate on how Alg 1/2 is structured differently than 8/7?

Yes I know. That is the trouble with all these internet conversations is we really know our own kids best. My son's issue is rushing through everything, not just math. If he looks up words on thesaurus.com his inclination is to pick the shortest synonyms and not even pay attention to context. Whatever gets the job done ASAP is his way. We are finally seeing big changes now that we are half way through the year. His math is neater. His writing is neater and more thoughtful, etc... For him backing up to start over was more about discipline I'm not just teaching him how to do math or write well. I'm teaching him how to be a good student, too. I also cut out a lot of busy work, so he is happy with our recent changes.

I recommend checking out a book from the library that tells about the life of St. Valentine. Maybe this one.

I am making quizlet reviews for each unit for extra practice, and because I'm a visual learner,

LOL! We are doing French as a family. Ages 5, 8, 10, plus two parents! Can't wait to learn how to order wine!

French. I started my 5th grader on Learnables French when he was in 1st grade. Now the whole family is learning Pimsleur French. I vote for French, because it is harder than Spanish, Learning French first will make Spanish very easy to learn later. My K and 3rd grader are also doing Prima Latina which I love far more than SSL. My 5th grader does FFL.

I do see your points, but I internalized how important it is to practice fundamentals instead of rushing ahead. Maybe it resonated with me, because that was the message I needed to hear most for my homeschool right now. I'm having one of those "take a step back and reevaluate everything I'm doing" moments. My son was not upset in the least to start the book over, though he was only on L40. I've changed up everything we are doing though, and we had a 'Let's have a fresh start' week. I dropped a bunch of his work that I felt was 'busy' work and am focusing on bare essentials that I want done well. Also, like the author of that book, I do math year round. If you do math year round, you would need to supplement with another text or repeat something eventually, because the child would wind up too far ahead at some point. Repeating a text or sections of a text for review is not that much different than summer bridge activities or using a different text on the same level in the summer.

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. I'm using FLL and Shurley tracks for now. CCM has its own history sentences and songs. I was particularly curious if CC English covers anything that isn't covered in what I already have.

Thank you! I will check those out. I may still be interested, because I load tracks into my cloud and make playlists. I add in classical music to learn by name, etc., so I could just tack a CC track onto the weekly play list.