Thank you for reminding me of KISS. I remember looking at it when my dd was younger and being overwhelmed by the website, but I've spent some time sorting through the information and I think this would be a good option for us. The fact that I can begin with level 1 but use the 6th grade literature selections seems perfect for my dd! Anyone else use KISS in a similar manner?

Thank you to everyone for your input so far! This sounds just like our situation and now I'm thinking that we'll just drop formal spelling for now. There are obviously still many words in Spelling Power that she could learn, but I'm just not sure that it's a good use of our daily time right now, especially since it is frustrating to her to get even one word wrong. She's learning so much by reading on her own and I purposely choose dictation selections that will challenge her in this area (since I can't seem to stump her on grammar or punctuation!). My only reservation about dropping a spelling program entirely is that my dd expresses an interest in participating in spelling bees in the future. She's not even eligible for our local bee for 2 more years, so we've got time, right? I'm torn :confused1: Yes, R&S is a bit dry, but I like it for a couple of reasons: 1) the price is right, which is an important consideration for us! and 2) it seems to hit on the grammar topics that we need without too much extra fluff. Granted, I haven't looked at many other grammar programs so I don't have much to compare it to. We're using R&S orally so that she doesn't get bogged down with the writing and we're skipping many of the lessons that are too easy or repetitive (does this mean that we should skip to 4??). I did not have a solid education in English grammar, so honestly it is helping me to sit next to her and learn the parts of speech that I never learned! I would love to hear more about Killgallon. I'm also intrigued by Writing Tales II. Is anyone using it? I absolutely agree! I have to remember that my dd is only 6 and I think it's SO important for us to be spending this time together. It gives us a chance to discuss the books and cuddle together while her younger siblings are sleeping. I intend to read aloud to my kids for years to come, no matter what their reading levels are :)

For those of you who have young kids who are naturally gifted in reading, writing, spelling, and grammar, how much formal instruction do you do in these areas? I am constantly questioning whether I need to be doing more or less in each of these areas with my 6 yo. She has been reading since she was in diapers and is now easily reading at a junior high (maybe high school?) level. She seems to naturally pick up spelling and grammar from all of the reading that she has done. She used to write pages and pages of stories every day, but recently has said that she isn't as interested in writing anymore (I think it's just a phase). Here's what we're currently doing: - Read-alouds together plus several hours of independent reading - Copywork most days - Dictation from our read-alouds several times per week We also have R&S 3, but only use it when it fits into our schedule. We used to use Spelling Power faithfully every day, but we abandoned it a few months ago for the sake of time :( These are really the subjects that I'm questioning. How important is it at this age that we work on grammar and spelling? Also, should we be doing some additional writing activities, particularly if she stops doing so much creative writing in her free time? Thank you for your help!

:lurk5: I've been wanting to ask this question...

Thank you! I've bookmarked your list for future reference. :001_smile:

Thank you to everyone for your input! After dh and I read over all your posts, we discussed this further and we've decided to wait until 1st grade when dd is going on 6 to begin formal history study. In all honesty, I'm the one who's eager to get started on it because I feel like I have SO much to learn (any of the rest of you feel like you've learned more through homeschooling your own kids than you ever did in school?!), but I think the extra year will benefit her. There are a million other options of things to read with her between now and then and I really appreciate your suggestions. Since I would like to begin exposing her to geography (another subject that I will be learning right along beside her!), I think we will try to read lots of stories from around the world. Any suggestions as to where I might find a list of good books about various countries/cultures for her age? Thanks for the suggestion of "A ______ Through Time" books -- I hadn't heard of these before, but they look great! Yes, I agree with you about picture books. In fact, we've been going through Picture Book Preschool over the past year even though dd is now capable of reading chapter books. We've loved so many of these books that I may continue cycling through into next year and include my ds who will be nearly 2 by then. I hope I didn't imply that my dd would be reading the history by herself! I definitely intend to read aloud to her and I see our family doing this for many years to come. Isn't this how most of you use your history spine? I'd be curious to hear... I've heard about CHOW and read some reviews but have never seen it in person. Is it pretty thorough and requires significant time each day to read? Or is it something that we could read "for fun" during the next year before beginning MoH the following year? Thanks again for your help! I am already so thankful for this board!!!

I'm trying to decide what grade to begin history with my DD (we plan on using MOH). She'll be almost 5 when we begin K next fall, but I'm not sure if that's too early. One advantage to starting then is that DS can begin with Year 1 in our next cycle when he is in 1st grade since he is 3 years younger. She's almost 4 right now and very far ahead in reading (around a 4th gr. level possibly? I'm not really sure...), but I don't want to push her in other subjects if it will be too much for her. Right now she does Bible/catechism every day along with LOTS of reading and typing up stories and letters on the computer. Several times a week we do FLL, Math, and HWT. I'm also thinking about beginning geography songs and song school latin in the near future. If we don't begin history next fall and instead wait until 1st grade when she is going on 6, what else (if anything) should I consider adding in for K curriculum? I've read TWTM, but I'm confused about whether I should follow the recommended schedule or begin other subjects ahead of schedule since DD was an extremely early reader. TIA for the help! I've been lurking here for a few weeks and have been soaking up a lot of your wisdom :001_smile: