I used it in a co-op situation with 5-10 year olds. It worked great! I really, really love this curriculum and so has every kid I've introduced it to.

Sassafras Science is such a hit in our household! I read it aloud to my 8 and 10 year olds (thus they aren't aware of any typos because I edit as I read if I need to) and they go crazy for it. It is the ONLY science curriculum we have ever completed. For Zoology, I bought all the books that came with the program, but for Anatomy I did my own supplemental work. We use books, videos, science experiments, worksheets etc. from all over the place! I love how Sassafras Science can be both a science program and a geography program. I think it is very easy to internet search for supplemental items. I just glance over the next chapter and get our materials ready. I will pull worksheets and videos relating to the upcoming locations (geography) and science subjects. I just honestly cannot say enough good things about the program. LOVE it! We are eagerly awaiting Botany.

We've been using MM for 3 years now. Sometimes I think some other program is going to work better, but it always turns out that I'm wrong. The only problem with MM is that we can't get through it quickly enough. I love how MM is so incremental, but my kids struggle to do more than one page of MM a day. With this pace, we can't finish the program in one year. This means my son is falling behind even though he's very good in math. What I need is help accelerating the program. Does anyone know a systematic way to teach MM to kids who are only going to do one page a day so that they don't fall behind grade level? (I want a plan that doesn't involve just randomly skipping work sheets. Also, I've found that forcing the kids to do more than one worksheet a day creates burnout for all of us so I also don't want to do that.) Thanks for any help!

We used OM in the early years and also know several others who did. Everyone I know who used it in the early years (us included) loved it, parents and kids alike. OM is very gentle and very different from the Classical approach. For my kids (especially my son who wasn't ready for much school until about age 9), OM was a great fit. For my crafty daughter, it was also great. I do find that many parents and kids mostly just enjoy it for the early years. As the years progress, OM takes on a different feel. OM is definitely worth it if you can get a used copy of the grade set. Since the program has been around since the 70s, this is not hard to do. Homeschoolclassified.com or Ebay both carry it regularly. I would encourage you to really look over the cirriculum at Oak Meadow's website before buying so you are sure you are getting the right grade level. First grade is working on learning letters and then moves into reading so it is a good starting place, I think. It is also the OM grade level that my kids loved best. OM is great because it gently leads your family into the routine of homeschooling and makes homeschooling fun and creative. If anything, I wish we'd done more OM (and less classical) when my kids were younger. We still use OM now as a summer grade review. This summer we will do OM 3. This works because my kids think OM is fun!

To be honest, my kids have much worse penmanship than their public schooled peers. I think this is largely because public school spends a lot of time doing busy work, which takes the form of writing. The good thing about homeschooling, though, is that deficient areas in your children's education are caught and corrected SO much quicker than in public school. For our family we focus a lot of reading aloud together because that's what I think is important. If you think writing is important then you and your kids will focus on that and your kids will be exceptional writers. We use Writing Tales and like it, but my friend who is a serious LA gal uses Michael Clay Thompson. It is a comprehensive LA program, which might put your mind at ease. Homeschooling is amazing. You're gonna love it!

We use Making Words and like it a lot. In the past we've used Sequential Spelling, AAS, WRTR, Spelling Power, and SWS. Its been great to find something we actually like and complete. Making Words has some similarities to AAS, but relies on word games to find the words within words. My kids like it and so do I! After spending all that money trying out spelling cirrulica, its crazy that the one we like best costs less than $1 on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Making-Words-Grades-Multilevel-Activities/dp/0866538062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361499346&sr=8-1&keywords=making+words

We use Making Words and like it a lot. In the past we've used Sequential Spelling, AAS, WRTR, Spelling Power, and SWS. Its been great to find something we actually like and complete. Making Words has some similarities to AAS, but relies on word games to find the words within words. My kids like it and so do I! After spending all that money trying out spelling cirrulica, its crazy that the one we like best costs less than $1 on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Making-Words-Grades-Multilevel-Activities/dp/0866538062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361499346&sr=8-1&keywords=making+words

My kids are weaker in writing and spelling, too. We used WWW and didn't like it. We now use Writing Tales and like it a lot. I like WT because it isn't the same assignment day after day (like WWW). The assignments are varied and center around a story. If you decide to use WT, I wouldn't bother purchasing the teacher's guide. The student workbook alone will get you through. It costs less than $20. We do about 15 minutes a day. I think WT is intended to have longer lessons, but we just do one page a day.

We just started using Happy Scientist and love it. Its very hands on. Best of all, its only $10/year through the homeschool buyers co-op. I think it would be excellent for younger children because the videos are so short! The videos usually encourage kids to do a hands-on learning activitiy. Watch the free ones and see what you think: http://thehappyscientist.com/category/free-stuff

We use MM too and I've stopped it several times when my kids go through frustrated periods. I always think I'll find something better, but I honestly never do. So, what I do is when things get rough is: let the kids do 1/2 a sheet a day or take a week or two break and play math games (Rightstart has a great set of Math games for about $40). When we pick the normal MM pace back up, the kids have a better attitude. I've also found letting my kids choose when they do math to be very helpful. For example, I had placed math first thing in the day thinking that if the kids are frustrated we need to get it out of the way. However, my kids revised my posted schedule and moved math to the end. Letting the kids choose when they did math resulted in less conflict over actually doing the math. Go figure. :)

Times Tales is a big hit for us. We like the workbook, not the DVD. http://www.amazon.com/Times-Tales-Tables-Made-Easy/dp/0976202441/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1355784881&sr=8-2&keywords=times+tales

This is our 3rd year using it. I like it because my kids are on two different math levels and it simplifies our day. Also, I like that there is only on worktext and that I don't have to read separate instructions. As my kids have grown with it, they become more and more independent. We've tried switching away from it a couple of times (usually to Rightstart) in the effort to find something more fun, but so far we've always come back because MM is so good at covering everything and its so easy for the teacher. I find the best way for us to do MM is first thing in the morning when my kids have their strongest focus. We then play math games (both individually on the computer and board/card games as a family) to reinforce topics. Recently my kids discovered Life of Fred through a homeschooling friend and we're going to do that too because they think it is so fun. However, I've learned my lesson and we will NOT give up MM, but simply fold in LOF to MM. Hope this helps! I highly recommend MM.

Our income is that low. I wrote a post about it here: http://www.budgetingwiththebushmans.com/2012/01/what-to-do-with-income-tax-refund.html

Someone said we have four kids. We don't. We have a family of four so we only have two kids. I also want to say that my family and I feel like we have an abundant life. We used to live a fast paced and expensive lifestyle and we didn't find joy in it. So, please don't feel like we are sitting around depriving ourselves. We have fun, we play, we learn. We just do it for free whenever possible. :001_smile:

Thank you so much for linking to my blog. Reading your comments has helped me see what people find helpful and also perhaps misleading/confusing about my blog. I hope to address some of these concerns in the future. For now, I am happy to address some of your questions/concerns.I am also happy to answer questions people have at bobbie@budgetingwiththebushmans.com. I understand that people are skeptical about our lifestyle. I know I am lucky to have a part-time job with insurance. I also know it was a great find to get a house for $13,000. I also know that my husband and I worked very hard to pay down all our debt before embarking on this lifestyle. We each worked two jobs and paid off $62,000 in four years. We sold a four bedroom house with a mortgage and most of our stuff with it. We were craving simplicity. I am telling the truth about our utility bill. In fact, I'll post a picture of the next one on my blog. We heat with wood which we get for free and we don't have air conditioning. As for homeschooling supplies, we have been homeschooling for two years so I had an initial start up cost. Now, though, I just sell our old stuff to buy "new" used stuff. We also share curriculum with other local families, lowering the amount each family needs to buy. For birthday parties, we bring homemade or used gifts. We get the used items from the consignment store where I trade in old things we don't need for store credit. We can then use that credit to buy things we want/need. Or my kids give something of theirs that they no longer need. We've never had this received negatively and many other families have adopted our used present giving strategies. If we really need something, we buy it. If we have an emergency, of course, we address. But otherwise we are committed to trying not to spend money. My income is roughly double our budget so we try to save 50% of our money. I am also going to post our exact expenses in the month of June as part of my "Write It Down Challenge". So, if you want to see what exactly we spend, check back in. I know we are extreme. My family has found such freedom in living a debt-free lifestyle. My only goal is to encourage others to do what they can to live a simpler life, if that is their desire. I don't expect everyone to do exactly as we do. Thank you for reading, Bobbie Bushman

I should've mentioned we need it to be secular. :) Thanks for all the help!

Yup. Just changed it. :)

We have been doing Rightstart and All About Spelling and my kids like it! And I like it! We like the interaction and the game-feel that those subjects have. How can I get that feeling for History, Science, Geography, etc.? Are there curricula you know of that have a similar feel?

We have started using Righstart and AAS. My kids really enjoy them and they seem much more interactive than other programs we've tried. It feels like we're playing games, but I know we're learning too. Lately, I've been thinking that I'd like all our subjects to be like this. For some reason, I started thinking maybe that meant doing something like Oak Meadow. However, I really think I'd be happier if I could piece some similar curricula together on my own. So do you know of curricula that have the feel of RS or AAS, but for other subjects like Science, History, or anything else?

I know what my kids would name as their favorite: The Hank the Cowdog series! :tongue_smilie:

I recommend the Writing Road to Reading (aka The Spalding Method).

:bigear: I want to know this too.

I can't figure out how much you can save by ordering through HSBC. Do they offer it as group buy continously? Also can you try a trial Discovery Education for free? If so, I can't figure out how.

I haven't seen the exact time period you mention, but from what I have seen, History Odyssey is basically this: SOTW + Child's History of the World + History Pockets. I like the approach, but I personally just combine those things myself. It is much cheaper that way. :001_smile:

I agree with The Anamaniacs! Search for their Youtube video. Let the kids watch it daily and copy a couple of lines on a dry erase board to focus on each week. It worked for us and the kids loved it! P.S. The Anamaniacs has lots of great songs. We do all our memory work via fun songs! :001_smile: