I think it's "make" and it is modifying "things," not "one."

We are using 7-9 this year and love it--planning to move on to 8-10 next year..

No, not yet. One day I think one thing, the next day another! Update: My 8yo told me today she really, really wants to go the charter school. This surprised me and made me lean more toward trying the school. Of course she could tell me she really, really wants to homeschool forever tomorrow, so I shouldn't put too much stock into her words!

We use MBTP and I plan to do the 8-10 level next year with my advanced third-grader-to-be. We're doing 7-9 this year and love most of the book units, though I should say we skimmed over Communities and Culture just because I wanted to take more time with the ancients and middle ages (we're doing SOTW Vol. 1 as a side reading). My dd gobbled up the books with that unit--we just didn't do much of the work! Just wanted to let you know not to judge the MBTP as a whole on this particular unit--we're really looking forward to Holes and some of the other lit units you listed. It's a great program.

That is very helpful--thank you! That's a new way for me to look at the potential drive--that it could be a good thing and a special time. As a homeschooling parent I'm often driving the kids around to different things anyway, so I'm actually not sure it would even be that much more time in the car than we have now.

Thanks--it is great to hear a success story. I really do think this school would be worth the drive, from what I've heard.

Thank you--I will check out your blog!

We do some homeschool activities that cost money, it's just music lessons are so expensive that I couldn't add those in right now. The gas would cost money for sure--it would probably cost roughly what we pay for homeschool activities every month, but we'd have music lessons too and I would have more time to work, so would be able to make more. I would pack lunches. I do worry that their friends from school will not live close by--that is a great point.

Yes, for me it is at least two hours in the car, unless I find people to carpool with. The one-year-old would be with me or perhaps with grandparents during this time. They would get out at the same time. Thanks for your thoughts--the drive is a big "con" in my opinion.

They would be home by 4pm every day. Don't know if I would afterschool, other than maybe with some books on CD (it will be a 30+minute drive to the school!) and general parenting things like reading at night. It's sad for me because I do love planning the academics of homeschool and being with my children during the day, but this does seem like a great opportunity for them and would really help free up some time during the day for me to work. I've pulled dd out of ps before, so I don't want to do this unless I know we will stick to it. Thanks for your input! I'd love to hear more opinions/experiences!

Hello, I'd love to get a little input from folks with kids at school, for whatever reason. I've been homeschooling for two years, have a daughter in second and a son in K. I put them in a lottery for a very well-regarded music/arts charter school on a kind of whim a few months ago, and it turns out their names were drawn and they can enroll next year. This throws me for a loop because homeschooling is going pretty well and we all enjoy it. My kids do not want to go to school. They are academically very strong and our local ps would not be a good fit, but this school reportedly does a great job with gifted students. We cannot afford many extracurriculars, including music, and I do feel stretched thin between homeschooling and working at home part-time in all my spare time, so I'm wondering if this might be a good move for my family. If you moved from homeschooling to a public or charter, how did it go? Thanks!

Still thinking but.... General LA/Science/Social Studies: Moving Beyond the Page 8-10 (maybe just two of the four concepts so we have time for other things) Math: Math Mammoth 3, Beast Academy 3 Handwriting: HWOT Cursive Spelling: Sequential Spelling History: SOTW 2 and interest-led I'm attracted to Bravewriter, MCT, and project-based homeschooling too--I want to do it all.

Moving Beyond the Page

Moving Beyond the Page

Math Mammoth and just added in Beast Academy for fun.

I just don't think a point system would be helpful to your relationship with her at all. Can you imagine earning or losing points based on your mood? Maybe you can work together to come up with solutions--I've found the book "How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen..." has some great strategies for helping to build relationships with kids.

I think it would be OK, but how about trying to supplement the phonics pattern in ETC with the pattern in the lessons at progressivephonics.com? They are free and the stories are fun and silly. SO different from Phonics Pathways--I think she might enjoy them!

I would back off on phonics, or teach on an as-needed basis, as a poster above suggested. I disagree that he will stall out at a fourth grade level--my dd is 8 and is reading beyond 6th grade level with not much phonics instruction, and as a child I was the same. Some kids don't need a lot of phonics instruction; it's only one part of the many processes that come together for us to read.

This made my day. :)

Foreign language. I have bought two or three Spanish programs and have yet to give the kids even one lesson.

Yes--Ereth's Birthday by Avi. We are halfway through and my kids love it--it's about a porcupine. Also Poppy books by Avi.

Progressive Phonics (progressivephonics.com) is free, silly, and fun. I use this in combination with Explode the Code workbooks.

I think the social studies and science are very strong in MBtP. If you want to supplement with RSO, you could still do the MBTP social studies and science but you'd have to be very choosy about the activities. I don't think you could do all MBTP activities for lit and social studies/science AND another science program all in one day without a mutiny :) One idea is to do MBtP lit and social studies/science for four days, then have one "science day" per week, where you just do RSO and other fun projects. Honestly my main complaint about MBtP is the complaint I'd have about any boxed curriculum--it leaves little time to pursue other interests--so I may have to take my own advice on this and just use MBtP four days per week. My dd has recently been interested in ancient history, and the history in MBtP 7-9 is not sequential or in depth--it touches on American history, Egypt, Middle Ages, etc., but only for the one unit. So I am thinking of devoting one day per week to Story of the World and science kits or other interests the kids have mentioned. But, if you just did the lit units, there is some tie-in to other content within the lit unit. For example, for Helen Keller we are also studying inventors and Alexander Graham Bell as part of the lit unit, and future lit units bring in ancient history and American history even without the social studies/science. You can also add your own tie-ins, like we studied the 50 states as part of "Sarah Plain and Tall" lit unit. Let me know if you have any more questions!

We love Moving Beyond the Page, but I will say it is better as it moves up in levels. I have a five-year-old son and (just turned) eight-year-old daughter. I bought the first concept of 5-7 for my five-year-old this year, so he would have his own curriculum, and though he seemed to enjoy it, I found it a little boring. I decided to not use a formal curriculum for him this year. My daughter did three of the concepts of 6-8 last year, and it went pretty well; we liked the measurement and culture units the best. This year she is in 7-9, and the curriculum has really taken off. The literature units complement the social studies/science units. For example, now we are studying Helen Keller along with a sound unit in science right now. I wouldn't say there are a ton of worksheets, as other posters have mentioned. The worksheets have a purpose and extend thinking--they are not busy work. (Though I will say it is true that they are obviously trying to touch on school standards, which may be slightly annoying if you don't care about school standards.) A lot of the work is really done "beyond the page"--dd has made a movie, made models, made a plan for positive change she wants to make in the world, and so on. We are looking forward to all the units to come--including hatching butterflies, experiments with plants, and so on. My daughter loves MBtP, it greatly reduces the amount of time I have to plan, and in general it has brought a lot of fun and learning to our homeschool! I wouldn't put my kids, who are two and a half years apart, in the same level. My son listens in as we read the literature aloud and takes part in the science projects, but he is not nearly ready to participate fully in the 7-9 curriculum, and I wouldn't want my daughter to be any lower than this. Let me know if you have any questions--I recommend trying out one concept to see if it is a good fit. This is about 8-9 weeks of material and you can get a very good sense of the program without investing too much!

Moving Beyond the Page is project-based with great literature. We did 6-8 in my daughter's first grade year, starting with Concept 2 Measurement, and it was a lot of fun for her--we are now in 7-9.