Oh, another thing I wanted to mention is that for both of my kids, we started out with RightStart but I switched them to Singapore around second grade. The methodology is very similar, but in Singapore they practice concepts in a workbook, whereas in RS they practice with games. It was so much easier for us to manage. I definitely think that RS gave them a good foundation but there was no loss in switching to Singapore.

Remember that Charlotte Mason taught a hundred years ago. And I think most people had a nanny at that point (at least the ones with money did) so it just wasn't as much of an issue with the littlest ones. I have taken a lot of her methods and applied them to our homeschool but certainly not all. I think at your kids ages, you need to give yourself more grace and freedom to do things a little differently. Your kids are so young! If you can get math and reading done, and read lots of books to them, you are doing great. They don't need to learn all that Latin now, although if it doesn't stress you out, go for it. Something like Song School Latin or Dinolingo would give them exposure for now. (Song School can be done with just the music or with the DVD as well, Dinolingo is an animated DVD.) We have never used a lot of screens in our homeschool but Latin is one thing that I did let them watch. I have always loathed crafts. They totally stress me out. But I found that if I gave my kids a few supplies and just let them play, they were happy and I could manage it. As they get older, they will be able to do more with just your supervision. Interestingly, I came across this blog the other day. It resonated with me and maybe it would be helpful to you: https://upabovetherowantree.com/charlotte-mason-purist/

Definitely don't worry now about her being "ahead" and high school math pacing. She might need more time to solidify fractions, decimals, percents and pre-algebra concepts before Algebra 1, in which case you will be really happy to have the extra time. MM will continue to get more challenging so just go with it and see where she is in 7th grade.

I love being in charge of my kids' education, building them up in their strengths, avoiding middle school drama, getting their work done during the day and not dealing with homework after school, flexibility with our schedule, less germ exposure (important for my autoimmune/PANS kid), LESS exposure to pre-teen culture/teen culture, surrounding ourselves with like-minded families who don't give their young teens phones or let them spend hours on a screen, a more wholesome environment, avoiding the pressure to become boy-crazy at 12yo... And btw my kids do have exposure to kids in school through some activities (taekwondo, our local health club programs, church youth group). They are not in a bubble, but the difference is clear. I am SO thankful we homeschool.

I suggest listening to some Bravewriter podcasts about the stages of growth as a writer. This has revolutionized how I'm approaching writing and given me so much more peace and freedom. Copywork and creative writing projects are perfect for a 10yo.

Not useful for me. Unless there is a print version now, when I tried it they were all on the Homeschool Planet online planner. I ended up canceling and getting a refund.

If Singapore was pretty successful despite needing more time to learn the concepts, I would look at Math Mammoth. The strategies are similar but it is more thorough and gives more practice. You could do MM 6th and then 7th and then Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Or you could focus on single topic downloads to review whatever is needed, then do a standard pre-algebra in 7th and algebra 1 in 8th.

I've been listening to a lot of Bravewriter podcasts this summer. They have helped to reassure me a great deal that I am not failing my kids and my kids are not failing! I highly recommend them! Here is the one on the Partnership Writing stage (9-10yo) but I highly recommend going to the podcast site and listening to the first season where she goes through the stages of growth as a writer. It really helps to see the bigger picture, even if you are not using the BW programs. http://blog.bravewriter.com/2012/06/19/04-partnership-writing-stage-of-development/

Do the free trial of Reflex math. I think there is a month free trial. It is absolutely excellent for drilling facts, and was totally worth it to buy for the year to get my kids solid with their multiplication and division. You can buy a set of 3 accounts through HSBC.

Thanks ? I already ordered it from amazon, arriving tomorrow.

Thank you! That was so thorough and just what I needed to know.

I'm also looking at Progeny Press. Any feedback?

I'm also looking at Progeny Press. Any feedback?

I find Masterbooks to be experiment heavy, and they do not sell kits for anything. OP - Can the mom afford a video course? Abeka and BJU have video courses. Otherwise, I think a literature based course is a great option if the mom can buy the books ahead of time or make the time to get the at the library.

Has anyone used this guide? I can't find a preview that includes enough for me to make a decision. I bought the Memoria Press guides and they are ok, but not exactly what I'm looking for. There are some things that I like about it--the vocabulary development, the quotation section where the student fills in the speaker of different quotes, and the poetry section. I would prefer a chapter summary and a *few* discussion questions instead of a lot of comprehension questions. My goal in using a guide is to help my daughter understand the book, vocabulary, and themes a little more independently and I don't want to take away enjoyment of the book by loading on extra work for her. Any feedback on the Discovering Literature Series guide, or any other suggestions, specifically for The Hobbit?

Just seeing this now. When I click the link, it says page dose not exist.

We have an Usborne illustrated Shakespeare and it's great. There were a few other Usborne Shakespeare books that also looked great the last time I looked.

I haven't done CA so I can't compare. And, actually, we haven't done EE yet, BUT I did buy it for next year. I will say this. For my DS, I bought EE. For my DD, I bought a program where I need to gather materials. SO.MANY.MATERIALS. ? I'm trying to put a bin together for her before we start school so that the experiments don't get thrown out when we are out of some random household item that we SHOULD have but don't (masking tape, tennis ball, corn starch, sand, straws! ugh) From now on, I will only buy science that comes with a kit.

To be honest, in your situation i wouldn't do those online classes. How old are your kids? Is there any way to switch them to self-paced online classes so they won't be locked into specific days? Your schedule of camping Sunday-Tuesday just sounds LOVELY. What awesome family time and memories for the kids. I wouldn't sacrifice that if at all possible!

That is true. Principles has a ton of reading and that would not work for my DD for math.

I found MLFLE to be behind most other homeschool programs. The 6th grade level barely had any pre-algebra and most other programs do, so we have had to do a lot of that this summer to prepare her for 7th grade.

Science — https://explorationeducation.com/ It's an online textbook and comes with all the experiments/projects. For a motivated 8th grader, I think it could be very independent.

Growing with Grammar, Soaring with Spelling, Winning with Writing CLE Lifepac by Alphaomega

I understand what you are saying, but not everyone can teach the concepts intuitively. The OP said that she wants something planned out to avoid gaps. Personally, I needed the HIG to teach me how to teach math. I think that the majority fall into that camp; for those that don't, more power to you! ? I think that difference is that some programs emphasize the "why" before teaching the algorithm. It's not that the other programs never teach the "why" or that Asian style programs never teach the algorithm. Singapore is also heavy on the mental math. This was very challenging for my daughter. I always had to introduce the algorithm to her before she fully grasped the concept and she needed a lot more repetition than my son.

They are both solid programs. The more important thing is to pick one and stick with it. Singapore must be implemented correctly in order to fully benefit--use the HIG, teach the concept, use the textbook and workbook. (I'm mentioning this because a common mistake people make with Singapore is to just use the workbook.) CLE is incredibly thorough and the review is excellent. I started my kids with Rightstart and moved them to Singapore at Level 2. My math-minded DS has done very well with Singapore and I have no regrets about his math education. My DD has always struggled to retain the concepts and needed more repetition. We supplemented with Math Mammoth along the way for specific concepts (long division and fractions) as Singapore was not enough for her to master them. She did MLFLE last year. I'm switching her to CLE for 7th grade and we have had a lot of gaps to fill in this summer. If I could go back, I would have started her with CLE and done that the whole way through. But for my DS, Singapore has been perfect.