Seems like most agree that LL7 is a good gentle intro to literary studies. I used it with DS in his 6th grade year when he was only 10-11. Maybe that is why it worked so well. Its a great fit if you have a child who is ahead but not necessarily ready for challenging literary studies, or if you are going to do a lot of supplementing with whole books. We also used suggestions from Teaching the Classics with supplemental books.

I looked at the samples, but couldn't find a table of contents. Now I have to add another choice to my list of curriculum being considered for next year! CLE Reading looks good! Shannon

Are the stories used by CLE Reading written just for them, or do they use excerpts of larger works? Also, we have used LL7 and I agree with Lori D. Our experience was a little different. We did not read aloud. I did read and mark sections to discuss. I loved that I could add my own books and assignments without feeling like we were getting behind.

along with a botany study and microscope activities which we will probably start in the summer. For high school I am considering BJU (possibly w/ DVDs-- although it annoys me that they need to be returned and can't be used with a second child)and Apologia, but I haven't fully researched possibilities yet. I need to see what else is out there for DVD and online instruction. I'm also looking into classes that may be available locally. Sorry I can't be of more help. Shannon

I've found I'm very good at second guessing though, so that sometimes occupies my brain and my time!:lol: Seriously, when I am done with all the curriculum research I start looking at our schedule to see what I can do to refine it. I also look at character goals to see what needs to be worked on and brainstorm ways to approach them (I pray about these and spend time in the Word too). Rethinking chores and how to handle them is another item on my to do list to streamline homeschooling. Or.....if I give myself a firm talking to, I will just take some time for myself: read (I mean for fun, not research!), write, garden, draw...do whatever. Sometimes a nice break from the homeschool obsession is a good thing. I have to remind myself of that or I forget!

This sounds like exactly the same problem I encountered earlier in the year in our TT. Yes, there are more mistakes. Make sure you check problems your son gets wrong. We have also found cases where the written problem shows one number (like 15, for example) but the person who is speaking says a different number (like 16 for example). I had to check the solutions manual for the answer, then calculate it both ways in order to tell my DS which number to use in the problem! It's a little annoying that the authors didn't do a better job of checking their work (especially in a math curriculum).

It's in the sale pile. Maybe selling it cheaper locally will get someone to bite!

have any thoughts on this?

I bought Latim Primer 1 last year and haven't used it. When I watched part of lesson 1 it seemed dry as a desert. I bought based on research and recommendation of a friend - - who I now realize has a completely different philosophy than we do. Has anyone used Latin Primer or looked it over? Is it really as dull as it seems? I am selling a bunch of things at a curriculum sale this weekend and maybe I should sell it there and get something more suited to us. I'm going to look it over again today myself, but I'd appreciate any input. TIA Shannon

We are constantly struggling with the issues of extra-Biblical holidays. It is encouraging (to our family) when those who do not celebrate post. It helps others who are leaning towards not celebrating. It sometimes seems to me that those of us who make such decisions because of conscience and attempting to follow the Lord's leading in these matters are more subject to critisms than others. When I do share our family's convictions I am often not treated very kindly by other Christians, even though I am not telling them they should make the same decision. I try to be respectful of others beliefs, but I must say I have not beeen treated very respectfully when these issues arrise in conversation. I am glad to know there are other families out there who share our convictions. Anyway, thank you.

Do you post photos of your children? If so, do you worry that someone may use those photos inappropriately somewhere else? My DH has raised this issue and doesn't want us to have a family website, or me to have a blog. Just wondering how others handle this issue. Shannon

I noticed you listed Writing Aids. Is it not providing enough instruction for you? I am considering all of the same things you are and will be using TOG 1 until mid year next year and then probably starting TOG 2. I had considered just using TOG writing assignments and Writing Aids until I see how that goes and then making a decision. Hummm.....

Some say it does; some say it doesn't. Somehow, some parents/teachers have been able to tell who has used IEW, and say that the writing is contived. I haven't seen enough of it to make up my mind yet. I like IEW, but I do want a different approach for next year. I suppose I'm looking for something that would have exercises that deal with common writing problems. Where I could pick and choose as I see specific problems, or weaknesses in my DS writing. I don't need help coming up with assignments. Shannon

We used SWI A this year. I used A because I wanted my youngest to watch too and at least try some of the assignments. I am looking for something different for next year. We did like IEW, but I don't want to continue with it for next year because I want to avoid contrived writing style. I think I have a natural writer on my hands, but he may need some help with specific writing problems. We may go back to IEW later (using their requirements loosely, as you described). Hope I'm making sense. Shannon

Figuratively Speaking. Where can I get a look at this? Shannon

I need some input. I've looked at so many different things my brain is in a fog. I am starting to have dreams about writing curriculum, and they aren't nice, happy dreams! I really would like something that deals with the real nitty gritty of writing in areas such as word choice, sentence structure, eliminating boring and overused words etc. I'd also like some essay writing to be part of whatever we use. Any one have a recommendation or want to share what you are using and what you like about it? Shannon

maybe from about 1st or 2nd up to 4th. There is not enough material included for middle school years. While the author gives lots of research suggestions for the older children, having your child constantly researching can really be a strain on your time and energy. That was our experience with MOH 1. We were doing so much extra researching and supplementing for my 6th grader that we felt like we were writing our own curriculum! If you don't mind all the research or you're looking for a very general intro it works well. Of course this is just our experience, and it really depends what your goals are and what your children are like. I've got a DS who is super interested in history and remembers all the bits and pieces he hears and reads from all the various historical books and dvds he's looked at and heard. MOH just wasn't enough.

After years of taking that approach, my DS had a hard time understanding why he was expected to do so much more writing and so many more math problems when he hit about 5th & 6th grade in his subjects. I wanted him to get ready for middle school years. At one point I had the negotiation problem too. I had make consequences for even the mentioning of or questioning how much work had to be done. One consquence was I made my son copy a list of why writing out the assignments was good and how it would help him. He got the message. When feeling generous I would simply get out a teacher's edition and show him the amount of work that would be required of him by a typical school teacher. Then I would offer to arrange his workload to match! That also helped. Looking back, I think I would have taken a more balanced approach and determined what I thought was a minimum of written work for the week. *Maybe* I don't know, we can always second guess ourselves and rethink and in the end, changing what we did doesn't always mean it would have worked out better.

I will have to seriously speak to DH tonight about all this. Shannon

Does this mean that TOG is not going to be available in printed form in the future?? So, if I don't get in on this pre-order for year 2, does that mean I will never be able to order year 2 in print from TOG? We will be just starting with Year 1 unit 2 after our spring break. Before that I was basically designing my own Tapestry like curriculum. It was exhausting. I think we are really going to like TOG, but hesitate to order year 2 before even trying out year 1 in person. We won't need year 2 until sometime mid year next year, but I would like to have it in print. On the other hand, I could use those $ on other curriculum I need to buy. I'll need to talk this over with my DH. Anyone able to answer my questions?? Shannon

First let me say, I am not bashing Teaching Textbooks. I think for some kids it works perfectly. We are happy with the year we spent on TT7, but will be moving on to another curriculum for next year. After considering our year, here is how I see the pros & cons.... Pros... taught my son to be more independent forced him to be neater in his notebook & to pay more attention to careless mistakes, also not to rely on me constantly! - this happened because the program immediately tells the child if he has made a correct or incorrect response. They are then given a second opportunity to answer the question. This forced my DS to look at his work and find mistakes (I would not do it for him) Constant review tends to cement the procedures in the child's mind, however this works betterl with the earlier concepts taught because they are repeated most often. Gave me more time to work with my DD on her reading. Lessons & quizzes are automatically graded for you (in TT7, not sure about other levels). My DS found the grading of each lesson to be motivational; some might find it upsetting. It helped to give me more free time, although I did make sure to check the written work too so I could keep up on where the mistakes were being made. Cons... Not enough teaching of, examples of, or practice with new material for my DS (again, what is provided might work well with some children who do not need as much practice) It seems that so many review problems don't allow room for practice of new learning. You could use supplements to help with this issue. I used Life of Fred. New concepts will not receive as much review - this is due to the nature of their design of lessons. Later lessons just can't get as much review simply because they are newer and there aren't as many lessons in the future that include that material in the review. Hope I'm making sense. This is a true weak point in the program because of the lack of practice in each lesson for new learning. Errors in some of the word problems and a few typos - both of which will cause your child to get the answer wrong. There aren't many, but we did find some. I never checked on the website--maybe they have updates?? But, the problem here is that your child is receiving a grade at the end of the lesson and so, being penalized (so to speak) for those typos & author errors. Automatic Grading does not allow for partial credit. This was a real problem for me at first, but we adjusted according. Also the option of trying the problem a second time also helps in this area. You could keep your own gradebook and adjust grades if necessary. I found I didn't need to. I don't think I forgot anything. If I think of anything else, I'll add it later. HTH Shannon

I'll find out soon since TOG Year 1 is arriving at our house this week. I'd still like to hear how others are handling it. Shannon

maybe because I was on the phone with customer service several times. Maybe it was because the seller so oviously would not cooperate? We had already e mailed back and forth many times. GVA ~ hope your wait is over and you get your money back. Have you tried calling the customer service number?

She did not actually use the phrase "out of luck" it was the general tone of the e mail...not the actual words. Yes, she did say she already used my money and had none left to give a refund. Wording was something like "there was nothing she could do about it".

and they did rule in my favor. Those who responded that the seller is *on the hook* were correct. I think the items fell out because the box was not sufficient to withstand shipping. Seller just would not deal with me. She even told me she alread spent my money on her son's curriculum so I was out of luck. Now I just have to wait for the refund. This was a horrible experience which I hope never to repeat. As one poster stated trying to claim on postal insurance is a huge ordeal. My husband has had past experience with damages to his paintings in shipping to galleries and he was never really able to collect what it cost to fix damages. Anyway, thanks again. I am glad this is finally over (almost)!