Yes, I guess it's not that late in the year. It just somehow seems it! Must be a little tired today. :) And, I hesitate at the thought of jumping mid year, but I'm not feeling great about sticking with Saxon. I guess I'm looking for reassurance that I'm not being unreasonable switching math in the middle of the year. Or, for someone to tell me if I am being unreasonable.

My 7th grade ds is using Saxon 87 (with Art Reed) this year after using CLE 4, 5 and 6 over the last three years. He has done well with CLE, but I was hoping to move him over to DVD instruction to free up some time for me to work with my Kindy ds. It's been rough going so far. He's making lots of careless mistakes and some of the word problems are poorly worded and confusing. This child is good in math, (standardized math scores are in the very high 90% range) but he struggles with careless mistakes. He has benefited from the spiral review in CLE, though we did accelerate and forgo some of the review. My goal is for him to begin Algebra 1 next year as an 8th grader. But, I'm not convinced we should continue with Saxon. If I switch things this year, am I going to put him too far behind? The three options I'm considering: 1. Sticking it out through Saxon 87 for this year. 2. Going back to CLE 7 and accelerating through the year. 3. I have a Lial's BCM text and solutions manual on the way (cheap at Amazon!) But, I don't see how we can work through this before next fall. For algebra 1, I'm thinking either Lial's or Foerster. Not sure yet. Thanks so much for any advice!

I've never used PR, but I did use SWR with my oldest and had many of the same difficulties you are having. My son knew all of the phonograms, but several phonograms make the same sound, and he could never remember which one to use in a given word. Apples and Pears has been a tremendous blessing for him! Apples and Pears utilizes lots of repetition and dictation and it has really helped to solidify the correct spellings.

I am B12 deficient too, and my dr. gave me the option of either shots or a nasal spray. I'm using that right now, and my b12 numbers have gone back up. Just thought I'd throw that out there. It's much easier than going to the dr's office. :001_smile:

I have a bunch of things that were busts here...And many of them are very popular. BFIAR Phonetic Zoo Meaningful Composition Math Mammoth TOG for the early grades--love it for UG and dialectic Apologia Flying Creatures of the First Day CLE reading (but I love the math!!) Maybe if we had used this from the beginning... MCT LA

My dd10 is just like this! When we go to Goodwill she scrounges for materials she can use for her dolls. She uses Paint and Gimp on the computer to design AG posters. She's made a refridgerator out of shoeboxes and a dollhouse out of an old bookcase. She's taken an old sock and made a shirt, headband, gloves and pony tail for her doll. I'm going to have to search for some youtube videos for her. Sounds like they'd get along famously!

Aime, I'm so sorry! I'm glad that things can calm down now, and that your family can heal. I've been through some tough times with my dad, and I know that I went through an actual grieving process. :grouphug: Still praying here.

I've had the same issue here, although my children are a couple of years older. My two oldest (ds12 and dd 10) are only 15 months apart in age, and I've always tried to combine them for history. Looking back, I don't think my dd has benefited from that arrangement, as she is a strongly visual learner. My son loves to listen to read alouds and absorbs nearly every detail, but my daughter just gets that glassy-eyed stare. :) This year my oldest is taking history at tutorial, and my daughter is taking the Veritas Press self-paced course. You might want to look at that. It's still classical, but definitely geared more toward a visual learner. I wish I'd started this with her years ago.

I'm waiting for ink. Both of my printers are out, and I need to make copies as part of my school prep.

That's it! I'm going there tomorrow. LOL! I've heard so much about that place--I need to finally go! What a great find!

I've never had Verizon, so I can't speak to that. We currently have AT&T, and coverage is okay, but we seem to have lots of dropped calls. Definitely don't go with T-mobile. We had terrible coverage with it--couldn't even get service in our new house when we moved.

How did you organize materials for your child? I have the Teacher's manual with the worksheets and projects, but I'm not sure how much of this we'll use. I'm getting organized for the new year, and I'm trying to set her up a binder, but I can't seem to figure out what we are going to be doing. I am using the half-sized binder and sheet protectors for her cards, but I'm just not sure what type of work she'll be producing. Should I have a tab for maps? Do they do a paper time line? We like to do notebooking pages--would this be overkill? Thanks!

We have a 1999 Honda Odyssey, and we've had multiple transmission problems. We are on our 3rd or 4th. I've lost track, honestly.

Bumping this for you. I have a 12 year old who will be going through these lessons soon. I taught him phonics (really!) but after having him evaluated, I'm told he has memorized a large number of words. :banghead:

Thanks for all your help! I just placed an order from RR with both RS Level B and Singapore Primary 1a and 1b. I just felt like I needed them both in my hands to look at in order to decide which direction to take. I appreciate all of your thoughts!

Oh, and that brings to mind another question: which manipulatives are good to have on hand for Singapore math?

Thank you Angela and BearLair! Hmmm...I guess I'm leaning toward Singapore. His handwriting is weak, and he continues to write some numbers backwards, so I'd really like him to get more writing practice. But I'm still drawn to the abacus. Is there any way for me to learn how to use it so I can incorporate it in the Singapore lessons? Other than buying all of Right Start that is? Maybe just a used RS teacher's guide? Any recommendations? Or, any one else have other thoughts? Maybe RS is the way to go. Arg! Wish I could just buy them both and be done with it. :)

Okay, well my youngest is much more mathy than my older two. This little guy walks around saying things like, "I know what 20+20+20 is..." He seems to enjoy thinking about numbers and how they work together. For my olders, I've used BJU (grades 1-4) and CLE (grades 5-6), and they have done well. So, what to do with the little guy? I have a complete set of old edition BJU grade 1 that I could use. I also have the entire MM set purchased from the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. We've been working through 1A with this, and it's just so tedious and repititious. I understand that may change at some point, but it's really taking all the joy away from a subject he loves. Maybe I just need to skim through some of the materials, but that makes me uncomfortable. He recently saw an abacus, and seemed fascinated with it. That inspired me to learn more about Right Start. From what I can tell from the placement info on the website, it looks like he would go into Level B. But, since I'm completely unfamiliar with the program, I don't know if I could jump into Level B and understand it well enough to teach it. Purchasing levels A and B are out of the question. And then there is Singapore. Does it use manipulatives? I don't think my guy necessarily needs manipulatives to understand, but I think they might hold his interest. Any thoughts?

I'm so sorry to hear this, Faith. I've enjoyed reading about your dd's experiences! You have every reason to be very proud of her.

Yes, it's been stressful here. This year we've had to replace a transmission, washer and dryer, and stove. We also had some trim ripped off our house in a storm. Normally, it's not a big deal, but this year the money is a little harder to come by! I've sold some things here, and I'm planning to take some others to consign at our local homeschool store. Little by little, it's getting bought.

So glad to hear this! My 10 dd who doesn't love history will be doing Explorers next year. I was afraid it might be too young for her.

Mnemom, that recipe looks great, and I think it will go over well here. Thank you! I'm checking out the recipe book. Quinoa is off the list as that appears way out of my league. I took your advice on making incremental changes while I was at Aldi today and looked for things for healthy snacks. I picked up some almonds and dried apricots, and they are good together. Of course, I got the roasted almonds and they probably aren't as healthy as the raw ones, but it's a start. I also bought yogurt covered raisins, pineapple, and bananas for snacks. We already have yogurt and mozarella cheese sticks. They may not be the best choices available, but they must be better than grabbing a few chips ahoy cookies, right? Then I'll go from there. I don't think I'll be losing weight this way--only making better choices than I was. SWM, I'm going to be very transparent here and say that the thought of eating a 1/2 plate of veggies at a meal seems very intimidating. I like veggies, but not the good ones. :) Peas, corn, potatoes...And, I like those with butter! I've got so much learning to do. Thanks so much for your help! ETA: Congrats on your weight loss!! That's very inspiring!

Random, thanks so much for the encouragement! I really want to do better, but it seems so daunting and so very easy to fall back into old habits. I think I'm going to make a master list of foods I think we'd like and want to try. Then I'll start at the grocery store and proceed to a whole foods/Trader Joe's if necessary. I can pick a couple of things each week to try, and then perhaps it won't be so overwhelming. Things we really like can be added to a future co-op order. I've been searching the archives here for healthy snacks and have some good ideas. Cooking whole foods seems like the place to start. I love your thoughts on everyone being more satisfied by eating nutritious food. Just need to work on retraining my taste buds. :)

Thank you, Ocelotmom and soror, I think that was sheer desperation leading me to throw money at the problem. I do think I'll order the coconut oil, oats and popcorn as I know how to use those. Then I'll shop at the grocery store and farmer's market and experiment on a smaller scale with healthier items. The coop does a dry goods order every two months, so no need to go overboard this time. Thanks for the voice of reason!

Thanks, Meagan! If I could get dh on board this would be so much easier. While he is thin, he's not as healthy as he could be, and his immune system could use a boost. I found a recipe for peanut butter balls using protein powder, oats, and honey. Something like that might satisfy his need for snacking in a better way. And, it would keep the cookies out of the house! Planning is also something I need to work on. I think I need to learn what to eat first, though. Congratulations to you and your dh! You guys are doing great! I think I need Wii fit, just to watch my Mii get smaller!