:iagree:

:bigear:

This site is amazing! My son is so into art and they have tons of great ideas! Thanks!

Supposedly there is a big sale sometime in the spring. Most people are saying it is sometime in March. I am sure it will get posted on here!

:bigear:

I think the best way for him to learn Arabic is to have him play with the kids who speak it fluently. I lived in Iran when I was a baby/toddler and I picked up the language by playing with the neighbor. Of course, once we got back to the US, I lost my skills since my parents didn't speak it at all.

I live in a small town without a teaching supply store. Is there a place online that I can order everything I need? Handwriting paper, art supplies, stickers, organizational stuff, etc.

I am not planning on starting Latin until 2nd or 3rd grade, but it will definitely be a part of my curriculum. It will help form a foundation for grammar and for learning other languages. In fact, I am excited to learn Latin along with my kids! I think it is going to be a lot of fun! :)

:iagree: You might also try using NOEO Science. It isn't just a textbook. It comes with other books and a lab kit. REAL Science Odyssey also come with a lot of experiments to do.

Thanks for the info. Is this a program that could begin in kindergarten or would it be better to wait until 1st grade. DS knows all of the sounds of all letters, but isn't very good at writing and is just starting to read.

I highly recommend this book. It is called When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581342594/ref=oss_product

Well, Brian might have just made a sale! I emailed him with a few questions and received an answer within an hour! There is no substitute for good customer service!!! He answered all of my questions and it seems like he can offer some support if I need it.

I had planned to use AAS because it looks great! I guess it would be overkill to do both programs?

I just made the decision to HS as well (in mid Dec). We are going to start in July (we want more time off when the weather is nicer and it is better to travel). Anyway, I have purchased a couple of things that I was completely sure about, but I am glad that I haven't purchased anything else because I keep changing my mind. There is A LOT of choice out there. I would ask about specific subjects on here and "eavesdrop" on a lot of the message board. Then I would order catalogs and let it all percolate for awhile. I think you only need to order books about 6 weeks before you plan to start (although if you wait until July, it might take longer...or so I have been told). I would suggest getting some different books on teaching styles. I am going to do a mostly classical education with a lot of Charlotte Mason thrown in (especially in nature study, history, art, music and literature). My biggest piece of advice that I have gleaned from looking at hundreds of threads on here is that you should not overdo kindergarten. I am trying to keep things as basic as possible and have a lot of fun in the process. Reading and phonics are obviously the most important things in kindergarten and I am going to also do math and catechism daily. However, science, history, music and art are going to be a couple of times a week and lowkey. I could even get rid of something if there is too much. Best of luck and welcome to the world of HSing. I know that this is the best decision that I have ever made (thanks to God who led me to it) and I am sure we both have a lot of fun times ahead (along with some sleepless nights)!!!!

How much of AAS is spelling and how much is phonics? Do you need a separate phonics program?

:iagree: My DS4 who is in pre-K right now at a private Christian preschool has been learning sight words and I hate it. He refuses to try and sound out a word and won't even try to read anything unless it has his sight words in it. I mean, do they seriously think that a kid can memorize every word in the English language?!?!?

First of all, I am sorry to keep bothering you all with so many questions, but you all are such a wealth of knowledge!!! I am trying to decide between McRuffy (spiral) and MM (mastery) for kindergarten math (and I am also hoping to continue using whichever I choose for the long haul). How do you know which would be right for your child? Mastery might work best for DS because he gets so annoyed when he has to do stuff he already knows how to do (although he sometimes doesn't know quite as much as he thinks he does :lol:). I do like the idea of review though so that new skills become really a part of you and don't get forgotten once you move onto something else. Is the only real way to figure out how your kid learns to test it in real life? I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something and then have it not work for my child (although I guess it could work with the next child...).

http://www.teachersdiscovery.com/ This website is great for Spanish, German, Chinese or French. I ordered the Elementary Spanish catalog and WOW! There are so many great things in there to aid in my teaching of my kids. I want language learning to be really fun in the early elementary years. The only problem is that I think I could bankrupt my family with all of the great things in here...LOL. I just thought I would share!

Does anyone use these? I hadn't ever seen them until today. Just when I think I have my curriculum figured out, I see something new and it looks great! I especially like the math because of the manipulatives. I love the manipulative aspect of Math-U-See, but don't want to have to watch the videos or just do addition for a whole year, subtraction for a whole year, etc. I had planned to you MM because it was cost effective and looked complete (I also liked the games that were offered in the samples). Now that I have seen McRuffy, this might be exactly what I am looking for. For phonics, I was going to use MCP, but now really like ETC or McRuffy. I want to use AAS so which program would compliment that better? Anyway, there are way too many good curricula out there. :tongue_smilie: And to think that I might have just sent my kids to PS without having any idea which one they were using....

Great. I thought I had finally settled on MM, but then I saw this. WOW! I love it!!!!! Why do there have to be so many choices?!?!?!?!?!

I am using Little Stories for Little Folks, but want to supplement it with some sort of workbook. Phonics is my number one priority for kindergarten and 1st at least. I was thinking of using MCP, Memoria Press or R&S. Do you have any feelings on those three programs or have another to suggest? I want to find a great program from day one so I don't have to switch and start over!

Thanks!!!! That will save me some money so I can buy some other stuff!!! I love this forum. You all can save me so much time and money!

Math Mammoth Light Blue Series Package ($128 download/$133 CD) contains the five-and-a-half grades of the complete curriculum I've written. Math Mammoth All Inclusive Package ($187 download/$192 CD) contains ALL of it - the Blue, Golden, Green, and Light Blue series books and materials. "Everything" Bundle ($235 download) contains ALL of the Math Mammoth materials plus all of the Make It Real Learning materials. I definitely want the light blue series. That is what I am going to base my math on from K-5 or 6 (DS is ready for level 1 according to their website). I am thinking of getting the all inclusive package just to have extra help if we encounter an area that the kids need more time on or to use as review later on or even as tests. Has anyone used the Make it Real Learning materials? It adds quite a bit of cost and I don't know if they are really worth it. I am planning to buy this all in March or whenever they have their sale (hopefully someone will post it on here). Thanks for the help!

I was planning on using Beautiful Feet, but now I am considering adding A Living History of Our World: America's Story. Would it be too much to do both (I am planning on spending about a year and a half on it for k and part of 1st).

Thanks! This is awesome!