I'm interested in the self-paced online. Do you remember if taking the Primary and Secondary together will include writing assignments? I'm having problems getting all of my children to do their work, and I'm having trouble staying on top of grading myself. We are having a really bad year.

Are all assignments click and drop type assignments? Are there any writing assignments?

I searched, but hardly anything came up for "Spanish." We have been using Rosetta Stone. I bought the largest set, thinking we would use it throughout high school, but it will not work. It doesn't "hear" what my children nor I say. We have bought another head set. Plus, I have called support, but I have had the software past the 6 months or so that they support it. So, it is back to the drawing board. Can anyone recommend a Spanish curriculum?

Has anyone used this curriculum and know if it will help highschoolers make the important connections that they need to understand?

I have read that the Notgrass World History has significant updates, and I know that MFW has made changes as well. For those of you who have used it, is it worth the extra expense to buy it new? I can get a used set for $200, but I'm willing to pay full price, if the changes are worth the investment.

Thanks for the help! I will work on doing those things with him.

My son reads and completes the assignments fine. But, he just doesn't seem to learn the material. When I orally quiz him to help him prepare for the test, he only seems to know about half of the information. If I go over the test to make sure he knows the information that will be on the test, he makes an A or B. If I just go over his study questions and then give him the test, he fails the test. He is in 9th grade. So, I am wondering if this is normal. He was like this in science for the past two years. This is the first year that we have had tests for social studies. He does not appear to have any learning issues. His yearly SAT test results are all well above grade level. I'm thinking it could be rushing through the material or lack of study skills. Any ideas?

My son had similar tummy aches for years. We, too, did blood work after blood work and saw a few doctors about it. We finally figured it out. For him it is tomatoes that cause the pain. He did not test allergic to tomatoes, and I had never heard of them causing people trouble, nor had any doctor recommended eliminating tomatoes. We discovered the culprit by accident on vacation with my parents who eat fresh tomatoes at almost every meal. He had terrible problems, which was a blessing in disguise. We were able to eliminate the food and test it a few times to prove that was his problem. Easy fix for something so painful!. If he eats much tomato or eats any amount of tomato before being active, a terrible stomach ache and diarrhea will follow for a couple of days. I would suggest keeping a food diary to see if you can track it down if it is a food. He will react anywhere from a couple of hours after eating tomato or the next day, so his is definitely a delayed reaction. Be sure to look for patterns, not just problems immediately after eating. Good luck, and I hope your little one feels better quickly!

Thanks for all of your input! I went ahead and checked out all of the LG books for the first few weeks. I looked at some of the UG books, and I just think they would intimidate him right now. I'm thinking that I will try LG first and then add UG in occasionally and see how he does. I was thinking all LG or all UG, but I see I can just combine the two levels or switch between them. Thanks again!!

We are switching back to TOG, and I am trying to decide whether to place my 3rd grader in LG or UG. I have currently been using Sonlight 3rd grade readers, but he is reading 2 weeks of assignments at one sitting. I've doubled the speed of their assignments, but I'm having to supplement with other things. The last two books that he read were The Chalk Box Kid and the Paint Brush Kid, to give you an idea of what he currently reads and enjoys. We are going to use Year 4. I have looked at the first few weeks of books. The LG books are ones that he would read at once and be finished for the week. I'm not sure if he would be overwhelmed with the UG level of books when we add in the history, history-in-depth, and worldview of UG. Any suggestions, insight ... ?

Wow! Thanks for letting me know.

Thanks for your feedback! I'm thinking that I may buy one DE unit and try it out. Congratulations on your baby due next month! My boys are 12, 8, and 10 months, so we have a similar age spread as your youngest three. Blessings, Shannan

I'm switching back to TOG and am trying to decide whether to buy the print or DE version. I just read that Tapestry is coming out with a third printing this spring for Year 1. http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/company/newsletter.php I'm guessing that will make the value of the Redesigned version about like that of the Classic, right? For those of you who have used the DE and the print, which would you recommend in light of a third printing coming out soon.

Have you looked at the SOTW Activity Guide? That is where I choose my readers and read alouds from. It tells the reading level for the books as well.

I have been using Reflex Math (reflexmath.com) for math facts and have been really pleased. It is a video game type practice site that gives a lot of different kind of reports to let you see how your child is progressing, the facts that are fluent, how long is spent each day, etc. You can choose the type facts that your child practices - addition and subtraction or multiplication and division. My boys (11 and 7) love it. It is a web site that you pay to use (like $35 per year). You can try it for free for 2 weeks. Best wishes!!

Thank you all for your ideas. That gives me several options to look into!! I appreciate it so much!

That curriculum looks like it might be just what I'm looking for. Thanks for taking the time to tell me about it!

Do you have any recommendations for a Bible curriculum for us to read and discuss as a famy and then offers assignments or activities at different levels? My boys are in sixth and second grades.

That sounds like a really good plan. I noticed that you are using some of the same curriculum that we are using too.

Thank you so much for all of your replies! I am thinking that I may have too many things that I am trying to do with my boys. I need to look into all of it and see if we should make some changes in that area. I dropped the Core C read alouds and am having my youngest listen in with the Core F read alouds. I will probably read those books over the summer. He has enjoyed the Core F book we are reading so far. Of course, I am blessed with him that he seems to love any book that I read to him. I have also decided that we are simply not going to finish in 36 weeks. I think that I will take a week every 4 - 6 weeks and catch up on things. I will also incorporate some audio books as I find them. The bottom line is that I truly love Sonlight and want to stick with it. I appreciate the ideas that you ladies have shared with me. You have been such an encouragement!!

I have been doing the read alouds at bed time. I also decided to drop the Core C read alouds for the time being and let him listen in with the Core F read alouds. He seems to enjoy the book we are reading - Island of the Blue Dolphins. Actually, we are all loving that book!

Ok, I have it *easy* compared to you! I would love to be a fly on your wall and see you doing all of this. I bet you are super-organized! I am going to have my oldest read some of his history himself. That should help a lot. I think that I have been trying to do too much of it myself. I agree with you on the read alouds. They are wonderful books!

I bet that the libraries around here have some of the audio books. Thanks for the idea!

Good ideas! Thanks!

I very quickly (after the first day) switched from the 5-day to the 4-day schedule. I haven't thought about combining them with Bible, but that is a good idea. I am betting that it will take us a good bit longer than 36 weeks to complete the cores.