I started alternating paragraph by paragraph with my ds this year. I plan to have him read some portions alone as a second grader.

If you really love all 3, I like option 2.

I can only answer about WP because I have never done TOG or MFW. Teacher prep- very minimal. You set up your supplies at the beginning of the year and look at a list of activities/supplies to get materials as far in advance as you like. You can do all your reproducible copying at the beginning of the year if you like. Time- There is time spent reading history/science material aloud to the children and discussing it. I anticipate spending a couple of hours on history and science starting in the fall (we didn't have both subjects in grade 1). Then we also spend 1-2 hours on Math and LA (depending on how much ds dawdles). Hands-on: There is a smorgasboard of activities from which to choose. This also depends on the program you choose. Older students have more experiment and research activities while younger children have more coloring and paper type crafts. I would say WP is a great blend of hands-on, paper/pencil, and literature. The instructor guide is my favorite part of WP. It is ONE page weekly for your theme. Then there is an Independent Study sheet you can give older students for their own little assignments. VERY easy to implement. My reasons for choosing WP over MFW or TOG: The IG seems simpler. I don't have to use my library.

I noticed that if you get MFW ECC you will have to use their supplements for 7th graders. So it's pretty much the same thing as buying two programs. (since the QAW program has a combined set which gives you both guide books and both sets of activity books). The disadvantage is that the supplements for MFW aren't scheduled for you. You'll be on your own scheduling them. If it were me, and if I didn't want to do two levels of QAW, I think I would do WP CATW, though you didn't say you're considering it. All the reviews seem to peg it as plenty mature for a 7th grader (and yet not too much for a 4th grader for sure). Otherwise, I'd consider just doing the 4-6 level of WP QAW and use the suggestions for older students included with the spine, Mystery of History. Have you looked at the MOH website at a sample of MOH? It is really impressive, IMHO.

Looks good to me. I imagine you will want to skip the spelling in CLE LA2 if you're doing Seq Sp, and if you do HWOT, you can skip the handwriting as well. Otherwise, I think you'd be spending 2 hours per day on LA, but maybe that's just a projection from my LA phobic ds.

I have used MCP (two levels) and also Singapore (.5 year) and CLE (two units). CLE is very much like Saxon. Chances are if Saxon doesn't work for you, CLE will also be wrong. I am going to try BJU Math this next year and hope to stay with that company till ds graduates. My reason for switching from MCP is that while it is on the same level as other programs (perhaps behind CLE or Singapore, which are a bit advanced), I felt I needed more in the way of instructional helps. My MCP Level A teacher manual didn't have the same number of activities as the Level K one, and I knew from looking at a friend's levels C and D that the number continues to decrease dramatically. I have thoroughly looked over the BJU set for second grade, and I am pleased with the larger number of activities and concept-developing hints given. For us, BJU appears to be a more appropriate choice.

I was also homeschooled from grade 9 through graduation. Then my Mom continued to homeschool my younger brothers (from the time the youngest was a second grader) through graduation.

I know everyone's different, but for me it was incredibly painful to hear the phrase "lost the baby". It wasn't something I *did*, it was something that *happened to me*. OTOH, I know other people believe it's important to recognize the pregnancy *was* a baby, not a condition. I liked hearing, "I'm sorry for your loss" and from those who had experienced it, "I know it is so hard," or "I know it must be hard" from those who hadn't. Little treats like hand lotion or candy were appreciated. Not so much the ceramic cherub sent by my employer (it gave me the shudders and felt like having a gravestone in my home). Flowers were nice though, and cards. Leta... yes, it's a real loss and yes you have the right to be angry. (((hugs))) to you and my thoughts and prayers are with you.

I have the "beginner" chess set and we love it (however we're only on week 4 due to lack of drive to do it). For an older child, you would want the older set. I love all of WP's program that I've seen, which includes: LA1, LA2 Animals and Their Worlds World Around Me American Story 1 I'm Ready to Learn Chess: A Knight's First Moves I'm happy to answer any specific questions you may have about any of these. I have the color timeline figures from WP, but I'm saving the timeline book until ds is in grade 4 (so it will be a more mature completed product, since we'll be doing 2 runs through Amer History).

At this stage, I went to the library to the Easy Reader section and got some PreK level readers. Mercer Mayer's Little Critter, I think, was our first one. It is so much fun and the words are so easy that ds forgot it was supposed to be hard.

Mr. Knightley. Very appropriate as he's my leading man of fancy at the moment.:lol:

WinterPromise American Crossing 1 pulls together a lot of great resources.

From what I understand, you don't need to offer formula after a child turns one year old. Cow's milk (or your family's choice of milk) is fine. At that age a child can get most of their nutrition from other foods (however my sons did continue to nurse for comfort and from habit). It's also Okay to continue to nurse your older baby while pg, even if you have little/no milk. Just follow your heart, but please don't do anything out of "guilt"... make sure you're doing whatever you decide because *you* truly want to. Your older baby will be fine, with such a loving mother.

Like Snickerdoodle, I find the question bizarre. My friends range from ladies older than my mother to young women who are newly married. It has more to do with a meeting of the minds than age. It makes me sad that many of the "younger moms" at church pass *us* over for invitations, perhaps believing I'm an old fuddy duddy.:001_huh:

I am using Galloping the Globe slowly and loosely as a fun supplement.

I'm in a suburb of Louisville, KY, so southern IN.

Special Education Coordinator, before that Dairy Queen Manager, before that teacher at an Amish parochial school.

I window shop and project about how much will be needed each year. We divide that amount by 12 and set aside that amount each month (ending in March or so since I always buy early). I also babysit and spend a lot of that income (a pittance) on homeschool luxuries. That is how I will finance our "God Made Music 2" this year.

(ducking to avoid the wrath of the pregnant hs mother) I really think he was trying to be sensitive. If one of the children had been giving you a hard way to go, he could have stepped forward with the masculine touch. If a certain chore or responsibility was weighing on you, he could have offered to help with it this evening.

It woke me up. (suburb of Louisville KY). I was thinking, "tornado", but by the time I got up to check on the kids (and possibly have them take shelter) it was over. I have felt one other earthquake (in Ohio as a teen) but this one was longer/stronger.

Kumon Workbooks Before Five in a Row

We love the Rod and Staff preschool books and just started WinterPromise's I'm Ready to Learn! It has been so fun and enriching for our family in just one week's activities.

I second the WinterPromise recommendation. I think the Amer Story 1 and Amer Crossing 1 programs look INCREDIBLE. We are starting AS1 on June 30 and I can hardly wait! The materials are awesome.

Moving Beyond the Page. http://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/ I see that it only goes to age 10. Sorry, I'm not sure if that's upper elementary, likely not.

I will have to watch the movie before I can give you specifics. I doubt I will take the time to revisit this thread at that time. I don't want creation scientists to get special treatment, and I don't see where I asked for them to be given any?!