LOL! I thought I was alone in my lack of enjoyment of Apologia! We are STRUGGLING through the Botany now and I must say that it has been torture. There are groans of despair coming from my kitchen every time that book comes out!

I have! Apologia Astronomy and I'm ready to sell it again ;) I'm debating whether or not to hang on to it for my youngest, but after 2 attempts I have yet to actually get through that book!

Thank you so much to everyone for all of the advice. To answer redsnapper - my son just doesn't seem to be retaining the information. He seems to get it while we are going over the lesson, but once he goes to do the work he has forgotten it all. This seems to be an issue in several subjects, but language arts is definitely the worst. I'm hoping that trying something new and not just using what worked for my older son will help things to go better. I really appreciate all of the help everyone has given and I am now off to do some research into these recommended options. :) One other question - what is JAG? I know a lot of the abbreviations used here, but not that one!! Thank you again so much! Stacey

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Hi, We have been using Rod & Staff English for a couple of years. My 4th grader is just not getting it. I think it might be too dry and redundant for him and I think he just tunes it out. Can anyone recommend another curriculum that we should consider? I would love something computer or dvd-based, but it's not a requirement. Thank you so much, Stacey

Thank you so much for all of your help!! I will go and check them both out. Stacey

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Thank you Andrea! I'm considering the combined book but my concern is that my son is doing Algebra pretty young. He'll be in 7th grade so I want to make sure that he is still getting the full version of Algebra. When I read other comments on the combined course someone said that it moves faster, I just don't want to overwhelm him. He is very "mathy" but I don't want to push it! Thanks for your help!! Stacey

Hi, I am planning for next year and will need to buy Chalkdust Algebra. I am confused about purchasing the DVDs. I found this link to a DVD set that seems to be for both Algebra 1 & 2. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618753966/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= I would really like to do the courses separately, so will these dvds work well for the individual courses or do I need to buy the combined book? And also, are these DVDs usable with the 5th edition Algebra I book that CD lists on the site? Thanks in advance for your help!! Stacey

Thank you so much to everyone for the info on Write at Home! It sounds like it is just what we need. I'll definitely be signing up!! Thanks again :) Stacey

Hi, I'm looking into using WriteAtHome for 6th grade composition next year. Has anyone used this program, and would you recommend it? It is pretty expensive, so I want to be sure about it before I sign up. Thanks!! Stacey

LOL! You are going through exactly what I am right now. I'm still trying to decide, but right now it does seem like CD is the option I will likely go with. I know that I want a computer-based program because my son is a great independent worker and likes to get his work done on his schedule (instead of waiting for me, lol!). Plus I want to use a curriculum that we can stick with for a long time. He has used Horizons up until now, but that ends with 6th grade, which he is finishing. I also considered TT, but from the reviews I read it seemed like it would move too slowly for him. Math is definitely his strength. I just watched the CD dvd evaluation sampler and I like the way the lessons are taught. If you haven't looked at that, you can order it from their website. I ordered on Sunday and it came today. Good luck with your decision :) Stacey (who is still very confused!)

I'm considering Chalk Dust Prealgebra for my 6th gr ds next year. I have seen the thread discussing how people were able to get this cheaper, but that thread is quite old now. Has anyone been able to get this deal recently and how/where? Thanks! Stacey

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Sorry Debbie, I saw that you said he used LOF!!! Is that what you have used this year also? Thanks again :)

Debbie, Thank you for sharing your experience with SOS! That is the kind of stuff I wouldn't have been able to find out otherwise. What did you end up using instead? Stacey

My 5th gr ds is finishing up with Horizons Math 6 this year and I am trying to decide what to do next year since there is no Horizons 7. He has really enjoyed Horizons, but we are looking for a computer-based option for next year. Can anyone tell me about their experiences with Switched-On Schoolhouse math; or are there any other recommendations that we should consider? Thanks so much :) Stacey

Thank you Michele! I am trying to keep them all together because I did MFW K with him this year and found that I wasn't really doing all of the extra stuff; I mostly did just the phonics lessons. So I will definitely take a look at the 2nd-3rd grade supplements...that seems to be a great option. I am going to switch to Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading because the MFW lessons were just too monotonous. I am a huge fan of MFW for the history, science & Bible. All 3 boys have really enjoyed it! Thanks again, :) Stacey

I am doing MFW Exploration to 1850 with my 4th & 6th grade boys next year. This year my K'er is sitting with us while we do Rome to Reformation. I wasn't terribly concerned about him not absorbing much of the info this year, but for 1st grade he probably needs to start absorbing more. Does anyone have any recommendations for something I can supplement with for him, or should I just not worry about it? :confused: Thanks!! Stacey

Hi, I'm looking for a good health curriculum that I could use for both my 3rd and 5th grade sons. I'm hoping to find one that could be used for both. We're currently doing a human body study, so this would need to be in addition to that. Any recommendations? Thanks! Stacey

Hi, I just realized that we are starting school in 2 weeks and, although I've been meaning to, I still haven't gotten a timeline. We are doing MFW Rome to Reformation. I've never done a timeline before and know that I am not a do-it-yourselfer, so can anyone help me with a timeline that I could buy that wouldn't be too much work. I have looked at Homeschool in the Woods and Add-a-Century, but I'm just still not sure! I'm looking for something that would work well in a binder because I just don't have the wall space. Also, is it worth it to buy the figures? I tend to think that for myself it probably is because I don't want to have any excuses to not get the timeline done ;) Thanks so much! Stacey

Hi, My ds is getting ready to start 3rd grade in a couple of weeks. I was planning to start cursive this year, but his manuscript is still atrocious. Should we try to perfect (well maybe not perfect, but at least improve greatly!) the printing before starting cursive or just move on to cursive? :confused: Also, I'm not quite positive which handwriting program I want to use for cursive. He started learning BJU's pre-cursive while he was in private school, but I'm not sure if that is the program I want to stick with. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much! Stacey

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this curriculum. Homeschool Buyer's Co-op is running a good deal on it and I think it looks like something that would benefit my boys. Any opinions, advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Stacey

Wow! Thank you all so much for all of the information! It seems like it would probably be a good fit for my son. We have really enjoyed ECC, so I have no doubt that we'll love MFW K also. Again, thank you so much for the help :) Stacey