Sorry, I've got a 5.5 year old with two years of preK under his belt. I also have a 4 year old with little math experience. So I am getting materials for both of them.

Thanks, everyone! I'm starting to get a better picture now!

Ohh, thanks for all the tips! Especially about making the wooden blocks from foam-that's a huge savings right there!

I looked at the placement test for 1A and it definitely covers things that I'd need to explain to him for him to get. But it's definitely stuff within his grasp if explained. So I'd lean toward starting with 1A but is there anything in the Earlybird or Essentials that would help set him up for the curriculum long term? My younger son has a lot less exposure to numbers, he can count to twenty and that's it. So what's the difference between Earlybird and Essentials? And thirdly, those who have added in Miquon to their math materials, at what point did you start using it?

Thanks Lorraine! Was the CD helpful? Do you need more than one blue mat?

My older son has gone through a PreK program and can shape letters legibly but still could use a lot of work making things neater. My younger son is starting fresh! He is four and is learning to color in the general area of the picture in coloring books. So what materials would you recommend for the program for the above cases? What things would I need to order multiples of for multiple children and what is re-usable? (I'm assuming most of the manipulatives are reusable?) Thanks!

What is CSMP? Used in context of math curriculum?

Thank you for this thread! I am considering both of these programs. I have a almost six year old who has been in a preschool and has done math there. I also have a four year old who will want to be doing whatever his older brother is doing. I love how RS teaches the mental math but have read that some kids don't grasp it very well in their heads alone. I also am a lot more attracted to mastery-based than spiral. I was thinking of doing Singapore and supplementing with Miquon math and getting RS's math card games as something the boys could do together easily and enjoyably.

Oh dear, I can't find CHOW on the abbreviation sticky-what is it?

I guess I used the wrong word-I meant it lays out for you how to interact with the information and how to flow through it! I am very appreciative of the 'pick what you want to do' approach because it just seems to work with real life so much better! I have seen some of the videos and read through parts of the free 3-week lesson. There's so much! Thanks everybody! Off to look a bit more at SOTW/CHOW!

That's good to know, too! I have heard great things about MFW. I have looked at that and HOD. So I had written if off awhile ago, but now I may need to go look at it again! :lol: Especially since I can't remember why I didn't want it. DS 1 is 5, he is working his way through some Bob books. He has a good grip on what letters say what sounds and needs practice and so forth. He's in preK now. As for math, he knows addition and subtraction under ten, a solid counter, seems to grasp math intuitively. He's learned some skip counting songs in preK. DS 2 is four and learning to recognize letters. He can count to twentyish. He is eager to participate in whatever older brother is doing. So he'll be present and I'll make copies of whatever DS1 is doing. I'm not keen on doing a full preK curric this year, I hope he will pick up on some of what older bro does and the next year around, I will add him to do a bit more as I figure out how he likes to learn. DD is a terrorist. My main goal is to keep her from setting the house on fire while we homeschool. OK, she'll be three and hopefully a bit calmed down when we start in the midsummer/fall. She will be wanting to participate in hands on stuff as well. As for the actual stuff, I prefer not a whole lot of hands-on stuff in a day. One a day is fine as long as it's not too much preparation/cleanup. I love the reading out loud book-based aspect in currics like SL, but I love that TOG lets you teach everybody along together. I'd love to have everything written out for me, questions to draw stuff out of the reading, a schedule that tells me what to cover (with a bit of wiggle room) for each day. Because I have the baby we need the wiggle room. He's a pretty chipper little fella but all babies have that little extra blurb of unpredictability about them!

I have looked over TOG and I really am loving the depth, the options, the approaches, and most of all how I can have everybody doing the same studies at the same time! I have four kids 5 yrs down to 8 months, so the idea of buying a curric and being able to use it over and over again, being able to adjust it for different kids, seems very wise. That being said, my oldest is going to be six in the fall. This is going to be my first year homeschooling and I will have a four year old, a three year old, and a one year old around. The TOG is looking like overkill for this year. Not that I couldn't get anything out of it, but I don't see the point in making the major purchase if I wouldn't use the majority of the materials due to limited time. I think I should really focus on his math, reading, spelling, and writing. However, the year after our first, when I've gotten us all introduced to the world of homeschooling and DS a bit steadier of a reader, I'd love to do TOG. So I was thinking of doing SOTW or Mystery of History as a pre-TOG. I have a local friend who is doing TOG year four with her first grader and suggested if I was going to start TOG I could do four with her. Part of me wants to, but as described above, I think it'd be wiser to wait before I tackle all of it. So do either SOTW or MOH match up with TOG 4 pretty easily? Any other suggestions?

Ohh, thank you!

Ok, so I love the literature-based approach of Sonlight. However, the more I look at SOTW, the more I love the idea of incorporating it. What books-based approach can I use that incorporates SOTW? It seems the Sonlight core is part of their history cirric I need something laid out for me like a teacher's guide. I could find all the books and I don't mind if it's a lot of different books, but this is my first year and I need something that tells me, do this, then do this, then do this. I was planning on doing Heart of Dakota but I don't know about following it all through our schooling. So is there a cirric guide somewhere that is book based and let me do SOTW? This year I am doing a boy who is kindy/1st level-ish, and he has three younger siblings all very close in age. Next youngest is four. So reading aloud would work wonderful for us-they all love to listen to stories. Sorry if this sounds a bit jumbled. I'm in the planning stages and not sure what I'm doing!

OK, glad I am not the only one who was bothered! I'm considering Sonlight for next year but I wouldn't get a whole core- I was hoping to make good use of the library for much of it.

Thanks! That really helps!

There's so many out there! I'm a bit overwhelmed. So far I've heard people raving about Math U See, CLE, Singapore, and probably a few others I've forgotten. How do you figure out what is the best fit for your child?

What's CLE? What didn't you like about MFW? Good to know! SL is pretty pricey but I have considered seeing what our library offers and just getting teacher's manuals. We are in a pretty rural area so I'm not holding out much hope so far, but that sounds very nice. My kids love snuggling and reading.

A few different questions! OK, so DS is turning 6 in the fall and has strong letter recognition/sound out letters/some blends, addition and subtraction under ten strong, and seems about Kindy ready. From what I know, anyway. I am trying to pick a cirriculum for him. I'd prefer something all laid out and organized for me, and so far have looked at both Heart of Dakota and My Father's World, and haven't been able to pick on or the other. I also have a four year old and a two year old, and was going to use Slow and Steady Get Me Ready to help with getting them ready to step and use whatever I pick when the time is ripe. Although, activities that would be interesting for the little ones to participate in some ways would be nice. I haven't looked at SSGMR yet, it's on its way to me so I don't know if anything else would be helpful. I know there's a lot out there, but just don't know about them. So what have you tried and loved? TIA!

Hi! I'm east of Albany!

Hi, my name is Diana and I'm just getting organized and ready to homeschool. I have a five year old who is currently attending preschool, a four year old, a two year old, and a seven-month old. So wow, I feel all like the clueless newbie among the seasoned warriors! I am here to learn how to help my children learn! I am so green, I am wet behind the ears! I originally started 100EL and MUS Primer right after my babe was about three months old, but MUS was not advanced enough for the five year old, and he wound up being bored by the length of 100EL lessons (and I wasn't very consistent with it). I was trying to wing it all by putting it all together with stuff I found online, but my inexperience was just overwhelming and I wasn't organized and lost motivation and just hung out with the kiddos and tried to keep everybody alive and happy. Since then I put my oldest in preschool, and he's been having fun there, but I still want to homeschool starting in the summer. I just wasn't sure how to go about it. I found the Well-Trained Mind at my local library and have just started reading it. It has been liberating in many senses. I feel like I am more excited about homeschooling and feel like I am starting to gather new tools. So I am on the hunt for more good resources. I have ordered 'Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready'. It will help out with all the kids! I am trying to select a curriculum for my oldest and figure out if SSGMR is good for the other guys. So yup, here's my awkward intro! Any tips on using the board or homeschooling resources for having several young children would be absolutely awesome. Thanks in advance for reading all that and just for being here!