We are in our 2nd year of Latin with Rosetta Stone. This has been invaluable to us as we have 8 children and need an independent program. A related question (rathole?) is that I never see Rosetta Stone discussed on these boards. Is there a reason that it doesn't seem to get much press here?

Great question! Favorite math games around here are Blink (does that count?), math wrap-ups, and multiplication war.

We use Tapestry of Grace right now for that very reason. We have 5 in school now and would be pulling our hair out with different subjects for each.

Which phonics program do you use? We are on our 4th child with "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." It has worked well enough that we intend to use it for the next four as well.

I'm not sure how it lines up specifically with the Catholic faith, but we love "Long Story Short." It's a great program to teach your kids through the Bible.

We have three children who were born in Ethiopia...anyone know of a good Amharic program?

Yes - you can absolutely do US History as a part of SOTW. You should just consider using supplementals to beef up the critical events and people.

Memorizing is critical...try songs and games to make it fun.

We make one big list of everything to get done in a week. That way, we aren't constrained by a particular day and what's happening or what kind of mood the kids are in. We did this with SL and now with TOG.

Probably 3 hours on pure academics. He doesn't realize that I consider chess, Cub Scouts, zoo field trips, and camping to be school.

We do not use the teacher book at all, but do use worksheets and tests. Our oldest is in 3rd grade, so maybe in the more advanced levels we will invest in the teacher's guide.

We love Artistic Pursuits - but honestly that may be due to our personality styles. For us it is worth the money.

our kids can't get enough Lewis and Clark

Have you thought about Sonlight K Core only? It fits the bill for open-and-go and lit-rich. We only did SL for one year but enjoyed the lit selections.

I agree with the general feel of the posts - this is too much for a K'er. Keep it fun with reading and daily penmanship.

I think it's important to do all the sheets in each week/lesson. Our oldest is in Gamma now, and we have at least one in Primer, Alpha and Beta. What we have seen is the review problems are more prevalent in the later lessons each week, so if you skip, your child will miss critical review.

DS8 had a blast memorizing Jabberwocky.

A lot of our favorites have been mentioned, so I won't belabor that point. On top of these, we focus a lot on logic-based games for our older kids. We feel like we can get them introduced to the subject without a formal curriculum. Our favorites are Cat and Mouse, Zoo Logics, and Metaforms.

"Worth it" is a tough phrase to define, especially since much of this is subjective. The answer depends on what you want for your kids. If you value a re-usable curriculum, the idea of a classical education, and the ability to school all your kids on the same history material at the same time, then yes, it is worth it because it lines up with your goals. If these ideas hold no value to you, then it is not worth it.

I think the answer depends on whether or not that fits your family's calendar. If it interrupts other family activities, or cuts into mommmy-daddy time, then I would say keep him on a normal schedule. If it fits with no major work, then go ahead and speed up.

Our DS really enjoyed K12 Math. We switched to Math U See for financial reasons and to break our dependence on the laptop.

Kindermusik is amazing if you can find an offering in your area. We cannot afford it with 8 kids, so we purchased Making Music, Praying Twice since we heard it's a similar program.

We have eight kids eight and under, so I feel your pain! Here are a couple things we have done to maintain sanity (and school progress): 1. No projects from September through May - only during summer 2. Dad teaches just as much as Mom, which means school lasts from 8 am to 10 pm. 3. Our oldest four kids do all of the dishes, laundry hanging and laundry sorting. 4. Eliminate almost every activity not related to your core family mission. This has included limiting soccer and baseball teams. 5. Spring for date night every week, no matter what.

The answer totally depends on what you choose to take on. If you are able to view the smorgasbord and resist the temptation to do every craft, then the answer to your question is "yes."

Thanks so much! :D