Thank you! I think I'll have to do more searching on their website. :001_smile:

Hi! I just looked at the thread regarding VP cards and realized that I had no idea about Veritas Press. I went to the site, but I would like to hear from the folks who use it. Thanks in advance for taking the time to help a newbie!:)

We spend about 1/2 hour a day with Math Mammoth and WWE for my oldest children. Then on weekends, I typically put together a group of kids their age and we do art together or science (RS4K). It is more fun to have other kids there, too. For my 4 yr old, I use Go For The Code and 100 EZ Lessons. Her only real job this school year is to learn to read well. We have a lot of fun together with that. I like the idea of a little bit each day rather than cramming it all in at one time. My kids are little (4, 6, 8) and they do a great job with my directions. I like that I have very purposeful time with the kids. God bless your efforts!

This is our second year of serious after schooling. We have used Teach Your Child To Read . . ., Saxon Math, Bob Books, and we are getting ready to begin another round of reading with my youngest (4) and science, art, Math Mammoth, and WWE with two older (6 and 8). We use after school hours and Saturday to get our lessons done. The older kids finish school at 1:00. That allows plenty of time for our work before the evening rush begins. We choose to after school because homeschooling isn't an option right now. The current plan, however, is to start full homeschooling by this time next year. Great to hear what everyone is doing.

I have never posted here before because all of you have so much wisdom and I am a newbie, but my family and I have been living in Indonesia for three years and I can tell you that the poor we see here is much different than the poor in the US. Some of the difference is the attitude- there is no way that these people can get cars, phones, etc. They don't expect to have it. There is little to no crime and drug use that typically comes with poverty. Some of that is because this is a Muslim country, but some of it is because the credit and social services we depend upon simply does not exist here. All their friends, family, and neighbors are living in the same situation they are. Just to give you an idea regarding standards of living: most of the people we would call lower middle class make about 100 dollars/month. PER MONTH. Lest you believe that this is enough for here, consider that most of these folks live in one room homes and eat rice and veggies for every meal. There is no "keeping up with Joneses". There is simply survival. And this is for the lucky folks that have jobs. And forget about health care. When there is no safety net- neither government, nor social- this is poor.

My dh also feels that spelling isn't something a kid needs if they have the spelling gene! But I'm not convinced. I would like to do vocabulary with them eventually instead of spelling, but when is eventually . . . I don't know. I will prob try SWO and see how the kids respond to it. It won't hurt them to learn rules/words. Better to go with a strong foundation and lighten up then to try to come in and fix a hole later!

Both DS and DD are already quite good at spelling and reading. They are 6 and 8, but they read and spell above grade level. I know I need a spelling program, but I don't know that it needs to be very intensive. Can someone direct me in a good direction? I am thinking about Spelling Workout. Both of these two are strong visual learners. Maybe there is a program out there I don't know about? I had thought to do Words Their Way, but I'm not convinced that is the best way to go. So I thought about Spelling Workout . . . obviously still not sure. Any help would be appreciated.

What are the companion books? I know they have notebooks- is that the same thing?

My son spent this school year at a private school (we live outside the U.S.). His class worked with a program for spelling called Words Their Way. It worked like this: He brought home a list of words, he sorted them by whatever rule was given (example: long a and short a). Then he would write them in a notebook. Tuesday he wrote sentences with the word in it, Wednesday he would do a blind sort with 10 words (I would give him the word and he would put it in the correct list), and then Thursday sort again. Friday was the test. Anyone seen this before? I like the idea and I wonder if I could make it work at home for us. Anyone know this program or use it?

Some of you had some good ideas. I never considered going back to something, but I suppose there is a place for that, too.

I have so enjoyed reading the posts about which curriculum worked, which didn't, what you used and loved, etc. My question has to do with switching curriculum. I noticed that this happens frequently. I am a newbie so I may need correction, but it seems like all that curriculum switching can be troublesome in and of itself (not to mention costly!). Has anyone just stuck through a curriculum even though it was difficult for their kids? Or was the evidence so compelling that a switch had to happen? What are the pros and cons of switching curriculum?

I loved 100 EZ lessons- both my two older kids are reading maniacs and I owe a lot of that to getting through the book. I admit to offering major rewards to completing it, though, around lesson 70. My youngest is on lesson 12 and we are taking it gently, but so far so good. Saxon math- I love Saxon for my dd who needs repetition, but my ds is just zooming. He barely needs me to teach anything and I don't want to waste time with stuff he already knows. We will try MM and possibly Singapore. I enjoyed reading these posts, but like someone else said, it makes me start to second guess my choices.:tongue_smilie:

Yes, I will do the same. For now, my kids will all be LG in TOG so that should help. Science- we are still deciding.

I've been here for a few months and just last week started asking my own questions. I will be homeschooling next year with DS 2nd grade, DD 1st grade. What I like about this forum is the amount of information I can gather in one place! All of you are so willing to share opinions and great finds. Thanks! :001_smile:

What is paperback swap? Can you tell me more about how to access this?

Well, my children are K, 1st, and 2nd (yes, I know that is close together ;)). After reading all the responses, I believe my problem is that I want to do it all. So maybe if I take a look at what is essential I can make more specific choices. At the end of the day, though, I think I'm the kind of person that goes for ease of use over cost. I want to be able to complete the curriculum I buy! Thanks for your help here.

and I agree that the American educational system, not just the public system, is not effective for many kids. I have experience as a teacher and a counselor (in schools) and though I have always been in private Christian schools, I can see that teaching 20+ kids is not the best way to learn. I actually enjoy the school my children go to currently (we live outside of the U.S.), but I still see so many holes. That's why we will be homeschooling next year. I've already gotten the, "Why would you do that? You're a teacher." I'm new, but I've worked on saying, "Homeschooling isn't for everyone, but it works best for our family" with minimal struggles! You sound like you've got it together!

Thanks for your wisdom. Yes, my concern is also waiting on library holds, etc. I had planned to buy the books we will use for many weeks, but then order quickly from Amazon if I can't find what I need. That may be more of a headache!

I am brand new here and will be brand new to HS starting next school year. I've been reading this forum for a while and I really appreciate all the information which is freely shared here! Wondering about ease of finding books for TOG? Are they fairly common in libraries? Does anyone just buy the whole set and forget trying to find them somewhere for free? Or would you consider this a waste of money/trade out for time? Thanks for any input!

but I wonder about the cost of HSing. I am overwhelmed by the total amount of money one could spend to do this. I have three children and I think we'll probably spend over $1,000 (including all supplies, but not field trips, etc.). I wonder if that is a newbie mistake, but I don't know how to cut back.:confused: