We already replaced our literature program. Everything else is going well, except for grammar. We are trying Winston this year and it just isn't sticking. What we are covering right now should be review, but the kids are getting so many wrong. It's just discouraging. I set it aside and pulled out an EiW that I have, but my middle kiddo really dislikes it. She has an aversion to DVD lessons. I have no idea why. I am debating about pulling out Fix It! again...but we dumped it last year because I didn't like it either. *sigh* We had the most success when we were using BJU grammar, but it's long, I don't want to cover grammar every single year and it's so expensive to buy multiple levels. If anyone knows of a magic solution to my dilemma, please chime in!

We started using Mosdos Coral this year - just the student text. I am using it as a read aloud with all my kiddos. I didn't plan anything out this year, at all. We had planned to use CLE with the older two but they both burnt out on it - fast. It is so dry and the stories didn't engage them at all. Which sucks, as I bought three levels. *sigh*. Anyways. I love Mosdos. :) The pieces are great and there is wonderful variety. We use it in a very CM way. We read a piece together and discuss it, reviewing theme, setting, characters, etc. I ask comprehension questions. Sometimes I will assign a writing project or other suggestion from the text. I am really considering adding in the workbooks for my older two next year. I'll be following this thread to see what others think of the workbooks. Oh, I did add in some interactive notebooks from Lovin' Lit (TpT). They are great review tools as we discuss a piece.

Following. I have debated about getting it, but I wasn't thrilled with the cost, especially after finding out it only teaches certain facts.

CLE is very dry. We used it for a short spell, but the kids just burnt out on it. Now we read Mosdos. We are currently reading the Coral level and all of my kids are loving it (7, 10 & 13). We only have the textbook and there is A LOT in there. There are also workbooks to go along with it and apparently the TG has a ton of extras too, but we've never used either. The discussion questions really get the kids thinking and there are writing activities that you can add in as well. The textbooks are pricey, but they are worth every penny. :)

:grouphug: I agree with the advice (below). I'd also suggest a plan for days that go off the rails a bit. Have a stack of books you can cuddle on the couch and read, or a Magic School Bus show you can put in with some discussion questions for after. Board games requiring dice will help the kids practice math facts. A bad day doesn't have to be a lost day. You could also look in to some online options that the kids could do (semi) independently. Spelling City, for example, or Reading Eggs. Splash Math is another we have used that is pretty decent. Just keep on keeping on. :)

We just started using it. Levels 1 & 2 were offered as a freebie (I think through HSBC over the summer?). I, personally, would not spend the money on the TE/cd's (although perhaps they are more helpful in the higher levels?). The SE is all you need. It's a copy of each poem and a completion certificate. There is no magic to how it's taught. You just start with the first poem - it recommends all students start with level 1- and memorize the piece until it's mastered and then move on to the next poem. Each day the child is supposed to repeat each poem they have mastered and then work on the new selection. Longer selections can be spilt into parts, adding a new stanza after each section is mastered. We are using it as a supplement. The kids also memorize other facts I want them to know - geography, science, etc.

Here's a little trick I started doing. I pick out what I want and then I look up the company and/or the store I plan to buy from. Then find their Facebook page and browse through the posts. If they have a search feature, even better. I just put in "sale" and see what pops up. It's never a guarantee that the same sale will be offered, but it gives you a good idea of when certain companies run their sales.

This isn't game-ish, but my kids like it and it covers everything. :) http://www.gcflearnfree.org/topics/

Why are you not using the BJU writing? You can't get more hand-holding than BJU. EiW uses video lessons, so perhaps that would be more what you are looking for? We combine BJU and BW activities. BJU gives the structure and skills breakdown that my oldest needs and BW adds in the creative element. We also use Writing Skills, but I'm not sure I am loving it. I haven't used IEW, so I can't comment on that one.

Another vote for Rewards. We got a used edition on Ebay. It's pricey to order direct. If you do order direct, get a 2nd student workbook. It will be a snap to resell them as a set when you are done with them. :)

This is the first house we've had a school room in and I love it! We still complete school work all over the house, but we have one main room that everything is kept in and it works so well for us.

Computer, internet, paper....and sticky tabs. I seriously need a constant supply of those things.

Not for us. We got the free summer trial and the kids might have used it twice. They preferred Prodigy.

We also give the rest of the week off when a book/course is finished before moving on to the next level. For AAR/AAS, I sign out the certificate and we all gather together and I present it, shake their hand and congratulate the kiddo and then we all clap. We like to be a little silly around here. :) In the past I've also had a prize box that the kids could pick from.

We recently bought greek/latin roots, grammar & literature INBs from TpT. (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lovin-Lit ) I absolutely love her books and couldn't be bothered to try to find all that info via google searches, so it was worth the cost for me. The kids were very excited when I showed them the samples, but they have yet to get any colored and put in their notebooks. That being said, we have just started and I still think they will be a really great tool once we get going with them. What I probably really need is someone to make them for me and then just present them to the kids, which would, of course, totally defeat the purpose. LOL

My youngest struggled with this sound as well. He hated the vibration it made on his tongue. We used the mirror as Merry suggested. We also told him the "th" was naughty and stuck its tongue out. To start, we exaggerated it a bit and he found that quite funny and it seemed to help the sound stick better for him. When he'd forget we'd remind him, "this sound is naughty" and he'd immediately correct. We didn't spell words at that time. I did dictate sounds and have him write the correct letter/letter combinations though.

I do the same as what others have suggested, some pages I keep for review and other books I give away.

We use our magformers for way, way more than just shapes. The kids have built all sorts of cool stuff with them. It's definitely a case of always needing more though. Like Lego. There's no such thing as "too much". LOL

Just to throw something else out there....we debated between Magnatiles and Magformers and after watching a few demo videos, we ended up going with the Magformers because the magnetic hold seemed to be stronger. We love our Magormers and they have held up really well. We've had them for several years and never had any issues with them. I also love the add on packs available - gears, wheels, light systems. There is just so much you can do with them. :)

Not that I've ever seen. The only time it's typically discounted is when a new level or edition is released.

I forgot about Bravewriter! I loved TWJ. The way she approaches writing makes so much sense to me. I've taken the philosophy and made it work for us. However, because I've already got what I needed from the program, I wouldn't probably replace the BW elements we have. I was never really drawn to The Arrow. I also feel it's quite high priced. I don't think we got our use out of Jot it Down either. I think I would replace her conference DVD's however. We don't have anything like that near here and though pricey, it was much cheaper than trying to actually attend a conference with her. She's like a little burst of confidence hidden inside my tv.

I am enjoying this thread. It's interesting to see what others feel was worth its weight in gold. We used Saxon for K and it was ok. The repetition was too much though and we found it quite boring and dry. I have borrowed the 5/6 book and was totally turned off.

What curriculum (books, whatever) would you buy no matter the cost? What have you bought and been let down by? What do you see as a waste of money? Some things we use that I would replace in a heartbeat are AAS, AAR, TT and BJU math. They are programs we have gotten multiple uses out and I feel like they have been worth every penny. I recently bought Key to Fractions and am hoping it will prove to be worth the cost. It was $44 CAD + s&h and I was more than a little disappointed to get it and find out the books are super-duper thin and printed on cheap newsprint paper. I also find the pages super busy. I get more thrifty when it comes to our general-interest books. I prefer to take out books from the library as much as possible. I couldn't imagine purchasing every book my kids and I sign out to read. Plus, we wouldn't have the shelf space to keep them all! I also use the library as a screening process. If I am thinking of buying something, I will borrow it first and decide if I really want/need it.

Is there a local homeschool community where you are? and a homeschool bookstore? Before buying it is always nice to actually get your hands on the product. Getting involved with other homeschoolers is so helpful too because they can give you feedback. Our group lends a lot of items around too, which is such a blessing! When it really comes down to it though, only you can decide if the program is worth the $$. I've had hits and misses. We bought CLE this year, which wasn't overly pricey, but it's very workbooky and deep down I should have known it wasn't a good fit for us. So it was wasted money. The expensive Mosdos readers though? Love them so much, they are worth every penny. Same with BJU for math. We love it and I would probably buy it even if the price doubled. I wouldn't be too hard on yourself when something doesn't fit like you hoped it would. It really is trial and error at some point. Resell it, recoup some cost and keep moving. :)

What about having her do the work in an Excel spreadsheet? You can adjust the columns to resemble graph paper and she can print off her work when she's done.