I bought mine last year. I didn't notice a smell. They definitely dried out quickly though. For the price, I was definitely expecting them to make it through the school year and they didn't even come close. We do have a Frixion highlighter that is still going strong...though I've never had much need of an erasable highlighter...

Thanks for sharing! These are now on my must-buy list. I might be the only one on the planet who hates Frixion pens. I found them to be so expensive and they didn't last very long at all! This looks like a great alternative to give the kids some color options, but still allow for erasing mistakes. :)

I love this idea! I am adding this to my purchase list!

For us, it's sticky tabs and our boogie boards. We used to use white boards, but DD won a Boogie Board in a contest and we loved it so much that we bought one for each of the kids. Worth every penny! We also get more use out of our iPad then I ever thought we would.

HSBC price makes this so much more do-able! Thanks! :) I am going to start the trial and see how it goes. Both DD and I liked the sample.

I have never heard of CTC. Do you have a link? I have looked at samples of CLE, but have never tried it. Might have to grab a LU over the summer and give it a go. :)

Your questions have really made me think this through! Thank you! Up until this point she has done pretty well in math. We've used TT for a few years and she's done well. This year we added in Key To books for fractions, decimals and she's working through percents now. She sometimes needs to see a concept presented a different way, but is *usually* pretty quick to pick it up. She didn't struggle at all with long division, despite the multi-steps, but I think we were able to address it in a way that she could really see the "why". She also was quick with fractions up until the point that we added in multiplying and dividing. Then she struggled to remember - with different steps for different types of fractions, she definitely got a bit muddled. This is when we added Key To books. They definitely helped her cement fractions and she was doing well...but then we added TT back in and started with decimals. Another tough topic...so we went back to Key To. Ideally, moving on to a topic like geometry and reviewing fractions for awhile would have been best, but I found this tough to do with TT because so many of the questions are review in every lesson. I definitely think using more than one program could be key for her. MUS is on my radar. I am hesitant to continue with TT, only because I find it very hard to mesh with a 2nd program. I do have Key To Algebra and Lial's....so I could use either of those with MUS. My mind is muddled with this right now...

What pre-alg math has worked for your dyslexic kiddo? I think we'd do best with a mastery-based, with built in review.

We fast-tracked my oldest (now 13) through all 4 levels. I think she was 11 at the time? It went well and was totally worth it.

So I was browsing Rainbow Resource and I can't make heads or tails of what these are exactly. Is the ScienceSaurus the text and the daybook is like a journal? It looks like the daybook has a lot of info in it too though, so I am confused. And then there are Teacher's Guides...do I need these? I would love to hear how people use these!

Can anyone recommend a resource for teaching the recorder. I have absolutely no musical background, so it needs to be super easy to understand.

We use Key To Workbooks also. I have also requested that TT come out with extra-practice books, but so far, no luck. :(

This might not be a lot of help, as we only use the textbook, but what I've done is just literally open the book, discuss the theme/idea and then read the story and discuss. If we added in the workbook, I imagine we'd do those pages the following day. If I pick a writing assignment, I allow several days, to an entire week, to complete those. I have no idea how to use the TE as we don't have it. I've heard they are jam-packed with info. I wanted simple and "warm-fuzzy" so we took the read/discuss approach and never bothered with the TE.

We also bought cheaper alternatives. Paint, markers, paper pads - the kids shared. I only bought one pad of watercolor paper too, not one for each kiddo.

I think it depends on the book. For Zoology 3 we didn't buy the kit. I had most of what we needed and/or was able to get the rest for very little $$. I'd go over the supply lists and decide which items you'd need. Some (like General, I believe) require some items that are harder to get. For those levels, I'd buy the kit and save the headache of trying to scrounge up obscure items.

:iagree: My middle kiddo loves to write. We do cover formal writing every year, but I keep it to-the-point and make sure there is lots of time to write freely. If she's in the middle of writing a story, and I'd planned to start a research essay, I will postpone the formal lesson. I like to throw in lessons that stretch her abilities and get her thinking outside the box. I try to keep it short and sweet though.

I think there are a couple. We tried Whizzimo and it was ok, but then the app started acting up and now it's more headache to try to use the app than to just pull out the tiles. Following to see what others are using.

Will check these out! Thanks! :)

Oooh! I want the audios and the student packs. Thanks for posting!

Has anyone got some fun ideas to keep kids writing over the summer? Specifically looking for something for my oldest (13) who needs to keep building her writing skills.

Sure, just message me your email and I will send them. :) I tried to attach it here, but it's a word file and apparently I don't have the necessary security clearance. ;)

In the past we've used reading bookmarks. I punch a hole in the top and then when they finish the book, they add the bookmark to a ring. The kids LOVED seeing their rings fill up. We used them for two years. This year we tried using a reading folder - I printed out a picture of a bookshelf with books on it and then they fill in the title and color a "book" as they finish it. This hasn't been nearly as motivating as the bookmarks. I have templates for both and am willing to send them to you if you're interested. :)

This is my go-to for computer stuff. https://www.gcflearnfree.org/topics/

I was toying with trying their Interactive Math notebooks! Thanks! :)

For some reason the forum doesn't like me today and I can't post a link...but we have the (Lego) Brick Shakespeare books. We got a set with 4 comedies and 4 tragedies. Amazon has them. They are great. :)