Yeah, I also lean towards using STOW with HO. Since this is the first time we're running though STOW, and dd really, really, really LOVES it (heck, I love it!), I want to incorporate it into our history studies. Good to know! I'm seriously leaning towards using HO next semester and will look for this. I like that HO is already done for me and I don't have to think about how to schedule it. With this being our first year homeschooling, with two students to teach, and while I'm enthralled with doing history the WTM way, I also find it somewhat overwhelming and therefore get a bit intimidated and feel like I won't be able to cover it all. Yes, I suffer from perfectionism. Can you tell? That subject can definitely be saved for another thread. But, I also think the independent work of HO will be good for dd. Coming out of ps, she needs to work on this skill wherever necessary.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME thread!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll print it all out and read it every night before bed!!!

Yes, it's definitely one of the reasons why I'm considering it. I think I read somewhere that you were using it? If so, how is it working for you? Regena-Writing at your house sound great! In my reading and research on these boards, I see there is no one way fits all mold in which to incorporate writing or any subject for that matter. Currently we on holiday break (while I finalize our plans for the new year), but the dc are working on an Ancient Egypt lapbook. I have already seen the benefit of incorporating writing into this learning tool. Yes, I agree, it's a great way to have dd use the skill in a new format.

Thank you for your input! By the time I got up this morning, I had already made some mental notes on how to change the proposed schedule a bit. You're right, dd would find it pointless to write about the same topic all week. Instead I'll only have her listen/read STOW, sans narration (I'll leave that to dd7) and have her do WTM prescribed history for the rest. That may prove more palatable. As I mentioned, I fear anarchy if I try to take STOW completely away from her. I still have some thinking to do. I just may throw in the towel and order History Odyssey Ancients 2 for this child. Sigh. My brain hurts trying to figure all this out!! I'm heading over to see your blog entry. Thanks again! ETA: I grazed over your schedule and it looks very thorough and well laid out. Awesome! I'll place it in my favorites for further review and reference. I'm somewhat drifting away from STOW for dd10 because I'm concerned it won't offer enough rigor in the long run. I want to make sure dd receives age level and skill level appropriate coursework. Also, I want to "settle" on a "system" that we will continue throughout the middle grades without a major overhaul. I don't want to suffer from "back to the drawing board" syndrome. Also, could you share how you incorporated writing when you used this schedule? TIA

I'm hoping to hear of what you more experienced educators think of our logic stage history plans beginning in January: Monday- Read/Listen to STOW-1 chapter (this is our first run through history and dd10 LOVES STOW - she'll rebel if I take it away ) Prepare ½ page written narration/summary Map work: STOW or Map Trek map activity, find location on globe/atlas/wall map Wednesday- Read 2 page spread from Usborne/Kingfisher Encyclopedia (leaning towards red Kingfisher or white Kingfisher once it arrives (just ordered it as I keep reading it's better to outline from)) Make list of facts (to keep in notebook for reference/review, not necessarily to spring board other topics – don’t know how often I’ll to get to the library in time to check out additional topic related books) Friday- Outlining from Kingfisher Ency or STOW (will probably have dd complete the Remedia Press outlining books before attempting outlining from readings) Additional reading/summary: primary source work OR Great Men and Women list Time line work This is all my brain can reconcile doing for logic stage history at the moment. Since I too plan to implement writing across the curriculum, I anticipate history taking up a lot of space in our homeschool. We all enjoy history here so I don’t think the pill will be too hard to swallow for dd. Comments/thoughts would be much appreciated?!?! Tia -Cassie

OMG!! Could not have said it better!!!!! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

:iagree: FWIW, my dd10 was also pulled out of ps in October and she is currently working on MM 4A, Chapter 1. Word problems have ALWAYS been her Achilles heel!! They're even hard for me sometimes!!! However, being able to apply learned math to real life situations is a crucial skill so master them we must, IMO. I also treat "math and word problems as somewhat separate issues." Currently she is working on the Evan Moor Daily Word Problems Grade 4 book and is having success with it, primarily because she is working at a level behind. I did just order and received the SM CWP 1-4, which I plan to use with dd in January in lieu of the EM DWP. I think it may be a good idea to "park" were you are in MM and work through the word problems with dd. The white board works wonders in my house and it helps dd tremendously to talk her way through any mental blocks as she works on the white board. Alternatively, you can move on in MM and assign one word problem per day to work through together until she shows a firmer grasp. Currently, I have my dd do one word problem/day. In January, I'll have her do them 3x/week. We always go through the assigned math together as soon as she is done in an effort to head off any potential problems. HTH! PS. And yes, MM is hard and it forces my dds to think through the work! Because dd was so used to "false" success in ps and all her school work came easy to her, she sometimes tends to unravel when she doesn't "get" a concept right away. I call MM "brain work" around here. Thank goodness for the answer keys!! I'll need to start printing them out for dd7 who is moving on to MM2A soon :001_huh:

:iagree: & could not have said it better myself!

Hi. I just wanted to "poke" my head in and say that I'm having a similar experience with my dd10 who got pulled out of ps in October. Although she exceeded ps expectations, school was just way too easy for her. Purposefully, although I decided against deschooling, I decided to slowly phase in her subjects. Right now she does math, MCT LA, history and tons of reading (I choose a book, she chooses a book). We will gradually add in more subjects starting in January. This has worked well for us so far. Hope this helps some!! Good luck in your future endeavors. You have gotten some awesome advice thus far! I'm also all :bigear:.

Mandy-Thanks a million for posting this MCT schedule!!!! As a first time homeschooler still trying to figure my way out, it has been invaluable in helping to find our MCT rhythm. Although I have tweaked the schedule a bit for our personal needs, the sequence you provided was a great place to start! In general, you are all rock stars in my opinion!! I have gleaned more information than I could fathom from all your ideas and experiences. I am truly grateful.

I just ordered this series for my dd10 who just left ps in October. Even though Logic Countdown is for grades 3-4, this is what Rainbow Resources has to say: "The final book builds on the foundation of the first two books, and adds logic diagrams and logical fallacies. You should really start your student(s) at the beginning of this series to get the most benefit from it, but they can progress through it as able." Since my dd has had almost no logic, save a few pages of BTS, I plan to have her begin with Countdown and proceed from there. FWIW, although I do have BTS and like it, I think dd could benefit from a little more hand holding. My feeling is that BTS is geared towards a student who has been previously exposed to beginning logic. HTH

Reviving an old thread because I have the exact same same question. Can anyone offer advice?? TIA

Thank you! Thank you! I am oh so grateful for this wonderful resource!

OP, your question couldn't have a come at a better time. I was just wondering the same thing myself. Since this is our first year homeschoooling, the transition from ps to hs has been slow and steady. So far, science has been put on the back burner. I am not what one would call sciency so if I can find an inexpensive resource that will act as a general spine, I'm all for it. As it happens, our local ps district will lend homeschoolers their curriculum materials for use in the home, as we deem fit. My dh was all over this, but I was skeptical. We picked up the materials anyway, and currently in my possession, I have their 2nd and 5th grade science texts published by Harcourt. Admittedly, they are not too shabby. I've only perused the texts (so take this with a grain of salt), but they seem very user friendly. Topics covered are Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science. In addition to the lessons, each chapter features a "People in Science", an "Investigate" (experiments), chapter reviews, and test prep sections. My dd10 also happened to mention that she enjoyed working through the texts. Her only qualm was that in school, they never got a chance to work on the experiments. So again, fwiw, it seems (to my untrained eye) like a good resource that will help science get done. Everything is in one place and I really don't mind using the same ps sequence. DH is in education and often brings home goodies (i.e. books). Among some of the recent books, were Macmillian/McGraw-Hill science texts that are very similar to the Harcourt texts I described above. My plan is to go over the texts during our holiday break, collect needed materials, give it a go in the new year, and call science done. If either dd expresses deeper interest, additional experiment/lab resources and supplemental reading will round things off nicely. Right now, we are intently focused on history (we all LOVE history here) and it will most likely be the core of our homeschooling. For science, I think my plan will be more than sufficient, yes? HTH! Also wanted to add that as I have a logic stage child, a texbook approach for 1-2 subjects would be good exposure for late middle and high school levels where, as I understand it, it is not uncommon for the coursework to get more textbook heavy than in earlier stages.

This is exactly what happens in my house too. Both my dd10 & dd7 enjoy the independence of MM. DD7 especially dislikes being "taught" math. She insists on doing the work on her own and asking for help when she feels it is needed. I insist that she keep her RS abacus handy in case she gets stuck. We do, very briefly, go over a new lesson together to make sure there is understanding, but other than that she's pretty independent. So far this is working for us and she is progressing very nicely. With dd10, OTOH, I've come to the realization that her work must be checked immediately as we are having a slight problem with careless errors. Other than that, she enjoys the independence offered through the use of MM and really appreciates Maria's teaching methods.

Funny enough, I had my copy RSB out this weekend. I too am thinking of supplementing MM with RSB. Although we love, love MM here, RSB is phenomenal! I thought dd6 (almost 7) could use the additional place value reinforcement and mental addition that RSB provides. As we near the end of 1B, I see that my dd can "do" the problems, but has not quite cemented the abstract ability needed to master the skills. As it stands now, I do not know how MM addresses place value and mental math strategies in 2A/B, but I figure adding RSB a couple of times per week will be of great help. HTH

I've done this too, but with my 5th grader. My dd, 2nd & 5th grades, are both doing STOW 1. Yes, the text is easy for my 5th grader, but they both LOVE, LOVE listening to the CD (Jim Weiss). I have my 5th grader read the text along with the CD and sometimes my 2nd grader joins with the reading. While dd6 is giving her narration, I send dd10 to another room to answer the "reading guide"/review questions (I don't require her to write the answers), and write her summary. Also, to flesh it out for dd10, she reads from the Usborne IL Ency (I just purchased the Kingfisher for her to use instead) and lists 5-10 interesting facts (which will be phased out once we begin outlining), visits and reads the information in the UILE links, reads an 1-2 additional books from the library per topic/week (what the AG recommends as RA, I give to my dd10 as IDR, or a similar title from the library), MapTrek and/or AG map, and will soon add timeline work. All in all, I am delighted with STOW!!! History is a major part of our week, and both girls really enjoy it. It's been AMAZING to see the light bulbs go off and watching them make a multitude of connections (I'm learning a ton too....the neurons are super busy in my head). Can the history spine for dd10 be a bit more challenging? Yes, but I don't think STOW is dumbing her down in the least. The information is solid and a great spring boad for more difficult text. She's in a comfortable place right now and I get to beef up the rest of history without much complaint because the subject has come alive for her and so it's very enjoyable. HTH

Thanks to all of you!! Wonderful adviCe. I WAS stressing just a wee bit. You area all AMAZING!!!!

As I was making my WTM rounds this morning, a post prodded me to ask the Hive about doing math behind grade level. My dd10 (5th grade) currently working through the end of MM3B. She came home from ps about a month ago, but I've been supplementing with MM since last school year (4th grade) and through the summer. At the time, I had her back up to 3A to get used to doing math the MM way and because there were many topics not covered in school that I thought were important! I've looked ahead to 4A and it seems like some of it will still be review, BUT I really want to give her a solid math background and DON'T want to skip anything. She is learning A TON, thoroughly enjoying MM even though she's admits it a ton of brain work (LOL), but admires the way Maria explains and executes concepts (and this is NOT my math loving child). I am amazed at how much is covered that she did not know, even in these early levels. MM has been a massive success here!! Soooo, I guess what I'm asking is.......do I have to worry about dd working behind in math?? Do I have permission to keep her where she is and just keep going? I plan to school year round. I'm sure this will help to catch her up. TIA PS. Looking ahead, what will you MM users do when finished with 6B? I'm thinking about switching at that point to LoF along with the Key To.....series.

LOL. Thank you!

I too was wondering how long it would take us to finish each volume. This is our first year homeschooling and our first time doing world history. It's been a HUGE hit in our home. We are doing STOW-1 with dd6 (almost 7) and dd10. We're currently in chapter 12 and I'm quite happy to have decided to school year round because I just don't see how we would finish otherwise. It's great to see that some of you are taking longer to finish. See, I'd rather do lapbooks than testtubes!!!

From my experience, STOW AG has been FABULOUS for my dd10. The narration questions are invaluable as she prepares for logic stage writing (we only recently brought her home from ps). She is now able to easily write a 1/2 page narrative summary with ease...credit the AG for that!!! As far as the suggested reading selections, of the RA titles I am able to find in our library, I give to my dd as IDR. Otherwise, I look up leveled books and give them to her instead. I have found quite a few adult titles at the library that I've read out loud much to the delight of my dc6&10. I found an outstanding copy of the Epic of Glilgamesh that just begged to be read aloud..truly magical!! As for mapping, dd uses the MapTrek maps and lesson plans. I only have her do an AG map when MapTrek does not correlate. Sometimes, dd will even do a coloring page....shhh, don't tell anyone. In addition, dd also reads the UILE, writes 5-10 interesting facts, and I read aloud the DK ency. All in all STOW and the AG have been HUGE HIT here. My girls CAN'T wait see SWB and Jim Weiss at the hs convention this summer. To them, they're rock stars!! IMO, it really doesn't get better than that :lol: HTH

Know what????? I'll post here what happened just an hour ago..... Dd has been attending an Earth Science class at a local hs learning center. She is the youngest student in the class, but she's doing well despite my concerns about her keeping up. Anyway, one of the assignments to be completed for next week was to write a summary from a set of questions regarding the recent Indonesian earthquake. She admitted that at first glance the assignment seemed difficult :glare:. I made no comment as she proceeded. About 20 minutes later, she came for air and produced what seemed to me a brilliant summary from the leading questions. Dd was impressed with herself and credited the ease of the assignment to the (SWB style) narrating she has been doing in history.:hurray: Who wants to join me on cloud nine?!?! Attachment leads to suffering, I know, but I do want ride it a tad while longer.

:iagree: with your views 100%. I was also thinking it couldn't hurt to analyze AND diagram, yes? Brilliant!! Awesome info for the near future. My thinking was skipping the Island and possibly Town writing assignments in favor of the SWB/WTM method. I know for a fact (which I will post on a separate thread) that the latter works and I don't want to fix what's not broken!!!

I've been reading your posts for quite some time. You sound like an expert to me!!! Thanks for taking the time to reply in detail. :001_smile: I did know MCT is a big proponent of expository writing. It is 1000% correct that ps focuses almost explicitly on creative writing. From what you have listed of Town's writing exercises, it definitely sounds more beefed up than Island. This may sound dizzy, but how does MCT instruct the how to's of writing in Town to guide the student through the exercises you mentioned? Does he do much hand holding? I agree, the outlining portion of the SWB method is a must do component. What say you regarding the diagramming she is so adamant in teaching? TIA p.s. I can so relate to this: