Storygirl, thank you for your review. Even though it wasn't your favorite, I think your review helps me see why I think we will like it, but understand how it isn't the best fit for everybody. :) It's always good to hear both sides. Cbollin, thank you for your input as well. :) Always helpful ;) Hi :) I have decided to do MFW AHL with her this fall. :) I really think we will appreciate how Bible & History are together and the Bible is used for history. This is the most important thing to us, that our children know the Bible, understand why we believe what we believe, and be able to see the lies from the truth. I appreciate the guide and how it will be easy for us to follow and check things off and be sure we've got everything done. I am sure there will be parts we don't like as much, there always is. ;) This particular child wants to pursue University for a Bachelor of Music in Piano. I want to be sure she is well prepared and I know she is capable of MFW AHL and its expectations. So with my first, I am going to use an all ready to go curriculum. I couldn't wrap my brain around Biblioplan. I knew I would probably fail when it came down to all the choices. Plus, my oldest really is ready to do her work independently. My daughter also would have done well with Notgrass EWH alone. She would have appreciated the get 'er done style of textbook, workbook, etc. I would have added in more Bible and I didn't really want them "separate". Does that make sense? I wanted her Bible & History to completely and deeply connect. I will be having her do Teaching Textbooks and Masterbooks Biology instead of MFW recommendations. I hope I made some sense. I am one tired mama and have lost the skill of communicating my thoughts.

We used their math for years before trying anything else. We've done their LA on and off. I like it and I don't like it. This year we have continued with Math, LA, and added in their reading, Bible, and 5th grade science. It is definitely a get-er-done kind of curriculum. But the grading! Between 4 students...it's too much for me. So, next year we are going back to what we used before, but will be keeping the Math for my 2 younger students. I am still undecided on the reading.

Thank you. This is very encouraging. :) I grew up not far from Indy. ;)

Thank you all. You have given us a lot to think about. :)

My oldest daughter will be in 9th grade this fall. She is very gifted with her piano skills and very driven to do well and succeed with it. At this time, she wants to pursue being a piano teacher. We have an amazing program in which her major would be Piano Performance Bachelor of Music with a possible pedagogy certificate. I am not sure what scholarships she may be able to get. I am doubting we will qualify for financial aid unless something changes by then. I have no idea how we will afford it. Having said all that :crying: do you think the degree is necessary? Piano people, what is the benefit to her having the degree vs not. It is so early to tell, but I am thinking she is envisioning teaching from her home or possibly a music studio.

Thank you all for the great ideas :D

Thank you :) It is a mix. And there are some things in CLE 700 that I don't even remember how to do and am not sure it's something she needs to do. I think she has come to a point in that math where it is no longer the right fit for her.

My oldest has done so well up until this year with CLE math. She just took test 705 and I think every one so far she has failed. I probably should have done something sooner. :( I just keep helping her with the things she misses, but I think it's time for a change. What can we do to finish the year out well? I have Teaching Textbook Alegebra for the fall.

Thank you :) I do have AHL on the way to me and I am going to let her look through it all. Maybe I will schedule some of the Notgrass lit selections for her throughout the year. We are definitely going to do audiobooks on a few of those that AHL schedules.

Honestly, her answer would be, whatever will be as little work as possible and get done as quick as possible. She is a very smart girl, but would rather be drawing or reading books at her own leisure.

So different, I know. :) I will have a 3 year old, 2nd grader, 5th grader, 7th grader, and 9th grader. Here are my ideas for the 9th grader. Help me process! #1 - Notgrass EWH - I like this for the get-it-done aspect. I also like their list of literature. This child doesn't mind textbooks and is a steam engine with her work. #2 - MFW AHL - I like this because it includes further instruction for writing and literature. However, I am not crazy about their literature choices though. #3 - Biblioplan year 1 with the rest of the family, but reading the Companion independently. I like this for the aspect we are all on the same time page. However, I am a bit scared by the amount of book choices to make. If we go with #1 or #3 I will need to add in some extra writing instruction.

:laugh: My kids are actually excited about the thought of it, but I know what you mean! It is something *I* think I would like too.

This particular child, the one who will be 7th next year, does not like alone work! It is a struggle to get her motivated! Thank you for the feedback! :) Have you done PP? Is there a particular reason you picked that one?

So, yes, I am already annoying myself by thinking next year. :laugh: Anyone have any input that could help me along! If I could just get it down to two options, that'd be better even. :crying: My kids will be 3, 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 9th. Option #1 9th grader do Notgrass EWH Everyone else do Prairie Primer adding Language Arts (that we already do) and Math. I have almost all of Prairie Primer here already so that'd be cheap. I kind of feel like it would be fun to do this before everybody gets too old. Option #2 Everyone do Biblioplan, having the 9th grader use the Companion alone. Option #3 9th grader do Notgrass EWH Rest do Notgrass From Adam to Us Option #4 2nd grader do HOD Beyond 5th and 7th do HOD CTC 9th grader do Notgrass EWH

Can you tell me how it works if you use the same thing for both younger and high school students? What would they do together? What would the high schooler do independent from the younger children?

Thank you. That is a good idea to consider. I had earlier considered doing Exp to 1850 and tryin to read through either SOTW 4 or the rest of history from MOH next summer. Decisions like this are so hard, when there isn't really a wrong answer, they are all good ideas!

I already have MFW exp to 1850 for this fall. It is next for us in the cycle. But, I am only using MFW for history & science recommendations. I have thought about selling it altogether and just using MOH and picking our own science. I will have 4th, 6th, and 8th graders listening to history this fall. I have MOH vol 3 and I really like to read it. I am not a reader, but as I scan through the chapters I get really interested in what I read! I know MOH volumes do not line up with MFW timeline and I'd have to use both Volume 3 and 4 to cover what Exp to 1850 cover. If I stick with MFW exp to 1850, my 8th grader would never get through modern history before high school, and then it would be a while. I thought about just doing MOH (where we left off in MFW around 1600) and finishing all the way through vol 4 so she gets modern history as well. What are your thoughts on that?

I have seen this several times and when I added up what we could get by with, all hard copies because I don't want to have to print everything, it was more than what I spent on MFW basic Exp to 1850 plus read alouds! And that included science already. I guess the cheaper factor really comes in if you do e-books. We have done MFW since my 8th grader was in K, minus 2 years we did HOD. But I don't know if I will repeat the cycle after we get through. Thank you. It is a lot of reading, the whole OT in the 9th grade year. I think my oldest might be up for that challenge, but my 2nd daughter really would probably not do well with that.

Can I ask what made you decide not to do their HS? My oldest will be 8th this fall, so we are very close to making that decision as well. :)

Looking at the Early Modern year. What are your reasons for switching to Biblioplan and do you still like it better?

Sorry, found my answer and can't figure out how to delete the thread. :)

Oh Elizabeth, my distracted one is also a creator and a doer. She would rather spend all day doing a project like coloring or creating rather than listening.

My kids are 2, 6, 9, 11 (the distracted one), and 13.

We have been doing MFW as a family. My 2nd daughter seems to have such a hard time paying attention during reading time. I have tried different methods...rewarding right answers with an m&m, letting her color or play with something while listening, etc. I can barely get her to get all her work done in a day, so having her read the things on her own may not work for her. Should I just keep on keepin' on with it? Try something different with her? I think talking to the 3 of them at once and having the 6 year old and the 2 year old constantly being distractions doesn't help either!