Also WP is definitely not secular. We didn't like Animal Worlds either. I agree that an animal study would be pretty easy to flesh out with library books or a series of books that you like. If you want something methodical you could just sketch out a vague plan organized by habitat or taxonomy, whichever you think would be more fun. If you use OSS books, you'd probably go by habitat, but if you go with library books, you could study study one animal group per month or so. Easy and very cheap.

My daughter just quit in December, but it was level 6 compulsory and I was paying $3200/yr tuition plus about $500/yr meet-related expenses.

I also had my gown turned into baptismal gowns. I got three of them out of my dress, and two of them have already been worn twice. I'm pretty certain that they will be worn again, and I suspect my children will fight over them for their kids. I don't think my wedding gown, unaltered, would have had such a great future. My gown was somewhat quirky even at the time, and I think my daughters will enjoy picking out their own gowns.

When my boys were in 4th grade, they were also working at about an 8th-grade level for science, so I used Singapore's Interactive Science curriculum. I bought the lab supplies and did all the labs, so it was very hands-on and very advanced. It sounds like your daughter is probably beyond My Pals Are Here, and the Interactive Science is the next in the series: http://www.singaporemath.com/Interactive_Science_s/68.htm It was very challenging for my gifted learners, but exactly what I was looking for. We went through both levels of that program, then did Singapore's O-level Biology, before moving into calculus-based physics. (The boys are now in 7th grade). For math, I second the AoPS recommendation, assuming she's beyond Singapore Primary Mathematics 5b.

DVD Whale Rider Books 9 True Dolphin Stories Dolphin Adventure/Treasure/Freedom Dolphin Diaries Series (think it's OOP) Dolphins at Daybreak (or whatever; the Magic Tree House book) Sorry totally can't think of any about whales... NOT Island of the Blue Dolphins, which really doesn't have much to do with Dolphins. :tongue_smilie:

No. Way. I think that curriculum would be torture with a student who doesn't enjoy the LOTR. (We had fun with it! But I would not recommend it in your case.)

I checked Amazon myself and I am not sure what you were looking at but the new edition of the Guide Pedagogique level 1 is from $38.95. That is a great price. I haven't seen the new edition of Alex & Zoe but assuming they didn't mess things up from the first version, I think it's a great program. I am finally on to level 2 of Alex and Zoe, and having done the first level, I am convinced by the method. I do wish there were more to the workbook, because I did have to make up other opportunities for my daughter to write French, but then again she's on the old side for the program. It took us much longer to get through level 1 than I had thought it would---there's just so much more content than I had thought. When I insisted on full competency on every new topic and vocabulary taught before moving on, well, it took a bit longer than expected. Great program.

No rotten tomatoes, please, but that was my experience with Sonlight. All cuddles and great books, until after 5 years I realized that my kids had poor writing skills and almost no memory of the history we had allegedly covered. I still use most of the literature, but I don't trust it for history and wouldn't go near it for LA.

dress up (especially tutus). Schleich animals. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn to say please tea set (the only "musical/talking" toy in the house). Play-do. Paint.

I love that name. Also fwiw my parents changed my name at a couple months old and I'm so glad they did. I like the name they changed it to much more than the first one.

"Eventually, he enrolled at California State University, and since it did not have a film school, he majored in English." I,cc {D,I} The comma separates the two independent clauses and is placed before the conjunction. The second independent clause (he majored in English) is preceded by a dependent clause, which is set off by a comma. I agree that one could punctuate with a comma after the "and" (with or without the comma before the and), but I prefer this punctuation.

Very light writing.

Cool! There's so much good curriculum out there and it's fun to make a custom program. Can be a lot of trial and error, but you can resell some of it if it doesn't work out for you. Not Calvert, of course, so that's a real negative. For the boys I never went back. I actually was toying with the idea for 8th grade, but the problems from K are still there. The boys are way out there in terms of math and science ability, so the math/science/technology component of Calvert 8 would be useless to them. I doubt the English would challenge them either. I know you can opt out of math, but not science or the rest. I did like the lesson guides and all the suggestions, etc...but I don't think a boxed curriculum will work unless a child is mostly on grade level with all subjects. That hasn't described my older boys since...well, ever. But, I do still think it's a comprehensive, well-done program, so I check in periodically when planning another year's curriculum for other children. I have thought of using it for my daughter, and particularly might pick it up in 6th grade for her, since I don't like TOG 1 and I know that's the year they do ancients. She is a big box-checker, and I know she would respond well to the IG. And, as I've said, I'm using Calvert 1 with my 5 yo (afterschooling) but I'm tweaking...for example, I just bought the Maps, Globes book level B off of Amazon when I realized that the level A was far too easy for him. That means, of course, that the IG is no longer useful for Maps, Globes, but I just use it to remind me to work in that book a little with him. It's a drag, but I'd rather do that than waste time with a book that's too easy. Best of luck finding great curriculum choices for your daughter! Don't forget to have fun with her. :-)

So what did you decide to do? Just curious.

I think both of your plans, and those suggested by other posters, are all good. It's kind of hard to mess up Kindergarten, as long as you keep it fun. If she enjoys it and learns some, great! Calvert and HOP are going to teach reading in very different ways. HOP is just a lot of lists of words, and endless reading/flashcards/etc. Very few workpages. Calvert, otoh, has work pages and activity suggestions and approaches literacy and numeracy in many different ways. Of course it's textbook-based, obviously, but the textbooks aren't the whole picture--as you know from Calvert 4. I enjoyed Calvert Pre-K enormously oh-so-long ago, and I thought Calvert K was a good program, too. My problem was that it turned out that my oldest boys were way ahead of the curve and the whole K program was far too easy for them. I think they finished it in 3 months. For those boys I had to ditch Calvert. I still think it's a very solid program, and I've picked it up again for my K-er, but now I'm using Calvert 1 with him. I'm more experienced now, so it doesn't freak me out that several portions of it are too easy for him. Instead I just enjoy what works, and am using it to make sure he gets lots and lots of writing practice. I love the little games & activities suggestions. So I voted Calvert. I've also never been drawn to FIAR, so that influences my vote. I didn't like the samples, and I know the program would drive me nuts. I don't need every activity or learning experience to tie in with a picture book I'm reading. I just like to select my own hodgepodge of reading as I go along! Good luck!

You can buy the CDs and DVD on Amazon. The audio CDs are currently about $80. What you might consider doing is buying one of the really cheap copies of Discovering French, textbook only, to check it out. Would cost you about $4-5 to have it in your hands to see how the program works. Alternately, I think you might be able to find some sample pages on McDougal-Littel website. There is a significant (free) online component to the program (which is totally optional). You'll have to hunt for that, though. The CDs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/061834537X/ref=sr_1_10_up_1_main_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331132647&sr=1-10&condition=used Low price on the DVD is $285. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0618345183/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1331132734&sr=1-1&condition=used

Oh, sure! It's a regular textbook for schools. You can get it off Amazon. For the very best experience using it you would want the textbook, activity book, CD set, and DVD. To save money you can buy the level 1 (Bleu) instead of 1a and 1b, and just take 2 years on the one level. You do not need the most recent version, but be aware that if you choose one of the older versions your students will learn how to say words like "walkman" and "boombox"--it's always in the technology that the language programs "age." At that unit, I just taught my kids words like "ipod." :-) Calvert is not a bad deal, because the CDs are pricey, and you get access to them. Also they schedule it out for you. But you don't get the DVD (which I like but is not strictly necessary). Maybe you get tests, too--I'm not sure. I made up my own schedule and just bought all of it off Amazon. I'm sure I paid more than I would have with Calvert, but I get access to the audio for more than just the one year, and I can resell the components when I'm done. It is a solid approach to French that introduces grammar in a way that flows naturally with the speaking of it. It doesn't front-load a ton of grammar that kids are expected to memorize before they can use it. Instead, it moves along at a pace that is always demanding a steady amount of work, and introduces grammatical constructs when needed. I don't think novelty in method of instruction is a great thing when you're talking about modern languages, nor do I think it makes sense to treat a living language like a dead one. This kind of textbook program (like a junior version of French in Action) is effective, steady, and moderately fun. French should be one of the fun subjects! Bleu is equivalent to one year of high-school French. 1a is one year of middle-school French.

We tried Mathcounts this year and it's been really fun. Actually, we kind of went on a whim to the regional competition; we hadn't prepared at all for the test or anything. But my older boys love math, went to Mathpath last summer (going again this summer), and do Calculus for their math this year. I am not their math teacher, my husband is, but I brought them to the competition. Anyway, everyone was really nice to me, even as a homeschooler--maybe even especially as a homeschooler. One of the veteran teachers took me up to see the trophies (I didn't know there would be trophies at stake!), and when my boys placed 2nd and 6th individually after the morning tests, when I walked in, the organizer exclaimed, "There she is!" The son who came in 6th overall went on to win the "countdown" round, so we went home loaded with trophies. As I went up to accept the plaque for coach of the 2nd-placed individual, one of the other teachers called out, "Way to go! Nice job, coach!" So I definitely felt welcomed. The boys both advanced to the state competition (phew!) and now they are studying...now that they realize they might win glory and trophies, not to mention a trip to Orlando if they do well enough! :001_smile: I'm definitely a fan of Mathcounts now!

I'd say to just get 1st for your ds and tagalong dd. OM 1 is very easy, and OM in general doesn't start to get challenging for quite a few years down the road. 3 and 4 were still pretty light, whereas 6 involved a lot of writing and surprised me with how challenging it was. Even that, though, could conceivably be done a year ahead. Anyway, at this point I discourage people from making curriculum choices now based on what they think might happen in 5 years. One thing I've learned is that most people hop around curricula all the time, even if they've planned it out from PreK-12th grade. In a few years, you may have completely different needs. If you think 1st grade OM will work, go for it. It's likely OM 2 and 3 will also work for you (they are not terribly hard or a big jump), and you can figure out the upper grades when you get there.

I also very much disliked the First Start French online samples, mostly because I remember seeing a few things that were not authentic. (e.g. they taught to say "une chatte" for a cat, but generally people just use the masculine "un chat" because the feminine has s*xual overtones. Anyway, I highly recommend Discovering French, which you can get for a decent price through Calvert. You get a traditional school French textbook, a lesson manual, access to all audio CDs, and another workbook. A DVD is available on Amazon but it's usually very pricey and technically not necessary. I use all components of the program but not through Calvert. The sheer quantity of audio materials is unmatched by any of the homeschool programs. I think there are 9 Audio CDs per grade! Also, there are many different speakers on the CDs, which is much better than just getting used to a single speaker. I do speak French, I learned French many years ago with a program like this (or at least, I started with one like this), and I think it's great. I think it could be used effectively with a non-French-speaking teacher, too. French in Action is also excellent--I taught that program to Yale undergrads--but the first book in the series is intended to be college first-year French. It moves much, much faster than Discovering French or a similar program targeted at young people. But FYI the books can be bought on Amazon.

:iagree: I'm finally using TOG successfully here with 2 different levels, and in part because I am treating it as topics to be covered and not resources to be used. I give my boys a copy of the questions for discussion in advance and as they do their reading they make sure they've found the answers. Sometimes the book off my shelf doesn't answer the specific question, so hello, Internet! I am enjoying many of the TOG book choices but have no qualms about switching out a book if I already have something on the topic. We did the whole colonial era without buying a book or using Tapestry choices, since I refused to buy a new one since we already had so many! My only thought about buying way in advance is that you might end up needing to tweak which levels your kids use. My 10yo dd reads D fiction all the time but needs her history to be uncomplicated and straightforward--I usually get her LG for that. I was kind of weirded out by that (I mean, this child qualifies for EPGY gifted programs) but many of the LG history books are labelled on Amazon for 2nd/3rd grade UP. Indeed, my K-er would be bored to tears by the LG history. Conversely, it took some trial and error to realize my 13 yo's were bored with D and needed R level across the board. Other than just using books available to you and the Internet (both of which ideas I think very workable and a good idea), you could rely on the textbooks scheduled in the Alternate resources. IIRC they schedule SOTW and Spielvogel for much of Y1, so that's obviously fewer books to buy. Really, though, for Y1, I'm sure the books you can get have about the same content as the TOG books. Don't you study ancient Egypt/Greece/Rome in England, too? ;-) Also there's a lot of Bible content in Y1.

Count me with the folks who bought but never really used it--but I have three levels! The literature selection is all over the map---some classics that I would be happy to have my child read, but at least 1/3 or more are "unknown" books published by Royal Fireworks Press. I haven't actually read any of these books, but I'm not inclined to spend money on them since I have access to so many great books that I know are worth the time. Since I'm not willing to buy the RFP books, it's hard to use Suppose the Wolf... as a curriculum guide. We're not working through it systematically, so the only way I could use it would be to remember when a book we've used was covered in Suppose the Wolf. I don't have that good a memory. :tongue_smilie:

I own Oak Meadow, Christopherus, and Live Education, and OM and LE are like night and day. OM is scheduled out for you by the week, and LE is like a bunch of how-to books. I do not own Christopherus and LE for kindy, but I've seen them for other grades. Having bought I think 3 full levels of LE used, I have to say I'm not impressed. It doesn't hold your hand at all and it would not work for me. I liked Christopherus a lot more than LE because it at least sometimes gives a schedule. Ultimately, though, I really couldn't cope with the Waldorf science and block scheduling. OM is much more conventional and more like a nature- and art-based curriculum than an anthroposophic Waldorf approach. I agree that it really depends on how important the specific Waldorf recommendations are to you. Waldorf has many very specific characteristics and topics of study at each level, which OM essentially ignores. For kindergarten, if you decide to go with OM, you might want to look for one of the older versions. I think it was around 1999 that they replaced many of the fairy tales with Beatrix Potter, so the new OM K is full of her stories. The older curriculum is full of fairy tales. I was able to get a copy of the older version and was much happier with it.

I know it's supposed to work together as a set, but I have really had to think about each component separately and we do not like all components equally, and I don't even have the same feeling about certain components through the levels. So I guess I would say for us, the program has been inconsistent in quality or effectiveness. Off the top of my head, here are some of my recollections. Vocab. I liked CE 2, but disliked WWW and Building Language. I don't like the over-emphasis on roots, I guess. One of my degrees is in Philology but I still think over-focusing on roots will not help develop an instinctive knowledge of vocab. CE 2 seemed an innovative way to practice the words (I don't remember any word searches!); the other two just seemed super boring and broke words down too relentlessly. Grammar. Generally I really like the grammar books and practice books--for me, the four-level analysis is a great way to understand what's going on; easier to grasp than diagramming and very effective. For me, this is the best part of the program. Although I have some gripes, it's this approach that really grabs me. I've used with success Grammar Island, Grammar Voyage, and ML 1. Writing. Eh. I hated Sentence Island (the storyline/writing drove me up the wall), but I enjoyed reading Essay Voyage with the kids. He has some great example essays that I loved discussing together. That said, I wouldn't have wasted time with the dumb assignments. Instead, I tried to get them to apply the principles to writing across the curriculum. I don't generally use a writing curriculum because I just teach it within their other subjects. I didn't like the looks of Adv Academic Writing so I didn't even buy it. Poetry. I approve. I like how he approaches this. He really breaks it down, and gets into some advanced topics. Literature. Shoot me now. I would not use his newly released lit program as it is NOT how I would want my children to practice close reading. My advice would be not to feel that you need to do the entire program. Some of it may work for you, but not all. It is definitely different than other offerings, so if a component of it works for you, then use it, and find another way to teach the component that doesn't. In any case, it will give you another excuse to research curriculum!

I need to agree with other posters--if you really want to stretch the practice book you could just rewrite the sentences on a white board or paper. So I guess for me the only really vital portion would be Grammar Island. I don't know if you need the Teacher's Edition--I am good at grammar so I just buy the student book, but I can see that the other way makes sense, too. I know they aren't widely available used but I do see them pop up here on the for sale boards regularly. I didn't use the lit portion but I definitely didn't care for the samples. For the age that this program is targeted for, I think you just need exposure anyway. For spelling I like "Spelling Power" a lot, and I'm using the 3d edition (not the current one) and that is so effective, cheap, and good for all years of learning. It is a little bit of work to learn the technique, but absolutely worth it. FYI I do like the MCT poetry book, so I would only recommend skipping it to save money. R & S doesn't have the same kind of poetic analysis, if I remember correctly.