:bigear: I'm starting to look into this as well. I'll have a 5th grader next year and I'm planning to use ES Physical Science (combining my 3rd and 5th graders.) I'm "wanting" rigorous christian materials, but haven't done enough research to know any particular program. Maybe BJU? I haven't looked it over yet, but hopefully I'll get to one of their hs displays this summer. At this point I was thinking: 6th gr. Life science 7th gr. Earth/sc./Astronomy 8th gr. Physical sc Not sure where I can fit in chemistry, which I need to do since we haven't tackled any yet. Maybe some in 7th, some in 8th?

How disappointing! :( I love the way RS teaches fractions. I was really excited about this....

I tell him to have my little boys pick out some sort of flowers (either hanging baskets or pots etc. Not cut, so they last longer.) I love the crazy combos they pick out. Last year I got two baskets, one for each side of the porch (according to the kids). One boy picked light pink, the other picked out this flaming orange color. :lol: Totally clashed, but I loved it. Another year, one gave me white flowers in a pink pot, the other gave me red flowers in an orange and blue pot. :D One day I may have matching flowers.....

I don't, sorry. Maybe someone who has been hsing longer can chime in...

Well, yes and no. ;) I've been using an old TM w/ our grammar this year. While almost all of the same stuff is in there (just name changes etc.) there will be a few exercises that are different. The main thing that I found that was annoying was that the chapters are in a different order, and some of the exercises have been as well. So you might have to hunt around some. I got the TM for free, so it was worth the headache, I guess, but it was a pain.

Congrats! I need grammar still.....

:iagree:

We use Calculadders and had the same experience. I finally decided to stop timing and just use it as a practice sheet. I have done that with my oldest until this year (4th grade) and we have finally started timing him. He would get VERY stressed out if I timed him in earlier grades (sobbing etc.). His younger brother likes the challenge and doesn't mind being timed, but I don't always worry about it with him either. And my oldest sometimes would take 8 or 10 minutes PER PAGE!!!! So at that point I just only had him do half a page. Now, both of them know their facts very well.

I'm in the same boat right now trying to figure out 5th grade. Right now, I'm thinking of keeping logic very light for 5th and tackling that more in middle school. We'll use Mindbenders in 5th b/c I have it (and when I did MB in elementary school...I loved it). I'm only planning on one or two puzzles per week, probably added into his math time so it won't actually be much time wise. I'm def. not doing 3 hrs per week, lol! Grammar is an area where he struggles, in fact it has actually caused us to take a break from Latin b/c he couldn't figure out endings b/c of not knowing the part of speech (kept thinking the direct object was the subject). So until I see some progress in grammar, we will be putting latin on hold. I guess we're doing the opposite of you-dropping latin, keeping grammar. I'm hoping we can add latin back by 6th or even later in 5th. I'm also thinking of only doing 1 hr of science or history or geography each day. (So 2 days of history, 1 of geography, 2 of science.) We're doing more than that this year (we actually do all 3 daily)...so I'm not sure how this will work or IF it will work....

I had bought MOH when my oldest was in 1st and decided it was too much. We used BF Early American for first and loved it. (Well, I should add that we didn't do everything suggested in the guide...) I just bought TQ for next year and I really like the looks of it as well. BF would give you one year of American History, TQ has 3 books of American History (3 years). BF has more 'hand-holding' (ex. Read pages 1-6 of THIS Columbus book today.) Where TQ gives a list of Columbus books and you figure out which you want to use and how much to read per day.

I only bought the book, and I thought it was pretty easy to figure out. It was exactly like what my teacher in middle school did with our class (had the same teacher for all 3 years so had a lot of practice doing this). I guess if you were never in a class that had literature discussions, then they might necessary.... I also bought Figuratively Speaking.

Not a curriculum...but I feel this way about History Pockets. There is nothing covered in HP that they haven't already been taught in their history. It is mindless paper crafts. So why on earth do we do it? (Every year?) Because they like HP. I like HP. They like having that cute little booklet of pointless crafts that all the Grandmas ooh and ahh over (their Grandmas love looking at that kind of stuff, lol!) and they pull it out every single time poor Grandma comes over for months on end. :lol: They never seem to want to show any of the other stuff we do. :glare: And so I'm happy that we do them simply because they are fun.

:iagree:

Bible - Daily Reading History - Early American (going to combine TQ, AO and BF somehow) Geography - Seterra and BF Geography. Math - MM and LOF fractions and maybe decimals Spelling - AAS finish 5, and 6 Science - Elemental Science Latin- I think we're going to drop this and just work w/ roots (EFTRU) until he is stronger in grammar. Logic- Mindbenders Art - unsure Music-might be starting piano lessons or homeschool orchestra + ?? Writing - CW not sure if we'll keep on in Aesop or move into Homer yet. I also have WWS, but I don't think he's ready for that yet so might be saving it for 6th Typing - Typing Instructor for Kids (cont. they love this) Grammar-unsure. Might try Rod and Staff again or Hake/Saxon Memory- Awana bible verses, States and capitals, using WTM for more suggestions Lit.- We'll be using AO year 4 lit, Plutarch, and Shakespeare. Some will be readalouds, some independent reads. I'm making a list of things for him to read independently but not finished yet (things like Black Beauty, Secret Garden, Where the Red Fern Grows etc) Co-op which is fun stuff, gym and hopefully someone will teach art and music theory so those will be taken care of. ;) My main planning now is figuring out how to combine what I want to use from AO and from WTM without overkill...

I've always used our library's copy of WTM in the past but I finally decided to just buy my own this year with my birthday money. Now I'm blissfully writing in all of the margins..... :001_wub: That is all. :D

In my bag of books from our library book sale ($2 for the brown grocery bag full of books), I was able to get a copy of Kingsley's Heroes that my ds is reading right now w/ AO. It was published in 1885 and is in really nice condition (tight binding!). I was so excited! Also got a vintage math book from 1910. :D

This is awesome! I love how RS teaches fractions in the lower levels!

I've found that for us any kind of reading works well (them reading, or me reading lit., history, science etc.. We just grab a big blanket and flop down in the backyard. It's when we try to do worksheets or things that can 'blow away' that it's a pain. It doesn't even need to be windy...everything just blows around regardless. :confused:

Still planning some... 3rd grader: Math Rightstart D and MM 3 Grammar R&S English or Abeka or FLL (he used abeka and FLL this year and I like them both, but I have a brand new set of R&S so might be using that Spelling AAS3 (finish) and start AAS4 5th grader: Math: MM 5 w/ CWP Grammar: No clue...Either cont. w/ abeka, or try KISS or Saxon, or use the R&S I have on the shelf which he HATES (so that probably won't happen) maybe Grammarland along w/ the ALL sample (why can't they just finish ALL?) Spelling AAS 5 (finish) and 6 Together: Bible: I'll read out loud in the a.m.-thinking of Who Is God? by Apologia, and they will each be beginning their own bible time/devotions History Early American-putting something together using various things I have Literature picking and choosing off of AO yr 2, 3 and 4 lists, along with others I think they'll enjoy Latin GSWL cont. We haven't gotten very far in this at all. :( Art ? I'm hoping our co-op will cover this! :D Music I would like to have him start piano lessons or the local homeschool orchestra....but not sure if it will be in the budget -plus composer study and learning about the instruments in the orchestra Science Elemental Physical Science Writing: Classical Writing Aesop also co-op which is fun stuff...not sure if I've remembered everything....

Thank you!

I think Ambleside Online would fit the bill. You'd need to read through all the FAQ's, and that should give you a good idea if you'd like it or not.

What would you recommend buying from IEW? There are so many things that are offered from them (looking in my Rainbow Res. catalog)...

There are two more in that series! My boys loved that one too.

I'm so glad someone posted about these!! I had read about them/researched them back when my oldest was 4...and since then I had remembered about the Systematic Mathematics, but had forgotten about the Practical Arithmetic. These might be a good choice for next year for us as my oldest finishes RS... and b/c I like to SHOP! :lol:

Thank you all! I had been thinking perhaps my ds was the only 5th grader that would struggle with this...glad to know that others are using it in later grades as well!