I appreciate the search feature and 2 year old threads! This was just the information I was looking for.

Well I'm no help... I clicked because my house is painted green and I thought, "I have a green house!" A little slow today...

This looks perfect!

Is that extra 1/2 hour of math a supplement?

Maybe I'll start with some smaller ones since I don't have room for a big one. Thanks for all the replies!

Ok, I'm convinced! I'm going to try to post pics of my dining room because I need help trying to make this work! Taking pics... Can I post pics straight from my phone?

I remember hearing a while ago, I think on the IEW DVD, that you are really making a big mistake if you don't use a whiteboard to teach. Has using a whiteboard made a big impact on your homeschool? Is there something else I'm not thinking of that would have the same benefits? We homeschool in the dining room and there are no blank walls.... Only windows and built- ins so no place to hang one, but lately I've been thinking how helpful it would be to have one and wondering if I should get an easle. I'd love to hear how a whiteboard has helped you, or not.

I would love to know approximately how long your 6th and 8th graders spend on math and language arts per day. Especially math, but if you can figure out a number for language arts that would be great. Thanks!

Thanks for your response! That's helpful.

I'm so glad I came across this thread....this book will be perfect for dd10 this summer.

Thank you. I'm really leaning toward MM next year for ds13, dd10, and ds7.

I wish I would have know this when I started... A new question, if I begin using Math Mammoth would I need to supplement with regular review or is it built in?

Thank you. That does help. I don't think spiral works for my kids. I think they need more time to master a subject. Unfortunately all I've ever used is spiral so their math knowledge has suffered. I'm excited to make a change!

After reading tons of math threads today, I think I figured out why math has been so hard for dd10. We have only ever used a spiral curriculum (Everyday Math and LOF elementary) and she is having so much trouble! I don't know if LOF is spiral, but the elementary series does seem to jump around to much for her. So I would love it if the popular homeschooling math curriculums could be divided into spiral and mastery. I'm specifically wondering about Math Mammoth and MEP. I was looking into Horizons for her, but now that I see it's spiral I'm sure it wouldn't be a good fit. Also, how can I find out if spiral or mastery is best for my ds7? He picks up math concepts very easily, but I'd love to know now while he's young instead of when he's heading into 6th grade like dd10. Thanks! Thanks!

Thank you. I will take a look at this.

I’m posting for help with math for all my kids… Here’s #3: Dd15 used Everyday Math for most of elementary and did very well with it. Math comes more easily to her than to my other kids, although she does not like it. I made some bad decisions during elementary and we took a bunch of time off of math and it’s been a struggle for her ever since. She did algebra with College Preparatory Mathematics in 8th grade and this year did the first half of Geometry with the same program, but I did not like the program and neither did she. It was very difficult and taught in a way I have never seen before. I think a more traditional program would be better. We stopped this geometry halfway through this year and switched to Life of Fred. I had her start back with Algebra to get used to the way math is taught. She’s done okay, but I think we just need a math program that is straightforward, easy to use and does not take too much teaching time (College Prep took about an hour with me sitting there). She is ready for a geometry program and I would like to choose a program that would take her through the rest of high school. Thanks for any suggestions!

I have 4 kiddos I’m asking for math advice for… Here’s kiddo #2 Ds13 did Everyday Math through 5th grade, although he was not in the 5th grade book. He was probably in the 4th. Math does not come easily to him. It was always a struggle. We left Everyday Math forever and this year he was working through Life of Fred “Fractions and Decimals†and “Percentsâ€. It’s been a nice change, but since math does not come easily to him it’s been frustrating. I really enjoy LOF, but I think it works better for kids who grasp math concepts easily. If you read my post on dd10…they are very similar. He is incredibly creative and loves to write stories, novels, plays… Math, not so much. Over the summer I’m going to have him go through “Key to Percents†and as he starts his 8th grade year I think he should start pre-algebra… He would not be ready for algebra. I really don’t know what curriculum to use for him! Dh and I are math majors and math comes easily for us. Not so easily for ds13! Please offer any suggestions!   Â

Here’s the story in a nutshell: We used Everyday math through 4th grade. Math does not come easily for her and every day began with tears over this curriculum, especially in 4th grade. This year (her 5th grade year) we left Everyday math forever and have been going through Life of Fred. She’s just about to finish up Jellybeans. This year the tears stopped! She learned long division and memorized her multiplication facts. She is behind, but at least not crying. So next year I don’t know what to use. Math concepts do not come easily to her. Dh and I are both math majors and math did come easily for us. She just doesn’t get concepts like prime numbers or place value easily.  And if she gets them one day, they’ll be gone the next. She’s very creative and loves to write stories, which is why I thought she’d like LOF. No LDs, she just more of a word girl than a numbers girl. What curriculum would you suggest for this type of child? I don’t want to continue with LOF because it seems more geared to a mathy child who grasps things more quickly. Thanks!  Â

This is exactly what I needed to hear today!!! Thank you for sharing.

This looks like fun! My kids just watched Avalon High on Netflix and are now really interested in King Arthur. Thanks! I'd love suggestions like this for family friendly TV shows...

This is so great! We've been stuck in a movie rut... Can't wait to look into all these recommendations!!!

Adding to my Amazon watch list...

Thank you, I hadn't heard of those!

Old Disney movies are a great idea! We've seen some of those, but not all. Also, I love Carey Grant movies!!! I just hadn't thought about showing those to the kids! Great ideas.

We love watching movies together as a family, but I think we need something new! I have 2 girls (15 and 10) and 2 boys (13 and 7). We love all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Lord of the Rings, Avengers, and just recently watched all 4 Mission Impossibles. We also watch Disney and Pixar. A few weeks ago we watched Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow) for my birthday, but the kids were pretty bored... especially the boys. We need some more exciting (mostly clean) movies to watch as a family. Recommendations? Thanks!