The $12 offer sure includes a ton of stuff and our girls really enjoy Shakespeare. I'm tempted to place an order.

We are also using Bravewriter for a reluctant 4th grader and seeing progress. While our youngest (2nd grade) enjoys the traditional writing process and can take a topic and just write, our oldest does not enjoy a blank page. It's too intimidating. She shuts down and gets angry. We've have success with Bravewriter's concrete observations. For example, last weekend we all used our five senses to observe an apple. Our 4th grader loved the activity. She was able to hold the apple....see it........taste it....she even nibbled on the stem and seeds to get information. Her descriptive paragraph isn't someting to publish, but it was an incredible start. And she was proud of herself and results. We have another similar project scheduled for this week. I also use copywork and dictation for our oldest. Our youngest won't do it, but still sits with us and writes her own composition. We are also working on freewrites which our oldest really likes. She doesn't have to worry about grammar....she just writes. We haven't gotten to real editing yet, but I know we will. I just have to be patient and accept the little successes along the way. As farrar said, it's not a scripted program which can be a challenge and offers exciting elements. You need to read the book and figure out how to make it work for your family. It's definitely worth the money if you go in with an open mind. Good luck.

Thanks, boscopup....I needed to read your comments today. We are so formal and structured in everything else, I felt like a slacker with history.

Thank you...audio may need to be the way to go.

We are falling way behind with history, as we keep jumping from one curriculum to another. We start one but never finish. It's now time for me to stop procrastinating and get to work on history. Any suggestions on where or how to start history with our 4th grader?

We also receive the kits, and our 4th and 2nd graders love them. We read the relevant MSB books, add some more of our research and perform the experiments. It is definitely a supplement.

I also utilize our library as much as possible, but this year I'm around $750 for books/curriculum. Our major costs are the activities (co-op, science classes at an aquarium, state park science classes, math club at a museum, chess and spanish) which is close to $1,500. Then tack on extra-curriculars which run a few thousand total for both girls. Even though I'm no longer working, I still feel that this is a bargain since we started homeschooling after being in a private Montessori school for 3 years. We can fund our entire homeschool program (with tons of extras) for the cost of 3 months tuition.

I can't find a review on this history series. Anyone using it? It appears to be secular which works for us. Ideally, I'm looking for a history curriculum with a write-in textbook for grades 2-6. Anything out there?

No users out there? Hmm. Maybe I should spend my cash elsewhere. Thanks.

That's great news. We'll be looking into it tonight. Thanks.

These books are definitely supplements. The illustrations are beautiful and our girls love them. We use the books as a supplement to Growing with Grammar. We've also used them for our artwork!

HBC has Science Fusion on sale in August. I'd like to buy grades 2 and 4, but am having a tough time finding a solid review. Anyone using it? I welcome any comments, pros/cons. Thanks.

Our first grader insisted on her own spelling book just like her sister. For the cost, we purchased one and she loved it. Did very well, and in fact, was so self motivated that she typically completed more than one lesson a day. We started with Evan Moor daily spelling and are now using Soaring with Spelling, alongside Growing with Grammar.

We all love working outside: blanket in the grass for grammar; hammock for reading; porch bench for spelling; and by the pool is our favorite science experiment location. A few times this year, we worked in a tent. We've gone to the beach and completed all of our work. The girls know that if they do complete their work, we will plan another special work day. The same holds true for days at the park. We'll start with play time, work on the baseball bleachers or picnic table, snack and end up with some great runs around the baseball diamond. The problem is that I'm big on scheduling, so I need to actually schedule these days on our calendar. Some problem, huh?!

Our girls enjoyed the videos. We did not do all of the experiments - maybe 20%. But the girls remembered a ton from his experiments. The negative was that the sound quality was a bit poor; we often struggled to hear everything. But for the cost, it's fine.

Last year I decorated our work room - streamers, balloons, homemade banners, large number "1" and "3" for their new grade levels, special books and supplies. The girls are hoping for something similar this year. I have some new books and surprises packed away. I'm also working on a school logo and mascot. Nearly finished, so I'd love to have tshirts printed as an extra special surprise. We typically go over rules and procedures, changes from last year, expectations, review the schedule, Q & A session. And, we usually do some work. It's a pretty full (fun) day.

Schoolhouse Rock has a few songs that I can remember from our cds - Three is a Magic Number comes to mind right away.

Worked great for me. No troubles. Great download by the way!

We recently signed up for Homeschool Spanish Academy. The company offers a free class which is what convinced us to give it a try for the semester. The cost was right, and since I don't speak Spanish, the instructor (via Skype) will also have me in the background learning as well. I really like that there is a homework assignment tied to each class. This will require us to practice in between classes.

Evan Moor. We've often used these workbooks to supplement regular curriculum.

We have fun with scavenger hunts. The last one we did involved measuring. The girls (9 and nearly 7) had to find items around the house (yard) that met certain requirements in the scavenger hunt: "a piece of furniture which measures 3 feet." Sometimes I have each girl work on their own list of items, but the last one they worked on together and learned how rewarding it was to work to complete the task.

I voted "other" as we use Growing with Grammar, Soaring with Spelling, Reading Comprehension (Evan Moor/Critical Thinking), Check the Deck, and Bravewriter. All are working very well for us.

Our bucket balance has been used about 6 times in a year, and mostly for fun, not really a structured lesson.

We used Calvert math 3 days a week, worksheets I printed or prepared one day, and then "tests" on Friday. If we went through the Calvert lessons quickly, I would give them LOF or other worksheets.

We are also in Florida, and typically get in some PE first thing. Ride bike, scooter, hike. On days we have co-op or field trips we don't but on a regular school day, the early morning exercise has worked for all of us. It is most beneficial for our 7 year old who needs to get out some energy before focusing on school work.