So we are in our second year of CC. My only child participating is 5 years old, so I have my opinions, but they might change the further we get in. Also, this is strictly for the Foundations class. 1. We paid about $375 for one child to participate this year. That fee covers the tutor's paycheck, supply fees, and I'm assuming payment for the director, as well. We might have had an extra $50 building fee thrown in. I can't remember if it was folded into the $375, or not. I am tutoring this year, and didn't actually realize I would get paid. Having prepared a couple of weeks, I am very glad that I am getting reimbursed for my time. I really try to provide quality time for my kids and I'm sure I would cut some corners if I didn't feel it was an equal payoff. And our director -- she works her butt off! 2. The following is the schedule for our day... 9:15-9:30 General assembly with all the families (announcements, family presentations, pledges -- US and Bible) 9:30-10 Introduce new memory work 10-10:30 Hands-on Science experiment 10:30-11 Fine Arts (6 weeks rotating through drawing, music theory/tin whistle, great artists, and orchestra/composers 11-11:30 Each student gives a short presentation 11:30-12 Review old memory work Information on the tutors... In CC, you don't have teachers, you have tutors. They try to keep the emphasis that a parent is their child's teacher. The tutor is there to present new information in a fun way and give the parent some ideas for working with the material at home. It is the parents responsibility that the student learns everything to the extent the parent wishes. Some people get all hung up on how a teacher could teach everything they need to in such a short time. It is because they aren't suppose to necessarily teach, but more present the information, for the parent to later to more in depth and solidify the topics. What you need to buy... Last year, we made it through with the Foundations Guide, the set of cds, and a tin whistle for each student. Although, I hear all the official songs can be downloaded online if you pay for access to CC Connected. I don't even buy the timeline cards, but they might be nice, especially if you are digging more into the information. How deep to get in the material... There are a couple of options. Some people take the CC work and that becomes the framework for their whole curriculum. Then there are the people who use it merely as supplemental. That would be us. We have a full set of curriculum outside of CC and I just see the CC material as icing on the cake. Whatever extra the daughter picks up on our CC day will be fine. Then there are people who fall somewhere in the middle and pick and choose. Is it worth it? For us, it is. I love the community that it builds. It is a true community of varied ages -- parents in different places down to newborn babies. By requiring a parent to stick around, the families all bond. I have found some great friends there who have shared life with us. It is so different from a drop-off co-op in this way. I have personally gotten to know all the families and all the children. The 4 year olds run around with the 7 year olds like it is no big deal. Plus, there is always someone older and wiser to get homeschooling advice from. On top of the community, there is the hands-on science and fine art component that really doesn't get done at home. How long will be participate? That is hard to say. We will continue to do it until we feel too stretched to fit in all our other school. Right now, we are light anyways, given my kids' ages. I will say, that it will be one of the last things we drop. I do think the community makes a huge difference in your experience, though. I love ours. All the mothers are so welcoming, open, and friendly. My sister-in-law signed up for one and had a completely different experience. They were a small community and my 4 year old niece, who was new to CC, was in a class with all 6 year olds and one 5 year old. I can't imagine how intimidating that must have been. I will say last year, all the 4 year olds just stared at the board most of the time. Being a class solely of 4 year olds, though, it was okay. They were all in the same place together. It has been amazing to see the progress they have all made over the summer. They are more comfortable with the format and what is expected of them this year. They seem to be flourishing. If they have already started, can you attend one day just to check it out? Hope this helps!

How exciting to just be entering the homeschooling world. Welcome! As a previous poster mentioned, I would not stress about this year. There is no right answer. I really looked at my first year homeschooling as a trial year. I knew there would be bumps, I expected to change some plans, and I was okay with this all going into it. I have to say that I learned so much my first year and that really set me up to be a better teacher after that. I learned what exactly I was looking for in a curriculum and what worked in this house (with younger ones underfoot). My daughter was the guinea pig and I learned so much from going along with my crazy ideas. This is our second year in CC and I would say to stay away from it right now. Unless you are participating in a community, it is too much for a 4 year old. Even the 4 year olds in class just stare at the wall most of the time. I was okay for 90% of the material going over my daughter's head as a 4yo because we also had the community aspect. I don't think their vocabularies are big enough to grasp a lot of the material, even with advanced students. Decidious? 1215? Friction? They just can't place these things right now. Why bog them down with Eleanor of Aquitaine when you need to lay the foundations. You need to be exploring life. There needs to be time for a lot of self-discovery. With the little focused time you get with a 4 year old, spend it on stuff that really matters! Do something fun this year to usher your whole family into homeschooling. There are so many programs, but we love Wee Folk Art. Wee Folk Art is a wonderful, FUN curriculum and it is free. It has read alouds, activities, field trips. Outside of that, you can add in your own math, handwriting, religious studies, and whatever else. Plus, it is FREE!!! Despite us being on an accelerated educational schedule, I am scheduling time for this in the afternoon so we keep some of the joys of this age! http://weefolkart.com/content/harvest-time-preschoolkindergarten-curriculum

I have been wondering the same thing. We are at the point that our math book is encouraging to memorize the basic facts. Right now, we use manipulative a for everything. I wasn't sure how to transfer over.

My K student is accelerated, but I realize that has just been a natural progression for her. She begged for tracing worksheets before she even hit 3, so she has had decent handwriting this whole time. Even for how sparsely I present math, she just picks it up and runs with it. Now my second is 3.5 and I realize that she is nowhere near where my oldest was. She will probably be more on grade level, which is fine. It has made me feel even better about my first, as sometimes I wonder if I pushed her. I am realizing that some are just ready for school, some not so much. What I think would be even more ridiculous would be holding my oldest back because "the system" says that being 5 she should be doing certain kind of work. Meet them where they are. If they aren't grasping the work, slow down, but if they are, I'm all about moving at the pace they set.

The beauty of CC is you can draw it out into as deep of a program as you want. So, what do you want it to do for your homeschool? Some people (like us) just use CC as supplementation to our regular curriculum. It provides us with a community, and at least a fine arts and science component that I don't usually do at home. The families in our group who use it as such, don't tend to subscribe for CC Connected. Or, you might want CC to be your whole framework. I can't say that I see CC Connected as necessary, even if this is the direction you want to go. I'm a tutor this year and I can't say I have found anything especially helpful. If you want catchy (sometimes) songs or hand motions, it's there, but you could very easily search for activities and printouts for the natural cycles in Pinterest. And let's face it, Pinterest is WAY more user friendly than CC Connected. You would be spending just as much time searching for things on CC Connected versus Pinterest, and maybe even more. It's not really easy to use and you have to download things before you know if they will actually be useful to you.

Thank you all for the suggestions! On average, we watch 2-3 hours a day, which is still more than I want. I was talking to a friend today who reminded me to ease up on myself. Morning sickness doesn't last forever. There are some good things here that I am going to try to implement!

Wow -- While I really appreciate this, I'm thinking you haven't experienced summer weather in Texas, which can last into October. At 7pm tonight, we are still in the "caution" zone, bordering right on "danger." Plus, the mosquitos are horrible, no matter how much we douse ourself with bug spray. They eat my oldest alive. The morning is out because I am having the worst morning sickness. Hopefully in a month, we won't be having these same problems. We just run out of things to do for the month when the pool closes and the park is still not doable.

It wasn't at all like this with one child. I just can't figure out three so close together. They are all going in different directions and none are old enough to really preoccupy a younger sibling. Soon, though. All my friends have been telling me that changes everything, when at least one can help more. And many of you are mentioning time outside. Some day soon, in a month maybe. When it is park weather, we usually spend 3 hours, easily, at the park a day. Problem is, right now in Texas, we are sweating just walking out to our car. :( We traveled to Oregon last week and I was dreaming at how better life would be in a different state. We are outside people and LOVE nature, but this current locale kills us for about 6 months during the year.

We watch too much tv. There I said it. What does your daily schedule look like? I yearn for the time when my kids are older and we are preoccupied with school work. I mean, I'm not talking about even 6 hours a day - I'm talking about more than 30 minutes to an hour. We live in Texas and it is still too miserable to play outside, the mosquitos have been horrible, plus I'm 13 weeks pregnant. We don't have money to enroll in lots of extracurriculars. Although we have toys, we are still minimalists (maybe because of money?) so I feel they lost interest quickly with what we have. Although I know homeschooling will provide them with the foundation I want, I sometimes feel bad they aren't in MDO. I feel they would be so much more enriched there with all that play time, the cool toys, and the nurturing teachers. I'm just not one of those get down on ground and play for hours type of mom. We are tied up with CC one day, Bible study one day, and MOPS every other week, but i still feel like I'm failing the days we are home. So what do you do with your preschoolers all day?!?

Thank y'all so much! I guess I'm just in the stage where I am figuring out what I like. Before I started homeschooling, I was sure that I would use Singapore all the way through. Once I received our books, I couldn't stand it. Then I found RightStart and loved the idea behind it. It just didnt work for or family, even with altering it as much as I could. I just never wanted to be a curriculum hopper, so I felt bad. But, I'm realizing that even with tons of good reviews, sometimes you just need to have the material in your hands to know if it will work, or not. I guess this is just part of the process? At least we are early in our homeschooling adventure. Hopefully we will settle on something soon and stick with it a while. Y'all are making me feel more comfortable with bailing on a program in an effort to find one that I really like to teach, and the kids like to learn from.

Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to read about Spelling by Sound and Structure. So, what do I do with her, if not spelling? I liked that the spelling programs I used/was looking at would basically reinforce phonics instructions since she flew through this. We have math and handwriting. What else should I do with her?

I should have come over here a long time ago. This describes my daughter to a T. I am at such a loss as to what to do with her. I always check out the other board and I start to feel like a bad mother. "They are too young." "Don't push them." "Just let them play." Oh my goodness! She is doing this all her own. Part of me feels bad if I would just step back and let her play. I mean, school lasts about an hour a day, and we play the rest. Is this really hurting her? Plus, I don't want to hold her back when she has interest to learn more! I never expected her to be reading at the level she is. We started 100 Easy Lessons and never finished because it was just too boring for her and she jumped up to a 2nd grade reading level. We tried ETC, but that moved way too slow with too much repetition. We used AAS last year, and although I love the program, it just isn't feasible with a lot of young kids. I would pull a kid off the table, the lesson would stop. I would have to go wipe a bottom, the lesson would stop. Plus, we are pregnant, so add one more needy child into the mix soon. I have been looking at Rod and Staff Spelling By Sound and Structure. It is suppose to start in 2nd grade, but do yall think I could start now? I love that it is phonics based like AAS, but more of a workbook format. Looking at the material, I think she could handle it maturity and interest-wise. With a bright student, do I just stop ignoring the grade on the book???

Why does this have to be so hard?!? I was all settled on RightStart. I think it is a beautiful curriculum and I love the thinking behind it. It just wasn't happening. I would pull everything out and we would get started. It is just so teacher intensive! I would have to pull my toddler off of a table in the other room - the lesson would stop. A child was in distress in the bathroom - the lesson would stop. I don't want to throw a worksheet at my daughter and walk away, but if I need to take care of a disaster in the other room, I don't want her staring at a wall until I get back. I tried altering things to fit our family, but with a baby on the way, I just realized that it is not working and I need to move on. Tear. So, now I have a friend who raves about MathUSee, a friend who raves about Saxon, a friend who raves about Horizons. WHERE IS THE SPREADSHEET COMPARING ALL THE PROGRAMS? They all seem good! How do you pick a program without going through every option and spending a lot of money? I was a mathy kid, so I just want something that won't put anyone behind, that isn't lacking, and gives them a good foundation. I am fine with some manipulatives, but worksheets are a beautiful addition! I just don't want to curriculum hop! Help! How did you pick a curriculum for your family?

I had a suspicion, but then I went to your blog, and I was right. The picture of your new daughter has been floating around on my facebook feed all day! How exciting for your family! No help here, but I will keep yall in my prayers!

Thank you ladies!

I have had it with hand sharpeners. Why did I ever think those were a good idea? We have gone through so many and they tear and pencil/colored pencil I try to sharpen. Does anyone have a good recommendation as to a quality one to get? And are there any deals anywhere?

What kind were they? I need to stock up in some!

As for what a writing notebook is suppose to entail I have no idea. I do have quite a few pins on Pinterest that show how other families set their notebooks up. This sort of helped me figure out what would work best for us. Here are a few... http://rivendellpress.wordpress.com/category/tog-workbooks/ http://harmonyfinearts.org/2011/02/tapestry-of-grace-and-notebooking-how-to-choose-topics/ We just have a binder that we are working with. We are not doing writing aids this year, as I had to cut somewhere since my kids are young and it just didn't make the cut. In our notebook, we have our map work, vocabulary, and we are doing some notebooking. For vocabulary, someone posted a file on the year 1 TOG facebook page. It is just a box (that you can draw a picture in, although I have printed off pictures from the Internet that my little one cuts out and glues) and a handwriting line underneath. If this is something you might be interested in, I can ask if I can pass it along. For notebooking, I purchased this Ancient Times Complete Notebooking Set. From what I am aware, the writing aids is not a program, but an aid for the teacher. Everything you need for their writing program is in the basic package that you buy. This was another reason that I passed. I haven't looked too much at it, but it looks like for LG it is just grammar, or at least starts out that way. We have started a basic grammar program, and I felt with out note booking, we were doing enough. I don't know if there is one answer as to how exactly the notebook should look, but more of a "how would it look best for your family" type of thing.

I purchased TOG with young kids, and I haven't been happier. I was drooling over it for quite a while, so I'm glad it lived up to all I expected. I can't wait to own all 4 years and cycle through it again. I read all over the place that you shouldn't buy it if your children are young, but I read this review before buying (http://mikeandlisalaw.blogspot.com/2012/02/tapestry-review-part-1-lower-grammar.html?m=1) and saw a lot of myself in the mother's goals and expectations. It just fits me and my family so well. We aren't using it to its fullest, but we have ample room to grow into it, plus, we are balancing out the costs by buying the program early. We use most library books, since you can easily swap out titles at the lower grammar stage. Then when I need to actually buy the books when the kids get older, I won't also have to buy the curriculum. It truly is a beautiful program and we are so blessed by it.

Thank you so much!!! And you only get the games kit if you order the deluxe package, which we did not do. Looks like I have some things to add to my list...

Ok, I was just checking out there site and I am confused as to what you are talking about. - Are the worksheets the ones that come with the program, or something supplemental? - When you speak of the activities, are you talking about the games? Would you mind linking?

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I pinpointed that the program moves too slowly sometimes, and the spiral approach is killing me, so I did away with it. I went through the book and only highlighted the new stuff and we breezed through 5 lessons this morning in 15 minutes. So much better for us all. It might not always work, but there is no point repeating stuff when I already know it is cemented. She was happy, I was happy. I actually have MM 1, so I think we can start it soon. We are now to practicing our addition facts, so it will be perfect review. I am also going to look into the abacus worksheets and activities. And to whoever mentioned Horizons, I was actually thinking that in the beginning since it is so different. It isn't totally off my radar right now. Thanks for that recommendation, as well.

We have RightStart A and it has not been getting done. At all. We have had it for the past year and we are only to lesson 35 out of 77. #mommyfail I love the program and I want to continue with it in some aspect, but I just need some workbook-based program to add in on the days I do not get my act together. My daughter loves workbooks, so throw some suggestions at me! (Obviously 1st grade math will be teacher intensive to some extent, but I need the options that require the least amount of work from me. My daughter catches on quickly. And I don't want anything with manipulatives since we already have that.)

It was me who said it was a glorified reading list. I NEVER said the program was a glorified reading list. I said that the program, right now for us, is a glorified reading list. I was speaking to the fact that I am starting it with an the lower grammar student at a 1st grade level. I bought the program because I LOVE that is does have writing assignments, map work, vocabulary, famous people, art projects, literature assignments, biblical history, etc. I cannot wait to get into all of this and use this program to the fullest in the years to come. We just aren't there, yet. Currently, this full program is serving us as a glorified reading list. A price I am willing to pay for while I get accustomed to this beautiful curriculum and all it will offer our family in the future! TXMary2, I see you have older children (and I have actually read posts on your blog and drooled over all the we get to do with TOG in the future.) I was just answering the original question on why someone would choose TOG for LG level, exclusively. It is an investment I was willing to make for the future and I have not felt overwhelmed in the least, despite it offering more than we currently need.

I am also using it with a young elementary student, with more waiting in the wings. I'm perfectly fine leaving out a lot of stuff right now. It is basically a glorified reading list right now and I am okay with this. A few reasons are... 1. Like others have said, I am getting acquainted with the TOG format while there is no pressure. I'm slowly easing into things and have yet to experience the fog, and I don't think I will. I learn a little more about the program each week and fall even more in love. 2. I am balancing out my costs. I know this is what we will use in the future, so I am making an investment now. With LG, you can easily swap out books. I am relying heavily on the library and used book stores. I make sure we have at least one book to read each week and don't worry too much about lining up book titles, unless it has a student activity page with it. After 4 years of this, once I have the whole curriculum, I can spend my money actually buying the books needed UG and R. I can't imagine having the money available to buy the program and all the books I want.