I would just like to say that I purchased Reading Eggs through Homeschool Buyers Co-op last night and woke to this lovely message from Zulily. Maybe I should go on and snatch it up for child #2?

Oh, I was just searching every xtramath thread on this board the other day. Thank you for your post!!! We will give it a try!

I am getting ready to buy MM 1-A. Do I need to buy the supportive materials? It says that it is not needed when buying the full set. Does that mean I need to buy it when purchasing half? Going over what it includes, it looks as though everything is already packaged into 1-A. If this is the case, why would anyone purchase these supportive materials?

I am trying to add reading chapter books into our daily schedule. We currently don't use the time we spend in the car and I was thinking that would be a perfect time to listen to books on tape. Would this be the same benefit to the children as me reading the book? I would still be reading various picture books during the day.

Is this for just one level or for grades 1-6?

I am getting ready to purchase MM grade 1. Do they ever have any sale or discount codes available? Should I just buy it now, or wait for some kind of savings?

:lurk5: Has anybody else made it further, or know the program better. I obviously know when to use what, but my 5 year old daughter is asking how you know when to use sh or ch. Do I just tell you she has to memorize those things?

I was never taught phonetic spelling, so I am learning right along with my daughter. I am loving getting to know the rules behind words. We are on step 12 and just learned the digraphs th, sh, and ch. Do we learn a rule for these digraphs. I guess specifically the ch? Is there even a rule? We just learned that ch makes the ch sound, the k sound, and the sh sound. Then they are asked to spell words. How do they know that fish ends with a sh and not a ch, since it also makes the sh sound? TIA!

Wow, that is a difficult one! I was reading some of A Love That Multiplies last night by the Duggars, and they touched on this subject in a way. Of course, this comes from a religious slant, and I can't tell by your signature about your faith preference. I loved how they explained it all. Because I can't seem to paraphrase today, I am just going to quote what they said. We say, if Satan can get you to think about doing things that are wrong, it's just a matter of time before he can present a situation that tempts you to act on your secret desire. At that point he has you right where he wants you. Once Satan has a stronghold in one area of your life, he tries to take over the rest of it too. We told our kids that most bank robbers don't just walk in and rob a bank on impulse. Maybe they can't pay their bills and they wonder where they are going to come up with the money. Instead of thinking about how they could work and earn what they need, they start dreaming about what they would do if they had all the money the bank has. They start coveting the bank's money, and then they start dreaming up ways they could steal it without getting caught. This mind-set could have started with something as simple as stealing a piece of candy when they were kids. Maybe they think about robbing the bank for quite a while. Then, one day, they put their thoughts into action. They do rob a bank, and they get caught and spend the rest of their lives in prison! Where did they first go wrong? When they robbed the bank? No, the wrongdoing started before that; it started when Satan put the lazy, covetous thought in their minds. Major misdeeds and wrongdoings often get their start in what may have seemed inconsequential at the time a wayward thought, a covetous idea, or a little white lie. So, all kids start out in the same position, struggling with good and evil. Some kids learn to take every thought captive to Christ, or if non-believers, they are taught to turn from evil thoughts and hold on to their moral compass. The problem is, when they give in to one evil thought and do not know how to dismiss it, sin starts to creep in even more, until they turn into an evil character in a book.

I did 100 Easy Leasons with my oldest and she was reading at about the same level as your son in the spring. After hearing that our library gave out baseball tickets for their summer reading program, she blew through 37 readers in a week and a half. Her reading level jumped almost a whole grade level. Not that it works that way for all kids, but you could always start out with it and see if you are making progress. You could always add something a month into school if it doesn't seem to be working.

:iagree: In my personal experience, this book is perfect for a younger child. The lessons are short and sweet. No worries about stamina. We started after my oldest's 3rd birthday. At 4 she is now reading on a 2nd grade level. Every day I couldn't get over how short the lessons were and how much she was absorbing!

My daughter has absolutely loved it and it has been worth every penny. She is 4 and reading at a 2nd grade level. We have a phonics program, but it has greatly increased her reading fluency. She rarely sounds out words. She is a clone of me, though, and I grew up loving educational computer games. After 9 months, she still asks for it all the time. Obviously it fits her, but all kids are different.

I was not necessarily talking about money as much as I was talking about time. BFSU is an amazing curriculum and I would love to provide that to my children, but in this season of my life with a toddler and an infant (and God-willing, more to come), it is not going to happen. I grew up in a very urban area, so unfortunately, I did not get a lot of similar experiences outside of school. I definitely loved science books and topical science films. Relying on only these things didn't hamper my love of science and how beautiful it is. That is one reason why I am so drawn to the field -- it truly is all around us! I am sure that the farm kids did know more about baling wires, but I was just trying to say that for someone who studied science all of college, I did not feel I was lacking any science background that hindered my college-level coursework. As much as my kids would love BFSU and I would love BFSU, it just isn't realistic for us right now. If I would try to implement it, not a lot would get accomplished. Isn't the saying the right curriculum is one that gets done? I have no qualms about my children not receiving this experience and I know they will still be able to grasp the importance of the field of science. I'm just basing all my comments of the the OP mentioning planning time as being the issue for her.

I, personally, do not see what all the hype is with science, and I was a biology major. I love science and it is still my passion, but I don't think we are doing our kids a disservice if we don't offer them amazing science curriculums with lots of experiments at a young age. A lot of homeschoolers, subconsciously, seem to have this pressure to prove their choice to homeschool and their curriculum all the while feeling like they are leaving something out, when I guarantee they are already offering a better education than public and private schools. Take out test days, take out review days, take out science movie days, take out busywork, and take out time lost due administrative duties in the classroom and you end up less instruction than you would think. I am just confused as to how homeschoolers don't do "real science." In K-12, all we did was read a textbook, have some instruction, and do experiments. I feel it is important to understand the scientific method, but that can be applied to any experiment. I, in no way, felt my K-12 education left any gaps that became obstacles in college. I always succeeded in my classes in college and had high grades. Definitely expose them to the different topics, but do not feel you are letting them down in some way by not providing more hands-on, time consuming lessons. Not that it is wrong to give them the absolute best science program out there, it just isn't needed and it won't hinder them later. If there was anything I could change about my K-12 education it would be a stronger emphasis on writing. THAT could have helped my in my later science studies. I truly believe that the 3 R's are paramount to any other subject in education!

I'm no help, but I'm bumping for you. I know someone has some advice, as I am sure this is frustrating not knowing what to do!

How do you do this? Can I probably google it? Did you have any prior experience? I would hate to mess up the brother that we just bought, but this idea appeals to me!

For some reason, the activity on this board intimidates me. Ha! I posted this over on the K-8 Curriculum board, but I am not getting any responses. I know someone might lend assistance! And I am not looking for TWTM. I already read it. I don't want a book full of curriculum suggestions. I'm in search of practical insights, encouragement, biblical advice, etc... Last summer I attended my first homeschooling conference. I really just went to browse curriculum that I would be using for this upcoming year, as we are just now reaching the schooling age. I refused to leave empty handed, so I impulsively bought Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell. Wow. I loved reading that book! I plan to read it every year to make sure my heart is in the right place before we start school. What a gem this impulsive buy has become! With more seasoned moms ahead of me, I was just wondering if there are any similar suggestions. Not a book on methods, or curriculum, but anything that speaks directly to you, the teacher. When you are fried, or frazzled from homeschooling, or you want to kick things off to a great start, do you have a good book you run to?

Yes, I have. I think of that more as a method/curriculum book. I am looking for an encouraging book that has nothing to do with the actual education and more about the heart of the parent. Practical insights, encouragement, biblical advice, etc.

Teaching a child to read is amazing, right? Why does everyone else make it out to seem like an impossible task that no parent could ever achieve? Now teaching one how to ride a bike? That is what I find difficult. Every parent of a school-attending child would not think twice about that job. "I am a parent, that is what I am suppose to teach them how to do." Congrats!!!

Last summer I attended my first homeschooling conference. I really just went to browse curriculum that I would be using for this upcoming year, as we are just now reaching the schooling age. I refused to leave empty handed, so I impulsively bought Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell. Wow. I loved reading that book! I plan to read it every year to make sure my heart is in the right place before we start school. What a gem this impulsive buy has become! With more seasoned moms ahead of me, I was just wondering if there are any similar suggestions. Not a book on methods, or curriculum, but anything that speaks directly to you, the teacher. When you are fried, or frazzled from homeschooling, or you want to kick things off to a great start, do you have a good book you run to?

Crayola pencils are not included in this deal. I bought some, returned bc my bill wa off, and was told the sale only included crayons, markers, and paper. I did buy 3 boxes of crayons for 1.29, which made each box of 24 crayons around 50 cents.

Yes, thanks! I was wondering when this was and hoping someone would post about it.

Forgive me if this has already been posted, but I came across this last night. I can't imagine having any more resources to supplement CC. It is enough to keep anyone busy until the CC year begins! http://www.halfahundredacrewood.com/2012/06/classical-conversations-cycle-1-history.html

I'm just going off of my own experience. I have about a dozen friends that are a part of a university model here, and they all say they want to homeschool but are intimidated by all of the choices in curriculum and are scared they are going to fail their kids. I wouldn't exactly say it is parents coming together. I don't know about the program the OP was talking about, but here, the classes are taught by paid teachers, not parents. It is exactly like a school, but two days are spent at home... same class size here (20+), led by a teacher, and it doesn't accommodate a child's learning style. If a curriculum isn't working, you are straight out of luck.

It sounds like what this my area calls a university model. You go to school two days and the rest are spent at home. The school tells you exactly what to teach on those days at home and the kids fall behind if they don't keep up with the exact at-home work. It is basically traditional school with you being the teacher for 2-3 of the days that they have scheduled, hence it being a full-time school. It mainly attracts parent who are not confident is picking curriculum, who want things laid out for them, or who need the accountability. It is not meant to be supplemented. At least that is the case here.