Thank you all for your insights. It has helped much. :)

Hello all, I am just wondering if anyone has or is using Writing Strands and what your opinions are about the program. If you like it, why and how did it help your child(ren)? If you didn't like it, why not and what would you recommend instead? Thank you to all in advance for any help or recommendations.

This is wonderful. Thanks a million! Felicia

:lurk5:

My son feels like he is actually learning the rules better with AAS than he ever did with ETC. It is just sticking better. He said it is just clearer to him. So I don't think I will be using ETC with my younger two unless it is just for review during summer time like someone else suggested.

http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html Here's one that have 1000's of great books. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/greatbooks.html Here is the WTM's list for high school books http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/ Here is another with several links to children's books suggestion. These have won various awards. HTH Felicia

Have you called Steve Demme or the people at MUS? They might be able to help. You might also just try giving math a break for him right now for a week or so and let his mind kind of clear. You could also try supplements like The Key to Series... and just let him work though these workbooks and then go back and try MUS later. Some have had good results with programs like Life of Fred or Math on the Level. I know very little about either of those but I know several here like them. It might be something worth looking into. Just a few suggestions, HTH Felicia Here is a link to another thread about math. I put in several math websites and thought maybe you could use these as supplements and have some fun with math. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81436&page=2

I have enjoyed your blog as well and advice that you have given me along the way here. I am glad that you'll still be around here but can completely understand your giving up blogging. I pray the Lord bless you. Felicia

http://ebeth.typepad.com/serendipity/gnomes_and_gnumbers_a_mathematical_tale/ (this one you have to scroll to the bottom and start there and work your way up) http://www.worksheetworks.com/ http://www.flashcardexchange.com/ http://www.mathpower.com/index.htm http://www.do2learn.com/ http://www.internet4classrooms.com/ (links to a lot of other free websites, you just have to do some surfing) http://www.mathplayground.com/mathvideos.html (This is a favorite with my kids) http://www.mathfactcafe.com/ http://www.montessorimaterials.org/math.htm (a lot of information and worksheets here) http://www.mathusee.com/drill.html http://www.donnayoung.org/dy-old/math/index.htm Here are several websites with lots of math facts, drills, worksheets you can create, and some lesson plans. HTH Felicia :) Ok, I'm sorry, I didn't read you post very well. I now see that you don't like putting your own worksheets together. However, with whatever program you do use, these websites could be used as supplements to whatever you do choose. We have used Miquon, but you really need the annotated lessons to get everything out of the program, or at least I needed it. :D

Have you looked into Apologia's Exploring Creation with Astronomy? It is a one year program just on astronomy. I'm going to start it next week with my younger kiddos. https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1 HTH Felicia

Not a lot of suggestions to add just to let you know I'm having to go back to work after 13 years of being home myself. I'll be working at night so I can be with them in the day. My husband will be home with them at night. I am going to try and plan out two weeks to a month ahead of time instead of just a week. This is a very hard and scary thing at least for me. I love being home but at times like these I have to go to work. I am making it into a life lessons for my kids. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do in order to pay bills and eat. I will make an extra effort to cuddle with them and read and on my days off go to the park more. I'm wishing the best of luck to you, Felicia

This is a hard topic for adults. My children and I have talked a great deal over the years about it. They know my position on it and why I feel as I do. There are times that they bring up the subject because they've heard someone else talking about it and they have questions. I have absolutely no problem talking with my children about this or any other subject that comes up. They are sheltered to a point, but even in church or our homeschool group, or the sports we get involved in, they hear things from other children. I don't shy away from talking about them. I want them to know if they ever hear anything and they have questions they can always ask us and we are ok about talking to them. All that to say, I personally wouldn't want them writing a paper on it until they are in high school. That is just my personal feelings though. They are going to have to defend their position on abortion and many other things when they go out into the world, but I don't think they need to focus so intently on these kinds of topics at these ages. Talking about them in our home when the opportunity arrises is enough. As parents, we know what will set them off and what won't. My 13 dd could write a paper about this, and though it would trouble her as far as the issue itself went, she would have a definite point of view and that would be that. My ds 10 would stew in it and be upset by it very much. I don't think that is healthy. I wouldn't have him do it. I might ask my dd if she wants to write on this topic or on another topic, but then again maybe not. You know your children better than anyone else. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can decide what to expose and when to expose it to your child, at least for the most part.

Getting AAS. It has wonderfully helped my ds in his spelling AND his reading.

Well, I'm no expert, but I think what you are doing is fine. If you really feel she knows the word and can adequately use it in her writing assignments then just doing it orally I think will be fine. If it is a tricky word like you say, then have her work on those words. The main reason for spelling, I think, is that the children can write well and communicate to others. I would incorporate her spelling words into her writing assignments. You might have her spell them orally to you first. Then have her do two or three different short writing assignments using that set of words (Just not all in the same day). That way you will know she can use the words in proper context and whether she is spelling them correctly. If she is, then move on to the next set of words to be worked on. When you come to one she is not using right or is misspelling then work on that word. This will help keep her from getting bored with spelling and will also help foster her writing imagination. HTH :) Felicia

I will have to third AG and JAG. I am using both right now. My 7th grade dd loves it and says it is the best thing we've used for grammar and that she understands it better as well. It is purely grammar, no writing or other language arts involved, so they get just the grammar lesson. My 5th grade ds is using JAG. He is a little behind in some areas and this is one of them. But with this program he is enjoying grammar and is learning quite well from it. JAG is targeted toward 4th or 5th graders they say. You can check them at here: http://www.analyticalgrammar.com/ They have a lot of videos that explains their methodology. HTH Felicia