My son (6.5) has been reading since he was 3. He can read/comprehend anything I hand him (or anything he finds laying around the house!!!!). He doesn't really like to be read "to," but he is the kind of kid that have to say things like "no, you may NOT take your book in the shower!" and "you can't read your book and ride your scooter at the same time!!!" Anyhoo...I've been on the CLE site a bit lately and I really like the looks of the reading program. I know the actual books would be quite easy for him to read, but I feel the Light Units discuss things that we haven't covered. Is this worthwhile, or should I just let him plow ahead like he's been? We are switching to CLE for Math and LA, so another concern is him getting bored with all the work-booky stuff. Thoughts? Perhaps just buy the readers as some lovely books to have on hand? Thanks so much!

Hi, Annette! Welcome! Is you daughter going to be in 2nd grade? Or am I reading it incorrectly? We tried Simply Spelling for a bit and as much as I WANTED it to be great, I wasn't thrilled. The first 2 lessons (weeks) were perfect for what we wanted, but then the rest of the lessons were all VERY long -- 3-4 sentences PER DAY to copy. That may work well for you guys but it caused a mutiny here! :tongue_smilie: The samples online only show the "short" sentences to be copied, so I had no idea they would get so long so fast. Love the idea of this curriculum, but unless you have a child that is happy to write quite a bit, you may not be able use it as intended. For "pick up and go ease," how about something she could do independently on the computer? We did Spelling Time for a while and loved it, and I've also heard great things about Spelling City. http://www.spellingtime.com/ http://www.spellingcity.com/ Hope this helps! :D

Teaching the Trivium while Using the Library: Tales of Homeschoolers Who've Survived (...and Librarians Who Haven't!) ;)

and now I find myself humming the Old Testament books in order while I do dishes! :D (Oh, yeah, the kiddos learned from the song as well! ;))

Interesting. I know there is a little black button that is "pushable" but doesn't really seem to DO anyting....starting uphill and downhill...all good ideas that will happen in the morning! I'm whooped!:tongue_smilie:

Ok, so changed the spark plug and the oil and now the pull-cord won't pull to allow the engine to start. How do I fix this?????:confused: It feels "stuck," but doesn't seem to be stuck on anything..... TIA!!!!

anyone used it? Thoughts for a 1st grader? Yes, we'll be doing lots of experiments/exploring, but DS is visual and has a thing about making a "science page." :D Would this be cool to use as our "plant spine?" TIA! Melissa in St Louis

:D

I've tried several times over the last few days and can never get the links to work on the diagnostic tests page. Anyone else have similar problems?

These are ging to be dinner tonight! Thanks!:D Melissa in St Louis

Anyone have a tried and true recipe for either? I've been slipping in veggies for a whil in them, but would like to up the protien....:confused: TIA! Melissa in St Louis

...and I actually did a dance of happiness the other day in the Children's Place dressing room!:D:D We FINALLY found the Holy Grail of Elastic Waist dress pants -- DS6 put them on and said, "These are comfy!" :DAhhh, I smile just thinking about it! We had a tear-free Sunday for the first time because we weren't fighting about "horrid" (his description) pants! :D Here's the link:http://www.childrensplace.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=524200 AND they are on sale right now for $7.50! This would be a good time to stock up justbout anywhere, I bet, becaue of after-Easter sales. HTH! Melissa in St Louis

Soooooooo, after I stared poking around on he CLE website looking at their math, I "accidentally" looked at the LA.....is it as good as it looks? I had planned on using R & S, but this looks even better! Am I right? My plans were R & S English 3, New American Cursive, and some yet-to-be-discovered spelling program for a strong speller. We already do our own version of copywork here, and I really don't want to change that. Do you think CLE would be a good fit for us? I thought I had really heard of almost everything...why is CLE not as well known if it is as good as it looks? Just curious. :001_smile: Melissa in St Louis

Top priorities: Things you absolutely know you want to purchase... Followed by: Things you want to look at/make a decision about... Followed by: Things that would be fun/nice to look at.... etc Also, if you can swing it, budget in enough funds to be able to get the really, really cool things you didn't even know you wanted until you saw them! Trust me - you'll see tons of them! I like to make a plan of not buying anything the first day...then I can ask all the questions I want and then say "Thanks, I'm doing all my purchasing tomorrow!" and not feel bad about it. Then I have time to think/pray/mull over purchases and I know exactly where to go the next day. Of course, if you are only able to go one day, you can say "I'm purchasing after 6pm" or something. :D I am just not capable of buying anything on the spot. :tongue_smilie: Besides diet coke, of course! Melissa in St Louis

Thanks so much for all the great responses! It really seems like this is a great program! :001_smile: I'm going to continue along with the Singapore book we are in right now and then plan on buying CLE at a confrence in the summer. It will be super to actually look at the whole product -- so far though, I'm sold! :001_smile: Thanks ladies! Melissa in St Louis

Thanks so much! :D These are just the kind of answers I have been looking for! Just a few more questions: 1) How long do you spend per day with CLE Math? (we will be doing 2nd grade) 2) If a child is breezing through Singapore 1b, will they be "good" to start CLE 2nd grade in the fall? 3) Do you supplement CLE with anything? 4) How would you feel about sticking with Singapore and implementing the drill work CLE offers in addition to that? Would that be the best of both? Just curious... Melissa in St Louis

I took the leap and am using Singapore 1b to finish out the year (and get us up to where we "should" be), but I keep hearing the siren song of Sunrise CLE Math...the new online sample pages look so good! Anyone have any pros or cons about this program? Or should I stick with Singapore (DS and I are both enjoying this so far)? Thanks Hive! Melissa in St Louis

All great suggestions! I guess I didn't realize Minimus was not a full-year deal....We are about to finish up SSL, so we can add in Minimus just as we start our study of Ancient Rome! After that, we'll be ready for LfC. Are you sure I don't need the Minimus teacher's manual???:confused: Anything that is that expensive makes me curious!!!! :lol: Thanks everyone! Melissa in St Louis

So what if the child in question will technically be in 2nd grade, but is doing 3rd grade work in every subject??? Does it matter? I was already thinking of going with Minimus or LfC, but want to nail it down.... Thanks! Melissa in St Louis

Bragging rights??? :D

Ok, ladies and gentlemen; Which Latin curriculum: is written for children in 2nd or 3rd grade, is a good progam to use hen finished with Song School Latin, won't break the bank, has a CD of songs or something, and will not kill a love of learning Latin..... Any takers??? Who's tonight's lucky winner????:D TIA! Melissa in St Louuis

We used that this year with my DS6 and we both really enjoyed it! Some weeks there was quite a bit of writing, but we either did those orally or i wrote them out. I really want that Mind Your Manners game, but haven't seen it less than $20.... HTH! Melissa in St Louis

Do you think since there is some Land's End stuff at Sears they would have them? I looked on the website but couldn't find anything....I kind of want to have him try them on and I need them soon so we can get pictures. I think we're going to go to Target tomorrow and ask someone and pray that we find them. :) Thanks again for all your help ladies! :grouphug: Melissa in St Louis

I wil check out all the resources you gave above.....LNC, I was just at Target and didn't see the pants you were describing? Were they by the jeans and stuff or by the dressier things? I think I combed through pretty fast, so I'll need to go back. Thanks again! Melissa in St Louis

:scared: I would love to do this, but I don't even know how to hem! I am a big fan of that iron on stuff that is like a hem. ... but I'd hate for DS's pants to disintegrate at Sunday School.:confused: Interesting idea....