I just got book II for DD9. I haven't really started "using" it yet, just reading through it so far, but it looks like just the right level for this age.

I'm in the market for the same thing as the OP. Do both Hake and GWG cover diagramming? My DD *loves* diagramming! :D

I would agree that it's easy to make this too complicated, or to overthink it and get intimidated. Like Dr. Nebel says, just do it! You'll figure it out as you go along. What's working for us right now is that I made a notebook, with four tabs, one for each thread (got that great idea off the boards!). I started out by asking dd to tell me what she knows about each of these topics, and scribed it down at the beginning of each section. I've already made a spreadsheet with the topics in the order I want to cover them, based on prereqs and interest, so I pull up the lesson I want to cover next, and then just jot down a few questions on a fresh page in the notebook (using the Objectives). I order the supplemental books we'll want from the library (well, I've done this a couple weeks in advance, for several lessons as pp's have said). I read through the activity to make sure I get it and gather any supplies I need. Then, we just do it! Often I start by asking her the questions I've jotted down, to see what she already knows. Then we'll have a socratic-type discussion based on that. Then we'll either read the books, then do the activity (or the other way around if it makes more sense). That's it, really. Then, the next time we do a lesson, we'll spend a few minutes reviewing the previous pages, reviewing the objectives of things we've covered, to make sure it's sticking, and particularly reviewing any previous concepts that will be relevant for the new lesson. Right now we're in the B-track and we're also doing some supplemental stuff - RS4K Biology chapters/activites, and Creepy Crawlies & the Scientific Method activities. Our Science Fair is in March, so we're working on picking out an experiment either in ecology or entomology, since that's what Dd is interested in, and that's what we're studying right now. It's pretty straightforward. Having said that, I do find the supplemental reading critical - either the suggestions from BFSU, or other living science books. We're readers, and learn by reading is a key to all our homeschooling, and I would find the BFSU discussion/activities kind of "lite" if we didn't do some extra reading. I expect I'll tweak this a lot more as I go along, but it works for now. Seriously, just do it! It's the best advice when it comes to BFSU. And, yeah, for $5 for the ebook, why not give it a try, right? It's the cheapest curriculum I've ever loved.

What a good idea! That's what I love about the Hive, I get to benefit from all y'all's experience!:lol:

I guess I've been kind of old-fashioned; I got the worktexts for my dds, because they like to have a write-in book, and like to be able to do it different places (snuggling on the couch for dd5). I got the support pack as a download, which is super convenient to just download the cum reviews, tests, and extra worksheets as needed.

. . . . and this is us, too! Drives me nuts. But when I react with anger, she melts and then we lose 15 minutes just getting back to an even keel with no tears. I am figuring out that if I stop, take *deeeep breaths* and react more constructively then things go better. So I don't lose my temper every day . . . any more! ;)

:iagree: yes. this. exactly.

:lurk5:

Because of Winn-Dixie Tuck Everlasting ( oh, wait, this is 35 years old, lol!) Princess Academy The Redwall books Harry Potter The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

We love Fred here too. DD9 and I are just starting Cats. The computational parts of math are really easy, and well below her level, but there is a lot of great conceptual math stuff that is new to both of us - we were so jazzed learning about infinite sets and aleph-null (yep, in Butterflies). It makes math fun, and playful, which was sooooo important for her recovery from ps math. She begs and begs for more LOF every time we pull it out. I, too, use it as bribery (do an extra page of MM and we'll do Fred!) and try to limit chapters per day to 3 or 4. I'm planning to get through the elementary series with her this year, and to have her do Fractions & Decimals on her own next year. I've started Apples with DD5, and she likes it too, but not with the obsessive passion of her older sister. I'm thinking it might almost be too soon . . . she loves math, and likes to do math problems, but she's not quite ready to embrace the abstract and playful, and she thinks Fred is kind of weird . . . I've been thinking of putting it on the shelf for a few months and coming back to it. Nothing to do with the level of math, but more the abstract, random, conceptual nature of the storyline. She's more concrete just now.

Yep. Khan Academy is what gives me hope I'll be able to keep teaching DD math . . . I can work ahead! It also makes me a more compassionate teacher. It took me a ridiculously long time to pass Mult 4 because I kept making dumb computation errors! And it's FREEEEEE!!!!:party:

Yes, it is a lot of work. Fabulous, but a lot of work. So far I've just done B-thread stuff, and I'm a biologist so it's been pretty easy. I am very, very afraid of doing BFSU physics unaided, however :D I will just add my totally eager enthusiasm to the idea of keying to BFSU, though! That would earn my lifelong devotion!!!! :D

I *love* this idea!!

:lol::grouphug:

I realized I didn't finish addressing this question: I have also used RS4K Chemistry Level 1, and I have Biology Level 1 and am incorporating it with our BFSU study. What I like about RS4K is the text. I don't like texts, I'm not looking for a text for subjects I know a lot about (like biology), but as texts go this was great for my 3rd/4th grader. I like that it had real science terminology, talked about real concepts in science, in an interesting engaging and straightforward way that my kid could totally follow. Sooooo much better than the texts my dd had brought home from ps. I hate the way ps teaches science. The labs were just okay. DD loved doing the experiments, but the labs were guilty of all the things I complained about in my pp - there was no initial explanation of the scientific method, it wasn't always clear how the experiment tied to the chapter, or even what the objective was or what the hypothesis should be. It was fun messy kitchen play time, with lots of aha moments (gotta love mixing baking soda and vinegar!) but I don't think she got much out of it, either about chemistry or about scientific investigation. This was a disappointment. I'm still looking for good science labs/investigation & experimentation program. NOT JUST A BUNCH OF DEMOS!!! (yes, I know, I shouted - sorry). :D Now, my beef with RS4K biology was that it is woefully incomplete. This is probably just because I am a biologist - I am sure physicists and chemists would have the same criticism of the other programs! ;) I'm using it, completely out of order, to supplement our BFSU thread B studies. Again, the text seems well done so far, for a text. Hope that helps.

Ahh, the perfect science program . . . I'm trying to figure this out myself as we go along, but here's what I've got so far: 1) it would be secular. It would include information on all current, generally accepted scientific theories. It wouldn't skirt or ignore things like evolution, cosmology, human origins, etc. in an effort to be noncontroversial or widely appealing. 2) it would include a solid mix of content and inquiry/investigation. The content could be presented in a variety of media (i.e. via living books reccomendations/lists, videos, web-based content), but would not look or feel texty. A spine with a lot of outside content recommended would be perfect. Even better would be a spine with content recommendations for different ages/grade levels, so that you could easily tailor lessons to more than one student. 3) The inquiry/investigation would a) begin with a clear explanation of the scientific method, b) include true experiments, rather than just a bunch of demos, *and clearly differentiate between the two*, and c) would be clearly connected to the concept being taught. 4) it would be straightforward to implement with one or a few students. I use BFSU, and admire it deeply, and it has a lot of what I'm asking for, but it is not straightforward to implement, and some of the activities are a little tricky to make robust with a single student. I'm catching on to how to make it work, but I described this program in an earlier post as "slippery", and I still think that's a good description. Okay, I'm sure I want more than that, but those are the burning issues . . .

I use WS3 and WWE3, and I accelerate them both (dd is a 4th grader). On a perfect week, we do writing 4x. First two days are 2 WWE lessons, (summary + dictation), second two days are a WS lesson. I pretty much divide the lesson in half in a logical way, or have her get to the solid rough draft stage on the first day, and then just do the final, perfect draft on the second day. For her, spreading the lessons out over 4-7 days would be boring, too disconnected, and not enough writing. Having said that, few weeks are perfect, and if we only have time for 2 or 3 days of formal writing instruction, I do WWE and skip WS. So it is taking us longer to finish the book than it would other wise . . .

Life of Fred, for math - she adores it and always begs for more (we also do MM, which is great IMO, but not exactly captivating!;)) BFSU for science - we just did a discussion of food chains & food webs, and she was jumping up and down, she was so excited to figure out for herself what happens to a food web if you remove one member! And, weird as it seems, FLL4 for grammar! When we started in October, she always was like "ugghh, grammar" but now she loves it! She *loves* diagramming!!!

I don't have a lot of experience, but I can tell you what I see working with TT5 and Math Mammoth 4A side-by-side: TT5 is much, much easier for my dd than MM4 is. She can work TT alone, MM she needs a lot of help, explanation, working problems together on the whiteboard, etc. But she is really *learning!* Her brain hurts, in a good way, when she does MM, whereas she just flies through TT. So, in response to the OP's question, I would say that yes, TT is definitely "behind" MM. I would not rely on TT alone, because as a pp said it is weak on mental math & conceptual understanding. We use TT on the days when I can't work with DD on math. It's great for that.

The thing I'm having most trouble starting back up is . . . my kid!!! To be fair, her sister is home from school this week and so it's a major distraction. But, all she wants to do is play . . . I was only planning to do half days this week anyway, math plus science or history, but today I lost her after 2 hours. Oh well . . . Next week drill sergeant mama will be back. Is it silly to wish that she'd actually *want* to do school more than an hour a day???

thanks a lot :)

Your question made me laugh - we just started book 10 (of 13) of the Series of Unfortunate Events, and I am *so tired* of it, but my girls love it! We started it last summer while on vacation, I was looking for something to include dh in reading. But now I'm stuck with it - they would be crushed if we stopped before The End. To be fair, the series has some great points - the vocabulary is exceptional, and all the new words are defined in context, in a funny way - and there are great mixed-up gender roles (i.e. the girl is the scientist/inventor, the boy is the reader), but it is getting so tedious after all this time. . . I'm planning to read them the Chronicles of Narnia next, and can't wait! Other hits and misses: we read the Phantom Tollbooth, and I liked it okay, DD8 loved it, but didn't really "get" it. They both loved The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Winnie the Pooh. I liked these too. DD9 loved the Harry Potter series, which we read in 1-3 grades, I thought a little young but she loved it. I tried to read the Little House series to her when she was in 1st, and she liked it okay, but it kind of fizzled out during "Farmer Boy". I really want her to read the series, as I loved it as a kid, but she hasn't done it on her own yet. I will probably do it again with both of them. My biggest problem is - too many books too little time! I have a huge list of things I want to read aloud with them, and can't wait to get too! Watership Down & Mrs. Frisby are high on my list, but Narnia is definitely next.

Not to mention that actually doing the problems makes me a more compassionate teacher - it took me about 30 problems to get through Multiplication 4 - I kept making dumb calculation errors. I think I will be a little kinder next time dd makes "dumb" (i.e. careless) mistakes in math!! :lol:

I found a great history book at a library book sale - it is Fritz et. al., called The World in 1492. It has chapters on what is going on in each continent/major region in 1492, on the eve of columbus's journey. I think it would be such a great kick-off to the study of american history, especially for a kid that has gotten SOTW-type exposure to world history. I didn't use it with dd this time around (she's 9) but it looks perfect for a 7th grader.

What do you think of Kitchen Table Math? How are you using it? As a supplement to another program? (if so, which?) Anyone used book 2 or 3? With what age/stage of kids? Thanks for any info on these, they look great.