R&S Spelling works really well for one of my sons. I was very bummed when the format changed to the hardcover text. I much prefer the workbooks but I'm not going to switch. He will be writing the lessons out in a composition notebook.

We used it for awhile but I dropped it because it had the children looking at words that were spelled incorrectly.

That is the BEST reason of all!! :lol:

I think as moms that we generally have a pretty strong sense of whether our children are simply trying to get out of their work or if the materials that we are using are truly not presenting the material in a way that they can understand and which helps them to develop a love for the subject. I want to help my children to develop a love for as many different "subjects" as possible. I want my children to enjoy the materials that we use, I don't want to use resources that simply "get the job done" without taking into account the personalities or learning styles of my children. I am homeschooling because I want my children to have an educational experience that is tailored to them as individuals as much as possible. I have made changes when the materials are boring, uninteresting, not connecting with the child due to a learning style preference, or because I have found something that we just plain like better. The way that we do school stays the same but I do change materials when we need a different way of presenting something or if we find things that we'd rather be spending our time on. My time with my children at home in our homeschool is limited and I don't want to use up our precious time with materials that don't inspire them to love the subject, no matter what it is, and no matter how well it seems to be working. I want to use things that work AND that we enjoy. I don't ever change what I expect them to learn but I will make changes in the materials that we use to learn whatever it is. Fortunately, we have stuck with one math curriculum for five years (we have supplemented a little bit with others but kept our main program the same) and our LA choices have been quite consistent, but I would and will make changes in those areas if I thought I needed to.

I tried to do that also but I just ordered the Economy Package today!! Once I knew for sure that we would be using CtC, I just couldn't wait. I will have to buy some of the other materials later on. HOD has super fast shipping so I may see it before the end of the week! I especially can't wait to see the student sheets. I just saw the sample pages from the next two guides and they are all so lovely.

Yes, I do still have it; that's what I should do. I just realized today (total DUH :tongue_smilie:) that I could use the Preparing lists with him. I had ordered Spelling Wisdom right before I decided that we would definately go back to HOD. I do really like it, but I don't need it... so, I just packed it up to return it. That's the thing about HOD... most of what I have around here, we won't even need. FLL may be a little bit of an overlap but not too much. He really loves Grammar Ace. Maybe we will just finish that and then he can go back to R&S English.

I know, I have considered that and I'm still considering it. But, it's not dictation that he has a problem with. He can handle more difficult dictation passages. The ones in Bigger Hearts are great but they are very simple for a 4th grader. I was asking about AAS because I think he just needs a different approach to help it to stick. We do do studied dictation but I have heard so many good reports about AAS for kids who need a little more explicit instruction. I don't know. He can reproduce a dictation passage that he has studied quite well but it's his own writing that he has to ask for constant help with, even if he has previously learned those words. Maybe he just needs more practice. We do R&S both orally and written.

Kay, thanks for sharing. I have been considering AAS for him but I've never seen it and I just don't know. Something just isn't clicking for him with spelling. He is a strong reader but he rarely writes anything without asking me how to spell it. I mean, simple words. He makes 100% on his spelling words in R&S but then can't spell the same words the very next day. He recently had to write the names of the months and he couldn't spell any of them even though he had previously studied and made 100% on them. I do think that a stronger focus on dictation will help him, but I don't know if that is going to be enough. Either way, I'm dropping the R&S workbook because it's just not connecting for some reason. So, at his age, he would start at Level 1 with AAS? How long do the lessons take? What components do you use?

We used DITHOR in the past. I loved it and thought it was very well put together. I am going back to HOD but we won't be using it at first. I thought it took too much time. I didn't think it was difficult to use and I thought the lessons were valuable, but we were never able to do it in the amount of time that HOD recommended that we spend on it. I ended up taking the "one unit at a time" approach and we managed to cover about half of the genres in one school year. My son did really enjoy doing it that way. Once we lost the rushed feeling, we loved it. I recently sold my copy but I do plan to purchase another one (one of many dumb things I have done in regards to curriculum) and use it at some point... but not right away because I'll be getting used to teaching two guides and I want to see how long our day will be without it. I think by the spring we will get it and cover a few of the genres. We didn't do the kick offs at all. Just not our style, but we did love all the rest of the suggestions.

Hello! I will be using Bigger Hearts next year with my youngest son. He will be a 4th grader and will be using the Extension Package. I have a question about the dictation & grammar. I have Simply Charlotte Mason's Spelling Wisdom and I really like it. The passages start out simple but they get quite difficult alot faster than HOD's dictation. I know this is a silly question because I can do whatever I want to do but do you think it would work ok to have him use Spelling Wisdom instead of the lists in HOD. Also, I'm not sure about R&S. He used 2 last year in 3rd grade but it was sporadic because it makes him cry :confused:. He liked it at first but by the end of the year he truly hated it. I know that not all school has to be fun but I'm not going to have him crying over grammar. I think I am going to use First Language Lessons 3 with him. He is using Sonlight's Grammar Ace now and he loves it, it's fun and silly and he enjoys it. I think I'll use Grammar Ace as a supplement but FLL 3 as his main program. I used it with my oldest and he loved it. Any reason why I shouldn't make these changes? He places into Preparing with one exception and that is that he needs more time to work on writing his own sentences, rather than just doing copywork, dictation, or asking me to do it for him :001_smile:. I do want to wait on Preparing anyways because I want him to use the Extensions when he gets there and I think having a year in Bigger Hearts will just really help him to do the full Preparing program. Unlike some who have found Preparing to be "not enough", we found it to be VERY full and I know he will enjoy it more if we take a year to work on his Language Arts skills.

I love it too. We didn't use it this year but we are going back to it for next year. My little guy will be doing Bigger Hearts with the Extensions and my oldest will be doing Creation to Christ with the Extensions.

We covered that time period with Story of the World 2 and Sonlight Core 2. It was alot of reading and I was a little tired of reading by the end of the year but my son loved it. He is 12 now and just a couple of days ago I heard him telling his younger brother about some of the things that he covered that year. He remembered everything!! We have used Cores K, 1, 2, and used 3+4 this year. I use the Instructor's Guide and wouldn't use SL without one. Yes, it is mostly reading but we do the other stuff too... we talk about all the vocabulary words (Yes, ALL of them), we look up the map assignments, we use the timeline book, and the book notes. I love the Suggested Learning Objectives and the schedules. I could very easily add in some hands-on activities but my sons don't need them to learn the material and they don't particularly enjoy them anyways. The Science has more hands-on, active things to do. Even the recommended Language Arts has an active feel to it. For example, we covered nouns awhile back and we went outside and went on a Noun Scavanger Hunt. If you want crafty things to do, there are plenty of options and many ideas that you can access by participating in the Sonlight forum. Sonlight has art and music recommendations for each level, you may want to check them out. The thing we enjoy most about Sonlight is the books, but not just the books as a book list, but the way that they are scheduled to blend together to tell a story. There really is a reason that they are scheduled the way that they are and if you follow the schedule for a few months you can see that pretty clearly. The books are scheduled in a way that complement one another and helps you to reinforce more important information in a natural way. I'm probably not explaining it well, but it's not JUST a booklist, though you can certainly use the catalog that way. If you really want alot of hands-on, crafty type of things to do then it may not be for you (but you may find there is enough of that kind of thing in their art suggestions). We think there is plenty to do and that's not an issue for our family. But, just by using it "as is" you can come up with many fun things to do... different books will inspire you in different ways. For example, my boys wanted to learn to sew after one of the books, they built a stick hut as a result of reading another. We don't do alot of that kind of thing but if you are the creative types, there is plenty that you can come up with as you go through the books. Core 2 was alot of fun. They got into catapulting and building castles with Legos, all that fun boy stuff.

I have a serious Love/Hate relationship with R&S English. I am currently in the Hate phase of the cycle. There are things that I really love about it, but I am going to drop it for my youngest son, atleast for next year. My oldest son is a "get down to business" kind of student. He will do anything that I ask him to do and he will do it to the best of his ability. He is personally a very spiritually motivated child and he likes the Biblical flavor. He likes grammar and he learns it well with R&S. However, we had many stops and goes through books 2 and 3. During one of my Hate phases, we switched him over to FLL3. We both loved it but after that I put him back in R&S 4. I think FLL 4 wasn't ready at the time. Well, he did fine with R&S after that and now he really likes it. My younger son is not doing so well with it. We have had several starts and stops with R&S 2. The thing that doesn't work for him is that it is too serious and it stresses him out. He wants to have fun with sentences and R&S's focus on writing things that are true and good just squelch his desire to write at all. For example, if he is supposed to fill in the sentence, "The __________ is blowing", and it is obvious that the answer should be "wind", he gets very stressed because he wants to write, "The (insert something ridiculous) is blowing." Then, he realizes that he isn't supposed to be ridiculous and he cries, and cries, and cries. I switched him to Grammar Ace and he was all smiles and laughing his way through the lessons and worksheets. He was writing thoroughly ridiculous sentences and loving it. I don't know what to do with him. I think I am going to skip the formal Grammar for a year and let him play around with Grammar Ace. It's just not clicking for him anyways. Before using R&S 2 he had used two of the Language Lessons for the Very Young workbooks and done all of FLL 1 and part of FLL 2. So, he has had some grammar. The other day we were in line at the store and I said, " `The man in the truck is my dad.`, what is the verb in that sentence?" and he said, "in the truck" :glare:. I am going to focus on dictation and narrations for him for next year and then reassess.

Hoping to find someone who has used Simply Charlotte Mason's 106 Days of Creation Studies. This guide schedules Considering God's Creation for the older children. I am trying to find out if it schedules all of Considering God's Creation or just selected pages. I am trying to register at their forum to ask the question but can't get registered properly for some reason. Thanks for any info.

You could just pick up the schedule at the point you are now at in your MOH study.

Kimberly, I am RIGHT THERE with you!! Today was pay day and I haven't even paid the bills. I worked with the children in their bedroom for a couple of hours earlier this week, have managed to keep them fed and watered, and made a quick trip to the grocery store. Otherwise, I am good for nothing :D. Can't seem to get out of school mode. I was thinking earlier today that I so need a hobby that doesn't involve reading, writing, or hanging out.

Wow, I am so excited to hear such positive opinions! I have given it so much thought. I wasn't eager to use Life Science since he has such a good foundation in Biology already. But, I've looked at everything I can think of and keep reading and hearing that BJU is a great option for Science lovers. I don't want to use solely living books for upper middle school and I don't want to use Apologia, so I guess we will just start with Life Science. I know there will be alot of new content for him. I hope it goes well for him and he can stick with BJU Science through HS. Thanks for advice about the supplies. I will need to be frugal in that area since we will need to purchase a "real" microscope. I saw that there are both course DVDs and dissection DVDs. We will probably end up getting both sets. Good thing I don't have many other purchases to make for next year!

Thank you! I did look at the kit at Home School Tools last night and it looks like we already have some of the items. We already have dissection materials that we purchased through Apologia. I am not clear on whether or not I should order a Student Activity Manual. I read something that indicated that it was included when you order a subject kit but I don't see it listed as a separate resource. I guess it is also a part of the Student Text? Would you recommend getting the Activity Manual? I don't mind spending the $ on it if it helps with the ease of use level of the course. We will definately get the DVDs. So, how much teaching will we (parents) be doing? We are not at all opposed to teaching, just wondering how it works with the DVDs. Thanks for any additional info.! I really appreciate it.

Augustus Caesar's World TWTM Let's Weigh the Evidence: Which Bible is the Real Word of God? Nature Study for the Whole Family Tocqueville's Democracy in America Prescription for Nutritional Healing TRISM's Reading Through the Ages The Nature Study Idea Book Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends Bible Doctrine for Today Shakespeare for Dummies gee whiz, no wonder my house is a mess...

I think we have settled on using BJU Science 7 with my 7th grader for next year. But, I would love to hear from others who have used it. We have never used a textbook for much of anything around here and I'm wondering if this is a difficult course to do at home. My son is advanced in his knowledge of Science, especially Biology, but he isn't strong on writing, though we are always working on that. I guess he's probably "average" in that regard but definately advanced in his understanding of Science concepts. He LOVES Biology and thinks he may want to pursue a Science degree in college. Is this a course that is "doable" at home? Is it a 5 day a week course? I thought I'd get a kit through Home Science Tools that has most of the supplies and also the course DVD's. Are there any samples of the DVDs anywhere? Thanks for any info.!!

We are going back to HOD next year :001_smile:! She adamantly believes that present day Israel is a fulfillment of the end-time prophecies about Israel's regathering. I do not believe that. I believe God will fulfill those prophecies but I don't believe He has done so today through the nation of Israel as it currently exists. I do not believe that Zionism is the fulfillment of prophecy, atleast not in the sense that Mrs. Waring would promote. I know it's just a little thing but it matters to me. What one believes about that really does impact their view of all of modern History. As I said, not an issue that most would probably have a problem with. And, I really like the curriculum anyways. :D

It's not a popular choice on this board, as far as I can tell. I have the TM for Ancient Civilizations and the Bible and all of the audios but haven't seen the Student Book. There is a good portion of the Student Book printed in the TM, so I have been able to read the articles (which are excellent, full of information) and the complete book lists. I have given it alot of consideration for my children. My oldest will be in 7th next year. My youngest will be a 4th grader. I think it would be too mature for my youngest. The book lists are incrediable and definately at the right level for upper middle school and high school. I like that there are so many choices of learning activities and different ways for the children to present what they have learned. The children are encouraged to take alot of "ownership" in their own learning and I think it would be a very motivating approach. We do listen to the audios often and have enjoyed those very much. There is an active yahoo group where Diana regularly participates and quickly responds to questions. It is called SharingWaring, if you want to check it out. You can find lots of sample pages there, including the complete book lists. I came pretty close to choosing this for us for the future but I'm not sure. She is very focused on some things that I disagree with but the issue is one that is just a personal "pet peeve", I guess you could say, of mine. It's probably a very minor thing for most (an issue of interpretation of prophecy). And, I'm still not completely ruling it out. With all of the very meaty books that she recommends, I imagine it would be easy to provide alternate viewpoints of various things just by sticking to the curriculum as it is written.

We love it here. We got really burned out on Rod & Staff towards the end of this spring. So, we got the Grammar Ace program from Sonlight just for some fun grammar practice and review. It includes the DVD and the boys have watched it over and over again, even though they were already familiar with it.

:iagree:

We are behind in history too. But, my boys have NEVER had a real summer break and I promised them last fall that we would take the summer off... so, we are pretty much taking the summer off. Well, we are contining with our SL core on an "as desired, relaxed" basis. They love SL so they do usually want to do the readings. Anyways, there is a file at the MysteryofHistoryHighSchool yahoo group that schedules MOH 1 and MOH 2 in one year. That schedule coordinates MOH 1 and 2 with Sonlight Core 6 and a few other resources. It's one of those grid like schedules that are easy to follow and check off as you go. Your son could probably use it for himself. Here is the link to the group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MysteryofHistoryHighSchool/ The file I am referring you to is the first one in the files section. Maybe you could take a short summer break to refresh and then pick back up with MOH 1 along with this or a similiar schedule and just use it at the pace that is right for your son. It would condense your study a little bit but not too much and schedule SL's literature for you.