I think it depends on the child. If you feel uneasy about him being in 3rd grade, then you're probably right! You're the best judge of where your child is. However, I believe some kids would have no problem moving ahead. My dd has her birthday in early September, so I understand the struggle!

I don't really feel qualified to give you advice, but I wanted to give you a bump :) The only thing I would say is that you probably need to go ahead a remediate problem areas now. Continuing to push along while having a lot of gaps from earlier levels could make things more difficult. I'm sure there are others on this board who can give you more specific advise.

I love the way Saxon teaches math facts! My dd has picked up on them so easily with the daily fact sheet and flash cards. And, it hasn't "drilled the fun out of math" for her. My older dd used another program through 3rd grade math, and she didn't learn her math facts as well as she should have. It has definitely slowed her down with higher math.

I got an email from Amazon yesterday saying they they would ship my copy of WWE level 2 by the end of October!!! Ah, the advantages of ordering directly from the source :)

We're using Adventures with Atoms and Molecules according to TWTM recs. My dd is 8y, and she's enjoying it. I've looked at NOEO chemistry, but it was just too expensive for us for this grade level. But, that's a good option for something already put together for you.

We're enjoying GWG. It's our first year using it. It's thorough and to-the-point. You do have to have a separate writing program. We're using WWE.

We're one of the few who started with Level 2. There is a dictation exercise on the website that you can give your dc. It says that if they can do it with ease, then they can start with Level 2. The 1st chapter QUICKLY goes through the rules covered in Level 1. I don't feel like we've missed anything by starting with Level 2. It's been a great program for us! Previously, we were using a workbook program, and it just wasn't sticking. Her spelling has really improved!!! I'm looking forward to the next levels!

We're doing a lot of that for 1st grade this year, except for Logic. You can see my sig. My dd LOVES GWG and would be really sad if we stopped that. If he loves history and science, I wouldn't drop it. We're doing WWE because I think it's important. My oldest dd's weakest area is writing, and I think it's because she didn't get this early, systematic, gentle start with writing. My dd loves the stories. I have decided to drop Latin for her because she wasn't enjoying it, and I don't think it's necessary at this age. We're doing AAS for phonics and spelling.

I've been using some of the lessons from in the end of Workbook 1, but according to Level 2 requirements. For instance, Day 1: read and me write the narration. Day 2: Choose one (longer) sentence for copywork. Day 3: Dictate sentence from day 2. Day 4: Narration and dictate part back to student. I know these passages aren't quite as long as they should be for Level 2, but they're close, and I don't have to find my own! As I work through the program, I'm becoming more confident about what kind of passages and copywork to look for, and I may find some things on my own if I don't get the workbook soon :)

We use The Harp and the Laurel Wreath. It has selections for K-12th grade.

We also use and love All About Spelling. To make it cheaper, you could make your own phonogram tiles or just not use tiles. I do like the tiles, though, because it helps the kids see that certain letters have to go together for certain phonograms. For instance, 'qu' is on 1 tile. 'th' is on 1 tile, 'ee' is on 1 tile, etc., etc. It's a non-consumable program, so maybe you can justify the expensive if you have other little ones. Each level is about $40, I think. The tiles you only have to buy 1 time, but I can't remember how much they were. If you really can't afford anything new, I would agree with the suggestions to make up your own dictation sentences for the lists he's doing in SWO. AAS does this as a test each week. It's a great way to continue reviewing previous words. I sympathize with you! We were also using a program very much like SWO that just wasn't working for my dd. The retention just wasn't there! She's doing so well now, though, with AAS!

I started my ds with HWT because he was writing his letters, but not properly. I wasn't planning to start him so young, but I didn't want him to practice doing it wrong for 2 years and develop bad habits. We do it when we wants to. I think HWT is as enjoyable as a handwriting program will get with the wooden pieces to build the letters (some people make their own out of foam) and the chalk board. I love how it emphasizes where to start each letter, and it teaches them according to their starting position.

I agree with the above 2 posts. She needs time to get comfortable with math. If she keeps an "I can't do it" attitude, she'll never be able to do it. You can always plan to work year-round in math. Eventually she'll catch up. If she doesn't get the basics, she'll never be able to do the other stuff later!

I agree that I'm enjoying schooling the younger ones even more. I have more confidence. I've learned more about different curriculum. The kids are all different and I love watching them learn!

Monday -- introduce lesson and make notecards Tuesday - Thursday -- study notecards Friday -- do workbook pages

A lot of people like Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) and say that it has helped their dc with reversal problems. I'm just starting with the program myself, so I don't have that much experience to share. I can say that it's enjoyable for the child (as much as handwriting will be), and I can see how it would help with reversal problems. Perhaps someone else will chime in who has more experience.

Prayers in PL... The 1st one is the Sanctus - (in english) Holy, Holy, Holy, God of power and might Heaven and earth are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Later, they learn the Lord's prayer (Our Father, who are in heaven...) and they learn the Doxology (Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...). They also learn the Table Blessing (Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.) You wouldn't have to continue with LC, but it would be very easy to because it builds on what they've learned in PL.

We're loving PL, too! My oldest says that Latin is her favorite subject this year. I had heard that it was 'boring' by some, so I was a little worried, but we haven't found this to be true. I teach it as a 'class' to my 2 older girls, 1st grade and 3rd/4th grade (sorry, I can't decide what grade this girl is in!). I'm learning right along with them since I've never studied Latin. My dds love learning the prayers! We didn't get the DVD. We have the CD, student workbooks, and teacher's manual (which I think you could do without).

This is the 1st year I'm not using a packaged program for homeschooling. It's going very well, and we're all enjoying what I've pulled together. I have one concern, though. The program had comprehension questions (and answers for me) for required literature reading. Now, my dd (grade 3/4) is reading from a list that I've pulled together, but most of the books I've not read myself, nor do I have time to do so. How do I assess her comprehension? I'm afraid that it's not enough to just have her do the reading, which she seems to enjoy, without asking questions about it. What do you do? We do history and WWE, during which I ask for narrations, so that kind of assesses her comprehension, but I'm worried about the literature. Am I just going to HAVE TO find the time to read these books? Thanks!

TWTM is what's working for us! This is just a new approach for us, and it's going so well! We had been using a boxed traditional curriculum, heavily workbook-based, and we were all miserable. We're not using all the recommended curriculum from TWTM (you can see what we are using in my sig), but it's the change in approach that's working for us, and I'm soooooooooo grateful to my friend who passed along this book to me. One thing I'm surprised about is how much my kids love memorizing poetry! I was worried about introducing this, but they are eating it up!

I'm doing Prima Latin with my 5.5y-o dd. She's doing very well and is enjoying it! She does the written work, too.

Is it possible that he's not ready for the skill of journaling? In WWE, SWB says that most kids of this age find this frustrating. They still need a lot of practice with narration and dictation before they're ready for original writing. My dd was having a lot of trouble with writing last year, and I just thought she was being lazy, but now I know that it's just a difficult skill for the age. We're developing her skills with WWE. Just a thought!

You can try the last lesson of the level 1 workbook with your dd. If she does it will ease, go ahead and start with level 2. I started my 1st grader (5.5 y-o) with level 1 and we'll work through it as is. My oldest dd is starting with level 2, but she'll work through it quickly and move onto level 3 by Christmas.

Have you done the end of level evaluations in WWE? Does he place out of all of these? My oldest dd can talk to me about things informally, but when I make her sit down and focus on using good, complete sentences that concisely summarize a reading passage, she definitely struggles. The dictation practice makes her think about using good writing mechanics. I have heard of some mechanics correction practice program on the forum, but I have no idea what it is. My kids are younger than yours. I know this was no help, but it will give you a bump :)

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