I'd sooner cuddle on the couch then explode a volcano. Don't get me wrong, I'll do this stuff...once in a while. But I'm looking for a curriculum that is heavy on the reading and light on the doing. We are just finishing up w/ Elemental Science (Biology), and while I liked it ok, I skipped over the vast majority of the experiments. I've also quit having the kids do the coloring and narration pages b/c we simply just got bored. I am considering continuing on w/ ES b/c it got done and if we just pick and choose the experiments and activities it works out fine for us, but I'm feeling I could stand a change of pace. I'm wondering if there is something else out there that I NEED to try :D

I'm going to second Phonics Pathways. I began using AAR level 1 w/ my Ker last year and he just.couldn't.blend. One lesson would take him weeks. It was painful. I felt there were too many bells and whistles which were a big distraction for my little guy and there felt like a lot of busy work. I switched him to PP and his reading absolutely took off. In a matter of 2 or 3 months he was reading at a 3rd grade level. This from the child who couldn't blend! We've stopped using the program now b/c his reading is fluent and he is reading books like the Hobbit (did I mention he just turned 6). Anyways, it's all that I will use to teach the rest of my kids to read. That said, AAR is a lovely program for the right child. It wasn't for my kids, but I tutor a little girl reading and she really enjoys the program and it works for her. She is using a combo of AAR and PP.

Thank you for responding. I bought level 1 and am really excited to start. I think we are all going to love this. I am currently using R&S spelling w/ my 3rd grader and it's working for him so I am reluctant to switch. Are there any other LA bits that I need to add or do I have my LA covered? Am I missing something by not using RLTL? I am interested in hearing more about the prepared dictation in level 3. Thanks so much for popping in here to answer questions, it is most helpful!!

I'm just seeing this now and I like the looks of these. I'm wondering if I could combine my 1st and 3rd graders in level 1. My 1st grader is a very advanced reader, he is becoming comfortable w/ the mechanics of writing and is ready for gentle copywork. My 3rd grader has difficulty w/ writing and is behind in this area. Level 1 looks easy for him, but he is easily overwhelmed so I think in his case easy is good. Thoughts? Anything else I need to round out this as a full LA course? spelling? Anything else?

I chose not to use Spelling Workout b/c I know my workbook hating oldest son would absolutely revolt if I put it in front of him. I also didn't like the reviews I was reading about it from this forum. Last year we did our own spelling, using Phonics Pathways as a loose guildeline. It worked ok for him, but it was a bit of work for me. I have tried AAS with both of my 2 older boys and it was a flunk w/ them both. Too many manipulatives and distractions, however, I am using it w/ a SN girl that I tutor and it is working very well for her. I am using R&S this year and I like it a lot. It doesn't seem like there is much to it but it has them working w/ the words and I'm seeing retention. Best part of all is that it is a workbook that my ds will tolerate. I think he doesn't mind it b/c he can get it done in under 10 minutes ;)

Morning 9am - Bible and Bible Memory as family 9:30 - French x 3 times a week, Health and Nutrition x 1 (we do a 4 day week) 10:00 to lunch - take turns w/ each kid doing LA and math Afternoon 1:00 - Science 1:15 - SOTW x 2 times a week, Art x1, Poetry Tea x1 I try to do read alouds at bedtime, but more often then not it's my older kids reading to my youngers since nights are crazy here with my dh working night shifts. ETA: Fridays are my flex days to make up any days missed due to appointments and whatnot, or it's a time to work on projects that we wouldn't otherwise complete.

I love the idea of bravewriter, this could be what I'm looking for but I think I need something more open and go right now.

...that can combine age groups (early elementary), has very short lessons, is fun and non-threatening and easy to use? I want something that isn't going to squelch creativity or bore my kids to tears. I want something for my 2 kiddos, I am hoping to combine them for a short/fun writing lesson. My first grader seems to be gifted in the language arts and my 3rd grader struggles with the mechanics of writing (possible LD) but has incredible creativity (possibly gifted) and loves to write novels but doesn't like being told what to write or how to do it. He also is being tested for autism so choosing curriculum for him is a major challenge. I like the look of writing tales, but fear my younger boy is too young. Is there anything out there that would meet my needs?

I'll be watching this topic as my son just saw the pediatrician last week and we received news that he is somewhere on the spectrum, probably Aspergers. Our wait for an eval is much longer though :(

Any good book suggestions other than the Atwood book? I'm feeling the need to research. TIA!

Another update; we saw the ped and she said he is on the spectrum and is sending us for an assessment to confirm/find out just where on the spectrum he lies (probably Aspergers). She also feels he has an LD (of written output?). Interesting, dyslexia never came up which is what the school keeps pushing, but I really don't feel it is as he can read. In any case, the big issue we are dealing w/ is the probable autism. We are going to have a psych-ed done privately and either wait for the public autism assessment or pay for it ourselves privately (or try to get school $$). So it will be interesting to find out and hopefully it won't take too much longer now. The ped also mentioned his hyperactivity and anxiety would decrease once he starts some therapies. I really hope this is true. Poor kid, it really shouldn't have to be so hard. I saw all this coming, but it still is a lot to take in. I was also very pleased that the ped was supportive of our homeschooling, she said homeschooling is the best thing for him as he would not do well in school (which is something *I* already knew but it was good to have the affirmation). :)

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I mean Phonics Pathways.

I started using PP about a year ago. We have completed up to about pg 150. I find we are getting to it less and less as it doesn't seem my son needs it anymore. He just turned 6 and he's reading chapter books at about a grade 4 level. I'm wondering if there would be a benefit in completing the book since he's fluently reading now?

I have had a chance to reflect today and look over his previous work and I think I am too hard on him. Academically he is doing fine, with the exception of his writing. We have decided to switch math programs because our math isn't working for him any longer and he tested above grade level so it seems he is doing ok! We have decided to put him back in math, to his grade level, because it seems he has lost his confidence. I think I may be a bit of a "type A" mom, in that I push the kids to work hard and do well and I think my ultimate goal of having them love learning has been sacrificed. In many ways I feel that I have to have the kids working above grade level to prove to my family that I am indeed a capable teacher for my kids. I know this is ridiculous, but it seems I am under the microscope and it is not a comfortable place to be.

Pen, his LA problems are mostly w/ handwriting and spelling. He's a good reader, but his writing is nowhere near where it should be. However, he loves to write and it hasn't inhibited his creative writing at all. He writes many interesting, creative stories but the mechanics aren't there. We are working on typing this year and he's motivated to learn. However, it's not so much his writing that overwhelms him, it seems like anything that makes him work is meltdown worthy. Be it Bible memory or subtraction. I have to thank each and every one of you for responding to my post. I am feeling encouraged. I talked w/ my dh about this and I think I need to accept the fact that he is not going to work at grade level, at least not this year. This is really hard for me since I know he is an amazing, bright kid. But there seems to be some things getting in the way. We first need to work out what those things are before we can move forward with a plan to help him. It really seems like we hit a wall. We were cruising along just fine and all of a sudden we can't seem to move forward any longer. It is really hard for me to accept this. But I can't make him do what is impossible for him.

My 8 y/o son has been such a challenge this year. We are waiting for an eval for him, but some of the things we could be looking at are ASD, dyslexia, dysgraphia and/or giftedness. He also has executive function issues and he may have some speech issues as well. The start to this year has been awful. If he walks away learning anything, I will be shocked. He is very uncooperative which I suspect is from feeling overwhelmed, but I honestly don't understand why he should feel that way as I think his curriculum is well matched for him. I did not have problems like this last year or the year before. My resource teacher has suggested I drop everything that overwhelms him and stick w/ what he likes. That is fine, but I have a hard time letting it go as what he is left doing doesn't feel like enough. Particularly for LA, which is the area where he struggles. We have had many power struggles and I probably consider enrolling him in public school at least 2 or 3 days a week. I really don't want him to go to public school but I am just feeling so desperate. Does it have to be this hard?

Just updating that we are still waiting to see our ped (appointment is next month) but our resource school has done a bit of testing on him and though it is not diagnostic they have identified a few issues that we could be dealing with here. Dyslexia, dysgraphia, giftedness and ASD are all on the table. He has poor working memory and processing speed but has an excellent long term memory, this doesn't surprise me a bit. I read the Tony Atwood book and it sounded all too familiar. I won't be surprised if this is what we're dealing with. It is funny that I never even noticed he flaps his hands and spins until I started looking for behaviors. I actually feel a bit embarrassed, my degree is in Psychology and I left a career where I worked with autistic adults but I never even considered this is what he could have. Funny how you can overlook something that is right under your nose!

I haven't read all the responses, but if you are looking for something from a Christian perspective 'Lessons in Responsibilities for Boys' is working wonders over here as is R&S 'Proper Manners and Health Habits 2'. Sometimes it just helps to hear it from someone other than Mom.

Thank you for the tips. I do want to stick with it, I think the program is solid. We just seem to have hit a rut. I think I need to a) play more games b.) do more review - great idea about using both review sheets spread out and c) worry less about completing each and every little thing. It is ok to skip through some stuff....right?

My 8 y/o ds began RS C last year after easily breezing through B in 6 months. We have been working through it for more than a year now and are only half-way and are really struggling. I am finding we are spending forever on a lesson learning a concept and when we finally move on and get to a review page all the previous learning is forgotten. I really like RS and have the next level (though we are nowhere near ready for it) but are there any suggestions for how we can make this more enjoyable. I think we are going to have to spend more time adding in review. My ds is feeling rather overwhelmed and shutting down with these lessons.

I am looking at the samples from this website and looks pretty brilliant! Has anyone else used this? Have you had positive results with this program?

We are in the process of trying to figure out all the issues our 8 y/o is experiencing. At the moment ASD, dyslexia and/or dysgraphia are all on the table. I'm finding our LA to be slow, painful and ineffective. He is reading at or above grade level, but seems to have stalled and hasn't made any improvements for about a year. He also struggles with writing, lots of reversals, mixes up upper and lower case letters within words or a sentence, improper use of punctuation and poor spelling. we are currently using; Phonics Pathways for phonics - I started him in the middle of the book but it's too hard so I'm starting him back at the beginning R&S Spelling 3 - He has a hard time following directions and can't do this alone. Sometimes he doesn't understand what he's supposed to do so we have meltdowns. Other times he finds it easy and flies through it. LLVY - I'm having him do copywork on a whiteboard and I'm reducing the length of the sections. This seems to be going ok. MCT - I thought he would like this program, but it seems he is too literal of a thinker and so far it is flying way over his head. Yes, I know it is early in the year to be rethinking all of my curriculum, but while I knew my kiddo was quirky I had no idea he could possibly have any of these issues when I ordered his curriculum in the spring. What do you use? What works? Our major issue is his handwriting and spelling and getting the kid to cooperate! Help!!

What do you do when you feel this way? Right now I'm feeling Done (and yes, that is done w/ a capital 'D'). Of course I'm tired, so that adds to the feelings of hopelessness but at the moment I'm thinking about how much easier my life would be if the big kids were at school all day.

Thanks so much for your encouragement. I think I need to take a step back from my mom. I often tell her what is going on in our home, not for advice but for encouragement. She is an emotionally unhealthy person, I think I need to look for encouragement somewhere else. Which is upsetting to me b/c we have always been very close but I find it difficult to have the energy I need to have with my very demanding kids when I feel weighed down by my mother. The funny thing is that our kids aren't involved in nothing. This fall they are involved in piano lessons, soccer, church activities and swimming. We have already done 3 field trips this year and library trips. We have had play dates, shared meals with friends and neighbors and live in a neighborhood swarming with kids. It's not like they don't have outside interaction. But none of this counts, according to my mom, b/c they aren't with the homeschool group. Before my pregnancy, I was very involved. But my pregnancy was high risk and my baby a preemie so we took a step back. I felt a lot better doing less and I want another year where we don't have to do everything. For some reason I feel I have to justify this??

I'm going to try to keep this short. I am feeling rather emotional as my mother compared me to the poster homeschool mom in the community and showed me just how short I fall. It doesn't feel good. What I am wondering, is there seasons in life where it is ok to NOT do it all? Is it ok to plan my life around nap schedules rather than put my kids in every homeschool activity offered? While my parents have been supportive of our homeschooling, they have suddenly become unsupportive now that we are seeking an ASD assessment for our oldest child. At the moment I am feeling as though there is nothing that I do that is right.