I've only on my 4th year but we've stuck with the same curriculum from the beginning and I started my second round this past year. I've stuck with the same stuff for a few reasons: 1. I did a lot of research beforehand and picked things that worked for us. I was prepared for some trial-and-error but things have worked quite well so far. When agonizing over Spalding, SWR, etc., dh nearly ordered me to buy SWR and give it a try because I was going crazy trying to figure out what to do. His idea was to sell it if it didn't work out. It worked out. 2. I realize no program is perfect and the grass isn't always greener. 3. I don't let the curriculum use me. I try not to tweak too much but enough to make it work. A good example of this is Sonlight. I would say that I use the core (minus the newly added LA) by the book. However in practice, I use the schedule as a guide to get it done within our own timeframe. 4. There's no such thing as too many supplements :D. I love our math and LA lineups but there's no harm in adding something new, fun, or different to keep it fresh. 5. I made a deal with my dh that I will use what I buy. He wouldn't want me to use something that isn't working but our deal does keep me from buying the latest thing on a whim. He counteracts this board :lol: If I do change in the future, it will be for a good reason. I had a friend change from Sonlight to TOG because SL wasn't meeting the needs of educating her large family the way she envisioned. I could see that happening with me as I add students. I'm not planning on it, but the possibility's there. There are so many other programs out there I'd like to use. In fact, a friend of mine is pulling her dc out of ps to start homeschooling this fall. I was so excited to help her choose curriculum. In the end, she picked Sonlight and Singapore Math. I was kind of hoping she'd pick Memoria Press, MFW, or Veritas Press just so I could visit the materials at her house. :tongue_smilie: I hope that helps a little...

We had a similar experience with book A. I do think it is worthwhile even if the dc blazes through it. Book B has a lot more meat, though. I need to get a set ordered for my next little guy coming up. BTW, maybe we're curriculum twins because we have such similar students. My ds6 was like this through DEL. He reasons always make so much sense when he explains. :D

You would need the core kit and 2 primary learning logs (one for you and one for the student). There are other things you can order like Cursive First and My WISE Grammar but only the core kit and learning logs are necessary. ETA: You are correct that it is non-consumable. You only need to buy the student a new learning log each year (you only need to do it once). The primary ones run $5 and the new black learning logs cost $12.

I really don't do formal academics with my dc before 4yo (and then very light). However, there are some great non-formal feeling programs out there that are age-appropriate. Sonlight has two great programs for 3-5yos. I highly recommend P3/4 for your ds. At this age, it is mostly a collection of great picture books. My ds6 started reading at 2yo and was reading fluently by early 3yo (self-taught). I used P3/4 with him for 2 years and added a few gentle things when he was 4 like Singapore EM. He read all of the SL Grade 1 readers and many similar books on his own (we had them on the shelf from big brother). He also started reading P3/4 selections to his little brother after nap time. I didn't feel the need to do any further reading work with him since he was so far ahead and wasn't keen on writing yet. We did do large motor skill activities to start the writing process. A salt box is my best friend for the preschool years. When he turned 5, I started Spell to Write and Read which is a great program to fill phonics gaps and start spelling with an advanced reader. It also gets them writing. As a side note, it was also great to teach my oldest to read at 4.5yo as he wasn't the self-taught type like my 2nd. I added P4/5 and math to round out our Kindy year core. Other fun things to look into are puzzle type games like Mighty Mind (included in SL's P3/4), Rush Hour, pattern blocks, and Cuisenaire Rods.

I use them after we finish the B level workbook. For instance, ds is about to finish 4B and we'll do CWP 4 before he starts 5A. I agree that level 1 is skippable but ds8 and I enjoyed it. Ds6 will start it as soon as he finishes 1B. Doing it after both workbooks serves as a nice, quick review before we move on. You could go through CWP 2 slowly but you will likely have to help a lot with the challenging sections. I don't mind helping my dc with them but prefer for them to need minimal help vs. me walking them through the whole problem.

:iagree: SWR includes instructions on testing, placing and implementing the program with an older student. There is nothing babyish about it. They also just came out with a formatted learning log for older students which makes it easier to use.

:iagree: I just got my new formatted Black Learning Logs in the mail and am excited to start our new year.

I like how you said this, Bill. I've tried to describe why EB didn't work for us, but I couldn't find the right words. In contrast, EM is a no-frills, pre-PM program. It looks and feels much more like PM.

Mine are too. They aren't doing much that is their actual grade level and we always start the next thing when a subject or book is finished. Our promotion has to do with age-related grade levels as opposed to schoolwork. I did buy them a few new things (WWW and logic) to start the new year off with a bang, but I ordered them too early. They started them before the new year kick-off. :lol: We did end up getting ice cream drinks from Sonic to celebrate the new year. That's a pretty big deal around here.

Thanks! I just bought Lollipop Logic and Logic Countdown a month ago but just added the rest to my cart.

I arbitrarily set June 1st as the first day of school so that is when the boys are promoted. The only reason I did that was because ds8 started Kinder at home with me that day 3 years ago and it stuck. We go on a big vacation in July and it would make more sense to start the year on Aug 1st but I doubt I'll ever change it.

:iagree: This is pretty much what we've done through SL cores. Take a look at SL cores P4/5, A, and B. Don't let the recommended ages fool you, most of the books are classics that can be enjoyed by all ages. They have a lot of those transition type books that you could find at the library. Some like Uncle Wiggily (ds8 still loves this book and was reading it last night in bed) are more like serials in chapter book form. Gooney Bird Green is another fun and easy chapter book to start. Beverly Cleary books are also fun to read out loud and funny enough to keep their attention.

I use Egermeier's with my 6yos and Vos the next year. I like both but Vos is more detailed. I tried to transition to the Bible when my oldest was 6 after we'd finished Egermeier's but the language was too difficult for him to get into the details. Vos filled the gap nicely. Now, he reads his own Bible.

You described ds6 to a tee! I had a huge discussion about him with my mother last night because he reminds me of my sister. My parents wanted her held back in 1st grade because her report card reflected what you wrote. The school said, "NO!!". I suspect he is HG or PG, but school with him gives me a headache. Actually anything requiring him to finish something gives me a headache. The other day, his brother made him a level 20 cleaning dragon and chores got done in record time. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to duplicate that. This is very encouraging.

I send my 4yos to 3-day/week private Pre-K. I think it depends on why you're doing it. I send mine for a few of reasons: 1. It gives us a separation between preschooler and schooler. When they come home that year after Pre-K, they are in the "I'm in school now" mindset. 2. Our preschool is a wonderful play-based school at our church. The director and teachers are amazing at loving my children and living out our faith. 3. They schedule a lot of in-house field trips and celebrations. It's a good time! 4. It allows me time to concentrate on my olders. Some other considerations for me are that the school is across the street and has curb drop-off so it doesn't take much time out of my day. The hours are 9-2 so gives me plenty of time to dive in to school with the other boys. Also, we still have good friends made during my other boys' Pre-K years. We had a lot of fun gabbing in the parking lot each afternoon and had playmates on off days. Now that summer's here, our playdates at the pool have already restarted. FWIW, I am not concerned with any academics my dc learn in preschool. Both of my older boys that have attended have been Kindy-ready prior to entering Pre-K just from activities we do at home. I doubt I would ever do public pre-K for a myriad of reasons...mainly based on philosophical differences. That may not be the case for you, but I'd investigate their goals and methods before deciding.

I put 20 for my 3rd grader but he'll have anywhere between 20-40. The first half of the year while we're reviewing last year's words, he'll have 40/week. The 2nd half of the year, he'll have 20-30 depending on how he's doing with the material. Our spelling program (SWR) recommends 40 for 3rd grade but I prefer to go a bit slower and we can still cover the same material since our school year is longer.

This is what I do when D-Man copies poetry. We talked about intention and I made sure he understood that it was a continuation of the line instead of a new one. Then, he started the next one with a capital on the next line of the paper next to the margin.

That is what I'm doing for ds8. We'll go at his pace and start LC1 as soon as he finishes. I expect PL won't take him the whole schoolyear. Ds6 will do SSL2. He may also end up doing PL with his brother since he could easily handle both the reading and writing plus has the motivation (Latin is his favorite subject). I may be able to hold him off if SSL2 comes out sooner rather than later since he is such a musical guy.

You are correct on Spalding and SWR is the same. They do a spiral-type review of phonograms and rules. Spalding doesn't specify doing 30 words per week to my knowledge (It's been awhile since I read WRTR. They might suggest it somewhere in the manual, but the idea is that you can customize the number of words/week depending on the child. I do 10/week with my K'ers and 20/week with my 2nd grader. You also might want to look at how many and how difficult the words get in each program. Spalding and SWR using the Extended Ayers list go up to a college freshman level. SWR adds in some extra words to round out the number to 2000 words. I got the impression that LOE covered a lot less words and didn't go up to college level. That might be something to consider. I don't know much about LOE, though. It all depends on what you're looking for.

I started my dc in 2nd and Kinder. My K'er was reading fluently at a 2nd grade level at the beginning of the year so he had no problem confusing Latin with English. We used SSL which is so gentle and fun that it is great for young kids. My oldest will start a more systematic approach with Memoria Press materials now that he is in 3rd grade. Ds2 might start MP in 2nd or late first just because he enjoys it and is already ready for it.

It hasn't caused any problems here. It does show syllabication nicely. My boys write the syllables separately and do markings when they learn the words on Monday and Tuesday. It is optional during the enrichments on Wednesday and Thursday. They prefer to separate syllables for harder words. My K'er likes to mark everything. I prefer them to write the word normally during the test on Friday but will not mark it wrong if my K'er separates syllables or does markings. He is young and I saw ds8 grow out of that with no issues. They never separate syllables or mark words outside of spelling but it wouldn't bother me if they did. Oh, and ds8 is a perfectionist FWIW. Ds6 is showing signs of that also. The marking system works well with that personality trait.

Yay!! I really like the layout of the new IGs. I'll be interested to read what you think. I'm also a certified book hoarder which is why SL works so well for me. I do add books to it. We read a lot (both me reading aloud and my dc reading alone) so we have plenty of time to do 2 cores and add books to both :) Boo to the selling books. What titles would those be again? :lol:

Have you looked at Spell to Write and Read? It is not scripted but it was what I needed when I was trying to implement Spalding but didn't know how with just WRTR. Like WRTR, there aren't different levels to buy. The WISE guide has the spelling lists with example sentences, pre-list activities (which phonograms, spelling rules and reference pages to learn/review), and enrichments for each list on a two page spread. It does take a bit of studying to get going but then became open-and-go for me. There is also a yahoo group that is very helpful. All that's needed each year after the initial purchase is a new spelling log which run $5 for K-2 and $12 for 3+.

:iagree: It also schedules the mental math exercises. We go through SM at a quick pace but still use that schedule as a guide. My dc write in the workbooks because it is independent work. We work through the text as needed together and they demonstrate their understanding in the workbook.

Thank you!! I'm already sending it along to a couple of friends. Can I link it on my blog?