Ok...this may be totally naive...but I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. OP, I sure hope that it is just some misunderstanding. I saw the thread where the sale was taking place and at one point the seller was responding to someone else that posted on the thread, and then she hasn't been on the board for 8 days according to her stats. Just wondering if it's possible that she has some kind of emergency that has pulled her away - or if she got the awful flu bug that's been going around possibly? I agree, it is still her responsibility to maintain contact with her buyers...but I just want to give her every possible chance to redeem herself. Her profile shows positive feedback and quick response in the past. Maybe she put it in the mail and it's on the way, but has not been communicating? Again, TOTALLY her fault for not following up...but maybe we could extend a little grace until we know for SURE what is going on with her?

:iagree: Even though we are doing science through our co-op this year, we really liked Elemental Science last year. I think it was written to follow TWTM.

Do I need to start at level 3 if we haven't used their program before? Or, do I just put my kids in at grade level? My ds10 has used FLL1 and 2, some SL LA and now using GwG3...so would I switch him to EG4...or EG3 next year? Thanks!

:bigear:

I like this idea. I have done this with the teacher side, but didn't even think about doing it with the student side. We used to just put our WWE student pages in our writing binder and MM pages in our math binder. Have you checked/compared prices with officemax to see if Kinko's or OfficeMax is cheaper? I have done mine at OM and seems like it was around $3 or something.

Boscopup - Thanks for your input. I was actually talking about FLL 1/2 for my younger ones coming up (should have clarified that). I have a 4 and 6 year old and trying to figure out if it's a waste to do GwG or if I should just start with FLL. I was feeling like I wanted to add in some memorization with GwG-which makes me think I should just use FLL if I am going to supplement with memorizing FLL definitions and lists! Hindsight is 20/20. :tongue_smilie: My oldest is finishing GwG3 before we move on to MCT. When you move on to MCT after FLL3...will you continue to use FLL you think?

Can anyone share their experience if they started with GwG and then switched over to MCT after GwG2 or GwG3? If so, what was your transition like? How did your child take to it? I have read on a few threads that some children are not retaining what they learn in GwG...just wondering if your child seemed to remember some of the GwG teaching when he got to MCT...or if it all seemed kind of new! :-) Also, please share if you exclusively used GwG...or if you had some FLL (or something else) mixed in. We have been all over the board with grammar...used FLL...then SL LA...then back to FLL...then on to GwG...and now getting ready to start MCT Island with my 4th grader. I guess I'm looking for the perfect set up. I had planned to use GwG and supplement with MCT Grammar Island. But...since I'm not totally "sold" on any particular writing program currently, I may try to use the whole MCT system. Yes, I'm rambling...what I'm getting at...if I do GwG1 and 2 with my children, then switch them over to GI...is this going to be enough...or would it be better to go back to FLL1/2. It gets hard to do FLL after doing GwG since GwG is so much more independent...but if they are not learning anything it doesn't really matter!

Does anyone know what kind of discount they offer at the conventions? On their website they have regular and online pricing...wondering if it is the same as online pricing, but no shipping...or if it is a % off the "regular" price...anyone know?

It doesn't make sense anyway...why ban you from BUYING? If they were going to "ban" something...why not just ban you from returning? That seems to make more sense.

Biblioplan also schedules SOTW and MOH...along with readers, read alouds and other supplementals. Here is a link to a sample page of their lesson pages: http://www.scribd.com/full/52841917?access_key=key-22nvntzlewc7rb1db6w9 For more info, their site is www.biblioplan.net

No problem...I do what I can to help. ;) Thank you for all your input!

Great, thanks. If I continue to Town level...will I need to have had Building Language to be able to use Caesar's English I?

I am considering adding in MCT Island next year or over the summer with my 10yo. I know we want to do Grammar Island...and Sentence Island looks interesting, too...but do I "need" to do the Building Language or Music of the Hemispheres books for it to all fit together? We will probably get Practice Island also - so we can follow up with what we learned in GI... Thanks!

FLL 1 and FLL 2 would work. I did that when my kids were younger. As soon as they are able to read on their own/write sentences...then I switch them over to growing with grammar...http://www.growingwithgrammar.com/1gwgProduct_Page.html Someone told me about GwG and I didn't think we'd like it...but we have been so grateful to have it. The kids work independently (for the most part) in their grammar books because it has a short lesson that teaches to the child and then they apply it in the questions following.

We use biblioplan. It schedules American History along with SOTW and MOH in year 3 and 4 of the classical cycle. They also schedule independent readers and read alouds. We don't use EVERY one they suggest, but so nice to already have a book selected/suggested each week if we are looking for one...and we don't have to stray from our 4 year cycle.

Yes - the cool history pages are kind of like review sheets. The family guide is the main lesson plan. There is also a parent companion with extra notes and information. And...there are maps and timeline pieces if interested in those.

Well...Sonlight has their math, science and language arts as separate subjects to add to their "core" anyway. MFW does include some LA and science - but it wasn't the LA and science I wanted...so why pay for that? Also, MFW and SL were both "off" the 4-year classical cycle. MFW is close with 5 years - but I don't want to take a whole year for geography - I'd rather learn geography as we are learning what happens in those countries throughout our history cycle. I'm not saying biblioplan is a good fit for everyone, but a biblical approach was important to me. In the ancients cycle, it weaves in the bible stories and provides timeline pieces that match those. I don't want to learn bible history and world history separately...I want to learn ALL history - which includes how the bible fits into our history timeline. That was one of the main reasons I chose BP originally...then I realized they had a schedule for the MOH readings and church history...then I realized they added in American history to year 3 and 4...it just seemed like the perfect mesh of everything I was looking for. We are very happy to have made the switch.

Thanks so much for your input...that really helped me make my decision.

Anyone else out there use Phonetic Zoo? I thought it was rule based also. I am considering going to AAS or PZ. We are currently using SWO and the kids are doing fine, but I don't feel like they are learning any rules (even though one is written at the beginning of each lesson). However, not sure I want to mess with the whole tile thing with AAS and it also seems pretty teacher intensive when I would be using it for 4 kids. That is why I was considering PZ - thought it was rule based, but more independent. So...does PZ go over the rule for that lesson...and then they "master" the list words associated with that rule? Or....do they just go straight to the list? Thanks for any input you can provide!

E-book...I think you have the option for a hardcover - but I like having the e-book. I printed and put into a binder.

We love BP. We started in the middle of year 1 (ancients) and are currently in year 3. I love that there is American history scheduled for us in year 3 and 4. We have REALLY enjoyed it and SO glad to have found it. We tried just SOTW with AG guide...MFW...and Sonlight. BP met our needs best of any of them.

I have to stick up for for biblioplan. We started using it last year and love it. This year we are in year 3 and there is american history added in, which I love. It has been a great resource for me. Love how it schedules SOTW, MOH and American history readings...in addition to the independent readers according to reading level and read alouds. They also have history worksheets/review questions, maps, timeline pieces...VERY happy to have found this little gem.

Has anyone read these books or let their children read them? Anyone have thoughts good/bad about the books in the series? Side note - I thought Junie B. Jones books were too sassy and didn't what that attitude/behavior influencing my girls. So....wondering if these are similar to that series or if they are worth looking into? Thanks!

I totally agree with the OP. I have repeatedly been disappointed at the behavior of homeschoolers. You would THINK our families would be MORE polite than the average family - not the other way around. At a recent convention it was really hard to deal with some of the homeschool families who did not seem to care how their behavior (or those of their children) impacted those around them!

THANK YOU for this post!! I was "the friend" CarrieF mentions above that DID move because the people behind us were just SO rude with keeping their noisy children in there (at Memphis convention). I honestly could NOT concentrate and keep up with the thought process while there was CONSTANT noise. It's not just the crying, it's the talking to each other, ruffling paper, dropping toys, etc. And another thing...why do they sit in the front or middle for that matter? Doesn't it seem REASONABLE to request that they would sit in the back or side so they would be less distracting - and so they could make a quick exit if needed? What baffles me the most is that SWB states VERY clearly at the beginning of each lecture that it distracts her and to please take them out if they cry. It's just RUDE to stay in there and do nothing! If I HAD to bring a child, I would sit in the rear at the very least.