again, my 8yo in a nutshell! just so you know you're not alone. ;)

guess i should just buy the student pages then and dive in instead of trying to try to figure it out from the teacher text. thanks!

we must share a daughter. you have described my 8yo to a t. we only use mm and she does fine until she comes to something new or something that makes her think, then it's oscar award time. following for advice.

mm all the way. it is mastery with a spiral. i only make them do half the problems unless they miss some, then they correct the incorrect ones and do one additional for each until they've got it.

my research of evan moor books is exactly what prompted my wondering. i have also had the thought about scholastic books. i do have a few em books in my cart, but i found the majority of them felt like busywork, at least alongside our other curric. i like independent work. it gives me time to work with the youngers, but i don't want to give her stuff just for the sake of filling time.

we are currently using keys for kids devotionals, little visits with god, kids of integrity, children's book of virtues, bible verse printables and songs from 1+1+1=1. odd will be getting baptized soon and will receive her first very own "real" bible. i will then have her start working through kay arthur's how to study the bible for kids. i want to use bsgfaa. i have everything but the student pages. but i just. can't. figure it out! help?

we memorize the poems in fll and i read them poetry on thursdays. i read from a child's garden of verse, shel silverstein, and the christian mother goose treasury. i just got a scholastic book ($1 deal) with fun projects for writing poetry and am ordering even moor's poetry writing book to use next year.

and what is actually aiding in learning and retention?

following. you seriously just described my oldest. however, when i sit down with her and make her do it properly, her handwriting is nice, but only if i'm right there looking over her shoulder.

i find them used all the time for $5 or less

this is one of those things i don't agree with. and i'm not trying to start a debate. i would only use them with the topics we're studying so they're memorized in context.

i'm not an overly classical homeschooler and we don't do a lot of memory work but i just came across some free history memory work cards i can use alongside our history study. i can't figure what the benefit would be, though. :leaving:

my kids complain that all they do is work (school and chores) but that's because they make basic things take for-ev-er. 10 minute tasks can take up to 2 hours. or even more. they just get distracted so all their "play time" is "built in" to their work. telling them if they would just focus and do the task at hand they would have abundant time to play and do all the "fun" things they ask me to do just doesn't seem to help.

following. i have 2 of these. :{

we are afternoon schoolers. with the range of times my kids get up and the amount of time it takes us to get moving, it's just easier for us. morning is for chores, play, outings, getting sucked into the computer, etc. 2yo theoretically naps in the afternoon, taking her out of the equation. unfortunately, we now have a baby who tends to be awake in the afternoon, likes to be held, and can be fussy. :/

spelling power? or maybe sequential spelling?

we are enjoying lively latin. i've heard minimus is also fun.

thank you! sounds like a great overview introduction to music

i've heard that using quality supplies is important for art. i picked up a curric on the free table at our used curric sale that uses color pencils (exclusively i think).

following. i have an 8 and a 4yo like this. yesterday my 4yo completely melted down and started beating herself up because i commented she circled her sight words in orange instead of purple. no judgement, no humiliation, just an observation that she used a different color.

hits: sotw map mysteries greek code cracker lively latin misses: apologia- both science and bible. just didn't get done. lof is a hit for dd and a miss from me. i just think it's really weird and can't wait to get through this last one. fll is a hit for me and only ok for dd. mm is also a hit for me and only ok for dd. she hates it (actually it's fine until she comes to something that makes her think, then it's murder until she gets it and doesn't have to think anymore. then we're fine until we come to the next not easy thing.) but i can do it and it works.

whatever we can. we school year round so we have a lot of flexibility, but daddy tends to be home more in the summer and not much gets done when daddy's home.

that aren't too pricey? and preferably available at michaels or joanns

"The whole-to-parts learners are the "big picture" people; they need to see the big picture of where they're going in order to have a place in their memory to put what they are learning. These are often the people who see CC as a random collection of disjointed facts that have no point. CC often doesn't work well for them unless the mom is able to provide the big picture. These are the ones who, if they are able use CC at all, are using it as their spine and providing the necessary context at home. On the other hand the parts-to-whole learners are often overwhelmed if they are given the big picture first, but they can take the little bits of information that seem random to the whole-to-parts learners and over time assemble them into the big picture. These learners are often the ones that can just do CC as a memory work supplement while completing other curricula that may or may not tie in directly. For these learners the pegs that CC creates really help them build the framework in their minds for the rest of the information they will need to store." this has been the most helpful thing i've read so far. thank you.

i've only read the first page, but thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU to those who mentioned memorization without context. aside from the price, this is my biggest beef with cc. i have many friends who do it and keep recommending that i do, but i just can't get past the plain memorization. it's like people who brag that their 1 or 2 year old knows the alphabet. sure, they can sing the song, but it doesn't MEAN anything. they can't identify the letters, they don't know the sounds, singing the song will not aid their reading in any way. so so what? for those it works for, more power to you. seriously, no judgement here. it's just not for me (or my bank account). it's just nice to finally know i'm not the only one and hear that others share my thoughts/views/concerns with the memorization. so far i'm finding the conversation interesting and hoping to learn more about it so i can maybe understand the appeal.