The early percy Jackson books have a great reader. Bunnicula is also performed well.

Thanks hepatica and everyone else for the comments since not only the OP but also onlookers are interested here. Of course some back and forth is helpful too for different perspectives. I think many people here are waiting for the kind of detailed review here from hepatica-- anyone else have any experience? Or can compare with other online programs. I'm currently looking for precisely this kind of information on online writing opportunities. The writeguide.com website makes it sound so great that I feel like I want to sign up-- I just learned about it from this thread. Maybe it depends on the tutor that you get assigned there? It sounds like with this site it would be good for when kids don't want to listen to you anymore and you need an outside authority (even if that authority is not as good a writing teacher as you, in truth) or you just need to vent off some of the responsibility. If I didn't have my kids committed for the next four weeks to a writing thing, I would sign up now and give a review. But anyways, I and quite a few others are all ears if anyone has any information. Thanks for this thread!

Yeah Nanowrimo is great-- their feedback threads are awesome, or at least they were for me when I did it as an adult. A 14 year old would have a great experience too if they are advanced or enthusiastic enough. Maybe I'll start something myself-- I don't think it would be too hard to find enough people to take part. I know a bunch myself already. And, I already do a similar thing with professional writers, some of the tactics I've borrowed from nanowrimo forums, actually. I found lots of great workshops and businesses for kids writing but they all seem to focus locally, and all far away from where I live. My kids would actually love something online, like youtube or Facebook, but for writers (well-- the "for writers" part might be coming from me).

I was thinking there must be something like that out there already, and I would be eager to have my kids join it. I looked at IEW online sample recordings from their online classes but it's not what I am looking for. I have some background in making online groups (for professional writers) but surely there is already something out there for kids? I think something somewhat in the ballpark of or aligned with a Bravewriter approach is the only thing appropriate for this kind of thing since it's really just about kids having an incentive to write and caring about their writing. If you fill that up with too many specific agendas it will cut the juice, so to speak. But before re-inventing the wheel, please tell me anyone if you know of any kids writing workshops and groups online-- I would appreciate it! You know, where there is some attention to user experience, and dedication that comes with it being run by a business, and also, I have to sheepishly admit, if I paid for it that would make me follow through with it, becaue I don't want to waste money. (yes, I am a recovering curriculum addict, and this post is potentially a resurfacing that, but this time I can control it. I promise)

Hi there, I was wondering if there were any websites with writing instruction or something where kids share their writing "publicly" and perhaps also get feedback from teachers or each other. my kids would respond well to that. I signed up for bravewriter online but there is nothing for kids there at this age-- the online course is for parents as a little extra support in carrying out the exercises. Apparently there is one occasional course for kids 10-14 where there is some sharing but I am looking for something more dedicated to the concept. If there isn't something I may create it, but surely there are great online writing courses for kids where they can share their work and feel invested in what they are doing? My kids are on biblionasium which has them logging in their reading "publicly" and that's going well. Thanks for the pointers! Alan

It might make sense to take the training course! In Teaching Writing: Structure and Style he goes through all the lessons and explains how and why to do it. The Student Intensive A is kind of follow along do it for you, but it might be hard to enact without knowing how to teach or do it yourself. In the training course there are also practicum lessons where you do the actual exercises yourself. That is the best way to learn. BTW, pm if you want to give up and sell. Just this morning I've been turning over the house trying to find my Int. A dvd's and can't find them anywhere.

Hi there, I haven't been here for awhile and was wondering what paid websites are working best these days. I like dream box ok, but looking for something else with language arts. Stuff I tried a few years ago like time4learning weren't great hits. Is there anything new? Anything very improved? Thanks for your help!

Same thing: used it as a supplement. Good for targeting certain areas or review. The color a nice change of pace. The price: a lot since its only a supplement.

Apples & pears and dancing bears are quick and easy and effective programs. My main suggestion is I would get in the habit of short copywork and easy dictation since that takes little prep and little time. And it adds up. There's also a book about schooling in the car -- verbal games and such-- someone here can tell you it or maybe it's easy to search. I do stuff like that all the time, not just in the car, for "hands free" teaching. Don't know if the book itself is any good but surely there's an activity or two in there that will be worth it. Also cursive workbooks can usually hold the attention, I've found, vs. workbooks that make you think (though i remember the opposite when i was a child), and there is nothing wrong about making writing physically easier and neater at an early age.

Just an update here: my daughter and deaulaires book are now almost inseparable, and it was hard to get her to fork it over and go to sleep last night. Will also get the Hawthorne because... well, it's Hawthorne.

This is all great. I did try the droon but it was kind of a dud-- seems to be lacking that special magic. Hopefully underworlds will fare better

Sorry I did a search first... What are the best books on the Greek gods for children 8 years old? Unfortunately we don't do so well with old classics-- just got off on the wrong foot-- so miss quimby's primer of Ancient Greece for young gentlemen and ladies, or whatever, wont do it for us. I do want it to be factual however. Can you help?

I cured my son with dancing bears in a matter of weeks. More than one year later, the tendencies are creeping back in, so ill go back to it or just do some cursor work. I also used Elizabethb's nonsense things, which go well with dancing bears. I can't say enough how dancing bears goes directly at the word guessing in a physical as well as mental way through its eye tracking method of the cursor.

My kids seem to get into exciting adventure series but magic treehouse is a bit too easy and they like Percy Jackson now but do not understand much of it. Any suggestions for the in between?

I bought it... Sorry Geoff.... But it was money wasted for me. I was hoping to get some tips at least to add to what I know but there was nothing there that's not in the mortensen manuals. Crewton ramone is great but I do like to have a book in front of me sometimes so I paid up for this. I asked Geoff about it first because my 9 year olds were already far along and he said the manual is great all the way up to 12th grade (or maybe a different high age can't remember). When I got it, I saw it was a few essays on Edu Philos by geoff stuffed with some photocopied articles and then some very basic intro methods outlined in the exact same typeface and diagrams as mortensen manuals (maybe also copies, but I have to give the benefit of doubt-- who would do that?) It was of no use to teaching my nine year olds, and I was a little miffed that he would personally sell it to me as covering a range of levels when it does not. I guess he meant "my philosophy is good anytime, anywhere" by that, but surely he knew what I was asking him.

Mind benders if you hit the right level book, and every kid loves balance benders (well, it seems). I think that company is more about doing well on standardized tests than critical thinking actually, but I guess it all depends on what we mean by that. There can be no doubt though that a majority of their products will help raise test scores on standardized tests.

I just guessed at the level, you might try dancing bears level c. They have free samples that are actually useable and I tried that before buying. Note that dancing bears is for counteracting word guessing and forcing a left to right phonetic reading eye, through the use of the cursor. it also groups very similar words together so that one has to work to not guess. It's not so much the difficulty of the words but the cursor and the strategic groupings. (Well its others things but that's how I used it) That being said, you could try the cursor method with any text. No need to buy dancing bears. You could pair five minutes of reading with the cursor with five minutes of using a cursor on word lists like megawords and get a good effect. There are also nonsense texts that you can download here and there and a mother on this board who has some stuff like that, which if used with the cursor would help too. Don't remember her name.

Sounds like things are going well overall. I think SWR winds up being more of a commitment than you plan on, but others say they get really good at it and can turn it on and off quickly for short daily burst. One hour seems like too much if your main concern is reading with word guessing. Why not address it directly with dancing bears for ten minutes a day? Your daughter would start with fast track AB book. It works fast and directly on word guessing. Spelling can come along eventually. Spelling at the expense of other reading seems like a dicey exchange. I know that's not spelling to read method but I wonder sometimes when kids get to 8 or 9 if the SWR type methods have passed their prime in terms of bang-for-time (and in terms of reading especially).

Sorry, I meant CAP writing &rhetoric, and if it doesn't have lev1&2 then I mean the first one on fables and the second on narrative. It looks good, and I covet it.

Level 2 has a lot of Christian content, not just the intro, it seems from the samples, while level 1 is mostly or all fables. I think the program is very well put together and great for a Christian, or someone secular and okay with having a lot of tricky conversations with their kids. A lot of them.

Atelier is great. We've also done mark kistlers live classes which are a hoot, but they don't meet at times that fit our schedule, and the live classes require some ability to keep up. One thing I want to bring up: when I was a kid with no art education I spent hours a day drawing, whatever I wanted. My kids had these little classes and now they will not draw anything on their own without finding out "how to draw a ..." From a book or youtube video.

Thanks. I mostly wanted to confirm that the samples were representative. Glad to hear about the positive experiences. I don't doubt that the basic idea of imitation is great: this is exactly how I teach my college and grad school writers! I guess it's just a question of choosing my own samples for my kids and telling them, now you do it, or having preselected samples which may or may not have cleverly designed questions to go with them (haven't really decided about the latter) Thanks again this is really clarifying.

The samples look interesting. The questions on grammar and such very simple and confidence building. The copywork and grammer a bit on the easy side, compared to passage selections. Then there is this huge assignment: write it again your own way. And that's it, except for some advice. But no instruction, no graduated work up. The most important part is just "now you go off and write" It seems from the samples that it is just some selected text and the instruction "now you do it" The simple questions put in there are fine, but sort of filler and nothing special or different than in various workbooks. The important part seems to have gone missing. Or is it the samples are a poor representation of the program? Can anyone explain, especially pele who like it? Thanks!

Cursor speed is something of an art. If you know what you are going for, which is to get the eyes to track without guessing, then you can get a feel for when you are slowing things down too much or the opposite. If there are errors slow down, if not speed up. As soon as another guess comes, slow down. The cursor is brilliant. Above all, don't go overtime! Your kid will hate it. Mine mostly didn't like it because he knew somehow that this was remedial and something extra. I concentrated most on anti- guessing and this seemed to work... Not all the way through AB and my son was cured. That being said, I am going now to check out high noon. First I have heard of it.

I highly recommend playing with crewton ramones house of math and mortensen math. I am doing complex equations with my 9 year olds and it is so easy and fun. I know they won't be scared later. There is also a program with a balance and pawns and other manipulative s that could be fun, but I forget Neither of these are complete the way I use them, but at least the solving equations part of it won't be scary nor mere rote performance of operations.