I think WWE and Bravewriter or a Writer's Workshop approach (such as No More I'm Done) address very different, but equally important skills. WWE will improve her listening comprehension, ability to summarize orally, hold a thought in her head and eventually to get it down on paper. It utilizes copy work, narration, and dictation to accomplish this (not all from the beginning in level 1). There is nothing in WWE that looks at all like creative writing or original idea-based writing. Those skills, if you choose, can be developed using something like Bravewriter or a Writer's Workshop format. Or they can be introduced later. I remember SWB saying something to the effect that creative writing either appeals to your child or not. If it does, she will write creatively, but if it doesn't, no amount of instruction will turn her into a creative writer and that is okay, because no one is ever forced to write creatively, but we all need to know how to perform academic writing. Forgive any mistakes - paraphrasing is not by strongest skill. Sounds like your daughter already writes creatively with joy. You could use WWE for the above-listed reasons and just continue to coach her independent writing as you have been.

Use them both! We're about to finish FLL3 (on lesson 85, I think). I have just begun GI as a bedtime read aloud, cuddle book. It is like meeting old friends: Nouns! I know about them. I learned them in FLL! Direct objects! Those follow action verbs! I think FLL is great for the parts-to-whole method of learning English grammar, while GI/MCT is whole-to-parts. Or at least MCT introduces the parts quickly so the reader can see and appreciate the whole. It wouldn't be enough practice or application for my taste on its own, but WOW! is it fantastic as a hearty side-dish. I think the two programs compliment one another very nicely. We have Building Language and Practice on the shelf also and will go through each of them in a similar fashion.

I have used the student workbook of the Daily Geography this year with my 8 year-old. It is very simple, independent, and always gets done. I didn't buy the teacher book, but I can easily glance over it to determine if the answers are correct. We do one full page (1/2 of a week's work) at a time. Even though it is easy, she has learned a lot and I think it builds valuable map-reading and direction-following skills. I'm not sure if we'll continue with it next year because we're doing Classical Conversations and we'll do their map work, but I may just continue. I think EM Daily Geography addresses different skills. The student books are available individually at the publisher's website for $7.99, I think. BTW, most of the above can also be said about EM's Daily Science books. Even though we'll use CC's weekly science topics as our 'spine', I may continue with Daily Science because it is nice to have SOME independent work to assign her that requires that she read and follow directions and it really is high-quality instruction.

Began a lengthly reply to this question yesterday, but got interrupted before posting, so I'll begin again, but a little more briefly. In January I decided I wanted to dig-out of the common vegetarian pitfall to which I had fallen prey: substituting carbs for the bulk in my diet missing because I don't eat meat. I had been veg for 20 years, but I guess it finally caught up to me; I was 10 pounds overweight and tired all the time because of the high carb diet I was eating. I do eat dairy and eggs, but no animal flesh. So, I eliminated all white carbs (bread, rice, potatoes, and pasta), most oil/fats, and most sugar. I added to my diet more protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. Specifically: I eat the same breakfast every day (boring, I know). It is my biggest and favorite meal of the day! Here's what I have: 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats cooked with 1 cup skim milk, sweetened with 1 tsp of real maple syrup. I add 1/2 cup of fresh or 1/4 cup of dried fruit and 1/4 cup of walnuts or slivered almonds. I also drink 2 cups of coffee with fat-free half & half. For lunch and dinner I eat some combination of: brown rice, quinoa, beans, tofu, or eggs with lots of vegetables. For snacks, I eat only fresh fruit or a small handful of nuts. Other than my coffee with breakfast, I only drink water or skim milk (12 oz per day maximum). After dinner, I usually treat myself with a couple of dark-chocolate covered almonds. That's it. It was super easy. I'm a pretty boring eater anyway, so I don't mind having more or less the same thing everyday. People vary greatly on this - my husband would DIE if he had to eat veg/LC. I still cook meat for my family, but they eat the vegetables, salads, and brown carbs I make for myself, plus the occasional white carbs I don't eat. It has been three months and I feel much better, have shed the extra weight, and feel motivated to exercise since I'm taking care of myself by eating a healthier diet. Please ask if you have any more specific questions.

I also plan to use WWS with my daughter eventually, but she will just turn 9 in October- much too young to start WWS (based on the feedback on this and the logic stage forum). She is still using WWE and benefitting greatly, but I think there will need to be a gap-filler for the next couple years. Hopefully IEW (via Essentials) will fit the bill.

I think the main benefit of the questions is to ensure the child is 'attending' during the reading. We've recently (mid-WWE3) switched to having my daughter read-aloud the passage and then I ask the questions, trying to answer them myself before glancing at the answers or before she responds. It occasionally challenges me too. I think a PP correctly assessed that the questions require that the student capture details, while the summary style narration requires that she understand and remember the big picture/main points. Both are valuable skills, thus we'll continue doing the questions.

Oh, a unicorn indeed! I've never even heard of a homeschool STORE. There is no such thing anywhere near me (probably a good think - I'd spend too much).

Thanks for sharing your experience. I also like clean, simple & to the point, so I wonder if I'll have a similar experience with Essentials? Hmmm. What did/do you and your son think of the math portion of the program? Does he enjoy the games and drill? Has it improved his skills?

Yea for us. In response to your questions, I don't know yet. We're joining CC Foundations & Essentials for the first time this fall, so I guess I'll find out soon. I have purchased the Essentials guide, and I've just begun to flip through it. We, too, are comfortable with our current grammar program and writing program (FLL3/WWE 3), but I like the idea of having some external accountability and the support of learning with others; plus, I find the dialectic discussion so much harder to pull-off at home with just one student. The practical advice (how to set up the Essentials binder, for instance) from Brandi at Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood seems like it will be very helpful. Check it out: http://www.halfahundredacrewood.com/2012/05/preparing-for-essentials.html Hopefully some experienced Essentials parents will weigh in...

Haven't had time to read other responses to this post, but OOOOO, BOY! had I let myself go. I've been homeschooling 7 years and ages of my four kids are below. I've done extended breastfeeding and mostly co-slept with each child. So, I've either been pregnant, nursing, or co-sleeping with a toddler/preschooler + homeschooling for a very long time. My husband, all the while, made plenty of time for his interests and was supportive of me doing the same, but I just didn't. Finally, I realized I was tired all the time, frequently grouchy, 10 pounds overweight (could have been worse, I know), and terribly un-fit. About 6 months ago, I began exercising regularly (walking 3 miles daily or using elliptical machine) and 3 months ago I changed my diet (already vegetarian, I eliminated most carbs/sugar). Guess what? I feel better. I've lost the 10 pounds. I'm happier. Yes, I'd let myself go and it was so much easier to 'right the ship' than I thought. Do it. You'll never regret the time and effort you spend on yourself. My kids and husband are all so proud of me and they like the healthy/fit version of me much better! Oh, and I kicked the almost 4 year old out of bed and into her room with her sister. They're having a blast and she never looked back. More s*x with my husband, too. Everyone wins!

No specific advice, but we have similar food issues in our marriage/family. None of the kids has ever had a problem with any food, luckily, but DH and I certainly see things differently. I've been vegetarian for 20 years+ and he is a big meat eater. Actually, he is a total food snob (I say that lovingly!). He grew up as an only child of a fantastic cook. In fact, she still is a great cook and most of what I know, I learned from her. But there is rarely a dish or meal I make that at which he doesn't turn-up his nose. Our early agreement was that I would cook meat and feed it to the kids, but just wouldn't eat it myself. Unfortunately, it turns out that vegetarians aren't very good cooks of meaty dishes. Who knew? My solution? I just let him cook most of the time! And, my older girls are becoming great cooks. I've often joked that I'm easing into retirement (from being the primary food provider of the family)... Good luck with the elimination diet. I know that is challenging even with full spousal support.

Sounds fun. Keep us posted on how the group turns out.

Total cost at Lulu? I dislike having to print myself or read on the computer. I'm old-fashioned that way. I'm so tempted by Mr. Q, but definitely prefer to buy a printed version. Audio would be even better.

We use MM as our main program, but BA is a beloved supplement. Some use Beast as a math spine, but since the program is just being published, I don't feel confident going that route. We have just finished MM 4A and are taking a Beast break. We were both so excited to do math this morning! Such an alluring program, but I 'blame' her fantastic mental math skills, deep conceptual understanding and general zest for math on MM. It is a gem, but the two together are even better.

WWE/FLL. I believe in the SWB approach to writing instruction and language development. I really like that both require me to interact with my student. A workbook-based program will never, IMHO, bring about mastery; it is all too easy to fill in the blanks without really owning the concepts.

Essentially, yes. If they have the suggested books, I'll grab those, but I don't sweat it. I've come across some gems this way, that I would have otherwise have missed. Lots of twaddle, too, or books that are not age-appropriate, but those are easy to filter out after a 30-second perusal and I just leave them on the shelf.

I make no attempt to collect all the books for use with SOTW. I just look one week ahead and when I'm at the library, I pick up whatever books they have on that topic (for non-fiction) or whatever version they have for literature suggestions. We read them, narrate them and then return them. I don't miss the IG, in that I disliked being told what pages to read per day or specifically which books to read. This has worked well for us. Now if you don't have access to a good library, or if your library habits are not well-organized, it could be problematic.

This is what I'm thinking of doing with my 4 & 8 year olds. I plan to buy the science cards for this cycle. I will have my older daughter do some copy work/narration/dictation from the card and then dig deeper with library books (we have a fairly extensive home library and access to a very good public library), BrainPop videos, and an occasional lap book, project, or report. What about having my 8 year old base most of her presentations on science topics, to give her a reason to do a little research/project/activity to present to her class?

What ages are your boys? Thanks for the clarification on which topics CC Cycle 2 covers.

Ah! Thanks for the head's up on the long-division chapter. We just finished MM4A and decided to take a Beast Academy break. My youngish 3rd grader just slogged through the measurement chapter; she handled it well-enough, but I think based on the warning about the long division chapter (which is next), we'll take our time getting back to MM and then also be prepared to take breaks during that marathon of division.

Back with another question about Essentials. For those of you who have had a child go through it (or have tutored Essentials yourself), do you use the optional spelling rules/lists as your main spelling instruction? Also, is the vocabulary included with IEW enough for vocabulary study? Or do you recommend completing another program at home? We are using R & S for spelling (and plan to continue, unless advised otherwise) and plan to use Vocabulary from the Classical Roots for 4th grade.

I think you're on the right track. When we've gotten bogged-down with math a few times (with my older two girls), we've done just as you've suggested - taken a break from the current path and pursued something different, either at the same level or back a level. We've taken time to review what she knows well (and, therefore, feels confident doing) before progressing ahead or sometimes even sideways. We've used MM for this (while Saxon was the main program), Live Online Math, and, once, a math tutor to just present things a different way. I think I'd be tempted to move him over to CLE since you're familiar with it/comfortable using it.

To the experienced TOG users: Is there any value in the PopQuiz feature/product for non-TOG users? I am quite happy with our SOTW history and lit for now, but we do enjoy listening/discussing while in the car. Can Pop Quiz be used as a stand-alone to review things we've studied via another curriculum?

I own MCT, but haven't used it. Actually, I decided to shelve it until after we complete FLL 3/WWE3, so we may be pulling it out soon. Wish I could offer more help in that regard. I think FLL 3/WWE 2 could be a good combination for the child you describe. There is enough to writing to get him doing it fluently, but not enough to instill a lifelong hatred. My non-reluctant writer has used it exclusively this year and she writes very well for her age (but does not write reams of paper for pleasure). We completed her FLL/WWE at an indoor playground one day this this week and after she had returned to the playstructure for fun with her sister, a older woman (grandmother to the young children with her, I suspect) sitting at the next table leaned over and asked whether I was homeschooling. She commented that only a homeschooled child could answer questions like that and only a homeschooled parent would think to ask her child to summarize a passage as I had. I passed the book over so that she could see the narration that I took down and then the two sentences my daughter wrote from dictation. With a look of shock on her face, she told me that there is no way her 8-year old grandson could write like that. "Oh, he writes a lot!" she exclaimed,"I just can't read his writing or follow the story at ALL!" I relate this story simply to underscore the fact that the SWB method of writing instruction looks different. It is different. There is no Writer's Workshop, a la current public school fashion. I don't mean to be critical of Writer's Workshops (I plan to mix-it up and utilize this approach this summer), but it is a very different approach. If you haven't already done so, I recommend listening to her audio lectures to see if the method will mesh with your goals and expectations.

Good for you. Whether you accept the challenge or not, it is a testament to your skill set that they think you're right for the position! Good luck with the decision.