We did Elemental Science Logic Biology (LOVED) and Grammar Chemistry (MEH...) last year and they were good but....I thought I would LOVE it being independent but I just felt like it had too little involvement and I spent our Friday reviews reteaching pronunciation and the like (I have a BS in Botany and as MS in Forestry so science is my strong suit). So, this we are going to step back and do insects and astronomy from MP...alternating with one on Monday and one on Friday and lots of outdoor time. I'll be doing it for 3rd, 4th & 7th at different levels for all.

Why of why do I get sooo torn.... So...I was convinced I was going to us MCT next year... Then, the MP catalog came, and I started wondering if we would be happier doing grammar and writing that way... Then, I finally took the time to look at Brave Writer and it COMPLETELY resonated with me and I had a major ah ha moment.... So why oh why am I still looking at MP????? HELP!! Anyone! Tell me to QUIT looking!!

Thanks IrishMum...after doing a lot of research last night I am actually considering using both...seems that they would complement each other...

Which would you recommend for a twice a week curriculum for 7th, 4th & 3rd...and why?

bumping

DS used it for 4th & 5th. Followed up with Getting Started With Spanish this year. All three kiddos (8, 9 & 12) will be doing Lively Latin next year as my younger two are not ready for GSWL at as early of an age as my oldest was.

Thanks everyone!! Noted :) Voyages Extraordinaire is the name for the collection of novels Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea & Around the World in 80 Days. I appreciate your thoughts but I have no problem with him reading The Once & Future King. He has read The Hobbit (dozens of times), the complete Lord of the Rings, The Simarillion, The Odessey, The entire Inheritance series (multiple times), the entire Narnia series, His Dark Materials, much of The Canterbury Tales, Romeo & Juliet (OMG - that one has to have been the worst for explicitness), and MidSummer Nights' Dream. He is exceeding mature, and I know that he can handle TOFK with no problems. I really want our first 12 weeks to focus on mythology so that is why I am heavier on those genres. I had not considered Ivanhoe or Robin Hood!! Thanks...going to add those for consideration. I have The Rats of NIMH on my short list...it was one of my favorites at his age. Not familiar with some of the others, so I will take a look. Also, we have been doing MBTP for 4 years as well, so he is very familiar with Lit Studies. Thanks! I have read 20,000 Leagues but that is the only one. If no one just jumps up and down for the others, I will go with that one :) He has read the Odessey but not the Aenied.... Never considered Wells or Kipling...they are now on my short list :) Thanks! Going to look up The Wizard of Earthsea series.... Great info for White Fang vs Call of the Wild...it's been a while since I have read either and my Jack London loving DH was no help in jogging my memories. We read The Little Prince this year as a read-aloud. All of mine (11, 8 & 7) ADORED it. THANK YOU EVERYONE....off to look up books....anyone else?

FYI...DS12 was a HORRIBLE, HORRENDOUS, ATROCIOUS, pull my hair out speller.....UNTIL this year. Since second grade he has scored 99th percentile in reading and 5th to 10th in spelling. Then, this year....he tested AT GRADE LEVEL! While this isn't 99th percentile it made me do the happy dance. Whether he just finally caught on (I know this is an issue for many gifted readers) or it is curriculum, I do not know. But this year we switched to SWR and he seemed to really like it.

I am trying to set my lit study reading list for DS12 (reading at college level; ADORES fantasy novels) at 15 books for next year. For the first third of the year, we are focusing on Greek Myths & Arthurian Legends and I have scheduled... D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths Black Ships Before Troy The Once & Future King Black Horses for the King The Story of King Arthur & His Knights For the last two thirds of the year, we are focusing on adventure novels with various themes and I have scheduled... Robinson Crusoe Gulliver's Travels Swiss Family Robinson Call of the Wild OR White Fang The Wind in the Willows Peter Pan Treasure Island A Wrinkle in Time One of Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires So....which one of Verne's novels would be YOUR pick to go on this list AND what 1 book would you add to list 1 or 2?

After drooling over MCT for a couple of years, I have finally found budget space for it. I will have 2 in Island and 1 in Town. However, -we will definitely be using some MBTP units next year -we were going to start Lively Latin (finished GSWL) -and have been doing Writing Strands Level 3 I assume that with MCT I can drop Writing Strands all together and eliminate much of the writing and grammar parts of MBTP. Am I thinking correctly? And what about Lively Latin...will the roots work be complementary or overkill? TIA!

I participated in TIP in the 80s and my oldest son does now. Because of TIP I graduated from high school a year early but more importantly, because of TIP I knew I wasn't alone. I got to spend 3 weeks every summer with "nerds" like me who were fun, smart, quirky, beautiful/handsome, and cool. No one was afraid to raise their hand; no one was made fun of for being smart; and best of all - there were tons of kids SMARTER than me :) Now that my son is in TIP, there is also CTY. I can honestly say that he has enjoyed the CTY offerings more but we have done some of both. TIP and CTY both have spent decades studying gifted education. They are advocates for gifted education and understand that the top 5% are as different from the normal child as the bottom 5% and deserve to have their needs met as well. If you have a child that can participate in either of these programs, I would STRONGLY encourage it. They will never forget it.

We did Elementary Chemistry and Logic Biology. My son really liked the Logic Biology but we quit with Elementary Chemistry because it was just fact after boring fact.

We LOVED RSA & RSB - especially the games. Then, we started RSC and foundered...so we left and moved to LoF. Then, I stressed out (even though they adore LoF) and went back to RSC. Things went well for a while and I began to wonder why we left. Then after about 6 weeks we hit a wall. Kids were bored with the shapes/perimeter/area work so I was flying through 2/3 lessons a day but while my youngest was getting the multiplication by their method, my middle was struggling horribly and just did not see the connection. So....we went back to LoF and added in MM. I think we will most likely continue next year (today is our last day for this year) with some combination of RSC, LoF & MM...

It's actually my oldest son...and I know absolutely NOTHING about the two exams you mentioned but will Google tomorrow (when my eyes aren't half shut :). Thanks

Thanks! I have the MBTP unit but think I will pick up the MP unit at the convention to have as well. 25 lessons isn't that bad (the MBTP units are usually 10 or 12) so I think if I combine the two orally it will work well. Thanks for all the input!!

We have done lots of the MBTP units :) Never thought about the MP unit being for an ENTIRE year??!! Is that true...Paradox5, Mama2two?

Thanks guys...has anyone used the MBTP unit?

DS12 LOVES Greek mythology and we are taking up D'Aulaires' Greek Myths next year. For any of you who have done Memoria Press or Moving Beyond the Page's Unit, what did you like or dislike about it and why. Or...would it be overkill to pick and choose some from both. I have the MBTP unit, just wondering if I should pick up the MP one at HEAV conference next month... TIA!

What comprehension level do you think is best for the sassafras twins books? I just looked at those...my kids retain SOOO much from Story of the World and Magic Tree House. I'm wondering if they would like these as well...

:) do 12-step programs exist for curriculum stalkers...if so, I need one...Curriculum Buyers Anonymous :) Thanks, guys. I always freak out that there are things we won't cover and then realize that buying them doesn't mean we are covering them :) Does anyone have any experience with Memoria Press units? My kids are OVER the middle ages so do not want to return to Good Masters Sweet Ladies but was instead thinking about maybe doing Charlotte's Web and Treasure Island and maybe one more....

We tested today and only have 3 weeks left :) One lesson learned from our 4th year....I can fall in love with TOO many good curriculums. What does this leave...multiple subjects half abandoned, plans for next year up in the area and too much money spent. So, you ask, what all did you buy? TOG Year 2, Units 1 & 2 WP Equine Science RS Math Level C LoF - Apples, Butterfiles, Cats, Dogs, Edgewood, Farming, Fractions & Decimals, Percents, Elementary Physics AND Pre-Algebra with Biology MBTP - The Hobbit, Good Masters Sweet Ladies, The Prince & The Bard, The Greek Myths SWR Duke TIP - Growing Up Heroic Lively Latin Getting Started with Spanish Etiquette Intermediate 2 (The Etiquette Factory) Elemental Science Elementary Chemistry & Intermediate Biology Writing Strands Starting to get the picture....We actually USED all of these in some form or another except for the ones I did not BOLD above. So...now is the time of year when I start dreaming of "how we will do things better next year" and I begin the oh so challenging curriculum stalking. I am even going to the HEAV convention this year in June. A few things I know... 7th Grade We will continue with LoF for math We will do writing with Johns Hopkins CTY (already put the $ in the budget) and fill in between classes with Writing Strands We will do The Easy Spanish We will continue with Etiquette Intermediate 2 We might continue with Elemental Science Intermediate Biology...notice I said might...if we have the money I would like to do science through CTY 4th/3rd Grade We will continue with both LoF and RightStart Math DS8 will do The Easy Spanish, DD9 will do The Easy French (her request) We will continue with Etiquette Intermediate 2 -As much as I love TOG it is too much for us with all the other subjects we do. However, DS12 (who just scored 14.9 GE on reading fluency and >18.0 GE on passage comprehension) has really gotten into the historical readings so I do not want to drop that part. -I remember what I loved and what I hated about MBTP. The literature is great!! The units are thorough. But the kids get bored after unit after unit. -I cannot keep up with what I need to run a biology experiment and a chemistry experiment every week (I have a BS in Botany and a MS in Forestry, so science should be the easy part, ha!) -The kids ADORE it when they all work together and when I read aloud to them. -They have begged to return to SOTW (we were halfway thru 3 when we stopped last year). They miss the question sessions and liked coloring the silly pictures (even DS 12 admitted to that) and I miss the map work. So.... History/LA Do I go back to SOTW and supplement with the extra readings from the activity book and WTM AND pick up 3 or 4 MBTP units to use through the year OR Do I continue with TOG and just use the reading and vocabulary like we did the last part of this year and add in MCT? OR Do I try the Trail Guide to Learning Series OR Do I try some of the Memoria Press units... Suggestions...comments....observations...complaints... :)

Stack the Countries app for iPhone & iPad:party:

Talk to me about WP Phonics? I was headed towards Spell to Write & Read...(and in fact have already ordered it). But now I like WP as well. I have a 3rd grader who is struggling to read and doesn't ever read on her own for fun and a 2nd grader who loves to read and devours everything in sight.

Oooh, thanks. Would not have thought of that.

How much do you pay for your DC's ballet lessons? $40 for the first class (ballet), $20 for each additional class (jazz, hip hop, tap, etc.) How long are the lessons? for K it was 45 minutes for ballet and 30 minutes for tap for 1st & 2nd it was 1 hr for ballet and 30 minutes for jazz How many lessons per week? One lesson per week - back to back so dance lasts 1.5 hours for us right now Is there an annual registration fee or something similar? How much is it? $25 the first year, nothing after that Who teaches the early levels (say about 10 yo and younger) - older students or a trained adult? trained adult who is studio owner but she also has a high school student there as an assistant for the PreK and K classes What do you pay for costumes (or costume fees)? Do you keep the costumes? Usually about $40 to $50 per class. Yes we keep them.