When dd (who is normally a great memorizer) hit the wall re: the multiplication tables, I decided to give Times Tales a try. She LOVES it, and even better she is memorizing the facts amazingly well thanks to the stories and pictures. Division is clicking as well. I am so glad we decided to give it a try. She's going to be so sad when we don't need to review it anymore. I just bought The Adventures Penrose the Mathematical Cat and More Adventures with Penrose to see if she will enjoy them.

My dd will be in 3rd next year, and we will be studying American History using the unit study Portraits of American Girlhood (it uses the American Girl books). Since you love unit studies so much it might be a good transition history, and then you could move them both into ancients the following year. We have the SOTW audio cds, but I just let dd listen to them in free time. This year we have been using CHOW (A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer), and we are both enjoying it. It gives an overview of history from ancient to modern times. Calvert makes a workbook that has outlines to fill out for each lesson as well as enrichment activities for many. We are also using Memoria Press' Introduction to Classical Studies that uses the Golden Bible, D'Aulaires Greek Myths, and Famous Men of Rome scheduled over a three year period. (I've really been impressed with the "Famous Men of..." series and hope to purchase them all.

:lurk5:

You might also check out this resource: Peak with Books.

You can find out a lot here by searching for "MCT." There is also an MCTLA yahoo group. If you look here you can see the levels of Michael Clay Thompson's language arts programs: Royal Fireworks. It typically starts at a 3rd/4th grade level. In short, (at least in the early levels) it is a non-traditional method of studying grammar which is introduced through a book you read together with your child. MCT has a four level analysis: 1) parts of speech 2) parts of sentence 3) phrases 4) clauses. Through the initial book you learn what all of these are and then you practice using the practice book...sentences that you break down using the above process. In addition to the grammar, the program includes books on vocabulary, poetry, and writing. The books are interwoven, building on each other and hence deepening the understanding of concepts learned.

My dd was always so very sad each day when we closed the book. "Can't we read a little bit more?" Gotta love it!

Check out the resource shared here: Paddle to the Sea guide link eta: Sorry...I see you posted in that thread, so it must not have been right for your ages.:blush:

Three hours is generally all we need to complete the work for the day. I would try to accomplish as much as possible in the two hours before lunch--without rushing or cramming--and then take an hour or two after lunch if needed to finish up or to assign independent reading.

Here are some of our favorites and most used: A good dictionary (we use the American Heritage versions, first the "Children's" then the "Student's") Readers/read-alouds from Sonlight/Ambleside Online lists--I read through the Ambleside Online lists and make sure to get catalogs from Sonlight each year so I can have an idea of great books to be on the lookout for online or at 2nd hand stores, etc. Christian Liberty Press' Nature Readers--great for independent science reading--when they are ready--and great in combination with nature study. Handbook of Nature Study Usborne/DK reference books--For instance, Usborne has a series of First Encyclopedias (Animals, Ocean, Space, Human Body, etc.) which have been used often around here. Let's Read and Find Out science readers FIAR picture book lots for that age I'll post more later if I think of them...

I started using CLE this year, which I equate with R&S to a degree. I really loved the thoroughness it provided. As I kept reading the MCT threads, I began to research it as a possibility for next year. I liked what I saw, and, though I was still somewhat unsure, I decided to purchase it to get my hands on it and really see it. I was so impressed, and it was such a breath of fresh air, that I decided to take a break from what we had been doing and start MCT early. My dd loves it. Perhaps it's the teacher intensive nature of it that she loves most...she really enjoys that we sit together on the couch to do it and that she doesn't have much writing to do. She is, however, learning and internalizing the material. The practice books do a great job of keeping that process going as well as the other materials included in the series. Just yesterday we were discussing similes and metaphors in Music of the Hemispheres, and she stopped me to run off for a moment. She came back with a poem that she had written last year. In it she had used a simile unaware. The study made her remember that line, and now she was able to identify what she had done. I love teaching moments like that...when synapses are firing... Anyway, back to your question. I'm still uncertain if MCT contains everything I am looking for. I haven't entered Sentence Island yet. I still have a fondness for CLE, and I like the wealth of material it presents. I'm contemplating the idea of adding it in somehow, down the road, if I still want to. But, I can tell you that MCT is entirely worth it, whether you use it only or as a supplement even. Of course, there are children and parents it will not work for as with any material, but for those that it clicks with, it is pretty remarkable.

We just moved this past year, and we love our library. The people here question our sanity...but if they only knew the library we had moved from they would appreciate their own much more. I bought most of our books. I spent lots of time diligently searching ebay, homeschoolclassifieds, vegsource and here looking for deals. I also used paperbackswap.com. We didn't have much extra money for school and still I managed to build a good home library for her.

My daughter is in 2nd this year, and we are enjoying A Child's History of the World by Hillyer. We read through the story and then work through the outline and enrichment activities included in the workbook from Calvert.

Okay...I finally pulled the trigger. :001_smile:

We are using it now, and dd and I both like it. It's a straightforward, gentle, no-frills intro. We use the dvds and enjoy them as well. Leigh Lowe has a Southern accent, but so do we...so no problem there. :D We used Song School Latin last year, and started this year off with Minimus, which is a very fun intro to Latin. I've misplaced my teacher book :sad: so we are focusing on Prima for now and will add it back in again soon (hopefully).

Well, I don't have a picture...but we do a lot of work at the dining table, and we don't have a separate dining room. It adjoins the kitchen. I use a cart like this to put all of her school materials in (each subject/material has its own drawer). It has wheels, so we can easily move it elsewhere in the house if needed. Of course, I am only schooling one, so we only have one cart. :D That makes it easy right now. We have talked about renovating our garage to make a separate family/school room area, but this has been working fine for us so far.

I had never seen Delightful Dictation before and still didn't look at it until this post. Wow! That looks like a neat little program! Yeah, the primers may not fit with all you already plan. We've really enjoyed them, though, so do take another look. I'm going to look deeper into Delightful Dictation...thanks so much for bringing it to my attention!!!:)

Thanks!!!

We love CLE reading, and I also have a strong reader. I think what you have looks very sound. Draw Write Now on occasion wouldn't be too much...it's like a fun extra. If you don't mind me throwing something else in the mix: Have you looked at the CW Primers? We are using these this year alongside CLE LA 3 and I think they complement each other. I'm not that familiar with R&S, so I don't know...but it might be something to look into. I love the addition of picture study, nature study and narration (things that Serl's PLL would also have, but I think the set up of CW meshes nicely with another grammar...PLL might be too much).

I've never used WWE, but I gather that it is more a writing curriculum using copywork and narration. It is meant to be used alongside FLL or another grammar program. GWG is a basic grammar program that is a solid one. We used GWG 1/2, and I really liked the program. I wasn't satisfied with the review format. CLE LA is what we are using this year. I like it a lot more than GWG. You would choose one or the other...or another... :001_smile: The things that I like about CLE are that it includes spelling, handwriting and grammar; that it provides great review and builds on concepts learned; and that it teaches children to prepare for quizzes. If you have a child that struggles with spelling, the spelling section may not be sufficient. It is fairly independent at this stage and beyond. It is also very thorough. Just to throw something else in your mix, I'm looking at MCT for next year. It is not a traditional grammar program...but from what I have read it is great for creative kids and for inspiring a love for language. I'm still hanging on to my CLE for now until I have thoroughly reviewed MCT, but we'll see. CLE also has a great reading program. We are using this now and plan to continue it. Dd is a strong reader with great comprehension, but I like to have this just to make sure our reading bases are covered. Some people opt to just provide great books for their children to read. Just like with almost any topic, there are many opinions on LA. The important thing is to search for the programs here and read as many posts as you can, get your hands on the products at a homeschool store or convention, and make your decision based on the needs of your family.

I have the SWR spelling rule cards, and I have considered adding them to our schedule somewhere just to give her more spelling tools.

We used CLE LA 3 this year, and I have been very impressed with what it covers. It is very user-friendly, and dd is able to do a lot of it independently. We also use the CW Primers, and they actually complement each other very well. I have purchased CLE LA 4 materials for the first half of next year, but I have been very intrigued by MCT. I have a very creative, word-loving girl...I think this might be more her style. I'm going to purchase it and give it a try, but I really like CLE enough to not want to part with it too soon.

Thanks so much for sharing this. If you don't mind me asking, when did you begin/do you plan to begin vocabulary?

Just know that when you do this you lose seller protection and the buyer loses their protection as well. I don't like to use this option except with people I know or have purchased from before.

BJU Math 4 Who Is God? Apologia Bible Writing Tales Portrait of American Girlhood Holling C. Holling books for science lessons with dad Nature Study Latin (Stellae class at Lone Pine Classical) Elementary Greek 1 CLE Reading 3 Harmony Fine Arts for art/music appreciation I'm still hammering LA out...I have loved CLE LA 3 this year, and I have purchased CLE LA 4 for next year. However, I am very interested in MCT and plan to purchase the Island level to see how it will work for dd. We'll also have gymnastics, Awana, Girl Scouts and outside art classes.

Dd has a very good memory...so the spelling hasn't been a problem for us. I know a lot of people supplement it or skip it and use something else. Here's a sample list (CLE 304, Lesson 11): born horn score morning paddle table middle safely hopeful pasted ripest skating leaving April Apr. Each week has 15 words. The last few lessons have been about adding suffixes with rules about how to do that. After being given the rules, the child is then asked to add suffixes to the roots (example: leave (ing)), pick out words with certain sounds ("Write the spelling words that have the a (not sure how to put a line over the a to show long vowel) sound"), marking accented syllables with the use of a dictionary, separating into syllables, writing antonyms and synonyms, etc. Dd reads very well, but I put her in the 2nd reading level because I didn't want her to miss the stories. The lessons are very quick in CLE Reading 2...but she loves the stories and the phonics provides spelling instruction as well. We are also using CW Primers and the spelling sections there (very light) have coincided with the suffix rules, so she's getting extra practice there as well. All this to say, I hope this gives you some idea of what is included. :) It works for us, but I know that it doesn't meet everyone's needs.