In the basic homeschool package they sell just the teacher's guide for CE which means you can get by without the student book. I have used the TG (1st edition) alone with no problem. I just photocopy the exercises for her if we don't do them orally using the book.

I think there is a basic homeschool bundle that has just teacher books except in the cases when a student book is also needed. Yes, you can definitely use it in a supplemental way. We use Rod & Staff as our primary program and supplement with MCT. I think hitting one subject from two different angles is always beneficial. We also do this with math.

Reading--Finish Primary Phonics Series and read first grade book recommendations Math--Finish R&S 1st grade, Miquon + Education Unboxed as supplements Bible--MFW 1st grade Bible reader and notebook Literature--Ready Readers History--World History overview w/CHOW; notebooking w/History Scribe Science--Nature Reader, independent reading LA--Language Lessons Through Literature and CLE LA

Children are so different. It is possible that she will be a natural speller. Right now you can't really tell. If it were me, I would add in a phonics-based spelling program. My dd was an early and avid reader, and I dropped phonics when she began reading well. I now wish I had continued it for spelling purposes as she is clearly not a natural speller. :) She can memorize lists like crazy, but without the phonics knowledge she lacked an understanding of the whys. Fortunately, I've found a great program that is helping--Spellbound. With ds I plan to continue phonics even if he takes off in reading...or at least add in AAS for spelling.

I love it, and so does my daughter. She did lessons 1-30 last school year. Each lesson has three parts and each part has a short video and a worksheet. Sometimes the worksheet is just a grammar lesson and sometime it is exercises. The last part of each lesson is reading. The child listens to and then translates a passage of Latin. The stories are Bible stories. There are schedules available now that link the lessons up with Lingua Latina and Henle for those wishing to add one of those programs in alongside VL. It is not a traditional Latin program. It is more of an immersion style program with reading as the end goal. You do pick up a lot of grammar along the way, but any chanting or memory work is separate from the program and done on your own. When we began the program, my daughter was beginning to glaze over in regards to Latin. She had spent so much time in the bits and pieces that she was beginning to be overwhelmed. Visual Latin gave her a big picture of the language and made it fun again. The teacher is absolutely hilarious, and I laughed out loud while listening in on many occasions. Last semester my daughter took part in the online Visual Latin class. It focuses on Lingua Latina using VL videos to teach grammar concepts as they come up. I found Mr. Thomas to be very professional and each class went as planned. My daughter learned A LOT, but I opted to let her sit out this semester due to her age. She's younger than the minimum age, but we received permission to take the class since she had already completed the first year of VL. However, I decided that even though she could do the work, I needed to let her mature in areas of discipline and communication in order to get the most out of the class. I'm constantly learning in this homeschool journey that just because she can do something it doesn't mean she should. :) We haven't started lessons 31-40 yet and are currently working through Latin Prep. Personally, I like a combination of the traditional form of study and the reading-focused, immersion style. The main reason I haven't added VL back in yet, though, is technical. I finally decided to get with the times and purchase the download instead of the dvd. Unfortunately, our computer was too slow to play them fast enough. We now have a laptop that has the capacity to play them...I just have to figure out how and take the time to transfer the files. :) Feel free to ask any specific questions, and I will try to answer.

Mine will change a million times, too. We begin new levels in Jan., so many things will continue into next year. Since I plan for her to take some online classes down the road, I may work through the summer in a couple of subjects to get us back on a traditional school year schedule. My thoughts so far are: math: finish CLE 6 if we don't this summer, move into Derek Owens Pre-algebra grammar: R&S 6 writing: continue WWS1 and Killgallon spelling: complete Spellbound if we don't this year; if we do...not sure. vocabulary: CE 2 Latin: not sure if I'll just continue LP or pursue something online Bible: The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study by Starr Meade science: continue Behold and See 6 geography: Mapping the World With Art I'm still trying to decide about history, though I am considering The Human Odyssey vol. 1. I'm not sure about literature either, though I'm looking over the suggestions in Where the Brook and River Meet. We may also add in Art of Argument for logic.

We do not have a fixed routine or schedule because things shift from day to day. However, one thing that has helped here is the Accountable Kids system. I put all of dd's subjects in her list and it gives her more ownership in making sure everything gets accomplished. It is much easier when they are old enough to do some things independently. For ds I just put in one card--school--and he knows he has to do everything I have scheduled before he gets to move that card to the completed hook. A typical day here starts with breakfast, then dd works independently on history (Veritas Press self-paced online), reading, and math (after we discuss any new concepts, info). I use that time to teach ds who is in K. We cover handwriting, math, phonics, read from a reader, and read-alouds. When dd finishes those three subjects, she and I do grammar, writing, Latin, and spelling, as well as vocabulary, science, Bible on their days. She has piano on Tues. mornings (part of the reason we have no fixed schedule), girl scouts two Thursday afternoons a month, and art every Thursday.

I would suggest that you attend a homeschool conference this spring/summer if you get the chance. They offer the greatest opportunity to put your hands on many different materials...so very fun. :) You're at the right place. I learned so much from just reading and researching here when dd was a preschooler. Have you read the book, The Well-Trained Mind? Reading it gave me a lot of confidence in piecing together my own curriculum. I didn't/don't follow it exclusively, but reading it helped me get started. Be prepared that even if you buy a boxed set you will likely find yourself tweaking parts of it. We use Memoria Press K as a base. I've chosen to focus on the three r's, and we add in extra things in those areas. I like that MP K and 1st have recitation guides that help you make sure to cover all the necessary memory work.

If he has not learned to write 0-9 yet, I would continue playing math games, doing mental math and using manipulatives while focusing on writing numbers.

I know this is an old thread :) but I just wanted to say that I use, and love, Primary Phonics. They are very similar to the Explode the Code series by the same publisher, but more writing is required. I think that is likely one reason they are less popular. I actually like the writing aspect of them, though. With my dd we went straight through workbooks 1 and 2. She took off reading, and I didn't make her continue the workbooks. With ds I plan to go through workbook 6, but we are not doing every single page. He is reading well, and picks up the concepts quickly. Once he is able to read through the corresponding reader comfortably, I move on to the next section. There is plenty of review to reinforce what is being learned, but, if your child doesn't need all of the review, it is also easy to move on. The workbooks are very affordable. The readers start off slightly shorter, but the majority of them are 16 pages with one to three sentences on each page. We generally read to page 8 the first day and finish the reader the next day, but I'm moving towards having him complete the book in one sitting.

We generally work around 45 minutes a day. That includes math (R&S Arithmetic 1, Going on Eagerly, Education Unboxed), phonics (Primary Phonics, SRA 2), reading (Primary Phonics readers, American Language Series), handwriting (d'nealian), and listening to an Aesop's Fable while coloring a page from this coloring book. We do not do history or science regularly yet, though we occasionally do science experiments/projects. I have recently added in some readings from Ambleside Online year 1. When he is reading well enough I will add in the Bible portion of My Father's World First Grade, which will take the place his regular readers for reading time. I still don't expect to go much past an hour, though, if that.

The R&S preschool books are nice and gentle. Memoria Press combines Counting with Numbers and Going on Eagerly with R&S's first grade math in their K program. We also use Rosie's videos and the Singapore textbooks as supplements. For Bible, we have just added in Sally Michael's God's Names. My ds enjoys it, and my dd (10) listens along, too.

I don't think you need to be worried. SWB often talks about the difficulty transitioning from learning spelling as a skill to putting it into practice in writing. However, I had my own spelling panic attack over my 10 yo dd's spelling issues last year. She was an early reader and read really well, so I dropped phonics instruction in exchange for just letting her read, read, read. We used some spelling materials, but they were not really rules based. She had no problem at all memorizing a list of words and regurgitating them perfectly spelled...but she didn't understand why things were spelled as they were. Consequently, when left on her own she misspelled words often, even those she had previously aced on tests. I went on a spelling curricula spree :) trying all sorts of things. I liked AAS, but I didn't like the idea of having to speed through an expensive curriculum. I happened upon our current spelling material in a homeschool bookstore and got the student book and teacher guide, used but clean, both for a dollar. The material is Spellbound by Elsie T. Rak and published by EPS. I'm extremely pleased with it. One of my favorite features (aside from the fact that it is phonics rule based) is that the teacher guide contains dictation sentences/paragraphs for each lesson. This has been a tremendous way to meld the skill with the writing practice. I can see that she is understanding the rules, and it is showing in her writing. I highly recommend it.

I'll use some of it for clothes and some of it for school things. I consider buying fun new school items that don't fit in the normal budget to be edifying to my life as a homeschool mom. I don't consider it a selfless act. :) As for what I'll get--right now I have Sally Michael's God's Names and God's Promises in my cart as well as an animal habitat book. I'm also eyeing the Life of Fred Elementary Physics book.

I started my ds in MP K just shy of 4.5. He knew his letters and letter sounds and could write the letters prior to starting. We have focused solely on the phonics, math, and recitation sections. I have had no problem using those sections as scheduled, but going through it slowly is definitely an option if she is not ready for the regular pace. The math has been so incremental. I'm very pleased with the program and his progress. Even with a summer break (we started in January and will start back again next week), he has retained so much.

I am using MP K with my ds this year and I love it. Most of all, or at least way up there, I love that it is getting done...in total. I love having it all planned out there for me so all I have to do is check a box. I love the very logical, well-planned foundation it is laying in the basics. However, I am with you in regards to my dd. I am very impressed with MP's sets and do not doubt that they were put together very thoughtfully...by very intelligent individuals. They have also been through the trial run at Highlands Latin School. Yet, I am unable to commit to the upper levels wholly at this stage since I have so many other materials (some SWB, some others) that I trust and want to include. I have duplicated the MP teacher guide for the 5th grade level in Word. I am using English, Science, Classical Studies and some of the literature as they are already laid out (though I am putting the English in the order it is written, not the guide order). I'm using Christian Studies 1 instead of 3, so I'm changing that around. For the subjects I am using different materials in, I have gone through and typed in a daily plan in the subject areas. I did add a "History" section in addition to the "Classical Studies" one since we do more history than MP plans out. I am well aware that the best of plans rarely work out perfectly, so I am prepared to have to shuffle some things around. I feel really good about it, though, and it really has not taken as much time to pull it together as I anticipated. Regarding LCC and SWB's history, you really have to decide which one resonates the most with you. If you can't let go of the SWB way, then there is likely a good reason for that. Possibly there is a way to do it while keeping some of the spirit of LCC in. It just won't look like the MP way, and that is totally okay.

We use Latin Prep and Visual Latin. I love both. We had been using MP, and though I love MP, we were just plodding through LC1. When I added in Visual Latin, my dd's eyes lit up about the subject again. The teacher presents it in a different way (more whole to parts than parts to whole), and the focus is on reading/translating. It helped her to see the big picture of Latin, and the teacher is so hilarious that the lessons are a lot of fun. I was very impressed with her progress. I dropped LC and focused on VL. When we finished VL 1 (Lessons 1-30) I started Latin Prep for some more focused grammar work. I love the way LP has them do a lot of translation work--English to Latin and Latin to English. That helps so much in cementing the concepts. Next school year I plan to continue both programs if possible. BTW--I am also in MS, in a little town that was a big part of the Civil War with a name beginning with "V." :)

R&S English. I stayed away from it so long because I thought it looked very dry. We started using it last year, and we love it. I guess what changed my mind was how flexible the material was. We don't have to complete every exercise if she understands the material, and a lot of it can be covered orally or on the board. It is also very thorough.

What about Galore Park's Latin Prep? Sorry...see that had been mentioned. Not sure how I missed that. :)

I'm currently using K, and I love it. I've purchased the 1st grade guide to move into when we finish. We will use most of it with a few tweaks. I was so impressed with the K program that I also purchased a 5th grade guide. We are happy with different materials for several subjects, but I will be using their science for my oldest next year...and may be following their guide for R&S English, which we already use.

Thank you! This will be so useful!

I would go into Athenaze. There is no need to start with Koine if your plan is to learn Attic or Homeric. Make "slow and steady" the goal. ETA: Just to clarify, the progression of Koine to Attic or Homeric is a logical one since most elementary materials are Koine. That is what we are doing since my dd is so young. With an older student interested in Attic, there is no need to go through Koine first.

Visual Latin and Latin Prep get my vote, too. Visual Latin gives readings/translation work with each lesson that are based on the Vulgate. The teacher has a wonderful sense of humor and keeps us laughing. We have added in LP 1 to spend a little more focused time in grammar. We used lessons 1-30 (Latin 1) of VL alone and are now using LP solo until I combine them both when I add in VL's next set of lessons. ETA: reason I like LP--I love that there is a lot of translating from Latin to English and English to Latin. That really makes her have to think about the concepts and put them into practice. The author of LP also throws some humor into the text.

I would not let the reading issue deter you. My dd is a big reader, too. I have her read for 30-40 minutes during schooltime. I assign the books for that time. However she reads a ton on her own. There are so many great, quality books for kids. I'd just put together a book basket for free reading. MP is a Latin-Centered curriculum and one of the tenets of that philosophy is "multum non multa": not many things but much. Consequently, there will be fewer books but deeper study. Personally, as fond as I am of MP, I do not think literature is their strong suit. There is too much of a fill-in-the-blank comprehension drill to their guides for me. However I do like their book choices and the idea of spending some quality time with a few great books. You may be more interested in a literature-centered approach like Sonlight, Beautiful Feet, or Ambleside Online. These may not necessarily be "classical" in philosophy, but they can definitely be incorporated into a classical curriculum.

I read it when I was probably 12 or so, and it is still one of my very favorite books. Dd read it when she was 9. She is fairly sensitive, but she was ready at that age. She loved the book despite being saddened by the story. Once you read it you'll be able to gauge if your dc is ready.