I would get them. The first day of each week introduces the new card and all the facts printed are displayed and read aloud. However, it is much easier and less time-consuming to be able to use the actual cards to prepare for tests at the end of each week since the tests have review questions from all previous cards. I purchased mine used and saved a bit that way.

Yay! We'll be using MP 5th grade science next year, and this book is a part of the program. Now I'm even more excited about my choice than I was originally. Thanks for sharing!

Ds, almost 5: Finish MP K and move into MP 1st Dd, 10: Latin Prep and Visual Latin CLE Math, LOF WWS R&S English, finish MCT Town components MP 5th science Finish VP self-paced online 1815 to present; read through CHOW while using Mapping the World with Art Phonetic Zoo The Phonics of Drawing, plus outside art class MCT Lit Piano

Just giving you a bump because I'm curious as well. We'll be using it as a guide though tweaking a few things.

We went through Latin 1 with Visual Latin this year. Each lesson has three parts: grammar, sentences, and reading. Each part has a short video lesson and a worksheet. We did one part a day for three days. I think VL is wonderful, and it really opened my dd's eyes to the big picture of Latin. She had been getting bogged down with memorizing all the pieces in our more traditional, grammar-based programs. VL put the pieces together for her. It was also a lot of fun. Dwane Thomas is hilarious. We just started LP1 because I want to balance the immersion style of VL with a grammar-based program. With it's dry humor, LP seemed a good choice to pair with it. I haven't begun pairing them yet, so I'm not certain how that will look.

Given your goals for studying Latin, I wouldn't think you would need to add anything to VL. The goal of VL will be to read Latin, but the program will of course also provide the vocabulary exposure you are looking for. Maybe you could add a root study that would spend even more time in vocabulary. We will be using LP1 with VL2, but I chose to add LP in only because I wanted dd to spend a little more time in Latin grammar. We love VL, and dd has learned so much while using it.

If you happen to have amazon prime, season one is available on streaming without cost. Season two is $1.99 an episode, though, or $14.99 for the entire season (non-hd version).

I have been very pleased with Memoria Press phonics. My ds knew his letter sounds and could write his letters prior to starting. MP phonics teaches writing with the phonics. It has been a great fit for ds. He is reading the Primary Phonics readers (we started the program in January). It has been a very gentle yet thorough program. (We are using all the components of the MP K phonics, not First Start Reading alone.)

This year I greatly enjoyed MCT, Andrew Kern, Christopher Perrin, and Sonya Shafer. I found them all to be well-prepared, inspiring, and challenging.

We are using it now. We just finished chapter one. I had her use a notebook for all the exercises in the text and then complete the workbook assignments as review. We did one or two of the text exercises orally, but she wrote (usually answers only) most in her notebook. If we had had full normal weeks, it would have taken two weeks. We had choppy weeks due to visits and convention, so it took three. The chapters will get much more difficult, and so we will plan for more weeks per chapter as time goes on.

The reason I chose The Golden Bible is due to Vos including commentary in hers. Some people really enjoy it for that reason, and I admit I didn't use Vos' edition for long. I was very happy with The Golden Bible because it simply retold the stories without any added commentary. It also tries to use the flow and vocabulary of the KJV, which I enjoyed even though I don't normally use that version.

We are using the K program, and I love it. I'll likely never use a boxed curriculum fully without some tweaking, but MP is impressive. I bought the tg for 5th and will implement some of it next year with my oldest. I plan to continue ds through the MP progression...with a few tweaks here and there, of course. :) I think you would have no trouble adding in SOTW, but the VP self-paced online classes are nice. My dd is finishing up American history with it. She loves the online program.

:iagree: Veritas Press makes beautiful products, but they haven't always been entirely practical for me. We are currently using their self-paced history, and dd loves it. I enjoy having their history cards.

I think MCT does a wonderful job of introducing and explaining the parts of speech. However, other aspects--mechanics and usage--are not covered (in the early levels) like they are in more traditional grammar texts for those levels. Personally I choose to use it as a supplement to our main program--R&S. One could also simply supplement MCT with something that added mechanics and usage. It's an expensive supplement, but I am convinced it is worth it. It's not perfect, but, what it does well, it does better than anything out there.

I have a younger student, and I don't fully utilize the K program. We use only the recitation, phonics, and math sections fully as they are scheduled. Even in part, I think it is worth it. My advice would be to try and find the guide used, and then decide what you'd like to implement.

Go with your gut, but, once you go, stick to the path. My dd is also mathy and quickly grasps concepts...sees math in her head. We are perfectly content in CLE. She is currently in level 5. We'll be adding in some LOF this year and next, but only because I think she'll enjoy it. I'm planning to start her in Derek Owens Pre-algebra in 6th, but she already grasps a lot of the initial material. I think CLE is providing her with a solid foundation.

I use the complete phonics program as outlined in the MP K tg which also includes SRA phonics, Primary Phonics storybooks and American Language Series readers. I really like FSR and Classical Phonics. Ds is beginning to read (we just started in January), and I am very pleased with his progress. It has been completely without stress. I love how gentle yet thorough the program is. I've said this a lot...but I am so impressed with the solid foundation MP K lays in regards to the 3 r's.

My dd will be in 5th next year, and I have been researching this subject as well. My dd was an early reader, and I dropped phonics once she took off reading. She still reads well above grade level, but she is not a natural speller. Although she has an excellent memory and can memorize any list for a test, she needs something that instead helped her memorize the why of spelling. I have settled on Phonetic Zoo for the audio/visual aspect (she learns well this way) coupled with the independence the program fosters. I currently have a preschooler, so I am also investing in the first three levels of All About Spelling. I'm almost finished going through AAS 1 with her and will continue on through the others before starting PZ next year. We mainly just go over the key cards and refer to examples in the book. She hasn't felt as though the AAS is kiddie. When I do the program with ds it will look totally different.

I use The Ultimate Homeschool Planner by Debra Bell. I received it for Christmas, and I have used it faithfully since. I have purchased The Well-Planned Day twice.... It is lovely and has fun extras, but the actual planning format never works for me. I need boxes. :) http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Homeschool-Planner-Debra-Bell/dp/1935495658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332038634&sr=8-1

Each child is so different. I'm using the K program with a not quite 5 year old. We've only been using it since January, and we focus on daily recitation, phonics and math. I do those three sections as they are posted in the guide. We do not do the extra memory work or the copy books. I prefer d'nealian. Ds was writing his letters prior to beginning and knew his letter sounds. With these three focuses, I never spend more than an hour/hour and a half with him daily. He had already done Counting with Numbers, so that also cuts out some time. There is a good deal of writing, even cutting out the copy book, but it's not too much for him. I love how thorough it is while still being gentle. It lays a solid foundation in the three r's. I am very happy with it and am impressed with all ds is learning and retaining. If you think your child is ready, I recommend trying it...as others have said, it is worth it even when not fully utilized. In fact, I think the recitation guide alone would be worth the cost of the guide for me.

I have never used a "boxed" curriculum before, and I have been so impressed with MP K that I am considering keeping him on the MP track. I even bought the 5th grade guide and plan to use a lot with dd next year. I'll likely tweak things along the way, but I love the solid foundation it is giving ds in the 3 r's. The recitation guide in the appendix is fantastic and makes me confident I am covering all the bases.

I would suggest replacing it with a phonics-based spelling program. I regret dropping phonics with my early reader because she is not a natural speller.

jpope, I sent you a private message. :001_smile:

I called paypal, too, and posted in that very old thread on the sale board when people were first saying it was okay to pay with personal paypal.They at first told me that it would be fine, but when I asked about the buyer protection, they said there would be no coverage through paypal...so it was like a "buyer beware" kind of thing. They have since modified their rules to say this is not an option for buying goods. This is why I have the paypal calculator handy. If someone asks me for personal payment, I often just pass. If I really want the item, I will factor in the fees and offer to pay that price using the default "goods" method. When getting items from friends, I do not feel bad using the personal payment "payment owed" option. And, I am a stickler for rules. :001_smile:

I only use personal paypal with sellers I know and trust. I don't understand why people don't just use a paypal calculator and factor in the needed fees before they post a price.