Thanks, checked it out!

Curious, what is the LiPS program?

Thanks!

Next week, yeah! I'm ready and I think the kids are too.

Oh, my goodness, please forgive me!! I was just thinking of places and not of people - how embarrassing! :blush: Thanks for the great ideas!

Great, thanks for these ideas! What is Lara?

We will be there for a day or two next week and wondered if there were any educational and/or simply fun activities to do around that area. I know there are some in Denver, I just wasn't planning on going into Denver, but I suppose we could if there is nothing around the Castle Rock area. Thanks!

To me, MFW provides more of a Biblical foundation before divulging into other religion discussions. This may make a difference to you. Why not mesh the two programs? If he likes the hands on activities of MFW and the books of Sonlight, just get MFW and add in some of the Sonlight books. I, too, like some of the Sonlight book selections. Then, in MFW, you can add in the math and language arts of your choice.

Thank you Weederberries, these have been so helpful. Thank you also for understanding these type of kids - they do want to conquer the world, and the sooner the better if you ask them!

Yes, we explained all the possible consequences we could think of. They found a stray cat that is friendly and likes to spend time under the trailer. They were concerned about this cat last night to the point they wanted me to ask their Dad to check under the trailer when he came home from work. Believe me, we are asking all the "Why?" questions ourselves. We're just exasperated.

I'm not talking about eyesight, but about the nearsightedness that doesn't look past the thrill to the consequences that lie ahead. I have a 9 yo DS that basically acts first and .... well, that's about it. Even when we tell him consequences that could happen or could have happened, I'm not sure it really sinks in. For example, this morning he and his younger brother went outside "to think" without our knowledge. It's 0 degrees windchill out with several inches of snow and they thought it would be a neat idea to go lie under a trailer for a while?!?!? We were terrified until we found them. My husband reminded them of the "Hedge of Thorns" story and how the hedge was put there for protection, but the older brother was so curious he pushed his sister through the thorns, much to her detriment. Even after explaining hypothermia to them, I'm not sure the older really "owned it". He does know that he doesn't think of consequences, but we still haven't been able to get him to "think first". I guess the long and short of it is, does anyone else have this issue, and what and how do you go about training them otherwise? I know there are stories they could listen to with character issues, which we are trying to instill. Do they need to listen to stories where less than optimal consequences are played out? If so, can you give me some titles as well as any other ideas? We discipline, but just haven't figured out how to instill responsibility and thinking ahead into him, where he internalizes it. Any suggestions are so welcome!

Do they give discounts if you purchase or order at a conference or convention?

I used Christian Liberty Press last year with my then 1st and 2nd graders and it was not a good fit. It is a wonderful program with a good foundation, but the workbook/textbook style simply did not fit my children best. We switched to MFW for 2nd and 3rd grade this year and it is working much better. I have not tried their 1st grade program, although I know they are coming out with a brand new version in March, I believe. If you can wait, take a look at it when it comes out. If you can, figure out what style would work best for your dc, then you will be able to narrow it down. If the textbook/workbook style fits your ds better, then continue with Abeka or CLP or something like that. If more of a CM and reading flavor tastes better to him, go with MFW, HOD or something like that.

So if you already have something else in mind for grammer, would it be better to do something else instead of EIW (since it has so much grammer in it)?

Another vote for MFW Adventures here. My advice would be to look at their long-term plan for the five year cycle and see if that's the direction you want to head. If not, you can change after Adventures, but Adventures gives a good overview of American History, if that is important to you.

I am interested in these two programs as well and would love a comparison. I have heard good things about both, which makes it difficult to choose. My Ds's will be in 3rd and 4th grade.

I have a DS who skips small words when reading. He has/had an eye tracking issue, which was verified by an optometrist. I suspect that is at least one of the reasons he skips small words and not big ones. If the leading eye has already moved over a word and the left eye has not seen it yet, it is missed. This would make sense with the smaller words that would be more easily missed. We have been doing some simple eye exercises to help with tracking and convergence and I think his reading has improved. This child also had issues with both eyes not seeing things on the same level. For instance, if one eye seen something that was, say, 6 inches from the floor, his other eye would see it an inch lower, or at 5 inces. Does that make sense? Think of it this way: he literally had to cock his head to one side in order for both eyes to see the same thing at the same level. He now has glasses with a prism to help take care of that. A trip to the optometrist couldn't hurt. Hope this helps!

Thank you so much, these have been so helpful! You have given me more confidence in these selections. I really want something to work for my writing challenged sons. Now, to see if I can find them used...... Yes, I will be starting with the Island Level in MCT. Appreciate you all!

I am looking ahead to next year when my DS's will be 3rd and 4th grade. I wanted to start IEW for writing and MCT for grammer and vocabulary. Now I understand that MCT has a writing/composition aspect as well. Now I'm wondering if I should just use MCT for everything or still use IEW for the writing portion. I currently do not own either program, so can't do a "test drive" without spending all the cash. I would like to be pretty sure before the $ outlay. This is made more difficult due to the fact that my older ds has mild dyslexia/dysgraphia issues and writing is especially difficult for him. He doesn't want to write because it "isn't fun". So I need something that will engage him, not be overwhelming, and yet still provide all the language arts necessities in a fun manner. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Have you tried Dianne Craft's suggestions? She has devoted quite a bit of work towards struggling learners. Here's a link to the LA learning overview: http://www.diannecraft.org/tutor3.htm#3 It's also a good website to just peruse if you think your child may be helped by some of her other suggestions.

You were asking about the layout of the Teacher's Manual. Here is a sample of the Adventures Manual: http://www.mfwbooks....f/advsample.pdf As you can see, in the week 11 sample, it is only four pages. It gives you the week at a glance first, then a few pages of more detailed instruction for each day. There are examples of other years on their website. One of the things I love about MFW is the ability to use my own Math and Language Arts. We do use Singapore Math, which they recommend, but we have added a bit more to their LA recommendations due to some dyslexic/dysgraphic issues. In this curriculum, we have the freedom to do that without feeling that our days are too long. Phonics was not "sticking" with my oldest, so we switched to Christian Cottage's Learning Rivers program and have been very happy with that.

We love MFW, although my children are in 2nd and 3rd grade and using Adventures. This is our second year of homeschooling. Our first, we went with a more textbook approach and, needless to say, it didn't work very well. We switched to MFW this year and, even though I research curricula, we're not changing. My kids love the history readings and yes, we do use PLL recommended by MFW for LA. The lessons are short and do not cause meltdowns or frustration. Sometimes we even do it orally. The objective is the good use of language, and the textbook approach we were using, with rules, etc., simply had no retention (or enjoyment, for that matter). We don't use Spelling Power. I haven't ever tried it, so can't tell you about it. I found A Reason for Spelling and it seems to be working. The Bible is great, and we read directly from the Bible many days. We have had some great discussions. My children love the science and the hands on experiments and other activities, which are not overwhelming. If they were, I would be in trouble as I'm not a crafty person! I've heard many good reports from others who have used the younger grades and I know MFW is coming out with a new 1st grade program. I haven't used Sonlight, although I've looked at it and briefly considered it. I know many are very happy with it, but I'm not sure the Bible is as integrated as it is in MFW. I thought I could always use some of their books for read alouds if I desired. I can also tell you MFW believes in the infallibility of Scripture and a young earth creationist viewpoint, which are things we appreciate. Hope this helps!