Legoland is only 5 minutes from my house so we've been there often. Our Legoland has rides basically for the 10 and under set. It also has an aquarium attached to the park as well as a waterpark that is suppose to open by this summer. To me, the one day pass is ridiculously expensive ($75 adults/$65 kids) for the size of the park and what there is to do. Having said that however, the yearly pass is definitely worth it. You can go for a few hours and leave when it gets too crowded. They also have homeschool days during the week.

He will have finished: WWE 1 MUS Beta w/ Singapore's CWP 1 GWG 1, moving onto 2 ETC 6 Phonics Pathways TOG Year 2, units 3 & possibly 4?? We've already finished HWT Cursive and SWR is ongoing...

I'm taking the plunge and starting Tapestry of Grace. I'm starting small; Year 2, Unit 4 which should flow nicely into what we've alrady done w/ MFW and also keep my 4 year history cycle on track. I've been wanting to switch for awhile so the new year seemed like a good time to start. I'm also adding CLE Reading.

I've always liked "Educational Anarchist".

I want to jump into TOG next semester so I bought one unit from year 2. I've loaded it onto my computer along w/ lock lizard but when I try to open up the files, I get a message saying that I'm not authorized and to call their 800#. Am I suppose to call after receiving the disc to get authorization?? There's were no instructions in the package. I initially received the wrong year disc and now my new one isn't working. I'm already getting frustrated with DE. Help, what am I doing wrong! :confused1:

Believe it or not but I find mine at the pool supply store. No local store carries Arm & Hammer W.S. but after some research, I found that pool supply stores carry a product called TSP that is simply sodium carbonate which is washing soda. It says right on the box that its a laundry additive. Go figure...

I'm finally going to to do it but I want to begin by purchasing just one unit. If my sons are in 1st and 3rd grade, are there any other items (eg. map aids, quizzes) that I should purchase as well? I'm going to stick w/ WWE and FLL so I'm thinking I don't need the writing aids right now. Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated!

First let me say that SWB was right on when she recommends to complete a full phonics program with your kids! I made the mistake of trying to use a spelling program with my oldest that said it could also be used as a phonics program. I didn't do it very successfully and now he's struggling as the level of reading material becomes more difficult (right around 4th grade.) Just as SWB said, he's having a hard time sounding out the more difficult words. I'm using Phonics Pathways with my middle son and he's a much stronger reader at this age than his brother. It might be ability but I regret not using PP with my oldest earlier. I'm now going through Phonics Pathways with him as a review but I saw that they also have Reading Pathways. Its suppose to help with reading fluency but I was hoping to get some reviews before I spend more $$. Any thoughts on RP?

My son was struggling with the same thing to the point where he was in tears and I was extremely frustrated. I posted the same question and received some great suggestions which have helped tremendously. First, someone suggested that I allow him to read the sentence(s) along with me. Then I pull the book away and break down the passage into sections. Finally, I write down on a white board any words I know he's going to have problems spelling. That way he's not getting side-tracked. Just a few minor tweaks and some patience have made a world of difference. We've finished up WWE2 and have moved onto 3 and his confidence level has greatly increased. It does get more difficult towards the end of the book (see Week 35, Day 3) but he was able to do it! Keep plugging along, it will get better!

Thanks all. I'll have to get an updated version. Would someone mind telling me what the reading assigment is for week 6?

I bought the program used on this board but my TM doens't match up with my copy of American Pioneers and Patriots. For instance, on Tuesday of week 5 my TM says to read p. 29-34 which was suppose to be about Pilgrims. In my version of AP&P however, it was the story of Jamestown. My story on Pilgrims isn't until pg. 54. I've looked ahead and it looks all the passages for AP&P don't match up with the TM (all other books correspond correctly though.) My TM is copyright 2005 and the paperback copy of AP&P is copyright 1995. I'm wondering if I need a more recent edition. What edition is everyone else using?

:iagree:

I'm having the same problem. I'd like to download their 3 week trial but its not working. If anyone figures it out, would you please let us all know how yo did it?

:iagree: We've used Phonics Pathways along w/ ETC with our middle son and he is reading very well. I only wish I had used the same method with my oldest...

We are currently doing Adventures but we're going to skip ECC next year and go back into the history cycle. I know ECC does give you a good foundation in geography but I don't really want to spend an entire year on it. Plus, we've already did SOTW's 1 & 2 so they've already been exposed to different cultures and countries...

Thanks for the ideas... I do ask him to repeat it back to me before he begins writing. This morning, he repeated the sentences all jumbled up and that's when he broke down. I like the suggestion of having him read the sentences first. I'm just stressing because I know the dictation is going to get progressively lengthier...I might just have to shorten the dictations and hope for the best! :D

My son broke down in tears today when I dictated 2 sentences from our WWE exercise. This is VERY unusual for him to cry over school work but I can see his frustration. He does well remembering facts from the passage, can answer questions in complete sentences and does fairly well narrating back but its the dictation that just gets him. I've tried breaking down the sentences into pieces or repeating it extra times but he just seems to have a block that I can't figure out. I'm wondering if its a visual vs. auditory learning issue?? He does well remembering information that he's read. Dictation though is such a large part of WWE (and other writing programs.) We're almost done with WWE 2 and I know the dictations get much more lengthy in WWE 3 so I don't know what to do. Any ideas or suggestions would greatly be appreciated!

:party: Yeah...another hockey mom! The boys also surf, ride motorcycles and do karate.

We've done SWR for about 3 years and while I like the general philosophy, it is ridiculously difficult to figure out. I'm also not a big fan of the log book, markings or some spelling rules...why not just say that the letter y makes the "long e" sound like in "happy?" We switched over the AAS this year and while I like the overall program, the word levels are really beneath my oldest. I think we're going to go through level 1 & 2 very quickly then I'm going to try something new. I'm going to use the AAS "process" but use SWR's spelling lists. Both programs have good things to offer so I'm just going to take what I like from both and morph it into a program. It should be fairly easy and I don't think it will mess my boys up too much...hopefully...not! :D

Oh...that sticky! :D Thanks!

I see you can buy the cds but where are the MP3's? That would be something we could download immediately, correct?

My quesiton is how do you distinguish swine from the regular flu? The symptoms are basically the same, correct? I understand the protocol and staying at home, etc. but if you suspect the flu, should you immediately go to the doctor to make sure it isn't swine? That would put a tremendous strain on the medical system...

I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet...If your kids are learning w/ MUS, don't give up. I've noticed with standardized tests that although some of the material hasn't been covered w/ MUS, they still have the knowledge to "figure it out." It just looks different than what they're used to, ie. number lines, etc. Our local teacher supply store has test prep booklets. Why not pick up one for the CAT and see what type of "new" material will be on the test. It may be as simple as spending a week or so on this material. I know many MUS kids who've scored very well on standardized tests because they're being taught to think mathematically (even though it is a mastery program.) That's just my 2 cents...

I'm in the club too! I have been considering one for this year though. We're doing MFW Adventures and it recommends making one. I found this free timeline online. Anyone familiar with it?? http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/history/timeline.html

I made the switch from GWG to FLL3 this year as well. I really like the FLL 3 format. Its a workbook format along with some teaching instructions. It also recommends a very reasonable schedule; 3 lessons/week. I like all of SWB's materials so I might be a little biased! :D