Funny I had to email the manufacturer and find out how much bible was included and they said not much. We are doing the red version but the yellow version looked like it included much more biblical reference. We are almost on Unit 4 so after a month of using the only part we found that was bible reference was David and Goliath. And since my dad had already mentioned the story to my son we went ahead and did that one. So at this point I would say it's few and far between. It seems to have mixed reviews but I've really been loving it!

I have to say it's really hard to find what works for your child and your teaching style. We've spent way too much money switching from one thing to the next. Right now we're taking it easy with only Singapore Math and Learning Language Arts Through Literature while we're taking a short break from AAS3. You just need to read lots of reviews, make your decision, dive in, and determine if it works for your family or not. Just know that it may take a few tries before you settle on something for a longer period of time.

My first grader really gained quite a bit from AAS. I'm not sure what LA program you are using but none that I've seen are great at teaching the rules like AAS. We are currently taking a break from it since he's in level 3 and focusing on LLATL but I plan to return to it soon!

What about LLATL for your youngest? It's my current favorite! You can get it done in 30-40 minutes and it is supposed to cover all LA. It can be a little weak in a few areas but I haven't found anything major so far.

Horizon. I read it was an advanced program but it ended up being too much repetition for us. Nice color workbooks though!

We only have red but based on what I've seen it's absolutely necessary. We love it by the way!

After buying MUS and it not working for us, I decided to take a different approach. I bought MM and SM since both were cheap (workbooks only) just buying the smallest half year of MM online. I reviewed them both and felt both were good. We used both for about a week then I asked my son to make a choice and he decided on Singapore. I liked the approached of buying a few of the cheap ones and letting him decide. I also like that I have a "backup" should SM not work out down the road.

Yes! My son whines with each new subject that I pull out. Is there anything to change it? Or is it just "that way" with some kids?

My son had this and it went away within a week of removing gluten. We later needed to add probiotics, some yeast fighters, and go completely grain free (paleo) with him to remove some neurological type symptoms (spaciness, etc.).

Based on my understanding - no. There are so few apps for the Surface compared to the iPad. But I don't have either so it's probably best to hear from someone that has experience with both.

I'd love to know this as well!

We did! I really only took off Christmas!

It does feel a little much to me but my oldest is in first and I know learning time increases as they get older. I personally might look at some ways to cut back or perhaps see how your child handles that type of schedule and adjust accordingly. One of my favorite books is "Simplicity Parenting" by Kim John Payne which would offer you some clues of things to watch for that your child might be doing a little too much. :)

I have no idea! But there is a HS convention in April close so I'm hoping to narrow down my choices then! At the very least I need to find some science and history for my first grader which will be second grade next fall.

I recently went to the kaji store and bought only 1A for 16.50 and printed out the sections I needed on my color printer. Was a great deal! DS ended up choosing to use SM instead but it didn't concern me since it was such a small investment for MM.

I don't have two that are school aged yet but for my first grader I'm really loving the red LLATL. I'm guessing you could use it for both? And probably AAS as well?

We had similar aspirations and it didn't work out with our schedule. I needed to do most of school in the morning in one sitting due to my work schedule and I found that I was trying to cram in too much to a wiggly five year old and I have a three year old and eight month old similar to you. He is now at a first grade level and we are currently only doing Singapore Math and LLATL. I really like AAS and will probably bring that back at some point. But that's it! I'll probably incorporate some history and science next fall but for now we're focusing on the basics and keeping the extra stuff out to avoid burnout for him and to keep his interest high in LA and math.

Everything! We purchased Singapore Math and MM but after working with both for a few days my son wanted to go with SM. Then we dumped McRuffy first grade everything and went to LLATL and so far we are loving it! I also purchased some BJU books, Plaid Phonics, and Spelling Workout to review but I might just stick with the two above for a while and table the rest.

I used several of these for my first grader (though some were 2nd grade workbooks) and they just didn't work for us. It felt like there wasn't much teaching involved. We'd just open a book, write a few words, then close it and open the next. I didn't feel like my son was gaining much knowledge from them, more like busy work. It's hard to explain but it felt like in order for him to learn we needed to spend more time in a single subject. We just started LLATL and I love it. I know it has mixed reviews but we purchased a year ahead and it's working great!

Where to begin? Calvert K Phonics Road McRuffy First Grade everything IEW PAL Math U See Alpha I could go on but that's a good start!

My son didn't like OPGTR as a next step. He preferred smaller readers with pictures, the smaller the better for a while so it felt fun and boosted his confidence.

We tried McRuffy for my first grader but I didn't like it. We just started LLATL and I'm really enjoying it so far (the red set)! CLE also looks great so that one is next on my list but we're in a similar boat that I'd prefer LA to be contained in one program. Keep us posted on your progress!

I used both but not the way recommended above. I just taught AAS with the tiles and skipped over the tiles section in AAR. We only read the stories and did the activities for AAR never referencing the tiles. It worked great for us!