Ridonkulous.

Thrift stores!!

So this doesn't include the Pathway Readers, correct?

Smart kid.

I keep looking at it for spelling for 3rd grade next year, wondering if it would be enough. Anyone have any thoughts?

Me too!

Just adding in, to the OP, that I could have written your post word-for-word. My pencil-phobic DD is 8.

Interested in what others say...

Whatever you end up doing, could you just add Digging Into Diagramming to it? (I have never used it, but I also want to diagram with my daughter.) http://www.growingwi...r.com/1DID.html

I have the Fire. It's good for reading, but the apps stink.

The blog, Satori Smiles (the mom is on these forums, which is how I found it), has a wonderful list for you... http://satorismiles.com/curriculum/story-of-the-world-1/

My Sonlight and HOD catalogs are all dog-eared by now. I keep looking and drooling at them, but every time, I end up deciding that they won't work for me. But I love all the book choices. I think I will also check out the LBC site...

Wonderful, thanks!

I am new at this, so I am just curious... what would you say the differences are? I am discovering that my daughter is not really one for "projects" but she loves living books and listening to me read.

Cathy Duffy's book, "100 Top Picks," helped me immensely.

(but... she does love the DVDs AND she hates to read... for what it's worth.)

Our daughter was interested in our Leapfrog Tag Reader (if that is what you are referring to) for about a week and then completely lost interest. Sometimes she just listens to stories on it, but as an education tool, it was a bomb for us.

Do you think I would need to also do Apples and Pears for the Spelling? We are doing Rod and Staff Spelling right now, and although I like it, I am wondering if she is actually going to retain it.

Now that we are homeschooling full-time, I believe that some of my suspicions might be correct... I think we might be dealing with some mild dyslexia. What would you recommend for a 2nd grader who needs help in this area? Any specific programs or books? Anything NOT to use? Thank you in advance!! Ellen

We have been doing it for three weeks. So far, the book-- we love. The AG-- eh. BUT, I did a bunch of research ahead of time for projects and extra books on my own. If you want it right there, the AG is great. I like the maps as well. Just not sure if it was worth the price we paid, though.

Links to the books and videos on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Eats-Early-Alton-Brown/dp/1584797959 There are also quite a few clips on YouTube.

My daughter loves old episodes of Alton Brown's "Good Eats." You can learn so much from those episodes! There are also 3 huge books about every episode that have been published. I have thought about turning it into a cooking curriculum for next year...

Okay, all of you helped me pin down which math would be best for my daughter (Math Mammoth-- going great, btw), so let's see if you can help me with grammar! Looking ahead to 3rd grade, here is what I would like... -not too rigid or boring so that it becomes a dreaded subject (I understand that there's probably not a "fun" grammar out there) -not too abstract or floopy -little bit everyday -not too much writing (We will most likely be doing WWE for writing) -not too Charlotte Mason-y. I know that only using dictation/copywork is not our route. -diagramming-- yes! -good retention If you know something that fits that bill, I would love to hear it! -Ellen

We have been doing MM for a week. So far, it's awesome. No math tears.

(Mark Kistler was actually a student of Bruce McIntyre. They both rock!)