My dd loved when we switched to poetry as she found the work load a bit easier.

We've used all levels of RS, first edition only. My dd (10) is alternating RS level G with AOPS pre-A. My ds (almost 8) is halfway through RS level D. I routinely skip warm-up sections that I know he doesn't need, combine lessons together that go quickly, and break up lessons that we need more time on. We rarely play games and my son only uses manipulatives when I feel that he would benefit from it. I've had no problem modifying the program to suit our needs. Good luck!

My dd (9) has worked up through lesson 55 in RS level G after going through levels A-E. She also did Beast 3A-D as a review and I think we shall start AOPS pre-algebra in January (picking up RS G sometime in March perhaps?). With that background, she enjoyed the beginning lessons very much, but it certainly is getting to be more difficult. The geometry lessons are fantastic, but we are at a point where we need to stop for a bit before moving on. She has been bisecting lines, calculating areas of different polygons, and comparing angles (alternate and corresponding). If your son enjoyed the drawing lessons in level C then he will probably like G. Also, just in case you weren't aware, there is a very short Rightstart Fractions book that we went through as well. HTH.

Both of my children did SSL as a fun intro to Latin. They didn't retain too much from it, but I was just trying to introduce the language a little. We have since completed Prima Latina, Minimus, and Latina Christiana (finished just this week). I would think that my 3rd grader would find it babyish, but you know your child best. Check out the samples together and see what you think.

We are almost done using RS Fractions...on day 34 out of 42 days. I'm glad that we've gone through it as it shows me that my daughter needs just a little more practice with finding the LCM and using that to come up with equivalent fractions. The first half of the fractions book was super easy for my daughter after level E, but then we encountered the GCF and LCM and I don't remember seeing much of that in E. I actually really enjoy RS methods of teaching math, even more than Beast Academy's approach. However, I must mention that we are using several different materials: RS Fractions, RS level G, Beast (currently in 3C), and Hands on Equations. My hope was to slow my daughter down a little before getting to AOPS pre-A and I think my plan is working. We should have enough material to last us through the year and start AOPS in January, perhaps.

I simply mentioned the reading speed because I wasn't sure which child the OP was planning on using Fred with. Her oldest daughter appears to be 8 and my daughter is also 8. Now, I realize that the beginning books are super simple, but she may want to start from the beginning.

Depends on how quickly your child reads. My dd loves the Fred stories and read through all of Cats and Dogs today. Granted, the topics are way below her math level, but I think a chapter a day is definitely doable.

We are currently doing the Rightstart Fractions book two days a week, one day of level G, and 2 days of Beast Academy (currently 3C). I find a lot of Beast to be review, but that's fine with me for now. There are a few new tricks and its teaching my daughter to look for the easier way to solve the problem instead of just slogging through. I wrote about the Fractions book if you care to take a look into that: http://www.blueskiesacademy.com/2016/02/rightstart-math-fractions/

You can now reserve tickets to the monument online, and that's a fantastic improvement imo. I didn't enjoy the mint tour very much, but that was many years ago so perhaps it's changed. I believe that's the same year I toured the Pentagon (so it's been some time) and that tour was also uninspiring, but I don't know if that is an option any more.

We've used their K and 1st grade enrichment guides. Love their art cards and my daughter is doing well in Latina Christiana. I've also used their cursive program for my daughter, and both my son and daughter learned to read with their Classical Phonics materials.

I would skip the American Indian museum. The Washington Monument would be quick to do and you can reserve tickets ahead of time. It's also right in the thick of things as far as memorials go. I also wanted to mention that the circulator bus is fantastic for visiting all of those places not covered by the metro.

For another option, Rightstart has a Fractions book that has about 40 lessons. I put up a post about this a few weeks ago and included photos of 3 of the lessons...that may give you an idea of how the program works. We've also used the first book in the Keys to Fraction series, but it wasn't the best fit for us. I hope you find something that works. I know how frustrating it is to try to explain a concept as best as you can, only to realize that we've confused our child even more or have made no difference whatsoever. :) http://www.blueskiesacademy.com/2016/02/rightstart-math-fractions/

I'm in a similar situation as you. Here is what we do: I've been using the Rod and Staff books that are written in Spanish. The teacher's guide is in Spanish only, but I haven't had a problem using it. My son is in Nivel A and my daughter just finished Nivel D. We have also supplemented here and there with some workbooks that we picked up in Colombia on one of our visits. We used to use homeschool Spanish academy and I think it is fantastic. If you pursue this option make sure you find a tutor that clicks with your children as there are several to choose from. We no longer use HSA because I now pay a Colombian lady to come to our home twice a week to supervise my children's Spanish lessons for the day and play games with them. She also helps them with their art lessons and the clean-up afterwards. My children also Skype their abuelos at least twice a week and we try to arrange 2-3 trips/year where they can stay for 3 weeks with them. It is difficult to fit this in, unless you have the mentality that it is a priority. I have it on my schedule and we just get it done....10-20 minutes per day instructional time really helps to grow their vocabulary and reading/pronunciation skills.

My daughter really enjoyed those lessons as well, and now she is working through Level G.

double post

I found MEP Reception to be great as a pre-K program. It can be done orally and you can elaborate (or not) on the lesson depending on your child's interest level that day.

I've used TOG ever since K for my dd, as a wonderful booklist for her and me since my grasp of history was lacking. Fast forward to now, and we are in the Middle Ages the second time around and my son has joined us. My daughter has started doing map work and some other activities for TOG while I only do read-alouds with my son. We also use Rightstart. Level A is great for K while I think of level B for 1st. However, I have only used the first edition, and briefly looked through the second edition of A before deciding that it wasn't for me.

It doesn't matter which way your children subtract: if they are more comfortable going right to left then continue with that. I'm another person that really likes left to right once I figured out how to do it that way. Oh, and it's not a new thing at all.

I've used CSMP, Sigapore Essentials, and Rightstart. All are fabulous curriculums. CSMP and Essentials (especially the first book) are great for pre-K, and the beginning of Rightstart is also very good, but it will soon get to more challenging material.

You may find Singapore Earlybird too easy for the most part. I actually prefer using Singapore Essential math for pre-K, but I made a post a while back comparing the two programs with lots of pictures since it was so difficult to find preview pages. Sorry, I can't seem to link when on my iPad so you get the url: http://www.blueskiesacademy.com/2011/03/singapore-earlybird-versus-essential-math/ I hope this helps with your choice a little, but those first few homeschooling decisions can seem so monumental. :). And as aside, we chose Rightstart as our full time program after I became disappointed with how Singapore treats the place value topic.

My children enjoyed the Whistlefritz DVDs, but I don't have any good CD options for you.

I would seriously reconsider not using the student pages. My experience showed that the guide was not that easy to use, and the part that my children loved (the pictures) were absent....I would have to draw myself (which is not one of my strong suits). I found the guide to be overly confusing, and I quickly abandoned the idea. I don't think it will matter too much where you start; some of the review questions would probably reference stories that you hadn't covered yet, but those would be easy to skip.

I give the ITBS since I can order it and give it at home. Sometimes I am befuddled by the questions, and wouldn't know which answer to pick. However, by giving the test myself I get immediate feedback since I can look over her answers to each section after we finish the testing for the day. But, would I put a whole lot of stock in those scores? Probably not...she tests better than average, but I feel the real advantage lies in me being able to look over her answers to know which exact questions she missed. If I did not have access to the test then I think it would be completely unhelpful experience.

It's crazy how we can get one child figured out and then the other decides to be completely different. Which Beast Academy did you try? 3A has a notoriously difficult start.

We have used whatever we have on hand and my children don't seem to mind.