So if I wanted something that focused on rules like this: "The letter i represents the long e sound when it appears before a vowel", I should get All About Spelling?

Just in case anyone wasn't on the mailing list, Math Mammoth is on sale today through the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. I'm mightily tempted.

The HIG is excellent, I think. We stopped at Chapter 2, because my daughter doesn't have her addition facts memorized, and I believe the HIG made it clear that she needed to know those before we moved on. So, we're just stopping and working on those. I made up a Montessori addition strip table for her to practice with, as well as a math facts testing app, and a couple of Montessori addition apps. I also made some Cuisenaire type rods out of snap blocks (but ordered some actual Cuisenaire rods). I'm determined to get better at teaching her math, so I also bought Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics, and subscribed to a number of math teaching blogs. This is tough stuff. I have been discouraged too, and picked up Dehaene's Number Sense. I found this quote revealing: Why is it so difficult for us to store them? After all, hundreds of other arbitrary facts crowd our memory. ... At the very age when children labor over arithmetic, they effortlessly acquire a dozen new words daily. ... The answer lies in the particular structure of addition and multiplication tables. Arithmetic facts are not arbitrary and independent of each other. On the contrary, they are closely intertwined and teeming with false irregularities, misleading rhymes, and confusing puns. What would happen if you had to memorize an address book that looked like this: Charlie David lives on George Avenue. Charlie George lives on Albert Zoe Avenue. George Ernie lives on Albert Bruno Avenue. And a second one for professional addresses like this: Charlie David works on Albert Bruno Avenue. Charlie George works on Bruno Albert Avenue. George Ernie works on Charlie Ernie Avenue. Learning these twisted lists would certainly be a nightmare. Yet they are nothing but addition and multiplication tables in disguise. They were composed by replacing each of the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 ... by a surname (Zoe, Albert, Bruno, Charlie, David ... ). Home address was substituted for addition, and professional address for multiplication. The six above addresses are thus equivalent to the additions 3+4=7, 3+7=10, and 7+5=12 and to the multiplications 3x4=12, 3x7=21, and 7x5=35. Seen from this unusual angle, arithmetic tables regain for our adult eyes the intrinsic difficulties that they pose for children who first discover them. No wonder we have trouble memorizing them: The most amazing thing may well be that we do eventually manage to memorize most of them!

http://fromtherootsup.blogspot.com/2011/10/bfsu-flowcharts.html https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7syhYPGrYVLeXpraEhIRE5QZkU/edit?pli=1

Here ya go: http://fromtherootsup.blogspot.com/2011/10/bfsu-flowcharts.html Also, lesson plans here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7syhYPGrYVLeXpraEhIRE5QZkU/edit?pli=1

Ah, I begin to see your point! I think, to me, the dictations, narrations, and copywork are not grammar or writing, but instead an underlying facet of classical education itself. I'm perfectly happy to do all three of those ( 1) dictation, 2) narration, and 3) copywork) ) every single day as part of her critical thinking training. (Not that we've got to much (any?) dictation yet.) To me, grammar is nouns and adverbs and so on, while writing is the act of composition. YMMV In fact, my child does a narration in nearly every subject every day, and I'm OK with that. Maybe we just have different ways of looking at this?

elmerRex, you may wish to meet Gil. He's cool, and has 2 boys about your child's age who are similarly accelerated.

My go-to music appreciation sites: http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/printit_notename.htm Classics for Kids You could use "Story of the Orchestra" with "Musical Instruments Coloring Book (Dover Design Coloring Books)" http://www.maestroclassics.com/educational-materials.aspx If you have some money: http://www.classicalkidsnfp.org/

I do year round, but take long breaks. ("You've got camp from 9-5 today? Sure, no school." "Traveling between Christmas and New Year's? No school." "Daddy taking a day off? Sure, no school.")

My 6.5 yr old independent reader enjoys it. We do MWF, and thus far, it's mostly memorization. "What's a noun?" "What's the difference between a common noun and a proper noun?" "What is the caterpillar poem?" Takes us about 3 min total for the lesson.

You may find this helpful: http://fromtherootsup.blogspot.com/2011/10/bfsu-flowcharts.html Plus, Nebel is on a Yahoo group and does awesome presentation suggestions.

If you're interested in old reads, I adore Sir Richard Livingstone's A Defence of Classical Education

This is pretty cool, and you might find it useful, particularly the Hakim/SOTW correlation: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/SOTWmenu.htm

We do WWE on MTWRF, and FLL on MWF. So far, (grade 1), I haven't found much overlap. I'm not using a handwriting curriculum, so the copywork is my opportunity to insist that she write nicely. I find that repetition is the key to reinforcement.

I think it depends on their receptive language skills, but generally, I make it a point to ensure that my daughter's read-alouds are above her reading level. If your child's receptive language skills are OK, I'd definitely do read alouds that are above their spoken vocabulary--how else is your child to learn new vocabulary, right?

Just think---all that pattern making is excellent for mathematical skill. Counting and numerosity and oh, the list goes on. All my best algebra students have been knitters or sewists...and a Rainbow loom is just an adapted knitting board. :)

If you want a rigorous, free math program, why don't you give MEP a try? I've heard great things about it, and it is, after all, free.

I'd include music appreciation. You can get it for free, if you have internet access and/or a library. In theory, what I want to do is learn about a composer one week, an instrument the next week, some small piece of music theory the week after that, and record a piano piece the week after that. (My in-laws gave us a keyboard). I want her to practice at least 10 min a day on the piano. Another thing to do would be typing. The BBC's Dance Mat Typing is free and good for small children. Or coding. I also recommend handicrafts: sewing, knitting, embroidery, calligraphy, weaving, carving, pottery, origami.... The eye-hand coordination is excellent for handwriting skills, the production of a tangible product is good for their mental health, and quite frankly, my best algebra students have all been knitters and sewists, who have an almost instinctual sense of numbers. ;)

Oh, wow, I missed that one! I love maps!! Too cool!

Press Here is always a big hit in my house. Sally and The Something. Interrupting Chicken.

I have 1A/B and so that's what I'm answering from. In the grand scheme of things how does SPM develop their word problem strategies?CWP |TOC: Addition within 10 Worked Example 1: Paul has 4 cats. Jane has 3 cats. How many cats do they have altogether? (picture of 4 cats, picture of 3 cats) 4 + 3 = 7 They have 7 cats altogether. Subtraction within 10 Position in Line Addition within 20 Subtraction within 20 Shapes and Patterns Length Weight Addition within 40 Subtraction within 40 Multiplication Division Time Addition within 100 Subtraction within 100 Addition with Money Subtraction with Money Mixed Problems Last problem in book: Alan has 28 stamps. He has 17 fewer stamps than Ruth. Joe has 35 fewer stamps than Ruth. a) How many stamps does Ruth have? b) How many stamps does Joe have? c) How many stamps do Alan, Ruth and Joe have altogether? Are the strategies taught in the textbook and reinforced in the CWP?No. The textbook is basically examples. The teacher teaches the strategies, a la the Home Instructor's Guide. What are the individual lessons like, length wise?It depends. We raced through the first chapter, and got stuck on the second, because it's taking time for her to memorize her addition facts within 10. If you own or are pretty familiar with the PM materials can you please tell me Approx how many examples are in the textbook? It varies widely, depending upon the concept. There are 1-3 worked examples Approx how many exercises are in the textbook?There are usually several pages of examples the instructor is to work out with the student. Mostly non-verbal. Are there any examples in the workbook? No. Are there any examples in the Intensive Practice book?No Approx how many exercises are in the workbook?It varies widely, depending upon the concept. From 4 pages to 36 pages per chapter, with 1 to 8 problems per page. Approx how many exercises are in the IP?It's about 140 pages for a half-year, with 2 to 30 problems per page. When do they introduce bar modeling? If you mean a number-line type of thing, or a Cuisenaire rod type of thing, right away.

Art Lab comes to mind.

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but the WTM Academy is offering writing classes.

.... identifies textbooks approved by the National Association of State Textbook Administrators....

I don't know what you're thinking exactly, but the WTM Academy is offering both composition and literature classes.