I'll check it out. Thank you!

I'm looking for a typing program for my 8yo and 10yo boys. Any recommendations?

I agree. It did take me a while to figure out where everything was hiding on ThinkCentral. They definitely could've done better with the organization of online materials/resources. It's a shame, because it really is a fantastic program, in my opinion. Now that I have it somewhat figured out, I will definitely continue with the program next school year.

I started out this school year using a lot of Evan-Moor books: -6-Trait Writing -Grammar & Punctuation -Spelling -Word-a-Day -Paragraph Writing -Daily Reading Comprehension ...and I'm sure there a few others that I've forgotten. I felt very overwhelmed using so many different books. I think the books are fantastic for supplementation, but as a curriculum, I think they are lacking. It didn't seem like we got very in depth with any topic. Most of the books cover a topic a week, which didn't really seem like enough time for my kids to grasp the concept. I could be wrong, but that is my impression. I still use the spelling and reading comprehension daily. We completed Grammar and Punctuation. The rest we use, as necessary, to reinforce a certain topic.

I went here to find the ISBN for the specific grade's teacher guide I was looking for: http://www.hmhschool.com/store/ProductCatalogController?cmd=Browse&subcmd=LoadDetail&ID=1007500000079451&level1Code=6&frontOrBack=F&sortEntriesBy=SEQ&division=S01 Click on the grade you're looking for, then find the ISBN for the "Teacher Edition Collection." I then did a google search. I ended up getting my grade 4 and grade 5 guides through abebooks.com. RockyMountainTextbooks was the seller (http://www.rockymountaintextbook.com/). This was the only person that I could find selling them. :( I contacted Saxon Homeschool and they said they would not sell the teacher's guide to homeschoolers. Lame. I'm so annoyed that so many publishers have gone to digital teacher's guides. I understand that some people like it because it's cheaper, but at least give me the option!

I believe all of the quizzes and tests are only available online. Other than the tests, I didn't use any of the online components for the first few chapters. It's possible to do. With that said, now that I'm able to navigate ThinkCentral a bit better, the online component really does enhance the program. It has virtual labs and digital lessons, which really helps mix things up. If you do decide to skip the online component, I'd recommend trying to find hard-copy teacher's guides. The teacher's guides also contain the lab info and inquiry flip charts. I have the full ScienceFusion program and still bought the hard-copy teacher's guides. That was out of personal preference for me. I'd rather flip through a book while I'm teaching, as opposed to searching for something in a digital guide.

I'm not sure if this is useful to anyone, but I've added the full 30 weeks of spelling lists for Evan-Moor's Building Spelling Skills, grades 3 & 4 to spellingcity.com. https://www.spellingcity.com/kjaye/

You all are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you!

What a great idea! I've been trying to figure out what we'll do over summer. Seems like a no-brainer, if they're quick and easy. :)

Wow! I currently have a subscription and was thinking about canceling. I felt like I was doing so much "weeding" to get to sheets that I wanted. This makes it SO much more worthwhile. Thank you!

For those of you who have used this program, what are your thoughts? I read that Homeschool Buyer's Co-op is going to be offering it again soon, so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile.

Thanks, Christie! I'll look into it. I saw that it's on sale at the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op right now.

I have an 8 year old ds, who I've been using Harcourt Horizons grade 3 math with this year. It doesn't seem to be a great fit for him. He picks up concepts really quickly, but he lacks self confidence with math. We will cover a concept one day with this program and may not readdress it again until days later. He shuts down, to include tears, because he feels like he should already know how to do the problem when we do come back to it. For this reason, I'm not sure a spiral-based approach is best for him and think he might do better with a mastery type program. He was in a Montessori program for 3 years, so his math foundation used a lot of manipulatives. This background made me consider MUS, but I've read mixed reviews of the program. This is our first year homeschooling, so I'm a little overwhelmed by all the options. I appreciate any help you all can provide!

Also, could somebody tell me how I can update my signature block? When I go to "My Settings," I get an error message: Sorry, you don't have permission for that! [#1026] You are not permitted to modify all or some of your profile information.

I'm so happy I found this site! This is our first year homeschooling and most days, I struggle just to keep my head above water. I'm looking forward to reading suggestions/recommendations from the seasoned homeschoolers out there. :)