I had a tooth pulled on Tuesday. I've spent the past couple days obsessing over the possibility of dry socket. You can swallow (I've been swallowing like crazy because of an increase of saliva), just don't drink through a straw.

Is Bible Heroes a writing program?

:bigear:

She's almost 6, and she wouldn't be using it yet. I'm purchasing her 1st grade items all at once, but I'm going to be holding off on spelling until she's done with OPGTR. I'm drawn to Apples and Pears because of the format and all of the crosswords and word finds and because AAS is more expensive than I'd like it to be, but AAS has great ratings and it's supposed to be great for a hands-on learner like my daughter.

What do you think is a good spelling curriculum to start with? If you don't know whether your child is a natural speller, a terrible one, or somewhere in between. I've mainly been looking at AAS, Apples and Pears, and Spelling Workout, but I'd be open to other suggestions.

Thanks, I'll look at the AAS samples. I've decided to try WWE (The text without the workbook) and to alternate it with Draw Write Now.

Okay, thanks so much for all of your input. I've officially decided against The Wand. The OPGTR is enough for phonics and I could get so many books for my daughter to read for the price of The Wand.

Hmmm...I wonder if Noeo involves less writing.

Very true. This is one of the things I've been going back and forth about. Originally, I planned on using Story of the World, but then I realized that in 5th grade, I would end up doing ToG anyways. It seems expensive to use for the lower grammar stage, but I like the idea of continuity. Ahhh, I just can't make up my mind, it seems.

Question, do you also feel that WWE is scripted and boring? I want to do The Wand more for the copywork/dictation than for the phonics (although I would try to do it all) mostly because I've always been turned off by the thought of WWE. But on the other hand, The Wand is expensive.

She's going to be 6 when she starts, if that makes a difference. I started her kindergarten year after she turned 5 and plan on continuing that way. I think she would be able to do the ES writing. She would be doing history and science in the afternoon, separate from her math and language arts work, so I don't feel that the writing would overwhelm her. If I were to cut down on writing, it's good to know that it shouldn't be from ES. OPGTR really is heavily scripted and boring, but I can't get over how well it works. Nine months ago my daughter only knew the letter sounds, now she's over halfway done with the book. Her progress amazes me, but I don't think it's done much to give her a love for reading. Phonics is her least favorite subject.

That's definitely something for me to consider. Jot It Down isn't going to be a priority for us, it's going to be something that we use for breaks (it's 10 separate writing projects for 5-8 year olds, I don't mind if we only do a few projects a year). On a daily basis I will be trying to balance OPGTR and The Wand, I'm not sure how that's going to work. This is one of the biggest things I keep going back and forth on. The OPGTR is working for us, but it's not fun at all. The Wand looks like a funner, more hands on approach to language arts, but I'm not sure how well it would go with the OPGTR (which again, is working wonderfully). As for DWN, I'll look at the samples again. Thanks for your input!

Anyone?

Sorry, I have the Light Blue series too. On the cd, 1A is the addition, subtraction, place value part and 1B is time and money.

It's been great! We're almost finished with 1A and we've decided to take a Life of Fred break before starting 1B, because it just looks too challenging for her at this time. If I had to go back and do it again though, I would still start her on it in Kindergarten, but I would go through it at a slower pace and add more games than I did.

My daughter's finishing up her Kindergarten year soon and I'd like some feedback for what I have planned. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Language Arts Phonics: Continuing The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading Handwriting: Draw Write Now (not because I think it's needed, but because I think my daughter would love it) The Wand for some phonics, spelling, and grammar Jot it Down for fun writing projects I go back and forth as to whether this is too much, or just not enough of what's needed. I'm planning on starting her on a formal spelling program either in 2nd or when she's done with OPGTR. Math MM Grade 1B (Grade 2 when finished) and Life of Fred History, Bible, Art, Literature Tapestry of Grace- Year One Science Elemental Science, Biology w/ lapbooks

I'm in New Jersey. Nothing is taboo to talk about here. We have no conversational boundaries and/or tact.

I'm having that exact problem right now. My girl is 2/3 into K and we're just finishing up MM 1A, but I don't think she's ready to move on. I'm planning to do some Life of Fred mixed with some self-made reviews so that she doesn't forget what she's learned before starting MM 1B. Edit: I want to add that the reason I'm choosing LoF specifically is that, while we love Math Mammoth, it's not a fun program. It's very straight forward and thorough. I need a balance.

Stay home. Keep them away from other children. I may or may be saying this because we've been getting colds non-stop from the kids at our co-op.

I got it last night for 99 cents. Was the price a mistake?

ESV and yeah, I highlight.

I found the website overwhelming too! And confusing. I called the number on the website and Julie herself had to explain everything to me :mellow: (she was SO unbelievably helpful, by the way). It's helped me a ton to follow her on facebook. My daughter's finishing up kindergarten now, so we've been incorporating poetry tea times and friday freewrites into our routine and eventually we'll be adding in Jot It Down and, possibly, The Wand. I was intimidated by the price at first, but I really want my daughter to love reading and writing and I feel that Brave Writer's the perfect thing to keep it fun and creative for us.

:bigear:

I hope I didn't offend anyone by saying "only". I'm referring to what's useful for us as a family at this point. I had no intentions of formally teaching my 1st grader government.

I just finished reading Matt Walsh's response to this. http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/10/17/an-inspirational-message-to-the-haters-of-america/