I've used both MFW K and AAR level pre-1 and level 1. If your child already knows their letter sounds and has a basic intro to math, you will find MFW K very light. I would recommend just continuing with AAR, Singapore math, HWOT and add some science and Bible. Some great science recommendations for K are Magnets to Mudpies, Magic School Bus, Read and Find out series or Elemental Intro to Science. For Bible I would simply read through Jesus Storybook Bible, memorize some verses (use Hide me in your Heart CD), and maybe add some Veggie Tales DVD's. This would make for a more productive year. IMO. :-)

We do a lot of read alouds. We have done this since she was about 3 yo. She reads by herself for 20 minutes a day, but that is her "fun" reading. (Nevergirl books, Anna and Elsa chapter books...) I know that many feel that should be enough. I would like to add a reading program to our days, though. I think a Reading program adds more than just comprehension. I guess maybe my initial question wasn't thorough enough, and I apologize. So, referring specifically to any reading programs, does anyone have any opinions or suggestions? Ideally, I'd love to find something like BJU, but hopefully cheaper! ;-)

My 2nd grader reads well, but we've never focused much on comprehension. I like the looks of BJU, but I don't love the price. CLE seems okay, but the Mennonite stories seem strange to me. I was also considering HOD's Drawn Into the Heart of Reading (DITHOR), but it looks difficult to implement. I haven't seen it close enough to truly evaluate it, though. I would love to hear opinions on these programs as well as suggestions or other ideas that worked well for you and your student(s).

Also, Home Art Studio DVD for kindergarten is a lot of fun. I feel like it doesn't teach the concepts as well as How To Teach Art to Children, but they create a lot of great art projects!

Evan Moor - How To Teach Art to Children. This is a great source for teaching basic art concepts. It's targeted for grades 1-6, but it could easily be used for kindergarten.

Never mind.

I don't have any feedback yet,but I recently just discovered Wayfarers, ELTL ... I immediately fell in love! This is the closest thing I've seen to a Charlotte Mason curriculum. She even schedules composers to study, and her living books lists are awesome! I just purchased Wayfarers year 1term 1, ELTL 2, and RLTL 1 so I can dive in more. I'm looking to use Wayfarers in the fall, but I'll start ELTL and RLTL soon. I look forward to hearing others experiences, but I have struggled to find reviews. I did recently discover both a yahoo group (that the author is involved with and will answer your questions) and a Facebook group with active users! You might learn more visiting those forums.

I know this is an old post, but can anyone provide any updated reviews? I'm having a very hard time finding reviews for Wayfarers, but I am very interested!

Thank you all for your insight. I think I'm even more confused about Biblioplan now. There are just so many components. Maybe that's God's way of telling me this isn't for us at this time in our journey. I recently discovered Wayfarers curriculum that also uses SOTW, and it seems quite simple to use. I'm trying to find some reviews on it now as well. I'm trying to determine which history (or all in one) curriculum that we will be using next year. I would like to make the right choice so I don't feel the need to switch every year.

I went ahead and bought Year 1 Term 1 from Amazon. I need to sit down with a hard copy to get a better understanding. The samples are pretty thorough, but I want to see the full term in person. I would still love to hear others' experiences.

I've recently discovered Wayfarers curriculum. It seems to follow Charlotte Mason's principles, and it looks wonderful. I'm wondering if anyone has actually used it and could provide opinions. My kids are 6 and 7, and I was considering using SOTW anyway. Wayfarers uses SOTW as the spine. I've also been considering English Lessons through Literature (ELTL), and that is the recommended Language Arts as it is by the same author as the Wayfarers curriculum. It seems like this might all be a good fit, but I would love to hear some reviews. I've "searched" for reviews, but I'm not finding much.

I think they're both great for their purpose. I chose VP First Favorites, but we didn't end up sticking with it. Try to look at samples. I think MP required more writing, but don't quote me on that. We are doing a variety of literature units, including those from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

We've really enjoyed Elemental Science. We've studied animals and their habitats as well as diet. My girls have enjoyed it and retained the info.

I have seen a lot of posts about how people love Biblioplan, but it's usually their first year with it. I am trying to determine our next steps for history, and I think BP is appealing. Have any of you used Biblioplan for several years and still like it? Is it overkill? I'm debating using SOTW with the activity guide or going all in with Biblioplan. I like that BP has everything scheduled out for you, there is a craft book, coloring book and discussion questions. I guess I just want to know opinions on "is it worth the investment"? I can afford it, but I don't want to buy a bunch of extra books that are going to sit on the shelf. Thoughts?

Thank you for the suggestions. I called MathUSee about my 7 yo. They advised that we should start with Alpha because she still does addition using her fingers. They recommend going through Alpha at a quicker pace to get her to master facts. I would still like to know if anyone has experience using Right Start Math with a special needs kid. Her delays are due to years of medical treatment and visual impairment. She hasn't been diagnosed with any specific learning disability. We haven't pushed for testing, though. I didn't realize there was a specific board for special needs, so I'll try to post on there as well. Thank you!

I have 2 daughters, aged 5 (K) and 7 (2nd grade). I need advice from those with experience using Right Start Math and Math-U-See. My 7 yo dd has been doing Singapore, and is currently in 2A. We don't like it, and now they want her to "using her friends" measure things in meters. Well... that's not going to work. We've been leaning towards Math-U-See. She watched the demo, took the placement test and she seems to like it. She knows how to add (with carrying) and subtract (with borrowing). The placement test recommended that she start in Alpha because she doesn't have her addition facts memorized. Any thoughts on this? I would hate to place her too low if it's not necessary. My 5 yo has developmental delays, and math is going to be a challenge for her. She can't write numbers. She can count to 10 most of the time well. She can't identify numbers in print. She has a difficult time staying focused. I was leaning towards Right Start Level A for her because of the hands on activities and games. I think they will keep her engaged. Any thoughts from experienced RS Math users? ... particularly users working with special needs kids? I am open to other suggestions as well. TIA

Have you considered Trail Life USA? It's a scouting program with a focus on character! We belong to the girl version - American Heritage Girls. We love it. It surrounds the kids with like minded kids who are focusing on building skills while having adventures together. Their website states : Trail Life USA is a Christian Outdoor Adventure, Character, and Leadership Program for boys and young men. Here's a link to their website incase you're interested. http://www.traillifeusa.com/ The fall session is just starting so now would be a great time to check them out!

I am doing the teaching time first, yes. I agree that she doesn't have to every single one. I cross off half of the page quite often. She just shuts down and the tears start. I'm considering switching to more of a manipulative heavy curriculum since I'll need that for my youngest anyway. I'm trying to determine the pros and cons of the options currently available.

I could use some help or any advice! I have a 5yo and an (almost) 7yo. My 5yo has learning delays. She needs everything to be simple, hands on and possibly fun. She can't write and doesn't recognize numbers yet. My 7yo hates writing so when she sees a page of addition/subtraction problems she shuts down. So far we have used/tried : Horizons - I love the colorful pages, but they put SO many problems on each page or lesson. I tried just crossing out half of the problems or skipping lessons. She still panics at the sight of all of those problems! Also, I feel like they work is quite advanced for the grade level. --- This would never work for my 5yo. Singapore - I just do not like Singapore math. I wish I could pinpoint what it is. I feel like my kids aren't learning anything when we do it either. Math Mammoth - I love the price, but again so many problems per page. We need something that utilizes manipulatives instead of all workbook as well. Rod & Staff - I just started R&S 2 with my 7yo. She already hates it! Each lesson has a ton of problems. It's black and white (no frills). Lots of tears! I'm thinking I'll need to use something with a lot of manipulatives / very hands on. I've been debating Right Start Math and Shiller Math. I know Math U See is another option, but I've heard a lot of people say that their kids seemed behind when using this. I would love to hear some people's experience with any of these or any other suggestions to research. Thanks!

Winter Promise - I just ordered and received American Story 1 to do with my 5 and 7 yo. I always liked the "idea" of Sonlight. I love the living books, and I love the schedule and notes all laid out for me. I really don't love Usborne books or many of the other books they use for history in the early years. Also, I need more hands on activity suggestions. I LOVE the choices for WP. They use living books and the schedule/notes looks quite similar to SL. They include project/craft packs with options to choose from for hands on learning. I purchased the Science (1st level), and it uses the Usborne Encyclopedia (which I like) just like Sonlight. It is quite basic, but that's what I was looking for as I have a 5 yo in the mix. I also purchased the LA for K and 2. They have suggestions in the weekly notes on assignments to align with the various history (theme) levels. So far I am in love!!!! I have always read a lot of complaints about shipping time and poor customer service. I was quite hesitant to order. I decided to take the plunge, and I am so happy. Within one week of ordering, I received all items (except one). The only issues I've had was the link to one of the ebooks didn't work, so they sent me another link quickly, and the timeline figures were missed in the packing. I called yesterday, and they said they would send them right out. I'm so happy with the whole experience so far. We start our new year next Monday!!

As for picture study, I visit Ambleside Online and access prints for free from tons of artists. I just printed Degas prints for the fall.

Check out simplycharlottemason.com and also Zeezok music study. For artists we like to add fun books like Katie Meets the Impressionists and Suzette and the Puppy.

mom2bee Thank you so much for taking the time to write a thorough explanation. I'm feeling more confident about giving TRL a try.

mom2bee you might be right. I read too many reviews. There are always going to be bad reviews on every curriculum. I know that. I see that you can get The Reading Lesson "kindle version" for FREE right now on Amazon. I am going to review this on the kindle app I have on my mac. I'll try the first lesson with her and see how she responds. Do you supplement with Explode The Code (ETC) or Bob books? Also, I have been teaching her letter sounds first. I have read Ruth Beechick's book. I agree that that is important.

My 5 yo has fine motor delays, visual impairment, and she has a few other delays as well. She is still working on learning her letters. I've been using AAR Level pre-1. I need to determine what curriculum to use to teach phonics. The letters/words need to be bigger than in the average book. I don't want the pages to be cluttered. I don't want a bunch of "extra fluff". We don't need games, worksheets and activities. I like short lessons. Here are some that I've considered so far... AAR - I feel like there is so much unnecessary "stuff" to do with each lesson. The lessons seem to take forever. I used level 1 for my older daughter. Also, I would like to not have to spend so much on so many different levels. Phonics Pathways - The pages seem very cluttered. I have heard good things about this program otherwise. The Reading Lesson - The pages seem great. White, clean, large letters. I've heard many say that their children did not do well with this program. Many hit a block a few lessons in or finish and still can't read. Sing, Spell, Read & Write - This sounds like it would take forever to implement each day! Delightful Reading (Simply Charlotte Mason) - This is appealing to me. I've not read many reviews, though. Price is right, and I think the mix of tiles/whiteboard would work well for dd. Alpha Phonics - This seems interesting, but I really struggle to understand how the lessons go. The samples don't provide much insight. LOE Foundations - Way too much time and fluff. Thoughts? Feedback? Opinions? --- Thanks!