We do spanish...we absolutely love la clase divertida. It's very repatitive, but as a result, my kids master the concept and use them even in play. I researched the options for spanish for early elementary and while I liked one or two others, there didn't appear to be room for advancement and progression. With la clase divertida there are three levels. Since I started my oldest this year (1st grade) I wanted to have several years before we move to another language (probably Latin). Both my 6 yo and my 4 1/2 yr old are mastering the lessons. I also likes that there is culture and geography included as well as a craft and grammar as appropriate.

We will be moving in March and the tentative plan is that my husband will be driving one vehicle with a trailer and we'll ship my van and I will fly alone with the kids. It's a long plane ride...maybe with a connecting flight...I'll check each of their car seats and we'll likely each have our own rolling carry on. And we'll have our cat traveling below on the same flights. What travel sized games and activities have worked best for you? I do have an iPad with a couple movies loaded- any suggestions on good quality 2 or 3 prong earphone jacks and headphones? Any special words of wisdom from the btdt crowd? My 6 yo is a very active boy and my 4 yo is a mamas girl and a homebody who gets clingy and tired easy....(the main reason they aren't making a week long, or more, drive!) Thanks in advance! :)

We are moving to alaska in March. We moved into our house when our oldest was a few months old six years ago. We have wonderful neighbors...one on each side of us and a third on the other side of one of them. Over the years we have given each other goodies at Christmas, food when we make extra, flowers from our yard, one neighbor has bought our kids and us gifts some Christmases, another brought little souvenirs when she came back from vacation, we have loaned each other power tools and yard equipment, my husband has helped a couple of them (widows) with handyman things around the house as needed, we have watched one's house and kept packages for them on their trips, one neighbors blessed us with a week of their vacation time share for Christmas and wouldn't accept any money for the transfer fees, I could go on and on... I only hope we will have such good neighbors where we are moving (and actually I am praying that we could even become better friends with our new neighbors). All that to say- we will miss them and would like to do something special for each of them. Something beyond a nice plant. (We know for sure one family doesn't drink, so we want to steer clear of alcohol.) My husband thought maybe a gift of landscaping. (I thought that maybe they wouldn't want that?). But in the midst of selling, buying, shipping our house and us, etc, I can't come up with any good ideas. What ideas do you have? We live in California if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance! Lisa

It's official, we will be moving sometime in March to the anchorage area, we're hoping either Palmer or Wasilla depending on what we find for housing. I don't know any more details yet and we haven't gone public with the news quite yet. I currently homeschool (thru a charter school that's very low key) my 1st grader and prek....please tell me anything I might need to know about transitioning to homeschooling in Alaska. Should I go independent or do a charter like program? What should my priorities be in getting started? Do you have any websites or other info that I should have? Do I need to do anything on this end before we go? Are there any good homeschool groups or homeschool resources I should know about? Thanks so much!

Thank you all for your input! It is very helpful. If, and hopefully when, we make the big move, I'll have this great information to help me get started. :)

First I apologize if this doesn't fit this board's topic...I hope I posted on the right one! We are trying to relocate to AK, specifically the Anchorage/Palmer area. Do any of you who live there use your public library extensively? How good is it? Here is my point of reference: I'm in Northern California. Our county library has multiple branches throughout the area. Under my account on the website, I can search the inventory of all the branches and make inter library requests. I can create lists for myself on the website of books I want to borrow and then go in as I need them to request them. I also have an app for my phone and iPad for the library. There is Also an app called overdrive that is connected to our library system and is all audio, so I can search and make requests for audio files to download to my devices. I rely heavily on our library system for most of the books I use for history and literature as well as any literature books to supplement science and math. I realize what a blessing this availability Has been, but I want to know what to expect in a new location. Thanks for any help! :) Lisa

Renthead- we live in sacramento and are prior military....we have some really good friends who run the Hospitality House just outside of Travis. They became like family to us when we were stationed in Germany many years ago. When you get in town they would be a great support to you and your family. PM me if you want more info. :) Hope your move goes smoothly....I miss the military sometimes...:)

Another former teacher here...I echo the sound advice from the previous posters who introduced themselves as former teachers. This is my second year homeschooling my son who is going into first grade this year. My professional educational experiences were helpful in the homeschooling process, but also hindering in many ways. It is hard to remember and apply out of the box thinking in the homeschool setting after years of public school teaching (5th and 6th grade). My hardest transition was remembering to not be stuck in the curriculum, but use it to serve my DS purposes (I still struggle with this) also, less is more, and I'm not trying to do school (b & m) at home. The previous poster who spoke of dumping the curriculum to teach to your child and the way he thinks is right on. Be prepared to 'let go' of the scope and sequence and the books if he ends up needing a different approach. (Hard to break all that training! Lol) This forum has been my biggest source of support and information. I also highly recommend an IRL support network (a homeschool group). Invaluable. Most of all, remember to have fun and enjoy the relationship you are building with your child. :)

This is my second year using OLLY. I love it... The manual is new and is sooo helpful, but even better is that anytime I have any question or am unsure if I am doing something correctly I email them and they respond right away and usually with helpful how-to info. I'm using it more for record keeping this year (my oldest is 1st gr), but am using the journal to record field trip info, lists of books read, sports/activities, etc. Good luck! The possibilities are endless! :) Lisa

Anyone have any experience in this area? Thanks! :)

I am at a conference and have looked at both iew and eiw. I am familiar with both. I have an upcoming 1st grader with whom I have planned to do wwe with this year. I'm considering the two (iew/eiw) for 2-12 or maybe even starting second semester this year. How do the two compare in the big picture? Any personal testimonies to the end results of either? I know there is a big difference, one is video taught, the other is parent intensive. I like the inclusion of grammar and types of compositions in the eiw (as opposed to the separate curriculum pieces for each in iew), but is eiw rigorous enough? Thoughts? More points to consider? TiA! Lisa

I know you mentioned that teaching the classics isn't in your price range..... I have TTC and the companion book Reading Roadmaps. My DS will be in 1st this year and I am a former 5th/6th grade PS teacher. I find that the Reading Roadmaps is enough for me to use to effectively teach Literature. It includes a scope and sequence (book list with a brief plot summary, theme, conflict, and literary device listed for each book plus an alternate book choice) for each grade level. I am really happy with it. Do you have a used curriculum bookstore? Or perhaps someone local might be done with theirs? eBay? The other thing I especially liked is that I felt like the book equipped me with the basics which could be applied to any literary piece. I highly recommend it!

Great post! Any more favorite 1st grade apps? :)

Well said....a very sad, complex issue.

I am very curious, too! I've looked into both options: La clase divertida (1,2,&3) Or 1st: Song School Spanish 2nd: The Fun Spanish 3rd: Spanish for Children I like that la clase divertida includes culture about the different regions and cooking. And while I am so not crafty, I like that the crafts have all materials included. A huge selling point for me is that there is progression thru the three levels. I really liked the look of song school spanish but was so disappointed to find out there is only one level. (The company did tell me they are writing a second level but have no estimated time of release.). I looked at the fun spanish but can't see how it would be fun (especially compared to the above mentioned programs) but it does look thorough. I think both la clase divertida and song school spanish/ spanish for children sound appealing because they teach to multiple learning modalities. I am following this post because I am truly torn on which of the two paths mentioned above I should pursue for spanish for my children. I really want to decide soon, so I can purchAse and begin planning. Any thoughts?

Birchbark- did your 1st DS do all three levels? What grade did he start? How was his proficiency after he completed the levels? Thanks for your input! I like the program's multi modality approach to teaching and the fact that the student can progress thru levels and (I'm guessing) actually be able to use the language if proficiency is maintained.

Anyone? Thanks! :)

So after looking at flip flop Spanish and song school Spanish I found La Clase divertida...it looks great and thorough and it would cover 1-3 gr. do any of you use it? What do you think? Tips? Pros, cons? My DS will be in 1st and 4 yo DD will learn alongside. Thanks so much for any input! Lisa

I have not used their books yet, although they come highly recommended to me from my mentors. I am looking to buy and incorporate the building thinking skills (beginning and primary) for my preschooler and upcoming 1st grader this year....I wish I had a coupon, too! Is it a code for online that you'd Be willing to share or does anyone know if it is available online? I did look thru the books at the local homeschool store and I liked the beginning thinking skills books, particularly how they are not specific to one subject area. :)

Alright…it seems just when I think, "This curriculum might be what I want to use." I find a reason not to or I find another curriculum I like better. After a reading some posts on this forum as well as starting some of my own about Spanish and reading some wonderful responses, I have hit a roadblock. So, here are my current thoughts: After considering lots of other options, I looked at Flip, Flop Spanish but then I saw Song School Spanish and I really liked the look of that better. But after really researching Song School Spanish and even calling the company, it seems that they just don't have much to offer for progression thru the language after the first year until upper elementary with Spanish for Children. (I would like to do Spanish with my kids for 3 years and hope they will be fluent, then move on to possibly Latin or other language.) So, I was contemplating using it anyway and supplementing it in subsequent years, but then after rereading the responses on some posts decided to check out La Clase Divertida. I really like it! My question to anyone who has used it….is it good? It appears based on what they claim, that by the end of three years (if followed correctly) the student should be ready for high school spanish. Will it teach some grammar and writing as it progresses? (I couldn't tell based on the website.) Does the video teach the lesson or is it constructed in some other way. (I watched the video samples online, but wasn't sure if it was showing me how the lessons would be taught or if the DVD is to teach the teacher.) What do you all think about these particular Spanish programs? Thanks, in advance!

Ok- I'm not good with quoting, which is what I meant to do above! Lol Thank you all for your input. Thank you especially to duckens for your detailed reply. I am going to work on making those items this summer. Which flip flop Spanish items did you use? My upcoming 1st grade reads fluently (3rd gr level) and my new 4 year old does not but is starting to learn sounds. I'm hoping to be diligent to do all my prep during summer this year..... Thanks again!

Berta- what lesson plans are you talking about that you bought? Sounds interesting! We did botany this first year (K). At the beginning of the year, DS couldn't read or write, so I didn't feel the junior notebook was worth it. However, within a few months he was reading and writing, so I went back and bought the junior journal. I felt it was inexpensive enough that I didn't feel guilty picking and choosing what to do. As the year (and his abilities) progressed, we did more. I should note that my son enjoys coloring while I read the lesson and he enjoys the mini books/lap books (as do I- probably because I'm not a crafty mom, so this helps fill in those gaps. Lol). Hope this helps.

Good question! I would like to know, too.