I have 3 different plans and I can't choose! So undecided! Plan 1: 4th grader: MFW Exploring Countries & Cultures Growing with Grammar 4 Essentials in Writing 4 Spelling Workout (the level for 4th) Teaching Textbooks Math 4 1st grader: MFW 1st grade set Explode the code for practice Growig with Grammar 1 Spelling Workout 1st (might be too redudntant to ETC) Plan 2: 4th Grader: Heart of Dakota Preparing Growing with Grammar 4 Essentials in Writing 4 Spelling Workout TT Math 4 1st Grader: Heart of Dakota Beyond Phonics Pathways Explode the code math (not sure maybe CLE) Plans 3 (piecing it together): 4th Grader: Growing with Grammar 4 Essentials in Writing 4 Spelling Workout 4 Deep in the Heart of Reading from Heart of Dakota Spelling Workout Daily Geography TT 4 A Reason for Handwriting cursive 1st Grader: Phonics Pathways Explode the Code Spelling Workout Growing with Grammar 1 read-a-louds on her level CLE Math Daily Geography The kids combined: STOW and Apologia Science

I didnt hate all of these, but they either didnt' work or weren't what I wanted: BJU: liked how easy it was, son was bored to death with the videos, and it costs a fortune Sonlight: EPIC fail for us....hated it....didnt like many of the books and the choppiness of the daily plans switching between books Shurley Grammar: dry, boring, and really way too much info for the early levels Math Mammoth: tried it for 3rd...some of it was good....some of it my engineer husband coudlnt even figure out how the text was trying to explain a simple concept Singapore Math: it looked like Greek to me Teach your Child in 100 Lessons & Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading: caused tears daily in my daughter ACE: it works, it covers things, its dry and boring and too watered down Sequential Seplling: I just couldnt see the method And we've only been homeschooling for 2 years and that's all my fails so far! Hoping I hit the mark better for next year :/

Beautiful Feet does kind of make me drool a little :) It does look really neat. I like "real" books better than history books. I'm not sure how I'm going to decide. THere is some appeal to using something with either Beautiful Feet or SOTW and my science so we can alternate days of history and science. With MFW it's just scheduled in the day and some days are busier than others for us.

Yes, we'd be in Exploring Countries & Cultures next year if we choose MFW. And that program does looke really good to me. I found some sample of MOH and SOTW and do agree SOTW would be better for us than MOH....I was bored reading the MOH samples! I think MFW uses SOTW some in future levels too. I like that I dont think I'd have to add anything to MFW and it includes activities since I'm bad about planning activities. And I'm actually ok even if MFW science is a little light....it would fit my younger child well, and my oldest reads science books from the library for fun so he's good anyways.

I'm racking my brain trying to figure out school for next year. I'm between MFW (combining 7 and 9 year olds), HOD (not combining), Mystery of History and Apologia Science (combining kids). Biblioplan and Apologia Science (combining) or Beautiful Feet and Apologia Science (combining kids). Thankfully I do have language arts and math figured out! We're going with CLE for those for simplicity and price. I really dont' like history. I never have...I dont like reading it or teaching it. I'm a science and writing person. Of the curriculums above I'm looking at, which one do you think we'd enjoy more? My kids aren't huge on history either. They prefer science but I know history is important and I want us to all find a way to enjoy it. I also want to be sure my kids are well rounded and getting those extra academic skills that you use with history and science....I know HOD and MFW add in activities to do this but I don't know if MOH or Beautiful Feet does.

We're in our 2nd full year of homeschooling. 1st year I used all BJU for my oldest for 2nd grade. It worked, I thought he learned enough, but it was way too expensive to do again (we did the videos. Our 2nd year my middle child joined us so I thought I'd try Sonlight. It was an epic fail...I sent it back within a couple of weeks. As a last resort I got my 3rd grader ACE (all worktext) to get by and my middle child for K is doing All About Reading level 1 and Horizons K math. Those two actually work pretty well. I know for next school year I want more inolvement in doing school with them....more reading/projects and less workbooks. I will also have a 3 year old in the mix with us. I'm ok with worktext/workbook styles for grammar and math. I've been thinking about Christian Light Education (CLE) for math and language arts and maybe My Father's World for the rest. Or maybe Mystery of History and Apologia. I don't know. Any input of what worked for multiple kids that was enjoyable, thorough, and easy to implement? I need it to tell me what to do!