I just looked at their website. This looks very good. Thank you for the suggestion!

Yes! We used this this past year. It was SUPER easy, very reasonable price, did not take much time at all, no extra reading!, AND the kids liked it. I'd love to see more programs like this! I did feel that there could have been a few more hands-on experiments to do, but the ones that we did do the kids remembered and have, so far, retained! There isn't an easier program than this, and this is exactly what I'm looking for for next year. I love the internet-based video lessons that can be accessed at any time of the day. What can I say, I wish there was something like this for all subjects (because then my job would be so much easier!).

If they're weak on basic math facts, then have them try XtraMath.org. It's free. It's not cute or flashy, just the facts. It will help within one or two weeks. I have no experience with BA, but we enjoy (maybe the kids would say tolerate) CLE (Christian Light Education/Publishing) math.

What's your favorite get 'er done science curriculum that's not soooo expensive, provides short, concise instructions for the teacher, and a good amount of hands-on experiments for children (with not so much reading!)? DD 10 5th grade DD 9 4th grade DS 6 1st grade

Anyone else interested in going in half and half. This looks good for my two dd's who are very creative but not into writing. Just send me a pm.

You may want to look at Cursive First. It's not cute, but all letters start on the baseline. A Beka has cute workbooks, but not all start on the baseline; however, you can just pencil it in and it would be fine.

XtraMath!!! xtramath.org It's free. I have my children use it almost every day. It's strictly drill and practice - no flashy games and such, but it works. Once they "pass" you can print out a certificate for them. Do the children like to play on the computer? Tell them they cannot play until they have done all of their XtraMath for the day - that means that they have to get to where the program states that they are done for the day.

Here's another vote for R&S Spelling by Sound and Structure - if you want the rules and not teacher intensive. It obviously would not be secular. Or, another person mentioned RLTL - a much easier approach, but based on the same method, as SWR.

You may want to look at Notgrass America the Beautiful. You could use it with all of them. Notgrass offers different workbooks for different ages or different interests within its curriculum. Could just have the K listen in.

With my dd's I'm switching from SWR to R&S Spelling by Sound & Structure. My oldest doesn't like that she has to wait for me in order to do her spelling with SWR, so I'm going to give R&S a try. With my youngest ds I'm going to try SWR, but if it doesn't pan out, then I'll likely go with RLTL. I also have AAS for him, as I'm doing AAR Level 1 with him right now - so, who knows!

Has anyone used the Critical Thinking Company's Mathematical Reasoning Series as a complete curriculum? Not as a supplement. Is it sufficient as a complete curriculum?

Take a look at CLE (Christian Light Education or Christian Light Publishing), it is spiral. They have free placement tests online that you can download. I think you can also call them and ask them to send you a free sample (just a short sample) of the grade and subject that you're thinking of to see if you would like it.

We use CLE (spiral) at our house after trying MUS (mastery). My kids seem to like the spiral approach better as it holds their interest more. They still dislike math, but ah well..... If they want to play on the computer they must first do their chore(s) and then do Xtra Math (free online) to learn their facts. The Critical Thinking Company Mathematical Reasoning Series looks great too, as another person mentioned above. It looks fun to me. Lots of color, but not overdone as in other programs. Never tried Saxon.

I like this poll. I must be a visual learner. Someone should do a poll for all subjects, it would be immensely interesting to me. I'm just not techy enough to figure out how to start one.

Have three children all in CLE (of CLP) Math. We love it!

Thank you for asking your questions, and thank you to everyone who answered with a yes. OTOH, maybe sprinkle in a little bit of literary analysis with a book you may read out loud by using a book like "Figuratively Speaking." Just familiarize them with the language of literary analysis and discuss, but don't pick a book apart - that's a great way to kill the desire to read.

Thanks, it actually sounds good to me. I do like a lot of structure and predictability, especially with my "I hate writing!" child. That one needs the structure for several years first, I think, and then, after that, I can cut her loose.

Did I see Easy Grammar anywhere? Or have others found this to not be a get 'er done curricula?

CLE Math - seems to be a common one. We switched from MUS to CLE Math, and all three love it. Shurley English - I cut out a LOT of the fluff (i.e. jingles and monotonous reciting). Kids hate it, but it gets done. SWR (Spell to Write and Read) - again, I don't do it all! Science Shepherd - Introductory Science - Super easy, and all three love it. Has anyone here heard of or used The Write Foundation? There's another thread started for this, so please respond there!

I also just came across this curriculum, and would love to hear what others might have to say about it. It appears to be exactly what I've been looking for. I did read reviews of it, many from the Schoolhouse group, which say that it is difficult to understand what the author intends in places, and it takes a few hours to familiarize yourself with how it is set up, but once you get past that, it's not too bad. I figure that since I was able to figure out SWR (Spell to Write and Read) then I should be able to handle this.

Thanks for clarifying about the two separate series. I know my children would love Chester Comix, but I need to find it at a low price! Other authors to consider are Wilbur F. Gordy "Stories of Early American History: With Maps and Illustrations," H.E. Marshall "This Country of Ours," and Earl Schenck Miers "A Child's First Book of American History." This last one can be found at Rainbowresource or Beautiful Feet Books in a new, updated, edited version.

I agree with the person who said to meet your son where he's at - don't worry about grade level designations. I highly recommend the CLP (or CLE) Math. We started out with Math-U-See and switched to CLE Math, and all three of my children like it much better. The CLE Math can be a bit more advanced for grade level, so you may want to start him in level 300 instead of 400, or even 200! CLE does have a free math assessment on their website that you can administer to find out what level your son should start with for their particular program. As for main idea, topic, cause/effect - I wouldn't sweat it yet. That will come in later years. Someone mentioned narration - that should work better at his age, just ask him to tell you the story in his own words after he has read it. Or, for an easy approach there's Winning with Writing, and they also have Growing with Grammar, and, I think, Soaring with Spelling. HTH!

Thank you for asking these questions. I was wondering the same myself. So, just to clarify, there are two separate series by Mara Pratt? Do they cover different topics? Similar topics? Or the same topics? Also, has anyone only used these books for Early American History? Or, have you used them as supplements to another curriculum? I was considering using Notgrass America the Beautiful, but using Pratt's books as external reading. Any thoughts?

I've just been looking at Easy Grammar, and it looks very good to me. We've been using Shurley English, which has been fine for us. So, I'm not sure whether I'll switch or not.

We're in the same boat! I've been looking at Winston Grammar and MCT along with everything else, but these two are in the top running right now. We've been using Shurley English, which is working, but it seems like it progresses too slowly (that could be because I'm using the 2nd grade level with a 3rd and 4th grader). We'll start skipping some pages (we do skip the jingles - too corny, and my dc know how to do the question and answer flow on their own, that alone is a great way to figure out the parts of speech, and I usually just introduce a new topic when it appears, and my dc do the rest of their worksheets on their own - so it really is not a teacher intensive program if you tweak it), until I decide what program to go to next, OR incorporate WC with Shurley, because I think they would complement each other well; however, I really want to incorporate the 4 levels of grammar from MCT too (which would also work well with Shurley). Parsing sentences is so much better than diagramming IMHO. So, look for a new blended program coming soon! I also like what I see from Killgallon-aargh! I feel your indecision! Now, what about vocabulary? I'm thinking along the lines of Vocabulary from Classical Roots. I need a more structured program, instead of just choosing words from what we might be reading. Ok, so I haven't helped you at all, but thanks for letting me vent. On a side note, I had one of my dd read one of the samples from MCT, and she commented that it was too much just talking about something instead of just explaining it right away. She seems to like structured workbooks, except that she is very much a kinesthetic learner, so that's why I'm considering WG.