Sabbathmoodhomeschool has a lot of great lists if you haven't seen that site yet.

I love everything over at sabbathmoodhomeschool.com - her science schedule ideas and resource ideas. She also has more and more guides that tell you how to use the resources she recommends, all laid out in a day by day lesson format.

I would keep MP and not worry about catching up. Master each level and move on.

What's that Bird? set from Memoria Press. It says 5th to 6th grade, but I think an eighth grader could use it, too. If you wanted more, you could add in books/articles and ask for more output.

I'd just like to say how awesome the hive is. Thank you, ladies! I'll pass on all of the suggestions. You guys are great. :)

What is your favorite low cost math for a 5th grader and a 7th grader and why? I am trying to help my cousin out with her first year of home schooling and I need some options for her. Thanks!

Where would one start with a 7th grader and a fifth grader? My cousin wants to use this for her girls but is wondering where to start. Will it be weird to jump into a later book because of the story aspect? I really know nothing about it and hoped someone here does...Thanks!

Thank you!!

Does anyone know what happened to Simply Spelling from Shoelace Books?? The website exists and the samples are there and they look all perfect for what I want, but I can't order or contact....anyone have any idea as to what happened? Or an alternative curriculum? I love that it has copywork AND spelling/phonics rules. I'm at a loss.... :(

Have you looked at Cottage Press? It's all in one and includes everything you listed.

Memoria Press has nice lists of American History books by grade. We enjoy those a lot.

I haven't used ELTL, though I've looked at a lot of samples. I am a big fan of CP, however, so I can tell you about that :). I have used Primer One, Primer Two, and will be starting Fable and Song in August. I think that 1)additional spelling may or may not be necessary depending on the child 2)while the grammar is basic, it is plenty for the age of the children each course is recommended for - it reviews the concepts taught and allows for practice both within the copy book selections and in original sentences and is something easily reinforced by the teacher in other subjects 3)the nature study is lovely and really breaks up the week of solid LA 4)picture study is well done and easy to implement 5)you can definitely spread out the primer series if you desire to do so 6)it's worth the price.:) Really, though, I don't think you can do much better than CP for a happy medium between classical and CM, covering all your LA, in a program that is easy to pace out the way you wish, with literature and poetry selections that are both beautiful and age appropriate, full of resources that one can find online for free in many instances, and is pretty to look at to boot. ;) The program is logically laid out and arranged and easy to use. I'm very, very happy I decided to give it a try.

Thank you so much, 8!

Yeah, I love the look of it, too. Daughter one needs conceptual with work book and drill = Singapore. Second daughter is very visual and hands on and needs less (lots less) writing and worksheets = Right Start. Third daughter is balanced between the two = Ray's for Today? :) Mostly I just want to own and peruse another good looking math curriculum...but three different programs might be crazy making. ;)

8FillTheHeart, I love reading your posts and was very intrigued when, way up thread, you mentioned an Anne of Green Gables study. Unfortunately, most of the links, including that one, don't seem to be functioning any more. Would you mind reposting the Anne list? Or a current one? I like the idea of lit based studies but I really need a concrete example to help me understand how I might go about it. Thank you!

Thank you for the reply! I was thinking that we would finish A and see how she does with the evaluations. Sometimes I think she understands a bit more than I always realize, so I'm fine with just finishing A. Then, if I think she's ready we'll move on. If not, we'll break and play a lot of games, review weak spots, and maybe let her work through Singpore's Essentials K level (which I love and would work for her - just not the upper levels). I really believe in the method in RS, but I hate to push where I shouldn't.

Has anyone used Ray's for Today? It seems fairly new so I can't find much about it. My daughter is in RSA right now, and I keep looking at RSB and thinking that it won't review enough of A for her to move up a level. I feel like A is moving too quickly, but I didn't worry because everyone said B would repeat much of A. But the table of contents doesn't seem to reflect that. I have an older daughter in Singapore, but I can't see that meshing well with this daughter. I hate to lose what ground she HAS gained with RS and really don't want to give up that abacus as a teaching tool. I can't decide if I should let her go through RSB and see how it goes or try something new for next year. Or maybe just repeat parts of A?

The only independent spelling program I've seen and liked is Simply Spelling. Also, it's affordable. :)

We love Simply Grammar.

I didn't plan on continuing with a spelling program after Apples and Pears, apart from weekly dictation. I think if I did anything, Simply Spelling would compliment nicely.

Check out Cottage Press materials, too (just to add to your list :) ). And in the mean time, try to decide how you want to approach writing in general. BW and WR, for example, are very different programs with very different approaches and priorities.

So with the learning blocks, do you time each subject, then move on? How exactly is this looping? (Guess I don't quite get it!) Also - I highly recommend the Word Snoop!

I was eyeing Dictation Day by Day. You're liking it, then? I also saw Simply Spelling and Spelling Wisdom...haven't decided which to use with my second daughter.

In my experience, copy work is definitely a long term thing....like all of grades 1 to 4. And it's really only effective if you pair it with oral narration progressing to written narration or an actual writing program at the end of elementary. I also found it really helpful with my oldest to point out capitalization and such before she copied anything. I hope you find something you like! Cottage Press worked well for us. It uses copy work, but also introduces basic grammar rules and teaches thing like how to capitalize. Good luck!

So far most everything has worked this year. What hasn't worked is trying to include memory work from math and geography, etc., in Morning Time. I need to find a way to remove the more "academic" bits from Morning Time without them getting lost in the shuffle (which is why I put them in MT to begin with). Maybe we'll have MT followed by Daily Recitation, or something. Also, I'm happy to say that home schooling three students has worked - I have a PreKer, a K'er, and a 3rd grader. It's even worked with the new baby! :)