Thank you all so much! I wasn't sure if all the information on the cards was also in the book or not. Any information on the grammar cards or spelling rules cards? Do I need to get those?

I have decided to use LOE next year, but I'm having a hard time deciding which items to order. Here is what I know for sure: 1st Graders Foundations B teacher manual Foundations B student book- manuscript Doodling Dragons book 4th Grader Essentials Teacher manual Essentials student book- cursive Spelling Rules Cards Grammar Rules Cards I don't know if I should get the Game book and cards, if you add it all up it's pretty pricey, I think $15 for the game book and $10 for each deck of game cards (cursive, man. and bold), so $45. I'm also not sure if I need the Basic Phongram FCs or Adv. Phon. FCs to do the program. It's hard to tell without looking thru the teacher manuals which items I should order. If you have used or are using LOE, which items do you think are necessary? Do you know of alternatives to the games book or FCs that might not be so $$? Or should I just splurge and get it all? I am also wondering about the spelling journal, it looks like a neat way to organize the words, and might be helpful to the 4th grader particularly. This will be my biggest HS purchase, and I have not been able to see the items IRL, which makes me a little nervous. I hope I like them!

I am going to use HO Level 2 w/ my kids. I have purchased it and the timeline (including the pre-history timeline). With my littles I plan to just add some books from Level 1, but not SOTW. The history pockets look really nice, and I love both the Usborne (Level 1) and Kingfisher (level 2) for spines. Is A Child's History of the World more secular? I don't have it yet, but I was hoping it was more-so than SOTW.

I got the first two books to do w/ my advanced 6th grader and 4th grader. I think they look like fun and a different way of looking at writing. I'm going to have my 1st graders sit in and do some of the writing exercises on a simpler level. This is just for fun creative writing. 4th grader will be doing this and LOE, 6th grader will do this, Hake Grammar and Vocab from Classical Roots. Both girls have looked thru the books and can't wait to start!

I think my almost-6th grader would enjoy something with classical Greek or Latin roots next year for spelling. She already spells at a HS level, so I thought I'd get something different for her. Has anyone used this program? Do I need just the student book, or the Teacher Manual, too? What about the test booklet? I'd also be interested in reviews of other curricula that teach classic roots. I was going to start at Level A (program says this is 7th grade), I don't want something that looks like an early elementary book. I also want something that's easy enough for me to understand, I have never had any Latin or Greek. I'm also not interested in conjugating verbs or the grammar aspect.

Hi, this is my first post in this forum ;) My oldest was tested as 'gifted' in K or 1st, and put into the Gifted program. She just finished 5th, and we plan to HS next year. I have found that it varies by teacher. In K, I don't think she really learned anything academically, but she did need the social growth and I felt that was just as important, maybe even moreso than the academics at that age. In 1st her teacher gave her a different spelling list, and let her read whatever interested her. In 2nd the teacher also gave her a different spelling list, and she gave DD advanced work and reading, and let her bring in books she wanted to read. In 3rd I felt like that teacher was a dud. She spent 1/2 the day in Poptropica b/c each child had their own computer. I had high hopes, but it wasn't a good year. DD was upset that it was the first year for formal science and they did like 4 units all year long, and it was stuff she already knew. 4th Grade I loved her teacher! She had a way of letting DD work in a slightly higher level, the assignments were such that DD could work at her level, but still doing what the other kids were doing. 5th grade has been pretty good in some ways. She has finally had the first excellent science teacher (science is my DDs favorite subject). IMO and IME teacher just can't meet the needs of gifted students. They have too many other students who need them more. I think they love my DD, and they love to challenge her, but they just can't focus on that. In all this time, DD is pulled out for Gifted class once per week. I found the class not really that good. They didn't do any neat projects like I thought they would. They usually play strategy games (which is fine and fun), but they didn't delve deeply into any topics. I think this is what has been missing in school. They cut Gifted next year, and classroom teachers are supposed to give them harder work. This makes me feel like no one understands what it means to have a gifted kid. It's not a matter of harder work, it's a matter of interesting and in depth learning, at least for my DD. I have had to do all sorts of tricks to get the librarian to allow my DD books from the school library. I don't even want to get into it, but since 2nd grade I have to write a note saying DD can get X grade books. She tried to talk me out of it several times and give me reasons why allowing kids to get just any book off the shelf is a bad idea- anarchy! I have to re-write this note yearly. I think it was in 2nd grade that I gave up, and started going to a big library an hour away weekly to get DD library books to supplement her. I've been supplementing her science and history this entire time. What she learns in school barely scrapes the surface, and she needs more context. I don't know if it's the grade level, or the trend towards only teaching exactly what is on the tests, but there is no depth to any teaching in science. The 4th grade teacher was by far the best! She really got the kids into science and history in neat way, and gave lots of interesting details, which is what my DD needs. DD reads about 10 chapter books per week for fun. She also likes to research her own science topics or delve deeper into what they are learning at school. I just have her make me a list, and get what she's interested in. The 5th grade science teacher has been really great, too! This was the first year they actually finished the entire science book. IT's also the only year they take the science standardized test ;) In short, if you want your kid in PS, I think you should just know ahead of time that this will not be the place where your child will learn the most academically. I have always known this, and we have toyed w/ the idea of HSing since the beginning. I have always known she is light-years ahead of her peers in a lot of ways, but she's also just a kid, and her social skills are not ahead at all. She's a great kid! She is motivated and since there is no motivation in school, she's made her own goals to meet each year. She sometimes has a hard time understanding why some kids don't make the same connections she does. I think PS has been a good choice in some ways, and a poor choice in others. I have made the decision each year to just provide her with what else she needs at home, but send her to PS b/c it's fun. She is really excited to HS next year, and the main reason why is because she will finally be able to do what she wants when she wants, to the depth she wants. In PS right now there is a strong push to help the weaker, and let the stronger just plug along by themselves, as long as they meet grade-level requirements. I am just tired of that.

I have K PSers, too, and am taking them out to HS. Mine are reading Level 1 readers from the library w/ no problems, so I've decided to go w/ LOE Foundations level B to start with. I have OPG and if I were going to use that, I would start w/ about lesson 40-50. I've had them do a few lessons w/ me, but they just don't get that excited doing it. I do think it's a nice book, an I might use it to teach reading if they need help with specific things (I've noticed they need to learn -igh and -ight b/c they always see it in books). I just don't think it looks like much fun for them. They would do it with me for maybe 10 minutes or less, then want to go play. For readers I am just going to use the Level 1 books I have, and let them get whatever they want at the library.

I"ve got a lefty with some problems. I got him a Stabilo left-handed pencil and it helps his grip. He still has less control than he should, but the grip helps a lot! There are some left-handed tricks I found a PDF of somewhere, for example any lines that cross should be crossed opposite (pulled back towards his hand, not pushed). I watched several u-tube videos of left-handers writing, and showed them to him. HWT is a good program, I used it for Pre-K with him, but he went to PS for K, and they used Zaner Blozer I think. I don't think the program matters so much as figuring out the left-handed tricks, like putting their paper at the right angle and pulling back towards the hand when possible. When I teach him cursive, it will probably be w/ HWT. And reversals/mirror imaging is common, I wouldn't worry much about it until more like 2nd grade, just correct it and have her practice the right way. Mine is finishing up K and still gets some reversals.

I just ordered the first 2 books for my 4th and 6th graders to use next year. THey are coming out of PS, and have never done dictation, so that will be new for us. I plan to put a good grammar book w/ it, and there will be outlining and writing in her history. We are sort of past spelling in 6th grade, but I'm working on something for her to do. I think the books look fun!

This program looks like so much fun! Do I need to get the student workbook for each child, or can they write on their own paper?

I'm not sure which program to buy for my 1st graders. All look good and get good reviews, but I'm also not sure where to start. My guys are reading, they know most phonograms, can add endings to words and sound things out. THey are finishing up K at PS, and we will start HSing in the fall. They are both in the 'top' reading group for K. They read stuff like Biscuit, Level 1 or 2 readers from the library, Little Lizard or the truck series from Stone Arch Readers, ect. They don't read chapter books yet or Henry and Mudge. One of them probably could do H&M, but it would take him a while. They know over 100 site-words. It's hard for me to know what level of things to get, and there are no places for me to go and physically look at the books in question. I try to just get books from the library that I think will interest them. PAL- I was going to get Reading and Writing and do them together. I like that writing is included. I don't know why they don't have reading books w/ their program, and I'm not sure how that works out? How many print-out pages do they have? How long does this reading program last? Are they already past most of it? I like the idea of games, but not the actual making of them ;) They would love to play them, but I do have 5 kids, and making so many games seems time-consuming to me. And in the writing program, does it do basic grammar? LIke nouns, verbs, sentence structure, capitals and periods? It seems like so much is included on the CD-ROM, but I have no idea how to compare the amount of pages w/ other programs. I also don't know if they are almost past this, or if they would get good use from the program. I did look at it in a store, but I couldn't figure out how advanced it was, the scope of the lessons, ect. AAR/AAS- This is my top choice right now. I think they need AAR 2, and AAS 1. Are there enough worksheets w/ Level 2? And can I make copies or does each child need his own workbook? I haven't been able to see the readers IRL, but from what I can see, they already know most of the Level 1 things. Does this also teach any beginning grammar? Or have any writing practice? Do they do reading comprehension, or is it just phonics and decoding words? Are the stories interesting? Do they answer questions and write things about the stories, or are they just reading practice? LOE- Foundations- again not sure which level to start them out in. I think they would like the workbooks b/c of the dragon. Again I can't see what they are really supposed to read w/ this program. Is it just phonics, or does it also include beginning grammar and writing? It seems cheap $-wise, but how many of these books do they go thru? And which level would they be on? Which items will we need? What other type of programs should I have to complete 1st LA? I've looked at the samples on the site, and they could easily read the highest level reader shown (it's about trains). My boys seem to pick things up pretty quickly. The left-hander needs a lot more writing practice, so I will probably need something specific for that (have Zaner Bloser book aleady). I also have OPGTR, so maybe I don't even need a reading program? I would like something that incorporates some writing, reading w/ comprehension (not just phonics), and spelling.

Thank you so much for your replies. I am going to stick w/ the MUS and hope we see lots of progress! I would like to do the Beta level w/ her, but getting 3 levels in one year for one kid would really add up! I thought about just getting the workbook and doing some of it with her. I will get a word problem book to supplement, too! That's a good idea :) I actually have planned to do 4 lesson-days per week, and then a Math Lab day w/ all of my kids that will include real math in the real world. That would mean cooking, measuring things w/ rules and tape measures, figuring area of rooms, figuring how much paint would be needed to paint a room, lots of money problems, estimating how long it will take to get places, how much $$ In gas, ect. I feel like so much in math is not really applied to real-life experiences, and I think all of my kids should see that math is a part of my and DH"s lives everyday.

I am going to bring my kids home next year from PS. Right now my 3rd grader is getting excellent grades, but I do not think she has mastered what she is learning. I have been looking and looking for the right math curriculum for her. These are what I see with each one. Singapore- she refuses to do any mental math. The words Mental Math bring tears. I have tested her and she will have to go back to book 2A. She really does not understand a lot of the concepts. She's not a strong math person, and needs a lot more reinforcement and practice. The spiraling doesn't seem to work well with her. Saxon- I've had her do the test, she isn't testing into 5/4. I can't figure out if the Intermediate 3 would work? Or intermediate 4? I do like the way Saxon gives lots of repetition because I feel like she needs it. Lots of people seem to hate this one, though, and I want her to enjoy math. She is not ready to copy math problems yet, so would prefer something w/ a workbook. I am planning to use Saxon w/ my older one, though. I used it myself in middle and high school, and feel like it will get the job done. Abeka- I liked the way it looked for the 4th grade book, but we do not want religion in our homeschool. If it's editable, that's fine, but I thought Abeka just had too much in it for my taste. It also had no manipulatives. HOrizons- I thought it had more religion than the Abeka, just flipped thru the book and put it back down. Teaching Texbooks- I do think she could do TT4, but I don't think it would be a good way for her to learn. I liked the variety in the problems, but I am afraid we will end up with the same issue we have now, she just isn't remembering how to do things. This also seems to run behind IMO. This was the only one she could do the 4th grade in. My ODD was placed in Pre-=Al, and she's just in 5th grade. It sounds like maybe if she were up where she needs to be, this might be okay, but she's behind IMO and needs to get some gaps filled. Math U See- this is what I finally chose (for now anyway). What I liked about it? THe pages were clear and not filled w/ lots of writing (this is an issue w/ her). I liked that she would focus on one thing until she mastered it. I thought she might like the videos for instruction. The manipulatives, she is a hands-on learner. She's very concrete in her thinking, and has a hard time conceptualizing things. She does much better with a hands-on example, and even then it sometimes takes her a while to figure it out. Now I keep reading that MUS is a weak program. I agree that it left a lot of holes, but I want it to fill in the holes she has from a fast-paced spiral program (My Math, McGraw Hill). If I use it, we will start back and re-do 3rd (Gamma, multiplication) and 4th (Delta, division) hopefully all this next year (her 4th grade). I have not bought anything yet, so plans can definitely change! I also have 1st graders, and thought they would do well with this. I don't want to make them be behind, though. I am also considering Saxon Math 1 for them. I would love to hear opinions. She started out on one math program in school. In 2nd grade they switched to My Math, and she just did not adjust. She came home in tears daily, and I re-taught almost every lesson. It was a horrible year. I spent last summer trying to catch her up, and she was ready for 3rd grade. This year has been much better! I've had to re-teach stuff every few weeks, but she has understood and been ready for most of the math presented. The problem is that it's presented too many different ways, which confuses her and causes a lot of frustration. She isn't sure which way she is supposed to do the problem. She's a perfectionist and feels like she isn't doing well in math. She hasn't really retained what they have learned. She still does not know add/sub facts, she counts touch-points or on her fingers (this I blame on the gap between the first grade cur. and the 2nd grade one, there is a gap that was never filled). She is doing okay on multiplication, she knows most of her times tables. I have the book for 4th grade, though, and she is going to be lost if I keep her in her current math series. I don't want her to be behind at all, but I also want her to know how to do math, and I don't think that's happening at school. She's currently getting a 96%, last quarter was a 93%, but she does not remember how to do it a month later. Fractions were a bust (I plan to get some neat games to help her). The current book is full of wordy explanations, and those just confuse her, too. I want something that shows 1 or 2 ways to do a particular type of multiplication problem or addition problem. Any suggestions?

Hi, as you can tell by my post count, I am new here. My kids are currently in PS, and we will be HSing them next year. I thought I'd share with you why we have made this decision. To start with, I always wanted to HS my kids, but I see both sides of the issue, and DH while not against it was not a fan. We had decided to HS the first one in K, but then I had twins that year, so that went out the window. We sent our oldest to K, and then the second one, and this year those little twins went! So, my kids are in K, 3rd and 5th grades (and I have a 2 year old). Along the way each year we re-evaluate our decision to send the kids to PS. There are some definite cons I don't think you are seeing, and you won't see them for several years! My oldest is 'gifted' but the gifted class is a joke, and is now being cut completely next year. Some teachers have been okay at supplementing her, and others have been horrible. I have had to supplement her history and science, the textbooks never have enough information. The school librarian has issues, and I have had to do cartwheels and stand on my head to get her to allow my DD to check out books above her grade level. Seriously- it's ridiculous! I ended up just going an hour away to a big library once a week to get her higher-level books to read. I can't afford to buy a chapter book a day, and that's what she reads. School has not encouraged or even helped with this. And no, it was not like this when I was a kid. If your child is at or above grade level, they will be left there while the teachers focus on kids who are not meeting grade level. My second one is having issues w/ the new math curriculum the school got 2 years ago. This is terrible math! THe layout is bad, the sequence is bad, it just isn't working for her. She's currently getting a 93%, so grade-wise she is fine! This is the second year I have been very concerned... but the teachers all say she is fine. In the last month I have given her about 5 math placement tests, and she is testing a grade level behind or more in all of them. Yet she gets 93%. I know what the issues are, and I have found a curriculum to address those issues. I expect to be back at grade-level by next summer. I don't expect all of my kids to be geniuses, but I'm not kidding when I say as long as your kid is half-way passing the teachers will NOT be concerned when she does not grasp a subject, or when she passes a chapter in math but has no concept of what she really learned. I know, because I talk with my kids and go over every page. My DH was not aware of how bad it was until I finally started having her do the placement tests. I have been saying there is an issue since last year, and he finally sees it. The school is not concerned, and think there is no issue. I think this new math is going to bite them in the rear in about 2 years! Right now kids are getting buy counting on fingers, but by 5th grade that's going to really slow them down. I don't want to wait until it's an issue, I want to fix it NOW. The focus is on teaching concepts, and while that's great, by not focusing on drill in 2nd and 3rd they are going to have a bunch of 5th graders who can't add and subtract without fingers, number lines, little cubes, ect. and some that need to draw pictures to multiply! Sure, some kids will pick it up on their own, but most won't. And the teachers? They are terrified of Test Results! The focus is on trying to get all kids to 'basic' level. If your child is scored Proficient or Advance (like mine do), they will get overlooked for the kids who are scoring Basic or Below Basic. Yes, this is how our school now scores all tests now. And that is just the academic stuff :) There are also the social issues, the ones you think your kids will have if you don't send them to school. Yesterday my Kindergartener called his brother a "Pot Head" He didn't hear that word at home. He had no idea what it meant, either. What age do you intend to tell your kids about sex? And not the birds and the bees, I mean the other parts. 4th grade? I won't even go into what all has been talked about in 4th and 5th grades, but I'll just say that we are not prudes. I believe in giving my kids all information. We are not religious. We are still appalled and this is a huge part of why we are bringing our kids home. Things that you didn't hear about until 6-7th grade are being brought up in 4th and 5th grades. Shall I tell you about the kid who brought sugar to school in a baggie, and said it was drugs in 3rd grade? Those social problems you are worried about... those are some of the top reasons we WANT to bring our kids home. Sometimes when I look back over the last 2 year specifically (4th and 5th) it just makes me sick. I'm so glad my DH FINALLY sees what I have been telling him since kindergarten~ school is NOT what it was 30-40 years ago! Kids are awful, and teachers' hands are tied. As to social pressure to put kids in PS. It's there. My MIL taught at our school for over 30 years. She is devastated that we are going to HS next year. Other family are more supportive. I have been surprised that I will also have both of my girls BFFs HSing next year, too! Their parents are both pulling their kids out. Education has undergone significant changes in the past 2-4 years. You really need to read up on it!

I am trying to figure out what all I need for 1st grade LA. I am not sure which things should be included. Reading: AAR Level 2, or OPGTR that I already have (opinions?) Spelling: AAS Level 1 Handwriting workbook Read Alouds Grammar ? FLL or something integrated into the writing program? Writing ? I liked WriteShop, it looked fun. Or Language lessons thru Literature? I don't know what types of things are taught in AAR. Does it cover beginning grammar, like punctuation, capitalization, quotes around spoken words, ect.? What about teaching the parts of the story, beginning writing lessons? I'm really not sure what needs to be taught in 1st grade, but I know I want to cover everything necessary. My kids are reading pretty well. They know -ed, -ing, silent E, those types of things. They know very basic sentence structure like capitals and periods. They have been in PS Kindergarten, and it seems they are accelerated in a lot of areas compared to some curricula, and right on target in others. Am I supposed to do grammar and writing (aside from just little sentances) in 1st grade? I don't want to be overwhelmed, but I also don't want to miss anything!

Hi, I am a busy mom to 5 kids, and plan to pull my 4 older ones from PS this summer, and HS starting next year.