Thank you! That is very helpful. The writing for the town, island levels definitely looked light. The upper levels looked more robust in Academic Writing, but I don't think we would get through all the levels in CAP before we got to those levels. I think I will plan to stick with CAP through at least the three levels. I know I am an advance planner, but I feel like I need the big picture so that I make the right selections each year. I give myself permission to tweak it, but I need the general idea. I think I am still trying to fully wrap my brain around MCT. The Vocab and poetry look the most appealing to me.

Hi all, I have a little dilemma mulling around in my head, and I need some help. We currently use Shurley and WWE, and we may start with CAP Writing next year, but I am thinking more about the long term of our language arts sequence today. We started in a classical school, and we have been following many of their curriculum choices. They used Shurley, and we continued with it, and we like it. At some point though, they switch to MCT, but not in third grade. They start it in 5th grade and continue into 10th. I realize I don't have to do everything the same, and Grammar Island seems a little light, which is probably why they want a good foundation with Shurley. We are strongly considering MCT as well after reviewing it, but I was thinking we might start it in 4th. When my oldest starts 4th, my younger one will be in 1st, and I thought we might want be a little tired of the jingles by then, which he could still participate in with his younger brother for refreshers. I don't know if I want to do two Shurley programs every day though. I am looking at the scope and sequence of Shurley, and it looks like they only add a little bit each year until 7th. The main thing in 4th they would be missing is the indirect object. That is something I would like him to learn about. My husband and I have been in discussion knowing we had a year still to decide, but then I wondered if maybe, since there is so much review, we could skip Shurley 3 and do Shurley 4. The big concern is whether Shurley 4 would require too much writing or vocabulary for his maturity level, but I haven't seen it. So here are my major questions: 1. Would you recommend starting MCT in 4th or 5th after Shurley? 2. Would you recommend doing MCT WITH Shurley in 4th, modifying to do only the grammar portions since Grammar Island is a little light anyways? 3. How big of a difference is there between Shurley 3 and 4, and is the review adequate to ease into Shurley 4? BONUS Question: I realize CAP is new and not complete yet, but how strong is the writing with MCT in the first three levels? Do you think continuing on with CAP along with MCT would be overkill? My thought is it would probably be ok in the first three levels, but maybe piling on a bit with the Advanced Academic Writing. I know everyone's experience will vary, but I appreciate everyone's advice in advance.

Just found this and thought I would add: Handwriting with Tears...so ugly! And any handwriting curriculum with a modern cursive Q, even if I love the program. I don't quite understand Sonlight...the cores are confusing to me. Math-U-See or Teaching Textbooks probably not Singapore either because I like a spiral Heart of Dakota I get drawn to a lot of box curricula, but it wouldn't work for me. I do like the idea of Tapestry of Grace though. FLL (duck) The Parents guide to reading or How to read in 100 lessons Apologia science (I hate the chatty writing.) Turned off by Mystery of History for the same reason...don't like the writing style. History or science from a boring textbook Memoria Press...I am sorry, but their curriculum looks so boring, and I like classical education. IEW

We are using Shurley English 3 next year, and we add penmanship, Writing With Ease and spelling. My child is a natural speller, so we have been going through the McGuffey speller together, but we decided together next year that a workbook might be more fun. Many looked too easy for him, but we chose Building Spelling Skills as it looked enjoyable for him, and the lists were more challenging. We will add McGuffey words as bonus words. We usually do a Monday spelling bee from the McGuffey. We use PenTime for handwriting for the style, cost effectiveness, simplicity and attractiveness. There is writing in Shurley, and we do some of it, but we are thinking of going to Classical Academic Press for writing and maybe some Writing with Ease alongside. We have the Writing with Ease teacher's text and select our own readings, so there's no expense in workbooks for us to only do it partially.

I'd add Swiss Family Robinson and Pilgrim's Progress and maybe Grapes of Wrath for 8th grade.

I am going to 5/4 next year and am not familiar with the DIVE much. I am not planning on getting it for us, but if you think it's something you will use a lot, maybe. I think the text does an excellent job of teaching, but if you feel like you're not as confident in teaching it, then the DIVE might be more helpful. I have the newer set I just purchased. I might be willing to trade you the new for the old. :laugh:

I used Saxon in middle school and high school. I am using Saxon with my kids. My oldest started out with it in private school, and we continued with it without really even thinking of any other choices. However, I very much hope they keep the homeschool books just like they are or I may have to go on a rampage and buy every grade. I will say that I think Saxon K is my least favorite. If that is your only experience with Saxon, I could see the dislike. I can also see how some of the drill of the daily meeting can be monotonous at times. I sometimes skip parts of the meeting if I know my son has it down really well and do it every few lessons or so (for instance, he knows how to count by 5's and clock really well, so I sometimes skip that but rarely skip counting by 7's.) I don't doubt anyone's curriculum choice as the best fit for one's family, but I think continually switching curriculums for a child, especially in math, can lead to more math problems as most math curricula builds on concepts, especially in a spiral curriculum. That's not to say you can't start Saxon in any grade, really, but doing Horizons one year, Singapore the next, then trying Saxon will leave gaps. I would also say that elementary math in Saxon can be tedious, but that doesn't mean that it fails in teaching math well. Learning math facts for some kids will be hard and frustrating no matter what. Yes, find the way they learn best, but if a child has difficulty with something, it's easy to search for new curriculum. The curriculum, however, is not the teacher; it's a tool. An example is in Saxon 3, my son had a really hard time at first counting by 7's with the calendar questions (How many days in 2 weeks, etc.) I know he learns well with jingles, and I found a counting by sevens song we learned together, and in a few short weeks, he now finds it super easy and answers the questions before I even prompt him. Because he is very musical and literary, he does struggle some with quick memory of math facts and even "hates" it sometimes. But we are working through it slowly at home this year at his pace, and after Saxon 3, we are going to take a small break and do some Life of Fred books. He saw a sample and he's begging me. We may supplement with them in the future or even switch for a year, but I keep coming back to the strengths of the Saxon spiral. Anyways, all this to say, that Saxon works well for us. I like the drill of the math facts (although we only do one side of the worksheet daily and don't time math facts sheets) as memory is good for the grammar stage where they can use that memorization and drill later when they do more complicated math. I didn't always "like" math growing up, but after a solid math education with Saxon and A Beka, I am very good at math, and it has really helped me in my career with budgeting and as a Finance Director. On an earlier post on where to place your daughter after Saxon 3, look at Saxon 3 or 4 Intermediate. It provides a gentle transition into the older grade format and may be a good fit. These are newer.

I don't know how this would work for a co-op, but we'll be doing Modern with my oldest when my younger son is in 1st. I plan to focus on the World Cultures and geography with him that correspond with what my oldest is learning. I sort of gleaned the idea from MFW's curriculum plan (even though I don't use MFW). I also plan to set aside some time for state history that year. I like the idea of Modern Heroes above for a co-op. Maybe tie it in with world cultures and geography.

We use Shurley, and we love it. It's a great program. My son loves the jingles, and he knows a ton of grammar. That said, it doesn't sound like it would be the best fit for your family. We started from the beginning and know the jingles and question and answer flow well so we can zip through it. I think starting in level 3 would be more challenging because you would be learning a new format of jingles and question and answer flow with more complicated grammar. It builds incrementally, and I could see you getting frustrated. They say to allow 45 minutes per lesson. We don't always spend that long because there are certain things I omit, or we do the jingles more like every other day because we know them so well. You might have to spend more time to learn the question/answer flow by starting in level 3. It's best, imo, to start at the beginning. But it sounds like it would be too time-consuming for you based on your post. I would stick with something more familiar to you. If you liked FLL, go with that. It is solid, and your daughter already knows what to expect.

Hi, I don't know that I have the magic solution here or anything, but these are the first things that pop into my mind (and I have not used all of them, just read a lot of reviews.) It seems language arts is the thing you are most struggling with, especially writing in your oldest. Will he do copywork? We have been using Writing with Ease along with Shurley Grammar. I don't know that Shurley would be a good fit for you, but Writing with Ease is narration, copywork, and dictation to learn grammar and beautiful writing. I think that when it's tied to his reading, it could be a possibility. My son likes to simplify things too and is most happy when it's narration day because I do the writing. You say you want to focus on science and history, and you can easily use Writing With Ease with those selections. You can just buy the book and choose your own literature or get the workbooks with the literature selections chosen for you. I do the former. A friend of mine has a son with behavioral issues and uses Sonlight Language arts. I know very little about Sonlight, but from looking at the sample, it looks fairly gentle, utilizes some copywork, but it also allows for creative writing. Stick with R&S for spelling if that works for you. Maybe look at R&S for grammar. MCT would be the other thing given its de-emphasis on workbooks, but I can see how that could be too abstract. It sounds like your other need is a good math program. I am a Saxon user, so I very much like the spiral method. But it sounds like you need something your kiddos can work through more independently, and I wonder if Singapore math might be a good fit. I am not very familiar with it, but I hear it is not as manipulative heavy and allows your child to work independently. However, it is a mastery program vs. a spiral program. A unit study might be a good approach as you can pick and choose projects surrounding your history and science and art that are tailored to each child's strengths. One other thought that came to mind was that you might want to look more into the Charlotte Mason approach. Utilizing lots of living books, and keeping lessons short without a ton of workbooks might be a good fit for your family. Amblesideonline.org has a lot of free resources for the Charlotte Mason approach, but I would read about the approach first to make sure that fits with your philosophy. Honestly, I don't know that there is a magic curriculum so much as tailoring their education to meet their needs. I think a good assessment of what you want to teach and how before you go curriculum shopping would be beneficial to focus your energy and get something that works for you. You may have to alter the curriculum. Curriculum is a tool to teach, not the teacher. Once you know your plan, check out cathyduffyreviews.com and only look at things that meet your priorities. It's so easy to get curriculum fog, and they all sound like the best thing in the world, but be strict that they meet your needs and priorities. I hope this helps. I can feel your frustration, and I hope you have a much better year next year.

Lots of Usborne books, lots of library books, Life of Fred as a fun supplement, take a break from Saxon semester, zoo passes, lots of field trips to the aquarium, tide pools, farm, etc., McGuffey readers for narration stories/writing, Mudpies to Magnets, science fun, pinterest supplements for science experiments and history projects, lots of Colonial American history books, crafts and projects.

I would look at the Classic Starts books. They have abridged versions of many classic novels that are perfect chapter books for early elementary. My second grader loves them. The middle schoolers could read the original version, and younger readers could read the Classic Starts version. Great Illustrated Classics are another abridged version, but I think the Classic Starts are better for early elementary. There are many picture books for classic novels you could go with as well. There are many to choose from, including Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, Three Musketeers, Prince and the Pauper, AND Around the World...

I can see your point there, but there is a lot of similarity in the math meetings. You could easily combine these together. Your K'er won't be counting by sevens, but they can do calendar and time together, etc. Then they can each work on their problem and pattern of the day and count their coin cups. I often skip parts of the meeting on certain days anyways at level 3. You can certainly modify. The skip counting is, to me, the most valuable. And it will benefit your youngest to hear the oldest recite. Your oldest might like being part of the younger's lesson, or they can work on their fact sheets while you do the lesson with one, and then the other can work on their worksheets while you do the lesson with the other. Your Ker might need more help with their worksheets at first, especially with the reading of instruction.

My 8 yo is the same way with certain things, esp. math facts. It's a mental battle. If I sit over him, he can work quickly, but he gets easily distracted if it's not something he likes even though he can do all the work well. Some of it is a mental block too of getting overwhelmed seeing all the problems and thinking he can't do it or it's too much. Some of it is just goofing off.

I bought a Beautiful Feet Books guide to supplement for American History. I liked the books they selected. I liked the character education woven in. I am a Christian, and I believe history is His Story, if you will. But I thought that some of their framework for understanding God's Providential role of history went a little too far for my liking. It's easy to adjust, but it's something to be aware of. My Father's World has some great reading selections too, but they have science and Bible included. Amblesideonline outlines a CM history curriculum, and Sonlight is a program some of my friends use that focuses on reading literature. That may also be a good fit. FWIW, my son did Ancients in 1st grade with SOTW in school, and we did SOTW 2 at home. I am not a fan of the first SOTW, and I do not plan to purchase it for our second cycle. But we had a great time with SOTW 2, and we loved utilizing the Activity Guide for more book selections at the library. If it's not for you though, don't push it it if there's a better approach for your family.

I did the same thing with my son, and we have been doing Saxon 3 for 2nd grade at home this year. I would stick with Saxon 3 and not do intermediate 3 for a couple of reasons. The Intermediate is a lot of writing, where in Saxon 3, all the problems are printed on a worksheet for you. Given that he is only in second grade, that might be too much to write out all the answers on notebook paper. Also, keeping him in the same format will provide a familiarity for him as he is moving from school to home. My son is always telling me the way they did things in school, and that would be one less thing that is very different for him. I think the intermediate 3 was for those who needed a more gentle transition into 5/4 and was initially created for the classroom. If you feel he needs that after Saxon 3, you can do intermediate 4, but I think the workbook format is more appropriate developmentally for 2nd grade. Also, given that this is your first year homeschooling, the teacher's manual is more scripted in Saxon 3. I find it comforting to know I am saying exactly the right thing the way he has already been learning the concepts. The Intermediate is to acclimate them to more independent work and does not include a teacher's manual. I think that is great as they get older, and I am looking forward to it, but I don't think they are ready for that in second grade yet. This is your first year as his teacher, and you will get a better feel for teaching him and where he is at if you are walking through the process with him more in Saxon 3.

My husband is a little Narnia obsessed. He has had a giant cardboard wardrobe with a real working light that was a movie display since before we got married. He just gave it away because we are moving across the country. When they're 5, they are allowed to watch the movies. My kids have stuffed Reepicheeps and a giant lion on their bed. My 4 yo is familiar even though he hasn't seen the movies or read the books, although he has been to Disney Narnia displays and special traveling exhibits at different museums, etc. My husband has them all on audio, and we have listened to them on road trips, and he listens to the soundtrack when he does dishes. (I told you he is obsessed.) As far as the books, gauge when they have the attention span and reading ability for similar length of books. We were studying the Middle Ages, and my oldest loves Narnia already, so we bought him a set for his 8th birthday. My husband started out reading it aloud to my 8 and 4 yo, but my 8 yo kept begging to read ahead on his own. So my husband complied and then read a chapter aloud from wherever he was at. In less than 6 months, my 8 yo has read the entire series at least 3 times for each book and constantly goes to my husband with new parallels or interesting tidbits he uncovers.

Thank you all for your input. The calendar ideas are a great idea. We're in the process of moving, so we will see what I can set up in a new home. I agree that the skip counting, etc. in the meeting are valuable, but I modify it for my other son and don't do everything every day. I also usually only do one side of the worksheet daily, and I don't do the time limits because it stresses my oldest out, but I actually think my competitive younger son would thrive on that. Given that my older son already went through this, there would be some benefit in him helping his little brother too. I know not every kid likes a ton of workbooks, and I am a fan of hands-on learning, etc. My oldest son hates to physically write things and counts how many words he has to write out, etc. He'd read all day if I let him. But I went through A Beka as a child in private school and thrived on seatwork and raced myself to get the bonus work done. My second son is just like that, which made me think it might be a good switch for him for the early years. I am leaning toward sticking with Saxon at this time, but I welcome any other input. It's funny how you think you know all the curriculum you will do, and then you start questioning yourself.

Hi, This is my first time posting. I need advice for my second son as he is starting kindergarten next year. My oldest is finishing Saxon 3, and we are going to slowly transition into Saxon 5/4 and do some LOF too. He has been begging for LOF as he is a very verbal child. (He is entering third grade.) My second son has been doing Saxon K with me this year in preschool. He seems to enjoy it, and we're about halfway through the book. He has grasped almost everything and likes to play with the manipulatives. I got a glazed look at counting dimes, but he is only 4. Saxon repeats a lot anyways. He has much more of an engineering mind than his brother, and I think he will do well in math. However, he seems to really enjoy colorful workbooks. I have some fun, preschool workbooks and even an A Beka preschool workbook left over from my first son's preschool, and he will sit down and do 10 pages in a snap of his own choosing. They are easy and colorful, and I am starting to think that maybe a program like A Beka or Horizon math might be a better fit for him, and then we can transition to Saxon after 3rd grade for the upper maths. I am leaning toward Horizon over A Beka because I hear it is more rigorous. However, I hear the teacher manual for Horizons isn't all that wonderful, and I already have all the Saxon manipulatives, and there are definitely worksheets in Saxon. He likes the manipulatives too, and I am familiar with Saxon. I would also start Horizons or A Beka in the K workbook, where in Saxon, we would start with Saxon 1. (This is what my oldest did in his classical school before I started homeschooling because K is a little easy. That's why I did K for preschool.) I am a little nervous that he might not be fully ready for Saxon 1 as he will have just turned 5 where my oldest was almost 6 when he started kindergarten. But my thought is to maybe do some gentle math games to start and ease into it slowly, maybe starting it a few months later or even after Christmas. The first part is review and fairly easy anyways. I still have some Saxon K that was unfinished. My oldest started in school with Saxon, and we continued, but I feel like I have a fresh slate with this one, so to speak. Maybe I am just second guessing myself. If it's not broke, why am I trying to fix it?? I'd appreciate any insight on these three programs. I am not interested in the other math programs, except maybe Ray's. I like the spiral approach and emphasis on memorizing math facts. Jenise