;) Fair enough! That makes perfect sense. I know I am overthinking all of this! I was concerned that if I ordered some of LofE that I would need the rest of it to make the program work. I haven't ordered R&S Spelling yet, and my dd hasn't done AAR, so should I possibly think about getting AAS for her instead, so that when the younger kids are ready I can move them from AAR to AAS? English Lessons Through Literature :)

Thanks for your reply! I like the format of EIW, but it seems so dry! Do they have a sample lesson you know of? I couldn't find one and the format seems like it could possibly be a good fit. R&S Spell doesn't sound like it's for us. :) Educational Fontware is amazing! I am going to have my 3rd grader look at it and see what catches her eye. We had OM K & 1st. I kept all the teacher's manuals (Heart of Learning etc) because I *loved* those, but the curriculum didn't feel natural for us. I was pretty bummed because I thought OM was "the one". Thank you so much! I see what you mean about trends. To be honest, it has taken me four years of buying and trying curriculum and slowly working our daily rhythm to have a more structured day and work up to this "official" year. That probably sounds crazy, but that's just how life has worked out. :) I am grateful to have this forum now as a resource. I have learned I need to keep things simple, fun, open and go, but still natural feeling (I know that "natural" part is up to me). There really is so much good curricula out there, but I have obviously discovered that even the best is not going to work for everyone. ELTL looks so amazing, but I worry about overwhelming my Aspie with too many ideas and stories kwim? Ideally, I would like to use the Prairie Primer to teach grammar, spelling and writing, however I have no clue whatsoever how to implement that idea. As far as my 1st grader and preschooler goes, since I am already using AAR with them, do you think it would be an issue if I switched to LofE, or even another curriculum, next year? In your opinion, is it "better" to stick with one program for LA? Or does it depend on the kid? What other factors am I obviously missing? This is probably going to sound awful, but do copywork, dictation, read aloud and handwriting help to teach grammar, spelling and composition? I am just so clueless about this stuff. :/

I also am also interested in possibly using McGuffey's..................how many LA points do the readers hit?

I am so overwhelmed right now. I really need help and perspective on what would be the best road to take. Backstory: We take an unschooling/CM approach (if that makes sense). This year will be our first "official" school year. I will have my 8 yo Aspie dd (3rd grade). She is an avid reader and has been enchanted by the Little House series. We are using the Prairie Primer as our main vehicle for the year. Next is 6 yo ds (1st grade). He is not reading yet, however is has been writing for several years (copywork I suppose) and is a natural with math. A 4 yo preschooler is in the mix, as well as a toddler. We are focusing heavily on Nature Study, Art (making it, not history), Bible, Piano, French, RS Math A and Survival Skills. LA Goals: grammar, spelling, writing and cursive for the 3rd grader. Learn to read for the 1st grader, maybe a little reading for the preschooler, if he happens to pick it up. So here is my current major dilemma in a nutshell: I don't know which LA curriculum to choose. I need to meet all my LA needs, but I a afraid that if I go between several programs that it won't mesh. We have WWE and both dd & I find it tedious. She is a natural storyteller. Dry copywork pains us both. She needs an inspiring purpose to write. I purchased AAR for my 1st grader and preschooler last year and we started it and *really* liked it. I *just* ordered Writing & Rhetoric from Classical Academic Press to check it out, as it seemed it might work for my daughter. I am also ordering Rod & Staff Spelling for my 3rd grader to see if that might work. I *really* like the look of LofE, but I can't afford to switch everything and then what if we don't like it? Maybe just order their cursive course? ELTL seems too busy maybe??? I looked at the sample TOC and it felt very hectic. However, I am still very interested in ELTL as a possibility for us. We are a hands-on artsy family, but we also like simple and fun. Will all these curricula mesh? Should I try to find an all-in-one? I really need help! TIA!

Thank you to everyone who replied to my math question last week, I appreciate everyone's response and insight. I think RightStart really is a good fit for our family, but I might try a Life of Fred just to see if it grabs anyone's attention around here. :) I have another question now, regarding choosing a grammar and spelling curriculum for my 3rd grader. We are using Prairie Primer as our main vehicle, going heavy on Nature Study (science/art), piano, French, RightStart Math for starters. From what I could gather, PP (Prairie Primer) does not include grammar or spelling. Up until now we really have taken a more unschooling approach to school, so while I did purchase WWE two years ago, we have yet to do more than a handful of lessons. My 3rd grader is Aspie. We are trying our best to keep switching between curriculums to a minimum and WWE is like torture. She loves to write stories, and I am hoping I can somehow use that to teach grammar and spelling. Which she expressed an interest in learning this year. Sorry if that was all over the place, my toddler is teething and it's been a long day. :) Honestly, I don't know where to start. Can I somehow work grammar and spelling into PP/Nature Study/Language Arts? Or should I find other curriculum? Or or or??? I would love to hear any thoughts you have. TIA

I've never taught a homeschool art co-op, but how would doing 30 projects from "The Artful Parent" work? Is the co-op on art history or actually creating art? If it's on the former, the "Picture This" series would be great for a wide range of ages, if it is the latter, then the "Artful Parent" might be lovely.

There's also www.harmonyfinearts.org

We have RightStart A. Ages of kids this year are 8 and 6. We've done a bit of RS and the kids liked it, but I feel like we need to do something more "fun" for math. In your opinion, which program do you and your kids like and why? Should I just deal with my own boredom and stick with RightStart, which is how I "do" math myself, or should I try something else? I think I know the answer, but I would appreciate hearing from those more experienced in math curriculums than I.

Supercool! I will check out simplemachines more and look for Snapology. My kids would love that! Thanks! I am still open to suggestions for other robotics sets too. :)

Lego class, how fun! Which lego set would you recommend for a six year old? He builds fairly advanced vehicles that transform and hinge and such. I saw wedo and simplemachines, for robotics. Did you have a chance to use either of them at the lego class?

Following :)

I'm adding in robotics for my first grade son this coming year. Thing is, I have no idea which kit to choose. What do I need to know? Care to share your success/struggles with robotics kits? Mindstorms seem amazing, but may be out of the budget this year. My kids have a huge lego collection and spend 50+ hours a week, collectively, building legos. So that alone makes me lean towards a lego based robotics setup. However, I am totally open to other ideas. We have Windows based OS, but we don't necessarily need a kit that uses computer controls. I really need some help with this one! TIA

Thanks for the reply! It's a place to start. :)

Oops, we are doing WWE, not IEW. :) We both enjoy WWE, however I am wondering if/when/how we should add IEW. Does that information change your recommendations? Thanks again! :)