I have one son who is about 70% through level 1 and his brother who is ready to begin. I know I need the new student pages but I am wondering if I should get a whole separate stack of review cards and the file box. I'd love to find a way to use the one I have but I can't figure out how I would keep the cards in their proper order for two different kids. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks!

Ok thanks - it seems that way to me too. Is it the same with Biblioplan, do you (or anyone) know?

Has anyone used Wayfarers? Wondering how the year went. I'm interested in it for my 1st and 2nd graders. Kind of torn between that (since I'm already using ELTL) and Biblioplan which would keep history separate... thoughts? I'm wondering specifically in Ancients if the Bible is just alongside history, or if it is selected to fill in the gaps with Biblical history? I guess wondering about this for both Biblioplan and Wayfarers.

Thanks to all of you for your feedback so far. I find it difficult at times in this postpartum exhaustion to feel like anything school-wise is going well. It is a season, I know. But I agree with what a lot of you said in so many words. Slow down. Look at the needs of my kid and make it work for me. I still have LOTS of tweaking I can do with AAR before I call it a failure. I still have lots of other books we can read together to grow his confidence and make him excited about it. And yes - he is just a 6 year old boy. Thanks for scaling back my expectations. :-)

I TOTALLY agree with this. This is true for all areas of parenting (still trying to stop thinking of him as a "difficult kid" even though he takes far more of my energy than my other two boys....) But when he complains and fusses and scribbles on the fluency sheets when he sees them, it's hard to get excited about doing it. I do know that this boy in particular is having a more difficult time with the transition to having a new baby in the house. Maybe setting it aside and just reading together to connect would be more beneficial.

Really?? Thank you for saying this. I was already thinking in my mind that I would try to split it into two 10-minute sessions. I did 20 minutes because, honestly, I thought that was a "short" lesson compared to what others do AND that is what the curriculum says to do. I'm going to scale back to 5-10 minutes for now and only do longer if he wants to. Thanks for that insight.

Those progressive phonics books look just like what he needs!! Thanks for that! I think I need to find ways to make it fun for him actually. More reading practice with books he CAN read to build confidence and joy in it. Maybe then he'll be more motivated to work at his lessons.

I wrote this last night too late probably and should have added more detail. Haha. I also don't think he should be reading fluently at 6, but when I say he isn't a reader, I mean, he says he really WANTS to read but gets incredibly frustrated by the process of learning. So I'm trying to figure out what exactly is frustrating. If he needs time or something new, etc... When I say 1-2 lessons, I mean the lessons in AAR. We probably do it 3-4 days a week and I have been trying to increase it. But it will take us 2 or more days to actually get through a lesson. That is because I really need to do short lessons with this kid, so I set a timer for 20 minutes and don't make him work beyond that unless it is his choice. It is funny because he "masters" a word quickly but has a terribly time reading it in the context of a story. And he gets really frustrated, especially with the fluency sheets. I need to start covering up what we aren't working on. That's a good idea. I'm not sure if RLTL is exactly what I was looking for. Less moving parts and story based.

My 6yo DS is not a reader. Super mathy kid, but reading frustrates him and he is a perfectionist, so he doesn't like that he has to slow down. We have been doing AAR 1 at a snails pace. This is mostly my fault (I have a 2 month old... so between pregnancy and newborn fog we haven't done much more than 1-2 lessons a week), but honestly I feel like he wouldn't like it much faster. We are only on lesson 23 and he is resistant. I'm not sure if it is difficult for him? Or if he developmentally isn't ready? Or is it the curriculum? He doesn't like the fluency sheets or the games too much. This is a kid who would listen to audio books for 5 hours a day if I let him. He just wants to read the stories. So I'm looking at RLTL, using stories to teach reading without all the bells and whistles, but I hesitate. Because AAR has such rave reviews, I wonder if I just need to give it more time and tweak it so it works better for us. I also worry that RLTL is too different, would it be confusing? I personally like the scope and sequence of RLTL better than AAR. The order of introducing phonograms seems like it makes it difficult for him to begin reading the early readers he would like to read. I'm not sure this would change much with RLTL. But I'm desperate for this kid to be confident enough to go and pick up a level 1 reader and give it a try. AAR hasn't done that yet, but - again - this season has caused us to slow down anyway. I REALLY need something that is open and go. AAR is for the most part, but again - I personally don't like all the moving parts. But I'm willing to deal with it. Hah. Just looking for feedback on these two programs mostly. As well as advice as how to proceed.

My kindergarten son is doing Singapore Essentials workbooks right now. They have come extremely easy to him and he clearly understands addition and subtraction (with single digits). I am considering moving to Right Start when he is done with this. I'm wondering if starting with Right Start B would be a good choice? Would he have missed some lessons that are must-haves to enter B without doing A? Or a learning curve with teaching/learning in this format? Thanks for any help! Lindsy

Has anyone switched between ELTL and BW? I'm a little concerned about BW not being structured. For me that means it may not happen very well. I have a new baby coming in a month, so being able to just "do the next lesson" is appealing. I think maybe in a couple years the flexibility would be nice. And my kids would still benefit from it. Perhaps I'll just have to try them both at some point! This is why I end up with so many curriculums!! 😣

I don't want to overdo 1st grade, but I want to have some tools in my back pocket. We are currently doing AAR and I plan to stick with it. I also was planning to do Brave Writer Jot It Down and add Quiver of Arrows when my son is at that point. BUT - I keep reading great things about ELTL, and I am drawn to simple and structured. I have looked at the samples for both. ELTL seems to offer a bit more hand holding and seems more well-rounded maybe? But I'm having a hard time getting a handle on what the differences really are. Could I easily swap one for another? Would ELTL work well with the rest of the Brave Writer lifestyle (Jot it down, etc...)? If you picked one or the other, what was your reason why in the end? Also - if I am then choosing a grammar program based on copywork, is it reasonable to skip out on handwriting elsewhere? We have been doing HWOT, but my son doesn't love it. I'm a little indifferent. Maybe there are drills we could do? Finally - AAR. I want to stick with it since it is working. I know that barefoot meanderings also has a RLTL program. Is this strictly for reading? If I end up using ELTL would it make any difference at all if I use RLTL, or is it fine to use AAR in it's place? Would it function that way? Lots of questions... :-) Thanks for your help!!!

Having a son from China also, those first few weeks home are brutal. Don't underestimate jet lag. Honestly, if I were you I'd take the next month off of school and focus on enjoying time as a new family. Read a lot, but include her. Do fun activities that promote bonding between you and siblings. It's a hard road, but you can do it. We've been home 2 years in May (my son is now 3.5). Sensory activities are huge with my son. Of course make sure it's stuff that is safe in her mouth. Are you in a part of the country where you can be outside? That saved us when my son came home. Feel free to PM me with any questions about coming home from China. Congrats!!!

I see that difference. What is funny is I was taught the way MUS does addition, but my math brain functions the way Singapore does it. I think we'll stick with what works until it doesn't.

We are sticking with exposure for 1st grade. We'll be using "Exploring Nature with Children" as a guide for our nature walks and nature journaling. Anything else will just be interest lead. Which usually means triggered by Wild Kratts......

I really think at this point - most of figuring out homeschool is figuring out how YOU teach and what kind of work will actually get done. I bought FIAR, MFW, etc... and realized that box curriculum is just not my style. I feel suffocated. The Confessions of a Homeschooler gave me hives. ;-) BUT some people really love that stuff. So figure out what works for you and what will get done. For me, I like to have the separate reading and math and writing programs, because I can check those boxes and have the rest left up to interest. For us, this was All About Reading, Singapore Math Essentials, and Handwriting Without Tears. I am having a baby in a month and at this point I am glad that I can at least get those done in less than an hour. Beyond that, I pick from book lists. In our current rotation we have a Bible read (The Ology currently), nature/science read (Thornton Burgess Animal books... but also LOVED the Berenstain Bears science & nature book... will probably pull that out again with my youngers), a unit study read (right now going through Give Your Child the World... but have previously picked reads from MFW K - leaving the rest behind), and a chapter book read aloud or two. We are easing into Brave Writer, so do poetry tea time and free writes/draws and are slowly getting into Jot It Down. We do nature walks and simple nature journals. So, this is what we've been doing with my 3, 4, and 5 (almost 6) year old this year and it is what gets done! I figure I can scale back the extras when this baby comes and at least keep chipping away at reading and math, which still leaves me totally satisfied with what we are doing at this age.

I'm wondering the same thing. We have been using essentials and it is going really well. We are in B also (my son is also 5). It's been going well, I keep thinking why mess with something that works? BUT I have heard great things about MUS. I'm torn on what direction to go for 1st. There are youtube videos comparing the two. I need to take a look at that again and compare the approaches. I wonder if it would be helpful to see both and also talk to someone who has used both? What is the difference in the approaches, as you explained Sue in St Pete? I know Singapore is supposed to be more "thinking" math, which I think is honestly more my strength. I think I'm good at math, but I definitely don't have an advanced degree. I feel confident enough to teach through middle-school algebra though, and I figure at some point I'll probably outsource it at a coop in high school. Were the approaches so different in elementary between MUS and Singapore?

For goodness sakes, I wrote this yesterday and I'm changing it already.... Wow. Okay. My oldest will be in 1st this year. But there is also a tag along 4-5 year old, 3-4 year old, and a newborn. Sooooo. We'll see how well these plans translate to life. CORE AAR 2 AAS 1 Singapore Math (or maybe Math Mammoth?... MUS?... not sure) HWOT English Lessons Through Literature Morning Basket (Bible, History, Geography, Science...etc) Give Your Child the World Geography Lit (and then move on to BFB Early Am History) Bible - The Ology Burgess Animal books Let's Read and Find Out Science Books Exploring Nature with Children curriculum Read Alouds that I choose or go with our book club Enrichment/Projects Brave Writer Jot It Down Nature Journals We also do a coop where they do art/artist study, music/composer study, gym, speech, and sign language. Then we also do nature walks with a group once a week and so kid book clubs and handicraft days, etc with them. We also do swimming once a week.

Anyone else who has done this?

There are certain things about CC that appeal to me. Memorization to song is something that I know my kids would benefit hugely from. We already do this for scripture memory and I'm amazed at how much they retain. However, I'm not a huge fan of the way the community is set up, and mostly with the time it takes and how that time is spent. We are already a part of a co-op that emphasizes more of what I would want in a co-op (more focus on the arts and instruction from professionals). But I still like the idea of implementing some of the CC materials into our homeschool. If you do this, can you tell me how this looks? Do you do all of it or just pick and choose? Do you go at your own pace or stick with the CC cycle? How do you introduce the memory work and review it? Thanks for any input!

I'm just looking for some feedback from some been-there moms. I just found out we are expecting a baby in January. So, in the middle of our kindergarten year. I am considering two options, and I don't want to over-do it. I want to choose something I will stick with. I also will have a 3 and 4 year old (in addition to my 5.5 year old K'er) First option: AAR HWOT Singapore Math Sonlight P4/5 + Ambleside for book options Outdoor Secrets Companion for Science My own Bible using Jesus Storybook/Vos/Songs for Saplings memory verses -OR- MFW K I haven't loved the integrated phonics, etc. in MFW. I do like the hands on. I don't know if that simply wouldn't get done with a baby and if it would be easier to do option 1 so I can strip back more when I need to. However, it would involve fewer parts to fit together. What would you do? Thanks for any help!!

Hello all! I'm having a hard time deciding what to do for 1st grade for my son. Here's the thing. I really like the looks of MFW Adventures, but not so much MFW K-1st. (I have issue with the integrated phonics.) I feel like I could enjoy the MFW history cycle as well, but I am not sure what to do for 1st grade before I get to MFW Adventures. I have Sunlight P4/5 and love the books, not so much the schedule. I did think of doing Core A for 1st, but I think my son would like more hands on (as MFW does). Another thought I had, which I have not looked at these products to be able to tell if it would be a good fit, would be to do BFB Early Am History for 1st, and then move on to either MFW history or SOTW for the cycle. Any insight from been there done that moms? Any curriculums I am overlooking? For the record, I also have Memoria Press Enrichment (for K). I'm not ruling it out, but it feels a little dry and maybe not enough direction (at least in K it is like "discuss the 13 colonies" or "learn about spain and culture" without tools to do that... I would like a resource list maybe.) Thanks for any ideas or help!

I'm planning our K and 1st year and I'm interested in MFW. A few things I like - that it schedules units for me, is hands-on, and the booklist. I am interested in it mostly for science/history/social studies/reading guide, but I am committed to using AAR. I know people say you can easily sub it in for K, but what about for 1st grade? Has anyone done this? I am also a little unsure about the Bible in MFW 1st. It is really hard to tell what it is like by their samples, and I guess I just want to know what the focus is. Is it just bible stories that the kids learn to read? Does it give take-aways or moral lessons or does it leave it up to the parents. My husband and I are kind of picky about how the Bible is taught to our kids, and aren't really interested in a curriculum that is focused on teaching moral lessons from the bible right now (I hope that came across correctly?!?) But I am okay if it just gives reading. Also - Is there any science in MFW 1st? If you have used MFW for 1st, I would love to hear what you loved and what you changed. Thanks so much!!

So, my oldest will be in K next year and I'm loving the hands-on-ness of MFW K. I really need guidance and help in that area, as it is something my boys thrive on, but I'm not a fan of glitter and glue crafty stuff. I feel like this is a good happy medium. However, I'm not super thrilled with the idea of the integrated phonics and math. Preschool for us has basically consisted of AAR Pre-Level, HWOT, and Singapore Early Bird (plus lots and lots of reading aloud). My boy is flying through the math book, and is doing awesome with AAR pre-level. I'm a little concerned that MFW will leave us feeling like we want more, but I don't want to add stuff just for the sake of adding stuff. From those who have used MFW K, how might that work as a follow up to AAR Pre-Level? Would it be overkill to add AAR and Singapore to it? Would it mesh well? Is there anything you might recommend in the place of MFW that would satisfy the hands-on desire? We are also considering joining a co-op. Possibly Classical Conversations or something similar. Thanks for your help!