I have an old version of TWTM. The logic books she suggests (Mind Benders warm up and A1-A4) are no longer easy to find. I am wondering if she still recommends the same ones, bought used, or if she has updated what to do for logic starting in 5th grade. There are still Mind Bender books to buy, but they've all been updated, so I am not sure which ones I should get. Thanks!

The Trail Guide to World Geography samples show week 1 and 2, but not week 3, which is when they actually get to a continent and mapping. Can anyone take a picture of week 3 for me? That might help make up my mind. I want something a bit meatier than 1 country a week ( a la Expedition Earth, which I have also looked at), but not as intense as, say, Evan Moor's 7 Continents series, where you have to buy 7 books at $22 each. But I do love the way EM combines mapping and geographical terms, based on their samples. I want some combination of mapping and questions/worksheets based on what we just mapped. Does that exist? Let's Go Geography is almost what I want, but I'm not sure I want to jump around for 3 years like that. I feel like learning one continent at a time is less confusing. I'm thinking we will do Memoria Press Geography III when my oldest hits 7th grade, or thereabouts, but I want to learn the countries before we get there. But Geography I and II look really dry. I'm overthinking this. But that's what we do on these boards, right? Thanks!

Background: One of my neighbors is an elementary school teacher. I approached her about my 4, almost 5 year old, son, who people have commented about being artistically gifted. She contacted the art teachers she works with who provided a test and he scored as “creatively gifted.” Coming to all of you with my question: what now?! We have an easel set up where we homeschool and I provide him with paper and supplies. He colors and draws and cuts and pastes all day. His birthday is next month. What should I put on his list? What tools are musts? What art books should we add to our library? Any program/project suggestions? Kindergarten curriculum that caters to artfully-minded littles? I want to provide him with every opportunity to do what he loves and excel. Thanks!

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll look into it! I was actually looking at that today! We did Math Mammoth in 1st and 2nd grade and he wasn't a huge fan but it is so clear. I think I am going to buy the book and slowly work through that on top of moving forward with the end of BA. Thanks for the suggestions! Oh man. I lol'd at you buying it by accident! Sounds like something I would do! I will look into it! Thanks!

I have heard of people using BA as a supplement. How does that work? I think any of my kids would lose their minds if we tried to juggle more than one math. Thanks for the idea of the fractions kit! Switching gears and moving forward but doing extra fractions work is a good idea. Thanks! I will look into the books you mentioned! I forgot about Khan Academy. Thanks! So hard and deep. I was reading to him from the answer key because I couldn't figure out how to do or explain some of them. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought it was a bit intense.

My DS8 adores Beast Academy, and mostly has done really well with it. But we just started 3D and fractions are kicking his butt. I am not sure what to do and would love advice. Should I stop and work the rest of the year on reinforcing multiplication and division, since Beast Academy doesn't really drill and maybe memorizing those facts will help with fractions? Is there a really great fractions resource, either a book or app, that I can use to dig into fractions a little deeper? He doesn't get the concept of greater than/less than when the numerator is the same but the denominator is different. He doesn't completely get the concepts of simplifying and converting. I have tried drawing and explaining it in a thousand different ways. I am walking him through every step of every problem and it isn't sticking and they keep getting harder, obviously. This is the first thing that is important that has stumped him so I want to make sure I address it correctly...and honestly...I don't know if we should continue with Beast Academy 4. But I don't know what we would do instead. The next 2 chapters of 3D are estimation and area. I am assuming we need to cover those before going to 4A in August? He is so discouraged and I feel lost. Math is not my strong point and I am doing my best, but I feel like I am failing him. Help!

I have an 8.5 yo, an almost 7yo, an almost 5yo, and a 3.5 yo. Which grade/unit/level would you do? I find the website and the planning guide confusing because they don't seem to exactly match up.

I’ve never heard of Homeschool Group Buys before. Is this legitimate? Such a huge deal, it’s kind of hard to believe!

Thank you! Free and full year sound perfect ;)

Wow! Thanks for all the info!! I appreciate it!

We have used Memoria Press for 3 years, but the person who handed the guides down to us can’t anymore and they’re expensive. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel but I also don’t want to pay for stuff I won’t use. What I want is a great book list for a 4th grade boy that works out to one chapter a day (or a little less) for a 4-day school week and that also has comprehension questions to go over orally. Bonus points if there is some genre variety. I know I could do this all myself with some time and energy, but who has that?! ? Thanks!

I am using misspelled words that we have gathered from EM since September, finding patterns, and using monthly spelling tic tac toe boards. I think the simplicity, variety, and choice will appeal to both boys! We will keep going through the EM spelling lists for new words as the year goes on. They loved it today, but we all know that we can't judge anything by the first day or week haha. Thanks for the ideas, everyone!

DS8 (3rd) and DS6 (1st/2nd) are both HATING Evan-Moor spelling all of a sudden. I think it is too easy for DS8, so I have just started giving him a pretest a day and if he gets them all right, he moves to the next one and doesn't have to do any of the other worksheets. He flew through pretests this week with no errors. In Words Their Way, he tests at the beginning of the last level of spelling, derivational relations. I am considering Spelling Wisdom for him because it looks easy to implement but meaningful and challenging in content. Thoughts? DS6 is accelerated and challenging. Started reading at 3 and everything comes easily to him but he is lazy and reluctant. I keep trying to challenge him while also keeping his age in mind. He HATES writing. Of all the things he complains about daily, writing is the biggest challenge. I do everything orally with him that I can, but still require him to do writing occasionally. He just started getting spelling words wrong in Evan Moor at the end of their 2nd grade book. He tests at the within words category according to Words Their Way. So, my question is, is there anything open and go that is easier to implement than Words Their Way, that doesn't require a lot of writing? Or, what would you suggest for spelling for a child who hates writing? Would you just do it all orally? I feel like he is a visual kid and there has to be something tangible, too. I have no patience or energy or space for All About Spelling even though it's appealing. I also have a 3 year old who would destroy everything and a 4 year old who would help then blame her. Or do I take a break from spelling until he’s older? I know that’s what CM would suggest. I worry about backsliding and where to pick up later. Sorry, this is rambly. That's how I roll, as some of you know. Thanks for your thoughts!

I don't have a problem with graphic novels. I just want them to have some variety. And gosh, Pokemon is just awful. But they love it. I like the sampling it for a chapter idea. Thanks! Horse books >>>> Pokemon. Thanks for your thoughts! I've never tried an estate sale! We frequent library sales, but I will have to look into estate sales, too. Thanks! I'll check those out. Love the idea of Shakespeare graphic novel, though I'm sure the graphic might be too graphic for 8 and 6 lol. I will read them for me, interspersed with my personal twaddle choices, haha.

I love the ratio idea! We haven't done the "reading time" more than once or twice because there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth and I didn't want it to be like that. Once I told them they could pick anything. The second time, I handed them books (I gave the 8yo A Cricket in Times Square, which we had already started and he liked when I was reading it out loud and I gave the 6yo a Beatrix Potter book we've read in the past and had him read it out loud to me). Despair. Anguish. So I decided to pick some smart, experienced brains before trying it again, haha! Glad I did!

Thanks! I mean...are you sure they will outgrow it? The number of Pokemon graphic novels they have consumed at the library is rivaled only by my husbands comic book collection... Thanks!

I'm feeling like this is possibly the solution. Keep reading good lit out loud because they enjoy that (because I do voices and get really into it. I was an English teacher in my previous life and my teenaged students loved being read to as well, haha.) and give them nonfiction readings to go along with other subjects as part of their school time. I always appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. You seem really relaxed but also organized somehow. I've done that before and it is all Pokemon graphic novels, haha. Yup. Again. All. Pokemon. Books. Thanks! Another vote for continuing to read aloud and assigning history/science at some point. Thanks for your thoughts! I read way more quality literature as a teen than I do now. Life burns me out a lot of the time and twaddle is my escape. Twaddle and a bubble bath and some dark chocolate is my happy place. I think I'll keep reading the books I love out loud to them. Thanks! Not worried about vocab exposure, and they do love reading. Thanks!

Thanks! Thanks! That's pretty much what we are already doing. They just free-read all twaddle, and I was thinking about giving them some more structure. I still do all their school reading out loud (history and science and literature) just for convenience since we only have one set of books or they're on my kindle. And, with lit especially, because then the 3 and 4 year old get to hear the classics, too. Maybe my answer is to assign "extra" history or science independently either for x minutes or one chapter or whatever. I could never figure out how to manage more reading out loud to them in these subjects when there are so many books and only so many hours in a day. Thanks for the thought. My husband and I both love to read, too. If I let them pick at the library, which I always do, its Pokemon, Star Wars and superheroes 100% of the time. If I suggest other books, they won't read them on their own. Wendy, we have the same age spread and genders :) I think we're often on the same boards, too :) Thanks for the ideas. I like the idea of book bins with genres they wouldn't choose for themselves. This is kind of how I was visualizing it. As part of their schoolwork. My boys will never pick something that isn't twaddle in their free reading. Except I have found "Trumpet of the Swan" in their bathroom, so I guess I should say 99% of the time they pick twaddle. Haha! Of course, I guess I am not setting a great example in that respect because 99% of what I read these days for fun is twaddle, too. So...food for thought there!

I have an 8yo 3rd grader and a 6yo 1st grader who have both completed OPG and can read whatever I give them. Then a 3 and 4yo. I have lists I want to work from for the older 2, but would love to hear how ppl do independent reading. My oldest 3 are boys and the older 2 fight me if I say it’s reading time. They read on their own all the time but don’t want to read if I “assign†it. Would you set up a reward system like they sometimes do in schools? How long should they be reading mommy-assigned books for daily? They love being read aloud to do it’s not that they don’t like books or reading. I think I just need ideas on how to present it and do it consistently. Thanks!

I appreciate your thorough responses so much! I went ahead and bought it and we will start on Monday. I put FLL3 away and we’re doing mad libs in the meantime 😉 I think we will keep doing mad libs to reinforce parts of speech because they all enjoy them so much! Thanks again!

A friend recommended this one to me as well. Thanks!

Thanks! What are your thoughts on doing it orally with a younger child as well? I have a 6yo who reads and understands at a more advanced level than he writes.

Thank you for that clarification! That makes sense and, looking at the samples again, I do see how it builds and seems to hit most of the things I’m looking for. Randomly misspelled words were my concern, so I appreciate you being specific about that :)

Thanks! I’ll look into these!

Going to look at these, thanks!