Has anyone used History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations (see link below) with SOTW 1 for a first grader? Thoughts/opinions on it? Thanks! https://www.amazon.com/History-Pockets-Ancient-Civilizations-Grades/dp/1557999007/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I knew I couldn't be the only one! :lol:

My confession for today: I'd be a much more successful homeschooling mom if I spent as much time actually homeschooling as I do reading about homeschooling. :blushing: Any other homeschooling confessions to share? Tell me I'm not alone!

My oldest will be a first grader next year, so this is my first time through! Here is where I am so far: Math: CLE 1 with a mix of Singapore 1A/1B (I have both, so I'm going to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. I'm such a newbie). Phonics/Spelling: Finish Logic of English Foundations C, likely moving into D. Penmanship: Pentime Transition (He wants to learn cursive, so we'll see how this goes). Writing: WWE 1 Literature: MP 1st Grade Enrichment, plus lots of read-alouds from various booklists History: SOTW 1 Science: MP 1st Grade Enrichment, plus the Houghton Mifflin First Grade Science Textbook (I found this like-new on amazon dirt cheap. I couldn't find any science that was appealing that didn't cost an arm and a leg. So I'm just going to use this text to introduce topics, then flesh it out with books.) Art: MP 1st Grade Enrichment Art Cards PE/Music/Spanish/Social Studies/Computer/Science/Art: He goes to a one-day-per-week homeschool enrichment academy that teaches these things. If I don't get Art/Science etc. done at home, at least he'll be getting it somewhere! :laugh: He doesn't do any extracurriculars yet. We're in the process of building a house, so maybe once we get settled we'll look into something. Not sure what. Suddenly this looks like a lot! ETA: I'm still looking for something for Bible. We do BSF and read a Children's Bible at home. I'm trying to decide if that is enough, or if I need an actual Bible curriculum. I'm guessing it'll probably be enough for first grade.

My son is in Kindergarten. We did A and some of B in pre-K, then finished B this school year just before Thanksgiving. We took December off to just read and practice fluency. We started on C in January and we're slogging through. He doesn't want to do it, and frankly neither do I. It's a great program, but so far C is boring and tedious compared to A and B. Anyway, in A and B we did some of the games and such, but I found that with working with a child one-on-one, all of the games weren't necessary. And some of them required jumping, yelling, etc. and I did phonics while younger kids napped, so that was a no-go. I tell my son the spelling rules, but honestly he doesn't remember them at all. My point is this, if you just hit the highlights (phonograms, handwriting, spelling, and the workbook) you are still going to get a lot out of the program in levels A and B. I can't speak to level D, as we haven't made it that far yet. Level C has been enough of a drag for us that I am not sure D is in our future. Love A and B though.

This is the best homeschooling analogy I've ever read!

Has there been one started yet? If so, could someone link me to it? :) If not....this is where I am so far: Math: CLE 1 (I also own Singapore Math 1A/1B so if CLE doesn't work out we'll head over to SM) Phonics: Logic of English Foundations C Spelling: Logic of English Foundations C or maybe R&S Spelling. Penmanship: Pentime Transition Writing: WWE 1 Literature: ??? (This year we're using Memoria Press K Enrichment, but I think I could honestly put this together on my own.) Science: *see below History/Social Studies: *see below *We go to a one-day-per-week homeschool enrichment academy that offers Music, Science, Spanish, PE, Art, Social Studies and Computer from certified teachers (mostly homeschoolers themselves). Anyway, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. Kindergarten has been a little hit and miss around here. Sometimes we do it, sometimes we don't. First grade feels so real.

I ended up going with Singapore Essentials for K. My son seems to like this style much better. Hopefully with two more kiddos coming up I'll be able to get some use out of RS. Good luck to you! I hate making math decisions. HA!

Is it safe to say then that CLE's LA beginning in the 200 level is no longer as heavily tied to their phonics program? If you used something else for phonics, could you then transition with some ease into CLE's second grade LA?

I will look into Adventures! Thank you!! My will-be-first-grader is a son actually - but believe it or not, he's a great reader and LOVES handwriting (and drawing, etc.) So not a typical 5 year old boy in that sense - ha! I appreciate your input very much. Again, thank you!

Very helpful! Thank you! Now that you all have explained it a bit to me, what I'm seeing on the website makes so much more sense. I appreciate it!

Thank you. This was the impression I was getting, but I needed someone to confirm it!

For those who are familiar with MFW, can you fill me in on some details? It was highly recommended to me by a couple of homeschooling famiiles and so I've been eyeing it for my first grader for next year. But....it appears that you can only purchase the WHOLE curriculum. Is that correct? I already have Singapore 1A/1B lined up, and also WWE1. We're doing LoE Foundations for phonics/spelling, etc. and will probably finish C and start D next year in first grade. SO, I was thinking of MFW for Bible, History, Lit/Reading and Science. It seems like I have to buy the whole 'box', so to speak. Is that correct? Even the things I don't need? Are there any of you who only use it partially? Is it even worth it to do that? Is the schedule difficult to sift through so you can just use what you need/want? I'm trying to sort this all out in my brain. ;) I'd appreciate any tips and advice! Thanks!

Thank you! Did you start your children in the Blue Book after LoE C? Or were they able to go on to the Red or Yellow book? I'm curious because LoE is such a strong phonics program and the Blue and Red book say they incorporate phonics. I'm wondering if after LoE if more phonics is necessary or redundant (or even confusing if taught a different way). Thank you, again!

My 5 1/2 year old boy is doing kindergarten this year. We are almost done with LoE Foundations B and I am planning to move into C. He isn't a *huge* fan of the program, but it is working so well for him. He is reading beyond the phonics instruction that he has received in LoE so far. I am going to give Foundations C a go and see where we are after that. I suspect we won't use level D, but I'm not certain of that at this point. I need to investigate it a little further. I'm curious what Language Arts programs you've successfully moved into after LoE Foundations? Essentials is just a little bit more of an advanced program for his age, but other first grade LA programs seem to be more about teaching phonics, and most of what I've seen would be redundant for him. Can anyone share your thoughts, experiences, or advice? Thanks!

I am going through the EXACT same thing with my kindergartner. He's very bright, advanced in some areas, but 'doing his lessons' is such a challenge. I want to add fun stuff, but we can't even get that far because he wants to just play on his own. I think younger kids who grew up with their older siblings homeschooling actually *want* to do school because they've seen their older sibs do it. It's a cool, big-kid thing for them. But the firstborn? Nope. You've been 'mom' and they've been free to do as they wish for so long that transitioning into that more formal instruction is a challenge. So far, I do one subject (two if they're short) and then set a timer for a 15 minute break. Also, if he puts up a real battle, I take away his state license plate collection (his current favorite toys) until he finishes his school. It's tough. For what it's worth, I'm eager to hear all the responses to this thread because it's been a challenge around here so far, too. ETA: I should mention that I use the consequence primarily due to attitude. When I say, 'Hey, buddy let's do some of your lessons!', and he responds with a fit, that is when he gets a consequence. Not for not actually doing the lesson, if that makes sense.

This is interesting to me as I have heard CLE is 'advanced' in math as well. I'm not sure what that based on. Public school standards perhaps, but in what state? It seems there is so much variation among what is 'standard' that it is difficult to determine what is considered 'advanced'. I'm new at this, but my hope is that I'll find the right fit for my kiddos and not have to hop around too much. It seems like they all end up in the same spot in the end.

Thank you all! I hadn't even thought about revisiting RS A. I think I read enough posts that said 'Eh, B is fine for a kindergartner' that I just assumed I could jump right in. We made it to lesson 70 something last year, I believe. I appreciate all of your insight. I knew you all would have some great suggestions. Again, thank you!

I am needing some input from all you folks with a lot more experience than me! I have a 5 1/2 year old kindergartner who started schooling 'officially' this year. He is quite advanced in some areas. He's reading Arnold Loebel Frog & Toad style books fluently with great ease and his geography skills surpass anything I knew graduating high school. But. Math. I did some Rightstart A with him last year in Pre-k, but very informally and just whenever we both felt like it. We didn't finish that book, but what we got though he did great with. I started Rightstart B with him this year (from the beginning). We are still toward the very beginning (lesson 6 or 7 maybe), and partitioning 10 is causing him to shut down. He can use tally sticks, tiles, abacus, etc. without a problem, but for some reason ever since we started partitioning them to 10 he clams up. Like, his mood shifts, he gets irritable and now won't even start a lesson. SO...I also have Singapore Essentials that we've been working through. Thus far that is a cake walk for him and he completes 5-7 pages a day. I have a baby and toddler and got Essentials for those days when I can't bring out all the choking hazards...erm, manipulatives. ;) All that is to say that he never has really clicked with Rightstart. Even last year when he was 'getting it', he didn't like it and grumbled a lot when doing it. However, I think he likes Essentials because he isn't really being challenged (at least not yet). Do I keep with RS? Do I just switch over completely to Essentials so he doesn't end up hating math? I guess I'm just needing some advice from people who are more seasoned at this than myself. Thank you!!

We haven't gotten into a really good schedule yet. I have a 5 1/2 year old, a two year old and an 11 month old. I basically have a list of what I want to accomplish in the day, but no particular order in which we complete it, kwim? We try to start around 8ish. I give them breakfast and we read a Bible story while we eat. I have some Bible verse memory cards, and we recite those at the table. Short and easy. After that we start our other subjects. He has a 'calendar notebook', which is basically a 3 ring binder with pages covered in page protectors and we use dry erase markers on them. It has a calendar, weather graph, and a page to practice his address and phone number. It also has a page that counts the first 100 days of school. I do Memoria Press Kindergarten Enrichment twice per week, and we'll do that at this time if it's a day we have it scheduled. Then we do usually ONE other subject (Penmanship, Singapore Essentials math, or Logic of English Foundations). We take a break next. Sometimes I set a timer for 15 minutes, other times I just let him play until we both feel like restarting. Next we'll usually finish up the other TWO subjects that we didn't finish previously (penmanship, math or LoE). We may do a field trip, park trip, playdate or something at this point. Then comes LUNCH. After lunch they play some more, then I do Rightstart B math 2x/week, or Social Studies/Geography 2x/week (this is because he has a HUGE interest in Geography, otherwise I probably wouldn't bother). When the the youngest kiddos take a nap I read to him from a read-aloud, and I have him read to me. He's reading Owl at Home, Frog and Toad style books right now. That's about it. He goes to a homeschool enrichment one day per week where they do science, spanish, computers, PE and some other things like that. I also do a little bit of science with the Memoria Press enrichment, but very little. That's mostly because it's very challenging with the baby and toddler running around. Again, we don't have a really regimented schedule. This just seems to be how it works out most days. We are 12 days into our school year, and this is the stride we seem to be hitting. Subject to change, I'm sure!!

Can anyone share what read alouds you're planning for Pre-K/Kindergarten (or even 1st)? This is my first year homeschooling, my oldest is starting K. I am looking to better plan out our read alouds, as opposed to just skimming the library shelf and finding what 'looks' interesting. Here is what he has liked so far: Mice of the Herring Bone (we've read the whole trilogy) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (huge hit) Mouse and the Motorcycle (I may revisit this, since it was awhile ago) The Chocolate Touch Things he just didn't like: The Littles (he liked the first one, the rest don't keep his interest) The Magic Treehouse (doesn't hold his interest) My Father's Dragon trilogy I'd love recommendations or just to hear what you're doing in your homeschool. Thanks!

I went through Foundations A and half of B this past year as part of Pre-K for my 5 year old. I do the program during my 2 year old's naptime, so the loud, bouncy games were a no-go for that reason. I did do some of the quieter games if my son wanted to do them. I agree that this curriculum does incorporate plenty of 'move around and wiggle' type games, but if you have a really squirmy kiddo who is hard to settle back down, that may certainly be a drawback. The good news for us is that the program works beautifully regardless of whether you implement all the games and activities that go along with it. My son is reading remarkably well (and to be honest, I'm quite surprised, as he's picked up on concepts we haven't even touched on in LoE yet). For that reason I'd recommend using it for any kiddo, regardless of whether or not he/she is a wiggler. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

My 5 year old is reading extremely well and we've done LoE Foundations A, and half of Foundations B. Somehow, however, he has just taken off and is reading way beyond what we've learned in LoE. It has done a great job of giving him a jumpstart, though. Bonus of LoE for me was that it is scripted, and I needed that being that I'm new at this. :)

I'd love to hear a current update after you gave CLE a shot...if you're still around these parts. :)

Has anyone used Mathematical Reasoning? Can you share some insight on it? I'm looking at Level A for Kindergarten next year. We're currently in Righstart A, and I own Rightstart B (both 2nd Ed.) as well. However, I'll be honest, it's a struggle for both of us to get it done. I don't think it fits my teaching style, and my son doesn't seem to care for it either. I think he'd much prefer a colorful workbook (he loves handwriting) and I am certain it would get done much, much more effectively than Righstart is at the moment. (I'd still whip out the Abacus and manipulatives to enhance math when needed.) Thoughts on this program? Thanks!