We're going through First Form now and love the DVDs. The instructor gives great insight about different aspects of learning Latin. (At one point, he compares the different tense signs to men wearing different hats in a room. Great imagery that my daughter and I found very helpful.) As an added bonus he has a nice dry wit, which we also like. I appreciate that he's concise. I haven't noticed the fast talking, most likely because we're fast talkers here too -- think it's a regional thing. ; )

We've used Homeschool Spanish Academy for a couple of years now. I'm thrilled with it. Buying larger groups of lessons definitely reduces the cost of each lesson. We've had the good fortune of having the same teacher the entire time; however, given our experience, I'd feel confident switching teachers within HSA if we had to. Their customer service is also excellent.

Thank you so much for these suggestions and for the insight on AOPS Prealgebra. I've decided to do BA alongside CLE 6 as you suggested OneStepAtATime, compacting the CLE material to eliminate redundant topics/review. Thanks again for your thoughts!

Another idea I considered is continuing to plow through CLE 6, skipping lessons that are clearly review, and supplementing once a week or so with BA. I really like the transition to conceptual thinking that BA encourages, however, which is why I'm considering using it as the sole math curriculum this year.

DD started CLE 6 last week. We quickly discovered that many of the 600 series lessons appear to be a review of level 500 (I'm not referring to LightUnit 501 -- we knew that was a review and skipped it completely). DD is bored and clamoring for additional challenge. DD's 9 1/2. I took a gander at AOPS Prealgebra, and am concerned we might have some holes (ex: exponents) if we don't complete a level 6 equivalent. I ordered Beast Academy 5A, and we started it in class today. DD loves the fun format and the challenge level of the problems seems excellent. After quickly breezing through the topic list, it seems like it covers much of the new material introduced in CLE 6, enabling us to move from Beast 5B when complete to AOPS Prealgebra. Does anyone have any insight on whether BA 5 could be an effective substitute for CLE 6? I did review the scope of each, but always appreciate wisdom from those that have gone before me. : ) One additional question. For those of you working with BA 5 -- how many practice pages do you assign per day? Since today was the first lesson and included many pages of reading, we only got through one practice page. I'm not gunning for any particular number, just trying to get a feel for the rhythm and what's working for others. Appreciate the insight -- thank you!

I understand the need to have work completed independently if you have multiple kids. I only have one, so I'm not the best person to answer this question. I can tell you, however, from reading the MP forum that there are many folks that use the entire MP core curriculum with 5, 6, 7, or more kids. I marvel at your ability to homeschool 4 kids with any curriculum! : ) You might want to post your question on the MP K-8 site (http://forum.memoriapress.com/forumdisplay.php?5-K-8-Curriculum-Board) and see what responses you get. The forum is pretty active.

I'm writing this answer as DD is independently working on an MP composition lesson next to me. : ) Like many folks have mentioned, I agree that the ability to work independently varies from kid to kid. If I left the room as John Rosemond suggested (merrily skipping off to do housework, for example), I'd come back to find DD surrounded by craft supplies or stuffed animals with no progress on classwork. She won't work _completely_ independently. I can, however, get her started on certain tasks and have her complete them without much more involvement from me. I suggested CLE materials if working independently is the primary consideration. When we were using 4 different CLE subjects at once (Reading, Math, Language Arts, and Bible), DD would open her workbooks and the room would go silent while she plowed through them and I sat at an adjacent desk. I moved to MP when drawn to classical education. I sacrificed some independence, but gained a focus that more closely mirrored our desired trajectory for her education (Latin, classical literature, progymnasmata composition, etc.) As we've become more familiar with MP materials and have developed a daily rhythm for our classwork, DD's been working more independently. I wouldn't say she works completely independently, however, and I'm comfortable with that -- we gain so much through conversation about what she's working on, and my redirection if her approach goes too far afield from the task at hand. In short (although this response was anything but short ; ), I think CLE and MP both offer rigorous, well-designed materials. They're very different flavors, and we found MP to be a better fit for our family. We depart from MP only on math -- they offer Rod and Staff math as part of the core curriculum package, and we're continuing with CLE math. This is solely an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" move. It's working so we decided to have DD complete CLE Math through level 7. I've heard great things about Rod and Staff math as well and suspect it would have been a fine choice had we started out with R&S.

We use MP's Core Curriculum these days, however, we still use CLE math. In the past we've used CLE language arts and reading as well. If you're seeking materials that foster independent work, CLE definitely fits the bill. The workbook text speaks directly to the student, and starting with CLE level 3, my daughter could sit down and complete the work almost completely independently.

I sampled of bunch of different programs (so glad for free trials!) this week and settled on Homeschool Minder. Have you checked it out? I'm not using the grading functionality, but the calendar scheduling seems excellent. Really easy to use and enables me to add non-class entries to the calendar as well, like swim practice and piano lessons. I've generated a daily activities list (this one prints in a checklist format with the time for each task and a box to check off on the left) each morning. I've only used it for a few days, but so far, so good. May be worth a peek!

We're about to start MP's "Exploring the History of Medicine" and "What's That Bird?". BJU's science is time consuming enough that we're not going to be able to do it alongside MP science, so I'm currently pondering whether to finish our current BJU unit and migrate over or complete the entire course before making the transition. I love the simplicity of MP lesson plans and how the one-day-a-week science concentration slides into the week (as opposed to every day with BJU). The Tiner study mentioned above as well as the bird study both look wonderful (DD is very excited), and are most importantly _doable_ within the context of the rest of our MP core. We can't do it all! (I must keep reminding myself of that... : )

One more note -- it is time consuming. The course is designed for daily lessons, with reading and a video. DD's younger, so I typically read her the textbook selection to save time, then we watch the video lesson. I make sure to read the associated entry from the textbook before viewing the video as opposed to after, as I think this helps DD to listen to the lesson equipped with some context for the new material. Some have said it's a 30 min./day course, however, we've typically spent 45 min./day on most lessons. If we're doing an activity, the sessions stretch to 60 min. For the amount of material it covers, however, this amount of time seems necessary.

We're using BJU Science 6 this year (distance learning online option). I've been very impressed with the content, the retention-focused approach, and the enthusiasm of the instructors. We're about 1/4 of the way through the course -- all chapters up through this one have been taught by Mr. Harmon. He's thorough, uses a straightforward age-appropriate communication style (without being overly chatty), and has a nice sense of humor that DD enjoys. I particularly like that the course focuses on study skills as well as the material itself, and expects a lot from the student. DD's found it challenging and fun. There are plenty of activities, nearly all of which so far have called for materials we already have around the house (ok, we had to buy marshmallows -- pretty minor). We're just starting a series of chapters that Mrs. Ericson teaches. We've only watched a couple of lessons, but so far I'm impressed with her teaching style as well. She's very warm and bubbly, which DD likes, and covers the material at a pace that works well for DD. I like the online interface quite a bit -- it's really well designed and makes it easy as a parent to log in, see your child's progress, and click "next lesson". The online quizzes and tests are also easy for DD to complete on her own. There are numerous activities to engage the student and add kinesthetic learning opportunities -- so many, in fact, that we've opted (ok, I've opted -- DD would like to do each and every one) to complete only a subset of them and watch the others. One note is that the course is definitely young earth. If that's not your bent (it's not ours), then you may object to some of the content and commentary by the instructors. I decided that the material is top-notch and DD has learned so much, the doctrinal differences are worth it. We simply use them as discussion points at particular moments (after all, not everyone we encounter in life will 100% share our worldview, so learning to hear other viewpoints was something I felt was actually valuable in the end). So far, I think this course has been excellent. It's truthfully overkill for us, as we're using the MP core curriculum and this course was purchased during one of those "uh oh, what if we're missing something in this area!" moments I fall prey to now and then. MP has a different (also very effective, I now believe) trajectory for science, and if I simply trusted the process, I probably wouldn't have purchased this course. So.....we won't be continuing with BJU science next year. I certainly have no regrets, however. DD's learned a great deal and the video format works to break up our school day a bit. Good luck choosing what works for you!

If I understand you correctly, it sound like you're seeking materials that emphasize biblical literacy vs. application. If that's the case, I encourage you to check out Christian Studies from Memoria Press. The curriculum offers a chronological study of the bible in story format, minus specific doctrine. If you're not coming from a Christian perspective in your household, it could easily be presented as biblical literacy without "preaching". https://www.memoriapress.com/

I second the recommendation for Memoria Press Geography. We're using Geography I this year. Very straightforward, independent, not terribly time consuming, and structured for retention with reviews and quizzes.

Thank you so much for the suggestion of Novare. I'm going to check it out! I really appreciate the feedback.

I highly recommend firstmenonthemoon.com. It gives a minute by minute account of the landing with actual audio from Mission Control and the astronauts.

We're using BJU Science 6 this year. I'm incredibly impressed with the volume of information that's covered, the enthusiasm of the teachers, and the methodical approach that's used. Even study skills are covered. It's fantastic. Now to the wrinkle. We're not young earth creationists. This doesn't enter into all lessons, but thus far the earth science lessons have definitely included young earth doctrine. That makes sense, as that's the stance of BJU, and I respect that. I knew that purchasing the curriculum. Moving forward, however, I'd like to ensure that DD's exposed to science that presents an old earth view of the age of the earth (at least introduces geologic eras, etc.), and at minimum doesn't expound on why evolution is a lie (detailed discussion of evolution is unnecessary at this age -- just don't want it openly refuted in the curriculum). Problem is, I haven't found anything equal to the rigor of BJU for middle school earth science and life science. I sampled K12's science in the upper elementary grades and wasn't impressed. Any hidden gems I've overlooked? Words from those that have come before me? Should I continue with BJU and cover the old earth topics separately with supplemental materials?

Have you checked out the Latin options from Memoria Press? For a 5th grader, the best options are Latina Christiana or First Form. Latina Christiana provides a little gentler introduction; you'd then progress to First Form the following year. First Form is also appropriate for a 5th grader starting Latin. The customer service at MP is very responsive -- if you give them a call and describe your needs, they may have more information to offer about which path would best suit your family. Good luck finding what works for you!

It's for ages 8 and up. It's a class offered by Quick Study Labs. I'd never heard of them either until I ran across a mention of it online (I'm pretty sure it was on this board at some point). The classes are put together by a man named Joel Phillips, who according to the website teaches electronics at a local community college and offers the online courses as a way to channel the desire to tinker and solve puzzles into a passion for electronics. Here's the website: http://www.quickstudylabs.com/

I ran across a mention of the Edison Project on this board at one point and finally got around to checking it out a few months ago. I enrolled DD in Edison Project 1 (Intro to Electronics) and we're a few weeks into the course. So far I'm thrilled with what she's learning. This is the fun part of the school day for DD -- being able to play with Snap Circuits while doing classwork is considered a treat. I'm wondering whether it's worthwhile to consider completing all sections of Edison Project (Projects 1-8). Has anyone completed more than the Edison Project 1 course? I'd love to hear feedback on the higher levels, or on other courses offered by Quick Study Labs. Thanks!

I love the MP art cards. I ordered a set of the 11x17 size and use them in rotation in our classroom. We have four up on the wall now. Although it's the "first grade" set, these are suitable for any age. (Surely appreciating great works of art doesn't have an age limit! : ) I made a file card with the name of the artist and piece that I pinned above the poster. We get to look at these beautiful works, and become familiar with the title and artist. A year or two from now, I'll order another set. There are plenty in this one, however, to keep in rotation for a while.

We are using a 3A core with literature, geography, and spelling bumped up as DD's levels vary between subjects. MP's customer service has been excellent and they were happy to swap components of the core, as well as drop (and not charge me for) a couple of novels that I already owned. I've been thrilled with MP. Although I was impressed as soon as I started reviewing the materials, I expected DD to revolt at the "back to basics" (some have said dry) nature of the workbooks and the sheer volume of the writing. Exactly the opposite has occurred. The predictability of our curriculum each week has been a source of comfort, for DD and for me. DD's gone from whiny protests every time she's required to write more than two sentences (materials used prior to MP), to really enjoying the creativity of writing. I've gone from trying to make class more fun to witnessing her joy in the knowledge itself. I admit I read about the "delight in learning itself being enough" in the past and completely pooh poohed it. And every kid is different. But in our case, my daughter has truly blossomed with MP. I plan to use their materials for the foreseeable future.

I was surprised that they issued a textbook, only because we've loved the LightUnit format and find it so easy to use vs. writing out the problems. I could see that it could save money for some over time, however, with multiple kids.

Snap Circuits is my top choice for educational bang for the buck. It's really fun and kids can learn so much while using it. We got a lot of mileage out of the butterfly garden too. It's one thing to read about metamorphosis -- but to see it is incredible. I nearly cried while watching the chrysalids break open, I was so moved. I was never able to get the RootViewer to grow. It was a total dud. I read many reviews online from users that had the same experience. Not sure it's worth the $$.

Thank you so much for these suggestions! I hadn't heard about the other Singapore title. I'm checking them all out. The Math Olympiad series looks particularly promising (and challenging!). Thanks again...