We're using CLE Math 5 this year. I love it and my daughter's thriving, with the exception of one area -- word problems. The word problems are somewhat simplistic. When DD's presented with a 2-stage problem or one that's a little more complex, she struggles. I think the solution is to stay with CLE, but supplement with additional word problem practice. Any recommendations for a challenging word problem supplement? I used "70 Must-Know Word Problems" from Singapore for Grade 4 last year, but the problems didn't seem any more challenging than the ones in CLE and each word problem was on its own page (as a result, there weren't many in the book). Appreciate any pointers -- thanks!

My daughter's taking a co-op class on auto maintenance. In the first class, they covered 4-cycle combustion engines. DD's having trouble understanding this concept without the aid of a video. Just reading about it doesn't cut it. I can relate as I'm a visual person as well and pretty clueless (ok, completely clueless) about cars. Does anyone know of a good introductory video on this topic? Or a tutorial we can walk through? I appreciate any pointers!

We're using the MP literature guides for a second year. I've found them to be far more than busywork. The vocabulary list for each chapter is quite meaty, and although the questions require students to recall information in the text, this involves more than just regurgitating basic facts. Many of the questions require insight into a particular character's motivation, for example. The discussion questions following the written work are very thought provoking. We used K12 literature lessons for a couple of years, and found the bare bones reading comprehension style to be sterile and uninspiring. I've really been impressed so far with the MP literature guides -- they've offered quite a contrast to our experience with other materials.

I used Monarch for one course. I signed up for a monthly plan and ended up discontinuing after 2 weeks. I found the course content to be excellent (it was a middle school bible course), but the interface was so dated and difficult to navigate that it didn't seem worthwhile to me. It had the feel of textbook content that was hastily converted to a web-based format, with little investment in the interface design. Disappointing, as I thought the content was impressive. As this was a bible course and not a science or language arts course, perhaps those differ. I did poke around a bit in their other course offerings, however, and the interface issues seemed fairly pervasive.

MP offers First Form Latin as part of its 5th grade package. It's intended for students with no Latin background as well as students coming out of Latina Christiana. Given your daughter's age and some exposure to Latin, First Form would probably be a nice fit.

Thank you! Off to check it out...

I'm preparing to teach an introductory Spanish class to K-2 kids for a small co-op. I'm a little nervous as this is my first foray into teaching Spanish. I'd like to purchase a curriculum for the kids to make it easier. I'm guessing about 5-7 kids total, and the class will have about 8 sessions. For those of you more seasoned in this area......any recommendations for curriculum that fits the bill? Thanks in advance for any pointers!

I love the idea of making our own models. Thanks for the suggestion! Also like the idea of getting dissections from a local slaughterhouse (ok, I admittedly like the idea more than I'd probably like the reality, but I think it sounds incredibly educational.... : ) Many thanks.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check this out. I combed the web for resources as well and came across A.D.A.M. Inside Out. The site offers 3-D images and a wide range of educational materials -- animations, quizzes, puzzles, etc. It's not entirely straightforward how to get started with it, but I saw enough to spring for a year's subscription ($54) and started using it this morning. We went through a unit on the cardiovascular system. I'm very impressed! It was a step-by-step lesson on the cardiovascular system; at multiple points in the lesson, students can click an animation to see a visual of the information that's presented. The unit concluded with a quiz. My daughter didn't retain all of the detail, but she did absorb the concepts, certainly much more than she would have from a textbook. I'm all about exposure at this point, not 100% retention, and this seems like an excellent resource for that. There are enough body systems represented on the site to keep DD busy for quite a while -- we poked through 3-D "dissectible anatomy" and saw the lobes of the brain from multiple angles, different organ systems, etc. This seems like a pretty new offering. I spoke with a Customer Service rep yesterday as it wasn't entirely clear to me how to get started, and he was very helpful. He let me know that additional curriculum modules for ADAM are in the works. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out: http://www.adameducation.com/adam_inside_out

My daughter is really passionate about science. We're using Nancy Larson 3 right now and enjoying it. After we wrap this up, I'd like to take a detour for a bit and dive into an anatomy curriculum. She's very excited about learning more about the human body and I'd like to fan that flame. My daughter's 8, but uses accelerated curriculum across the board. I don't think reading level will be an impediment. An anatomy curriculum for late elementary or even middle school might work -- I could distill what we needed from it if the material became too advanced. What I'd like most is something that has pretty clear lessons associated with it vs. a "here's-the-textbook" style curriculum. Any recommendations from those of you that have headed down this path?

Reflex Math is something you could use at home to cement math facts. They offer one level that supports addition/subtraction and another that supports multiplication/division. Each is approx. $30 or so. Not sure what Kumon costs but I'm sure this is significantly cheaper. Reflexmath.com We used it for my daughter and found it to be a roaring success. My daughter loves the games and I had to set a timer for her play to redirect her back to other work. It was definitely a hit and highly effective.

I'm wrestling with what to do about spelling for my daughter. She's a very advanced reader and has an expansive vocabulary. She's never struggled with spelling, however, I've noticed lately as she's writing more sophisticated passages that her spelling is based solely on exposure. If she hasn't seen it, she can't spell it. Overall her spelling isn't poor, but I'm concerned that basing her spelling solely on memorization won't scale as time goes on. We've been using Spelling Workout, level F. My daughter likes it -- finds the exercises fun. We do read the spelling rule together and she typically gets all or nearly all words correct on the weekly test. Sounds great, right? All is well! The other day, however, I had a suspicion that she wasn't retaining anything. I went through all words in our "retired" pile and she spelled the majority of them incorrectly, although she had no problem on the spelling test. I've been considering moving to a phonics-based spelling curriculum. A friend of mine uses All About Spelling and recommended it. I've seen many recommendations on this board and elsewhere on the web as well. My only concern is starting my daughter out at such a low level. She strongly resists anything perceived as "babyish" (her words) these days and I may have a colossal fight on my hands. But perhaps the slow slog in the beginning will have a long-term payoff. Am I overthinking this? Is all the expense/time worth it if she's not really doing poorly on her lessons now? I'm just concerned that what we're doing now is mimicry vs. learning. Appreciate any advice from those that have walked in my shoes!

Have you looked at Latina Christiana or First Form Latin from Memoria Press? We're using Latina Christiana this year, and so far I'm really pleased. Latina Christiana is often used for 3-5th graders, while First Form is an introductory course that could be used with older children. If you don't have a Latin background, I recommend purchasing the instructional DVD. I have no Latin background and am using the DVD for Latina Christiana. It's very thorough and engaging for my daughter. Good luck finding what works for you!

I would trust your mama bear instincts. Your use of the word oppressive tells me you're clearly uncomfortable with the environment she's creating for your daughter. Years from now, most children won't have blossomed into concert pianists. But they will have become the sum of their experiences. If you feel this pressure may hurt her self esteem (and eventually turn her off to music), I'd look for another teacher. Your gut is speaking to you! I'm sorry you're facing this, particularly since you've had a relationship with her for years. Good luck to you!

Have you looked at CLE (Christian Light Education)? Their LA curriculum covers all of these areas in an easy to use format that fosters independence. They have a placement test on their website that's very helpful as well.

We used K12's math independently until 3rd grade, when the changes from Common Core surfaced in the materials. The final straw came when my daughter was asked to solve each problem three different ways, showing work on each solution. The explanations for each method were long and incredibly confusing, even to me. 90 minutes into the lesson, she laid on the floor and moaned that she couldn't take it anymore. I stumbled on a recommendation for CLE math, and used the placement test to get my daughter started. We're completing our second year of CLE this week, and I couldn't be happier about this curriculum. The spiral review is so well done, and new topics are introduced gently each lesson. The number of practice problems are just right -- enough to retain the material, but not enough to be overkill. As mentioned in a previous post, I don't skip lessons or review as this appears to be the ticket to true mastery. On top of everything else, it's inexpensive. I'm a huge fan!

Have you looked into Memoria Press?

I second the recommendation for Latina Christiana. We are using it this year and I'm really pleased with the progress my daughter has made. It's impressive how much vocabulary is covered as well as grammar -- she's also learning and reinforcing English grammar during the lessons. We use the DVD for instruction. I've been really pleased with the lessons on the DVD, and it gives me a sense of comfort knowing that the material has been covered without any gaps. I have no prior Latin exposure and wouldn't feel comfortable just using a book, although others have had success with the approach. Leigh Lowe (the instructor on the DVD) is very enthusiastic, gives great memory tips, and progresses at a pace that works well for my daughter. Her warmth is engaging -- you can tell she's worked for years with children and really enjoys it.

We're loving Nancy Larson science here. It's completely secular as far as I can tell. We use level 3. Impressive breadth of topics for this age, and as open-and-go as it gets. Been engineer-husband-approved as well.

We're using Latina Christiana this year and I highly recommend it. It's very straightforward to teach (I was intimidated as I have no Latin background) and amazing how much ground gets covered each week in a way that really facilitates retention. The DVD lessons are worth it vs just buying the book. The teacher is enthusiastic and it's nice to hear a live human pronouncing the words. I support the suggestion of focusing on Latin year 1, then adding Spanish later, particularly if you have limited time. The Latin vocabulary will be a huge jump start for learning Spanish.

Five Children and It, The Secret Garden (although it was written in the US, author was British I believe)

I used reflexmath.com with my daughter. An individual license was about $30 at the time. You can choose either the addition/subtraction multiplication/division track. It teaches kids basic math facts using animated characters showing them the fact families, then reinforces retention using game-based play. The child's progress is recorded and each session's play bases games on facts that have not yet been mastered. I'd like to throw in here that I was very skeptical of reflexmath as I'm not a fan of video games or too much screen time. But I moved past that when I saw how well and quickly my daughter learned her facts. I understand that you want understanding, not just my mimicry, but as a partner in learning, after a few months with this, she'll probably have her facts down cold.

We used it for grade 3. I thought the messages in the stories were great character education. Where I'm really seeing the benefit is with levels 4+. I took a year off, then perused the samples for grade 5 this year and was very impressed with both the story content and the skills taught in the Light Units. We're adding it back in as a supplement. Love that the lessons don't last a full year so we can do both novel studies and CLE. I've really been impressed across the board with the content of CLE materials -- Math, LA, Reading, and Bible. They're a hidden gem!

I just googled "online sentence diagramming tutorial" and quite a few helpful links popped up. I'm not sure if you're looking for a full course, but there were several videos and such online at no cost that at least introduce diagramming at a conceptual level.

I'm not aware of online options, but CLE does a nice job of teaching diagramming in their LA curriculum.