Farrar- that is a great idea- to do dinosaurs for half the year and something else for half the year! I just asked my daughter what she would like to do for half the year and she said space/ solar system. That was unexpected. The dino 101 course looks interesting too. And, interestingly it seems to be presented by the University of Alberta, which is in our city, and it is the University I went to :) Are there age restrictions for the course? Interesting idea to include other prehistoric animals- I will look into it.

I have been planning to do Human Body as the science topic for ds grade 1, dd grade 3, and ds grade 5 this year. I like the looks of the guest hollow human body curriculum and have been planning to use that. However, it just occured to me that maybe I should do dinosaurs instead because me grade 1 boy loves dinosaurs and is very interested in everything dinosaur related. I haven't really seen this as a science topic that is common with homeschoolers. Is there a reason for this? Would it be acceptable to study dinosaurs for the full year of science? I am thinking we would cover archaeology and paleontology and maybe study how dinosaur anatomy differs from and is similar to other animals etc. in addition to studying the different types of dinosaurs and the different individual dinosaurs. I know there are more than enough books on dinosaurs out there! I am thinking I would read from different dinosaur books each science day and then have him narrate orally what he learned each day and maybe draw a picture. I am pretty sure my grade 1 boy would love this. The problem is, I am homeschooling 5 kids plus I have a toddler. I would like to combine kids as much as possible for science, history, and geography. I am not sure if the grade 3 and 5 kids would be interested in studying dinosaurs. If they are, would this be good enough for them for science too. We are also planning to study ancient history this year, so I think dinosaurs would go well with that. Any comments? Suggestions? Advice? Thanks!

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions and encouragement!

I have been trying to find a spine that I like for ancient history with my grades 1, 3, and 5 students. I have looked at SOTW and a little history of the world, and a child's history of the world (I am looking for something secular). I am not really that excited about any of them. Whenever I think about how to schedule the spine with the extra reading books (I am planning to use the guest hollow ancient history booklist and the wayfarers book list, using books I like or the kids like from each list) I feel like I am just trying to get the spine over with and out of the way so we can get to the other books. So, I was just thinking, is it really necessary to use a spine? Or would it be okay to just use the guest hollow and/or wayfarers ancient history book lists?

If you struggle with explaining math, then I think Math U See would be a better fit than Singapore. In Math U See, there is a video, where the teacher explains the concepts. It is meant to be for the teacher, but I always let my kids watch it. I do prefer Teaching Textbooks though. If your daughter is in grade 2, she still might be able to do Teaching Textbooks level 3. We use Teaching Textbooks on grade level, but many people use it a ahead. You could go to the Teaching Textbooks website and have her do the placement test for level 3.

Yes, I agree it would be a good idea to use the placement test for WWE. Otherwise, it is totally fine to do level 1 in second grade since WWE 4 is optional and WWS can start later than grade 5.

Phonetic zoo goups the words in patterns as well. (eg brain, train, pail etc.)

Think you should put them both in 3A if they are both ready for it. Think of the time you'll save! :)

My son is likely going to be going to public school for high school so he has one year of home school left. This decision was pretty sudden, but I have known for a while that it was a possibility. So, for his last year of home school I am going to have him doing correspondance using the alberta program of studies for the 4 core subjects so that he will have studied the same topics the public schooled kids did the year before high school, and so that he can get used to working according to someone else's schedule and being accountable to the correspondance school teachers instead of just to me. I think that if he were going to be going into a public school at a younger age, I probably wouldn't have changed much about our home school. I would have just tried to make sure he stayed up to grade level in math, reading, and writing. (I try to keep all my kids up to grade level in math and reading anyway, but I have used WWE for writing, which is totally different than what they use in public school.)

This year for science for grades 1, 3, and 5, I am planning to do the human body. I want to use the Sassafras science anatomy book along with guest hollow's book list. I see that the anatomy book is the second in the series. Does it matter if the Sassafras books are read in order? Should I start with Zoology this year and do Anatomy next year or does it not matter. My little guy really likes animals, but I think the older two would be more interested in the human body. I think they will all be okay with either one actually, and I already ordered the Anatomy book.

I bought RLTL to use with my first grader this upcoming year. It seems to be confusing with marking the phonograms etc. But, that is just my opinion without having used it at all. I have never used AAS, but it looks similar to RLTL without marking the phonograms. I am not really into using letter tiles etc, but their website says you can just write on a whiteboard instead of using the tiles if you prefer. Does anyone have experience with both programs? Which do you prefer? Why?

I am also wondering about this. Can anyone help?

I can't help with a math curriculum. We mainly use Teaching texbooks and Khan Academy Just wanted to let you know that I also have a child like that. You are not alone :)

Thank you! I can't find any samples of FLL3 that include narration or copywork to see the difference between WWE and FLL writing instruction. I guess I should plan to use both if I go the FLL route.

Or, is it really necessary to do both FLL and WWE? I am thinking about this for my grades 3 and 5 children. For my dd8 (3rd grade) and my ds10 (5th grade), I am trying to plan their language arts for next year and I want it to be easy to use and effective. They are both doing WWE behind grade level. Dd8 is just about half way through WWE1 and ds10 will just be starting WWE2. They both have little to no grammar instruction. So, I am thinking of doing FLL3 with both of them (either that or ELTL2 for my daughter and ELTL3 for my son- I can't decide, but that is a whole other thread). The only FLL book I own or have seen in person is the old FLL1/2 combination book. I have looked at samples on line of FLL 3, but it is hard to get a good idea of what the day-to-day lessons are like overall. It seems to me that FLL3 contains grammar, memory work, copywork, and narration. So, since WWE is mostly copywork and narration, is it really necessary to use both WWE and FLL? Could I just use FLL3 for grammar and writing? It seems most people use both WWE and FLL. What is the reason for this? Am I missing something? I know that WWE also has dictation, but couldn't you just use the copywork as dictation some days? I am not necessarily against using both books, I am just not really sure why people would do this? Please enlighten me :)

Sassafras science or guest hollow anatomy

I have used WWE in the past, and I find that it has prepared my children well for writing. I also find the reading comprehension questions both useful and a bit annoying. I like the idea of reading whole books (ELTL) but worry about the time it would take (using 3 different levels). I noticed that there is also a lot less narration in ELTL. Do you think it is enough? And do you think it is better to do narration with or without the specific questions? Is it enough to just have them narrate the story back on their own and just help by saying things like "and what happened next?" etc? I really like the idea of ELTL: the whole books and the all-in-one aspect with grammar and writing included, but I know that WWE works. Can someone please just tell me what to do??? :confused1: :willy_nilly: Why is it so hard for me to just make a decision? Good grief.

I am planning to use mostly read alouds and readers to study ancient history with my grades 1, 3, and 5 children this year. I will pick and choose books from the wayfarers booklist and from the guesthollow booklist (or let them pick and choose). For the Spine, I want a secular book. I know that SOTW is secular, but I am wondering if there are any other options out there?

I think it would work to just buy the activity books from both of the younger guest hollow levels that have hands-on activities in them. He could just choose an activity to do on each of the two days they do science. He wouldn't have to follow the daily schedule. I am also planning to do anatomy with my grades 1, 3, and 5 children this year, and I want to combine them as much as possible. I am planning to use the booklists from guest hollow. I will probably read one of the books from the little otter level aloud to everyone and then have the older kids choose a book from the jr. list to read by themselves. ( I prefer reading more to the hands on activities). I am also planning to only do science two days per week so I am not planning to follow the schedule that is provided on guest hollow. I also might use the Sassafras Science anatomy book as a read aloud. I know your husband would rather do hands- on than reading, and this program also has activity components (which I don't plan to use since I seem to be opposite of your husband :001_smile: ). As for the hand holding, maybe you could make a simple schedule for him: ie. read 1 chapter from Sassafras Science and do one activity from the activity book each day. I am not sure if that would work for you? I wish you the best with your science adventures!

I have done basically no formal grammar with my son who is entering grade 5. I know. That is terrible. I sometimes taught a tiny bit here or there, but he just hated it and I hated teaching it, so we never got around to it. I really want to start grammar this year with him and with my grade 3 daughter. I am planning to do FLL3 (or maybe ELTL) with my daughter. Which level should I start my son in? Thanks!

I just emailed WTM Academy about this, and I was told that an iPad will work.

If I was in your situation I would go with level 2. As far as I know, WWE 4 is optional, and WWS 1 can be started in grade 6 or 7 so there is no rush. You could always do two lessons per day if you find level 2 easy, and then begin level 3. I think it might be beneficial to have more practice with dictation and narration before starting WWE 3.

You can definitely get by without the teacher's notes.

Thank you for telling me about your experiences. That is very reassuring :)

I had my kids just do each lesson once. My 12 year old has finished the program but he still can't really type well. We are going to have to try something different.