We just started with L'Art de Lire. The kids and I are both enjoying it. It has audio portions so we can hear correct pronunciation. The price is very reasonable.

Me too! I am really annoyed that I payed for the Beta as I just put myself in planner limbo for the summer. I have never felt so disorganized :) Anxiously awaiting today's updates to see if it is actually workable. Fingers crossed!

K12Reader has lists (with a worksheet and dictation sentences) for Grades 1-5 http://www.k12reader.com/

We used this curriculum last year and really enjoyed it. If you purchase the curriculum you can buy it in a looseleaf format that you can put directly into a binder or a downloadable format that you can print yourself. You won't need extra student pages as they are already included. I would get the mineral kit. You can work around it, but it is nice to have.

My dd is just finishing 4B and hasn't had any complaints about the amount of instruction. It really is incremental. The child is taken through each new concept step by step. It works for us because it allows her to work on her own with minimal input from me. I double check that she has the concept, but that is about all. I would say that the child would have to like learning on their own though. There is very little "teaching" time involved. I have the MM books up to grade 6 and I would say they are all laid out the same. There isn't more instructions because there doesn't need to be. It is a very streamlined approach - but one that works for both of us. It can be challenging to find a math program with a style that suites both the parent and the child :)

I would love a pdf. I would use it on my e-reader and just print the student pages. It solve my problems of what to do in the fall :)

Brainquest actually has a Trivia Game. It is nice because you can play all levels at once. For example, my DS gets the grade 1 questions while my DD gets the grade 4. My husband and I take the grade 6 (highest level). It's a lot of fun Cheryl