I am planning to use it in a co-op next year, so I would love to hear feedback, too.

My own children began IEW when they were younger, but I have taught several IEW classes to beginners in 6th & 7th grades. For those who don't like writing, I can't really say that it makes writing "fun," but it does seem to make writing more manageable.

I totally thought this was going to be about baseball, lol! Anyway, here's a little bump. :001_smile:

I love RS and have never regretted spending money on it. However, I bought everything used.

We need it for our curriculum next year. Thank you! :-)

We usually buy medium-size sets and tell grandparents what the kids like. When the kids drool over the catalogues, we always remind them that they are welcome to save their own money to buy things.

They may surprise you. My dd(11) still likes to play with Playmobil stuff. :001_smile:

Blue Lizard. It's expensive, but it does the job. We only buy it for dd(14) who has extremely fair skin, and she only uses it on the areas where she has a tendency to burn even when she's wearing regular sunscreen.

Completely normal. Also, are you sure she's allowed to use her phone? When my dd went to El Salvador, the kids were not able to make phone calls or get online. We had to rely on the adults to post updates on FB and send e-mails--and event that was not a daily occurrence. Since this is preparation for a foreign country, is it possible that they are trying to create similar situations?

Dh & I watch the newer espisodes with our 14yo dd, and the younger dc watch the older episodes. (They started with the first episode ever and are now in the second season with the first doctor. They just watched the episode where Susan is left behind, and dd is devastated.) Both of our girls love it, and my son talks like he loves it, but he often leaves the room in fear--and he's watching the episodes from the 1960s, lol! I agree with the posters who said it depends on the kid. Obviously, ds is not ready for the creepiness in the new series. Middle dd would ask questions about the innuendos, and I don't want to answer those questions yet :P, so we'll probably have her wait another year or two.

That's awesome! :-)

I love RS too. My oldest dd, who has dyscalculia, finally made progress once we switched to RS. Now my middle dd(11) is in Level E, and my ds(8) is in Level C. We also use Singapore. Usually, it only takes about 5-10 minutes of my time to help my dd, now that she's in Level E. When she and my ds both needed more instruction time, I set a timer for 20 or 30 minutes. When the timer went off, we stopped. That kept me from being overwhelmed with the teaching requirements.

I never lived in Africa, and I still feel that way, lol!

Our counter tops are tile with a large slab of granite in one area. We love it, have had it for 12 years, and don't do anything special for it. If we ever have enough $$$, we'll redo all the counter tops in granite.

No, not dumb at all. We got our used Honda from a dealer who was 87 miles away (2 hours drive on rural mountainous roads) 8 years ago, and we've never regretted it.

Where the Red Fern Grows. It was fine until close to the end. Then I lost it. I will never, ever read that one or make my dc read it again.

Right on!!! ;)

I love boys, lol!

This thread caught my eye because my middle dd(11) is also in RSE (along with Singapore 5A), and I am thinking ahead a little bit. She loves the tiny bits of Pre-Algebra in RSE. My oldest dd, who has ADHD and dyscalculia, is using CLE, and it's been a great fit for her because of the advantages you listed here. She's extremely visual, so we've found that it's best to let her try to read through explanations and teach herself. If she still doesn't understand something, I'll explain it to her. The pages are also much less overwhelming visually, and I'm thrilled that she can write her answers in the book. She'll be taking Algebra I next year, and I dread trying to teach her to write her answers on a separate piece of paper!

I've not ever used CC, but I've participated in a TOG co-op the past 3 years. I can't really compare the two, but I'll be happy to answer TOG-specific questions if you have them. At the very least, maybe a little bump will help.

What a nightmare. I will be praying for you and your dd as you walk through these difficult days.

I am so sorry you had this experience. We're Evangelical Christians, and there is a Catholic family in our homeschool group that I absolutely adore. Oldest dd and I attended the wedding (nuptial mass, right?) for their oldest dd a few days ago. Her oldest ds has taken a few of my writing/literary analysis classes, and it was great to have his viewpoint when we read Dracula. I have also loved hearing her and her son explain the significance of the different ceremonies and religious objects in their church. Several other Protestant members of our group also attended the wedding, and I have never heard anyone speak ill of their family. I hope that you have the opportunity to have a more positive experience with Evangelical Christians in the future.

I began the series as read-alouds for my girls around age 6, but both girls took over my job and read them to themselves. My dd(14) is now reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to ds(8). I do not expect him to take over the job because he's not that strong of a reader yet. I believe they're 5th grade reading level.

We went to a wedding that began at 3:00 today, and the reception ended around 9:30 tonight. We saw several women wearing black dresses. (Of course, I had nixed the dress my dd wanted to wear because it was black. She said it was all she could do to refrain from whispering, "I told you so!" when a LINE of women in black dresses sat in front of us. Oops!)

Personally, I would read Narnia first. Both of my girls either listened to me read or read the series to themselves when they were 6 years old. Now my oldest dd wants to share the joy with my ds, and she's been reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to him. He's 8. I'm teaching a writing class based on The Hobbit, so I have read it recently. I feel like it's harder to read & follow than the Narnia books.