We start mid-August (this year we start August 8) and finish early May. We do four days per week (5th day is co-op or field trip or just OFF). We get everything done. I just don't do tests for math (we use Abeka) which is the 5th day anyway. We use MFW, so it is already on a four day per week with a light fifth day that I just work in elsewhere. Over our LONG summer I do three days per week of LIGHT school. This year my kinder did handwriting and phonics. My 3rd did spelling and math (just used the tests and sheets we didn't use during the year). It works for us.

I've heard great things about the Apologia "Who is God" series (I think that is the first one). I haven't used it though. We use MFW and it is all tied in. I loved Leading Little Ones to God for my kinder (thinking about your DD4). Good luck!!

My now 8 year old has always just loved people and their stories, so we do a TON of little mini-studies on different people, which leads to a ton of questions of surrounding events and historical issues (ie Abraham Lincoln's life led to a ton of books about the Civil War). We draw mainly from American history, but also athletes (with olympics coming up that could be fun), world leaders, religious leaders, etc. Enjoy!!

We are starting CLE LA now (having used FLL 1 and 2). My DD is going into 3rd grade and CLE LA 3 is perfect for her. I have gone through the first light unit and put an X through all the spelling, penmanship and anything with the phonetic symbols since she reads on a 5th or 6th grade level. Even crossing that stuff out, she has a good 15 or 20 minutes of work in one lesson sometimes. Other days are a little faster. We do everything else and it is great! And it is so cheap that I'm fine skipping things.

I have a 3.5 year old who BEGS to do school like his big brother and big sister. I have set aside some educational toys and activities that are just for "school" time (sensory bins, puzzles, etc.) Since we school summer here also he gets lot of time with those things. I've also found used workbooks (Rod and Staff preschool, Before the Code, LeapFrog, Kumon, Abeka K4, etc.) that I have on hand when he wants to "do school". He has learned all his letters, most of their sounds and is starting to show interest in writing. All from being here. Just hanging around a school environment since he was an infant. So I think "doing nothing" is actually "doing something" and attempting a little enrichment beyond that will go a long way. :) Good luck!!

No. Too expensive. Read a lot of books about space and other science topics. I didn't even consider a formal science until 2nd and I probably could have waited until 3rd or 4th. Just read books and they'll LOVE space stuff and probably retain just as much. :) And you would save money. Wohoo!!

I use it as a supplement. I don't know that it would work for us as a main math curriculum. We use ABEKA which is GREAT for arithmetic. My kids are strong on their math facts and understanding of Math. The Mathematical Reasoning books help supplement by making them "think" a little differently about what they are learning. But I'm a big fan of traditional math as a spine, but always offering a different approach to make sure they can come at things differently. In kinder and 1st for my DD we used Singapore for that. Just the workbooks...nothing else. I will switch to Saxon in 4th grade, but will still use MR as a supplement. Good luck!!

I rarely put the lesson numbers in my planner. I use MFW, so that is a separate TM. But my planner has all math, LA, spelling, etc. I simply list out things ot use as as check list. So it may say "FLL, WWE, AAS, CLE Reading, ABEKA MAth, Mathematical Reasoning". No lesson numbers. Then if I miss a day, I give myself grace and move on to the next day. I have even stopped putting days or dates. It simply says "Week 1" and then "Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4". With MFW, I'm gonna use sticky arrows. If we do two bible days in one day, the arrow moves to spots to day 3. If I do only 1 science day, it only moves one spot. I will try to keep weeks together (or at least units) but will allow us to keep going if we like something and then I know where we are. I learned this doing MFW Adventures, because we would often just keep going when we loved something!

Rod and Staff would include grammar as well as writing and WWE is only Writing. You could supplement with First Language Lessons, but both FLL and WWE is fairly teacher intensive. I'm going CLE Language Arts with my oldest and supplementing with WWE. I think CLE and Rod and Staff are "somewhat" similar, but others can speak to that. The only thing I would think with your 10 year old is that WWE is no pen to paper...or very little. If he/she has already been composing, this may feel like a step back. While it would probably be good in the long run, just need to keep that in mind. I will be finishing up WWE 2 with my daughter this year. She is so so SO ready for pen to paper writing (she writes 10 page stories, composes letters, etc. on a regular basis) so I'm moving to Writers in Residence. I got a copy for a very good price and it looks phenomenal. It is for 4th-6th graders and we'll start in the second half of 3rd grade. Good luck with your decisions! Choices are so difficult!

Do your kids like American Girl? They have some great books...especially for your 9 year old! Not sure if it would count or not, but may be worth looking into.

We did Land Animals with my 8 year old this year. I wish we had done Astronomy instead or Botany. She got enough out of it, but a lot of it was just...well...thick. It was her first science (2nd grade) and I honestly think we could have just done something lighter and waited until this year. She loved the notebooking and I think that is where most of the learning took place for her. She is an artist and very creative. Good luck!!

Hi there! My daughter just finished it this past year and loved it. She is a strong reader though. I could imagine it being a little much (the way they pace it) for a child who doesn't read to themselves quite so well. However, remember that is what it is trying to develop. SO, you could spread the reading out over two sessions. It generally has you read the day BEFORE you answer questions about the passage, so you could do it in AM and then PM and then split up the reading aloud portion. We always did team reading for the reading aloud....just because. I would say you could adjust to fit your child, but the curriculum really is great. I hope you enjoy it!!

I haven't used it, but found it on a used site for $50 (and it was actually unused) so it is on my shelf for the second half of next year. My 3rd grader is a natural writer and is anxious to get moving, but I'm gonna hold off until the 2nd half of her 3rd grade year. It is written for 4-6th grades. I have looked through it and it looks amazing! My daughter is also very excited about it. Sorry it isn't a review, but I do have my hands on it and it looks amazing!!

I used Seton Testing for my kinder and BJU for my 2nd grader. Both were back within 10 days of returning test to the center, but we tested in April, so perhaps the turnaround was faster. Lots of people are testing now!! I hope your kiddos do well. I was worried about my kinder since I didn't have to test my DD when she was in kinder (he was 6 before 9/30), but he did great. And of course the 2nd grade test (we do Iowa) was a lot harder than last year and I was worried how she would do, but she also did fine. Try not to worry!! I'm sure they will do just fine! :)

Build your own Bundle sale starts today, friends!! There are some great publishers this year, as always, and I'm looking forward to seeing what will be offered. The bundles are always great! http://www.buildyourbundle.net/promotions/giveaways/2016/?lucky=15715 Happy shopping!

I have a DD going into 3rd grade. We are going to use CLE LA 3 for this very reason. I also have a DS going into 1st who will be starting FLL 1 and a PreK who will need a bit more instruction. I just need SOMETHING to be more independent since we will be doing MFW ECC, WWE and I also teach her math. R&S was another option for us. Either one is great, so if you NEED more independence, you may look at those.

I actually like the look of the new one. After doing Land Animals with my 2nd grader this year, I like the looks of the new astronomy. Not as "wordy", if that makes sense. We are doing it in Co-op next year, so I could answer better once I get my hands on it. We LOVED Land Animals, which is why I ask about the other ones...if they are going to keep updating, because I feel like we'll stick with it. We'll see though....you never know when my eyes may wander! :)

I'm just curious if anybody knows the plans for Apologia's Young Explorers series. They have come out with a new edition for the Astronomy. Are they re-vamping all seven days? Thanks!!

It only takes us about 10 or 15 minutes per day. The fourth day takes longer, so maybe 20. It is normally a little more challenging of a passage and I expect a little more that day since it is the second time she has heard a passage from the same book. She has to narrate and take dictation that day.

If I were in your shoes I would start with WWE 2. We are doing that now with DD and it looks like a huge jump in skill to WWE 3. It seems like it would be too much if she has never done those things. If you find it is "easy" for her, you can always take it double time. I did that with WWE 1 for my DD. We just did two days in 1. Slow up if you need to later on. :) We love WWE!!! I hope it works well for you!! I'll tell you it has helped my daughter's listening skills tremendously. She is not a strong auditory learner...at all! But has honed those skills using WWE. And it has reminded me of classics I read as a child that I had forgotten about (The Borrowers is the latest) that we now read together or my daughter reads on her own. Enjoy!

I just did MFW Adventures with my 2nd and Kinder and we loved it! I've never done MFW K and 1st either. We just do our own phonics and math those years. With my oldest, we just did Phonics, Math and Handwriting in first. "History" and "Science" were books, books and more books. She tested in late 3rd grade level in those subjects, so she didn't miss anything. Even now she knows a ton of "history" from the books she reads. So I think you can stay "laid back" for 1st and plan to do Adventures when your little one is in second grade. Then jump into the cycle if you like MFW. We are gearing up for ECC next year and are SO excited about it!

I found that I needed a phonics program with my daughter. So in 1st grade we started ABEKA phonics. She was SO slow. She was progressing, but it was just so much WORK for her. Then one day.....almost overnight...it just clicked. It was the end of first grade and it just clicked. Even my husband came down one night after she read to him and asked what in the world happened!! :) She started reading like a crazy girl and hasn't stopped (she is finishing up 2nd grade now). My son is currently finishing kinder year, but working on 1st grade phonics. Still slow. GOOD at it, but very slow. I know it will click. I know that with patience and continuing to work through the phonics program intentionally he will eventually get it. I'm sure your daughter will also. You may look at a phonics program to give her tools to decode words. But I have a friend who has never used a formal phonics program other than Explode the Code and her kids all read just fine. Good luck!!

Oh wow!! So it sounds like my daughter's pace right now will slow way down. :) This is great info. Thanks so much!!

I've wondered this too, so I'll be following. My second grader is doing great at AAS and is halfway through Level 4. At this pace she'll finish 7 by the end of 4th grade. Perhaps it then just becomes vocab combined with spelling? I have no idea!!

Good morning!! I am starting to really look at next year and am not sure about one thing I have planned for my DS. He will be in first grade. I have done FLL 1 and 2 with my DD and it was fine (although we have burned out toward the end of 2 and will be switching to CLE LA 3 next year). However, my DS is a typical boy...not as willing to do things that tend to be dry. And as much as FLL worked with my daughter, it is dry. Looking at other things I have ready for him, I do not think FLL will go over well. However, I do believe that INTRODUCING grammar, in a gentle way, has been great for DD. SO....all that to say...I came across Language Smarts from Critical Thinking Co. last night and I like the looks of it. Short, edible bites of work, VERY colorful and engaging and even some reasoning puzzles and stuff. Has anybody ever used it and what are your thoughts? Again, not trying to make him a grammar wiz, but just an introduction to concepts. Thanks!!