I think so, yes. When we're beginning our chores, I announce that everyone is to grab their chorepack (I color code the cards), the children grab 'em, and away we go. It's also easy to check each child's chores since I grab the chorepack and wander through the house. Eventually, we drop the chore packs since the children have memorized what they are suppose to do, but any changes begin with chore packs. Lol, my older children tend to refuse to wear the packs, but do carry them around as a to-do list. My youngest loves to put on his.

For 7th grade, ds will be doing: Math: Saxon Algebra 1/2 Greek: Hey Andrew 3 Latin: Oxford Latin 1 English: Learning Language Arts Through Literature Green History: SOTW 3 w/ Kingfisher & WTM Logic Stage recommendations Science: Christian Kids Explore Chemistry w/ WTM Logic Stage recommendations. Extras: Piano, swimming, karate, art & music appreciation

You might check your dd's sight. If she reads easily with large print, but struggles with small print, she might be farsighted. In my case, my 11 son is farsighted, but I thought for years he might be dyslexic. What tuned me in last summer, was his ability to read very large print (24 font +) at a 7th grade level but he was unable to read small print at a 2nd grade level. When I was testing him on the computer, gradually increasing the font, the larger the font - the more easily he read. By the end he was gleefully reading fluently over my shoulder. We picked up cheap reading glasses at the local drug store and he's been reading since.

Well, this year I have both a 5th and a 6th grader. Saxon Math: 65 / 87 Latin's Not So Tough: 3 / 4 Greek (Hey Andrew): None / 2 Learning Language Arts Through Literature: Purple / Tan Both History: SOTW 2 with Kingfisher as recommended in TWTM Science: Christian Kids Explore Biology with How Nature Works as recommended in TWTM PE: Karate & Swimming

With multiple children in both logic and grammar stage, I've found CKE to be easier to accommodate to both levels. We cover 1 topic / lesson per week. My logic stage sons read 'How Nature Works' on the topic and write a composition, as per TWTM. CKE has a list of books and videos in the back that correlate with each unit. I check out many of these for the children to read or watch. HTH!

Well, we'll keep 1st grade simple even though he's a strong reader. Language Arts: Queen's Language Lessons for Little Ones Vol. 3 Lots of reading to go along with SOTW 3 & possibly HWT 1 Math: Spectrum Math 2 History: SOTW 3 with older siblings Science: CKE Biology

Excuse me for a second, but...:rofl: how many times have I heard variations of that statement! :lol:

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I think it's your decision. My ds enjoys research papers, and I had him do a formal research paper instead of an informal paper. Lessons 17-19 are devoted to writing a formal research paper, so this is not the only research paper the children write this year. During these lessons the children cover the dewey decimal system, taking notes on index cards, bibliographies, etc. Best of luck!

In my house, Kingfisher is only used with children 5th grade and above. It's simply too much information for the younger crowd. While I have Usborne, and sometimes the children browse through it, only my 6th grader uses it regularly in his history studies. In my humble opinion, for an 8yo you only need SOTW, although Usborne and Kingfisher are wonderful additions if you wish to add them.

It's normal behavior, but it does give all adults in the vacinity a headache. I implemented 'work parties' for bickering on Friday. If the children fight, I start handing out extra chores, over and above the usual chores. My house is cleaner, and the level of fighting is dramatically decreasing. My parents, also, had a no tolerance policy of sibling fighting. In order to have an argument, we had to put baby sis on guard duty to watch for incoming parents. :lol:

Actually, since he's doing well with Singapore now, why switch back? Don't get me wrong, I adore Saxon but Singapore is also a great program. Your ds can always switch into Saxon 87 in the 7th grade. My philosophy here is: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. ;)

I'm not planning on continuing my ds, who'll be 1st grade, with phonics next year. He's reading quite well. :001_smile: Spelling Workout is a great spelling program, I've used it in the past. 1st graders tend not have have great spelling or attention spans. I prefer a light spelling program at this age and work into an intensive program in the 3rd grade. Best of luck!

That's essentially what my 6th grader is doing this year. We do SOTW 2 with the activity guide as a family, but he reads/outlines Kingfisher and writes 1-2 pages on a chosen topic on his own. I also try to assign a book a week, either historical fiction or a biography. His mapwork is entirely from the activity guide. It's working very well for us. My ds loathed HO level 2 as well. The WTM method is much simpler as accomplishes just as much. :001_smile: HTH!

We're enjoying Learning Language Arts through Literature in my house. It covers book studies, along with grammar and writing. The green (7th grade book) begins the study of diagramming while the grey (8th grade book) completes it. Abeka Language is another alternative. A friend is using Abeka and it's working well for her family. Best of luck with your search!

Where are the comments? I could use a laugh this morning. :D

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Here's my plans for what my current 6th grader is doing and what my incoming 6th grader will do. Math Saxon 87 / Saxon 76, begin 87 Latin & Greek (both sons) LNST 4 & Hey Andrew 2 English (both sons) LLATL Tan History - outlining Kingfisher, additional reading, & writing short compositions as per WTM recommendations SOTW 2 / SOTW 3 Science - additional reading, & writing short compositions as per WTM recommendations Christian Kids Explore Biology / Christian Kids Explore Chemistry

I minimize workbooks / curriculum. Having to juggle 14 different LA curriculum between the 4 children drove me batty last year. This year we're using all in one LA programs. I also made up a schedule and it's worked wonders to keep me on track. The day starts with my youngest and I sitting down together, and we work up from there by age. My youngest is unable to complete any of his schoolwork together, my oldest is able to do almost all of his work independently, while my middle 2 are...well, in the middle. ;). By the time my oldest and I sit down together, he's almost finished and only needs me to grade/review his work with him. The only other suggestion is to start slow and build from there. It takes time and some experimentation to find a comfortable homeschooling groove. You can always start with math and English before adding in other subjects a few weeks later. Best of luck!

My ds has completed vol. 1, is almost finished with vol. 2, and will use vol. 3 next year for 1st grade. We've both adored the program. I prefer to use a gentle and fast language arts program for my little ones and this fits the bill. It takes ds around 5 minutes or less to complete a lesson. He's learned to write his letters and has started copywork. The picture studies are used to introduce story telling. The poetry is well chosen for the age group. We've covered the difference between a statement and a question, and the use of periods and question marks. Shortly, we will be introduced to paragraphs. Each lesson concentrates on a different skill. Each day we do one of the following: copywork, learn a phonics lesson, complete reading drill, picture study, or poetry reading. We never do any two items in the same lesson. Because of the way lessons are scheduled, in vol. 2 there are a few weeks with no copywork at all. I do not believe there is enough reading drill for a child to learn to read using this program. We're using Phonics Pathways to learn to read and Language Lessons to reenforce his understanding of phonics. My main goal is a gentle introduction to writing, spelling, and grammar. Despite the short, simple lessons, I've been thrilled with his progress. If you decide to use the books, vol. 1 is simply learning the alphabet. Vol. 2 begins by introducing short sounds and simple copy work but ends with long vowels, reading simple paragraphs, and writing an 8 word sentence. Vol. 3 begins with a quick review of short vowel words and the silent-e rule and then takes off from there. In addition to covering advanced phonics rules (ph, sion, tion, etc), the volume also covers punctuation, an intro to couplets in poetry, syllables, and titles (Mr, Mrs, ...). The volume ends with the children writing 1-2 sentences of up to 18 or so words. The children also complete narration and story telling throughout the 3 volumes. There is not a lot of time devoted to grammar, but I've found that we are easily able to take 30 seconds or so to quickly review any grammar we've covered. I've enjoyed the series and will happily answer any more questions you might have.

My kindergartener is finishing Phonics Pathways, doing Queen's Language Lessons for Little Ones Vol. 2, and Saxon Math 1 at a slow pace. He sometimes joins us for SOTW and Christian Kids Explore Biology. Generally, we're taking it slow.

Here's my current / incoming 5th grade plans, since I currently have both a 5th grader and a 4th grader. :001_smile: Saxon Math 65 / Saxon Math 54 Latin's Not So Tough 3 / Latin's Not So Tough 3 LLATL Purple / LLATL Purple CKE Biology w/ WTM logic stage science / CKE Chemistry w/ WTM logic stage science SOTW 2 w/ WTM logic stage history / SOTW 3 w/ WTM logic stage history

No, Saxon K is a fun place to start with very little writing, but Saxon 1 reviews everything from the beginning. :001_smile:

My oldest was an early reader. I pushed him ahead in all LA and in comparison to his younger brother, who was at grade level, I regretted it. He struggled to understand alphabetizing, homonyms, etc. What took 30 minutes to explain to a barely 7 yo, took 30 seconds to explain to a 9 yo. With my youngest ds, who is a strong reader in K, I'm keeping him in kindergarten level LA. I leave lots of good picture books around the house and encourage him to read. Otherwise, he's doing K level work, it's good review and a confidence booster, if nothing else. Lessons tend to be short and sweet, and I have a wiggly but eager student. As far as missing material, much of LA is repeated each year at a more difficult level. Older children can handle the more difficult level, even if it's the first time they've seen the topic. Maturity plays a big part in comprehension. There are also many good programs, just as Analytical Grammar or IEW writing, that teach from the beginning for an older student. There's no need to push ahead unless you wish.