We used Saxon math for dd when she was in 3rd grade, and she was bored to tears with the constant repetition. She would nearly fall asleep during her lessons. When we said it was time for math she groaned loudly, sometimes in a puddle of tears. Keep in mind that we had tested her before purchasing the program, and based on the math facts presented for that level I know that she was at the right grade level. I also understand and appreciate the need for repetition used in the spiral approach - especially in the grammar stage - but to us Saxon went way over the top on this. Additionally, my dd is very visual and she needed something more than the black and white. We switched to MUS, then on to TT and have never looked back. Blessings, Lucinda

Does anyone use a hardcopy planner, but enter grades into a program that can generate reports? If so, what program do you use? Blessings, Lucinda

In the U.S., our flour and our ovens are far different than in France and it's very evident in their bread. It just can't be matched here on our continent, so savor the taste while you are in France. A picnic lunch one day with fresh baguettes, cheese and wine would be another winning suggestion to add to your list. Blessings, Lucinda

As a cross platform user of many years, I have to say that I've had far fewer problems with the Macs that I have owned. I've seen many PC's come and go in office, school and personal situations during the single lifetime of one of my Macs. The most stable networks I've been connected to have been Mac based. I also have to agree with your friends about the virus issue. Part of this is due to the American business world being primarily Windows based, and the fact that it is where a great deal of the control of our money lies. Macs are easy to navigate for people of any age, are faster, and they simply live longer. Of course as a graphic designer I'm kind of biased when it comes to this, plus the fact that I was first trained on a Mac. It's no wonder that they were my first love when it comes to computers. Blessings, Lucinda

I think your itinerary looks awesome! Can I come, please? Oh can I? :DActually, I have been to Paris and do plan to go again in my lifetime if at all possible. You are in for a treat of a lifetime! One of my most memorable sites in all of Paris was a small cathedral called St. Chapelle. It would be quite easy to fit in on Monday or Tuesday of your schedule and would be well worth the extra hour of time. This is an exquisite place right in the heart of the city near where you will be already. You will find there colors in stained glass and ornately painted walls that are a feast for the eyes like no other cathedral in all of France. There is a great deal of history connected to St. Chapelle that you'll want to read up on ahead of time. Whenever I am asked to recommend a site for visitors to Paris I always recommend St. Chapelle, and those that have gone have thanked me because they too loved it. Have a wonderful vacation! You will love the food and all of the amazing sites that you experience. Blessings, Lucinda

I shudder to even think about it. :lol: Blessings, Lucinda

Thanks Clover11! I like your ideas and will remember them. And you know, there is no one curriculum that fits the needs of all people. I'm thankful beyond words that we have so many options to choose from. And I'm glad to hear that your ds loves science and that Apologia works well for him. I have a feeling that it will do the same for my dd, but time will tell. Blessings, Lucinda

Same here. I buy bit by bit in advance, always planning ahead and sticking books away as I find them free or for cheap. I keep running lists going and check off books as I get them. Quite often I'm looking for books that we'll use a year in advance, but by doing this I save a lot of money. By the time we are nearly ready to start a particular unit, I put the ones I don't have in my Amazon shopping cart and make good use of my Prime membership. Blessings, Lucinda

What type of DVD's do you use? Living stories connected with the lessons obviously, but other than that what else?

:iagree: I completely agree with this. You have hit the nail on the head exactly -- I couldn't have said it better myself. Blessings, Lucinda

Thanks Kristen. Yes, I do realize that is in the book already....just wondered if people are using it, and if they like it. Also really hoping to learn about another option that generates reports. I really wouldn't mind keeping grades on the computer, but am keeping my options open. Blessings, Lucinda

We are going to use this course for 7th grade next year and I've got lesson plans downloaded from Core Foundations as well as an experiment kit sitting on the shelf ready to go. I just want to know what suggestions there may be for supplementing like 2Cents suggested in the other thread when she said: I want to keep my science loving dd enthused and I know she'd love it if we added some good visuals through supplemental books and media, etc. We're going to do this together and we are both visual learners/communicators, and I do see the benefit of supplementing. Keeping this in mind, I'd love to have some specific recommendations from those of you that know the course. (Please don't use this thread for critiques of Apologia, that is not what I'm asking for or needing here.) We aren't going to continue next year with the co-op we've been participating in, so science is all up to me now. Thanks for any suggestions you may have. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm on my third year of using The Well Planned Day and I love it. In my state we are not required to keep records of anything, so I decided at the get-go not to do that until dd is in middle and high school. Now that she's about to enter 7th grade I'm revisiting the idea of keeping a record of grades and attendance. Whether she transfers to a private school at some point or we just need to have documentation for college, I think I should get into the habit of doing this now. If you use a hardcopy lesson planner like I do, what do you do for grades? I like the idea of using software for grades that can then create specific reports and transcripts, but the programs I've seen have a lot more built into them that I don't really need. Is there a program just for grades and attendance with report writing options? (I'm on a Mac by the way.) Or would it be easier to just have a hardcopy gradebook too? Blessings, Lucinda

I've downloaded the Core Foundations schedule for this course and it doesn't look that way at all. The schedule has it all broken down into 32 reasonable weekly sections with reading and writing throughout the week, plus experiments 1-4 times per week. Of course, like I said in a previous post, we haven't done it yet. But as I look at the schedule it does look doable. Blessings, Lucinda

How about supplementing like 2Cents suggested when she said: What would you suggest? Blessings, Lucinda

I remember well when my dd was about 3 yo and strolled into the room to say, "Mama, did you know that Kaboom puts the shine back in your shower? You should get some!!" :001_huh: I was like a deer caught in the headlights by her announcement, realizing that my little toddler was watching waaaay too much TV! Blessings, Lucinda

As a mom that has raised three sons to manhood, I say take him. In the big picture of life, I believe that love and grace are the primary lessons that mothers give their sons. Yes, I understand and hear your frustration, but please remember that he's still a very young man. Learning promptness and discipline are influenced by moms, but are most often learned from male role models and/or involvement in military, academic environments, athletics, etc. If he's at least within 5-10 minutes of your expectation, and he's making progress then I say you should congratulate him and celebrate together. There's a time to be rigid and a time for grace. I hope that in this case you choose grace. Blessings, Lucinda

I agree with all of these suggestions, and for all the rest for that matter. I grew up in Winston before moving to the Portland Metro area right out of high school. The Safari is something you won't want to miss, and Portland is just the best little city! The Oregon coast is incredibly beautiful -- you are going to love it! When you come back for a longer stay, I highly recommend that you plan a vacation that starts on the northern coast at Astoria and works all the way down to the southern coast to California. There is so much variation along the coast as you move along on Hwy. 101. You'll be thrilled each step of the way, thinking it's the most beautiful beach and view of the ocean until you come to the next one that is even more beautiful. By the time you get down past Bandon, you will see breathtaking beauty as the rock formations become much more dramatic. The southern coast is probably my favorite, but then again it's all pretty amazing. I am a native Oregonian and have cherished the beauty of our coastline all my life. You are in for a real treat! Blessings, Lucinda

No. I pay $25 for a weekly 60 min. lesson for dd that is taught by a well trained and experienced, expert horsewoman. $1 per minute sounds tremendously high to me -- I guess unless you are in high end circles with thoroughbreds. Blessings, Lucinda P.S. Coming back to edit and add: for this price dd's instructor also teaches about horses, all about their care, temperament, etc. along with riding itself.

Bookshelf Central In order to serve you better, Bookshelf Central is moving to a dedicated server. Our goal is faster, more efficient service for you! However, it does mean a couple of days of down time; we anticipate being back up to full capacity by Saturday morning. Meanwhile, if you have questions, you can call us at 1-877-394-7601.

Thank you for clarifying that for me! I assumed that the release would be the whole series for middle school level. Hmmm. Well, I'll just have to wait until the samples are posted I guess. Blessings, Lucinda

I appreciated your comments very much. I will have to look closely at the first two levels of ALL and decide which one works the best then. I am so excited to look at ALL (and WWS) this year! As soon as it's available I'm going to peruse and download! Blessings, Lucinda

Well, it would make perfect sense then, considering the above comment and added note, to start them both at 4th grade level with R&S. I believe that is what I would do myself if I were in your position. Like I said earlier, R&S is a really thorough program, and there's plenty of handholding. You'd get the intro to diagramming and both students would be on the same lesson. Easy for you, a great place to start for them. I had one other thought too, and that would be to go with SWB's elementary language arts courses - First Language Lessons (FLL) for grammar and Writing With Ease (WWE). I didn't suggest this first because we have not done them ourselves. They are highly recommended though. These are the only two programs of study that I would feel completely confident to recommend for grammar and composition. We've done Shurley and we've done Easy Grammar and neither one of them worked for us at all. Blessings, Lucinda

:iagree::iagree::iagree: I second this choice. R&S English 5 would be a perfect place to start. It is both grammar and composition all built into one course. R&S 5 is what TWTM recommends for remedial study, and you would appreciate it so much that it's pretty much open and go. The TM is absolutely teacher friendly, yet the program is extremely thorough. After 5 possibly even 6, your student would be well introduced to the study of grammar and could then move on to more advanced programs. Piece of cake! Blessings, Lucinda

But perhaps those that have completed FLL 4 could possibly offer a comparison of where it leaves off compared to the R&S levels. Blessings, Lucinda