I always tell people who are just starting out to expect to "waste" some money. The whole thing is such an unknown at first so it is hard to buy the right things the first time. This, unfortunatley, is part of the deal. It is a process and there is a learning curve. Hopefully it won't happen a lot! :tongue_smilie:

I am sure this question has been answered but I am wondering if there is a difference. Can you get updates on a cd? I have NO idea! The update thing is what makes me lean towards a download but I am afraid if my computer ever crashes it will be gone. Can I put the download on a cd? I am obviously not well versed in this stuff!

:iagree: YEP!

I am using MFW and have for a long time (except for one unfortunate year that was a mistake:glare:). As a curriculum overall, I LOVE it. I have looked extensivley at the other options and this is the funnest, most balanced, easy to implement, easy to learn, easy to teak, easy to cram a couple of days in at a time if necessary (which makes it easy to actually finish the curriculum), and it is rich with learning. When I realize all it has to offer it is so much more than history. It is bible, cooking, art, literature, science, handwriting, some english, crafts, and way more but I have to get going.:D For our family, it is the best fit. Is it absolutley perfect? NO Is any curriculum? heavens NO I am happy with the high school too. Next year we start that and I am really looking forward to it!

I would have to say that until you have your sea legs for homeschooling period, TOG would be too big to take on. Seasoned homeschoolers are challenged by it. MFW is great, very complete, fun and easy to implement. I have done both and would say do MFW especially at first.

I know lots of people have said lots of things but I am not sure anyone just said MFW has really good read alouds too! Just the ones assigned are really good. We have really enjoyed them and often finish them quickly because my kids won't let me stop reading.:D We don't usually get many books from the book basket--our library is tiny and I am satisfied with the materials that come with the program. My kids read alot but they read what looks good from the library. It is a great balance. I have looked at all the others and MFW is always what works for us. (did TOG one year and I am kicking myself for that)

I know this is not a practical book mark but I really like to use greeting cards that I want to remember as a book mark. So often, I just put cards from people in a file cabinet and never see them again. They can be so sweet and uplifting though that I want to enjoy them for a while so I use them as book marks.:001_smile:

I love to have what I call the "good erasers". These are the white smooth ones. They are the only ones that erase completely. I also really have been using those plastic, durable, floppy folders that have pockets and the brads in them to hold paper without it falling out. Those are really good for things like Progeny Press pages, map work activities and short term projects your kids are doing. This has been easier for us than white binders for all subjects. Oh, I really like to used white binders too! The kind that you put a cover page into the plastic cover. Main topics go in there but I use the other (above mentioned) ones for anything extra. We have to have lots of ink, lots of paper (we buy it by the case at Costco). The final thing that was really useful was chocolate chips for my reluctant to learn 5 year old. When you are kind of desparate for your kids to enjoy school or a certain subject, chocolate chips to encourage participation can not be beat!:lol:

Yep, seems to me all this summer has been is no schedule (chaos!) and lists of projects and chores.

History--MFW Science--Apologia Math--hmmmmmm, I'll get back to you later on that. LA--Phonics Road

Can anyone tell me what Mighty Minds are?

OK, just to clarify. It says Pre-Algebra 2 BUT we don't have to do the other biology one first, it is just another optiuon. Is that right?

Most of the time I have time to watch the videos. If I am in a bit of a hurry, I hit the fast button and stop when she talks for a longer time or jumps to a building code. If I just have NO time to watch I do the lesson and if I have questions I pop the dvd in while we are teaching and fast forward to that particular word and see what she said about it. We did wind up having to fill in some building codes I missed but it was so totally fine. The kids get it.:lol: As far as the syllabification (whew!) I just have to say (and I hope I can do my thoughts justice) I have used this and AAS. I really like AAS but I wanted a complete LA program. PR uses a different method to teach spelling than AAS. I personally think PR's method of marking is more intuitive than AAS's syllabification. It was hard for ME to remember the rules for syllables (open closed etc.) in AAS. That method is just not necessary in PR. It would be similar to feeling like you had to take EVERY avenue to remember math facts. i.e "OK, I like that we are learning math facts with this computer drill but I need to also use songs, flash cards and written drills" Maybe not all of those methods of teaching math facts are necessary. If you are learning them using one method of teaching them then just use the one. (Some of us have had to use all of them but that is besides the point!) AAS uses syllabification to learn to spell, PR uses the markings and rules. PR should not need to do both to decode a word, you have to do one or the other. That would be like telling your child, "OK, here is 3x3. Sing the song, get on the computer and do the computer drill, write the drill, look at the flashcard!!!! What is the answer?!" See, you don't need to do all of that to get the answer--just pick one. BTW, PR does teach how to divide syllables and many rules about dividing syllables. "Always divide syllables betweeeen doubled consanants, unless the doubled consanant ................" Sorry to put that in your head! There are other rules about them too. I hope my syllabification thing above made sense. It occurred to me the other day.:tongue_smilie: PR is great. I am so thankful. I also would RATHER just look at a book but I don't think that would stick with me. I understand the concepts so much better watching her do it. How would you do the songs in a book? It takes time to learn but the videos are really so much better IMO. I could totally see myself whipping through the book and not remembering very much of the information. The videos make us slow down and take in all that is taught. Just thinking about that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. :grouphug: We just finished PR 1 and I can't wait to start on 2!

For me what I really like about PR is over SWR is that I am not a person who can just "do" SWR. There was not enough direction for me. Every day I would just kind of try and put something together but I get overwhelmed with a curriculum that just has a lot of open ended activities and no real schedule to implement it. It seems a lot of people are like that. We want: day one- do this and this, day two- have your kids write this and this, day three- do this and test that. That makes me happy. I can not focus enough (can a 40 year old have alzimers?--I can't even spell it!) to come up with wonderful teaching of SWR so I dropped it. This PR was a real Godsend to me because it has (most) of the SWR teaching but it is put together for me. That is what is so great about it to me.

I joined HSL but I must say I prefer WTM. I don't want to make my own page, I know lots of people are doing Facebooky things but I don't do that and don't want to. I like that I can come here and see a variety of posts on things that interest me. It is uncluttered, active and does not require me to have to make "friends" or "sisters" or keep up a page of my own. I just want the info! :D:D It IS kind of funny because there are a lot of you on here that I feel I have gotten to "know" even though you don't even know I exist! You are all fun to read and I think many of you would make great friends but frankly, I don't have time to maintain relationships online as well as in real life. Some aspects of a site like that is appealing but I have enough guilt for the hour a day I spend on this site, I don't need one that requires even more of me!:001_huh:

Your oldest will be working independently in HS anyway so they do not have to stay on the same cycle. It does look like a great HS program!

"Focus on your own behavior" I say this when my kids start policing eachother. If everyone is making sure they are being the best most God honroing person THEY can be and focusing on themselves being good then we don't need to police and everyone will get along great. I also use: "Well, it wouldn't just sprout legs and walk out of here, let's just keep an eye out for it" for the zillions of times a day my 5YO loses his stuff. CONSTANTLY he is puttling things down and walking off--it's often in the bathroom! He has terrible figure ground abilities and can't see things that are right IN FRONT of him. What's with that?

I have had that problem before too. I read an article that said, everyone has those thoughts through out the day. We all have thousands of thoughts a day. Sometimes, we become focused on certain ones. It is not that having those thoughts are not normal, it is just that we grab a hold of some and really examine them. It helped me to realize that everyone thinks wierd things sometimes. Just remember that and let it go. Don't grab hold of it and think you are wierd for having it, everyone does. For me, just having THAT realization really helped. It is almost impossible to focus on NOT having a thought! Try really hard not to think of pink elephants!!!!! I know, you just thought of pink elephants. Just normalize the behavior (because it is) and move on. I hope that helps.

On Homeschool Buyers Co-op you can get a huge discount on Thinkwell right now. I think it is 45% off. I just read that the year timer does not start until you start the program so you can start it later if you need to. The deal ends really soon! It costs nothing to join and is really easy.:001_smile: No, I don't work for them!

I had voted for you to start at year three and then thought better of it! Are you REALLY going to have time to do activites with your friends? If it were me I would just feel pressure to join because like you said, you are busy. I think you would be better off choosing a more open and go curriculum. TOG is a lot of work for those people who don't work!! You need doable. Doable is much better than not doing history at all because realistically, you don't have much time. I want to re-do my vote and say OTHER! It is so easy when you are planning to think you can pull off a tough schedule AND have time for field trips but is another thing when it is happening.

I second God Wants All of Me. Very quick and wonderful.

I have never used MOH but my family loves MFW. It is well put together (you don't feel like there are gaps), easy to implement, has a great balance of reading and activities, and it is interesting and fun. I often see people stressing about thier curriculum and getting it done, feeling like thier kids are learning etc. etc. and I never worry about that because MFW is doable and complete and my kids are loving learning. HTH!

Laminating Rules!!! I laminate everything. It is kind of additctive. Does any one want to talk about label makers?!:lol:More JOY!!!

My goodness, you are a popluar woman! Add me to your list!!! Thank you so much,

I agree with the above poster who said not to give up on MFW because of a Bible Reader. Honestly, I did TOG and am a dropout. If you are working 3 days a week, you are going to have a hard time keeping up with the program and with the planning. IT IS ALOT! It worries me a little that so many people are jumping on the bandwagon. I have done it and I am just worried about people actually doing it and being able to comfortably school thier kids for very long with it. I really like MFW, it is good for someone who does not have all kinds of extra time to plan, buy or order books and teach TOG. We got behind in math and science because this history program took so much. Anyway, I hate to be a wet blanket but I have to tell the truth in love!