Winterpromise-- I've tried 3 of their programs and am sooooooo over that company that I'll never look at it again! Classical conversations-- too expensive and I totally don't need someone telling me what to teach my kids and when plus all that money! Sonlight-- everyone raves about it but really it's just a glorified reading list. MEP-- I just don't get it.

Winterpromise-- I've tried 3 of their programs and am sooooooo over that company that I'll never look at it again! Classical conversations-- too expensive and I totally don't need someone telling me what to teach my kids and when plus all that money! Sonlight-- everyone raves about it but really it's just a glorified reading list. MEP- I just don't get it.

The apologia astronomy book is scheduled and completed in the first 14 weeks so that is 1 lesson/chapter per week. I thInk some of the xperimentaight have alternate ideas in order to make it more user friendly with things that you have on hand. You could also easily us the option 2 plans for the AIG BOOK INSTEAD OF OR IN CONJUNCTION with the apologia book. This book is scheduled in the appendix of the guide.

I will have a fifth and seventh grader. I think the science is plenty as written but I also think for an eighth grader you could add the additional answers in genesis book which is option 2 and you could do it in addition to the option 1. I will only be adding a few of the history extensions for my seventh grader but not all because I really do think the program is plenty for seventh and eighth grade as written. This particular level of HOD covers everything that mystery of history covers in books 2 and 3. Instead of using book 2 though they use other books for that time period and then book 3 for the rest of it. If you begin this program and have already used book 2 then there might be some overlap but not too much.

Thank you for your thoughts. After typing all that out I spent some time thinking and praying. I realized that since keeping everyone together was important to me I would need to make my own hod type plan for my younger two. It is definitely more work but given the fact that the curriculum money is gone it is the least expensive option! And I'm happy with the book choices from our personal library as well as the public library.

I have RtR and am planning on having my oldest dd (adding a few extensions, not all and she is age 12 grade 7 in the fall) and my next dd (no extensions and she is age 10 grade 5 in the fall) complete the program. I like how it teaches independence. My questions are about my younger 2 (ages 9 and 7 in the fall--grades 4 and 2). I was going to have them follow along with Story of the World volume 2 with the audio cd's and a few additional living books of the time period--kinda make my own schedule and give the 9yo some books to read on her own. I like for everyone to be on the same cycle of history and science. The younger 2 were also going to do the science in the RtR guide (minus all the writing). At their ages I really like to focus on the basics: math, reading, spelling, grammar, handwriting, copywork. I was also going to do the RtR storytime books as read-alouds to the entire family. But now I have looked at Preparing Hearts and am seriously thinking that maybe that would be good for my 3rd dd (age 9 grade 4) in the fall. That got me to thinking that perhaps this would be good also for my 2nd dd (age 10 grade 5 in the fall). BUT that would mean they would not all be on the same history or science :( Well I guess we could still do the same science (Apologia Astronomy) and only do the history portion of the Preparing guide. The little guy (age 7 grade 2) will seriously focus on the basics. I'm in the camp that those need to be firmly mastered before focusing so much on history and science! DD9 grade 4 is very much ready for the work in Preparing and would flourish under it! My problem is my 10yo grade 5 in the fall. She would probably be appalled to be in the same guide as the 9yo, but the RtR MIGHT be too much for her. 12yo doesn't need all the extensions. It will be too much so we will just add in things when appropriate. Am I making any sense? I'm really having such a dilemma right now because I really don't have extra money to just go purchasing entire programs. The money for curriculum has been spent, but I do own or have access to all of the books in the economy program of preparing and was thinking about possibly purchasing the guide and the deluxe package of books to let the 9yo use and learn to be independent--and if I had them I would probably have the 10yo go ahead and use it as well--even though it might be too light, and I really want her to learn to be independent that is the beauty of RtR. BUT I really really really want to keep everyone in the same history and science. Am I crazy? Is that just not able to be done? Would running 2 HOD guides really be even remotely possible? Or would it just be toooooo much? Oh and this will be our first year using HOD. If we all study resurrection to reformation history this year, what about next year? Or if I do Preparing and RtR this year, what about next year? I can't and won't do another year of ancients. It just won't be possible because that is what we did this year and I'm not too anxious to revisit that time period any time soon. It has been fascinating, but I'm ready to move on! Another option I thought of for the younger 2 was to read aloud to them CHOW and Grandpa's box as their history, then the next 2 years do American History with them while the older 2 were in the Rev2Rev and MTM HOD programs. But sometimes it is so exhausting to keep coming up with your own stuff! Maybe I'm just having some guilt over the fact that I have all of these wonderful books and only my oldest 2 are going to get to enjoy them. The younger 2 just have to suffer with what we already own :) Or maybe I am just a curriculum junkie and WANT to own all of the coolest and fun curriculum out there--who cares if we even use it? LOL! I hope I've made sense and that some of you can offer me really good advice here! Thank!s!

Have I mentioned how excited I am to use HOD RTR next year? I've ALWAYS drooled over their stuff but this year I took the plunge! Now to finish our ancient history stuff so we can move on! I also can't wait to use the next 2history programs also but that will come in the next 3 years! LOL! The science looks exciting do-able and independent! Yay!

Can anyone help? Do you know the most current edition of essentials of the English language. EEL?

Which edition is the current edition? How long ago did this edition come out?

Just wondering when they post their new catalog and products. Are there any exciting changes or new products due out?

50 science things to make and do big book of science things to make and do

My 3 girls have been very successful with pz. They complete at least level 3 of aas first. Pz is so independent it's wonderful! It is super easy to point out phonograms with them if some words are not clicking ESP if the child has been through at least level. 3 of aas. Y

What science is available besides apologia? I prefer to use a Christian Bible based curriculum. Any great and fun suggestions?

Addition and subtraction chains. Old main. Crazy squares. corners!

Have you looked into iew? Institute for excellence in writing. It is very good and helps with Structure and style in writing.

We have used it this year and my 6yo ds is doing well with it. I slowed the writing portion down once we gat to part 2 but the reading part we did about 3 lessons per week. He is doing ok at reading. I'm still undecided on how I feel about the program. It's very thorough and well written. It blends phonics with sight words but teaches why the sight words are the way they are. It teaches the phonemes in the sight words so the child sees the "helpers" and learns to decode words by funding the helpers (aka phonemes). So it's not really only sight words but how to recognize the phonemes and they get so much practice that certain words become recognized very easily. Does that make sense? It's hard to explain without having it all in front of you. Did you know that you can order and try it and return anytime if it doesn't work? That's the IEW return policy if you order direct from them. No time limits! That impresses me about that company! So you can always try it risk free. I think they even pay for return shipping.

For me personally I found that I was going to be teaching 4 different levels of spelling to 4 different dc in the Mae school year! 15-20 min per child equal 45-60 min. That's a lot of time considering that I have many other subjects to teach to those 4 dc that re all equally important as spelling plus the fact that it all has to be completed by a certain time so that I can go to work! So for me switching my older dc to pz after at least level 3 was super helpful because the solid spelling and phonics instruction under their belts. Oldest dd has actually done the best with pz because she had 6 levels of phonics and spelling instruction. I am bored with teaching aas now to my ds because it the fourth time through so it's becoming redundant but at least I know what I'm doing! I barely look at the manual now when I'm teaching him, just a glance every now and then. Lol! If I was only teaching 1 or 2 tudents or the dc were not close together olgrade and age wise I would use aas all the way through. Yes, even for my dd who HATES aas! It is that well written and gets excellent results which is what we all want, right? Lol!

After my oldest dd finished level 6 I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to teach that many levels to allll of my dc. That said I really LOVE the program! The end product is good spelling. But what I did find in the later levels especially levels 5&6 is that you basically tell the rule and they practice the words. It seemed very odd and was a different feel than leels 1-3 and some of level 4. Anyway I switched oldest dd to phonetic zoo level b from IEW. After that my next dd went through level 3 of aas and I switched her to phonetic zoo level a. That dd HATED aas an the hand on portion. He next dd I was going to take all the way through the levels quickly because she is a natural speller and he was working quickly through the levels. She liked what the other 2 were doing in pz and wanted to do that so badly that I let her try it once she finished level 3 of aas. Now my ds is in aas level 1 and after being trough this level 4! Times I'm getting bored! Lol! Anyway it is a really solid program, it's just difficult to teach more than 2 different levels or students at a time. It is very teacher intensive! But the outcome is pretty good.

Don't forget IEW return policy. If it doesn't work you can return it any time for 100% refund plus shipping. Also I was successful with the ancient history lessons this year and they are less expensive than purchasing an swi. Maybe someone has a twss you could borrow? That's what I did.

The apologia book is only scheduled for the first 14 or 15 weeks. You could use the option 2 AIG book for those weeks then use the other 3 books for option 1 as scheduled in the guide. Just a suggestion for you. Really the history is so well written and thought out its wry enticing even if that is the only thing you will end up using. You could add the extension books if he loves history and loves to read!

I just received my HOD RES TO REFORMATION. Package and I am soooooooooo thoroughly impressed! I can't waait to start using it. It is 100% FABULOUS! DIFFERENT THAN SONLIGHT. It looks so good and might be right for your DD. U should seriously look at the samples on HOD. Some books are online on the Baldwin projects website so u could preview several. Titles.

I have been using ancient based book successfully BUT I am familiar w the methods. It makes sense to me. That said I have since borrowed the twss because I was curious so I am working through them slowly.

Maybe someone could help me understand what all the hype about it is?

Getting ready to order from cbd anyone have a coupon code?

We love it! It is perfect for grade 1! We will continue to use it into grade 2 especially part 3 of the writing because my kids are all slow writers and I prefer to delay teaching writing except for copywork and dictation in grade 1. You will get more response if you joined the IEW yahoo group! The workload is just right for us and the games are super! A well written program!