When we were doing Middle Eastern lit with young ones, we switched from 1001 Nights to this book: http://www.amazon.com/Ayat-Jamilah-Beautiful-Treasury-Children/dp/1558965696/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424214349&sr=1-1&keywords=ayat+jamilah+beautiful+signs It was much simpler to work with, since all the stories were age-appropriate. :)

I've already gotten sucked into one of the linked threads... I'm following the crowd and posting so I can find this again. :)

What exactly draws you to the History Pockets? Is it the cutout pieces? Or the thematic focus? I'm looking at the Evan Moor science stuff right now, trying to see if anything would be a good fit for us, so I'm interested in answers to your question. :) Anabel

I've been considering PBH for my kids. One somewhat parent directed idea I've had was to have the child pick a badge to earn on DIY.org. There are a ton of options, and my kids have enjoyed the projects they've done there. :)

Besides what others have said, I'd point out that the issue of feeling like the literature is going slowly is pretty common for folks just starting CM method. It takes a little bit of getting used to, just reading a bit and then waiting to read the next bit. Compared to doing Ambleside Online or other CM curricula, ELTL1 goes pretty quickly through a book. This post on AO might be helpful: https://www.amblesideonline.org/AOSlowReading.shtml In the end you might decide to pick up the pace, but at least you'll know why it's scheduled that way :) -Anabel

My elder dd is now doing MEP Year 6. We started with RS B when she was in 1st grade, but switched to MEP Y1 at Christmas that year and have stayed with it ever since. So she got some mental math tools from RS which she has used extensively with MEP. The mental math has been excellent all through the program, though, so she has kept up the skills all through the years. We haven't had any trouble with the lack of American money or measurements. We pretend that the pounds are dollars and she just does the math. She gets practice with coins through her regular life. She also helps me cook and we do household measurements in inches/feet, so she is familiar with them too. Years 5 and 6 are supposed to cover pre-Algebra, and I'd say she could move into Algebra next year if we wanted. I think, though, that we're going to stick to MEP because (a) it works for her and (b) it connects the different parts of math in a way that American math doesn't and math professors wish it would. We're not planning on sending dd to a standard high school, so I'm pretty confident that she'll be ok as long as she understands the math and can do the work. Re: Roman numerals -- I know the do a lot in Roman numerals from an American perspective, but I've found that it has reinforced dd's mental math skills. :)

We use ELTL, and I blended HLTL and RLTL for my 1st grader who was already reading. There is overlap in the HLTL and Phonogram workbooks, so we skipped the repetitious parts, which meant that we did handwriting while practicing phonograms in preparation for spelling. We started the spelling lists after dd learned to write all her letters. We don't really use the Elson readers at all, but just use RLTL for spelling. I really like it: it's far less stressful that other spelling methods we've used (I've uses AAS, Spelling Workout, and Sequential Spelling with my older dd). We do the spelling as suggested, with all the markings and reading the rules. It's kinda fun that way. :)

I don't know that you need it since you have TC, but my readers are using ELTL and enjoying it. Literature, grammar, copywork, writing, poem and art study are all built in. It's much more budget friendly than MCT. :)

We're doing that this year with 1st gen RS B. We're doing the warm ups and then I'm figuring out which games cover the material from the lesson. We haven't been doing it long, but I'm pretty happy with it.

We have a couple of the I Love Math books. I've never used them in a formal way, but they're one of the few books we have that come off the shelf and get read by one child or another on a fairly regular basis. I'm planning on getting more eventually. :)

Boxcar Children and Rylant's Lighthouse Family both have good audiobooks. I'd also look for Charlotte's Web on audiobook, or other EBWhite books. If she likes fairies, here's a progression that worked for my elder: Rainbow Magic (they're not great but very easy), then Disney Fairies (some are pretty well written), then Fairy Chronicles, then the Fairy Realm series. My dd started reading regular fairy tales at that point, like the Blue Fairy Book and Grimm's. Good luck!

I have a friend who has her oldest in 9th grade now, and she stuck with OG but decided to not do the UC track so they don't have to do the A-G classes. They can use their funds as they wish and high school as they wish. I think she might have him take the CHSPE at some point and enroll in a community college, then pick his 4-year college from there and transfer. I'm curious to see how it plays out for them. I love my ES too... she is totally chill. She lives near Santa Cruz but has families in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, and Mountain View. Basically she wants people as close to highway (though not 101) as she can get. I can give you her name if you PM me, but she tends to be full. :)

I've read through the conversation, and only have a few things to add: (1) I know of homeschool groups in our area where charter school homeschoolers are given the cold shoulder and told that they aren't real homeschoolers. If you're new to homeschooling and looking for a group to hang out with, figuring out if you're a match with that group on this topic might be a good idea. Our park day (Mid-Peninsula Homeschoolers) is inclusive on this topic -- we have charter school families and we have families who have always filled PSAs and would never give up their freedom. You're welcome to come by for a chat if you're in the area :) (2) The median income in my area is around $90,000, which means that if your income is lower than that you are likely to qualify for assistance. I've been on MediCal (best health insurance in my life!), I've lived in below-the-median-income-housing, I've had scholarships at the Y. Once you're above that median income line, all help is gone. It's totally worth checking into, but if you're in that unfortunate at-the-median-income stage, you're mostly screwed. A YMCA membership is almost $200/month, classes are additional. When you're in this situation, this type of charter is a gift. The people I choose to hang around with don't make judgements about each others' choices. We have the philosophy that every parent is doing the best they can, and that we can never know all the factors that make parents choose what they've chosen. We try to educate the new homeschoolers about the choices available to them. As someone who has been less well off I've appreciated their openness and lack of judgement, and I assume that they appreciate that I don't expect them to only allow their kids to take classes that my family could afford too :). (3) Ocean Grove does have some organized events/field trips, called GEAs. There aren't a lot of them, but I've heard good things about them. My ES also arranges field trips for her people and I assume others do to. ESs do vary a great deal. Mine is laid back, but she gets her part done and is game to support us as best she can. If you get an ES that isn't working for you, you can ask to talk to their supervisor, and you can ask for a new one after giving the first one a serious chance to work out. Like most schools, OG is trying to figure out how to interact with Common Core; it hasn't impacted us any more than the old state standards had. The school is also undergoing restructuring because we went from a couple hundred students to over 2000 in just a couple years. OG has been great for my family in that I have a lot of freedom -- I'm not expected to stick to the curriculum I chose at the beginning of the year. When my eldest was in 1st grade we tried 4 different math curricula trying to get a good fit, and it was not a problem. In fact, the resource center (in Ben Lomond which is an hour away from us) was amazingly helpful because I could borrow for free whatever they had, in our case I found Singapore, Saxon, Miquon, MUS, and I'd already bought Right Start. I can accelerate or slow down as needed. I know that folks whose children are behind grade level have more oversight than I've experienced, but that hasn't been an issue for most folks I know. There are no gifted services or testing, but if you've got a kid who is gifted in an area you can just buy the materials you need. You'll have to report and provide samples in major subject areas: English, Math, Social Studies, Science, PE, and Special Interest. I do know people who unsc///////hool and make it work; they just have to keep record of what they've done all month so they can pull out something to report. The ES is in charge of figuring out how what you've done aligns with the standards. That's not the parent's job; they're not the ones trained to do that, so don't let an ES tell you that you have to do that. You can totally choose your own curriculum; if you want one that isn't secular you'll have to buy it yourself, but you can report the work they've done and it still "counts". I think there are new regulations about what you can turn in, though; I know in the past we could just cross out the religious references on a worksheet and turn it in anyway, but I think that has changed. If you do a study of a world religion (including your own) and want to report it, that's possible if you do it in a "comparative religions" sort of way by including info about a different religion. I find that kinda entertaining. In the beginning I bought a TON of curriculum, from math to English to French to Montessori and Waldorf materials, art supplies, geology kits, etc. The vendor list is huge and amazing, if you can figure out how to search it. These days I have most of what I need, and all our money goes to classes. I've had good experiences all around. Good luck!

I've looked at the high school requirements, and there is no way I'm making my kid jump through all those hoops. Our plan is to pull them out with they hit 9th grade. I've had a lot of conversations through the years with folks about how "worth it" the money is. I have a friend who has been homeschooling for 20+ years, and these options didn't exist then. She is extremely clear that the hoops aren't worth it. But I notice that they have enough money in the family for her kids to take classes, so they're not hurting. She is also an amazing organizer and handily takes care of her kids different needs and interests in very frugal ways. She's quite inspiring to talk to. I've talked to people who have enough money that the $2000/child is only a drop in the bucket of what they spend on homeschooling, so it's not worth it. Let's remember that I'm in Silicon Valley, where people who look middle class probably earn $200,000+/year. I'm in the situation where we've been barely making ends meet for years (we're not a techie family) and we wouldn't be able to afford any classes without the money. For me, I spend maybe 2 hours / month meeting their requirements, so I get "paid" about $100/hour by going through our charter. Definitely worth it. My kids like the state test, so that's a bonus. I also have friends who are financially similar to us but whose kids have special needs; being able to get the services they need in addition to classes and curriculum is a huge blessing. I'm only sharing all this because, for me, it shows that there are a wide range of responses possible, and the type of reactions people have depends on their individual situation. If we had enough money to pay for the kids' classes without the charter school, I'd drop the charter school. For us, it's a huge help and allows us to support our kids' interests in a way we wouldn't be able to otherwise. Especially here in CA, there can be a huge income disparity between people, including homeschoolers, and where you live impacts that too. Be honest with yourself about your family's needs, wants, and situation, and don't worry much about what the rest of us think. :)

I don't know about online charter schools. We're with Ocean Grove, which is one of the IEM charter schools here in CA. There are three of them (see here: http://ieminc.org/index.php/education). We register with the school, and they pay for classes, curriculum, materials, etc. in return for us "jumping through the hoops" that help them maintain the charter. The hoops we jump through are meetings with our Educational Specialist every 20 school days (about 1/month), taking state tests, and doing a writing sample each year. There is also an assessment at the beginning and end of the year, but I'm not entirely sure if they're completely necessary. I get to choose the classes, materials, etc. off the vendor list (which is all secular), and I can request for new vendors to be added if I find something exciting. This year we get $1000/semester/child. As long as my kids are doing Ok I have complete freedom with that money... my girls this year are getting French tutoring, ballet classes, and a writing tutor. In the past I've bought Right Start, MCT, Peace Hill Press, and all kinds of things from Rainbow Resource. We get to keep anything that is consumable, and eventually we need to return anything that isn't. As long as I have one child enrolled I can keep all the materials I've bought through them, even if we aren't using them that year. It's a bit of a pain to have to turn things in, but it's great when I want to declutter my homeschool stuff. :) HTH! :) Anabel

I'm pretty fond of MEP. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/ My older daughter has been using it for 5+ years. We tried a little MM, and we've done some Right Start, and a little Life of Fred, but MEP has been great for her. She generally does one page/day, and she loves that she knows she's done when she finishes that. There is a part for the teacher to do each day too, to teach, but dd is a little mathy and doesn't need a lot of instruction; I'll check through the teacher pages periodically to catch her up on anything important, but for most of the week she carries on by herself. This year I'm having her check her own work using the teacher's guide, which totally makes me feel like a slacker but it seems to be working for us. Good luck with your search! Anabel

Wow! $35/mo? How many sessions is that? Around here we can expect to pay at least $30-35/session. To get classes the whole school year we'd be looking at well over $1000. Maybe that's why the online classes are so high -- because folks from around here (SF Bay Area) are willing to pay for it. :) Anabel

We're using writeguide.com. I didn't comparison shop so I don't know how it prices out vs. other options, because our charter pays for it. But it's ~$75/month for interaction every weekday, which is exactly what my 6th grader needed. We're having a great experience with it, and plan to continue when our current "course" runs out. :) Anabel

My high school did "Pippin" when I was a freshman, and the guy in the "Christmas Jammies" video played Charlemagne. To this day I picture Charlemagne as tall, skinny, fluffy/preppy hair, and pretty cute. LOL. I'll mentally stick him on a unicorn now :)

Have you seen the Signing Time videos? They're not a full curriculum, but they teach a lot of signs. All my kids love them; even dh will watch them. You can buy the DVDs on Amazon or at twosmallhands.com, or both sites have digital rental options.

We're using it this year, kids in 1st and 6th. It's the first time we've finished a semester as planned, which is exciting. I'm definitely using it as a buffet; my girls do foreign languages so we skip some things to make room in the schedule. What else would you like to know?

I tend to use Right Start B in 1st grade, then switch to MEP at some point in the year. My elder is in MEP 6 now, and while she's read through Beast Academy and some Life of Fred, it's really the only thing we've used. MEP does have the interactive parts, which I use more at some times than others, but dd seems to be moving along swimmingly. We usually pretend that the British pound sign is a dollar sign, and while she does math in metric we sew and cook in Imperial so she gets both. After my recent poll on here, I'm planning on sticking with it into the upper levels, because it really is pretty good. :) Anabel

If you like MEP, and it works for your kids, have you considered ordering print versions of it? I know that thinking of ordering from the UK seems crazy, but I've gotten over that because I've wanted particular books (usually in French) that I can't get as easily here. But the prices for the books don't look terrible, so it might be worth looking at. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/orders.htm :) Anabel

Do you mean Pre-Algebra? MEP years 5 & 6 cover that material already, so that would be redundant. I actually think she'd be fine in Algebra, though every Algebra book I've looked at is a nightmare visually, which annoys me greatly.

I'm very much enjoying ELTL. I am happier with it than I've been of anything else. Previously I've used FLL1/2 & 4, WWE 2 & 4, MCT Island and Town levels, and part of WWS1, in addition to Ambleside poetry, fable, & art appreciation. With ELTL I've got everything I want for English more or less in one place. My younger dd is also using the handwriting program and spelling (which is the reading program too but she's already reading), and I love that all the copywork is in the same font as our handwriting. My experience with FLL1/2 was that it was super slow and repetitive. It seemed age-appropriate enough, but my daughter didn't need it to be so slow. Using ELTL1 has been different from that in that there is some but not a lot of repetition, and it's very gentle. Dd enjoys the fables, and the art, and sometimes she likes the poem. I like that the literature is in the public domain, and that the examples and copywork come from that literature. My older daughter was helping test out ELTL5, which Kathy Jo started writing last winter. Before that we were in the middle of FLL4 and a couple weeks into WWS1. Dd hated WWS1, but she has really enjoyed the writing parts of ELTL5. She likes the example stories, and I like that there is literary analysis built into the program. I love that she's continuing to learn more nuances about grammar, and that the program teaches diagramming. She thinks the fables (Nasruddin, not Aesop like in ELTL1) are hilarious. And I also love that, instead of copywork, the program has the student create a commonplace book, and has the child copy passages into it regularly. I am definitely planning on continuing with ELTL. It really fit our needs and I've stopped shopping around. I started my first grader in ELTL1 in the fall, and my older dd started ELTL5 when it was released last winter, so she's finishing it up soon and we'll start ELTL6 as soon as Kathy Jo has it written :). HTH! Anabel