My almost 10yo son is passionate about chess. He started out with Fritz and Chesster and then later moved on to the Chessmaster program. His almost 4yo brother thinks chess is cool too (mostly because it is part of the culture in our home) and I'm going to make sure he's exposed to Fritz & Chesster as well. I agree that Fritz & Chesster is a great way to start out, providing a fun, but solid foundation. HTH

I'm interested in the responses. Thanks for asking the question.

Same here - we've done SOTW until now (all 4 books) and are starting TOG Y1 Redesign next year. I'm planning on mostly UG work with my then 10yo, but will pull in some D ideas. We have several new things going on next year (TOG, Spanish for Children, and especially a new 1-day/week TOG-based homeschool program that will require more serious work than our previous one), so I don't want to overload us as we adjust to so many new things. I'm right in the midst of serious planning for TOG. I've always put a LOT of time into pulling different history resources together for us. I am happy already that the framework is there, but I can still customize & organize as I want! :001_smile:

We just plan on regularly playing "go fish" with our go fish Latin vocab cards to keep the vocab fresh. But I don't have any great ideas for the grammar chants...

Just keep in mind that each level has a LOT of review and basically starts from the beginning again, although moving through it a little faster. I definitely wouldn't start him in level 1.

We have primarily used and enjoyed the SOTW CD's as a summer review before moving on to the next volume. This has worked very well for us. We would also sometimes use the CD's duirng the year for chapters I wanted him to hear / be exposed to, but that we weren't focusing on. This proved to be an easy way to accomplish exposure. We found that for us it was more helpful to NOT use the CD's during the year for chapters we were really focusing on. We (mom & son) both learned & focused more when I read them and could stop, emphasize, and point things out along the way.

I agree. The Cam Jansen books, especially the Young Cam Jansen ones, were a great resource for my son when he was an early ready.

Moderately important. I love to go to see what is out there, look at things for down the road, and for the encouragement & insight from any good speakers. (This past year I was at the Midwest Homeschool Convention and the speakers were the highlight for me!) A couple of my friends & I go together, so it is a special girls' weekend away that is just fun. Regarding buying materials, it is nice to buy some things without shipping (especially things I can find at Amazon or other places like that). However, I like to buy used throughout the year and can get better deals that way.

We loved FIAR at our house for preschool + kindergarten! I wanted something gentle & flexible with great books for those years, so FIAR was a perfect fit. We loved the books (and go-along books) and the fun topics we explored. My older son looks back to those years with such fondness - lots of time snuggled in the beanbag w/ me reading books & doing simple activities together. We'd pull in activity ideas from the FIAR manual, but didn't feel stressed when we didn't want to or weren't able to. The books used are just great books and provide a wonderful springboard for learning. I am planning on starting FIAR w/ my younger son (who will be 4 then) this fall. He is actually already familiar with a good number of the books, but it will be fun to use them as a jumping off point to explore the world. If you are looking for something very scheduled that walks you through the details of what to do from day to day, then FIAR probably isn't for you. HTH.

Typing Instructor Deluxe is mentioned a lot around here it seems. We own both Typing Instructor for Kids and Typing Instructor Deluxe. My son has enjoyed both programs at different times. Typing Instructor for Kids has a fun kid-friendly theme (see more info & screen shots here), which was more fun & motivating to my son when he first started (2nd/3rd grade). Now (3rd/4th) he seems to prefer Typing Instructor Deluxe for whatever reason (see more info & screen shots here). I would recommend either of these programs. Both have games that are highly motivating to my son.

The Primer and Answer Key are essential to the program. The DVD set is not necessary, but VERY nice as a change of pace for the student (and teacher). The Chant CD that comes with the DVD set is a nice way to review the vocab and grammar chants (with the new editions on the chant CD). For us, the Activity Book ended up being just busywork that we didn't really have time for anyway. We thought the Activity Book was going to be great (my son likes these kinds of things), but we quickly set it aside and continued without it. Based on feedback from other people, we didn't end up buying the History Reader this past year for Primer A. I considered buying it at one point as a way to practice more translation, but ended up just using the translation sections from the Review chapter instead. In Primer B, every chapter has a whole Translation Worksheet included. I did buy the History Reader for Primer B, but we will see if / how I end up using it. HTH

I meant to add: Regarding our schedule, we switched between CW (A&I + Writing Project) for a week and IEW for a week.

We have used BOTH this past year (3rd/4th). It was our first year of writing beyond copywork/dictation. When I was researching, I really liked elements of both programs, so decided to try to use both as a slower rate. We did CW Aesop A and IEW. I love Classical Writing. I like how it streamlines different aspects of language arts (especially doing grammar in context!). I like how you spend time on analysis and then use the text as a model for the student writing. I like so many different aspects of it. I consider it my main writing program. I also wanted to provide my son with skills earlier on to do some well-structured modern-style writing (paragraphs, essays). This is what I use IEW for. Once I watched the DVD's (TWSS), I understood & liked how the different units built on one another. Some people don't always like the style aspect of IEW (requiring a certain number of certain kinds of dress-up in the student's writing). This can easily be de-emphasized in IEW while still gaining the benefit of the strong structure teaching. The combination of the two worked really well for us this past year. I'm planning on doing something similar for next year (CW Aesop B + IEW) as well. HTH somehow.

:iagree: We have loved SWR for the same reasons. But, as mentioned, you've got to be willing to put some time into it. We certainly don't do all the extra's of the program, but have pared it down to the bare essentials.

Latin for Children A has been a winner for us this past year. My son really likes it and asks to do it even on Fridays (which is generally a lighter & different-paced day for us). He enjoys the DVDs (we use these on the 1st day of a new chapter) and likes the change of pace they provide (although the DVDs basically cover the same content as in the book, but in a different format). I like that the program is written to the student (there is no TM) and I find it well organized with plenty of review built in. As long as you stay on top of the vocab, I think the pace of the program is perfect. Between the Primer, DVD's, the chant CD, and my own go-fish cards / my own flashcards, we had all the tools we needed for a wonderful 1st year of Latin. Starting in 3rd grade was perfect for us regarding level, but we were already familiar with the grammar - the Latin grammar reinforced our English grammar very well. The chants ARE a bit fast, especially in the beginning, but we just practice on our own at our own pace. Classical Academic Press provides good support via on-line worksheets, Latin vocab review game, forum w/ online Latin tutor, and more. I'm also excited about Latin Alive that Classical Academic Press is coming out with to follow up LFC. HTH

Yes, same here!

me: size 7.5 ds10: size 4 ds 3 1/2: size 11

If I were to use Rainbow in 5th & 6th grade (from a more hands-on intro), followed by Apologia in 7th grade (for a more serious, textual study), would that be overkill? How doable is Rainbow for 5th & 6th grade? Or if do you think I'd be better off doing the new Colors progam (instead of Rainbow) before Apologia General? (Of course this Colors not being out yet and only seeing a small sample it may be a little hard to say...) I am planning ahead for my then-to-be 11yo ds who doesn't have too much trouble handling abstract ideas. Thanks in advance for anyinput / thoughts you can offer.

I'd love to see that as well if you don't mind. I'll email you. Thanks.

LFC can be used without the DVDs, although the DVDs can offer some support/confidence for the teacher and change of pace for the student. The materials on the DVD are the same as in the book, just in a different format. (We've used the original DVD version, but I really like the look of the new ones!) We have used LFC-A this past year. We used the DVDs on the first day of ever new chapter mainly because my son liked them AND they offer a change of pace from his other subject (someone else presented the material besides mom!). If my son didn't like them, I wouldn't invest in them -- I feel that with the material in the Primer there really isn't a need for them. BUT, I do have a Latin background, so maybe I have a skewed perspective on this... I'd be interested in hearing from other LFC users (those who don't have a Latin background and/or didn't use the DVDs).

the sale/swap board here (before the new rules) and Vegsource

I usually write homemaker / educator

We've had great success with Latin for Children here! My son loves the program (it has been a good fit for him), and I like the layout & organization. There is no teacher's manual as all the information is in the Primer written to the student. The optional DVD's can help teach to the kids if the parent doesn't feel confident (or for a change of pace even if the parent does!). Check out samples etc at Classical Academic Press. This is definitely a program worth considering! I'm sure others will jump in with others to consider / their favorite programs (and a search on the forums will undoubtedly lead to other similar threads). Also check out the list of different Latin programs at Paula's Archives, as well as here.

I may not have read you correctly, but it sounds like you yourself aren't that thrilled about the idea of R&S? So, I'd suggest going w/ Shurley as I've personally found that my excitement (or lack thereof!) spills over to my child! Also, since you will be doing IEW writing, you won't need the writing portion of R&S (or of Shurley, but you've lost nothing there IMO). We have done Shurley for the last 3 years and loved it. I looked at R&S before we started Shurley, and it seemed dry for what I wanted at that point in time. We are switching to R&S this next year b/c we are ready for something else now, but I would still start w/ Shurley again if I had to do it over! The scripted TM does seem overwhelming, but I just looked it over briefly to get to the core (IMO) of the program: the Q&A flow & practice sentences. It only took a little time for me to find my way around w/ Shurley. Like others, we did not do the Shurley writing. I too agree that there isn't enough practice of mechanics. There is sooo much review in each level that it doesn't make sense to do each level - skipping levels is the way to go. Regarding expense of the program, I have always been able to find used TM's at a decent price, making it much more reasonable. If Shurley doesn't end up working for you, then you can always switch to something else.

My home library card and the $30/year I spend to be able have access to surrounding libraries is my biggest homeschool resource! I depend on the library, but I am also fortunate to have access to some great libraries. It would sure cramp my style if we moved and didn't have good libraries around, but I'm sure we'd adjust and make things work. Thankfully places like the Sale/Swap boards here help cut down on the overall cost of some materials!