I kinda thought so, but was hoping for a different answer! 😠oh well. We had set aside ETC for a bit but just picked it up again to see how it went. It still won’t be easy, but it does seem like there is a bit more understanding than previously. We will see!

Always fun to see what people say here! Loving: CLE math RSO chemistry SOTW Apples and Pears Spelling Barry Stebbing Drawing Lessons Middle Ground: FFL WWE Not loving: Rod and Staff spelling (before switching to Apples and Pears) ETC

Have done some searches through topics here, but am hoping for a clear cut plain answer. Can CLE LA be a replacement for ETC. I know the CLE LA program is more comprehensive than just phonics, and I am pleased with what it has taught grammatically so far. We have mostly been using it as a supplement to FFL, and we are using a lower level for simply reinforcement of things learned, not as a working curriculum, and I have not seen the higher levels. I would just love to get rid of ECT. DD1 has always struggled with ETC, and I would love to replace it with something that will do as good a job as ETC does for DD2!

Concordia Publishng House (cph.org) has a good picture Bible with non-Anglo-Saxon images of Jesus. https://www.cph.org/p-18257-the-story-bible.aspx?REName=Books%20%26%20Bibles&plk=240&Lk=0&rlk=250

Thanks for all your thoughts! I totally agree about the taking t-ball seriously but in this town, like many small towns, sports is the ultimate thing. The parents are there cheering and the kids have cleats. Not joking. I think she mostly liked just people-watching, which is much more interesting than a game of t-ball! She likes feeling that she is a part of something, but isn't one to jump right in on the action. So after some research into what was available, we ended up saying she could do summer ballet lessons which is MUCH more up her alley! And she is very excited. Now we only have to suffer through *ahem* enjoy her little sisters t-ball games!

Which in itself is no problem. Both DD5 and DD7 have done T-ball and "advanced" T-ball, respectively, the past two years. DD5 wants to play t-ball again this summer which I have no problem with. She is a scrappy girl and fairly sporty, so far. DD7, on the other hand....well...not so much. It is actually quite painful, though endearing for her family, to watch. It takes her about 7 tries to actually hit the ball, when she gets on base she just stands there staring about until another runner "magically" appears by her side telling her to run to the next base. She spent almost an entire game last year not watching the game in which she was playing, but the game in the next diamond over! She is the sweetest girl and very talented in many ways, just not in this way. It would actually be quite hilarious if it wasn't so painful. If any of you out there know the British tv show "Jeeves and Wooster," imagine Madeline Basset playing softball. Yeah. I would not have a problem letting her play again, but she is the only girl that plays (there are only three girls in her class if she were in public school), and by this age the boys actually can and want to play. Really play. I don't want them to get frustrated with her not doing well and being mean to her. I tried to gently dissuade her tonight at dinner ("there aren't any girls...it didn't seem like you really enjoyed it...etc" She still says she wants to play, but I really don't think she should. I am trying to find another activity to maybe distract her with. DH doesn't really see a problem letting her try again, but man, I really don't want to have to watch that again...it hurts to know the other moms and kids are grumbling about her (which she is thankfully oblivious to still). Do I let her play and just see what happens, or do I say no?

The Story of Jesus (for children ages 5 to 105) Don't know if your granddaughter is just three or nearer four. This would be fine for a four year old, at least it was for my four year old. Not animated. The story of Jesus seen through the eyes of children who lived during his time. My kids like it, especially since it has children as the main characters (obviously Jesus is the main topic). It also has a bit of tension and added interest (that could be used as a discussion point if wanted) because some of the kids' families do not believe Jesus is the Messiah.

Might be harder to find, but Fred Craddock is pretty good.

Okay, that makes sense. I knew it was not exactly like the Sir Cumference books, just wasn't sure about how much story there was. I saw some examples of pages, but not enough to get a really good feel for what things would entail. Thanks a lot!

So....say someone is using Singapore and likes it and is not sure they want to switch to something else. Would MLFLE be a good...not supplement, exactly..... but more like a math reading time? Like to sit down with before in the evening and read through some and maybe do some work if the kids feel like it? Because they are stories, right? Could it be used just as a math reading book, kind of like the Sir Cumference books?

Could I get some input and opinions from all you wonderful ladies? Currently I am using WWE and FFL. I like them and think they do a good job, but we start getting bored with the repetition of reading stories and asking comprehension questions, narration, etc. especially we do this for history and to some extent science as well. It would also be nice to have those two book basically in one. If I understand correctly, the Rod and Staff English does this, is that right? Could that replace WWE and FLL? Not sure if I want to go that route, but would like to get some more thoughts and have some clarification. Thanks all!

No worries! I have gotten a fair few comments about our homeschooling in our town, and on bad days I find humor in thinking of the awkward ways I could respond to people. They would, obviously, make anyone look like an idiot, which is why I do not actually respond as such. But sometimes, when I get an especially idiotic comment, I am sorely tempted....

Thank you for the great ideas! Oddly enough, it stays fairly moist there in spite of the overhang. We have had some rather....phalic, nastily so, fungi pop up randomly. We are going to a garden center this week and will keep an eye out for some plants you mentioned!

Thank you! That was helpful and I found some new plants on there I was not aware of. I think I am going to try to go with ferns, bloodroot, trillium, bleeding hearts, just really a woodland feel. I think.

So I know this was started a year ago, but one of my gurus mentioned this curriculum and I wanted to check to out. Looked online, but it is hard to get a good feel. Did you end up using this? What did you think? Dd will be 8 in October and starting 2nd grade work. We have been using Singapore which at times works well, at times it is a nightmare. It does seem like this MFLE is not as intense, and I am questioning how it was for your daughter? Did you go with level 1? Was it too light? For everyone else who has used this also, what did you like/not like? For someone coming off Singapore 1, would we lose ground going to level2? I want a curriculum that is slightly vigorous, but less confusing for us than Singapore has been at time. Something between Saxon and Singapore. This is obviously so different, I would love to hear what you all have to say! Thank you!!!

So we live in a single story ranch-ish house that is very monochromatic. Tan, tan, and more tan. The landscaping in the front is also very bland and I am determined to change it this year. It is just depressing. Don't even get me started with the one random holly bush and hosta infestation on the other side of the house. 😵 There is about a 20-25' space on the north side of the house, which happens to be the front of the house, with about a two and a half foot overhang. So it is shaded all day. Two weird and, quite frankly, ugly short pine-like bushes stand on either side of the space, with one different kind of bush in the middle. In between the random bushes? Hostas, hostas, hostas. I hate Hostas. I have dug them up, and would love to dig up the perplexing piney bushes as well, but that would probably involve more work. The space is not well laid out and it is just blah. I want to perk it up, but am not much of a landscape/flower kinda gardener. What are some perennial plants that would add color, fun, depth, scope, scale, etc? I know choices are somewhat limited for full-shade areas, especially in Zone 4, but there have to be some great choices out there that are not hostas. Did I mention I hate hostas? I was thinking some ferns would have a nice effect, but also want color and height. Our windows are about 4' off the ground, so there's room to work. Also need to not break the bank doing this project! Ladies, I need help!

So fun to see what everyone is reading! I have to add... Alexandre McCall Smith's "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" series. I don't particularly like McCall Smith's other series, though I don't dislike them, but this series was a hoot. Maybe it is because I have a good dose of German in me. It was fun to read and laugh at my genetic tendencies and idiosyncrasies!

How to respond to people when they catch you off guard: 1: laugh, no matter what the question or statement is 2: stare blankly and say nothing until they walk away 3: smile and nod...continually...until they walk away 4: have a quote from movie or tv show that has nothing to do with anything that you use to respond to any statement or question. Example, "well, that's the way the cookie crumbles." Or "Shiny, let's be bad guys." 5: lie in bed awake all night thinking of all possible awkward statements or questions that you could encounter and do not go to sleep until you have a smart, pertinent answer to all of them But even though you did not employ any of these tactics, I think you answered quite well!

Mmmmm, books 🤓 "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoyevsky. And all of Thomas Eidson novels. He is AMAZING. Also, on the totally other end of the spectrum, there is "Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog)," by Jerome K Jerome, and "Cold Comfort Farm," by Stella Gibbons.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all your help! I agree that "weaning" off manipulatives is not the right mindset, Thanks for the correction and reassurance. We do use manipulatives now, but since they are not always necessary or suggested I probably err on the side of not using them quite enough. I was not good at mental math as a child and I want my kids to be better at it than I was. Dd7 is rather timid and sometimes that overflows into our schooling, of course. So guess I meant I would worry about her hesitation and second-guessing herself if she thinks she knows a problem, but would want to check to make sure. I am sure that once she gains the confidence that would end, but she can be so hesitant! Dd5 is much more full-steam-ahead which can cause dd7 to second guess herself even more! Oh sibling dynamics! I know I phrased some questions in less-than-helpful terms, but since I have only been able to see about two pages online, I didn't even know what adjectives to use! Looking forward to our homeschool conference. I think I will definitely get this and either abandon Singapore for the time being, or supplement. Sigh, time to go do a math lesson!

I was kind of hoping to be convinced one way or the other, but I guess getting more info so I can make my own educated decision is better! 🤓 I do wonder about the reliance on manipulatives... is it easy to wean off from them? And from what I have been able to see online, which isn't much, it seems much more laid back than Singapore. Is this so? I guess I worry about it not being intensive enough and then not being able to transition to something else, something that seems more demanding...? This is the first I have ever even looked at Miquon, so I have no idea what it is really like, sorry if the questions seem silly!

I would love some input from all of you Miquon users! I have been doing Singapore math 1 with dd7 this year. While it started off very well, we have stalled on their addition within 40 by making tens. While I like some aspects of Singapore, there are some I do not. While we are soldiering on-- I am not one to give up just cause we hit a rough spot-- I am not convinced I want to continue with Singapore next year. I am intrigued by Miquon. Please share pros, and cons with me! Also, what do you use after you finish book 6? How dose the transition go from Miquon to other curriculums? Thanks!

SO glad to has my Dh is not the only one who does this, though I deeply sympathize with all of you! Not only does Dh moan, I have to hear him say, "I don't feel good." Every two minutes. And then there is that pathetic cough....know what I mean? Seriously. Imagine what it would be like if they had to give birth! I am going to try soooo hard to keep ds from ending up like this. Who cares if he won't be able to read or do math. At least he won't drive his future wife nuts! Hugs and wishes for quick recoveries for all the Man Colds out there!

Does anyone use this by Andrew Pudewa? A friend of mine uses it, but I do not know if she does any instruction besides memorization. How do you use it? I like the idea a lot, but am not sure how exactly the lessons are supposed to look. And do you just use this, or do you supplement? Thanks!

Just wanted to get some opinions on these two writing curriculums. What do you like/dislike about them? Why is one better, in your opinion, than the other? Thanks so much!