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FYI: Charlotte Mason Institute's new CM curriculum: much lower price


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Hi all,

 

For people interested in CM education, the Charlotte Mason Institute has a new curriculum called the Alveary. This is a pilot year for people who have gone to a least one CMI conference (which are amazing, BTW), but it will be opened up to more people in the future.

 

Just wanted to put this on the radar of people who are interested in CM education but dissatisfied with the free curricula out there. 

 

Announcement of lower price for this year.

 

Emily

 

Edited by EmilyGF
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I think they realized that there is a segment of the homeschooling population that is willing to pay for professionally done materials; the woman heading it up has a PhD in education and wrote her dissertation on learning writing through reading and narration. I'm part of the trial group this year and this is a very detailed curriculum (way way way above and beyond others I've done/looked into). That said, it will be out of reach for some people. CMI isn't in it for the money, though, and has said they hope to be able to lower the cost in the future if enough people sign up to use it. 

 

Emily

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So does it include all the books for that price, or is it just the plans, rubrics, etc and you're purchasing the books separately?

 

It says the books are not included.  I'd be hesitant to sign up for something without knowing much about it, but I like the idea of it.  

Edited by Holly
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I think they realized that there is a segment of the homeschooling population that is willing to pay for professionally done materials; the woman heading it up has a PhD in education and wrote her dissertation on learning writing through reading and narration. I'm part of the trial group this year and this is a very detailed curriculum (way way way above and beyond others I've done/looked into). That said, it will be out of reach for some people. CMI isn't in it for the money, though, and has said they hope to be able to lower the cost in the future if enough people sign up to use it. 

 

Emily

 

I hope you'll let us know what you think of it.

 

It would be too much for me at the moment, especially if it doesn't include the books and is per child.  But you never know what might change.

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  • 5 months later...

CMI has announced that they are drastically reducing the Alveary price for the next year. They don't have the new prices up on the website yet, but in an email sent to Alveary Pilot members, the new prices were sent out and are drastically lower. So keep it on your radar!.

 

I'm 20 weeks into my year now, with one kid each in Form 3, 2, and 1 and am happy to talk about my experiences.

Emily

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CMI has announced that they are drastically reducing the Alveary price for the next year. They don't have the new prices up on the website yet, but in an email sent to Alveary Pilot members, the new prices were sent out and are drastically lower. So keep it on your radar!.

 

I'm 20 weeks into my year now, with one kid each in Form 3, 2, and 1 and am happy to talk about my experiences.

Emily

 

I would love to hear about it.

 

Anything and everything you'd like to share!

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This year was 1st to 8th; next year they are adding high school. They don't believe in formal school for kindergartners.

My hands are really cold tonight; the more exact the questions, the better answers I'll give!

 

Emily

 

Thanks Emily for letting us know of this resource and answering our questions!  It would be so nice not to have to piece together a curriculum for my last kid...:-P  A couple of questions for ya...

 

What curriculum that you have seen out there compares to this one?  Do you find it rigorous, yet engaging and has your kids liked it?  What ages have you piloted it this year?  Have you felt confident in it, and do you find it complete.  Do you like the book choices?  Are you going to continue using it?  Is the cost going to be $500 for the fall?  It is kinda steep.  :-(  I am intrigued...:-)  Feel free to answer the questions you would like.  ;)..

 

Another question....I have not been able to attend any of those seminars as of yet, (no where near my neck of the woods that I have seen)....do you know when it will be available for those who have not attended one?  I have read many books and feel pretty confident on her philosophies and teaching but I know I can learn more.  :)

Edited by Homeschoolmom3
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I was super confused by their website. You have to go to one of their conferences to get the reduced price right? But that in itself is pricey and hard to do for me at least. And the cost is per child? And the cost does not include books and other materials? And they said that book selections would change...which means more expense when they decided to change and you won't be able to use it with multiple children? I mean books are just books so you can always have your child read them. But...Wow...that just seems really expensive especially for a pilot and it would be frustrating for planning to have them change things around.

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We've been following AO so far- one of the things that sounds good about Alveary is keeping the kids on the same timeline. My kids are 12,11,9, 8 plus a 4,2. Is keeping oldest 4 together possible with Alveary? Has anyone used Alveary? How was it? We've really enjoyed AO so far but we're thinking about trying out Alveary. Thanks

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I've got very limited Forum time right now, but I'll do my best to answer questions.

 

I think the new price for CMI Alveary is $199/yr per family going forward. I think they pegged their prices on Classical Conversations and then realized that was the wrong peg. The pilot group spoke loud and clear and the Alveary leaders listened. :-)

 

The pilot group was required to go to a conference because CMI only wanted piloters who were sold on the CM philosophy. For years not giving feedback that is no longer an issue. I went to a CMI conference when I was really burnt out and needed a conference that was about teaching, not family life. I found it to be a breath of fresh air and really was built up by the talks by Carroll Smith about dualism in education as well as current research on narration, and by the talks by Jen Spencer. Both are amazing researchers (Carroll Smith was an education professor and supervised Jen Spencer's education PhD) and do a great job talking about how current research ties in with Mason's ideas. So, when Carroll Smith and Jen Spencer announced this curriculum they were developing, I was sold.

 

I had spent the last year with Ambleside but was frustrated with the racial language in the books (though Alveary tries to be more modern, they still have issues with some older books - argh) and the fact that I felt like we were just pushing through book after book after book and narration after narration after narration. I didn't like AO science and AO science books (I think the Alveary's are much much much better). I loved hearing about things being learned about notebooks and timelines etc from the Parents' Review and longed for someone to hold my hand in implementing them. Alveary has done a great job with that.

 

Our days are so different than with Ambleside. I freely admit that I didn't do AO right - I didn't have the time to figure out all the things I needed to figure out to do it right, and there were too many books for us to do it right. With Alveary, we do so many different things every day and I have someone guiding me through what that should look like. We literally sing, dance, do crafts, do daily nature study (yep - that's what Nicole found when she actually read up on what CM schools did), read, write, do foreign language, etc etc etc. We have gotten so much done by doing a bit every single day. 

 

It is definitely rigorous, and I'm pretty critical when it comes to judging that! I did adjust each kid as needed, but the Alveary allows that because you have access to all levels (or at least we did this year, and I think that is the plan going forward). It is designed to follow Mason's plan of fairly short lessons, though, so if you define rigorous as 90 minute lessons, you probably won't like it.

 

I don't think you would want to keep a 12 and 8 year old together completely, but each could read their own history spine on their own about the same general time period and then be together for the same family read aloud. We're doing that with one in the car right now. 

 

The Alveary has had a lot of flexibility this year; if enough people disliked a selection, then the Alveary made a change. But people who found that a selection worked for them weren't forced to change. 

 

I do find it complete, though I have my kids do more math than they recommend because we are a math family. I also bumped up my kids one level in science because my kids have breathed science since they were little. 

 

Gotta go, more later.

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That's a plausible price, for us.

 

Other questions:

 

How was the transition from AO?

What approach does the religious studies component take? (I notice there are some books on saints, for example, but I don't know anything about the commentaries and such they suggest.)

Would it be a problem to keep the math program we are already using?

How does the computer access work?  What do you get to keep, for that $199?

 

 

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Not sure if any of you all saw but now they have samples up on their website...here is the link:

 

https://charlottemasoninstitute.com/page-18417

 

 

Emily-

 

When you get back online can you tell us what years you used last year and how you liked the book choices?  I am not familiar with several of the books they used and wanted to get your feedback as to the difference of AO.  Also, if you felt that the daily scheduling and planning helped you.

 

Thanks for your insight!

 

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I just looked over Form 3 sample lesson plans. It doesn't seem to actually offer much beyond a book list and very loose generalized assignments. It really looks like something you could easily sit down and create in a decent period of time by flipping through the books and breaking them down and creating simple assignments. A couple of subjects offer more suggestions while others offer "select your own" or "move at your own pace" or general "ask questions/narrate/discuss" type assignments. It does not look like it offers detailed in-depth assignments with substantial teaching notes across most subjects.

 

A couple of the resources seem off to me in terms of the targeted grades. HOE, for example, we use in elementary school, not middle. We do a couple of problems a day in addition to a full math lesson. I personally wouldn't only do HOE for an entire math lesson twice a week in middle school.

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I just looked over Form 3 sample lesson plans. It doesn't seem to actually offer much beyond a book list and very loose generalized assignments. It really looks like something you could easily sit down and create in a decent period of time by flipping through the books and breaking them down and creating simple assignments. A couple of subjects offer more suggestions while others offer "select your own" or "move at your own pace" or general "ask questions/narrate/discuss" type assignments. It does not look like it offers detailed in-depth assignments with substantial teaching notes across most subjects.

 

A couple of the resources seem off to me in terms of the targeted grades. HOE, for example, we use in elementary school, not middle. We do a couple of problems a day in addition to a full math lesson. I personally wouldn't only do HOE for an entire math lesson twice a week in middle school.

The math sequence is (or was, at the announcement) RightStart A-E, G w/ HOE, then AOPS through graduation. I haven't used HOE because we were completely beyond it, but the one family I know using it has found it useful and has flown through it and is moving onto AOPS PreA now at the end of 6th grade. This is not a mathy family by any means, and I think this has given them courage to use AOPS.

 

I disagree about it being simply a list I could easily make because I did that the prior year with Ambleside and found it time consuming and frustrating. I didn't have the confidence, I guess, to know whether assignments were reasonable, and then didn't have the courage to enforce assignments that were really hard. 8, you've written a book on writing your own curriculum; I don't expect you to ever find one written by someone else that you like! But I read your book and knew that it wasn't for me. When I've put together booklists, I tend to aim way too hard and burn out my kids and myself. I guess the fact that I'm still pretty happy with this (and following it mainly) 20 weeks in is testament that it is working for us. 

 

Charlotte Mason discouraged frequent long conversations about books led by parents, but there are some conversational helps along the way. Also, the monthly+ webinars have been useful, so that guidance isn't reflected in the assignments.

 

Also, the CM way of reading books is very different than normal, with many books only visited once every week or once every other week so that there is time for it to settle in. Over the course of the term or even year, the conversations happen as you soak in books. This won't appeal to everyone, but I was sold on a CM education but frustrated with AO. For someone not frustrated with AO or happy with their current curriculum, don't fix what ain't broken! I was so frustrated by the outdated science books used by AO; there are some old science books but they have footnotes at least explaining changes in understanding. And my daughter adores them so I do understand their desire to use them. I am frustrated with the older history book they are using and have registered my complaint. I am hoping they use a better spine next year.

 

I think that this is like saying, "Hey, you've got all the flour, sugar, butter, and chocolate chips you need. Just mix it up!" For me, this was like adding the right instructions along with baking soda and salt; the baking soda and salt are for me the careful intertwining of various pieces so that the sum is more than the parts of the whole. The webinars address additional issues people have with implementation.

 

The Delectable Education folks are part of the team putting this together, so listening to their podcasts is a good way to learn if you like their approach CM.

 

Emily

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I guess I didn't address why I think it is a challenging curriculum.

 

I wrote my son's private school application update for quarter one and when I listed all he did, it was a lot. Some books are hard, some are easier, and some are in the middle. He's a slow reader, so he's pretty maxed out in his daily reading. The science is the first curriculum I've actually liked (and my husband and I are both trained in science at one of the top universities; my husband is a professor of astrophysics at a top-10 university). He's pretty critical of his incoming students so we're aware of areas that are neglected by schools generally. 

 

CM does a little bit of everything consistently. No one week is a ton learned in any area, but over the course of a year a lot is learned. I am completely sold on slow reading of many books over a long time as a great way to really know what you are learning. So I don't think this would be a good curriculum to do for a year as a "break" but should ideally be a multi-year endeavor so that the skills have time to build on themselves.

 

I decided to head towards a CM approach when I realized that my older daughter doesn't learn anything that is pre-digested for her, and a hallmark of CM education is having the kids digest their own learning.

 

Emily

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The Delectable Education folks are part of the team putting this together, so listening to their podcasts is a good way to learn if you like their approach CM.

 

 

Here is the link for the podcast for those wanting to listen on some great info!

 

http://www.adelectableeducation.com/p/form-schedules.html

 

 

Thanks for mentioning this Emily- I was wondering if they were helping to develop this curriculum.  Great to know!  They have such knowledge and I have enjoyed their podcasts!

 

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The science is the first curriculum I've actually liked (and my husband and I are both trained in science at one of the top universities; my husband is a professor of astrophysics at a top-10 university). He's pretty critical of his incoming students so we're aware of areas that are neglected by schools generally. 

 

Great to know! 

 

CM does a little bit of everything consistently. No one week is a ton learned in any area, but over the course of a year a lot is learned. I am completely sold on slow reading of many books over a long time as a great way to really know what you are learning.

 

I agree with you here!  The books that my kids have lingered over are more ingrained in them then the ones we had to hurry and get through to get through our book list.  This seems to be the best way to me for having them remember something important. 

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Emily-

 

One more question...please....do you know when they will have the high school ready to go?  I would have loved to have that next year for my middle son so I don't have to plan it out!  I would so prefer spending my time reading and prepping then having to plan it too.  :-P

 

Thanks!

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The math sequence is (or was, at the announcement) RightStart A-E, G w/ HOE, then AOPS through graduation. I haven't used HOE because we were completely beyond it, but the one family I know using it has found it useful and has flown through it and is moving onto AOPS PreA now at the end of 6th grade. This is not a mathy family by any means, and I think this has given them courage to use AOPS.

 

 

Emily

It is always a blessing when you find something that works for you. I wasn't meaning to detract from that. It is huge for you that this program meets your and your children's needs. I was simply offering my perceptions from looking through it.

 

I do want to add another comment, though, bc I am hoping AoPS is not the only math curriculum scheduled for high school and that alternative math programs will be recommended. Just as I wouldn't use HOE in middle school, neither would I recommend AoPS to the general population at large. AoPS is not a suitable math curriculum for all students. AoPS is fabulous, no doubt; however, the time and energy it takes to complete is not going to serve the needs of all students. (For my son it was a perfect curriculum, but for my equally strong math student Dd, it would not have served her needs.)

 

But, I could never use a single provider's pre-made list as you have pointed out. :)

Edited by 8FillTheHeart
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  • 1 month later...

Emily,

 

Did you use the Alveary with more than one student? I am going to be joining for next year for my son (Form 2B, I believe) and am pondering whether to try to also use it for my daughter (she'll be 1B).

 

If it helps the analysis, I already homeschool them both using CM methods. I have pieced my own curriculum together using various resources over the past 5 years and am very well-versed on the methods. My big challenge this year, with a Year O child and Year 4-ish, has been carving out time to do the math, reading lesson, and bit of individual kindergarten reading with my younger child. We do nature study, recitation, Shakespeare, Plutarch, history, geography, literature, poetry, composer, French, artist, hymn etc as a family so that's pretty easy. But by the time I cover that, plus my older child's math, dictation, copywork (copywork is the only truly independent thing he does other than fun reading), it's noon and we have lost our steam! And I'm pretty committed to free afternoons.

 

Just trying to determine how this would look with two students, if anyone has tried it. I adore the Mason method but, at least for us, it's really not a hands-off approach, and I do nearly everything with both children right now! I don't mind this. It's bumping up against the confines of time that is the issue.

 

Thanks!

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Emily-

 

One more question...please....do you know when they will have the high school ready to go?  I would have loved to have that next year for my middle son so I don't have to plan it out!  I would so prefer spending my time reading and prepping then having to plan it too.  :-P

 

Thanks!

High school pilot is coming out this year, but they have certain requirements to be part of the pilot including multiple years of using the Mason method. You might want to look into it. :-)

 

Emily

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Emily,

 

Did you use the Alveary with more than one student? I am going to be joining for next year for my son (Form 2B, I believe) and am pondering whether to try to also use it for my daughter (she'll be 1B).

 

If it helps the analysis, I already homeschool them both using CM methods. I have pieced my own curriculum together using various resources over the past 5 years and am very well-versed on the methods. My big challenge this year, with a Year O child and Year 4-ish, has been carving out time to do the math, reading lesson, and bit of individual kindergarten reading with my younger child. We do nature study, recitation, Shakespeare, Plutarch, history, geography, literature, poetry, composer, French, artist, hymn etc as a family so that's pretty easy. But by the time I cover that, plus my older child's math, dictation, copywork (copywork is the only truly independent thing he does other than fun reading), it's noon and we have lost our steam! And I'm pretty committed to free afternoons.

 

Just trying to determine how this would look with two students, if anyone has tried it. I adore the Mason method but, at least for us, it's really not a hands-off approach, and I do nearly everything with both children right now! I don't mind this. It's bumping up against the confines of time that is the issue.

 

Thanks!

Hi Pehp,

 

I have three kids in it right now (Form 1a, Form 2, and Form 3), as well as a barely-five-year-old. We "larger" families were trouble shooting together a few weeks back so they had a mom with 8(?) kids or so, who is very involved with CMI, hold a webinar to help with both big picture ideas and nitty gritty. I do find that I am personally on task for a long period each day, but from discussions here, I think that is par for the course for someone who has a middle schooler. 

 

I do find my days to be "work", in the sense that I have to decide to do what I ought to do instead of just float through the days. But this is a habit that we teach ourselves just as we teach our kids habits. My older kids are doing almost all their reading independently and my 1a is reading her easier books on her own. OTOH, there is less reading than AO but more other work than AO - a big plus in my opinion.

 

I'm not sure if I am addressing your question well. I do think Jen Spencer, who heads up the Alveary, is happy to answer questions, too.

 

I find 1a to be really doable, and so if your child is old enough for 1b, I'd go for it.

Emily 

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Thanks,that is helpful. I may email Jen Spencer. We stay on task but I tend to stay "on" with my older child more than my younger, which is where I feel I'm unbalanced. The good thing is, she's more interested and engaged in Shakespeare, history, and the Bible, among other things, than many kids twice her age.

 

Anyhow, we are definitely in for next year, and I may just need to muddle around a bit to see how to balance her skills work with the rest of the feast.

 

I love CM and we are so lucky to be in a good group here locally. (CMI is based here so we've derived some wonderful benefits from the nearness of the Smiths!)

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I guess the other thing is....I'm not ready to hand all my son's reading over to him. I just enjoy it too much with all of us together. So that's a huge part of the struggle for me because I like reading en famille, as it were!! I know dear Charlotte would encourage me to hand it over,and he does do a little on his own, but we like it too much to break up the current routine of reading and learning together. Ă°Å¸Ëœâ€°

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I guess the other thing is....I'm not ready to hand all my son's reading over to him. I just enjoy it too much with all of us together. So that's a huge part of the struggle for me because I like reading en famille, as it were!! I know dear Charlotte would encourage me to hand it over,and he does do a little on his own, but we like it too much to break up the current routine of reading and learning together. Ă°Å¸Ëœâ€°

The Alveary has a mix of independence and togetherness echoing the difficulty of the subject and the purpose of a subject.

 

Emily

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Emily, what other work is there that AO doesn't do?

I'm not sure; I am sure that I never implemented AO to its fullest because it is so hard to do so IMO.

 

The biggest difference is that all kids are doing the same general time frame and that there are fewer books, done better. There are extra helpings for kids who read fast or need more but I no longer feel like all we do is read and narrate all day with no end in sight and no help in figuring out which of the "free reads" are useful or important. (Some of the AO people have their kids read all the free reads; I can't imagine and I have one really fast reader.) There is more coordination between the "free reads" and your work.

 

Nicole Williams also has implemented Natural History in a much more holistic way now that the PNEU works are available to read online and she was able to do more reading on what the schools actually did.

 

Emily

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It does seem that way, but I'll venture to guess that 8FilltheHeart isn't a member either, and she was able to view them several weeks ago.   I'm wondering if something has changed on their site.

 

Yes, I think they recently changed it due to beginning to start registration.  I have been able to view it with no problems weeks ago but now having the same trouble.  I had downloaded 1b resources and 1b lessons plans (it gives an idea of what it would look like but I know that the newer one does not look exactly like this but you could use it for an idea).  I think it is a great deal $199 for all of your kids for a year.  It looked very thorough and doable.  I loved all of the extra's you get too!  If you would like to see my downloaded sample PM me and I'll forward it on to you.

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Yes, I think they recently changed it due to beginning to start registration.  I have been able to view it with no problems weeks ago but now having the same trouble.  I had downloaded 1b resources and 1b lessons plans (it gives an idea of what it would look like but I know that the newer one does not look exactly like this but you could use it for an idea).  I think it is a great deal $199 for all of your kids for a year.  It looked very thorough and doable.  I loved all of the extra's you get too!  If you would like to see my downloaded sample PM me and I'll forward it on to you.

They are updating the website today (saw on FB). So it should work again soon!

 

Emily

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The Alveary has a mix of independence and togetherness echoing the difficulty of the subject and the purpose of a subject.

 

Emily

 

And this could be useful, too, for me since I'm so reluctant to let go of our togetherness-reading.  Mostly it's my own deep desire to enjoy books together (I want to learn all the stuff my children are learning, because it's fun!), but I do think it's probably time for me to start transitioning my son to some independence which will probably mean that I should simply pre-read his books....then even if he's reading alone, we can share the book!

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And this could be useful, too, for me since I'm so reluctant to let go of our togetherness-reading.  Mostly it's my own deep desire to enjoy books together (I want to learn all the stuff my children are learning, because it's fun!), but I do think it's probably time for me to start transitioning my son to some independence which will probably mean that I should simply pre-read his books....then even if he's reading alone, we can share the book!

I hadn't realized that your kids are younger than mine; my kids are 12, 10, 8 (and 5 and 1). My oldest two would go nuts if I tried to read everything to them, and my 8-year-old has requested to read some of her to-be-narrated books independently, though I hadn't required it of her yet. Since she can read them to herself and narrate exceptionally well, I think it'd be thoughtless of me to require her to listen to me read them aloud. Of course she's always had free reading on her own. She's certainly not reading Pilgrim's Progress on her own, and she is now joining us for some of the older together books.

 

Emily

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I'm so torn - I would love to try this, but it would mean a lot of new books when I really have enough for elementary already. 

 

I am really considering too...seems like such a great resource even if I have to substitute a few since we already have done them.  Decisions....  Wonder if they have a support group of those who use it...wouldn't that be fun!  :)

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