It's almost the end of June!!  And it's been a month since I've posted anything.  Sorry about that.    We've just been busy enjoying the beautiful weather before it gets too hot.  We even bought the kids a pool and they are having a ball.  I took pictures today and I'll try to get them posted soon.

Also, 3 other homeschool moms and I have decided to get together every so often and study different countries over the summer.  Today we gave the kids their "passports" and make cookies look like world maps.  it was so much fun!  I can't wait to do it again.  I figured it will help us get on track for our new curriculum we're starting in the fall. 

My friend, Stephanie, has turned me into her partner in crime when it comes to being a curriculum junkie. LOL  I had no idea there was so much out there until I met her.  Thanks to her, I also discovered My Father's World and I"m so excited about it.  We did KONOS for unit studies for a while but that fizzled out when I was pregnant last year.  I think My Father's World will be better suited for us anyway.  So... have any of you tried it and what did you think?  Enquiring minds want to know.   I've decided to use Shurley English for language arts (I was one of her guinea pigs in elementary school when she first started the program.  She taught a class across the hall and still lives in the same town I do.)  However, I'm on a mad search for a math program that will educated my kids well without breaking the bank.  All suggestions are welcome (hint hint). 

Now I have to go lure my kids out of the pool so they can start getting ready for showers and bedtime.

Hugs,

Amanda

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Posted by drewsfamilytx

Hi Amanda-- it's great to hear from you again!

Getting together with a couple other mom's during the summer sounds like a fun idea! A little learning and some boredom busting, that is a good combination!

For math, I can't rave enough about Math-U-See. The initial investment is a little more pricey since you need the blocks, but after that, it is super cheap. Honestly, that is the one subject that we have not flip-flopped on once we found it! And I couldn't imagine an easier subject to teach. My boys LOVE it and I don't even have to crack a teacher's manual. They just watch the DVD and do the appropriate lesson. Once mastered, they take the test and then go to the next lesson. If they don't understand it quite well, they just watch the lesson again-- it is that thorough!

Anyhow, I hope you find what works for you!

Have a wonderful Sunday!
Marsha

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Posted by stephanier

I have just discovered My Father's World to! I am considering using it for my youngest son for kindergarten next year.

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Posted by diamondsintherough

Hi Amanda, nice to see you around again. :o) My #2 daughter is the tall one in blue, and she is rather a Tom-Sawyer style job-doer. She acts like her work is so fun, that her little sisters want to get in on it, too. You don't need to hire her -- just play clean-up games with your boys, like "Toy Police". Have then blow whistles and sound sirens and "arrest" all the toys and put them in "jail". :o) Let me know if it works!
Sally

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Posted by MayTheyBeMightyMen

Yeah, I'm a bit of a curriculum junkie myself. We used Horizons for math through 4th grade. I would have used it for 5th, too, but decided if I was going to switch anyway we would switch this year. I happened to find Saxon 5/4 and 6/5 at a book sale really cheaply, so my oldest will switch to that.

I haven't used MFW, but have heard really good reviews of it from those who use it. I'll be interested to see what you think of it.

That English/Grammar program looks so good, but it's been a bit more than we could swing, so we haven't used it. We went with A Beka for the English/Grammar because it was more reasonable and still probably got the job done. I would have loved to go the other way, though.

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