I resisted textbooks at first, but it's what my boys genuinely prefer. And I tried BJU and Apologia and such, but they also prefer public school textbooks (Holt, Prentice Hall, etc.) - go figure! As long as they're learning, I'm happy. (:

I'm still in the planning stages - there are so many awesome things out there! However, I already have an older set of Sonlight Core 1 on hand, so I'll use that (heavily modified - I don't follow plans well), plus several books from Build Your Library. Math - CLE LA - either CLE or WWE/FLL Handwriting - we'll spend some time correcting the incorrect letter strokes his teacher let slide in K, then move on to cursive (his request) Science - looking into Elemental Science Biology, but might just do a hodgepodge of the MANY science books already on hand History - deciding whether to stick with Sonlight or start SOTW Geography - mostly looking up places we read about Religion - illustrated children's scripture stories Art - Usborne Music - piano lessons, possibly Story of the Orchestra

If you have space, workboxes are really nice to help guide the younger kids to do the next thing. I did mine with stacking drawers, and it didn't take much time at all to fill them when I had a plan in place for what they were going to do. Here's a blog post I did about it back in the day - getting ready to do the same thing next year with my (much) younger child! (: http://gwgumby.blogspot.com/2009/04/workboxes-i-love-them.html

Another vote for K12 Human Odyssey, which I read with my boys (and some additional commentary/movies from the time period). We have LOVED it. Just packed with pictures and great information. Not completely unbiased (calls Hitler "evil" multiple times), but I think they do a pretty good job.

My eye doctor helped my oldest son with this - he was constantly skipping entire lines of text, especially reading scripture (smaller print), and the doctor said his eyes weren't focusing at the same point. It was corrected with glasses that he wore while reading for a while. From the eye doctor's blog: http://visionsource-drmconte.com/2013/08/28/vision-motor-problems/ Vertical phoria will produce the following symptoms: Does not like to read in the car while the car is moving Does not like to sit in the back seat of a car Has an aversion to being spun around Loses their place while reading Forgets what they read Vertical phoria is usually an inherited trait in which one parent will have similar complaints as the child. Vertical phoria is usually worse in males than females. It does not effect visual acuity (clarity of vision); therefore, it is not detected by school screenings. Some other visual motor problems include: Convergence excess Convergence insufficiency Accommodative inflexibility All of the above will cause the individual to tire easily while reading and decrease reading comprehension. Patients with vertical phoria are treatable with vision training and corrective lenses. The best correction for vertical phoria is a bifocal lens with a prism. Most patients will respond quickly to the treatment and do not need the bifocal for long. Both the patient and the parents easily note results from treatment. - See more at: http://visionsource-drmconte.com/2013/08/28/vision-motor-problems/#sthash.SV9SfI05.dpuf

Thanks for the responses! This has helped me decide for the rest of high school, not just next year. (:

My sons (starting 9th and 11th this fall) have really enjoyed the Human Odyssey series, as have I, reading along with them. For those who have used or are familiar with the Human Odyssey books, what would you recommend to follow it? Trying to decide whether to focus on American history, Government, or . . . something else! (:

Great suggestions! I'm actually reading the first one aloud to my 6th and 8th graders, and we are all LOVING it! We just finished the chapter on Greek philosophers today, and they actually want to go read some Plato! (:

Bumping because I'm curious too! :bigear:

:iagree: This pretty much describes my philosophy. I read aloud to them for fun (currently going through The Hobbit), but other than selecting materials, letting them know the expectations, and keeping track/discussing how things are going, I stay out of their way and let them learn. It has actually worked really well for us.

My boys are 5th and 7th and will be reading Hakim's History of Us on their own. I know it will bog down if they have to wait for me, and it's well within their abilities. I do plan on reading alongside and discussing with them.

I cannot recommend the Jon Schmidt (one of the Piano Guys you see all over YouTube) piano course highly enough. I downloaded it for $16 or so, printed it out, went through the first lesson with my 10-year-old son, who then said he'd be fine doing it on his own. Within a month he could sight read and play just about anything (within reason) that we put in front of him. It REALLY teaches you how to read music, without crutches like numbering the notes.

Leslie, I sent you a pm - I live right by you and own all three Human Odyssey books if you wanted to see them in person! We're not starting them until next year, but I've already been drooling over them. They look amazing! :D

My kids really respond well to textbooks (go figure), so I've gotten used copies of the Holt Science & Technology books: Life, Earth, and Physical Science. They've looked through them and are really excited to start. I believe they're intended for 7th and 8th grades. I like that there's a student lab book right at the back of the text for them to do experiments and such. Since your daughter has already done biology, she could do the Earth and Physical Science ones in two years.

Thanks for the heads up! This is exactly what I was looking for! :001_smile: