Oh, and one more thing about k12's customer service. Like I said, we were using them "on scholarship" in 2004-2005. I fully planned on repurchasing from them in September of 2005, but a couple things changed my mind. First, they didn't inform me until July that they would not be renewing my partial scholarship, since they had eliminated the program and restructured their pricing into a (more expensive) subscription format. That didn't give me much time to find a solution. Secondly, on August 29th, 2005, we lost everything, including our apartment and all our new curriculum, in Hurricane Katrina. We had evacuated to Memphis (where we remain), and one thing we did have was access to a laptop and a few of our old k12 books. We still had lessons we hadn't completed, so I contacted k12 to ask if they could possibly just extend the access I had for a couple months(it had ended about a week before), until I could get on my feet, find a place to live, replace my curriculum, etc. No books or anything, just access to the online lessons I had before, so my little girl could have something to do to make her life a little more normal. I emailed them three times. I got one autoresponse saying they'd received my email and someone would get back with me. No one ever got back with me. Now, I realize they didn't owe me a thing, but they could have at least replied to my request. I still think it's good curriculum, though. Just a heads-up.

Oh, and as for Time4Learning, I have tried but fail to feel the love for this program. For my then 5th grader, it was too easy, and for my preK/K'er, they didn't offer social studies or science at her level, just math and phonics. Well, Starfall is free, Click n' Read was around $30 through Homeschool Co-op and you get to keep it forever, sell it, give it away, whatever. Math games aren't hard to come by. I just didn't get $20 a month per child out of it, but of course YMMV. You don't say your children's ages but I haven't personally seen an age where this could be considered a full curriculum. Just my opinion, of course.

I used k12 about five years ago for third grade. The program was very good, but expensive! Back then they had partial scholarships available so we could just manage it, but they did away with them the next year AND raised the prices. I know many homeschoolers have problems with folks who take advantage of their free virtual charter, but I think I'd be first in line if I lived in a "free k12 state". If you don't, I can't imagine how much curriculum you'd have to be buying to be spending more than what you'd spend with them. Well, okay, maybe I can imagine a little too well :) At least we addicts get a variety, and are allowed to resell most of it. K12 has a VERY strict "no-resale" policy which they enforce.

Thanks so much for your answers so far. So if I were going to eventually ( 1.5 years, maybe?) do Earth, Life, and Physical middle school courses, what would be the typical order? Anyone who has used PLATO, please let me know how you've liked it. Thanks, Michelle

I don't exactly have ideas, just encouragement. I have dealt with chronic, disabling illness for much of the time my kids have been homeschooled. I want desperately to provide them with the best classical education possible, but there are days on end where we just don't get to it because Mom is in bed. On those days, we read, watch videos (sometimes they're even educational, ha!), and whatever else we can manage. For years it drove me crazy with worry and guilt, but years later they are doing just great, academically and otherwise. Please spend your time taking perfect care of yourself and your baby and know that everything and everyone else will be just fine.

Wow, I know what I'm having tomorrow for lunch! Thanks!

My 13 yo daughter is smart and generally a very good student, but for some reason, she has always had this huge mental block when it comes to science. Despite being one of the most math-minded people I've known, she has been screaming "I'm no good at science" since she was in 2nd grade. Many curriculum purchases later, I'm a little ashamed to admit that she's now in 8th grade with almost no formal science. This year, I bought the entire PH Science Explorer series, complete with all the supplements. I thought sure this was going to be the year we started to "catch up". A month later and she's still stuck on "What is Earth Science?" I had been looking at the PLATO middle school science that is currently offered at a fantastic price by Homeschool Co-op. I was definitely interested, but couldn't imagine justifying yet another science purchase. That changed when I let her do the demo lesson, application, and test for Earth Science. She LOVED it and better yet, she remembered it the next day! As I said, we are behind in science. The co-op is offering it $49 for one course, $75 for two, and $99 for all three (Earth, Life, Physical)for one year. Is it remotely possible to complete all three courses in one year? Would it even be prudent to try? It would put us back on track to start high school next year, but has anyone actually done it? If not three, what about two- and which two? I'm not even sure in which order the courses are meant to be taken, or if it matters. Can you tell I'm freaking out a little? :confused: Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks

My 13yo daughter and I love the Holt McDougal current events website at hmcurrentevents.com . It's colorful, interesting, and IMO provides just the right amount of depth.

No, we looked into TT a couple years ago but she proclaimed it "too easy". Today, we finally took the plunge and opened up the Video Text and, oh, what a difference! After just two lessons she is in love and I am looking forward to finally understanding algebra at age 37.

Thanks for the responses. Happymom, your insight was especially helpful. We love the Jacob's book, but are kind of "meh" about the Callahan videos. Unfortunately, dd already knows more about math than I do, so I really need something self-instructional. When the Videotext module A fell into our laps, it certainly piqued our interest. I think perhaps we'll start the Videotext, while still using the Jacob's text for the cool cartoons, extra explanation, and set iv fun-challenge problems. By the time she finishes module A in Videotext, we should have definitely be able to decide. Does that seem sound to you all?

Hi, I've spent hours poring over previous threads, but still haven't quite found the right answer. I would really welcome some advice. My 8th grade daughter has always been very good at math. She breezed through Lial's Basic College Math with zero help from me. Now she's starting Algebra I. I purchased Ask. Dr. Callahan's program, which uses Jacobs Elementary Algebra. Since then, I've read some reviews that have made me wonder if I made a mistake. She likes it fine so far, but she's only about ten lessons in, so the material isn't really challenging enough to form a useful assessment. After the money I spent, I wouldn't even be questioning it but for the fact that I recently inherited a brand new set of Videotext module A. I've read some wonderful things about VT, but it seems that every positive review states how good it is for kids who hate math, or people who aren't "math-minded". My daughter is excellent at math, and will likely pursue a math-centric college major. So I'm looking for opinions on Callahan/Jacobs vs. Videotext for a girl who actually loves and excels at math. Thanks, Michelle

Hi, I've spent hours poring over previous threads, but still haven't quite found the right answer. I would really welcome some advice. My 8th grade daughter has always been very good at math. She breezed through Lial's Basic College Math with zero help from me. Now she's starting Algebra I. I purchased Ask. Dr. Callahan's program, which uses Jacobs Elementary Algebra. Since then, I've read some reviews that have made me wonder if I made a mistake. She likes it fine so far, but she's only about ten lessons in, so the material isn't really challenging enough to form a useful assessment. After the money I spent, I wouldn't even be questioning it but for the fact that I recently inherited a brand new set of Videotext module A. I've read some wonderful things about VT, but it seems that every positive review states how good it is for kids who hate math, or people who aren't "math-minded". My daughter is excellent at math, and will likely pursue a math-centric college major. So I'm looking for opinions on Callahan/Jacobs vs. Videotext for a girl who actually loves and excels at math. Thanks, Michelle