Thanks for the tips! We found a friend of a friend who is starting some cuttings for us. In the meantime, he's put one Adams and one Johns in his cart at an online nursery, both 3 years old already. And a mulberry tree. Not sure how that's going to work here! Gotta love his passion to try it all!

Yes. When I asked him why he wants the expensive bushes online instead of the more economical ones, he matter of factly stated, "The little ones will take 3 years to get berries and I'll be moving out around then, so that would be a waste." The friends we know with the bushes harvest them every year, then make and sell the syrup locally.

My son wants to plant elderberry bushes. I know they get huge and we have a sunny spot for them, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with different varieties in zone 6b. We've checked the local nurseries and they do not carry them or know much about them. We do know one family with thriving bushes, so the area should be good for them, but their bushes came with their house originally, so they don't know the variety. My son's goal is to learn how to make the syrup, make a bunch, and share it with friend's families. Thanks for any suggestions or tips!

My oldest graduated from a b&m school, so making the grad announcements was easy. My next will be graduating from homeschool this year. Do you list a name of the school on the grad announcements? Simply write Home Educated, or something else? Omit the name? Thanks!

Peter Pan - Wow! That's exactly what I needed to think through! Definitely no scraps of paper! I use Google calendar extensively - on my big phone for exactly the reasons you stated! No tech meant I don't want to have to figure out EverNote or similar plans. I'm just more old school. I hadn't thought about the planner needing to fit my purse, which it must, of course. Great tip! I've used a 3 ring binder in the past, but loose paper, too many dividers, and sticky pads that fall out just make it messy after awhile. With kids jobs, sports schedules, and a new part time job with 'make your own hours' I just need to revamp. Thanks for the great suggestions!

Any ADHD mommas in the hive who can vouch for a printed planner that has worked well? Not for the ADHD kiddos - they have theirs! I'm just trying to figure out a better system for me than 'flying by the seat of my pants!' 😂

We don't have track here, but we do have a couple of homeschool team sports that are still pretty young. After deciding that there were enough kids for a team, finding a parent willing to coach, and finding a place to play, a mom with a vision called all of the local private schools within a 1.5 hour radius and asked if they would be willing to scrimmage this new team for practice. They agreed. After seeing that the team was serious, every school agreed to add the homeschool team to their regular schedule the following year. This was middle school level when it started, but has continued into high school. Another team sport has been added in exactly the same way. The same name was used for both teams, and will be for any future homeschool teams in our area in order to add credibility. When a school agrees to a scrimmage or game with a team with this name, they know who they are dealing with and the type of people they are dealing with. They are willing to make space for us since there have been positive past experiences. Hope that helps with some implementation ideas! Good luck!

8FilltheHeart... Thank you! Good tips!

Just for fun... I looked at Unigo the other night and found a 2K scholarship for a 250 word essay about how you would respond in a zombie attack. My kids aren't into zombies, but thought this would be a fun (and short) essay for a creative writer who likes all things zombie. ?? A question... How do get your kids to prioritize scholarship searches and requirements? I don't mind researching to weed some out, but making the actual application and writing the essays is not his priority list. Would love suggestions!

Thank you so much for your response. It is very helpful to know which type of student enjoyed the book more than the other. Still deciding!

Has anyone here used Write with World that is published by World Magazine? If so, what age(s) did you use it? Did you and your kids like it? How teacher intensive is it? Thanks!

Saddlemomma, I'm so sorry for the delay! I don't get on here often! Hopefully you found something suitable, but if not, this author's page has several options to choose from. http://www.patriotshistoryusa.com/teaching-materials/secondary-homeschool/

Thank you. I did some more digging and found an outline page with the highlights for each chapter in Patriot's History. For this semester, I think I'll go ahead and make some notes on topics I expect him to take notes on, then work on the skimming skills over break and let him try out those skills on his own in the spring semester. He is definitely not a skimmer, but a contemplative reader. Good in its own right, but makes it tough to get through thick texts. Thanks again.

My son is currently a junior in Classical Conversation Challenge 3 and is struggling to keep up with the workload. The assigned text for US History is A Patriot's History by Schweikart and Allen. It is and excellent and comprehensive book, starting with Columbus and going through the War on Terror. However, it is a TON of reading on top of the research papers and speeches that correspond to this subject (not to mention the heavy workload in every other subject as well). I'm considering using this book as a guide to the subject matter being discussed in class, but instead of having my son read the book, having him watch the Hip Hughes YouTube videos that correspond to the chapter topics and use that information for his research papers and speeches. Is there anyone out there with experience in both resources that might be able to share some pros and cons with this idea? Just trying to figure out a way to make this manageable! Thanks!!

Thank you. Perhaps using that reasoning with him will be helpful. I truly appreciate the help. Maybe I just needed to vent some frustrations. Thanks for the safe spot to do that & be real.

Thank you. Was thinking that by now, he should know better than to turn in a rough draft like this. I asked him 2 separate times if this was his final draft, after he knew I had skimmed it. Both of those times were followed up by, "Are you SURE this is your final draft?" He never bothered to look at it again, just thought about it for maybe 5 seconds and said, "Yes, I'm sure." So not really thinking he should get another chance since he couldn't be troubled to look at it when he had the chance. Wanting to communicate clearly that as a senior who knows how to write, this isn't gonna cut it. And that if he wants the 4.0 he thinks he can achieve, he's actually going to have to *earn* it. Sorry for the frustration expressed here. I truly appreciate your comments, simply exasperated with this one! Maybe this is part of the letting go process, knowing someone else can assign and decide grades more objectively next year. 😕🙄Maybe make it a 70 and move on... idk! Thanks again!

A little background: When ds was in 9th grade, he was a skillful writer. He tested into a junior/senior level class at TPS in the spring and earned an A, so it wasn't just my biased mom opinion. :D :o In 10th, he started his first year ever at a b&m school. The English class was dismal. It didn't take long to realize that what was required for an A was significantly different than what his momma and TPS expected for an A. So during his entire sophomore year, his writing skills succumbed to apathy. Homeschooling again in 11th, I tried desperately to correct this, one concept at a time. I tried to be encouraging and overlooked a bunch in order to rebuild individual skills. His SAT writing score last Jan disappointed him because he had scored the same thing 2 years prior and couldn't understand why he didn't improve. I explained the apathy of his b&m year and how I had been trying to help him rebuild those skills. The very next paper, and those for the rest of the semester, were excellent. So he *got* it. :thumbup1: . And now we are here in 12th. I had him do the first book in his brother's VP OB level (Chosen by God) to start and gave him the simpler writing assignment (a brief hymn study) with the idea that it would be a good warm up for the year. Oh boy! I have included the assignment, as well as my comments. I would love to get feedback to see if this is a fair assessment of the work, though I suspect it is too tough. Kind of fed up at half effort and figure that probably seeped into my comments, so hoping for some objectivity. Thank you so much!! Title? I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known, Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love Redeemed me for his own. Refrain: But I know whom I have believed And am persuaded that He is able To keep that which I’ve committed Unto Him against that day I know not how this saving faith To me He did impart, Nor how believing in His word Wrought peace within my heart Refrain I know not how the Spirit moves, Convincing us of sin, Revealing Jesus through the Word, Creating faith in Him. Refrain I know not what good or ill May be reserved for me, Of weary ways or golden days, Before his face I see. Refrain I know not when my Lord may come, At night or noonday fair, Nor if I walk the vale with Him, Or meet Him in the air. Refrain How is sovereignty and predestination expressed in this hymn? Do you think Daniel W. Whittle was intentionally reformed in his thinking and musical expression? What can we learn about God’s people who do not believe in God’s sovereignty and predestination from this hymn? Sovereignty is expressed in the first three verses and the refrain, while predestination is expressed in the final two verses. Where? How? Examples?Whittle talks about how God has shown grace, redeemed him even though he didn’t deserve it, allowed him to have faith and then creating that faith, and ultimately giving him peace. Excellent observation of the progression. Be sure to support this with examples. Whittle writes about predestination in his final two verses, saying that he doesn’t know what’s been reserved for him and that he doesn’t know when the Lord will come or when Whittle will die. Good use of examples. Are these the only two times in the hymn than predestination is alluded to? Through the verses of this hymn, Whittle shows a reformed viewpoint in his writing. Why? Can you give examples to substantiate this claim? I think that this was partially on purpose and partially an accident. Interesting. Why? I believe that Whittle knew that grace comes from God alone, cannot be earned, and is not deserved by anyone. Why do you believe this? Where do you find evidence to support this belief? However, I don’t think he fully understood predestination. Why? How does your idea of predestination lead you to believe he did not fully understand the concept? He does mention predestination in verse 4, but only to say that he does not know what God’s will for him is. Good to note what is mentioned specifically. Would this be better served by a quote to preserve context? I think that we can learn some things about those who don’t know about God’s sovereignty and predestination from this hymn. One of those things is that they are not to be looked down on, because as in this hymn, it may be that they simply are unaware of the truth of God’s supremacy. It could also be the case that these people have not heard of predestination before and would be open to receive instruction. So our attitude as we approach these people should be one of loving understanding, not automatic distrust or dislike. These things could be true of many hymns, making this a very generalized paragraph. Reread the third question. Do you see anything about judgmentalism? Your response assumes judgmentalism based on surface generalities. What is the question actually asking? What have you learned about believers who believe differently? The question is not, “How should we respond to or treat or think about believers who believe differently?†There are times when that may need to be addressed, but that is beyond the scope of what is being asked in this question. abcdef, You have written a concise outline of things to consider about the hymn, based on the given questions. In the first two responses, you have given some good thought to the questions and stated your ideas clearly, but you have not substantiated most of your claims and observations. The third paragraph does not really address the question that was asked, but seeks to answer a different question. -10 for each paragraph without ample substantiation (Paragraphs 1 & 2) (-20) -15 for not answering the question asked in paragraph 3 (-15) Final Grade: 65 Thank you again for those who have taken the time to get this far!!! :hurray:

Would you mind sharing which class he took? I'm thinking about this for my ds going into 7th. Thanks.

My ds and I have loved the self-paced VP OB 3 US History/Government class this year. He is in 11th and doing OB3 complete (history/lit/bible). VP suggests OB 1, 2, 3 be done in 7th, 8th, & 9th, but I have found OB3 to have both a significant amount of reading and in-depth, engaging video lectures. It is much more comprehensive than the b&m school's history class that he took in 10th. The videos not only contain lectures (often on-location), but also street interviews, interactions to build logic, expert interviews, interactive reviews, and graded quizzes. I do assign one written item per book. Sometimes this is a paper suggested in the TM, other times it is another one of the activities suggested in the TM. Based on the reading assignments, and knowledge of the depth of the videos, I would have no qualms about using any of the self-paced Omnibus courses for high school credit. The best parts: 1. Planning on my part is minimal; 2. I watch the videos with my ds, so we get to slow down to discuss and just 'be' together. Not a whole lot of time for just 'being' in high school, so that has been a real gift.

Has anyone used Calculus Made Clear by The Great Courses? Also called Change and Motion. Looks like it is video that is good at introducing big picture calc concepts and real-world application, but does not require pen and paper problem solving. I'm thinking it might help ds next year to understand the 'why' of calc as he studies the nuts & bolts. Thoughts?

Wow!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this! I've tried traditional grammar based language with my dx ds and just can't find a good fit (did not try RS - too much $ for the odds!). The programs we've tried require pretty decent spelling, or at least copying, skills, and that just isn't reality. But he can learn *anything* auditorily. Thanks again! :thumbup:

My ds is not a drama lover by any stretch, yet thoroughly enjoyed (and thrived) in a class called Rediscovering Shakespeare by The Potters's School. They read two plays in the spring semester (Romeo & Juliet, Othello), including analysis of the historical context, literary elements used, perspective analysis, writing assignments, reading out-loud during class, a stage design project, and more. The final project was the student's choice of a shorter Shakespeare play to read, write a paper about, and present to the class. My son did not at all enjoy Taming of the Shrew with a co-op the previous semester, but the TPS class really made it come alive for him. I realize this isn't exactly what you are looking for, but thought I'd throw it out there as an example of how a reputable online school uses drama for English credit. We did the tragedies in the 2nd semester, but the syllabus for the comedies in the first semester can be found by searching 'The Potter's School Rediscovering Shakespeare'. (It won't let me post the link for some reason. Computer has been wonky today!). If you will be near any universities, might not hurt to check out their drama center. Usually they have some excellent offerings! Wonder if they'd offer a ticket discount if they knew a student wanted to tour their school during the weekend of a specific performance? Hmmm... I may need to ask that!

IEW has been a great fit for my older kids, but for my 12yo dx ds, it just doesn't work. He needs to see the entire context before writing coherently. The IEW source texts just don't give him enough context to start with, then the KWO's use less context, and he comes up with some pretty wild and very unrelated thoughts from the KWO. LTW does seem helpful in that he starts with a book (full context) that he can break into pieces, sort the pieces, and pull out a coherent, related paragraph (and paper). But LTW is so formatted that every paper winds up using the exact same phrases. As a rigid thinker, this is seem as an unbreakable formula. Any suggestions for a writing program that starts with the full context of a book or short story, but is not so formatted? Or suggestions on escaping the formulaic method?

First off, I'd like to say the Essentials program is worth the acclaim it receives. My middle son had a year of R&S before starting EEL and continually commented that first year how thankful he was for his time with R&S so he wasn't lost in EEL. He did get a second year in and found it much easier to manage the 2nd year. I did not feel my youngest was ready in 4th grade for the volume of the assignments, so I spent 4th going through Our Mother Tongue and one of the simpler IEW books at home. We called it mini-Essentials. :-) We saved a lot of $$ and tears. The following year he started EEL and was able to jump in at the year 2 level right from the start. Some observations along the way.... 1. Remember that the goal of Foundations/Essentials is to prepare students for the Challenge levels. This happens both in learning more about time management and in Latin preparation. Many formerly care-free hours will now be devoted to learning details of the English language and it will build time-management skills and work ethic in a student taking the class seriously. Also, the Challenge levels pursue Latin rigorously. Essentials is truly a pre-Latin course (though it is not taught is such a way that one would guess this). It is unbelievable how much of the grammar of the English language derives from Latin. By studying English grammar thoroughly, the framework for Latin language structure is being simultaneously learned. 2. EEL is a steep learning curve if formal grammar has not been taught before. Also, the copying of the charts ad nauseum is a steep curve in motivation. As the parent, you can tell your kids it is ok to ease up a bit, but I have a strict rule follower. If the tutor says copy each chart 3 times, he's going to do it so that he can honestly say he did *all* off his homework. When our tutor starting saying, "3x or however many your mom says you have to do," he felt permission to accept the offer of a lighter load (sometimes ;-) ). I would really recommend some level of relaxed formal grammar before entering the high pressure dynamic of EEL. 3. Like most programs, EEL has gaps. Mechanics, punctuation, and capitalization are given a single, one-sided page with weekly suggestions on specific skills to highlight for that week. These skills are addressed in the parent guide each week, but I just couldn't keep up with that (nor could the other moms in our class). Presumably, this is all review at this point, but we found it did not take long to discover these gaps. Some can be addressed in weekly writing assignments, but we found that after completing the assigned work, we really just did not have energy left to specifically practice problem areas. There was minimal instruction in these areas in class (because the tutor had so many other things to do). Many of the moms purchased grammar supplement workbooks or software to use over the summer to try to fill in some of these gaps. 4. Personally, we found the EEL workload to be very cumbersome. For us, 24 weeks of going like a freight train burned us out. We were done at the end of the 24 weeks. (Writing was still happening in other subjects and life events. i.e. Thank you cards, letters to friends, ... ). Honestly, my high schooler in a b&m school was not assigned as much in his full year of 10th grade English as my 5th grader did last year in his 24 weeks of EEL. True story. That said, the work ethic gained by pursuing grammar and writing so rigorously has been a delightful by-product of those 24 freight train weeks! While some of that may come across as negative, I have to say that I am so thankful for the time we did spend in Essentials. We had wonderful tutors and my kids thrived on the encouragement and praise they received publicly each week. I hope that instead of seeming negative, it is seen as intended... just some honest feedback about a program we loved, but that had served it's purpose for us. We are not doing year three of EEL this year for several reasons. One is because IEW is not a good fit. Ds needs to see the big picture (the whole story in full context), then break it apart to write about it (LTW is wonderful for this!). IEW has them look at lots of words without much context (essays), break them into smaller words with less context, then rebuild from those little words. This model just doesn't fit ds's learning style. (It was fabulous for my older kids, though)! The other reason is so ds can pursue his passions. Now that he has time, he has a new love for science. He spends 30+ minutes/day practicing his instrument. And he is doing more free reading than he previously had time for. We don't want to lose what we gained in EEL, so we are doing R&S this year as review, and for filling in some of the mechanics and punctuation gaps. It takes a couple hours a week rather than 1.5 hrs/day. Sorry for rambling! Hope there are some nuggets here you can draw out to help you in deciding about Essentials.

I taught my dx ds to print first because I didn't think he was ready for cursive (mild dysgraphia). By 4th grade, he was begging to learn cursive. That's always a good sign that the time is right, so we started into cursive and he worked diligently at it for a year, doing fairly well. He still sometimes writes in cursive, but prefers print. The interesting thing is how learning cursive helped common spelling errors. And he did not revert to those errors when returning to print. Unfortunately, the print is still not great, partially because he flies through it. Maybe he needs to do cursive again for neatness since he was so careful to take his time with it! :D