Farewell, August....:)

Perhaps SWB left this description vague so that more people feel free to participate. Is your child working ahead of grade level in one or more areas? Share thoughts and questions here.

That looks like a fabulous list. When I woke up dd9 this morning for her online class I saw a pile of LOF books next to her (Geo, adv alg, alg). Dd8 fell asleep reading Beast. Books are an excellent resource for independent study. Videos also. My girls don't watch tv so they think it's a real treat to watch NOVA or Brian Greene on the iPad in bed. STEM is part of our everyday lives here. It feels natural -- not contrived or forced. This year I am outsourcing many of their classes for a variety of reasons. Whether they learn from me or an outside teacher, each day my girls learn a lot about their world. Every day they make progress and enjoy the journey. I don't need to be right there with them in the process. What dd is learning in her online classes are so far beyond what I could offer. I am watching dd do her class with Rachna right now. She is in heaven. Asking questions. Graphing velocity word problems. A bit of science. A lot of math. I love it! Outsourcing is fine. Using materials that are computer-based are fine. I haven't done bio or chem since 1990. I'm not about to 'teach' that content nor am I called to. I am not homeschooling because I want my dc educated at home by me as their sole teacher. I am not a teacher. I am homeschooling because I have the freedom and flexibility to find the BEST resources for my dc for their age/stage. Some of it is at home. Some is outsourced. Some is online. Some is in our basement school room. My girls LOVE it. The way I do it isn't cheap. I consider myself an administrator of a private school. I plan & hire whom I choose. This hybrid method has worked beautifully. We are able to learn at our own pace, travel, experience the world (locally & beyond), with ample time for sports, music, art. I admire the parents who are willing & able to do it all. Each family has a unique calling. You need to find out what you are called to do. You have received advice from some who do it all at home with mom or dad as the teacher. You have received advice from those who outsource. Only you can decided what is best for your family. Don't compare. It's a trap. Be inspired by parent-teachers here but don't try and replicate what they do at your house. My favorite posters here over the years have inspired me to create the homeschool that is uniquely suited to my family. For that I am thankful. :) I spend hours each week self-educating because I enjoy it and have the time. God is good. :)

Jen, Sorry to hear it isn't working as you had hoped. I had low expectations going in which is probably why I like it so much. We aren't doing labs here and I'm not 'assigning' so it is open & go for us. The content is fabulous. Dd9 has learned a ton about cells this week in a format she enjoys. For $27, it is perfect for us. I am green with envy that your dh is able to help teach this -- and that you are game for doing labs at home. What a gift. :) We get to the mitosis/meiosis chapter next week. My ds saw what dd9 is learning about cells and said he didn't cover that until 10th grade bio. Not sure if I should be happy about that or not. :tongue_smilie:

:iagree: My girls are loving 3C. I just found it next to dd8's pillow this morning. That's a good sign.

We watched that last week. :001_smile:

I outsource science labs to tutors and classes for dd9. Science Fusion middle school modules are perfect for dd currently. We read a lot of science and watch docs.

Money well spent. :001_smile:

My girls begged me to let them watch part 1 of The Elegant Universe tonight on the iPad in bed. :001_smile: (YouTube)

:iagree: It's a shame that certain threads need to turn out like this one. And this one and this one (re CyberScholar). We all lose when valuable posters disappear. I hope JM4, Bloggermom & CyberScholar give this board another chance.

:iagree::iagree:

Dd8 uses TT with other math resources. See below.

http://pinterest.com/bethinswwa/

Dd9 enjoys the mental stimulation and problem solving with her online algebra tutor, Rachna. It's the highlight of Abi's day since she gets one-on-one time with an enthusiastic math professional. She starts weekly lessons with Ben (aka Crewton) in Sept. She has classes with Rachna 3x week now. No math doldrums here. :001_smile: The content is important. But the teacher makes it come alive. Dd would not enjoy the format of the AoPS books or classes at this age/stage. She appreciates a lively discussion and the ability to explore and ask questions. What we have going is perfect. I am so thankful. She enjoys Kinetic Books Alg 1 also. She started in chapter 5. So far so good. HTH! :001_smile:

I am not using the pacing guide. No box-checking here. I am not assigning lessons. We just log in and go to the Resources tab, click on the module and start where we left off. Just follow the instructions in the greeting letter to set up the student(s).

Older dd took Runkle Geo from Mrs. Runkle a few years ago via TPS. She enjoyed it and learned a lot.

God, have mercy.

Download the free trial. Very impressive. I imagine it would prep kids well for any alg.

This would work better with a slightly above average, interested math student. It looks intense. KB Alg 1 is very intense.

:confused:

Happy-dancing with you, Janice!!!:001_smile:

It is open & go. You don't need to 'assign' anything. It is all there after you login on either the student or teacher account. The content is fabulous -- and worth the headaches of setup.

Cousins :)

There is a way to assign. It's just a pain to actually do it. This program is set up for teachers with large classes of kids to manage. So it's worth the effort. For homeschool, just simply log in, open the module and start. For the workbook, follow along the audio or skip it. The workbook content contains tons of new and challenging vocab for dd. The audio is handy for new exposure. I'm increasing dd's non-fiction reading this year and SF is just the ticket. We love it so far. We are doing Module A: Cells & Heredity But yes, the program is cumbersome to assign.

I'm not assigning lessons or following any lesson plan. We work on it for one hour/day together. I sit with her and we read & discuss the content. We use the interactive portion and the audio of the workbook. We've used it for a few days so I don't have a ton to offer yet.