Electronic keyboards can cost a couple hundred dollars. If you already have a piano I wouldn't rush out and get one.

If you happen to have an electronic midi keyboard (one that you can hook up to a computer) you could try Piano Marvel at http://www.pianomarvel.com. It's the only thing that got my son to actually practice the piano.

Here's another link showing how my state is planning on implementing the Common Core Standards. I'm not sure if every state would do it the same way.

The Common Core Standards for math can be found here.

To see which states have adopted the Common Core Standards go to http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states

Most states (44 out of 50) in the US have signed onto the Common Core Curriculum this year including my state. Instead of having Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry etc. in the public schools, it will be Math 7, Math 8, Secondary Math 1, Secondary Math 2, and Secondary Math 3. They will be integrated with Algebra, Geometry, and Data/Probability spread throughout all the courses. Students will finish this series in 11th grade with the option to take Pre-Calculus in 12th grade. There will be an honors sequence which will cover the Pre-calculus topics allowing the honors students to take Calculus in 12th grade. It lines up pretty closely to the Singapore NEM curriculum I think. I know that our local school district will be starting the transition next year.

My sister actually lives just down the road from Oliver DeMille. There are many families in her neighborhood who are TJEd homeschoolers. The one thing she told me was how shocked she was at the number of 8 year olds she's met around there who don't know how to read a single word.

I haven't seen the teacher guide, but I've got the middle school student workbook and it looks pretty straightforward. I think having Image Grammar is plenty. Someone comfortable teaching writing wouldn't even need the workbook, it's all straight from Image Grammar. It's a good prop for me though. I've had Image Grammar for awhile but didn't know quite how to translate it into actual writing assignments. There's so much in there that I didn't know how to jump in, so I set it aside. The workbook gives me something more concrete to follow as far as actual assignments.

We've been using both AG and Killgallon this year for 7th grade. We're going through parts 1 and 2 of AG this year and will do part 3 next year. My daughter needs quite a bit of repetition and practice for things to 'stick' and AG provides that for her. On the lessons that she's not struggling with we typically only do the odds, or we will split it up and do parsing one day and diagramming the next. If it's a difficult lesson for her then we will do all of the sentences but spread it out over more days so she's not doing too much in one day. I try to keep it at about 30 min/day. For Killagon we've been using 'Sentence Composing for Middle School'. It doesn't directly talk about the different phrases and clauses until the very end so by the time we get there we should have gone through phrases and clauses in AG. Right now it's general sentence imitation, combining, matching, etc. The imitation has been difficult for her. She's not used to thinking so hard about an individual sentence but I think she's surprised herself at what she's been able to come up with. If we finish up with AG and Sentence Composing before the end of the year then I plan to start in with Image Grammar for writing. There's a workbook which goes along with the book that you can get at http://www.perfectionlearning.com Next year we will finish up the third part of AG, do Killagon's "Grammar for Middle School", and get into essay writing. We do have the MCT books also. I tried a mid-year switch but found it wasn't working as well as what we were doing before with AG and Killagon, and after a few weeks switched back. We are continuing with MCT's Ceasar's English 1 and Building Poems but the Grammar Town and Paragraph Town weren't a good fit for my daughter. She's the type that needs more direct instruction with explicit practice. Language is her weakest area. I could see using this for my ds however when he's old enough. This is working for my daughter, and I'm happy with it. I wouldn't use Killagon as a grammar replacement, but it's great for teaching kids to actually use the grammar that they've learned in their writing. Rebecca Rebecca

We've been doing all of the problems, but will often skip the starred 'Challenge' problems. We spend an hour a day on math and just do as many problems as she can get done in that time. Some days it's not many. She is pretty slow but I can see her confidence growing. We will probably be working into the summer to finish the whole book by the next school year, but we did start late; the end of October.

Apparently I don't know how to do links; it's not working for me now. The Chapter 4 answer key is at www.perpendicularpress.com/ChapterFourKey.pdf

We're in the same boat. My daughter is almost done with chapter 3. I did find a 'hidden' Chapter 4 answer key on the Perpendicular Press website here. I haven't used it yet, so don't know if it's full of errors or not. We've found quite a few errors in the Ch's 1-3 answer key. We love this book too! A complete answer key would be wonderful!

We sent our DS5 to a private school this year for precisely this reason. I didn't have to say anything at all. The 2nd week of school the teacher casually told me, "He's reading way above grade level so we moved him up to 1st grade reading." The whole school does each subject at the same time and it is common here to move kids up or down according to their subject level. Why does PS have to make this so hard?