We're in California and my oldest two went to UC Davis and Cal State Monterey Bay(undergrad)/Cal State Bakersfield(graduate). My third child is a high school junior and I, along with many other Californians, are looking at out-of-state schools. Our schools are not what they used to be. We can't even use the community colleges because there is no way to get classes. Both my older kids were forced to take night classes to complete their requirements. It only got worse and more expensive as each year went on. I would only consider a California school if you go the private route. For anyone in the western states (Texas is not included), the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) allows you to attend a western school that is out of your state, but at a reduced tuition. I don't know where my son will end up, but I'm betting that our state schools are going to sink further in the next couple of years. That's my two cents, but someone else might have a different opinion. I think the new motto for the California schools should be "caveat emptor."

There are some nice videos on how to write the consonants and vowels in Hindi on http://www.languagereef.com/learn_hindi.php along with downloadable worksheets.

I would assume that any high school physics class that was not AP would be an algebra-based course. I took physics in my senior year of high school and the math was not too rigorous. In college, the physics classes used calculus except for the ones for non-science majors. It's always good to check with a specific college for their requirements, but I'm pretty sure that most are looking for 2 years of lab science with 3 preferred at the more elite schools. Those who are heading for science majors usually take 4 years. My oldest took 4 years each of English, Math, History, Science, and Foreign Language and was a Genetics major in college. My second son took Biology and Chemistry and math through Algebra 2 and was a Social and Behavioral Sciences major. He is now in grad school for a MSW. My 10th grader has taken Biology and is finishing up Chemistry along with Algebra 2. He will probably take physics next year. Every kid is different. If your kids are not looking at science majors, 2 years of lab science should be sufficient.

We are preparing for a 4-year school. My oldest attended a 4-year school from the start. My second went the CC route and transferred to a CA state school. Now with the horrible budget cuts, it routinely takes 5-6 years to get an associate's degree at the local CC. I had originally planned to let my 15-year-old attend for science labs, but there is no way a high school student can get in. The UC and CSU system is not what is used to be, so we're probably going to go the WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange) route. For those who aren't aware of it, it allows students from one of the participating states to attend another school in the system for a reduced tuition. Usually it's about 150% of resident tuition. The colleges I've looked at so far are equivalent in cost to the UC system. We always assumed that our kids would attend the state schools, but my two older kids had to put up with overcrowding and classes that were offered at super early/late times or not offered at all. Not to mention the constantly rising tuition. It's just not worth what they are charging anymore.

I took three years of Spanish over 30 years ago and am currently teaching Spanish 2 to my ds. If the words "porque es" were inserted between "pelicula" and "tan" then the sentence would read, Jorge doesn't watch that movie because it is so horrible. I think your concerns are valid. It is a tough decision to stop something that isn't good if your dd likes it and you spent a lot of money buying it. This year I dumped my son's World History course after only three months because it just wasn't working for him. He wasn't retaining the information. This is the first time I have ever made a curriculum change before the end of the year. It did cost me some extra money, but I at least I can resell the textbook at the end of the year. I spent about a week researching new materials before ordering and his retention is excellent, now. Perhaps you could see if there is a similar program that has good reviews or lets you see a demo. We used Keystone for 9th grade Spanish 1 last year. We had some trouble with unclear instructions, but the instructor was nice. However, they never learned the preterite or reflexive tenses during the whole first year. I thought that maybe my memory was bad, because I remembered learning those in 9th grade. When I was looking for Spanish 2 programs, I realized that the Keystone program really only covered about one semester of Spanish 1. When I saw his Spanish 2 book (we're using Exprésate 2), I did some research and realized that they covered the reflexive in book 1, Chapter 2 and the preterite in Chapter 3 and had almost a whole year of practice with it. He had a lot of catching up to do this year, but he seems to have it down after the first semester. Sometimes the right decision is to start with something new. I hope that others can give you some suggestions for good courses.

We have used Chalkdust and TT and I think that Chalkdust is definitely more rigorous. If your son is having trouble with math, you might want to preview before purchasing because it is pricey. They have a demo on the site.

We have used a few typing programs over the years, such as Mavis Beacon, but we most recently used Typing Instructor Platinum. It's a fun program, even for adults. It also includes games in between lessons for reinforcement. I think you can get it for under $15.

When my older two were homeschooling, it would have still been possible to dual enroll. However, the economy in California has tanked, and there is little money for schools. The chances of getting classes at the local CC while still in high school is nil. I don't think it's necessary to dual enroll, but it would have been nice to have the opportunity to take lab science. So far this year, none of the chemistry experiments have worked for us. We have mostly been watching others do the experiments on YouTube and then writing up the lab reports. I hope the second semester goes better. Sorry I digressed from the topic a little. Like I said, I think it's great for individual classes, but not absolutely necessary.

My son always does the work in his TT Workbook before putting in the answers on the computer. If he is having trouble with a problem, he asks me. I also use the parent portal on TT to note which questions he missed in each lesson in the chapter, and if there is a trend. If he has trouble with certain types of problems, I have him review these before the test. I also want to educate those who think that the new TT Algebra 2 is just multiple choice. The first 5 examples are always fill-in-the-blank. The lesson contains 20-21 problems, which are 2/3 fill-in-the-blank and 1/3 multiple choice. When I ordered the new version, I was worried about the multiple choice but, after receiving the materials, I realized that the small amount of multiple choice is good practice for standardized tests. My son has not taken these tests every year like the public school kids because he has always been homeschooled, so this is actually a good time for him to start practicing these skills.

I regret changing from TT to Chalkdust and Keystone for three years. He seemed to enjoy doing math much more when we switched from Calvert to TT. I then decided to switch because of the reviews about TT not being rigorous enough. He went back to dreading math everyday. I switched back for Algebra 2 this year, and he is doing much better. He gets A's on all his tests. If that's because it's a little too easy, I'm willing to live with that. I have a happy kid who seems to get the material better instead on an unhappy one that doesn't. The point of school is to learn, and the program that accomplishes this is the best one for the child.

I agree with Jackie. We used the ALEKS trial for two months, but I like TT better. We are currently using Algebra 2, and I think there are 5 examples and 20 questions per lesson. My son has recently been doing the all problems in the workbook and then putting in the answers when he is done. He can usually finish within an hour, but it used to take him longer when he listened to everything. I think TT is the fun version of Saxon. My oldest struggled through Saxon math and hated it. TT has the review like Saxon, but the explanations are clearer. I am a mathy person, but I hated teaching Saxon. Over the years, I have used Calvert, RightStart, Chalkdust, Keystone and TeachingTextbooks for math. TT is the only curriculum that I returned to after using it previously. I had stopped because I thought it might not be rigorous enough. However, I don't think my son learned as much Algebra I and Geometry as he would have if I had let him stick with TT. I think part of math success is that the concepts stick with the child. Some kids do great with Saxon and others need a different approach.

You do have to be connected to wifi or 3G for the videos to work.

I wanted to post an update. We have completed a few chapters in this book, and I am quite pleased with the results. My son was not digesting the material in the Bulliet AP test. He would do fine on the multiple choice, but bomb the essays. I can tell that he understands the content much better, now. I purchased the McDougal Littell Easy Planner, which contains the teacher's edition, resource materials and lesson plans. I bought the version from an earlier edition of this textbook because it was much cheaper, but it seems to correlate with the chapters so far. I print out the worksheets for each section, and they seem to help my son focus on what is important. I also use the historical documents and tests. Also, the latest ibooks update on ipad corrected all the interactive problems we were having. I am actually enjoying reading the book myself. There are a lot of History Channel videos included in the book, and I just was watching one on Genghis Khan that was almost 45 minutes long. Most of the videos are under five minutes, and I didn't realize how long this one was until I had been watching it for awhile. I know most of you are well into the year by now, but I wanted to provide an update for those who are planning for next year.

My son's written responses to his world history tests are usually very close to the suggested answers. However, this time I'm not sure what grade I should give him. Each answer is worth 10 points, but the answer key is heavy on mentioning dynasties and rulers, and my son didn't mention them at all. I would like to have some opinions as to what is fair. Here are the answers: 21. Possible responses should include the following points: The Koreans and the Japanese both borrowed cultural aspects from the Chinese while maintaining distinct identities. The Chinese had, at one time, occupied Korea. Through the Chinese, Koreans learned about centralized government, Confucianism, Buddhism, and writing. The Koryu Dynasty modeled its central government on China’s, adopting a Confucian civil service system. Inspired by Song porcelain artists, Korean artists produced the much-admired celadon pottery. Korean printers carved thousands of large wooden blocks for printing the entire canon of Buddhist scriptures. Korean travelers brought Chinese ideas to Japan. Both the Koreans and the Japanese adopted Chinese written symbols. The Japanese blended Buddhism with rituals from the Shinto faith. Prince Shotoku sent missions to study Tang China. The Japanese painted landscapes in the Chinese manner, and they followed Chinese styles in cooking, gardening, drinking tea, and hairdressing. Prince Shotoku planned a strong central government like China’s. He tried to introduce the civil service system, but the attempt failed. My son's answer: Japan and Korea were influenced by Chinese cultural aspects and ideas in several ways. When Japan first sent people to China to explore the culture there, they discovered many ideas that China had put in place. The Japanese explorers took these ideas back to Japan. For example, they took back the Chinese system of writing. Then, they tweaked it to be just right for their own language and culture. They did this for other things, too. They adopted Chinese painting, cooking, gardening, and even hairdressing techniques. However, they once again made them their own, in a way. The Koreans were also influenced by China, and they basically used the same technique as the Japanese. However, the Koreans focused more on adopting political and religious aspects of Chinese culture. For example, things like the Chinese system of government and the religion of Buddhism. Overall, both Japan and Korea were very influenced by their Chinese "neighbors," and by making the Chinese ideas their own, they blended them into their own culture. 22. Possible responses should include the following points: Genghis Khan unified the nomadic Mongol clans, organized a fighting force, used brilliant and brutal tactics to defeat many peoples, and built a vast empire by conquering much of Asia. Kublai Khan continued Genghis’ military work by completing the Mongol conquest of China. Prior to Kublai, the Great Khans had ruled their empire from Mongolia; Kublai moved the capital from Mongolia to China, as he intended to be emperor of China. He united all of China under one central government, founded the Yuan Dynasty, built a new capital at Beijing, and restored the Grand Canal. He encouraged trade by establishing the Mongol Peace and inviting foreign merchants to China. Still, Kublai tried to expand the Khanate of the Great Khan by sending fleets to attack Japan. The fleets were destroyed by Japanese soldiers and a fierce storm, the kamikaze. My son's answer: The accomplishments of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan are similar in some ways, but different in others. First, Genghis Khan was the first to unite all of the separate Mongol clans into one people, the Mongols. Kublai Khan did not do this, as he was just a descendant of Genghis. Also, Genghis Khan led the Mongols to conquer a huge empire. Kublai Khan may have been the first Mongol to rule all of China, but he did not really conquer any other lands like Genghis. On the other hand, Kublai Khan maintained a good government system in China and helped to further the empire, whereas Genghis Khan did not put a government in place for the Mongols. Their accomplishments were also similar in some ways. For example, they were both great leaders and their people looked up to them for guidance. Also, their empires both diminished upon their deaths, which shows how great they were. Overall, they were both great leaders, but they were definitely different from each other.

I haven't been the most ardent supporter of online texts in the past, but I just purchased the Holt McDougal World History: Patterns of Interaction ibook yesterday, and I like it. We were using Bulliet's Earth and It's Peoples for the last three months, but it wasn't working out that well. College/AP history books seem to have a lack of teacher support, no chapter questions, and no tests. While researching, I came across the site http://www.hmheducation.com/history/ibooks.php and decided to try out the sample book. I liked the sample chapter, but I researched teacher support materials first, to make sure I could order the teachers edition, lesson planner, and testing materials on dvd. Then I decided to purchase the whole book. I really like it, but it has one temporary flaw. The update to ios6 on the iPad made the interactive features not work. I made a call to tech support this morning, and they are working on fixing it. The book has short audio lectures, a search function, highlighting and notetaking ability, beautiful pictures, interactive maps, timelines, pictures, and quizzes, and it was only $14.99! If you own an iPad already, this may be a great way to save money on books.