Thank you for all the tips! :D I looked at all of the suggestions. I do see that Zaner-Bloser has handwriting for middle school, and the book is only $4.99 (yay!). The Teacher Notes book is $10.99; I'm wondering if anyone has used the Teacher Notes book, and if so, do you find it's worth it? I wish I could see a sample page just to know what I'd be getting for my money. ~Michelle

I don't think my son's done cursive in public school since about 4th grade (he's now currently an 8th grader). This is my first year homeschooling him. I started yesterday doing dictation, and asked him to write it in cursive; up until now, he's printed everything. His printing is pretty much sub-par, but I didn't want to discourage him so we haven't talked much about it yet. He's resisted writing in cursive until now, so I decided to force the issue. When I went back to read what he wrote, I was horrified; I couldn't even read it! He admits he can barely remember how to write in cursive (which angers me when I think about his teachers letting this go year after year!). However, he's also very resistant to doing exercises meant for "little kids," so I'm wondering if any of you have suggestions for what I might use to strengthen his penmanship? Thanks, ~Michelle

good grief where are you finding the time?? LOL For my 8th grade ds I am slowly adding curriculum, but right now we've only gotten some literature, Algebra, writing and government, along with some walking and Wii Fit for PE. I'm planning to add Spanish sometime in the next week or so as well, for both of us. I'm curious, what are you using for Government? I got a unit study from Amanda Bennett, but my son keeps complaining that all he's doing is writing biographies (whoop-de-doo, he's done 3 pages in 2 weeks! whiner... :lol:). I'd like to supplement with some fun things, I just have to do a little more research as to what I could add. He's not a big reader, either, so just supplementing with more books would be a drag for him! And I am also on the lookout for a science program that I like! ~Michelle

augh I thought I posted this reply, I guess it didn't go through. I appreciate all input, as long as I don't have to agree with or use it! LOL Having a degree in civil engineering, Algebra is by far my favorite subject, I am most excited about teaching it to my son, vs. history or English. Thank you for the link for Earth Science on homeschoolbuyers, I will definitely check it out. ~Michelle

.

Thank you so much everyone for all the tips! I had checked out TWTM from the library... and just returned it today, 2 weeks late! LOL oops! I think I will go pick up my own copy, however, so I can take my time reading through it. I'm curious about the latin, it probably says in the book why it's a good idea to still teach it, but I'm impatient. Do you teach your children latin, and if so, why? Thanks! ~Michelle

Hi everyone, I am a brand-spankin'-new homeschooler to my ds who is an 8th grader this year. He was having some health issues last year (we think mostly stress-induced), has a VERY hard time functioning or even getting out of bed before 9 am or so, and has a difficult time focusing on tasks at hand. Sort of like his mom! :) I decided to homeschool him this year, which he is very excited about, to alleviate these stress issues (poor kid I'm sure got very tired of being yelled at every morning to keep moving so as not to make his brother late for school!), and also to allow him to work at his own pace. I'm starting to panic! There is just SO much information out there, it's overwhelming trying to sort through and find what is useful to me. I've ordered the A Beka Algebra I books (I found the solution manuals used, yay!), and we've done some reading (Kidnapped by R.L. Stevenson) and I found some vocabulary online for the book. I also picked up a short earth science book that we've started reading together. However, I'm just not sure what to do with this stuff, I don't know how to put together a lesson plan or anything. AND I just can't afford to buy these box curriculum sets (my word they are expensive!). I am trying to find used materials as much as possible, and while my hubby is supportive of my decision to homeschool, he is definitely keeping an eye on how much I spend. After much research, I think I am going to get WriteShop I for his grammar and writing; Analytical Grammar looks to be a fantastic workbook however at $100 it only does grammar and I believe WriteShop combines both writing and grammar for the same price. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do. I'd prefer to stick with secular curriculum. Should I try to follow what the middle school is doing? He would have had Earth Science this year, and Government rather than history or geography, I'm a little concerned that if he goes back to the high school next year and I haven't taught him the same subjects he could be at a disadvantage. There are unlimited things I could focus on, so I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. How do you come up with a lesson plan? As I read some people's posts, I am amazed at how many different subjects they are working on. Do you do all these subjects each day, or space them out throughout the year? Whew, I wrote way more than I intended, thanks for reading my rambling post, and I look forward to some input. I'm worried I'm screwing this thing up! ~Michelle :001_huh:

I'm probably a little late, but if you make applesauce, one of the things my grandmother always did (as I do now, too) is add cinnamon red-hots to the applesauce, it gives it a little zip, and turns the applesauce a kind of bright pink color. My mom puts the applesauce into Ziploc freezer bags, although I do mine in jars, either way it turns out yummy! I also made apple pie in a jar a few days ago, one batch does 7 quarts, and with a nice fabric square and a little raffia around the lid it makes a wonderful gift. I just print out directions on making the pie on cardstock with a little clipart and voila, fewer shopping trips at Christmastime. To cut some of the calories, I also use half sugar and half Splenda (I can't get myself to like the taste of Splenda alone!).

We absolutely love NetFlix! We use the level where you get unlimited rentals in a month, but only 1 DVD at a time (occasionally they will send us a 2nd DVD, I haven't quite figured out why yet). But the feature we love the most is the "Instant Queue." They have hundreds, if not thousands, of movies, documentaries, TV shows, etc. available to watch on your computer, or if you happen to have XBox Live, you can watch it on your TV. In addition to my husband and I now being addicted to the TV show Lost and watching a couple episodes every night after the kids go to bed, yesterday I added several documentaries to watch with my son (one about the Earth's magnetic field). :lurk5: I find it well worth the $8.99 per month... they also have a 2 DVD per month plan, 1 DVD at a time, that's only $4.99 per month.