Thank you both! Sahamama, your post was very encouraging and helpful. I've used several of the resources you mentioned in our home, but it didn't occur to me to use them in a church setting. I need to look up some of the ones you mentioned that I'm not already familiar with. I'll also check out The Gospel Project, Calming Tea!

I have about 1 to 1- 1/2 hours every other week. We're an independent Sabbatarian Christian fellowship that isn't associated with a major denomination,but typically Protestant materials do not conflict with our beliefs (and there is some diversity of belief within the congregation). There isn't a general set of topics, and I have freedom to teach whatever/however seems appropriate. I'm planning to ask parents for input, but I'd like to have some possibilities I can suggest if they don't already have an idea about what their priorities are for the class. It's really pretty open. But because I haven't worked with this age group before, I'd like to hear about people's favorite resources when working with them.

I'm going to start teaching the tween class at church and have the freedom to design my own lessons. I'd like to find a "spine" resource that I can rely on and build from (or just follow). What curriculum or book do you recommend for this age group?

He was 8, but he's crazy advanced in science. This course was more than adequate preparation for high school physics, and he adored it..

Ds1 did Derek Owens' Physical Science a couple of years ago. I don't recall the time commitment, but it didn't seem unreasonable. There is a published class schedule/syllabus that we followed. I have no background (or confidence) in science or math. Ds was able to complete the course independently. I graded his work using the provided answer keys, and I didn't have any trouble with doing so. It's very doable even if the parent isn't knowledgeable about the subject.

That's what came to my mind as well.

I ;have Singapore Math books on my Paperbackswap wishlist, and I usually get at least half of our curriculum for each year through them. (I request textbooks, workbooks, IP, and CWP. The TM don't become available as often.) Math Mammoth is a less expensive program with similar teaching if you prefer not to go through the hassle of getting used books.

My older son and I are planning to start learning Spanish together in preparation for a possible international trip next year. My younger son has expressed a very strong desire to learn Spanish as well. He is *not* an auditory learner. Testing has shown some indications of an auditory processing and/or language processing problem but no diagnosis. Language (even English, which is his first language) does not come naturally to him. How would you go about teaching a foreign language to a young VSL? (I'm not expecting a lot of progress but want it to be fun and for him to learn something--even if it's very little--that he can use within our family and on our trip.)

This isn't a question about an acclerated learner, but I think the people on this board may be the most knowledgeable about VSL. My older son and I are planning to start learning Spanish together in preparation for a possible international trip next year. My younger son has expressed a very strong desire to learn Spanish as well. He is *not* an auditory learner. Testing has shown some indications of an auditory processing and/or language processing problem but no diagnosis. Language (even English, which is his first language) does not come naturally to him. How would you go about teaching a foreign language to a young VSL? (I'm not expecting a lot of progress but want it to be fun and for him to learn something--even if it's very little--that he can use within our family and on our trip.)

We used Home2Teach this year, and ds made far more progress than I thought possible.

We used Home2Teach writing classes this year for my 6th grader who was resistant (well beyond "reluctant") and behind. We had tried co-op classes and various writing curricula over the years (including IEW, Jump In, and others). He truly blossomed this year, and I think we're over the difficulties (both attitude and ability). The feedback from the teachers have been truly helpful (not just correcting a few spelling or grammatical errors but actually teaching the craft of communicating thoughts effectively in a written form).

We love BFSU, but I don't do prep. I make it open-and-go. That works for us but may not work for everyone. BFSU has some unique strengths that are hard to find in other programs. If you really like the approach, you may want to try it as open-and-go to see whether it will work for you. Ellen McHenry is the other science that has worked really well for us. It covers topics in beautiful depth but does not have the breadth of topics you may be seeking. (I just can't help mentioning it because it's so loved in our home!)

Truthquest is extremely flexible. It's all based on living books (which I get from the library). You can do the crafts or not, do notebooking or not, do mapwork and timeline or not, do lapbooking or not. It's all there but not as part of the basic guide. You just choose the pieces you want. There is no schedule. You can spend as much time as you want on a topic or skip over a topic. All the basic pieces are provided, and you can make it what you want. I've learned quite a bit from the Biblically-based commentary. If you want a lot of structure and a rigid schedule, Truthquest isn't what you want. If you want flexibility and everyone doing the same history work in whatever way (or with whatever books) work for each child, it might be just what you want.

In Ohio, they only check for whether they fall below the threshold, not for progress from one year to another. I assume it would be the same in VA, but it's worth checking to make sure. We're going to try a new above-level test this year, and I'm hoping scores are lower (and more meaningful) than what we did in previous years.

For the past 2 years, I organized a group of local homeschoolers who have highly to profoundly gifted kids, and we hired a scientist to teach science to our kids. It's been an amazing opportunity. The group is eclectic, small, and takes minimal effort on my part. The instructor uses college textbooks, and I make it very clear upfront that the kids in the class need to be motivated and able to be fairly autodidactic with a college textbook. There is wonderful flexibility along with depth of content. And since the class attracts kids who are very scientifically-minded, it's been a wonderful social fit for ds as well. I don't know if you live in an area with enough gifted kids to do something like this. It's been a life-saver for ds.

If Singapore worked well for her, why not just continue with the series? It's a great program for mathy kids because the IP and CWP books give the program real depth. Zaccaro's books are often recommended for math-inclined kids also.

We are big Ellen McHenry fans here. Great depth but still loads of fun. Her units are short so might work well to help you round out the year. We did one lesson/week.

The beautiful thing about BFSU is that it truly teaches inquiry and critical thinking because information isn't given to the student until they have had an opportunity to puzzle over something. The book provides responses to gently guide their thinking to a more accurate scientific understanding. We don't do BFSU very often--maybe once every 2-3 weeks, but I think ds gains far more from that than he would from doing another science program (that is information rather than inquiry driven) more frequently. Science is a way of thinking, and BFSU is an absolute gem for helping kids learn that way of thinking. We tweak and don't always follow as written. I keep the book open on my lap to reference because I don't have the planning time to be 100% prepared before lesson time. It will never be open-and-go, but there are ways to make it much easier on yourself as the teacher.

Ellen McHenry and Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding are fabulous for young bright kids. Both include many hands-on activities.

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding is excellent for accelerated students. It is not open-and-go, but it takes me about 15 minutes to prep 2 weeks of lessons. It can be labor-intensive, but it doesn't have to be. My oldest adored (still adores) science. He did Ellen McHenry's The Elements in K. It had fabulous depth while still being very kid-friendly. My youngest still isn't ready for Ellen's programs. She has very generous samples available for download so you can get a feel for her style/content.

The only thing that worked for my science-obsessed kiddo was Ellen McHenry's science units (all of them!). After that, he did Derek Owen's Physical Science. He was more than prepared for advanced high school science classes after that. For highly motivated, highly able, self-teaching students, I think it's rarely a mistake to aim high--even higher than you might think is the right fit. Dive into the deep end and see how he does. My guess is that you'll be surprised at how well he thrives and he will be excited by what he's learning.

Yes, that's it!

We found out on Monday evening that ds would be able to take it on Tues morning. Ay yi yi! So much for prepping him. He left a lot of answers blank, despite being told to fill in what he didn't have time for. Oh well! Lesson learned! I heard that we'll get results in 2-3 weeks.

The Stop Faking It series is perfect for that age. It's primarily physical science so will get into topics she hasn't studied yet. Cartoon Guides are fun and surprisingly in-depth.

I have a few shelves full of various Bible programs. (I *love* Bible resources and can't resist when I see a new program!) BSGFAA is what came to mind when I read your question. I haven't found anything else for young children that is as comprehensive (literally going through the entire Bible) and still kid-friendly.