According to their Winter Catalog: The progression goes First Form, Second Form, Henle I (1-5,) Henle I (6-14,) Henle II Third and Fourth Form are meant to replace Henle I.

Oak Meadow 5 is American history. It could be used for a 6th grader. OM is more student led and less parent involved beginning with OM5. Memoria Press (Highlands Latin School) uses the Eggleston books - A First Book in American History (4th/5th) and A History of the United States and Its People (6th/7th.) I wouldn't consider them very textbook-y. They probably have lesson plans you can purchase to accompany these books as well. I have been using the Hakim/Foster combo myself.

What is the least amount of science I can do at home for a science-oriented dd who will be taking her high school science classes at the local community college? DD is currently doing Oak Meadow Environmental Science and it is very time consuming. I dislike the experiment portion of science programs and anything we try and "recreate" in the home is lacking compared to what she will be able to do at the community college and sucks a great deal of time from our day. I want to put in the least amount of time and resources needed in order for her to succeed at the community college level. She has the ability and desire to do well at the CC level. She can begin classes there as a sophomore in high school and will get all of her high school science credits there. I will make sure she has the math necessary to begin in 10th grade. So, for those whose children have taken CC science classes, what science does she really need to do over the next three years? I was considering the Teaching Company lectures, but how much lab work is necessary in the jr. high / early high school years? Is it necessary to work through a basic high school text in Biology, Chemistry and Physics? Is it necessary to do all or most of the labs associated with the text? Would the TC lectures and the science she does on her own in her free time be enough? Is there a curriculum you would recommend? If you have students who have taken CC science classes in high school, how difficult did your student(s) find the classes? What areas should we focus on - vocabulary, lab work, basic background information, writing skills? Thanks!

We don't pay for chores either. Since you and ds both knew he was working for a specified amount of money needed, if he did a good job I would give him the money he still needs for the item. I would either give dd the same amount or a lesser amount determined by her younger age.

I believe that is one of the reasons for the introductory price. I am assuming that once the books are back from the printer and in the standard book form used by Memoria Press the price will reflect the improved quality. I took apart all of my comb-bound books. The Word Mastery and Curriculum guide I put into plastic sleeves and the workbooks for my ds I just put in a file folder to easily pull out each sheet as he needs it. If I planned to reuse the books for several children I might wait for the books to be printed so they would hold up better over time. As I am only using it for my last child - the comb-bindings don't worry me at all.

I spend specific amounts of time on each subject every day so the pre-planned schedules were not working for us either. Now we use bar graphs. I decide where I want to be in each subject at the end of a term (15 weeks for us) and I make a bar graph for each subject broken down into segments. For example - I want to get through ten lessons in the science text so I write the name of the science text at the bottom of a graph with the numbers 1-10, a number in each square (using a spreadsheet.) If I want to get through 30 lessons in history I write the name of the program at the bottom of the bar graph and the numbers 1-30, one number per box, etc. So each child has approximately 15-20 bar graphs all printed on a one page spreadsheet at the beginning of each term. As they finish each lesson they color in a square. The kids look over the graphs daily and I check them each week. We can quickly see if we are keeping up in each of the classes. We are a very visual family, so we do each graph in a different color and keep them very neat so we enjoy looking at them. The kids get very competitive (in a fun way) about finishing a bar graph before a sibling. Each time a graph is completed a shiny star sticker is put at the top to signify its completion and the time normally dedicated to that class can then be spent catching up in another subject. This has truly been one of my best ideas ever. I still love watching the colored graphs grow through the 15 week period and being able to quickly see right where we are in each class without having to schedule ahead of time. And my dds 10 and 12 still get just as much satisfaction as their younger siblings out of the shiny stars at the end of their graphs. :)

The Teaching Company DVD High School courses - World History and Early American History can easily be used for junior high and they each come with a workbook. Both workbooks have a one-page worksheet for each lecture. The World History worksheets have ten short answer questions (usually one sentence) and two essay prompts. The Early American History worksheets have three or four definitions, four or five one sentence short answer questions and two or three essay prompts for each lecture. An answer guide for all of the questions is also included with each workbook.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2010 http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

I haven't used this, but I have like other things by her. :) http://www.ellenjmchenry.com/id143.html

Thanks for the information Corraleno! That has been very helpful. I would love to hear what you think of the Origins of Civilization course once you get started. I think we are going to go with Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World instead. Since it doesn't cover the Far East at all, I will likely add Religions of the Axial Age as well.

Before Five in a Row http://www.fiveinarow.com/B4FIVEINAROW.html ETA: Or Peak with Books http://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/curriculumPreschool.asp

Here's the Curriculum Guide for the 2010-2011 school year. http://www.thelatinschool.org/files/10-11CurriculumGuide.pdf

Thanks for the information. I sent Teaching Company an email a couple days ago, but haven't heard back. I think I will try calling them. I looked at the Nature of Earth - I like that it has a text to accompany it, but I think the focus is too narrow for us. I like the broader range of topics in How the Earth Works.

What other classes is she taking? DD 12 is taking Arithmetic, Grammar, Vocabulary, Catechism, Chronology and Geography. She will be picking up the writing program in September so I think she will have to drop Geography after Geography I. She would prefer to drop the Vocabulary instead or keep going with seven classes. I'm not sold on either of those options, but we have a few months to think about it. Arithmetic is her favorite class, followed by Geography - but she has always been my math/science type child.

Practical Arithmetics It says 3rd grade, but as the website says, that is because arithmetic was begun in 3rd grade when the text was written. It begins with number recognition and simple addition and subtraction. http://systemath.com/index.php/2008011039/Getting-Started/Practical-Artithmetics.html

Is there anywhere on the website where TC lists the essential works that go with each course? I couldn't find that information anywhere. If you own any of the following sets - would you be so kind as to list the essential works listed for the course? (Not what parts and page numbers or readings specific to one lecture - just the main works used through large portions of the course.) Or any essential works you used for the below courses in place of those listed on the syllabus. Origin of Civilization - MacEachern Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt - Brier Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World - Worthington Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World - Holland Before 1776: Life in the American Colonies - Allison How the Earth Works - Wysession I'd appreciate all opinions on any of the above courses as well. It is time to narrow down our selections. Thank you!

In the third book (Grammar Voyage) helping verbs are covered in Unit 1 - Parts of Speech, Section 4 - Verbs. There are four parts to Section 4: Action, Linking, Verb Tense and Verb Agreement. Verb Tense is the section that covers helping verbs. There are six verb tenses - three regular and three perfect tenses. The perfect tenses require a helping verb Etc.... If you don't receive any additional replies, I can check the 1st, 2nd, 4th or 5th books for you. But, the books are upstairs and we are heading out the door. Best Wishes

We had this happen to us a couple of years ago. We had to go to the local SS office to get it staightened out. I had to bring a social security card and birth certificate of the child and my driver license to the office. They found the error and told me how to file to assure it would get past the automated scanner and gave me a signed document in case I had any additional trouble (which I did not.)

It is set up like the other classes. Examples of two later lessons (14 and 15 maybe?) are posted on the CLAA forum. It is my dd's favorite CLAA class - but it could just be because she is pretty good at math and not very far along - so it is fairly easy for her. :D

He has a series on American history good for high school age as well. (I think it is four books, but I would have to check). I plan to have my dd read them in a couple years, as we are Boorstin fans too.

No, we don't need 50 hours, we just DO 50 hours. If that makes sense? :) I don't have any time frame for the CLAA classes (or any classes) so we aren't doing the hours to "get done" in a certain time frame. When we finish one class we just move along to the next. It really isn't that long though. The girls school from 7:00 am to 1:30 pm. We don't take any breaks, but we snack while studying French. Then they have all afternoon off for free time, sports and activities. They have school again after dinner from around 7:00 to 9:30. It isn't much different than what they would be doing if they were in school. My husband always works six days and well over 50 hours, so they don't feel like they are working more than an adult would. Any day my husband is off work they are automatically off school. In talking to their cousins and friends about school, they feel that they are getting off easy. I don't set required times for getting work done and most classes aren't graded. :D

If you have a middle school student, how long does it take you to plan and prepare for one week of school? 30 minutes on Saturday and keeping up with the reading trying to stay about a week ahead. I spend a week between terms setting up the following term. How many hours a week does your child "do" school? 50 hours (5 days at 9 hours and 1 day at 5 hours) How many subjects does your child do? Math Latin Greek French English Religion Geography History Literature Science If you were a certified teacher prior to homeschooling, how did the planning process for the class room compare to what you do now? Honestly, I see little similarity. In homeschooling you will be the teacher for the long run so you are always looking ahead in your planning and constantly adjusting your planning based on how the student is succeeding. In curriculum planning for schools you are given a sheet of objectives to meet (in Florida they are the Sunshine Standards) and you develop a lesson plan in which each lesson must match one or more of the required standards. There is no consideration of where the students are currently or where the students are going once they leave the classroom. You generally do not adjust the plan based on how the children are performing. You try and work out a plan for the "middle of the road child" and hope for the best - once you submit your plans for the term you basically stick to them. Readjusting plans would require resubmitting forms and a bunch of paperwork.

dds 12 & 10 9 hrs (5 days per week) 7:00 am - 1:30 pm - snack during French, but no breaks 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm 5 hrs (1 day per week) 7:00 - 8:30 9:00 - 10:30 11:30 - 1:30 ds 4 & dd 6 no set schedule at this time maybe 1 or 2 hours per day

I think they might be willing to work with the parent, as to what is needed. I believe someone asked on their message boards whether they could order the program without the math portion and the answer was yes. If you are interested I would call Memoria Press and speak with Tanya. She is in charge of the kindergarten program and was very helpful when I had a bunch of questions about the program.

I have always liked the Memoria Press materials and refer quite often to the Highlands Latin School website for structure. I've never done a program for kindergarten, but I have realized that I never seem to find time for my ds as far as doing educational things. Being the youngest, he feels left out when all of his sisters are doing school and I tend to leave him to himself. I bought him workbooks for this year and he enjoys doing them, but I wanted something structured and pulled together because I don't have many actual kindergarten materials and if I have a solid schedule I will be more likely to work it into our day. :)