We use FLL/PLL/ILL and I think they are great, but no I do not consider them solid enough to use alone. I add Sequential Spelling beginnning around 2nd grade and the Michael Thompson Grammar books beginning in 4th grade.

Could you find out what the school is already using? Or at least ask them for some suggestions? I think the school would be an excellent resource.

I believe high school biology is recommended for their AP Environmental Science program. Their standard Environmental Science is considered a 9th grade course. Oak Meadow Biology is a 10th grade course. FWIW, we haven't had any trouble using it as a jr. high text.

We always schooled six days until this year. Due to the economy, my dh was bumped to two days off work each week, so I scheduled the kids only five days of school (as our rule was always - if dad is working we are schooling.) I really disliked the move to five days. It seemed we were always pressed for time in our five days and we lost our rhythm in those two days off. Dh has since gone back to a six day work week and I compromised with the kids in moving to a 5 1/2 day school week. We still follow our morning routine for six days, but the kids get that extra afternoon completely to themselves. We have only been doing this for a couple of weeks, but I find it much better than the five days and the kids prefer it to six solid days. :)

We go from FLL 1/2 to Primary Language Lessons (Emma Serl.) It is very similar. But, we use the Davidson adaptation as it is a much larger book with better print, full page color photos and it is spiral bound so the kids can lay the book flat when they need to do writing assignments.

We are really enjoying the program. And our DVDs came together with our lessons.

Shimer College put one together. http://www.shimer.edu/greatbooks_greatart/

I have a sister still at home in Michigan. Her public school has closed for the week. They had 50% of the school population out of school at the beginning of the week for either flu symptoms (or fear of the flu) so they decided to shut down the school!

I haven't done the core, but have read many of the books. The Usborne Book of World History - kids have all liked this, I do not Geograpy Songs - kids enjoyed it Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky - prefer D'Aulaires Maps and Globes - so-so Michelangelo - if by Stanley, Hit Good Queen Bess - Hit Peter the Great - Hit Aesop for Children - I don't know the version, but in genaral fables are a Hit A Child's Garden of Verses - we have a beautiful hardcover color edition - Hit Red Sails to Capri - so-so Ginger Pye - dds enjoyed reading to themselves The Minstrel in the Tower - dds enjoyed reading to themselves Castle Diary - dds enjoyed reading to themselves Tales of Robin Hood - Hit The Door in the Wall - miss (dd read again in 6th grade and enjoyed more) The Cricket in Times Square - dds enjoyed reading to themselves The Apprentice - so-so A Little Princess - Hit

Both my dds began around 8 or 9. We live in Florida so kids are in shorts and tank tops or swim suits most of the year. I let them shave whenever they felt the desire. (I did warn them it wasn't worth it to shave the upper legs, so neither they nor I bother with that. :))

Thanks for the contact information! From an email: Current release plans for new products: Earth and Space Level 1 - Spring of 2010 Biology Level 2 - Fall of 2010 Physics Level 2 - Fall of 2011

Thanks Toni! I've read that thread. However, I have all of Level 1 and 2 currently available and think the program is very good and have found nothing offensive in any of the materials. :) I'm sure if I looked into the convictions of every author of every curriculum I use, most would not match our own family's beliefs. I plan to stick with the programs that I have found to be solid and effective and allow the authors the liberty of their own belief systems so long as I do not feel it is jeopordizing the quality of the materials being published. IF I ever see signs of subtle conversion tactics I will point them out to my children - as I do with anything that differs from our own beliefs. If I miss it, I am going to assume it was too subtle for the children as well. :D So far, nothing. * * * * * Still wondering if any new level 2 books are expected out this year?

In my quick glance at the website I did not see a basic contact email address and have no desire to sign up for any newsletters, clubs, yahoo groups, etc. So, is anyone here 'in the know' as to new products to be released this school year? - Especially level 2 products? Thanks!

Singapore Math First Language Lessons/Primary Language Lessons CLAA reading (Latin) (I would consider these the core of our K-3 and my favorites.)

If my 6th grade dd could get math, grammar, writing, spelling and penmanship done in one hour or less I would certainly assume her work was too easy. Sorry. :leaving: (The history/science/literature would be fine.) If you feel good about the schedule though, you might want to add a foreign language?

We do one composition per week as well - but it tends to take us four days, not two. Day 1 - outline, Day 2 - rough draft, Day 3 - editing and improvements, Day 4 - final copy Why do you do so much copywork? (Not a criticism, just a question) We do approximately one page of copywork and one page of dictation per week. We also do outlining and summary work. DD outlines from history, geography and science - probably three pages worth per week and writes summaries from history and geography - one or two pages per week. Children are so different in terms of where they are in writing. It is really hard to say. Are you seeing improvement over last year? Is the copywork still necessary for grammar study, spelling, handwriting, etc. or is it becoming busy work? Does your daughter have a good understanding of paragraph formation? If so, perhaps time would be better spent in summary type work? Where do you hope to be in a couple of years? Is the writing she is doing now going to get you there? Just some thoughts. HTH!

I believe the SAT 10 is untimed. I could be mistaken, but it is my understanding that the reason Florida requires the SAT 9 as opposed to the SAT 10 is because the SAT 9 is timed.

I plan to supply each of my children with their own copies of the literature books (classics) that they have to read for school. Which books have you found to hold up the best, have the easiest/largest print, not yellow or turn brittle over time, contain the least spine damage, have the best translations for foreign classics, etc.? Also do you prefer hardcover or paperback? I plan to purchase the first dozen or so for my eldest this week (during the B&N teacher appreciation days.) I am currently leaning toward paperback, either the Penguin classics or the larger print Barnes and Noble classics, but would love to hear the opinion of others.

We do all foreign languages daily. Dd 11 spends about three hours daily on Latin, Greek and French. My youngest two will start Latin and French around age six (the older two already having both Latin and French.) Only dd 11 has Greek - it is added around 5th grade.

In the morning we do Latin, Greek, French, English (language arts) and religion. Each child has a weekly planner with their assignments for each day already written inside. We write them out each weekend. The morning assignments can be done in any order. In the afternoon we do math, history, science, geography and literature. The children must start with math and then can work in any order they please. As long as we are on track in our morning work and math I don't worry much about the others. I have one dd that loves science so she makes a point to get to that each afternoon and another that enjoys literature most, so always does that after math. If we don't get all of our afternoon work done by the end of the week I tend to roll it into the next week's assignments. However, any morning work or math that is not complete must be done over the weekend in place of free time.

I prefer IEW. My eldest worked through Aesop and Homer A. I purchased and read through the next two levels - Chreia and Maxim. While I think CW is a great program and will probably produce some excellent writers - it moves too slow for us. At the end of Diogenes (8th grade) the student has just finished with expository essays. Argumentative essays begin in 9th grade (Herodotus.) I wanted a program that taught all of the essay forms by 7th/8th grade. And I just didn't need grammar, literature, logic, etc. included in my writing program. For someone looking for an all-in-one program that doesn't mind at what rate the student moves through the program, CW is probably a great choice. I like IEW paired with PLL/ILL/LM for 2nd/3rd - 7th/8th. I plan to then use MCT Academic Writing. I also like that IEW has the theme books. That way I can assign writing with history/geography rather than having a separate writing class.

The Aesop books are not actually done by MC Thompson. Both authors use Royal Fireworks Press as a publisher. (Matroyshka - I have those books if you had any specific questions.) Here is another link from KISS grammar. I used these pages with my dd when she was 5 or 6. http://home.pct.edu/~evavra/kiss/wb/LPlans/G03_RK.htm

KISS grammar is free. http://home.pct.edu/~evavra/KISS.htm If you click on workbooks and then scroll halfway down there are printable, already assembled workbooks. It starts with grade 2, but grade 2 is just the basics.

American Girl has a series of books - History Mysteries - I think the reading level is above that of the regular Meet Kit, Meet Samantha, etc. series. Swallows and Amazons series Thornton Burgess has a series on nature and animals - Adventures of ______. Anne of Green Gables series

No, the high school classes are written at a high school level, using high school texts. As to why - I have always had a "13 year plan" for the kids and have always worked it backwards. It changes a bit from year to year, but the frame stays the same. Our long term goal is to have the children take college Biology and Chemistry in 11th and 12th grade. In order to do that successfully we need them to take high school level Biology, Chemistry and Physics in 8th, 9th and 10th. Rather than have two chemistry credits for this particular dd we decided to go with AP Enrivonmental Science in 9th to strenghthen her science credits for high school. This will give her high school level Physics, AP Environmental and college biology and chemistry on her transcript. We chose the Environmental route because our eldest loves marine science and is currently considering that route for college. For the next child we may use other science classes, but with the same basic idea. In order to take AP Environmental in 9th she needs to take the high school level first. So high school Chem in 8th, high school Biology in 7th and therefore high school Environmental in 6th. :) In our experience so far Environmental is a good choice to enter high school level science. It does not require the level of math needed in Biology or Chemistry. The student really only needs to be a solid reader - reading at a lower high school level and a decent writer able to answer questions in multi-paragraph format and able to put together a one or two page essay in under a week. We chose Oak Meadow because I consider the Holt textbooks to be solid but not rigorous - it isn't Campbell level Biology, etc. They also offer online classes which we will utilize for the physics and AP level and provide a syllabus so I am not overworking my dd. Without a syllabus, I wouldn't know what to assign and would certainly have dd doing too much. I have been very happy with Environmental Science so far, and dd puts it in her top three favorite classes. As to the middle school level classes, Environmental Science is a 5th grade class and I would consider it to be right about at that level. I hadn't seen RS4K when my eldest was in 4th and she did the OM Environmental Science class - I would say it is a good class and right about at a 5th grade level. She enjoyed it, but I don't think taking the OM middle school classes through 8th grade will set a child up to take college level science in 11th and 12th unless it is heavily supplemented. Sorry this is so long. Hope it helps!