If you have any experience with this or can provide links to any reviews, that would be great! Thanks, Dawn

I will pass all your helpful information along to the parents of our co-op students. Thanks again! Dawn

I would like to offer this option to some parents at our homeschool co-op who need help grading essays or just want to get an objective option on their student's writing ability. I thought I once ran across a service like this, but now I cannot locate the link. Thanks! Dawn

Thanks! Dawn

Your advice was very helpful about what to buy. Thanks for taking the time to educate a technologically-challenged mom about gaming systems and what your children enjoyed about the various dance programs. At this point we are definitely leaning toward the Wii and Just Dance 2 with a normal pad to get her started. Gratefully, Dawn

We don't own an xbox or ps3 yet so I know I need one of these. My almost 16yod has had fun with some dance revolution type game at a youth group party, so I would like to get something that can be used individually as well as with a small group of friends. My 19yo son suggested a metal dance mat? I know nothing...please help! Thanks! Dawn

I have used both IEW & Writeshop and agree that Writeshop has clearer explanations. The Writeshop teacher's manual will also actually instruct parents in how to evaluate their own student's writing. I was really floundering in trying to teach composition to my oldest son a decade ago & Writeshop saved the day. I like the way it teaches the basic mechanics, yet encourages creativity, and I have used this program with all 4 of my children. As to IEW, I became familiar with it through my youngest child (now 15) taking co-op classes over the past several years. IEW is good and I will probably continue to use it, but I prefer the way Writeshop is organized. I would recommend Writeshop as a first composition class (around junior high age or even early high school) with IEW as a follow-up. Though my youngest child can usually structure great sentences, she is still struggling with organizing her essays so I am currently using Hands On Essays to review. I only add that to say that among my 4 children I have everything from struggling students to a National Merit Finalist & Writeshop has been a positive for all of them. Hope this helps, Dawn

A friend of ours, who already had a Master's degree in Psychology, a wife, and 5 kids decided to go to school to be a Physician's Assistant. He graduated from Central Michigan University & moved to Arizona to work on or near the Navajo reservation to pay off his debt. So yes, there are ways to work off grad school debt if your son would be willing to do something like that. --Dawn

for history studies with a 15yo girl & why? Also any other favorite films for the years AD 1000-1500 are welcome. We'll be watching A Lion in Winter (Hepburn version) this coming week. Thanks! Dawn

I get so weary of these types of scams. It is so sad that people spend their time trying to figure out how to bilk money out of university students--as if they didn't have enough to deal with as they work to pay for an education while student loans loom in the future. (sigh)

The website looks pretty suspicious, but there is nothing on snopes.com about it. Here's the link: http://www.wellgatesprogram.org/ What do you think? I'm glad that my son, a university student, checked with me before giving out any information. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! Dawn

I think we will give the older version a try & see if it goes OK for us. --Dawn

My 15yo daughter is studying the Middle Ages this year & I wondered which version of this movie might be the better choice. Thanks! Dawn

Two of my sons graduated from homeschool with transcripts arranged by subject instead of by year. The transcripts were accepted without question at both the state universities and private universities where they applied. --Dawn

She has been doing Teaching Textbooks so I will start with that one. --Dawn

She did pre-algebra last year and I am not sure she is ready to move on to algebra I. Is there some type of assessment test I could use to figure out where her "gaps" are? Math and science are very difficult for her--she seems to have memory blocks when it comes to math facts and science vocabulary. She is a low average to average student, according to the IOWA 9th grade test, so we are repeating 9th grade this year. Would ALEKS be the thing for this? Or is there something else? Thanks, Dawn

This class will meet once a week for an hour for 1 semester. Thanks! Dawn

Like Jean in Wisconsin, we liked SOS Spanish I & II. (Actually we did the Lifepac workbook form of Spanish I and did the SOS CD-rom form of Spanish II, to be exact.) Here is why we're happy with SOS Spanish I/II: one of my sons finished his 2 years of high school foreign language requirement at home with it & has never looked back. His brother continued on with Spanish at our local public school and his teacher complimented his solid skills repeatedly. After quickly completing Spanish IV at the high school level he took Spanish 201 at our State U for dual-enrollment. Now he has tested into Spanish 301 for his freshman year at his university. (Disclaimer? This son is a National Merit Scholar and usually does well at whatever he puts his mind to.) Still, SOS Spanish I/II worked for both my boys! It is the only SOS product I may ever use, but it served has us well as a solid foundation for Spanish. It is like having a talking textbook with an automatic grading system. Looking back, the only thing I would have done differently is to have a Spanish-literate person correct the occasional compositions that students write as part of the program, and it would be ideal to find a venue for language practice such as a tutor, a weekly language practice group, and/or a volunteer opportunity working for or with Hispanics. SOS Spanish I/II will teach vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, reading Spanish, Hispanic culture, etc. but it will not make a person fluent. Nothing but actually speaking Spanish with others will make you fluent. Hope this helps, Dawn (P.S. I think SOS's other Spanish program might be a re-make of PowerGlide Spanish that we tried & discarded in the elementary years. If so, I understand completely why so many of you disliked it!)

I used Teaching Textbooks geometry with another son and between the 2 programs I think MUS geometry is more accessible for the math-challenged student. --Dawn

We have no personal experience to date, but yes, unfortunately this is an issue students are having to deal with now. My niece just graduated from a large public high school in Ohio & the touching from behind & br@ snapping, etc. was a given. Her younger brother was also constantly tripped and pushed in the hallways. (Both are quiet but have red hair & I think they may attract unwanted attention because of that??) When he/she turned around, of course everyone had an innocent look...and this is a huge school in semi-rural Ohio that is considered an excellent school! I attended public high back in the late 70s and these behaviors were NOT tolerated. I am sad and mad that kids are left on their own to try to cope no matter how many times parents contact the school. My husband is an HR guy at a state U. No way would this type of behavior by students or staff be tolerated there without huge repercussions. Thanks for the reminder that we do need to prepare our kids for this if they take outside classes.

The oldest (now a college grad) was around 9th grade & struggling with writing when I used it with him. Honestly, I was struggling too, since I didn't really know how to teach writing at that time. The Writeshop authors had used IEW and other programs, but wanted to combine the best of each, and Writeshop reflects those positive influences. (This was back in the day before IEW had developed all the helps that are available today.) Writeshop moves incrementally from very basic paragraphs to essay writing, with examples to follow and also weekly assignments on writing good sentences. Read through the teacher notes to get familiar with how to use it, and then it is a pick up & go program. It was fun for my 2nd & 3rd sons to use together, as they liked to compete in writing funny (but correct!) sentences as we read them aloud together each week. (That brings back good memories as they are both in college now.) Your boys are at an opportune age to do Writeshop together if that works for you. Don't be put off by its simplicity. It is a solid program and with the skills of Writeshop under their belts students can progress to any other writing program you choose afterwards...including an upper level of IEW. There--that's the scoop from a happy Writeshop user! I've used IEW the past couple years because my daughter had the opportunity to do it in a co-op setting, but since we are switching to IEW Speech for this year's co-op I'm planning to return to Writeshop II for her this year. Hope this helps, Dawn

Thanks for continuing to add ideas to this thread. Your advice is valuable to me. Thanks! Dawn in MI

I think we will start with 1-800 contacts. But thanks so much to everyone who posted. I appreciate your taking the time to share your experiences and advice. Gratefully, Dawn in MI

I am looking for a place to order my 18yo son's biofinity toric soft contact lenses that has a good reputation before he runs out. (I'm thinking it may be handy for us to learn how to do this now, before he moves away to attend college.) His prescription is current & I thought it might be cheaper to bypass the middleman & place an order myself. Any tips would be appreciated. Also, if this is not a good idea, please let me know. Thanks! Dawn

we have just completed IEW Level B continuation, so your comments on the IEW speech bootcamp are very helpful. Thanks for the "how to" tips also! --Dawn