Spark Notes 101 Literature covers 150 books with plot summaries and discussion of main themes and symbols. I used it with my high level reader. She used it to get more information on classics she had read as well as to find new ones she wanted to read. It's a single volume and could at least get you started. It's also good for non-readers to get some basic information on books that are alluded to in other books/movies.

Is she opposed to online things? SchoolYourself.org would probably be a good choice. It has interactive videos with instant feedback on answers. Completely free as well. No-Nonsense Algebra might also be a good choice. It has free videos online she could access and it has the answers in the back with no need for a teacher's edition.

I was taught how to skim a textbook for important information and to speed read in fifth grade. (It's the only thing I remember from that year.) Probably the single best thing I learned in elementary school besides how to read.

I would try to streamline as much as possible for the next year. Choose a single topic of history and have the Sixth grader read aloud a section in a history book to the other two then keep a journal of something learned each day (third grader can do this too and the first draw a picture if they don't write easily). They can all watch a video together. Veritas Press has self paced history curriculum that the oldest could do and the youngers just watch. Do something similar for science. They can learn together for the extrovert bit. They can read independently and keep a book log. Let that be enough for this year. Any art/music/PE/etc can be purely interest driven. Then, you have to cover language arts and math. Writing could just be a daily journal for the younger two. Depending on the oldest's skill level, require a weekly/monthly paragraph/essay on a topic of their choosing. Take this through the editing process. Have them type the final version and read it to the family. Again, it could be enough for this year. Plenty of time in middle school to do formal grammar, etc. I am assuming your children can read and write on their own, if they can't, no independent learning curriculum is going to happen. Just keep going with your math program. If you are already used to it that would be easier on you than trying to learn a new thing. Ace Paces and Christian Light Education are intended to be more independent though if you need something new. CLE is probably the better of the two. All of them can do Xtramath.org for math facts review on their own.

There is a book titled Behind Jane Austen's Door. It discusses the various rooms that you would find mentioned in the book and what they were used for. I have it on Kindle but there might be a print version.

I'd love to see your list of favorite older authors. Thanks for chiming in, I always appreciate your point of view.

I will follow the FB page, thanks. I would appreciate the recordings in any format, but I know it is a hassle to record, so thank Mr Ellie for me if you do. 🙂

Any chance you recorded your convention? In our area you have to drive 4+ hours to get to the nearest convention that is mostly ideology. I have a free homeschool library and I would love to be able to provide useful listening for newbies. I have a lot of people asking for Masterbooks, Good and Beautiful, plus some titles that the local co-ops use. Mostly, moms come in and want "x grade". They want a pile of books that they can hand their child(ren) and check that box off. Doesn't have to be from the same publisher, just open and go. Some like the idea of online, but so many are burned by covid schooling that they are more interested in physical materials.

I second the Prealgebra with Pizzazz books (can be found for free) and Murderous Maths. There is a book called Math Start Junior that has a hokey story line, but it's a lot better than Fred in my opinion.

In our area, there are some families who are doing "CC" without the official program. They have chosen materials (some overlap with the original model and some don't) and share in the teaching. The cost is significantly less since there is no paying the piper. The parents who teach still don't make a lot of money but it looks more like a traditional co-op to me from the outside. We have both traditional co-op type groups and enrichment (drop-off) groups in our area. So you can choose to spend your personal time (teaching or assisting) or cash, but you can still have community.

MEP math has free online versions of their middle school materials. You type in the answer and it gives immediate feedback plus a solution if you want it.

If you don't care for Beast Academy but like their puzzles, they have separate puzzle books for levels 2 and 3 (and eventually the others). You could add those to your arsenal for variety.

I am rather done needing to check on the (one month away from) 17 year old's progress every single day. She could have graduated early (even if just by a semester) but she seems content to do the very minimum each day, if that, which is why I have to double check. With my older two I didn't have to confirm they did their work even if they weren't super motivated their last year. It probably wouldn't bother me as much except that I know she goes to work each afternoon (only a couple of hours) and does over and above for her boss. I guess I am jealous.

Ask your kids. If they want them, they can store them. Otherwise let them go if you have other copies of the same print.

I can't handle lots of things in the common areas. So my kids have all their stuff in their rooms. Each have shelves to hold books and toys and art/craft materials. We declutter often and take lots of photos of art/papers/etc so as to keep that stuff to a minimum. Although each have a drawer or box for that sort of thing. Some of the kids are more receptive to my assistance in keeping their rooms tidy, but I require a basic level of cleanliness so as to not encourage rodents.

Why isn't it fair for them to take responsibility for their own things? Unless they are moving overseas I think it is fine to ask them to remove their own items or at least pack them efficiently so they won't take up as much space within your living space. They may decide they don't want it after all. As an aside, my mom kept my things until I was out of college and had a place. She gave me all "my" things when we visited after settling in another state. Turns out she had kept a good deal of toys and stuffies (that I thought I had gotten rid of years ago) and Tupperware unbeknownst to me. So there was a good deal more than I was expecting! Pretty much filled a truck bed. I was able to sell some on Ebay but we donated a lot.

I would love to tackle the 16 yo room, but it has been a bone of contention before (I removed something from her room without permission when she was like 8 and I am not sure she has forgiven me yet) so I won't. I have told my in-laws that they can't die until they have moved. They have been in the same farm house for 30ish years! It's not just the house, there is also the barn and the garage. My mom's 3 bedroom place was bad enough. I'm a minimalist, but try not to go too overboard in the main areas of the house. No one wants it bare. Hubby coming home to work via Covid was a blessing. The walk in closet is all his and I have made sure everything from the rest of the house that is his is in there. Staring at it day in and day out has inspired him to actually get rid of some of it. Maybe I can convince him to work in the shed during the summer.....

My oldest pretty much did this throughout her homeschool career for history. She loves history, so she devoured many books, a few textbooks and encyclopedias,. It is pretty much our MO for elementary school for all my kids. I didn't make a plan, we just read interesting things and watch interesting videos. Although 2 years ago we did read all the American history books I had on my shelves in roughly chronological order. My oldest is getting a bachelor's in early education right now and doing just fine in all her classes. You have my permission to homeschool using "only" good books. :-)

My daughter could do this with basic sewing skills (the trick is to cut one leg and then use that leg as a pattern for the other leg). You could use hem tape to make it even easier. I'd let her try.

My oldest did the bare minimum in high school. Except for literature and creative writing, she did a considerable amount of those. Never even took the SAT. After high school she taught piano and then started working at a daycare. After teaching the four year olds she decided to pursue working for the district. She was never interested in taking a bunch of random classes to get a bachelors, but she took a couple of free Sophia courses last year and decided she could do online schooling. So she is now getting a bachelors in early elementary education with a for profit online school. She was able to get scholarships and grants, so this year is free. She is cruising through classes and doing well. Even if she doesn't finish getting the degree, she is living on her own as a functioning adult and enjoying her life. So I think she'll be fine no matter what she chooses going into the future.

My daughter (21) has been using it. Not as consistently as suggested, but we have seen improvements. Well, along with using more disposable masks (and only using them once). She works with elder care so wears masks daily. She cancelled after the first paid month since she wasn't using them fast enough to need more for a while.

I buy less and less. I used to find something I liked and would buy multiple years worth. Now I know that even if it works for a kid this year it may not work at the next level. So I don't even try to buy for next year until we are closer to it. I buy shorter materials too. Things we can get done in months rather than taking all year long to finish. I finally accepted the fact that we like accomplishing things (ie finishing books) and get bored doing the same thing for more than a few months. I also accepted that if it is in ebook format I am much less likely to make good use of it. I tend to forget they are there if they aren't in my physical pile of things to do for school.

I think she was talking about these: Mini Posters | Institute for Excellence in Writing (iew.com)

You could do Learn Math Fast to cover elementary to geometry in 7 volumes. Just start at the beginning to make sure there aren't fundamental gaps. If you want to just fill in elementary knowledge, you could read the Big Fat Notebook series. There is English, World History, US History, and Science for middle school. If you are looking for a traditional high school transcript I would just start right now as 9th grade. Do a year on the high school essay and notetaking. Read some classics. Take general science and world history. If he can read fine then jumping in there shouldn't be a problem. Go as far as you can with the Learn Math fast and call it Basic Math unless he gets through Algebra. Add some PE/Health and an elective. If you know what he wants to do post school, find out what he needs for that and work backwards. But he probably isn't that "behind" unless he wants to be an engineer and needs to conquer calculus before starting college.

This is for highschoolers. 501 Writing Prompts. Some of the prompts have example essays at three levels - bad, ok, and good 501 Writing Prompts (501 Series) PDF (bookslibland.net)