Chemistry is a pre-requisite for Bio at Wilson Hill now because, I think, they are beefing up their biology classes even more. They are still using Miller-Levine, though, as far as I know.

I will be following this thread because I have no idea what to do with my life science lover next year. I had planned to let her take biology early in 9th with Wilson Hill, but they changed their science sequence around where you take biology in 11th after chemistry. So, because chemistry is a pre-requisite......I'm stuck. A full chemistry course is not really what I wanted to do in 9th. She took physical science in 8th, so that's out. She was so looking forward to biology. :( I might pull from some resources listed above and do our own thing.

My daughter is taking GC2 this year, and it has been an amazing experience. She is planning to sign up for Mr. Etter's GC3 class for next year. I really didn't know what to expect, but it has been both challenging and fun. She is looking forward to next year.

Horseback riding is expensive but doesn't need to be to start with. My daughter switched from ballet to horseback riding when she was 10. She spent 2 years taking once a week lessons at a non-competitive barn with a very good English riding instructor. She learned a lot about riding and horses in general--how to groom, fit a saddle, behavior. When the instructor retired, she moved to a competitive stable with an instructor that was recommended to us. She rode another year just once weekly. I kept telling her that we were not buying a horse, but you know how that goes..... So here she is on her fourth year riding with her own horse, and she just turned 14. :) I would say to look for a barn that covers all the basics of horsemanship. If you do go down the path of ownership later, they need to have a good handle on how to take care of the horse. Steer clear of barns that have grooms that just bring you the horse to hop on and ride. Where we live, the lesson prices are about the same either way, but the educational aspect is way different. For a beginner, the rider needs some boots, a helmet, and some riding pants. Most of those things you can definitely get second hand for a 6 year old. As far as competitions go, there are usually school shows that are local with very low entry fees. Or, you can skip them altogether. Just be warned that you are in for some expense if the horse obsession does not wane. Not only is the horse expensive, it is a huge time commitment. My daughter spends 4-5 days a week at the barn riding. That calculates to 15-20 hours a week with driving, grooming, and time actually on the horse. But it is like any other sport, to get better you have to practice.

I will be watching this thread. The chemistry class is on my maybe list for next year. I wish they would hurry up and post the schedule.

Seriously about the migraines? That would be so awesome.

My experience this year has been mixed. I had enrolled my daughter in an algebra class with our local co-op. There was 3 hours of class time per week and then at least another 3-4 hours of homework per week. She is not a strong math student, so watching the problems being worked on the board without actively engaging with the teacher was difficult. She found it hard to keep up even though she was devoting a lot of time to math each week. We ended up dropping the class. She is also enrolled in 2 classes at Wilson Hill--Latin and Great Conversation 2. GC2 has been a huge hit; the discussion nature of the class makes the 3 hours per week totally worth it. I have also been impressed with the way the Latin class is organized. It is a small amount of lecture followed by a lot of practice, all totally monitored by the teacher. There is a lot of activity with absolutely no time to zone out. I think it is difficult to tell what you are going to get until you are already in the class. I am thinking about an online science class next year, but I am worried about the long lecture time.

The Alfred just accelerates through the first levels, then you can hop back to level 4, 5, and 6 basic to head into intermediate repertoire. For Alfred, do Later Beginner books 1 and 2 then head to Basic level 4. The transfer students that I have that use Alfred Basic absolutely despise it. For Piano Pronto, skip the Keyboard Kickoff and start with Prelude. They both start at the beginning, but Prelude moves faster. My teenage students have been able to get through Prelude in 2-4 months. You can order the duets if you wish. My students have enjoyed them. When you finish Prelude and move into Movement 1, make sure you purchase the Spotlight Solos with it. My students absolutely love this book. There are recordings and videos on her website which are very helpful. The songs are all familiar which will also help with their progress. I really only use this series for older beginners. I like to push through Prelude as quickly as possible and then slow down for Mvt. 1. I have been very pleased thus far with their progress.

http://www.alfred.com/img/pdf/piano/abpl_leveling_chart.pdf Here is the Alfred Basic leveling chart for different ages. I would recommend using an adult or later beginner method for a 12 year old. I have had a lot of success this year with teenage beginners with the Piano Pronto series beginning with the Prelude book. You can find these books at www.pianopronto.com. They have theory included, so there is no need for an extra book.

They can "uncancel" the card. I have had this happen before except it was for someone else's card. They were one number off. I talked to enough people until I had the cancellation reversed and access to my card in 24 hours. I'm not sure how they did it, but they did.

I haven't found that to be true. My debit card number was used fraudulently last year, and the bank immediately gave us provisional credit pending the investigation. Maybe it depends on the bank.

When you apply online, just put his current income. When his income drops, you can send them proof of the new income, and, I believe, they will adjust the premium.

Wow. This I didn't know. Which writing classes does this pertain to? This year in GC2, they are having a writing teacher come in for 30 minutes every other week, give them the assignment, and then walk them through it. It would be difficult to have other writing assignments on top of this, but if they tie-in to each other, that would be different. I'm wondering how GC3 works things.

My dd is enrolled in one of the Great Conversations classes (Omnibus) at Wilson Hill. I tried to do this at home for 7th grade. It has been so much better online. Fantastic discussions going on in class. This is the kind of thing that is well worth the money to do online for our family.

My daughter is also loving Wilson Hill so far. She is also in 8th grade. This is what I know for sure. I had a conversation with one of the science teachers over the summer. They are using secular textbooks for science across the board for high school but are teaching from a Biblical worldview. I got the impression that this was going to be a young earth Biblical worldview, BUT she also said that the classes she had taught previously had a mix of beliefs. She said that they feel very strongly that they should respect the belief system of the parents when teaching science and that all beliefs would be respected. I don't really know how that would look, but there is some balance there with the textbooks being secular. So far the only religion we have seen in Latin is the opening prayer. She is also taking a Great Conversation where religion is heavily discussed, so you would probably want to avoid that one. I think there are quite a few AP science classes in the works. I am going to keep my eyes on those for the future.

My dd is taking Great Conversation 2 with Martin and Latin 1 with Salmon. Both classes are going extremely well. She absolutely LOVES the lit/history class! This is our first year to try any online classes at all, and they are both hits.

I'm just now looking at the replies. It looks like the schools in our area are not alone with their very limited access to textbooks (unless you guys are also all in Mississippi :laugh: .) I can remember being in school and having some pretty awful teachers. When that happened, I always had the textbook that I could use for reference. I guess I am just wondering how these kids can learn how to sift through and organize information in a way that they could teach themselves. This will be really necessary for college. The 8th and 9th graders at my local high school were all given MacBooks this year. I am sure they acquired them through a grant, but still, they are no replacement for real books.

From what I have heard, most of the assignments here are "go look this up on the internet" type of assignments or math handouts.

I have just recently discovered that the public schools in our area generally teach by using handouts. The students buy 3-ring binders and are given hand outs in class OR take notes in class from the white board. For some classes they have texts but there are not enough for every student, so they stay at school. This is in the middle school and high school. I have noticed that students around here never have any homework outside of math. It is becoming clear why. They can't assign reading or anything when there is no textbook. There was a discussion of this on my neighborhood's Facebook group, so I started asking questions. They were told that (1) they didn't have the money for textbooks, (2) there were no textbooks that covered the common core topics, and (3) everything would eventually be going digital, so there was no reason to purchase books now. So, these kids are just breezing through waiting for whatever teacher they get to spoon feed them some information. It is sad. I'm wondering if this is just the way it is now or if it is just here. Do the kids in your public schools have textbooks that they can bring home and study?

I had an ASUS notebook 2 years ago with a touch screen. It died one day out of the one year warranty and could not be repaired. Hard drive problems.

What I did was just continue the history cycle and then jump into Omnibus. What I WISH I had done, if I had planned ahead was maybe a year of American history and then for 6th grade, Veritas Press's Transition course where they cover world history in one year before starting Omnibus.

Go to this website. www.pianopronto.com Have her look through the intermediate books and listen to the recordings and pick out some fun things. She writes a lot of pop/contemporary sounding solos. The note reading is not difficult, but the rhythms can be tricky. I have just started buying it for some of my piano students as a break from the more technically demanding pieces. Total fun, relaxing music. The author will help you find the right pieces if you contact her. I think your daughter just needs some variety.

I would recommend the lace up Ariat paddock boots. My daughter has had her pair for over 2 years, and they are still in good condition. They are going to run you $100 a pair, depending on the design.

I really think the horseback riding experience is highly dependent on the stable that you choose. I have been a couple of times, and it was pretty boring, but I'm not a horse lover. I think I have found a place that takes you high enough up that there will be good views. I am so ready to go somewhere else, but my daughter says Gatlinburg is a tradition. She was actually carried in a baby backpack all the way to Gregory Bald to see the azaleas when she was 6 months old. She loves the familiarity of the place and especially the campground. Thanks for all the ideas.