In the hands of a child was offering a download of their Sept. 11 lapbook for $1.00. We are doing it and like it so far. It gives info without too much detail and you can add additional resources (books, videos etc.) as you choose! http://www.handsofachild.com/

So far, we LOVE everything we're doing...we are having so much fun!!

We are using this to "flesh out" our Time Travelers studies from Homeschool in the Woods (along with parts of Guesthollow's Am. History 2 and WP American Cultures). I have a 5th and 8th grader. It's going well so far, but it isn't the ONLY thing we are using.

It's a fairly new program, we are using it for the first time this year (for 5th & 8th grades). Writing has always been a struggle in our house, but from looking at it so far, it seems pretty straightforward but also solid. We're starting this week, so I don't have much info yet, but I hope it's going to be good!

We homeschool in Florida too, on the east coast, and I find it relatively easy. For now I am registered with the county, but as a PP said, once we get to high school I will probably go with an umbrella school as well. Finding a teacher to do an evaluation is very easy, although we do test every year, but I keep those scores just for me. What part of Florida are you looking at? It's a good idea to look at the FPEA website and/or the website of the school district you are thinking about moving into, to get more info! HTH.:)

anyone?:glare:

I used the advanced/intermediate version with my 4th and 7th grade boys this year and I really liked it. I was worried initially, because after I bought it (after my oldest son fell in love with it at our local homeschool conference) I heard some not-so-great things about it, but it worked for us. We did a LOT of really cool experiments, and I am really impressed with how much knowledge both of my kids retained. One note: if you get the upper versions, it is a LOT to complete in one year. We went at our own pace, and will finish up this school year half way through the program, so depending on which version you get and how you plan it, you could definitely spread it out over two years if you wanted to.

I am really torn between CLE and BJU for reading. For the past year and a half, we have been using CLE and I am really happy with the instruction. However, BJU just looks like more fun!! It's colorful, and seems to incorporate more genres than CLE does (tall tales, fantasy etc.). Also, looking at the 8th grade samples for my older son, it looks like he would be more exposed to classic literature through BJU. However, cost is an issue as I am on a budget, and CLE is sooo much more cost effective!! Opinions on either of these programs? Which do you like better? and why?

We used it this year and my kids have loved it. It's got a lot of really cool experiments, we used the standard (for my 4th grader) and advanced (for my 7th grader) version. The advanced has a couple of extra lessons. A few people in my local homeschool group have used it too, and they enjoyed it.

Any suggestions for resources I could use to do a study on honesty/trustworthiness for our Bible time? Thanks!

I bought the quiz book and the worksheet book from Rod and Staff at my convention last year (I had already bought the student books and TM's at a used curriculum sale earlier). They were really inexpensive. Like, under $10 for both!

Thanks Lavender. It seems most people who have tried it liked it, so I think we'll give it a shot!! (for that price, I think it's worth it...it's on sale until June for about $50.00). If we like it, we'll stick with it for the upper maths. I believe I am going to give the homeschool versions a try. Because I know my son does sometimes need a little "extra" practice, I may try to pick up a used pre-algebra text just to have on hand to supplement with if he needs more problems to do.

Thank you Laura!

Hello! I am trying to figure out what to use for pre-algebra for my 8th grade son next year, and I wanted to hear from those of you who have used Kinetic Math. I am "math impaired" and so my son will definitely need DVD or computer assisted help for math at the upper ages!!:001_smile: Most DVD/computer-based math programs are SO expensive they are WAY out of my budget. I stumbled across Kinetic Math somewhere, and the price looks good. So, if you have used any of the Kinetic programs, were they good? Easy to implement? Did you feel they gave "enough" instruction for a child to get a good grasp of the concepts? College is in my son's future, but we are currently planning for two years at a CC before transferring to a state school. He is highly gifted in language/reading, but not so much in math. Thanks for the input!

Thank you! I wish these choices didn't have to be so hard.:tongue_smilie:Language arts/reading are an area I'm very comfortable with, so that's not a big deal for me, but math and science are areas where I struggle!! Sometimes it just all feels so overwhelming, I wish I could have a "curriculum fairy" who could pick it all for me!! I just hate to waste money on something that doesn't work (I've done that before:glare:) and then not have my kids get what they need, you know? As they get closer and closer to high school, the pressure seems to build!!

Angie: And you have the homeschool version of the program, correct? Is there a schedule laid out for you, or do you have to schedule it yourself?

It is very helpful!!:) I'm trying to get a picture of how it would work for us, and this helps. Do you feel the need to supplement for extra practice if your child doesn't "get" something with the program. Like, buy a pre-algebra workbook or something? Also, can you as the parent log in and see your child's scores somewhere in the program?

Thank you Apprentice! So the answer key only includes the odds? Are there tests/quizzes? How do you do grading with this?

I will look into that! Thanks Angie!

I'm not looking for anything too rigorous right now, just something interesting with a lot of information, and FUN! My oldest is the type who will research things that interest him on his own, so if he finds a topic within the science he wants to know more about, he'll take care of that. I just wondered if SL 5 would be enough to hold one's interest for the whole year!

Angie: Thank you...do you feel like Kinetic math is a full program then, even though you don't have a math book? do you supplement with anything if your kids need extra practice, or is there extra practice available with the program?:bigear:

I've already bought my SL 5 Science IG for next year. I was just realizing that there is no science kit like there is every other year, so it's interesting to hear there won't be any experiments. I'm okay with that though, because as much as I've heard people complain about SL science for the other levels, I've always heard very good reviews about SL Science 5. I'm really looking forward to it because it seems like there is a lot of timely information in there about nutrition, body changes, etc. My kids will be 10 and 12 when we use it. Lisa So, looking at the IG, does it look like "enough" for one year? I'm not too worried about experiments, because we can always add some in, and we'll also be doing the forensic science too.

I'm not to worried about it being "choppy" because we like to do all kinds of different things...and if I really need to add experiments I always can.

bump:)

Thank you so much for the response! My boys will be 10 and 13 if we use SL 5 next year!:)