Thanks! Wow 22 chapters of Wheelock!

This one looked interesting- Larry Krieger wrote some well-reviewed SAT and AP history prep materials. World History: Patterns of Interaction [Hardcover] Rober B. Beck (Author), Linda Black (Author), Larry S. Krieger (Author)

If anyone's dc has taken both types of SAT 2 tests- one or more of the humanities and one or more of the math, science - how did they compare in terms of difficulty, prep time, scoring? It seems that the scores on the science and math tests have to be in the stratosphere in order for them to mean anything to a college. In addition, it seems a common practice for students taking the AP sciences to also take the SAT2 science tests as well, making the competition really tough. Is this a problem as much with the SAT2 humanities type tests- do AP students take the SAT 2 Literature or history tests, bumping up the level of competition for a high school level SAT 2 test taker? Any thoughts?

I want to thank Janice for this very helpful thread & bump it up for others who might be struggling with a reluctant writer. It was a tremendous relief to have a plan so clearly laid out from someone who has BTDT. I was feeling so discouraged about this particular aspect of our home school that I was considering sending ds back to ps. With nothing to lose except money (and with the money-back guarantee not much at that), I immediately ordered and received the IEW Student Intensive C as well as the Teaching Writing course. The results so far have been spectacular and have increased my confidence that home schooling high school will be possible for us. The techniques and writing structures are clear and specific enough that there is little ambiguity and as a result, no arguing and frustration. The DVD student lectures make the program sooooo easy to use. Even though I have the Teaching Writing course, we both watch the SWI-C and take notes. I see how to apply this to history and literature. We will be doing the Elegant Essay next. Anyway, thanks!

This survey is noted for its brevity but excellent coverage - also has free lectures, essay questions and quizzes on-line isbn 0534642365 A Brief History of the Western World (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac) by Thomas H. Greer and Gavin Lewis (Paperback - Jul 15, 2004) amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=0534642365&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A0534642365&ajr=8

Thanks Lori and Nan! I'm so thrilled that my son is enjoying reading these books and really want to keep that joy alive. I like the structure and support that a curriculum provides, but I'm becoming very skeptical about the scheduling. I guess the curriculum designers would rather give you too much rather than too little. The schedule that was listed in the curriculum for Bullfinch's Greek and Roman Mythology didn't work for us either- way too fast to really enjoy and understand each story. I appreciate your encouragement and will take your advice to pursue quality rather than quantity. Professor Vandiver says the Iliad is a book of death so the Odyssey will be a good follow-up! Thanks again.

I read this forum everyday and copy lots of information! Thanks everyone- couldn't do it without these boards! My 9th grader & I are reading the Iliad (we work through the summer). It takes him about 2 hours on average to read each book of the Iliad (24 in all). Shorter books take a little less time, longer ones a little more. While reading he underlines, makes a few notes in the margins, circles words he doesn't know, asks questions as he reads. He really likes the book and has good comprehension. We also listen to the Teaching Company lectures on the Iliad which he doesn't really enjoy, but I figure they'll grow on him. I guess this is just what I wanted - he enjoys reading and reads well. But it seems that we'll never cover the amount of literature that the curriculum I'm using expects him to finish in a school year. We are trying Smarr Ancient Literature this year. Do you push harder & work longer, risking frustration, or just cut some of the books out? When do you feel confident that you have worked hard enough and done enough? I am thinking of trying TOG 2 next year, but when I look at those book lists I wonder how we'll get through it all. Thanks for any input!

Thanks- I was just looking at their program!

:bigear: I'd like some ideas also. Do you schedule your own "homework" time to read and plan?

Easy to use, good prices, I'll let you know when I get my order.

How about at the grocery store you're asked if you want a "sack" for your groceries?

We found courses by "Modern Scholar" in the library. They seem very similar to those offered by the Teaching Company. Here's a link to their offerings: http://www.recordedbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=scholar.course_list My husband loved the one on the history of Venice and the history of baseball!

We just use the student text with the solutions manual and CD. I'd recommend both resources. Don't have the teacher's ed of the text.

We are using Foerster's Alg 2 this year. The teaching CD has been helpful as has the solution manual with the problems all worked out for you. I supplement with Schaum's Outline Intermediate Algebra problems and formula summaries to make sure the basics are reinforced. Math comes easily to my son, but he is not bored with Foerster. Just make sure you cover the basic stuff thoroughly and only do the more advanced material if your child can handle it. I'm not sure what we're doing next year. I wanted to take a look at Lial or maybe the cc, but we may stay with Foerster pre-calc.

We survived 10 months of my 93 yo mil with severe dementia living with us because we didn't want to put her in a nursing home from assisted living. But it was just too much, 24x7 care with the unpredictability and personality-disordering of dementia.

Congratulations! Now if you would, tell us how your dd prepared for the exam, what resources were most useful, study strategies, curriculum, etc.!

I thought this might be helpful if you didn't want to use Spielvogel as a spine for history. I just bought a used copy of "A Brief History of the Western World," Ninth edition, by Thomas H. Greer & Gavin Lewis with CD info trac with outlines, maps, quizzes, summaries (ISBN 978053462365). In addition, there is a FREE book companion STUDENT web site http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0534642365&discipline_number=21 with flash cards, critical thinking questions, power point lecture slides, quizzes and exams, and web links with further info. You can get a used copy for about $25. I like that the text is very succinct and may be supplemented as you'd like.

We've been through this also- three times now. Dd was a competitive gymnast (20 hrs. practice/wk) and ds1 played basketball, ds2 loved every sport. Dd fractured her back and mom said "enough." Ds1 got cut from bball and learned to weight lift. Ds 2 just didn't grow tall enough. Dd went on to become a very scholarly equestrian. Ds1 is in dental school. Ds2 is still a work in progress but loves music, and he's doing some beginning weight lifting on his own. Also just likes to shoot baskets with friends. It's all worked out just fine. (And I'm much more relaxed.)

Just ordered this for $3 on Amazon for an overview of Ancient Greek history. Anyone ever used this?

Has you dc had high school chemistry before? If not, I would recommend an introductory high school chemistry class first. Then, if your dc likes chemistry, perhaps Chemadvantage AP would be a good second course. Chemadvantage goes through 20 chapters of a college text. My 9th grade son took the honors Chemadvantage class this year as his first chemistry class and had to work very hard. We are now going through the course a second time to reinforce all the concepts he covered. I wouldn't have chosen this as a first chemistry class if I had it to do over again. Kathy in Richmond had a good suggestion in one of her posts- she did Spectrum the first year followed by an AP level class the following year. All said though, Chemadvantage runs a good, thorough course and the instructor is wonderful!

I took care of my 93 year old mil with dementia for 10 months in our home. We had removed her from assisted living because she needed more care than they could provide, but we couldn't bring ourselves to put her in a nursing home. However, after 10 months of caring for her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we were stressed out and exhausted. So, mil is now in a nursing home. She doesn't really know the difference since most days she wasn't sure who we all were anyway! The nursing home has a large staff and takes good care of her. Come to think of it, she has CNA's 24 hours a day, a dietary staff, a nurse, housekeeping, and a doctor, plus activity director and outings! Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about how we did all this with a "staff" of 2.

Also check out the http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com - be sure to put "the" in the name.

I think the trick is to combine a good coupon with a sale or even better one of the "Loss leaders" or "buy one get one free" that the grocery store advertises in their weekly flyer. Some people buy multiple Sunday papers for the coupons so you can stock up on a good deal.

Just get through these next 2 chemos and recoop a little!!! The ps will take the kids anytime so you can make a last minute decision if you need to depending on how you feel. I put my kids in ps when I went through chemo etc. Th following year, my ds went back to home school, but my dd continued on in ps middle school. Thoughts & prayers for kicking cancer's butt!

We've been getting raw milk from a local farm for several years and have never had a problem. Of course you want to keep it cold on the trip home so always bring a cooler with some cold packs.