My boys who will be using it (10th and 12th grade) are likely not going into a STEM field. One is pursuing a music career and just needs it to fulfill graduation requirements. The other doesn't know what he wants to do yet but a STEM career isn't out of the question. He is much better at math than his older brother. Would Mr. Q in combination with Chemistry 101 be a good enough foundation if he wished to pursue a "real" advanced Chemistry course in his senior year?

Could somebody review this for me? I'm looking into using it for Chemistry next year instead of Apologia. Thanks.

My plan is very similar to yours! I will be using Adventures with a 7yo next year and then Bigger the following year. I have used both Beyond and Bigger a few times. I do not prefer Beyond. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I just didn't enjoy it. I think a lot of the activities were too "simple" for my kids? I don't know. I enjoyed Bigger a lot more, though I don't know if I'll be able to stomach another year reading the Eggleston book. ;) One year of American History using Adventures might be good enough for us and then a year break to do World Geography before diving into the HOD cycle (Preparing - MtMM and then on to high school). I haven't used Adventures yet and this is my last child. And, I've always wanted to. It's my last chance, lol! I've heard the State Study can get boring but my son doesn't mind repetition. He's done MFW K and now 1st and there is a lot of repetition there as well. I have other resources for state study if he gets bored. He has enjoyed the science using the Usborne books and so I think he will enjoy the science in Adventures as well. We have read many of the required resources already for the history but he enjoyed them so I don't see a problem in repeating.

I am finding CLE LA difficult to transition to mid-stream. Meaning, if you don't start at the beginning with 1st, b/c of the scope and sequence, it is tough to switch to CLE if you want to stay on grade level. At least it was for us. It is a very thorough curriculum. Definitely have your kids take the placement test to see where they best place. It might be below grade level with CLE...which isn't necessarily an issue. I might start the 7th grader in Analytical Grammar...if it were me. ;) I have a 4th grader that I had wanted to transition to CLE but she placed back in the 200 series. R&S is much easier to jump into at grade level (or close to it) b/c there is a lot of review with each level. Just my 2 cents. :)

Minecraft Homeschool is an option. We have looked into it before. And I had totally forgotten about the Super Heroes course! Thank you, Chelli!! Perhaps a few Minecraft classes would "liven" up our History studies. Neither of the boys had any preference as to what to study next year so I said in the absence of any real passions I would choose.

Legos and Minecraft. :( My 8th grader likes Batman, lego, Lego Batman, lol and is currently doing stop motion videos non-stop when he isn't doing school. The 6th grader is a Minecraft fanatic. We did sign him up for the Mod Design program through HSBC. He likes it but needs a ton of help. That takes up a bunch of time. Other than that, not much. The 6th grader said he'd like to do more science. More experiments...which is not my cup of tea. :/ But, I am thinking of making next year more Science focused and perhaps trying to blow through Two Apologia Elementary Guides with him. The 8th grader is starting Apologia General (hates it) and will continue it next year until he is finished.

I have given up trying to instill a love of History into my middle boys. They HATE it. We've used mainly History-focused/centered curriculums so far. HOD, MFW and did a year of US Geography with a co-op. This year they are using HOD CtC. I have no plans to plop down another $400 for the next HOD level when they hate everything about it. :( I originally thought to just do MOH Vol. 2 and keep it simple. Read the lesson, fill out a NB page, etc. But now I wonder, could I *gasp* not even DO a chronological history next year? o.O But if so, what? My boys are 6th and 8th (technically 7th and 9th but we are holding them both back b/c they need the extra time). I'm not sure I even want to do Geography. World OR US. Perhaps do our State History? Please hit me with you other options b/c I've always followed the History Cycle to some extent and can't even think outside that "box". lol. Thanks!

We are using HOD World Geography this year and have used 3 levels of MFW high school (1st 3 years). I would have a hard time comparing them b/c both programs are very different. MFW is a bit more "streamlined" I think. There aren't as many "parts" to it. The program is excellent, IMO, and very full. In comparing the newest HOD guide (World History) with MFW World History, I prefer the book selections in MFW so I will likely move my 9th grader into MFW WHL from HOD WG. My oldest son who is using MFW WHL now (the 2nd of my children to use it), chose MFW b/c he feels too "scattered" using HOD. There are so many different pieces to each course, if that makes sense. He doesn't prefer the "boxes" in the HOD Guide (there are too many of them he said!) and prefers the grid layout of MFW. He is also not a "reader" like his older sister is and so we would have likely cut out much of the HOD WG guide and focused only on what was required for each course credit. His school day, compared to his 9th grade brother's is significantly shorter. That being said, I LOVE the HOD WG Guide. We have used most of the HOD Guides and this one is by far my favorite. So meaty, so well-thought out and Christ-centered (not to say MFW is not Christ-centered..it is...but in a different way I think). We have cut out the Living Library of the HOD Guide b/c my 9th grader also is not a reader. We are focusing on the assignments required for each course credit even though it pains me b/c the books in the Living Library are so good! I love the book choices for the Geography credit (especially Mapping the World with Art). We are not using HOD's Science choice (my boys take Apologia Bio with a co-op) so I cannot comment on that. My oldest child used MFW all the way through high school (except her senior year...she chose another path) and really blossomed as a writer. She also enjoyed many of the book choices for literature and Bible. I actually gave my 9th grader a choice...HOD WG or MFW AHL. He wanted to do Geography and he prefers the box layout of HOD to the grid layout of MFW. So, we skipped AHL. I can't say anything negative about either program...there are so many positives to both! You really can't go wrong with either. It might come down to which your 9th grader would prefer studying...Geography or Ancients? There is also quite a bit of history mixed in with the Geography in HOD so it is sort of the best of both worlds. Hope that helps a bit.

You didn't mention your preference as to religious vs. secular but we just started Science in the Beginning by Jay Wile and it covers quite a number of topics. Perfect for that age group that you are working with. We chose it b/c science doesn't get done here, either, and I wanted a more broad science curriculum to teach many topics in one year.

I guess I'll just order the other books now, including the 1st. Thanks everyone! He could use the practice anyway.

I purchased a used set. So only 502 and 503 were included (those were the only 2 she had). I would have to purchase 501, 504 and 505 but wondered if I could WAIT, skip 501 and start at 502? Make sense? Is there anything foundational that my son would miss if we skipped 501? I've never used CLE Reading before.

I purchased a used set of CLE Reading 5 for my 6th grader who struggles with reading. The set came with the light units 502 and 503. Would I be missing anything terribly important or foundational if I skipped 501 and just had my son do 502 and 503? I don't want to have to pay the shipping for 2 silly light units. :( Thanks.

I guess I will have to look into whether or not the credit would transfer to the colleges he is researching. Thanks for the opinions. There are other options besides cc for dual credit. He could do it online through Liberty or another college that offers it. I feel certain that would transfer to Valley Forge (where he really wants to go).

I am planning my son's senior year and weighing all our options (dual credit, AP, CLEP, etc.) and would like a little advice for English. Here is what he's done so far: 9th: used MFW US1 which included American Literature through Civil War 10th: used Notgrass Exploring America (with a co-op...so yes a lot of repeat of early American History) and read American Literature from Civil War to present. No lit analysis that year except for a couple Progeny Press Guides and the work that was included in those 11th: using MFW World History and reading British Literature. Some lit analysis included, writing based on the literature read, etc. So, he hasn't had much in the way of "formal" lit analysis. Just bits and pieces. He wants to go to college but will very likely be majoring in music. He is a gifted guitarist, can play pretty much any instrument he picks up, plays by ear, etc. He will NOT be pursuing a career that is "English" heavy or requires the knowledge of literary analysis. I am not sure I want him to take English 101 for dual credit at our community college or if I would rather he study to take the CLEP or AP. Any thoughts there? IEW has a few courses to help prepare for the CLEP and AP exams as well as a Literary Analysis Course (Windows on the World). Could I just choose some books for him to read and analyze? I thought about doing that. OR use Progeny Press Guides. OR????? Anyway, I'd love some guidance on how to design an English course for him for 12th. Oh, he will be continuing to use Analytical Grammar for that part of his English course. Thanks everyone!

I'm looking to use this for my 12th grader and my 8th grader (to use for 8th/9th). It looks fabulous!

Ellie, we have tried Spalding. It is what I really WANTED to do but it was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole w/ my son. :( Could be "user error" but truly he does not "recall" the phonemes. He haphazardly guesses. For different sounds like "ea, ee" he cannot remember which to use for which word. Same with "ai, ay" or all the different "er" sounds. I started taking his normal spelling words and trying to somehow draw pictures around each particular phoneme to help him (ala Dianne Craft) and that helps a little. But I can't draw pictures for every blessed word, lol! It is VERY time consuming.

Apples and Pears seems to be the same sort of philosophy as Sequential Spelling. Patterns instead of rules. Is this correct? It seems like it might work for him. The "visualization" part is something that Dianne Craft talks a lot about in working with kids like my son. For the kids who don't do well with the rules-based programs like the O-G. Thanks. I will check out A & P and give him the assessment/placement test.

He has had vision checked, but not vision "tracking". His reading IS improving. In reading Dianne Craft's Right Brain materials, he has nearly every single issue she mentions. :( I also can't afford all her material and do not have the time to implement her program at home. So we do what we can. I just didn't realize his spelling was so bad. Where would I order Apples and Pears?

Tell me about Apples and Pears and what is so unique? Thanks!

I am about to give up. Seriously. Just give up. I haven't been on the forums in quite a while but I am desperate for help. I probably even asked this question once before (re: the same child!). We've been working with my 6th grader who has been a struggling reader and is still not quite on grade level. He has made tremendous progress but still not quite "there" yet. For years we didn't really do a formal spelling program b/c of the reading issues. He can memorize words for a test but when it comes to actually putting those words into practice, he forgets basic rules! And let's not even talk about proper grammar or sentence structure, etc. Again, he can et answers right in his assignments but when it comes to writing, it is like he doesn't realize that all of those rules that he learned...should actually be applied!!!! I am embarrassed to even share this (it is humiliating) but this is what he just wrote in an email asking for help in a computer programming class he is in: wy is my minecraft keep crashing wan i fics the errers :crying: :crying: :crying: Please help! Where do I even begin? I don't have a ton of money to put into plugging up this "hole". I can't afford the really expensive programs. It's obvious he needs to go back to the beginning and re-learn his phonemes. But honestly, we've been down that road so many times and he just FORGETS or simply doesn't use the "rules". :( I purchased Dianne Craft's Right Brained Phoneme cards hoping that might help. We don't even bother with spelling "workbooks", we just take the words and copy them with colored marker or something to made that transition btwn left and right brain. Ugh. I'm just at my wits end. I am in tears. :(

I downloaded it when it was free as well and nearly used it this year along with her world history program as well. But then we decided to use HOD. It does look really good.

Mine are just reading. I dislike DITHOR though I really want to like it ;)

Australia looks incredibly easy judging by the samples. Seems Begin Teaching is a bit more challenging, but not much. I can't spend nearly $20/book for something that isn't going to really teach him anything. :/

I started using LoF with my 1st grader just as a supplement. Fred Fridays, lol. But, he loves the book so much that we flew through Apples and this is pretty much all we use now. :) I took a look at the Language Arts series and I am intrigued. My 13yo struggles with school. Has multiple attention issues and he isn't quite ready for Analytical Grammar (which is what I had planned to use) and I am just at a loss as to what to use. LoF LA series looks interesting. Just looking for some opinions from those who have used it. Thanks!

My 11yo struggles tremendously with place value. He is using TT5 this year and it is painfully obvious that he just doesn't "get" it. I think he is good up to the hundred or thousand place but after that forget it. Anything that could help him? The videos looked great but a bit "babyish" for him. :/ I am thinking of heading to the MUS website and seeing what is available b/c I remember really liking how Steven Demme taught it.