I talk to them about their areas of strength and weakness. I tell them if their scores have gone up in a certain area, but I don't really show them the scores.

Mad Libs - at least that is my plan this year for first grade :)

I just downloaded a bunch of free ones from the app store and put in a folder for him. He can use any of them that he feels helpful. Here are the names of the ones he has in his folder: GeoNature, GeoEarth, GeoChallenge, Georientate, Geo Quiz HD, Your World, Geography (pic of white globe on green background), World Maps, State Capitals, GeoQuiz, GeoProvCities, GeoProvinces, Where is?, Stack the States, and Stack the Countries HTH :)

My 10 year old ds is planning on using Blender. He also plans to start learning C++ coding this year. He didn't want to learn from a book, so he is learning through Youtube tutorials.

I just finalized my 7th grade plans and schedule! Finally! We are supposed to start in one week, but I don't think I'll be ready in time. The plans and schedule are found at this blog post.

I've alternated language arts and math (LA 2-3 times per week and Math 2-3 times per week) in a block-style schedule. It worked fine for my kids. We tend to switch up what kind of schedule we use though, so the block-style schedule isn't for the whole year. I'll probably start with a block schedule this year where my older kids (5th and 7th grade) only have math every other day, but the math time is over 2 hours. I think I started doing the alternating blocks when my younger son was in 3rd grade and it worked fine then. Then again, we go through about 4-5 different types of schedules throughout the school year. It helps keep things fresh. If you want to try it with the idea of switching if it doesn't work, then I would do it.

I put together a list of documentaries and movies to go along with a textbook and posted all the links on my blog. If interested, you can find it here. Most of the videos can be currently found online. We like learning through documentaries so most of our history time will be spent watching them :) This site is also a great place to find a list of movies to go along with a historical period.

We went with Modern Standard Arabic and have been slowly studying the language for many years now. I think Alif Baa is a great resource for starting out. HTH

I don't know exactly what you mean about free online modules, but I put together a nutrition study (no quizzes though) using a textbook and documentaries. I've linked to many documentaries available online here, if you think they can be helpful.

I don't believe it is expected for a student to complete all of the problems. I didn't even find a syllabus that covered every chapter. I've only assigned problems where I have answers. I also believe that the amount of problems given on the website is "typical" or sufficient. Most questions from the 11th edition were the same in the 9th edition. Some were worded slightly differently, but most were just a different problem number.

What book do you have? I just made up a course outline for the 9th edition. I found answers to many of the questions on a website called Physics Today. I linked to all the helpful resources at the start of the course outline. I didn't purchase an instructor's guide. HTH

My Kindergartner tagged along on our geography studies of the Middle East this past year. But just for her, I did an introduction to world cultures study using DVDs from the library. My daughter really enjoyed it and considered it fun. For history, we started with a creation unit study and then moved onto a prehistory study. We are starting first grade in a few weeks and are in the middle of the prehistory study. HTH

I've been pondering this for awhile and I think I've come to a decision. My son wants to do Conceptual Physics and Miller-Levine next school year. Miller-Levine will be a full-blown lab science for him and Conceptual Physics won't contain as much lab work (still working on putting it all together). To beef it up, I'm going to have him do his own research and then he will complete a scientific research paper. There is also a local science fair for grade 7 and up for public school students. I just have to see if they allow him to enter too.

Sounds interesting. Thanks for the link :) I'm going to be using the itext version and using labs from the Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments and their lab book. My problem is that I don't think it will be challenging as is. I don't know if I should beef it up somehow or if I should try to go through at a faster pace or something.

I'm looking for ideas how to best challenge my 12 year old son in science. He is working ahead, has always been interested in science, and may possibly want to go into a science field in the future. He finished what would be considered an 8th or 9th grade text this year (CPO Physical, Earth, and Space Science) in 6th grade, but claims that science is very easy. I have planned for him to start Miller Levine this coming school year. I need to use a textbook at this point because my science knowledge is limited. I also have Conceptual Physics planned to do along with Miller Levine or when he finishes Miller Levine. Any thoughts? FWIW, he is in the middle of pre-algebra at the moment.

I found gifted testing quite helpful for the two kids I had tested. For one child it helped me to know that he was showing frustration at challenging work because he was used to everything being easy. He was fully capable of being stretched and needed to be stretched to learn how to deal with things that are difficult. For the other child it showed me that giftedness doesn't always look like the stereotypical gifted student who excels. I learned (am learning) to challenge and stretch my child when I would never have done so without testing. It gave me a huge window into how this kid thinks and I've totally readjusted education for him because of the testing.

If you can get testing done, I would. I wouldn't do it because of what your friend said though. I would do it because it would give you more information to help you better teach your child. If you can't test, then I would challenge your daughter at whatever level she is ready for and make sure she encounters at least some subjects that require her to stretch her brain. I would do that whether she was gifted or not.

Thanks for all the votes and comments! The red velvet top isn't a frosting layer though. It is a baked cheesecake layer that was swirled with some red velvet brownie batter before baking :) I'm not a red velvet fan and was surprised when my kid chose this one.

We just finished our last baking competition of the school year. My kids have really enjoyed doing them. Next year we plan to continue, but branch off into entrees. You can see pictures of the three different brownies here:http://eclectic-homeschool.com/brownie-baking-competition-please-vote-for-the-best-looking-brownie/ We have a winner for the taste portion of the contest, but need to choose a winner for the best in appearance. We would love it if you would take a minute to vote on the blog or at the poll here. Thank you for voting!

Letter school app :)

We allow an hour of learning time and an hour of free time on the computer. Their free time can only be accessed when they have done an hour of exercise. The learning time is part of their school day. By learning time, I mean they have an hour each school day to choose what they want to learn and they often choose to learn something on the computer. They also utilize screens for other subjects at times. My kids are younger though - 12 and 10. My 6 year old has more freedom because she has lots of non-computer interests and doesn't desire to be on there as much.

Winners announced in the OP. Thanks for voting!

I'm using Megawords right now. I don't think it would be a great choice for a natural speller. If you want a phonics-based approach then Rod and Staff spelling workbooks are good. The phonics-based activities are more challenging than the weekly word lists. Although, I quit doing spelling with my natural speller after he was able to correctly spell most words from an 8th grade spelling curriculum. It has been a couple years now and his spelling skills have continued to improve without doing any program.

My older kids did about 5 hour days around age 6, but most of that was unstructured (i.e. hands-on activities, read alouds, exercise). My youngest is now 6 and I don't have the same amount of time with her.

I think the bulk of it is who the kid is. Homeschooling just provides a more optimal environment for learning. Most homeschooled students are performing close to grade-level and that isn't because those homeschooling parents aren't great at homeschooling. I have a highly/profoundly gifted kid who isn't very much ahead. What does that say about me as a teacher? lol Yes, my kids keep me humble.