I am planning on doing the second and third Human Odyssey books. I got the student pages and actually like the look of them. They have short answer comprehension questions for each chapter, which I am planning to have my kids read over before reading the chapter. I may use the questions for review or quizzes, too. The pages were only about $10 on Amazon, so if you can get them cheap you may consider. I wouldn't have paid a lot for them.

I recently decided to give my ds a pre-algebra year next year for 7th grade. I had planned to go on to algebra, but decided he could do with a bit more maturity. He will still be able to get through calculus in high school. I think I've decided on AoPS because it looks like an interesting curriculum that will challenge him while giving him that time. My ds is just turning twelve now, so that was a factor for me. You may consider if your dd is on the older/younger side of the grade, as well as her math readiness.

:iagree:This is very similar to what we have done. My oldest started with Saxon, so I was familiar with their tests and drill and wanted to continue those. I just buy the drill/test book. We do drill 3xs per week. I only assign certain problems from the tests, ones that are different from what they see in Singapore. If they aren't sure how to do them, then I do a quick explaination. I don't use any of the Saxon as part of their grades just practice. We do standardized testing, and I think this helps to make sure they are prepared for everything that will be on the test.

I like the red shoes. I'm not sure I would put a sweater with that dress unless she needs the warmth. Could you do some other red accessories? Something in her hair or jewelry? I also like the red flower idea by a pp.

Thanks. It's good to know that they move fast, because I'm not sure we would want that. I'm definitely getting the solutions manual. I love that they work every problem.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I think I've decided to go with AoPS Pre-Algebra. I love the look of the program from the website. I started a new thread looking for advice about it. Can anyone tell I'm desperately trying get everything figured out before I go to a convention in a few weeks?:D

I recently posted about what to do with my son next year for math, as he is finishing up SM6 and, I feel, not quite mature enough for Algebra I. I think I am going to go with AoPS Pre-Algebra. If you use this series, do you teach it on your own or use the online class? I was thinking about the online class, but it only meets in the evening which is not the best for us. I see that there are free videos at their site, so maybe that would be enough support? I'm not math phobic or anything, but it's been a long time since I took math classes myself. How easy is this program to teach? FWIW - my ds is pretty good at reading and understanding on his own.

Ds 11 is finishing SM 6A/B this year in 6th grade. We are planning to move on to Video Text for AlgI/II. Right now I'm considering giving him another year between SM 6 and VT. His problem solving skills are pretty good, but he needs to work on attention to detail and writing his work in a logical order, etc. Even though he makes 100% on fact drills, he still makes computation errors in his work occasionally. I basically think another year of maturity couldn't hurt him, and he will still have time to get through calculus in high school. My question is what to use? Here are some ideas from previous threads: Lial's BCM or Pre-Algebra, Saxon 8/7, NEM 1, or DM 1. Other suggestions welcome, but I'm looking for a secular text.

I don't have any advice for you about the Spielvogel text, but I am planning to combine the early modern/modern years into one as you are wanting to do. Of course you'll have to take this with a grain of salt as my plans are for next year, so they are still unproven.;). I'm planning to use the k12Human Odyssey vols 2 and 3, which will take a bit longer than our school year, so we will do some over our summer. We are doing History Odyssey Medieval this year, and I opted not to try to combine two years of that into one. I think you would have to cut out quite a bit to make it fit, or spend a lot of time on history. So, it partially depends on how much time your son wants to devote to history work. My kids are interested in a more streamlined approach to history at this point. I hope to keep it simple as far a scheduling, but still meaningful as I think the k12 texts are good. I'm combining for the same reason - I want to fit a year of American History into our rotation.

:iagree:We have a tree down in our backyard that fell on part of our fence. We heard the storm, but didn't go downstairs. We probably should have, too. I totally remember the New Years's Eve tornado in 2010. We left town in the morning with lovely weather, and by the time we got to our family's in IA, a tornado had hit. If you don't like the weather in MO, just wait until tomorrow!

Catholic, classical with a bit of traditional as they get older. We do lots of outside activities, and try to incorporate service. I guess you could say we have a work hard, play hard philosophy, here.

Congrats! Hope you enjoyed your movie night!

I vote for Noah, but I may be biased because I have one! If we had more boys I would have liked Micah and Jonah. I also love Ezra, but you've got that one! I think Asher and Silas are great, too.

:iagree: These weren't available when we started, but I would have been really tempted by them if they had been! I also suggest looking at The Latin Centered Curriculum if you want a streamlined classical approach. We have done WTM from the beginning and have been satisfied with our experience. Looking back, though, I think the LCC might have been a better use of our time in early grades.

My ds will be finishing SM 6 this year. He's done well with the series in general, but I feel like attention to detail is one area he could improve. We are planning to move on to Videotext for Algebra, so now I need to decide if he's ready for that next year in 7th grade, or if I should plan a year of pre-algebra type work. If so, what should we use? Any thoughts on programs that work well after SM? Or should we just jump in with Videotext? He will finish in early May, so I will have the summer to do a review or possibly a pre-algebra mini course as an option, too.

I went to college in Iowa (near Des Moines), and the winters are brutal! Also, I don't think it's a swing state, is it? I'm thinking it's usually blue.

We have always done a four day week. On Fridays my kids go to enrichment type classes, a fitness class, and have piano lessons. I can count those things as homeschooling hours, but it gives me a break. Next year mine will be 5th and 7th, and I think we will need five days to get everything in. Seeing the age of your kids, I think you could definitely consider a four day week. And no, we do not school year round. I do assign review work for over the summer(about an hour or two), but we manage to finish our curriculum from August to May. That may change as we get into junior high/high school, but when they are young I want them to be able to enjoy a fun summer.

I have heard such good things here about MM, that it was my first thought when I started thinking about this. So today I went to the website to check it out. I was kind of bothered by some terminology that I saw, specifically "borrowing across zeros". I'm not a fan of this term; I prefer to use "renaming". My daughter is a verbal kid, and the terms matter with her. It affects the way she thinks about a concept. She has already learned this concept, but I wonder if this would carry over into other areas, "reducing" fractions, for example? That's what inspired me to start this thread, actually. Maybe I should go back and take another look at the MM site.

I know the standards vs. US edition question has been discussed before, and I have read many of those threads in the past. My question is slightly different, in that I have already used the entire US series with my oldest, who is finishing 6B right now on grade level. He is quite mathematical, and it has been great for him. My main concern is that for 5th and 6th grade I have not found the HIG's to be particularly helpful. In my son's case he usually teaches himself the concepts with the text/workbook. He rarely needs an alternative explanation from me to understand the material. However, I'm not sure about my dd, who is currently in 4B also on grade level. She requires more explaination, which is fine right now, but I'm not so sure about levels 5 and 6. I would prefer more help teaching those levels. Is the HIG so much better in standards edition that it would be worth switching for her? Also, would the switch be smooth or would there be many unfamiliar concepts from earlier in the series? She is very good with basic operations, knows all her facts, but is easily frustrated. I really want the next two years before pre-algebra and algebra to go smoothly for her. Will a switch to standards help? Or should I consider another program altogether?

I have done a few of the GSA books and have different opinions of each one. I did the chemistry one (can't remember the exact name right now) when dc were in 1st and 3rd. We loved it that year. My 1st grader was a girl with great fine motor who loved to cut, so the scissors weren't a problem. We used them in conjunction with RS4K chemistry level 1. It was a good combination, because the GSA reinforced the information in RS4K, and the lap book activities helped them retain. We could go back and easily look at the lap books for review. The book made four lap books that you then connected to make a cube. It was a nice project by the end of the year. This year I have ds6th and dd4th going through three earth science/astronomy GSA books. I knew they would be light for this age without a lot of stretching, but I'm ok with adding on to a program, so I went with them. This year I have DK Smithsonian Earth and Universe to use as a spine for reading and notebook pages. We also use Usborne Science Encyclopedia for reading and exploring the links online. With their ages this year the online aspect has been very fun for them. The GSA books I have this year don't make lap books like the chem did. They make several tab type books instead, which are ok, but not like one main project. I guess I feel like we could have just used our spines, done the online stuff, and made our own notebook pages or outlines without the GSA books this year. I haven't liked the hands on as much this time around. I probably would have been better off with a Van Cleave experiment book plus the resources I already mentioned. I think it was a combination of the specific books I used and the age of my dc that made the difference.

I can't find anything specific. My dd has an April birthday, so we are anxiously awaiting the opening, too.

Thanks for the clarification everyone. I looked on k12.com and Amazon, but thought maybe I was missing them. I actually like the look of the pages for the second book. I still want to use volume three, so I guess I'll have to make up my own schedule and assignments/questions. Just when I think I finally have something all figured out...

Does anyone know if the student pages and teacher guide are available for book 3(1914 to the present)? I'm planning to use book 2 and 3 to finish out our world history next year. I have student pages and teacher guide for book 2 but can't seem to find them for the third book. Thanks!

I'm not surprised. I always wanted to be a teacher. As a child I thought helping friends with their homework was actually fun. When I got to college I spoke to an advisor about declaring a major, and I indicated that I was interested in education. She looked at me with surprise and said that I didn't have to be an education major because my test scores were good (I think my ACT was a 31/ can't remember SATs). I couldn't believe it! I found my education classes to be very easy and graduated with a 4.0. My hardest classes were probably for my minor in German.

I just started back at the gym today after four years of very off/on workouts. I had my knee scoped and never got back in a routine. I'm really motivated this time, and my kids are more independent, so I'm hoping to stick with it. I did a 45 min step class with light weights, and it was great to be back.:D