Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll definitely look into outside scholarships. It all seems very daunting.

After getting ds's SAT results yesterday, we wanted to narrow down his realistic options based on his gpa and SAT scores. So, I went on some of the school's sites he's interested in and did their net cost calculator. What an eye opener. Based on what they were estimating, we would not be able to afford most of them. I think hubby makes a little too much money and we have no savings. For those who did those Net Cost Calculators and have children is college, how accurate were the estimates? Should I have ds apply to some of those schools anyway to get a clearer picture? I don't really want him to apply to a bunch of schools we can't afford. What a bummer. :sad: Any advice?

We used Veritas Prep. It did cost quite a bit, $450. There were weekly vocabulary and practice tests and my son did improve his scores on those tests. We'll know next week if it truly worked. He took the June 6th test, with all that debacle, so it will be curious to see what his scores will be.

I'm in the same boat. My middle ds is going off to high school for 9th grade. The other 2 will stay here, but in our area, going to public school is the only way to play competitive sports, and that's what he wants to do. I'm sad.

We used Derek Owens' Physics course. It's distant learning; it is not one of his courses you can purchase. I believe there were about 10 labs. My son liked it. It is Algebra based, if that makes a difference. You can also look at Phil4.com. It is a live online course. We haven't used this course, but we did do his SAT Math Prep. His explanations were clear and precise.

We did it, but our son was in 8th. He wanted to go to school for high school, but he, too has a late September birthday. So "on paper" he did 8th twice, but academically, we kept our progress forward. He starts high school this fall more mature(emotionally and physically), academically confident and just "ready". This is not the same child a year ago.

While I'm not excited that my middle son will be going to high school (9th grade) and my older son is a senior taking is courses at the community college, I'm super excited that my young son (7th grade) and I will have one on one time. He's not super excited, but I think this time together will be fabulous for him. Plus, I'm excited about Jousting Armadillos and Chemistry (NOEO).

Hugs and continued prayer for your son.

I am getting a late start on planning for ds 7th grade year. I want to use Fix It grammar, but I am unsure which book to use. This year he used Hake Grammar 6, so I'm not sure where which book would be a better fit. Any ideas?

I know this often gets overlooked because it looks "simple", but McGruffy Math worked will for my hands-on son and he did MM from 3rd through 5th without missing a beat. In the 6th grade we switched to Saxon 7/6 only because MM became too wordy for him and he began needing more review.

For my youngest ds, Saxon 7/6 without a doubt. His math confidence tanked last year with MM, but this year it has soared through the roof. That's what matters most, to me.

My ds will be taking public speaking at the local community college. That will count as an English credit. IMHO, in any career he chooses, this will come in handy. :001_smile:

DS 12th grade plans: Calculus II - CC Calculus based Physics I - CC World Literature - CC Computer Science - CC Calculus based Physics II (2nd Semester) - CC Intro to Mechanical Engineering (2nd Semester) - CC Dave Ramsey's Personal Finance - Home Art History - Home Calculus III (maybe) (2nd Semester) - CC C++ (in Intro to Mech. Engineering is not offered) - CC This is it for me as planning high school goes. :crying: My middle ds will be entering public high school for 9th grade and my youngest ds will be doing 7th and 8th grade at home and then entering public high school.

Our state restricts the amount a teenager can work a day, but I restrict the days he can work. My son is taking a couple of classes at the CC Monday thru Thur. He is allowed to work Friday-Monday so that he can concentrate on his studies Tues.-Thur. I allow him to work more hours during the summer.

We used Derek Owens Physics class, which was algebra based. It's asynchronous, so the student can go at his/her own pace. My son liked that aspect of it. I thought it was a solid course. There is also Phil4. He offers live courses. We have only used him for SAT prep, but his explanations of the material was very good.

I have heard that Derek Owens's Pre-Calculus course is pretty good. I have no experience with that particular course. Two of my 3 sons have used some of his other courses though, and I have been very pleased.

I would consider my son to have a STEM-heavy curriculum and we fulfilled that with his electives. So while he will take AP Physics C his senior year (or college level Physics at the the CC), he will also take Calculus II next year at the local CC. But his electives include: Intro to Python, Intro to Java, Intermediate Java, Intro to Structural Engineering, Architectural Drafting, and Intro to Mechanical Eng.

Growing with Grammar.

Phil4.com offers interactive courses. We don't have experience with the classes, but my son did his SAT Math Review. He found the explanations clear.

Another option would be Derek Owens. His programs are distant learning, but Pre-Algebra is actually one you can purchase. I think it would prepare your son well for Algebra. We have enrolled in a few of his courses with great success.

My ds is using BYU's Independent study with the teacher component. This entails a weekly hourly session with a TA and a speaking appointment that you make on your own time per lesson. The student would need to be able to skype because the TA wants to see the student's face so that he/she is not reading off of notes. There are 7 lessons per semester which have a speaking component, listening component and written component. It takes about 2 weeks per lesson. We had signed up for Landry Academy's class, but when that was cancelled, I stumbled onto this. I would definitely recommend spending the extra money for the teacher component. It's working for ds and he will continue.

I have three: 17, 14, and 12. I am right there with you. And you're right, it is very intriguing to watch. So much different than an all girls home (I am one of 3 sisters).

Ds soaks his in a listerine/water solution, then brushes it, nightly.

:grouphug: :grouphug: Praying.

I would seriously discourage weight lifting training for an 11 year old. I have 3 boys and none have lifted prior to age 13. My 12 year old wants to, but he'll have to wait a year. I would recommend body weight training only. Here are some ideas: Push-ups (the absolute perfect body weight training exercise). You can google all the different positions there are for push-ups. Tricep Dips from a chair Calf raises of a step Squats (Plyo-metric and static) You can purchase an exercise band and there are a ton of exercises that he can do with it. I would hold off on weight training and spending a bunch of money on classes at this age.