This is my first year homeschooling my 8th grader and I purchased Chalkdust based on recommendations on this board. My daughter always got a's in school in math but even then I would have to "re teach" her the concept when she got home. She still has problems with positive/negative integers and order of operations but as soon as I see that she is not understanding the concept, we stop and do more problems. I don't really think her "problems" are due to the program, but to the subject matter. I like the videos but I know there are times she "tunes out" so, like someone else mentioned, I will stop the video to make sure she gets is paying attention. Then, if she gets it wrong later, I remind her that she learned it on the video. I was never a math person, yet here I am understanding algebra more than when I was in school. I think for some kids they just need to practice a lot before the concept sinks in.

Thanks, I thought it should be but "answer key" didn't list it.

The sentence from Easy Grammar is: That small child often falls down on his roller skates. Down is listed as an adverb in the sentence, but should often also be labeled an adverb in the example? Thanks!

ISBN 0-03-046227-4 I just purchased this for my daughter. She studied physical science last year so I enrolled her in Kolbe earth science for 8th grade. I can't give any reviews yet since we haven't started school yet. :)

I read Gatsby about ten years ago and never loved the book; however, my son read it last year (10th grade ps) and simply loved the book! He couldn't understand why the book never appealed to me.

I guess you could say I have two children that fit into the "growth delay" category. However, I have to agree with abbeyej that growth delay is a separate issue from emotional maturity. My son, when in elementary school, was the smallest in the class but preferred being around older kids because he could communicate at their level. (In scouts he hung out with the older boys and they accepted him easily). I will also add that he was never bullied in school but when he was in about 7th grade I worried that since some of his friends were so much bigger they could hurt him by accident if they were getting rough or physical in sports. I'd say about the end of 8th grade (and he was a young 8th grader due to his late b-day) he started growing. I'd say he's pretty average now in high school but probably has more growing to do. My daughter has always been extremely petite but I seemed to notice the size disparity more with her since many of her friends started developing by 5th grade. I think she is content with her size but perhaps is a bit intimidated by some of the boys who are also quickly maturing and some are quite tall. (She is now 13 and is starting to develop but last time she was weighed was maybe 75 lbs).

I am so glad to be reading this thread! My daughter has had "school anxiety" for years. Every year there was something at school that made her stomach ache and often she would get sick certain days (like gym days or days she had to make a presentation). Last year, (7th grade) was like the bottom dropped out and she began having panic attacks going to school. The thing with anxiety is that if the child gets extremely upset, often it will affect other areas of their life. I noticed she began getting nervous about things unrelated to school. I didn't want this to happen since she really isn't a shy person and has many friends with which she socializes. However, something about getting into the school was like climbing Mt. Everest. Since last year was so stressful on her (and me) I decided to look into hs. I found a therapist who, not surprisingly, disagrees with me. I have told him (much like a previous person posted) that I think she needs to take babysteps and once she realizes she can handle small things she may be able to later handle school. I just don't think she can handle all the stresses that will come with all day school (including all the teenage drama). I have enrolled her in a co-op one day a week. I am stilled a bit unsure of everything (even though I've ordered all my curriculum) and my dh is still on the fence.

I will just reiterate what everyone else has said....she is doing great! When my son was that age the pediatrician told me that kids that talk early are not more intelligent - its no different than kids that have a full head of hair early. The key is, as long as the child UNDERSTANDS what is being said, then he/she is ok. My son did not talk early like others in his playgroup. However, we could just see the wheels turning in his mind. He understood a lot, and would often pantomine when he wanted something. If he wanted to know the name of something he would point, nod his head then (without him saying the word) point again until he moved on to the next object. btw he is very smart and by 3 or 4 was easily putting together 400 piece puzzles......In a few years your sister might be eating her words.

Like other posters, I also went to Catholic grade school as well as high school. However, our experiences would be much different from this generation. Kids, in general, are different as we all can attest. Both my children went to Catholic elementary school and then when my son was ready to go to high school I decided on public high school for a variety of reasons. I know that someone mentioned that they would prefer one sex school but I felt differently. I felt that he needed to be around both boys and girls as that is what he will have to be used to in college and beyond. I also wanted him to be used to speaking with girls regularly. He is not distracted by the girls and has performed great academically. Another person that mentioned all girl school is correct. The girls at the private school near us are boy crazy and you wouldn't believe some of the stories I hear about their "extracurricular" activities. So, in the end, the kids at both private and public are very similar. The difference though (depending on where you live) is that there are higher expectations at the private high schools. Many kids in the public school don't perform well if they don't have parents making sure that they strive to do their best. Not sure if this helped but hope it did. Good luck

My DS started reading HP when he was in second grade so I guess he was around 7 or 8. We were going to read it together but I guess I was busy around the house so he just decided to read it by himself. He has read all the books but now at (almost) 16 does not seem inclined to read them again. DD has not expressed any interest in reading them.

I have a daughter who will be in 8th grade this fall. I am trying to find a grammar program for her and stumbled across many posts regarding easy grammar. My question is, on their website, they have an Easy Grammar Grade Plus but not a specific book for gr 8; however, when I googled easy grammar, there are some books out there specifically for her grade level. Did the company replace the junior high books with Easy Grammar Plus? Thanks

I would never let a 4 and 2 year old roam free. In fact, where we live, I don't think I've ever seen it. Parents are always with their little ones at the park - they never run free. You are def. not overprotective!

I, too, am going through the same emotions! I have decided to hs my daughter next year for 8th grade since 7th grade was entirely too stressful for her (and the rest of the family). My dh isn't totally on board yet but in my heart I know its the right decision. I haven't confirmed to my daughter my decision since I know she will suddenly become nostalgic and want to return for her last year. She will likely conveniently forget the daily stomach aches, etc. that she dealt with throughout the year.

I am a newbie to the board - I am considering homeschooling my daughter next year (8th grade) and am putting a curriculum together. My question is, how does everyone handle testing? Do some of the resources, such as Chalkdust for math, provide tests with their material or do you design your own tests based on the information they learned in the lesson? I am also unsure of a good source for history. I never liked the social studies books she had at her parochial school since they skip around so much; the students never really learn any period in history very well. Thanks so much! I am learning a great deal by exploring the other posts.

Thank you for all your suggestions - sorry if I didn't post in the right area. I thought about hiring a tutor for math since she will be in algebra next year and even though I can help, I want to make sure she learns it well. I will definitely read your book suggestions which should hopefully point me in the right direction.

I am new to these boards :)! My daughter has always suffered from school anxiety but this year (7th grade) has been the worst ever. She is a perfectionist and worries about everything. Even though she has an A in every class, she worries about tests and says she feels overwhelmed. She has not started a new school in junior high, as her school is 1-8. I don't know if its the school work, the girl drama or just hormones but mornings have been extremely difficult and she has missed many days and mornings this year. I don't think I can deal with this again next year as her moods/panic attacks put me on edge. I am seriously considering homeschooling but don't know where to start. So far much of her anxiety is just due to school, but otherwise she is a fairly normal, social girl. I don't want the school phobia to affect the rest of her life which is why I'm considering homeschooling. I would like to be prepared for next year if this is the course of action that we decide to take. Any suggestions on how I get started on homeschooling? Thanks so much!