This year is our most structured ever. We used to have a routine that we stuck to without times assigned, and I was flexible to change it when things came up. This year we have a lot more outside activities to get the kids to, and I've created a schedule with times for each subject that needs to be covered. I'm surprised to find that it's working really well. I give very little wiggle room, and the kids are actually doing their work better than ever. Most of the other home educators around me are either unschoolers or very unstructured and flexible, and this led me to try to remain quite flexible with my kids. But apparently being structured is the way to go for us. That being said, I don't think I'd be very structured with kids as young as yours. I think routine without strict schedules works best for younger kids. Just keep in mind that everyone is different, every family is different, and each year in a family's life is different. It's great to get advice and feedback here, but remember you know your family best.

Congratulations! We're still finishing out 9th grade for ds. He's completed almost all his work, but has another chapter each in Spanish and Algebra. Enjoy your week off!

I completely agree with Lori D. I've tried high school Spanish at home the past two years because outsourcing isn't an option for us, and it's hard work. I don't think there is a program that the kids can do independently and actually learn from well. When ds was in 8th grade, I had him do Visual Link Spanish. It's not a bad program, but he didn't actually learn a lot of Spanish that he was able to remember and apply. This year he's been doing Breaking the Barrier with Practice Makes Perfect as a supplement, and he is learning, but it's hard work for me. I have to learn it ahead of him and make sure that I have a pretty good understanding so that I can help him. I need to understand it just to be able to correct his exercises, quizzes and tests and show him why what he did was wrong and why the answer in the book is correct. If you can't outsource (community college or online course) and don't want to put a lot of time into learning it yourself, try to find a tutor. I'm hoping to find a tutor for this coming school year just to save myself some time and effort.

Good idea, Barbara. I'll give him a practice test to help me decide how important it is for him to pursue taking the proper test. Julie, I don't know anything about the ACT and was just going to go with the PSAT and SAT exams as that's what I'm familiar with. I will look into the ACT. Thanks.

This is good to know. Thanks. I wasn't sure if it was used for any purposes other than practice for the SAT and scholarships. Glad to know that it's not something that I need to stress out too much about.

Good idea. Thanks. I'll try to find an American school in London from that list that will offer the PSAT.

I went onto the College Board's website and found every school within a 4 hour drive that they say offers the PSAT. I've contacted all six of them. Two I still have to hear back from, but all the others say that they offer the SAT but not the PSAT. Is there some other way for an American citizen living in the UK to take the PSAT other than flying back to the US for a few days, which seems a bit extreme? Is it offered on military bases perhaps? Anyone else have experience with this? And if there is no way for ds to take the exam here, should I worry about it? How necessary is the PSAT?

Thanks, mumto2 and Pod's mum. I'll add these to the list. I used to love Agatha Christie as a teen as well.

I don't suppose you still have these saved on your computer and are willing to e-mail them to me? These look fantastic. Thanks. I've saved them to bookmarks. I've searched through past posts on CP, but never found the post about exams. Thanks so much.

This a great idea. I had forgotten all about him. I remember reading Asimov when I was in middle school. Thanks.

I got mine used too, but it didn't come with a test bank booklet. I guess I'm going to have to try to track one down. Thanks.

Okay. Seriously. I'm not pushing my kids or hot-housing them. They asked for more advanced books, I couldn't think of any, I asked for suggestions. That's all. And I'm not even reading the Hihh School Superstars book to get my kid into Harvard, just to encourage him to develop some interests.

bumping... :lurk5:

I totally agree. I've never pushed them into advanced books. I'm only asking because they overheard what I was reading to the teen and asked for adult level books. Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked at MCT in the past and find it intriguing, but it's out of my price range unfortunately. These are some great ideas. Thanks. Ds specifically asked about Sherlock Holmes, but I couldn't remember if they had any inappropriate content. He'll be thrilled to get permission to read these books. And thanks for all the other suggestions as well. We do have loads of fantastic classic literature that the kids can read whenever they like. I'll try to pull some of these off the shelves to highlight them. Thanks!

Yeah, I know. What was that guy thinking? :glare:

A Mediterranean cruise. For me and dh, leaving the kids at home. Oh, wait. You meant something homeschool related. An addition to our house that would be lined with fully stocked bookshelves on just about every wall, leaving only enough wall-space for a couple of windows. A housekeeper and cook who could do science experiments with the kids. And I guess a fully stocked science lab would then be necessary for all those awesome science experiments.

So I've been reading How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport in the hopes that it will inspire my 15yo to develop some 'interestingness.' Last night I was reading the section where he says that the common factor in all students that he knows who scored exceptionally well in the verbal SATs is that they read adult level books starting in the 3rd or 4th grade. My youngest 2dc overhear this and decide that they want to start reading adult books, but I'm at a loss for what direction to point them in because I don't want adult content, just adult reading level. All I can think of is Dickens and Austen. Any other suggestions?

Congratulations! Add my list to the names of those who have treasured many of your posts for their insight and wisdom. I think you should take all that collected wisdom and write a book! After you've had your summer of relaxation.

Ds is going to do this course in the autumn and I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to assign a grade. Any suggestions? eta: So I did a google search for tests for Conceptual Physics and found a website called gobookee.net. They had links to free downloads for tests as well as study guides, syllabuses and other resources. I clicked the link to download the tests and it's taken me to another site called mechplay.net which is requiring me to register. Has anyone used these sites before? Are they above board?

I usually start our new school year either the last week of August or the first week of September, but we don't end our year until sometime in July because we follow (loosely) the British school schedule. So our summer holiday is usually 5-7 weeks long.

This is great to hear. Thanks.

I'd love to hear what you think of them.

It gets good reviews on Amazon, but I was wondering if it's geared more for adults or children. Anyone here used this with 9&11yos?

We have a very small library, and I'm pretty sure that they don't have and TC courses there, but I'll check. Glad to hear that you liked those math courses. They frequently go on deep discounts here (we're in the UK) so I'll definitely add them to my wish list. Thanks.

I grew up in a suburb of NYC and the maps lined up exactly with my pronunciations except for 'roundabout,' but I got that word from living in th UK. I can't believe how specific and accurate it was.