I bought TQ years ago, but struggled to implement it. I kept getting hung up on the book list, thinking I had to use those specific titles to "do it right." Fast forward to now....my youngest kids still homeschooling are 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. We are using a CM living books approach for history (using Ambleside Online mostly), and reading the TQ commentary to go along with our studies. We do not use the book list, though it is fantastic. I just read the commentary as it applies or fits into our living books history studies. We've really enjoyed using it this way. In regard to Government, I'd treat it as an elective and purchase materials separately to cover it. I don't think there's enough within TQ for credit....I may be wrong on that, but for what it's worth, that's what I did. 😊

Ambleside Online!!! I was looking for the same thing myself, having felt like I tried a lot of All-in-One types, and never finding a good fit for my family. It's frustrating to try to fit my kids into someone else's idea of what school should look like. Finally finding AO and taking the time to understand how it's set up helped me to find an amazing (free, or mostly free) curriculum I can tailor to what we want and need. Give it a look....hope you find what you're looking for! :)

They are supposed to take a year each, but could go faster depending on your student. Yes, both are prealgebra.

I used CLE 7 & 8 with my oldest, and it was solid, but took him forever. For my younger ones, we're using Principles of Mathematics, Book 1 & 2. Very solid, and prepares kids very well to jump into an Algebra 1 text like Jacob's or Foerster. We are finding the lessons very manageable, and even enjoyable! ;)

I came across an old Sonlight IG for (from 2010 I believe...) that correlates the chapters from SOTW 3, George Washington's World and Abraham Lincoln's World. (SL has since dropped the Foster books from those cores.) I think it skips over the repetitive sections in the Foster books, but includes all of SOTW, which is what I was after.

Does anyone know if there exists a schedule for combining SOTW 3 with the Genevieve Foster books (particularly George Washington's World, and Abraham Lincoln's World as they cover the same time period as SOTW 3)? I'd like to include American History studies in with our SOTW 3 and 4 over this year and next. Does anyone know if there is a schedule for these resources, or know of any other books to use along with SOTW 3 for a good American History coverage? I've also wondered about All American History....thoughts on that resource? We'd love to just add something on to SOTW 3 as our younger kids really love it. Thank you!! :)

TG&TB have samples on their website for the new high school language level. I can't speak to whether it's enough for your student, but it looks like a great fit for my rising 9th grader for next year. I preordered and am looking forward to its arrival when it's released June 18th. Best wishes! :)

I'd love to hear some thoughts on teaching history. A little background.....we've been using HOD for a number of years with one year of Sonlight, and one year of MFW in there (a long time ago), but mostly HOD over the last 10 years. We're graduating our oldest this year, and next year I'll have kids in 11th, 9th, 7th, and 5th grades. My 11th grader is already set to use Notgrass Exploring America (per his request). For the rest, I'm feeling a bit of a pull to do something else (instead of HOD) for history. In a way I'm nervous to go with something different, but I know we need to do something less overwhelming timewise. HOD has been so good in a lot of ways, but we struggle with some days having very long readings, and so many parts of the history to accomplish each day. Though I have adapted it at times, it's not always easy to do. I love the CM living books aspect, and definitely want to stick with using lots of good books, but just don't want our days to feel so rushed and overwhelming trying to get everything done each day. I've looked at so many options recently, and am wondering if at this point I should make up my own thing. One thing I loved about HOD (and some others) was the open and go nature of it (I just plain don't have time to pour into designing a plan right now). I love the Christian aspect to HOD, love the books and CM type assignments/activities, but we just can't seem to keep up and are finding it to be too much. I want our day to be a bit more balanced, but don't want to lose quality....is this possible? Some days I think we should just use SOTW or MOH and just add in books. Other times I'd love to get a SL Core and have fun reading together again. When we did that, we missed our HOD-type assignments, and with HOD we miss the time spent enjoying books. And round I go.... It may very well be that I'm over thinking this, but I guess I'm just looking for ideas and perspective. Thoughts or advice welcome! ;)

Last year we made the switch from CLE to MUS. It was a great decision, and I'm so happy with how it's going. The main deciding factor for us was that my kids just needed a little more time spent with the topics to really cement them in their minds before learning a new topic. MUS allowed them to learn (& really understand) concepts well. They still incorporate review and practice, but it's much easier to customize how much time you spend learning each concept. There's a lot more to MUS than meets the eye. It builds a very solid foundation, and prepares kids well for upper level math. Definitely do the placement tests to determine the best place to start, and don't worry if it's a level or two lower than you think you should start at. It's easy to accelerate through the levels once they get going. It's been a great program here. Best wishes! ;)

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I'm considering using the Constitutional Literacy course by Apologia (5 dvd series w/ accompanying workbook) for my 11th grader next year. Is this enough to qualify as a half credit government course, or would I need to add something to it? In my research, I've read some conflicting opinions on it, and thought I'd ask here. I also own A Noble Experiment (another dvd & workbook gov course), as well as Whatever Happened to Justice, which I used for my oldest child's government course last year. It was *okay* and got the job done, but for my next student I'm looking at other options. I've considered doing the Constitutional Literacy course along with just watching the Noble Experiment dvds (without the workbook). This student is mildly dyslexic and learns best through audio/visual. If I go this route, I'd still have him do discussion, written narrations and essays based on questions within the course. Thoughts or advice? Thank you! ;)

Now, how did I not see that! Lol! :) And you're very right, as I've seen some of those titles on high school lists as well. Thanks, Zoo Keeper! ;)

I actually have The Power in Your Hands, as it was given to me, but haven't taken a closer look at it yet. I'm going to check out the others you recommended, too. Thanks! :D

This is great! I find it interesting that CAP's W&R is one you linked. We've really enjoyed that program here, but I guess I didn't think it was ok to use at the (early) high school level. My dd will be thrilled, as she really likes W&R. Thanks, Lori! ;)

I really, really hesitate to even say, as I've seen this program get slammed time after time.....not rigorous, bad reputation amongst those who abused the system using it, the list goes on and on.... But, desperate times cause you to look beyond everything you've tried in the past, and venture into new territory. I started out researching for just science, but then expanded that to english and spelling/vocab. I'm not a science person, so something streamlined was definitely in order to help my kids get some science learning that *can* get done. We started using ACE.....now I'm ducking for cover from the flying tomatoes!! ;) I never ever thought I'd use it, let alone like it after all the bad stuff I'd heard, but know what? It's actually really good, and is working great for my kids. A big key is grading it myself and discussing the lessons they're learning. That really cements the information for them. We were always quite Charlotte Mason/lit-based before, and I think that's helped my kids to enjoy this more, as it's more about the reading and the topics for them. They see the filling in of the blanks/activities as a review of info. In the science paces, there's an experiment and/or project in each one, so there's still hands on elements. But, *I* don't have to be the center of the teaching/learning. Using these paces, it's sparked a love of science in our kids and they're doing a lot of research and learning *outside* of school time because it's fun to learn about! Thank you ACE! :) We had been trying to use All About Spelling for a while now, but it depended on me teaching each kid seperately, making our day take forever. The Word Building paces have been perfect for teaching those lovely spelling rules, as well as introducing my kids to new words and meanings. I ended up really, really liking their english paces too as they are quite mastery based which seems to really click with my kids. They learn a new concept and get lots of practice identifying and using that concept, helping them to really understand it better *and* retain it. (We also found MUS to be totally awesome for them in the same ways this year.) So yeah, ACE is definitely NOT popular here at all, but for a couple subjects it's working great for my kids. So much so, that I'm sticking with it for those subjects next year, too. We are still keeping our beloved lit-based history and reading. School is getting done in less time, *with* happy kids and happy mama. I know it's not everyone's cuppa, but what sparks learning and brings success will be different for everyone. Do what brings you joy, and what helps them learn...that's the point! ;)

Thanks so much ladies! :) I really appreciate your replies. Thanks Lori for sharing your experience in using it with your son. That's really helpful to me. ;) I'm relieved, as I was thinking it would be a great fit for her, and didn't want to go back to the drawing board. Lol! ;) This year for writing, she's finishing up IEW-SWI B. Can you recommend a writing program that might pair well with LL8? She writes a fair amount for history, so I want to keep the writing load manageable as she transitions to high school. Thanks so much! :D

I ask this with a little fear and trembling. Lol! 😂 I know many on this board will laugh at this, but would it be *ok* to use Lightning Lit 8 with a 9th grader who's not had much in the way of formal literature studies or compositions? My rising 9th grader (next year) has been raised on a diet of *just* reading good books and narrating or discussing them. Her writing exposure consists of a lot of written narrations over the years, a level of CAP's W&R, and a year of IEW - Student Writing Intensive B. I'm thinking LL8 might be a good way for her to get her feet wet, and transition easier to high school lit studies. I think she'd be delighted to study the lovely book choices in LL8, and I could even beef it up with a few extra books I've been planning to have her read next year, too. She's recently fallen in love with reading. I was going to go with HOD'S literature included in the World Geography guide (which she will be doing for history next year). They use BJU Lit 9, plus reading 5 novels (A Lantern in Her Hand, Persuasion, Anne of Avonlea, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Little Women). Would it be crazy to do LL8 instead of the BJU 9? My older boys did the BJU book, and they were often lost on the minutae that was asked for in the assignments, and often the lit selections didn't interest them. This dd does not plan on going to college, but if she changes her mind it would probably be at the local technical/community college. Is this crazy? Has anyone else done this? Thank you! :)

Thank you, Paradox5. This was what I was thinking I read somewhere about BJU's Lit 7. Thanks for the suggestion to look into Lightning Lit and Mosdos. I like the looks of Mosdos, but a bit more than I'd like to spend. I'm considering Lightning Lit 7 for her. It looks like a good transition to high school lit studies.

VERY true!! ;) This is our 13th year homeschooling, and we'll be graduating our oldest of five kids this spring. I feel like I've tried it all. This past fall, I felt like I'd finally landed on our *perfect fit* of what was the best for us. Know what?? It was all great, except it exhausted us to do every day. With two kids having surgery on top of all the hubbub of the holiday season, I waived my little white flag, and streamlined to a curriculum that I'd never have guessed I'd ever use. The best part of it all was that they absolutely loved it, and are learning more than ever before.; ) It's sparked a huge love of learning, and brought more peaceful school days. So yes, I'm shaking my head in agreement with your post.....THANK YOU!! :D

In planning for next year, I'd like to do a bit more structured reading/literature year for my dd. We've been doing several years of just reading regular books (Heart of Dakota's reading book packages) and oral narrations and discussing. She'll be a *young* 7th grader next fall. I'm trying to decide whether to get BJU'S 6th or 7th grade reading/Lit set for her. I have the 6th grade level here that we used with an older sibling, so I'm familiar with the content and style of the program. In looking at online samples of the 7th grade program, I can't seem to get a feel for the content, or the types of assignments given. I know they no longer have a workbook after grade 6. Can someone share a bit more about the 7th grade level? Would the selections be okay for a slightly sensitive younger 7th grader? What types of assignments are included in this level? Thanks so much! :)

If you like what you're using, and it's working well, I'd stick with it. It sounds like your supplements are helping too, so I'd just keep rolling along with what's working! Best wishes! ;)

Several years ago we used MUS for a year. My kids LOVED it, but I listened to the naysayers about how it wasn't rigorous enough. Fast forward to this year, and we've been using if again (after trying to find a good fit with everything else out there), and I'm realizing I should have just stayed with MUS all along. My kids still love it, and best of all its giving them a firm foundation in math learning. They are doing SO much better with something they *get* instead of all the other programs we tried that were supposedly better. They aren't better if your kid hates them, there's tears, and it doesn't get done. I'd encourage you to stick with MUS and let your little one enjoy learning math and have fun with it again! Best wishes! ;)

I'm following along with your question, as I'm curious too! :D We've used Heart of Dakota for a long time and love it, but struggle with a few aspects. I keep coming back to the fact that I like it better than anything else out there, and it seems to fit us best, so I'm looking forward to reading your responses! ;)

My younger readers have really enjoyed Little Pilgrim's Progress. Then later when they're older we do an in depth study of Bunyan's classic, Pilgrim's Progress.

Yes, the read alouds connect to the history, and if your kids are only one grade apart, I'd think you could easily combine them. I'd give a look at their placement chart too, but as long as you're willing to adapt if needed, it could work. Best wishes! :)