I want to use mct for the grammar section only. After reading lots of threads on this, it seems that both grammar island and sentence island have grammar in them and I should get both. Also, I am planning to get practise island - both student & teacher books. 1. Is this what you recommend? 2. Can I get just the teacher edition of both books (grammar island & sentence island) or do I need student editions as well? 3. How updated are the new editions? Would getting an old edition used be a good option or have they really improved them so that I would want the newer editions? 4. These will be for my younger children. If I want an older child (hs age) to get review for grammar - something she has always struggled with - would you use these for her to read through or would you get a higher level? [cost is a factor for me here]. Thanks for your thoughts!

I am planning on using Land Animals of the Sixth day and want to get a notebooking journal to go with it. I have 3 children I will be using this with - 2 will definitely need / use the junior version. My oldest could go either way - she likes to color and from the sample pages I think it would be ok for her. She doesn't need the primary lines for writing though. But if I get her the main notebooking journal - am I creating a lot more work for me having 2 different journals? (I also have a 5 yr old and 2 others in HS - so I am busy) Any recommendations from those that have used these? Is the junior version way to easy for an 11 year old? Thanks, Lori

In all my years of homeschooling, I never heard of Russian math until last night. Now I am curious! I see Mathematics 6 recommended as a pre-algebra type of course. I have seen another (can't remember name) for geometry. Are there any other upper level Russian math curriculums available - Algebra 1, algebra 2, calculus???? Thanks! Lori

Both of these programs seem good. Tell me why you would choose one or the other. Thanks!

For my first 2 children I was heavy on grammar early on, and then swung the other way to almost no grammar for my 3rd. In MFW, they recommend All In One English for 7th grade - they too are not heavy in grammar in the early years and recommend this book as a good overview. But...I'm not crazy about it. Maybe it's because I don't like grammar - but...I just thought I could get some other ideas here. Any ideas of a good book to teach grammar to a 7th grader who has not had much grammar at all? Thanks Lori

How do you choose the price you are willing to sell your used books for? I want to be fair to the buyer and give them a reason to buy used- but if the book has been read once and is in like new condition - what is a fair price to offer? I know that if money was not an option, I would love to be able to give my books away - but I need to sell books in order to buy others. I used to sell on ebay - but my starting price was always guess work. How do you come up with the price you ask? Lori

Do you take apart books - such as teacher's manuals or a book like BFSU to place in 3 ring binders? Do you find this helps? I have been debating about doing this to some of my books - but .... once it is apart I can't put it back together again so.... Why do you do this if you do? How does it help? Thanks - Lori

For those of you who use both Math U See and Life of Fred - how do you do it? Life of Fred is new to me, my children have been using MUS for quite some time. So 2 questions - which book goes with which book - and how do you schedule the 2 of them? Thanks Lori

I have 7 children. My 2 oldest are in high school. I need help figuring out science with the rest of them. (age 12 on down) For the past 3 years I have tried apologia twice and the one from AIG -(can't remember the name right now). I don't know if it is the material or if it is me - I just can't get excited about it and we end up hardly doing it. With my oldest 2, science was hit or miss. I used Considering God's Creation with them, as well as attempting to follow the suggestions in WTM book. Lack of confidence made me move away from that, but I am still drawn to the method laid out in WTM. I have one that is in the logic stage, then one in grammar stage and 2 just starting out in grammar stage. SO....Is there something that would work with all ages? I keep looking at all the science out there and am getting more confused than ever. I'm willing to do some experiments - as long as they are not too involved. Since science is not my thing, I really need it laid out for me. I hate books that have experiments in them that are really cool to do but have no explanation with them as to what they are seeing/learning. Any advice? Thanks, Lori