Not really. I am leaning toward MFW Ancients for 9th, mostly because it is so well laid out for the student, but I don't know if it will be a good fit for ds. I want him to be more proactive in curriculum decisions, so I may narrow it down to a few options and let him choose. DS loves reading, so Sonlight works well for him, but I'm not sure I would continue it for high school. I would consider something like TOG but I want to keep my younger 3 going with a second year of American History next year so they cannot combine with oldest. I also like how SWB lays out high school history in her lectures.

I have been skim reading this book this week also. My oldest has a hobby that mostly older men are involved in (RC Flying) . One man in particular, who also attends our church, has been emailing him. Dh and I think it is an odd sort of friendship, but I have not really got an intuition either way on this man. Although I am not going to stop this friendship, I feel as though my eyes are more open and I will be watching. Because of the book, I have discussed with ds that NO ONE (except for our neighbor,their grandma) is to be allowed over when we are not home. DS asked, "Even our pastor?" Which I am glad he asked because I was able to relate to him that he should not have any reason to be there when we are not. I wish the book had more practical ways to open ds's eyes to dangers without scaring the carp out of him. The story of the boy who's parents developed the friendship with the man at Little League is the one that most opened my eyes. It is hard not to become a helicopter parent when I read this, but I also want my boys to develop their own intuition.

I am doing Core 3 (I have no idea what letter it is) with a year 2000 IG I bought used about 5 years ago. I am doing this with my 6th, 3rd, and 1st. I debated on getting a newer IG with all the questions, but I feel it is much more flexible without them. I have an entire shelf of American history books because the first time around I did WP American History. I am also doing Core H with my oldest. I bought just the IG new this year. I originally thought I would have him do his own read alouds, but I have enjoyed reading all the read alouds so far and my 6th grader gets to listen also. Oldest is not doing the LA portion, but I do require him to prepare a written paragraph every day on what he has learned. This may not seem like much to some of you but it is a big leap for this kid. I have been reading to Core 3 material after our lunch break, and I read to the oldest at night.

My 11yo is like this too. He has always been like this. He also despises writing anything. It has helped to make a written or computer schedule where he gets to mark things off when he gets done and has a goal to finish to be done for the day. It also helps to have him race the timer to finish something before it beeps. This doesn't work for all children though as my 8yo loses it whenever he is timed. Sometimes it helps to just be near them while they work. Hope you find a solution soon.

My oldest ds (8th grade) is very mechanically minded and I have dragged him through the ARtistic Pursuits program with him since 1st grade. Currently he is starting the 1st Jr.High book and has taken an extreme dislike to it. I think part of it is moody 13yo syndrome, but I think he would be far more interested and enjoyable doing something like the Create - A Sketch material. Artistic Pursuits has been good for him as his free-hand sketches are quite good, but he loves doing drawing with straight edges and clean lines. Do you technical drawing could fulfill a high school art requirement (thinking ahead)? He would be much more engaged doing that.

I am somewhat with my oldest. He is not doing the writing part because he is doing IEW US History 1 with his brother. I am going to try the read-alouds as possible. We are all really enjoying "A Murder For Her Majesty". I am trying to implement it in a little WTM way by adding narration and outlining when possible. I am going to slowly ramp up requirements as the year progresses. Right now I'm teaching him how to read their schedule, and I have him write down a short summary about something he has learned each day. I do the questions with him when possible.

I don't think some kids do well with the "pressure" of answering during a timed event. I tried it with my 8yo perfectionist and he lost it. My 6yo first grader did fine and had fun.

I have the 8th edition Introductory Algebra DVTs and I just popped one into my almost 3yo white Macbook. It worked fine.

I like this. I would still get a guilt trip from it, but I just might try it.

But then she is still running my life. Fact is I am trying to paint my kitchen and get a lot done on weekends. I am torn because I like talking to her, if she will bother listening to me, but coming over every Fri. and Sat night and Sunday afternoon is too much. She sees herself not really as company but just hanging out and eating. She drives DH nuts because she starts to tell of all her problems and most of them are results of bad choices. When he calls her on this she says we are picking on her and, heaven forbid, anyone mention her hoarding problem.

Oh, She would definitely show up if we have company. Last year, I invited my father and brother for a special Father's Day picnic (I do the same for the moms on Mother's Day) and asked her not to come and I did get the guilt trip and she showed up anyway. Headaches, and tired kids don't make a difference because she is really not there to visit with them and if I have a headache she just hangs out downstairs. She does help sometimes but I just need a break. She did watch the kids two weeks ago so we could help MIL with shopping for stuff for her house she is going to be moving to. I think she justifies herself with these types of help.

I usually keep my private life off these boards, but we need help. My mom has been coming to our house Every. Single. Weekend. for awhile now. She comes at dinner-time and leaves as soon as dessert is over. She lives an hour away but has a fixer-upper she is working on and sleeps at that is closer to our house. That is her excuse for coming so often. She does bring food sometimes but rarely helps prepare or clean up. The biggest issue is that the atmosphere of our house changes when she is here. She tells us all her problems and then balks at advice or questioning why she does what she does. She is self centered and takes over when she comes. She brings tons of old food she gets at a senior center and fills my fridge with her stuff. DH has been very good about it, but she drives him nuts too. What makes it harder is that my MIL has been living with us for almost 4 years. She is fine and is good with boundaries, but I think my mom sees this as a "well she's there so I should be too" Help. She has called three times today and left messages. She always wants to know what we are doing this weekend and what we are eating etc. I really want to tell her we need a break, but I don't know how without the guilt trip. Another frustration is that because she is a hoarder she always visits us and never has to play hostess. My kids don't even know where she lives.

My 8yo is notorious for this. One thing that has worked for me is to sit them down and first explain that there is only 1 teacher and that my time is precious and this behavior is very time consuming . I tell them that from now on I will help if they need it, but when they throw themselves they will get their name written on the board along with a sad face (I don't even say anything because I'm usually pretty upset with them at this point). Three of these sad faces and there are consequences such as having to listen to dad lecture them forever or no Wii or computer time. I also mix thing up. Many times I keep a jar of M&M's in our study as a reward for not only good work but a good attitude. I have also found that my 8yo will fall apart over silly things if he is hungry.

I have not used this yet, but I have the teacher book and it refers to the end chapter tests as a review and I am assuming the class would get a different test the next day. It also tells to give another test about half-way through each chapter which I will probably make up my own and treat as a quiz. I think in the homeschool setting that the tests in the book would be fine.

I was the same way a few years ago. Not so much the mood swings because I take a B-Complex vitamin (Shaklee) that I truly believe helps. Two years ago my doctor recommended the Novasure ablation for me because of my heavy periods, my anemia, and the fact that we were done having children. I'm FREE!!!!! I have noticed that I have pretty been edgy lately, but I chalk it up to the fact that I live on sugar and caffeine. I need a intervention in that department. I really hope you find something that works for you soon.

No, I wouldn't say a lot of instruction. I just needed something that did not need me for him to get him started on. When we did R&S, I would go over the teacher review questions with him and then he would read the lesson and we would then go over the class problems together and I would assign him any written work I deemed necessary. With my 4th ds now school age I just cannot do it. With 1 or 2 children I was fine and I liked knowing where he was at, and I learned right along with him. I do like that CLE includes spelling and copy work which are both subjects he needs help in.

I just looked at the CLE website. I guess the references don't start till 7th grade. It is called the CLE English Handbook. I use Rod & Staff through 6th grade and would continue, but I really needed something my oldest could do independently.

If you started a 6th grader with Yr.2 (Middle Ages and Renaissance) then you could finish that cycle through 8th grade and then start Ancients again in 9th working to Modern History in 12th. That would be almost 2 times through the cycle. What's nice about doing Yr.2 with a 6th grader is that if you use a spine like SOTW 2, you can easily add in readers that may have been too hard for younger children. When we did it last year with my 5th grader, I added in many of the SL stories from Core G (6) as they went with our time period. I probably have not read as much as many people here, but I do agree with SWB that even thought the ancient reading is more difficult, the content of modern works may be too much for a 9th grader.

I didn't switch to CLE LA till 7th, but the lightunits have references in brackets and/or parentheses in each lesson which refer back to either where it was learned in the lightunit or where information could be found in the CLE English Handbook.

I have the Middle School Physical Science (not CA version). It has a picture of a boy on a skateboard on the front.

I love these threads too... Math 8th - Finish Auffman Pre-Alegebra and start Algebra 6th - CLE Math 6 , CWP, (both 6th and 8th will check out the Patty Pan Geo) 3rd - RightStart Lev. D and CWP 1st - RightStart Lev. B ENGLISH 8TH - CLE LA 8 6TH - R & S 6 English, Spelling Workout F 3RD - R & S 3, English AND Spelling 1st - FLL 1/2, WWE 1, and SWR 8th, 6th, and 3rd will be doing IEW US History Writing to different degrees History 8th - Sonlight Core H 6th, 3rd, and 1st - Sonlight Core 3 I have decided this will be their reading this year. I need a break from reading programs. Science 8th and 6th - CPO Physical science 3rd and 1st - Chemistry and physics study hopefully using books I used with oldest. I have the REAL Science 4 kids physics, Adventures in Atoms and Molecules, and Fizz, Bubble Flash Art 8th - Artistic Pursuits Jr. High Bk 1 6th, 3rd, and 1st - Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 3 Foreign Language 8th and maybe 6th - Visual Link Spanish. I have done Latin in the past but I think I may do it with the younger 2 next year when they both are ready. Music 8th - Trumpet 6th - Recorder, would love to get him formal piano lessons Electives 8th and 6th grades both do R & S Bible at their level. I have decided to wait till next year for my oldest to do a regular logic program because I want him to finish the Bible study first. 6th grader also will do Liftoff logic this year. I need to update my siggy

I started CLE spelling when my oldest started 7th grade last year. Prior to this, he had done SWR through list Z and a year of Sequential Spelling and he still couldn't spell his way out of a dictionary. I used to be against the "list a week" type spelling but this has really worked well for him. I have worked with him on how to study for a test and I hold him accountable to words I know he can spell. I did the CLE spelling with my 1st grader 2 years ago and he did fine with that alone although, because I had done many years of SWR, I emphasized the rules and phonograms more. I thought the CLE LA was pretty full, I wouldn't add much to it.

Funny, I was thinking the other day about how much they do. They have traveled all over the country and even parts of the world. They don't live to entertain just themselves and they seem sincere. A rare find on television - not that I can watch it anymore. I accidentally ripped the cable connector out of the back of my TV. I didn't play a single sport as a kid and my parents only had two.

I do agree that it was good for him to have a subject that required him to put pencil to paper. That said, I am giving him a break this year from that (constant summaries, outlines, etc.. ) and am having him do the US IEW Theme Based writing along with his younger brother. He did IEW Ancients two years ago and HO was our break from that. After that, I'm sure he will be ready to do something else. He just don't physically like to write, and he has the worst pencil grip but refuses to correct it. I feel like a homeschool failure in that department. I am so grateful for word processing.

I get concerned when I hear people say that HO is not that much writing. (as in my expectations must be way lower) My oldest did Lev. 2 of the Middle Ages last year and he was sick of all the summaries and outlines and papers. His 3" binder was loaded, and he tended to do the minimum possible with the writing. I thought some of the lessons were a lot of writing, but it did ramp up his ability some. I felt like I got quantity but little quality.