When I look at all that is included with Illuminations, it doesn't seem that expensive to me for what you get. In Illuminations 3 High School there are 23 study guides which are worth $14 individually, and they are excellent guides, IMO. If you weren't after literature guides, then it would be pricey. About the comment about purchasing the materials that go with Illuminations making it expensive - I have to buy those materials anyway, whether or not I use Illuminations, so it doesn't seem fair to add that to the cost of the program and then call Illuminations expensive. The literature selections seem to be pretty standard library fare, at my library anyway. No, I haven't used Illuminations but am leaning toward it. Year 3 High School samples were posted on their website today after I asked for some samples to be emailed to me.

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No, I haven't heard of that brand before. www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com

Young Living’s Thieves oil blend includes clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon, and Eucalyptus radiata. You can read more HERE. www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com

Thieves is an essential oil blend produced by Young Living. It is based on the protective concoction that thieves used to prevent getting sick when they burglarized houses that were contaminated with the Black Plague during the 15th century. We use it when we are traveling to new places with "bugs" that are new to us, or when we are around people who are sick, or when we feel sickness coming on. It works well.

Garlic oil in the ear canal works great. A drop of Thieves essential oil or Tea Tree essential oil twice a day behind the ear might also do the trick.

Thank you for the info on SMARR. I hadn't heard of that publisher before.

:bigear:

The site you mentioned looks like a great source. Thanks! We do have a Western Civ book in-house!

We did this one year, too. Such fun. Two years later my daughter still wears the Laura Ingalls dress I made her. Beings it had no waist and was quite full, it has only gotten shorter in length but still fits. We served the luncheon on speckled tin plates and drank from tin cups, although the speckle part probably wasn't authentic...? We also made corn husk dolls, and one of the gifts she received was a paper doll set. www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com

I'm looking for ideas for 10th grade history, preferably literature-based but with a solid high school level spine. I've been searching a lot and can't seem to find just the right fit. Maybe you know of a curriculum that is a little less known than the big names? For various personal reasons we have ruled out the following - Veritas Press, Sonlight and MFW - and I am not wanting to go into the whys and wherefores of that decision. I know they are all great programs, just not for us this year. Your ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks so much! www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com

You can learn more about what Ellie is talking about by viewing this video on You Tube. I saw the entire video at a local homeschool association meeting, and it was very enlightening. Our homeschooling journey: www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com

I recently started my 4th grader in Level 1. Much of it is way too easy, letter sounds, but there are a few letters she didn't know all the sounds of (O and Y), and there are two rules so far introduced that she learned afresh. She is having fun with the magnetic letter tiles and doesn't mind a bit that much of it is beneath her level. I hope she develops a love for spelling like a previous poster's son did, simply because it started out so easy. I'd start at the beginning. It will also help you as the teacher to get the program going. The learning curve for you is not too much, IMO. I'm thinking/hoping it has good resale value because I couldn't find one used, because at the rate we are zipping through (2 lessons per day), we'll go through a level in three weeks until she catches up to her personal level. Homeschool blog: www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com Quilting blog: www.busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com

My DD, age 9, started AAS Level 1 recently, and we're doing two lessons a day four days a week to get her up to where she needs to be. We started at the beginning to be sure she has a firm foundation, and there are things she is learning even though much of it is review. We'll be done with Level 1 in 12 days total and move on to Level 2 and will move at this pace until she settles into her appropriate level. We spend about 10 minutes a day on two lessons, but that will change at the higher levels as we are breezing over much of it now. So, I'm probably not much help to you! Homeschool blog: www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com Quilting blog: www.busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com

Fifth grade plans for 2011: Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ Drawn into the Heart of Reading...(maybe) Apologia Zoology 3 Growing with Grammar All About Spelling Write with the Best Math-U-See Sign Language Spanish Piano Violin Homeschool blog: www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com Quilting blog: www.busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com

You didn't mention what grades you are looking at using. As for class length, elementary spelling is between 7 and 15 minutes (depending on if it is a test day), English is 15 minutes, and all other elementary and middle school classes (history, math, science, reading) are 30 minutes in length. High school science is a 45-minute video, and I can't remember if all of the other high school classes are 30 or 45 minutes. I am thinking high school Spanish was a 45-minute class. We didn't use high school classes, but I did have an opportunity to watch the classes as they came in on the satellite. Oh, how I really wish my kids would be open to using them! www.heartsforhomeschooling.blogspot.com

We used BJU HomeSat for two years before BJU terminated the satellite program. The current DVD classes are the same setup as what was broadcast over the satellite, but some of their class videos have changed as editions have been updated. We used grades 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 over those two years. I have three kids. The classes are very fun, especially in the lower grades, and very educational. There is a lot of info in the videos that is not in the textbooks. They really round out the books. We LOVED grade 1; the reading instruction is exceptional in that grade. I learned a lot about phonics rules that year, too! We have been away from BJU Video classes for two school years now, and sometimes when I asked the kids where they learned something that I was amazed they knew, they say, "BJU!" We started using it in our second year of homeschooling because I was really struggling with homeschooling at the end of the first year. I felt led to BJU, and it was an excellent fit for those two years. It was the key to getting homeschooling on its feet in our home, and without BJU HomeSat, I would have really struggled to continue homeschooling, and I'm not sure I could have continued. It made homeschooling doable for me. We ended it after two years because the kids were simply DONE with video classes. They felt they took too long to complete - 30 minute videos, then some reading, then workbook. It all added up to too much time for them. They would much rather have their noses in a good book than watch a lesson, but I do miss the ease it gave me! We have used Sonlight over the past two years, and they have enjoyed all the books very much. BJU fit a need in our home for two years, but it's not for us now. Choosing it for a year doesn't mean you're stuck with it forever, but I know it is a lot of money to put out when you're not sure (but then piecing together your own curriculum can quickly add up as well). And with BJU you wouldn't have to make up much of a schedule - it's just "do the next lesson." If you do choose video classes, be sure the children get outside everyday on a regular basis for their health. One natural provider has told us we need twice as much time outside as we are in front of a screen. You mentioned not doing every class that is included in a grade, and that is also a real option and would lessen their screen time. I'd also recommend being flexible and don't be afraid to skip lessons if they already know the material or to fast-forward through slower parts of the video (review) if possible.

We have used Easy Grammar for several years, and this greatly improved one child's tests scores from 44 percentile to the 90s over a two-year span. That was for a child between the ages of 12-14. One child just began Growing with Grammar 4 - no opinion on it, yet. There is more instruction for the student in this program than in Easy Grammar, which is why we're trying it out. This child needs more instruction. We have also used Christian Light Education CLE books which are very thorough. My opinion is that grammar is not necessary each year for the whole school year unless a child really needs that much instruction in it. We have taken two years to complete a level of EG by stopping it mid year. But there are children who need more consistent review to really get it.

The label "organic" does mean an item is non-GMO. This is part of the organic definition. I vote for Trader Joe's organic tortilla chips and organic Little Dippers. The Little Dippers taste just like Fritos Scoops, really! Also, I talked to the manager at Trader Joe's and verified that any item with the Trader Joe's label on it does not contain GMO ingredients, preservatives, or artificial colors or flavors.

For us, it depends on the child. The one who can self-regulate and gets his school work done without much prompting doesn't have a set time on electronics. The other one who would likely never do school without prompting and would play electronics or be on the computer all day if allowed is restricted to one hour per day, after all school work is done and checked. Then there is another who doesn't require monitoring at all because it's not her cup of tea.

You can also find long skirts for girls at www.etsy.com, a website with handmade items for sale, and you'll most likely be supporting home-based businesses. Some of the sellers will do custom orders in the size you need, as well.

You might also look at the free lapbooks at www.Homeschoolshare.com. They have many animal lapbooks, and they are very well made.

We're using Apologia General Science. My son's comprehension of the Apologia text improved dramatically when we added the audio CD. He follows along in the book as it is read to him. We also began using the lapbook from Knowledge Box Central that coordinates with the Apologia book, and this hands-on activity also helped him understand it. My son leans toward the ADD side as well, and adding the CD and the lapbook improved his module test scores from 60s to 90s on the very next test.

Thank you, Julie in MN. My assessment of MFW ECC not being enough for grades 7-8 was based on NOT using the supplemental materials for that level. I had too much on my plate to implement more curriculum at that time. You users who have used it for those grades are much better judges than I in that regard. Beth, Will look at Runkle again, which I did a few years ago, and it wasn't right at that time, but it might be an option now. What I am discovering about my son is that he really enjoys researching things and looking them up on his own, so Trisms might be a good fit as that is very research based, and it has IEW writing scheduled right in.

Thank you. We did MFW ECC this past year already.