Thank you! This is helpful. I had a bit of programming in high school, first as the last 6 weeks of my Typing class in 10th grade (on TRS 80s if anyone remembers what they are) and then a semester my senior year. Oh, and tiny bit of HTML at one job where I was supposed to update the website occasionally. Ever since then, I'm strictly a user. My DH handles all the computer IT around our house.

I saw a post about that class on here yesterday when I was searching...I think it's only a week or two old. That may be the route we go, but I wanted to look around a bit first. I don't know enough about the different programming languages to know where to start. Java? Python? Basic? I wan't something very rudimentary to test the waters and lay a good foundation. I have no idea whether this will be a life-long interest or just curiosity.

Thanks for the reply. I'll add that to my list of things to check out. Is there anything else out there? I came across a list of free, online computer programming classes in a Google search but I'd prefer something that comes with a recommendation.

What kind of options are out there for computer programming courses? My son is a rising 9th grader. He has no significant prior experience in programming. I saw mention of something offered by The Potter's School and we may go with that. But does anyone know of any other worthwhile resources?

Could you call it something like "Advanced English" or "Intro to Secondary Grammar?"

They belong to the person who originally ordered them, but the original owner may allow someone else to have them if asked politely.

It varies so widely from week to week I debated about whether or not to respond. We always do the mapwork and 99% of the time the discussion questions as well. And we do try to get at least one narration out of each chapter, but that's not set in stone. If we have a week when we aren't particularly busy with appointments, company or other obligations, I do try to get as many of the extra reading books as our library has. If I think about it ahead of time, I'll go ahead and request the books for the next chapter or two as well. Once they're in the house, I'll either direct the kids to pick something out to read for a little while during a break or at bedtime, or I might choose something to read during lunch. But once the books are due back at the library, I don't sweat it too much if we didn't get to all of them...or any of them. And of course there are some weeks when I just don't have time to get them, or having gotten them, we don't have time to read them. Or I do have time, but the library doesn't have any of the ones we want. And as far as activities, we did a lot more of the board games and scavenger hunts when DS was younger than we have this second time around. I'd say maybe once a month or so we might do something from the AG. We had a fabulous Greek dinner a while back that I'm looking forward to doing again next year. DS always hated coloring pages but DD loves them so I do print those out for her for nearly every lesson.

We were in a similar situation with DS a year or two ago. We tried the free trial of ALEKs.com and I think it was really helpful. In fact, we decided to go ahead and pay for it for the last few months and will probably use it again in the Fall. I know at least one family who uses ALEKs as their only math curriculum, but we just use it as a supplement. It is online, so that may be a drawback if you have dial-up or don't want the kids on the computer. But after the initial assessment, it has a pie chart that shows kids how much they have accomplished and where they need more work. Oddly enough, this was hugely motivating for DS. He wasn't just being forced to do problem after problem, he could see what he needed to do and work toward a goal. He could also choose what area he wanted to work on such as fractions, whole numbers, geometry, etc. But sometimes ALEKs will say the student needs to work on another area for a while, or that he isn't ready to do more in a topic until another area has been completed. So if you just need to shore up basics or figure out where the problem areas are, ALEKs might help you.

We watched Dr. Stranglove this year with DS13. He thought it was hilarious and it was pretty clean. There's a scene with a scantily clad woman in a man's bedroom and some milder language, but all in all, pretty good. We've been debating whether or not to watch Forrest Gump and finally decided to go ahead, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. We did watch The Green Berets, but weren't able to think of any other Vietnam movies that would be appropriate.

We have used TT7 and TT4. TT7 was a last resort after DS finally melted down with Saxon 87 mid-year. We did TT7 and Life of Fred. He seemed to like it, but I opted to not continue with Pre-Algebra since I thought the main reason he liked it was the cute little character which I understand is not in the higher levels. DD is low vision and while she did very well with Saxon 1-3, I was concerned that the switch to the textbook in Saxon 54 would be difficult due to the smaller print size. It is extremely expensive to get large print textbooks and I thought having it on the larger computer monitor with the audio component of TT would be a good thing for her. As it is, she began Saxon 1 half-way through kindergarten so she's always been a 1/2 year ahead in math so I haven't really been too worried about whether or not the TT program is behind. We use Life of Fred and ALEKs with DS (pre-algebra/algebra) so down the road that's probably what DD will do as well.

This is kind of embarrassing, but I actually can't remember when we used it. It could have been alongside Homer B or it might have been at the end of the year to fill in the remaining time before moving on to Diogenes Maxim. I kind of think it was the former. I'm not sure that I can give it a rousing endorsement. Perhaps it is my own lack of interest in trope and meter. We worked through all or nearly all of the book (with the core, student workbook and instructor's guide). To my mind it is quite in-depth, but not terribly interesting. FWIW, we have used all of the Classical Writing books from Aesop up to Diogenese Maxim (will begin Chreia next year) and I actually really like the series. But I'm on the fence about whether or not to do any of the other CW poetry books. Blessings!

We used the Earth Science CD a few years ago just as a supplement. I thought I had picked-up one of the Lyrical Life Science workbooks at a used curriculum sale somewhere along the way but I can't find it now. I had considered it as a supplement to our biology studies coming up next year.

Sounds like a great first day...unexpected interruption excepted. When DD was about 3 I sometimes had to remind her not to give DS (then 8) the answers to math questions. It wasn't that he was behind or she was particularly advanced, but she had just heard us go over some of the basic facts so much that she knew them. From the time she was 2 she insisted on doing schoolwork with us so I printed out free worksheets from http://www.learningpage.com/ and she would work on them as much as she wanted to. Then when she got tired or bored she'd toddle off and do something else. Good luck on your homeschooling journey!

bump...

I made a huge list of possible "electives" for my two older ones this past year. I had them rank them in order from most to least favorite choice and tried to choose the top three for each. I envisioned 4-8 weeks on each one, depending on what it was. We didn't do all that I had intended, and some went better than others, but as a result of this endeavor, we actually finished Drawing with Children (only my 3rd or 4th try at that book), DS spent time doing detailed drawings of aircraft and DD did architectural drawing. DD also did music theory through Music Ace. Some of the choices we didn't get to (swimming lessons were put on hold due to finances) and DS's interest in an in-depth study of airplanes and building a model jet engine waned before we got to it on our schedule. DS ended up taking leather-working and wood-working at Boy Scout camp (he had chosen them in the spring for the upcoming year, then had the opportunity to earn those badges at camp over the summer.) I think if you have a local Rec center, YMCA or other similar facility, you may find opportunities for introductory classes in things like fencing, karate, racquetball, art, swimming or other activities which might grow into a hobby and could count for school credit if that interests you. You might see if a local music store offers beginning lessons in an instrument that interests your son. If you rent from the store you can give him an introduction without a major commitment. And if he does decide to stick with often the store will count some part of your rental toward ownership. Perhaps starting a lawn-mowing/yard care business or volunteering to help with a summer camp for younger kids would be a possibility too.

I've searched her blog and the forums (well, a cursory search anyway) and didn't see an estimate. I'm actually looking a few years down the road to 2013. :001_smile: Just curious.

You might also check to see if your local library has it. We are very blessed to have a huge selection from the Teaching Company. That would make it less of a waste if you did have trouble incorporating it.

Some books I read ahead, some I read at the same time (either in audio format or with my own copy from the library) some I rely on my memory of the book from previous readings (high school, college or some other time over the years) and some I just don't get to read. My preference is to read it beforehand, or at least a few chapters ahead of DS. I have looked-up some study notes online when I really had no time to read. But it's possible to discuss readings, albeit imperfectly, even without having read the material. I'll ask DS to tell me what he has read. When I learn that this character did something, I might ask why he did that or why he didn't do something else. It might remind me of another book or movie or real event and I might ask a few leading questions to see if DS makes the same connection. Some books hold greater importance in my mind as well. Some I just wanted a basic familarity with and was more relaxed about the discussion. Others required more in-depth discussion which meant greater preparation on my part.

I don't know if this will help, but on p. 650 of The Well-Trained Mind (revised ed. 2004) there is a suggestion: "...Jessie awarded an A for excellent work and application, a B for above-average work that could have been a little better, a C for meeting-the-gade work, and a D for performance that was much less than the child was capable of doing." Blessings! Suzannah

I am a very visual speller and DS is as well. I used Spelling Workout with him and it was fine. But DD is low vision. She can read but is slow and it can give her a headache if she has to read for very long. So I've been seeking out curricula that would work for her (large print, computer and audio-based.) This is why we tried Phonetic Zoo and honestly, she says it's one of her favorite subjects. I think the guy's voice sounds weird (as the other poster said) and I think it would get rather dull over time. But it is a perfect fit for her. She's in 3rd grade this year, but turned 9 in January. HTH

I haven't read all of the responses, but wanted to mention something that helped us in our house. My kids start Latin on 3rd grade. I so wanted to begin French when my oldest was in 5th. We tried it with PowerGlide in 5th, but he got very frustrated with spelling/reading French words. I decided to wait and try again the next year...and the next...until I realized that he was missing out on hearing the language during the time when he and the younger ones would be most likely to pick up on the accent and vocabulary. So we began using Pimsleur which is an all audio, conversational program. If I think of it, I'll request things in French or point out French words and phrases when we encounter them in books (listening to Little Women on CD now). And I checked out all of the French baby/young childrens books from our library. I even found some French board books (counting, things in the house, opposites) at the library booksale. I figured out a while back that books which have been translated from English to French are often very complicated for beginners to read (with the exception of Goodnight Moon) but baby books are perfect for us. I also recommend a schedule. I make a detailed schedule so I at least have a default position to go to when we inevitably get interrupted. When the kids are K and under, I only try to have them do some math, some phonics and some writing each day (I use a lot of free worksheets). When they are older and have actual assignments, I still prioritize math, reading and handwriting. And I see absolutely nothing wrong with using a CD if you have it for SOTW or anything else. We often listen do read alouds during breakfast and lunch. If I have to read it myself, I eat before or after the kids. But it's nice to be able to just turn on the CD and listen while I eat or take it in the car with us. Hang in there!

DS loves LOF and he definitely doesn't care for math in general. The year he began Fractions (mid-year) was the year we hit a brick wall with Saxon 7/6 and had to make some drastic changes in January. We did our standardized testing in March or April. I didn't have high hopes for math since there hadn't been much time for any of our remediation to take effect. But while his overall math scores were about what I expected, the subsection of Fractions was one of his highest. Definitely a direct result of LOF. "Fractions" will go much more quickly than "Decimals and Percents" and subsequent books. You may find setting a time limit for math works better than saying "do 2 lessons a day."

It doesn't really matter where you start. If you like the books in B4FIAR, start there. But depending on your child you may find there's not enough to keep her attention. FIAR/B4FIAR is intended to be very laid-back, very child-friendly. I'd recommend visiting their forum and reading what a a few people are doing. I actually "did" B4FIAR for a few months before a got the book, just based on what I read others were doing on the FIAR forum. Really, once you do one book, you'll get a feel for how it works. You can definitely bring books up or down, based on the child. As for math, when I did FIAR with older DS, we did math only as recommended in WTM. We practiced counting to 100, skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. We practiced writing numbers and read some math books from the library. He was well-prepared for Saxon 1. In fact, when DD came along, we did the same thing (with the addition of free online worksheets from LearningPages because she wanted to do her own schoolwork). When she turned five I looked at the Saxon placement test to figure out whether we had covered everything she would need to begin Saxon 1 in first grade. As it turned out she was ready, so we went ahead and started. I wish I had done this with DS as well, rather than waiting for him to officially start first grade. For all three kids, beginning at about age 3 or 4, I try to have them do something with letters and something with numbers each day. As they get older I introduce more structure, depending on the child. By Kindergarten, I try to have them practicing phonics, practicing writing and doing simple math each day. Sometimes this is in the form of worksheets (DD loved them) sometimes skip-counting on the stairs (we put numbers on each step). And for Kindergarten I try to really follow a schedule for FIAR, figuring out which books we'll use ahead of time so that we have the book and any extras we might need. Before then, we just pick up and go when we are in the mood, but I try to do a book a week, even if we don't do all the activities or even read it more than once. :) So, hope that helps. Blessings!

This will be my first year using WWE with DD. It wasn't around when DS was at that level so we used CW. If you do decide to switch to CW, and your kiddos are very comfortable with narration, begin with CW for Older Beginners which goes through Aesop and Homer at a faster pace. I used the recommendation on the CW website to decide where to place DS when he was in 4th grade and started him in Aesop B. But since I wasn't confident enough at that time to skip lessons to pick up the pace, we took much longer going through Aesop and Homer than was really necessary. We would have used our time much more wisely and ended up at the same place if we'd just started with CW for OB. Good luck!

I used CW with DS a few years ago and had intended to use it again with DD this year. WWE wasn't around when DS was at that level, but we did the WTM recommendations for the most part. Ultimately I decided that based on our earlier experience with CW, we could, and probably should move through Aesop more quickly than I did with DS. This fits with SWB's recommendation too in the most recent edition of WTM.