My daughter Cindy is almost 11. She is currently doing Sonlight core 6, Voyages in English 6, and a high school level earth science. I have to constantly add books to her reading schedule because she blows through them so quickly-0 and writes a book report on each one. I am switching over to TRISMS for 6th grade and up starting next year. My dilemma is this- Should I put her in History Makers or in the Ancients? Her sister Natalie, who is almost 13, will be in 8th grade next year. She is finishing core 7. They seem to work on about the same level, with the younger one able to do more. My plan for TRISMS was to start teh Ancients with 8th grade and take 2 years to do the Age of Revolution. I would like to keep Nat and Cindy together if I could, because my oldest is a year ahead of them. I am undecided about where to start the two of them. I feel like History Makers would give them a better foundation, but I would have to do it in a year to stay on track. So, any opinions....History Makers or Ancients? Beth

I have used Sonlight along with The Ordinary Parents Guide and First Language Lessons and spelling workout for my elementary school kids. I am wanting something with a better foundation, and I am really impressed with the Phonics Road and am wanting to switch. Hannah is in core 3 with Sonlight and a struggling reader, while Sarah is in core 1 and doing well. If I switched them over, would I start with number one, or can I jump in the middle with 3 for Hannah? Hannah is completing Voyages in English 3 this year. Beth

I ordered the How to Be a Superstar Student on Friday for $19.95. It came THE NEXT DAY via Fedex! I was so impressed with the presentation and packaging of the materials too. I am seriously considering some of the history lectures to use as a resource for TRISMS. I also received another code to get the 70% until March 7th. The only problem is that even with the discount, I want to order over $1000 worth! :)

Thanks to both who responded...Matthew does have some serious sensory issues, and unfortunately, the closest therapy place for that to us is 45 minutes away. He is currently on seizure meds, but may be coming off of them in a month or so. He takes meds to sleep at night as he cannot sleep more than an hour without it. I have considered meds for him- I have another child who takes meds for adhd. Unfortunately, the docs all freak out whenever I mention it because of his age. They want him to be 6 in order to consider it. I know that he is showing bipolar tendencies at 4 and it scares me, especially considering it runs in the family. My family tells me I am over reacting but I know in my gut something is up with him other than the epilepsy. This week we started 30 minutes of one on one time a day with one letter a week and other skills. I will see how that goes. Beth

Thank you Cheryl. I ws wondering.. how do you set up your schedule? Right now with Sonlight, I prepare a weekly schedule for each kid that includes the sonlight along with everything else they need to get done and hand it to them with any copies, papers, activities that they need to do for the week. Would that work for TRISMS too?

I have decided that I am switching my middle and high school students from Sonlight to TRISMS starting next year, or earlier if I can swing it. My question is this- Has anyone used more than one level of TRISMS with different kids in the same year? I would like to use History Makers for Cindy who is 10 but in the 6th grade, and possibly for Natalie who is 12 and in 7th. They are both functioning on about the same level. I would like to use Discovering the Ancient World for Andrew who is 14 and in 8th grade. I plan on spending many hours setting up a flowing weekly schedule with all my resources, copies, assignment sheets, and other subjects included. Thoughts? Beth:lol:

My son Matthew is 4.5 years old. In many ways he is a normal 4 year old, but in many ways he is not. He had a stroke at birth that caused some damage in his right frontal lobe and led to a diagnosis of epilepsy when he was 2. A year ago, he had only about 25 words, but now he talks constantly. He was evaluated for learning issues and speech delay last spring. I literally had to bear hug him for 3 hours because he was trying to hit and bite the testing ladies. He was found to be very speech delayed, and a mention was made of his inability to focus or sit still for more than a few seconds, BUT he tested on an 8 yo level of understanding. He would have tested higher, but I had to end the session. Right now, the only time he sits still is to watch a movie or television- which he insists he has to do all the time. (We do not let him). He is very ADHD, and can get quite violent when he does not get his way. I have 6 other children who I homeschool without problems, nor do I have behavior issues with them. Matthew at 4 1/2 just counted to 5 for teh first time ever on his own (!) I guess my question is this- should I actively pursue learning, (Kindergarten) with him, or should I delay a year? I feel like he is already so behind his peers that I need to do something to help, BUT I do not want that to backfire. I have considered putting him in school and continuing homeschooling my others, but I just do not know. Anyone have advice?

What boards? Do you have a link?

Thank you for your reply about the AOPS. My only question is this- is it a good high school level program? After reading these reviews I am more excited about using it! Beth

Does anyone have experience with the math from the Art of Problem Solving website? I am considering using it for Algebra and up. I have the knowledge to teach up to calculus, as I have recently taken those classes at the community college level and did well in them. I am just looking for reviews of the program to see what other people thought.

I have found that on the website currclick.com, Their units are pretty good. I hit a sale and got a bunch for .99. What I think is good about it is that many of them cover national standards as far as learning content, have quizzes and writing projects to go along with it, and you can take your time and add other resources in from the library and such. I have taken the Earth Science, Our Dynamic World parts 1-4, and the Solar System ones and put it together for a challenging Earth Science class for 9th grade this year.