We didn't, but that's a fun idea!

Well, I have L'Art de Lire for sale in the "For Sale" forum HERE. :lol: It's brand new, and I promise I wouldn't create a shipping nightmare for you OR rip you off. :)

:iagree: When I first started scrapping Disney trips, I did a ton of challenges at Mousescrappers and amassed a HUGE amount of Disney-ish freebies...enough to make 3 huge scrapbooks without many duplicates. All of the aforementioned websites are also WONDERFUL sources. I do believe you can still get the Disney kits from Creative Memories if you are interested in them. There is a thread on the Mousescrappers forum that talks about the kits still being available (at least as of March of this year). Here is the direct link to the post. The actual thread - if you want to read the whole thing - is rather long (over 70 posts), but you can find it here. Happy scrapping and happy vacationing!

We did! And, they really like it! At $15 per child, that's really hard to beat! I'm SOOOO glad I'm not the only one! :D Thank you! Your experience was very similar to mine. The two reps I spoke with were very nice and WANTED to be helpful, but they just didn't have the information yet. Thank you!! That's very helpful to know what it's going to cost. At this point, my kids are liking the Aha Science, but they have liked everything we've tried out in the beginning! I figure by mid-September they may very well be bored with this and we'll need to switch gears. :lol:

I don't know what the pricing will be yet. When they send me the order info, I'll update you. I will definitely look into Aha Science though. I have struggled with finding a decent science curriculum for us. We are science-y people and yet we have all gotten bored with the science curricula we've used. Thank you very much for the info! I'll let you know about the cost of Science Fusion when I find out.

Just to update my last post... I emailed the editor of Homeschool.com and received a very prompt reply from a representative at Houghton Mifflin. Science Fusion WILL be available to homeschoolers THIS September. The ordering information has just been a little delayed. :hurray:

I have been searching for a good science curriculum for my 3rd and 5th graders for awhile now. We've tried several different ones (RS4K, Time4Leanring, and R.E.A.L. Science). All were just 'okay.' The kids became bored with all of them and so did I. (And, sadly, I LOVE science.) So, when I received the new Homeschool.com newsletter detailing Houghton-Mifflin's new Science Fusion program, I was THRILLED. It has an online option where my 3rd and 5th grader could work independently on the computer (which they love to do). They could even do the experiments online!! The demo looked SO cool. But, when I tried to place an order, I was confused, so I called the company only to find out that it ISN'T available to homeschoolers and that they "hoped" to have the online version up and fully running by 2014! WHAT???? :confused: :huh: :banghead: :cursing: Both of the representatives I spoke with were very nice but didn't seem to know an awful lot about the program because it is so new. Has anyone else heard anything about it? I'm so disappointed because I really thought this was going to be the answer for us.

Just wanted to follow-up on my experience to close out the thread... I first submitted my ID cards to Academic Superstore without placing an order. After several emails, I found out that they would not process my eligibility without an order number. SO, I placed an order and within 30 minutes they verified my eligibility. (I had submitted my kids and my homeschool ID cards from our local homeschool group as proof of eligibility.) IF I would have just submitted an order in the first place, the process would have been completely painless! I was just worried that I would place the order and then not my documentation would not be acceptable. Given the speed with which they did reply after my order was finally placed, I would HIGHLY recommend Academic Superstore.

WOW! Thanks for the great info! :)

Hi, Gayle! I had one more question for you. How long after you submitted your ID card did it take to get your letter of approval and did they send it electronically or via snail mail?

Thanks everyone who responded!! I feel much, much better about giving it a shot. I don't really know why I was worried because I have all the information they require. I guess I had just read too many "horror stories" and it concerned me. I'll have to let you know how it all turns out. Thanks, again! Gayle:)

Cera, Thanks for the quick reply! Can I ask if this is something you were using with your kids for school? I have seen on different resellers' websites that in order to purchase your student has to be in high school or college, but I don't see that specific requirement on the Adobe website. Thanks again!

Does anyone have any experience purchasing from Adobe using the education discount? I'm interested in the new Creative Suite 5.5 that's coming out at the end of the month, but I have read the requirements and I'm a little confused. On the Adobe website, it looks like you only have to have proof of curriculum purchase within the last 6 months, letter of intent to homeschool, and copy of a membership ID card to a local, state, or national homeschool organization. I have homeschooled my kids (4th and 2nd grade) for the last year, but I didn't inform the district we were homeschooling. I could, but it's not required in my state and the general school of thought is that if it's not required don't do it. ;) The ID card is no problem. I belong to a local organization which has ID cards I can print. And, the curriculum purchase is not an issue because I plan to purchase my materials from Sonlight before I make the Adobe purchase. However, on some of the reseller sites, I have seen that the students must be 18 years old or older and that a photo ID is required - some sites say from the student, others from the parent/teacher making the purchase. Then, there's the issue of others who have had big problems with Adobe not accepting their verification documents... All in all, I'm just plain confused! Any help anyone can give me is GREATLY appreciated!! Thank you! :) Gayle

Bonnie, Jennifer, Carol, Thank you for your suggestions. I think to just have my youngest 'along for the ride' is probably the way to go. I know he absorbs more than I realize! Bonnie, I think I will take a peek at FIAR. That's one that I haven't looked at at all. Thanks again for all your terrific advice! :001_smile:

My dd is in 3A and my son is in 2B. I have the Singapore Home Instructor's Guides for both, but I don't use either. I find that I just go through the texts with them one-on-one and then we work through the workbook exercises together. I then assign them some 'homework' from the IP, EP, or CWP. They seem to be 'getting it.' But, should I be using the HIG to teach from instead? Thanks in advance!

My dd has just completed 2B and is starting 3A. During our school day, we do one exercise in the main workbook. I then assign her some "homework" from the EP, IP, or CWP book (approx. 3 - 4 pages). I would estimate that she spends about an hour on math each day.

I understand your dilemma completely. For me, it's not that I don't 'believe,' it's just that I don't want scripture quoted in my kids' math books. That isn't why I'm homeschooing. I understand why some do homeschool for religious purposes; it just isn't our focus. That being said, we use Sonlight. It is definitely Christian-based, but we omit all of the Bible work. Some of the literature has a definite religious overtone, but we either substitute a secular work or skip it altogether. Incidentally, there is a secular Sonlight yahoogroup which provides excellent suggestions for alternate books to use. FWIW, I did see someone on the yahoogroup (who called herself an atheist) say that she still taught all the Bible works because she thought it was important for her children to at least have a basic knowledge of Bible stories since many great works of literature referred to them. In my mind, she was saying that she taught the Bible stories like you would Greek mythology. I thought it was an interesting and valid point. Maybe, next year, I'll have more time, and I'll do that. :D We then use Singapore for our math program and RS4K and R.E.A.L. Science for science.

:grouphug:

:iagree:

Yep, I bought my books used, too. This forum is a good resource and so is www.homeschoolclassifieds.com. I've also had good luck with www.vegsource.com.

My dd, who is actually in the 4th grade, just completed 2B and has just begun 3A. She is pretty bright, but she was a victim of the public school system and didn't get the challenge that she needed. I really struggled with putting her in such a 'low' level, but I didn't feel like she was ready for a higher level. I am VERY glad we took the time to go through 2B. Now that we have started on 3A, I do see the review, but I do feel like she would be lost if we had just jumped in to the middle of the mental math. 2B seems to spend a LOT of time with perfecting mental math; whereas, I don't see that right now with 3A. I think the HIG's are good, and I always buy them, but I honestly think I could do without them. Both the text and the workbook are necessary, though. I also really like the Extra Practice, Intensive Practice, and Challenging Word Problems books. During our school day, we generally work through the workbook exercise together, and then I assign something from the EP, IP or CWP for homework. Hope that helps a little! :)

We definitely 'do' sick days. If I feel crappy, I don't think I do an adequate job teaching, and if the kids feel crappy, I don't think they are able to do an adequate job learning. I just don't worry about it. :D I figure if our school year runs over a little it just won't be a big deal. That's the beauty of homeschool...the flexibility! Good luck to you!

:hurray:

:D I wouldn't worry about starting a new thread. I'm sure you were just as alarmed as everyone else was! Here's what I just posted on the other threads...something I came across from one of the other message boards I belong to and thought you might find it interesting. I'm most excited that there are already 2 committee members who have come out opposing the bill. http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2011/02/education-committee-meet-homeschoolers.html#tp I'm going to post this on the other SB 136 threads, so I want to say 'sorry' in advance if you who get this info twice. :)

I just came across this posted on one of the other message boards I belong to and thought some might find it interesting. I'm most excited that there are already 2 committee members who have come out opposing the bill. http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2011/02/education-committee-meet-homeschoolers.html#tp I'm going to post this on the other SB 136 threads, so I want to say 'sorry' in advance for those of you who get this info twice. :) I'm hoping to see many of you in Springfield on Tuesday!