Any ideas? I loves the Scout series, but I am at a loss for other good literature for him. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Thanks, Kisa

I cannot teach my son English, so I need a situation where someone else does the correcting and teaching. Any suggestions? He is not a strong writer, so I don't think he could qualify for the Veritas class. We had a bad experience with Potter's school. Other ideas? I also can't pay for a literature class, a writing class, a grammar and spelling class, etc. So I need it to be an all-in-one class. Memoria seems to have one. Any others/ Thank you so much!

It sounds to me like ECC would be a better fit for her level. But you may want to call MFW and ask them their opinion.

He has always been homeschooled. But he just takes work. Last year he had a couple online courses to help ease my load, but even they were work for me because they were not well laid out. His younger brother suffered, and now, as I prepare for next year, I WILL FOCUS ON THE YOUNGER! So, the older either goes to a small country school in the district we are moving to, does charter, does DVD/online, Alpha Omeg computer???. I don't know what. But I don't want to have to correct everything. The younger is going into 3rd and I want 90% of my time for him because he really needs one-on-one. I can't afford Veritas for all subjects, he is doing Teaching Textbooks, and that is great. But I need English options most of all. Ideas? I am so overwhelmed and the year hasn't started. (tears) Lots going on in our life right now. Thanks for any suggestions. You ladies are the best.

He is taking the course from Brenda Runkle through the Potter's school. He is highly interested in geography and science. In the past we did MFW's Exploring Countries and Cultures, so he memorized all the countries through games and living books during that study. I give you that as background. Runkles has been challenging for him. It's more textbook than what we have done in the past, with a lot of information to memorize and learn. She is extremely engaging, so he really enjoys the class. But tests are not easy for him. Keep in mind he is a sixth grader and has never done formal science testing. We have done more of a hands-on living science approach in the younger years. IMHO taking a year off of history to do the course would be fine. Adding in hands - on would enrich it even more. My son has learned so very much through the course. HTH!

I cleaned the shower yesterday after I was given the vinegar and baking soda suggestion. Wow, it worked great! I did have to scrub because it was a bit built up, but it worked. Now I am intrigued by other people's comments, so I will try them as well. Aren't Magic Erasers truly magic!?! But I never thought to use one on the shower. Every time I have some kind of question, it's the WTM ladies who give me the BEST adivce! So... thanks to all!

Crazy question, I know, but I am sick and tired of having to scrub and scrub and scrub to get soap scum and hard water residue off my shower. Anyone have a product that actually works? THANKS!

We are putting in a bid on a house that is a short sale. A friend told me that 90% of the time the bank backs out at the last minute and leaves the buyers hanging. Evidently the bank ends up thinking it is better to foreclose. Anyone else familiar with this? I am in California, as my user name indicates. THANKS!

Have you seen MFW high school? I saw it at the convention last year and it was amazing. I wouldn't overlook it.

I've used both and prefer Rod and Staff. There is much better retention, better review, nice clear explanations. My son does everything on the page. I didn't push my older son to write when he was young and I now regret it, so the younger one does it all. I like it better than GWG or FLL. FLL was just too oral for me and I didn't get great retention with GWG either. So R&S is the program for us. HTH!

I feel for you! A lab/husky is on the very highest scale for energy. I can't imagine having to keep one in the house. Buyt here's a few additional ideas: Buy a Kong toy and fill it with peanutbutter for her to play with and try to get the food out. They have several styles. Buy a couple if, you can afford them, and you can also freeze one with a bit of dog treats inside. The cold can keep them interested. Crate train the dog. There are many benefits to this. One being she will be safely contained at night. When she comes out it is play time, then rest. Also, you can give her naps during the day and know she is not harming anything. There are many articles on the web to help with this. There are also many games you can play with a crate. We have a long hallway and the kids play fetch with the dogs down the hallway. Buy real meaty bones from the butcher. These can take a long time to devour. If you feel like they are too messy, give them to her in the crate. Teach her to play with a pull toy. A thick rope with knots on both ends works great. My kids love to play pull toy with the dogs. This can get a lot of the energy out of the dog and the kids! See if the dog will pull. The husky side of it may give it a strong desire to pull. Some of my dogs pull my kids on skateboards. Just make sure you use some type of harness so the dog isn't pulling with its neck. Hope that helps a little!

I think you will be very happy with ECC. The book basket selections are a wonderful way to easily add to the program. My boys did not find the passport cheesy at all. They loved it. I am now in my 4th year with MFW. It is the best thing that has happened to me in homeschooling. Have fun!

I saw MFW high School at a convention last year and it blew me away. In fact, it made ms want to homeschool high school and I had NEVER wanted to before. They do have more information about the program on hand-outs, so you may ask them for any additional info. It looks fantastic to me. But of course, I have no experience since my kids are still in 2nd and 6th grades.

Especially their 5 year cycle. Makes homeschooling Biblical, fun, easy, incorporating all ages, interesting and it gets done. I LOVE it!

My Father's World has a wonderful geography year called Exploring Countries and Cultures. I liked it much better than Galloping the Globe. Check it out at www.mfwbooks.com. You might like it. HTH!

Thanks for the input. I am not sure R&S is working. When I had my son take the Singapore placement test he would have to start at 1a. He has forgotten most of his math facts too. He may have learning diabilities, so that may be part of it. I don't mind starting Singapore at 1a, I just fear my abilities to think like Singapore asks.

I just heard an amazing plug for Singapore and am wondering if I should switch my soon to be 2nd grader from Rod and Staff to Singapore. But boy, the method stretches my brain! I fear I can't teach it. I am NOT math minded at all. Can I do it or should I stick with R&S? Thanks for any input!

I only have a few minutes to post, but I have used home2teach too and will be moving to www.writeathome.com when we get to 7th grade. We will continue with home2teach this year for 6th grade because I like the flexibility. Write at Home looks fantastic. I met the owner at a convention a few weeks back and I was VERY impressed. Hopefully someone else will post an actual experience with them. While I was standing at the booth a woman came up and said she had used Write at Home last year with her 8th grader and it was a wonderful experience and her daughter learned a lot. For Junior High I want something all year and complete, like Write at Home. Potter's school also offers a strong writing course, but after reading reviews I felt it would be too difficult for my son. But you may want to check them out too. I think it's www.pottersschool.org. They are very similar in price, around $400 per year. HTH!

Thank you!

I'm a check-off-the-box type person and really wish TLP was laid out with daily work. I tried to call TLP to get help, but haven't received a call back from them yet. I need to schedule everything NOW, before school starts. Otherwise, I know me, and it won't get done. Anyone have ideas? I'm looking at this for an independent 6th grader. Thanks for any suggestions!

I'm looking at 2nd grade. THANKS!

My kids are 8 and 11 and like computer games, but I have very few. Anyone have ideas of online sites with educational games. I don't even mind paying a little for access. ThanksQ

I haven't combined anything with MFW Adventures. But since you said, any input welcome, I thought I would just mention that MFW Adventures is all laid out for you. Because of the grid format it is very easy to add in other resources in the schedule. Maybe using it as your base and supplementing a bit would be easiest. But it doesn't need a lot of supplementing IMHO. Are you thinking R&S for history or other subjects? HTH!

Yes, we use Pathway Readers! I haven't used their workbooks. Do you like them? THANKS!