I do understand your question. However, one thing I am wondering about in your post is the investment of time to go so slowly over spelling rules and basic wordlists and not being able to train at their level of spelling because of the pile of rules necessary to get there. SWR recommends doing 40 words a week which is a pretty brisk pace. And, other than the occasional rule page and quick rule card reviews, the rules are briefly reviewed as you mark the words which doesn't take very long at all. The student also picks up the spelling lists at their appropriate level determined by the placement test, not necessarily at List A. The same rules are learned and reviewed throughout the lists except with level appropriate words. Have you used SWR with your children already or just planning on starting? I wasn't totally clear from your post.

Nikon Coolpix L110 Can get for $150 http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-L110-Vibration-Reduction-Black/dp/B0034XIMG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339824138&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+coolpix+l110 Olympus Evolt E-500 Can get for $250 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 (specialized not from kit) 40-150mm f3.5-4.5 http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Digital-14-45mm-3-5-5-6-40-150mm/dp/B000BK39N4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I don't know about the lower CLE reading levels, but Level 3 and up really makes the student think but still has the ease of correcting a fill-in-the-blank program. CLE LA was not a good fit for us as we do better with our LA subjects not combined.

We used the BJU textbooks, but you can also choose from Apologia or some secular ones as well.

A textbook is needed as part of the course although he does provide Internet links. Everything else is included on the DIVE CD-Rom. But the textbook is used as part of the teaching material. You can use whatever textbook you want. He has syllabuses that line up with several publishers. The textbook questions are not used, just the information.

I don't know about the bears right now, but the mama moose are really skittish because the babies are here. We had a friend get attacked by one the other weekend when he and his wife came around the corner on a trail.

If he is motivated it can be done. He could get an idea on how much work it would be by taking the amount of classes/credits required for graduation and dividing them into the 3 year blocks. Then he could decide if it is worth taking on that much of a academic load. If he wanted to do it, I would let him provide the motivation. If he would be relying on you to do the pushing he is not ready to do it.

I would check the library catalog to see what there is. You can pay to be part of the Anchorage library system too so you might check that. Another option is to see what books can be found as e-books and use an e-reader. I wasn't too keen on that for a long time but we are heading more and more in that direction. http://ibistro.matsulibraries.org/uhtbin/cgisirsi.exe/x/0/0/49 Book requests between the Mat-Su libraries do not have a charge. I've never been charged a fee for having to a book returned because I didn't pick up a hold on time but that has only happened a couple times. And maybe that varies by library.

That helps a lot. Thank you! I have looked at the samples quite a bit but was still having trouble. I wish they posted a table of contents. Rainbow Resource shows topics covered but it is in chart form by topic and not by lesson. I guess I could recreate my own from that. Because of the expense I think I will try Book A. We can always fill in with manipulatives if needed. Plus we have a couple more months of development so it might be a perfect fit by August.

I am trying to determine what level of Mathematical Reasoning to purchase for my kindergarten son. He is comfortable with add/subtract to 10 with manipulatives but I am concerned that Level A will be over his head and that I should go ahead and start him with Beginnings Level 2. Thoughts from anyone who has used the lower levels?

We use Net 10 (owned by Trac) for prepaid cell phones. We buy the $30 cards that last 2 months. So we get access to a cell phone for $15/month. I have never looked at the yearly deals with Net 10.

That's the nice thing about SWR. Each student gets to start at an appropriate level without going through the baby work stage, yet he/she learns the same tools.

Thanks much. It was confusing to me too and these responses have clarified the issue for me.

Thanks.

Would you risk buying a used Kindle or Kindle Keyboard off Craig's List? Supposedly they are 1 and 3 months old and being sold for 65% of retail. At least one case is included. Being sold because the person is too busy and doesn't use them.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I would recommend at least telling your 11yo. Walking through hard times is one way our children learn how to respond to real life. Plus she could easily be really worried as she will know something is wrong.

Thank you very much. I was having a hard time putting into words why it wasn't flowing. There wasn't a specific assignment besides to pick a topic from the material that had just been read and write an essay on it. So the assignment actually included the skill of being able to pick a topic.

You can have issues with gluten without being celiac. And, yes, if I was having those symptoms, I would definitely be cutting out gluten, especially since it helped before.

Student is 16 years old / 11th grade Americans have felt the need to explore and expand since their conception. At the beginning of their nation, the Declaration of Independence stretched all previous ideas about liberty, and after the American Revolution, the Constitution gave rise to a form of government never seen before. As the young republic grew, her people continued to be characterized by an almost reckless abandon and a desire to reach out and touch everything around them. But if expansion was part of the American psyche, it also played a key role in America’s cultural change. American expansion in the nineteenth century transferred the country from its colonial roots to its modern principles. This expansion began during the Jeffersonian Era. In 1801, when Thomas Jefferson became President, there were sixteen states in the Union. Ohio received statehood in 1803, bringing the total number of states to seventeen. That same year, Jefferson bought the large territory of Louisiana from France for four cents an acre. The Louisiana Purchase almost doubled the size of the United States and made the burgeoning westward journey even more enticing. Thousands of acres west of the Appalachian Mountains were sold to enterprising settlers, and Americans began to spread across their new country. The War of 1812, which occurred during James Madison’s presidency, is nonetheless considered part of the Jeffersonian Era, and the war was a major cause of expansion in America, more in a psychological than a physical sense. The Treaty of Ghent formally ended the war between America and Great Britain in December 1814. Before word reached America, however, Andrew Jackson soundly beat the British in New Orleans. That victory made American nationalism soar. Even though the contest had been relatively even otherwise, Jackson’s success caused Americans to feel invincible. The “Era of Good Feelings†followed the war, bathing the country in a feeling of triumph and peace. In the midst of that tranquility, President James Monroe began a policy, known as the Monroe Doctrine, which lasted until the World Wars. The President vowed to keep out of European politics as long as Europeans didn’t interfere in American issues and basically warned Europe to stay away from both the United States and Latin America. This proclamation also heightened American patriotism. The War of 1812, together with the monumental Louisiana Purchase, began the period of American expansion. Following Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe’s successes, the era of the Jacksonians complicated American politics and ushered in a fierce national pride. Andrew Jackson, the hero of New Orleans, caused the creation of two-party politics after his failed Presidential campaign against John Quincy Adams in 1824. He ran with a magnificently organized Democratic Party in 1828 that helped him to win the election easily. During the next election, all the candidates were chosen at party conventions. Because the Democrats had such superb order, people with other interests were forced to keep up. Therefore, Jackson caused the rise of two-party politics. During his two terms as President, Americans’ belief in their infallibility grew. Symbolized by the phrase “go aheadâ€, the American spirit of self-improvement took shape. This led to numerous reform efforts in the nation, the foremost of which was abolitionism. Abolitionists appealed to both people’s emotions and to their intellect, demonstrating that slavery was immoral and unproductive to the free market system. In 1840, they formed the Liberty Party, which brought slavery to the forefront of national politics. The Jacksonian Era also saw the rise of American folklore. American tall tales are very different from European legends, for they were shared with the nation as they occurred instead of centuries later. American heroes, many of whom had a comic appeal, often were still living when their fame began to grow. Backwoodsmen like Davy Crockett appealed to the American masses and became the subjects of a thriving sub-literature business. Reform and national folklore gave American pride an outlet and continued the nation’s march of expansion. But after Jackson’s changes, the biggest cause of expansion was Manifest Destiny, which forever changed the simplicity of American life. Manifest Destiny was the belief that God had ordained American growth all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The philosophy first bloomed in the annexation of Texas and in the Mexican-American War. In 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Negotiations for annexation to the United States began quickly and continued until Texas became a state in 1845. The addition of Texas to the United States angered Mexico, but the disputed border between Texas and Mexico caused even larger issues. The United States said that Texas’ territory ended at the Rio Grande River, but Mexicans maintained that the border was the Nueces River, several miles north of the Rio Grande. President James K. Polk, itching for a fight with Mexico, sent troops to Texas. A conflict soon erupted. Two years later, the war ended, and America gained possession of the territory that’s now considered to be the American Southwest. Polk also bluffed his way into possession of the Oregon Territory. Soon settlers were traveling towards the fertile land in Oregon and the gold in California on the treacherous Oregon Trail. Manifest Destiny affected more than just Americans, however. Irish immigrants, fleeing the potato famine in Ireland, began to flood America in the 1840’s. They took many undesirable jobs and bought land in the west, all because of the hope for a better life. Numerous religious movements, such as Transcendentalism and Mormonism, grew out of Manifest Destiny in the 1830’s and 1840’s. One of the biggest and most controversial issues that gained ground from American expansion was women’s rights. In 1848, a large group of women met in Seneca Falls, New York to draft and sign a Declaration of Sentiments, declaring to the nation that they wanted a voice. The feminist movement rapidly grew from there. All of the changes that complicated American life in the nineteenth century had roots in American idealism and the concept of Manifest Destiny. Expansion in America, both physical and ideological, forever changed the country from a simple republican society to the complicated nation it is today. Such development started with the Louisiana Purchase and the War of 1812. The Jacksonian Era saw a large leap in the stretching and complication of American life as two-party politics began and reforms swept through the nation. Growing out of both of those eras, Manifest Destiny gave life to the American spirit of ingenuity and invincibility and cemented the country’s departure from simplicity. Americans have always wanted to try new things. That’s part of what makes them great. They have pushed the boundaries since their nation began, and hopefully they will always retain their spirit of adventure.

Simply Charlotte Mason Modern History http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/modern-times-epistles-revelation/

Take some time and step back to re-evaluate why you are homeschooling. Then think if another educational environment would meet those goals better.

Horizons Pre-algebra is fairly new so perhaps that is why you haven't seen much mention of it.

If you are using the Light Blue you may not need the rest of it. Perhaps the Gold/Green worksheets if the student needs more practice on a topic. The Blue series might come in handy if a student is struggling in a certain topic. But it may be the same teaching as was already done in Light Blue.

Do you mean you purchased the Light Blue series, the Blue Series, The Golden Series, and the Green Series? If so, you have major duplication. The Light Blue series is a stand alone program taught by grade. The Blue series teaches by topic. The Golden Series and Green Series are the same worksheets (no teaching) just one is organized by subject and one is organized by grade. (The worksheets are awesome if extra practice is needed. I love how clean they are and how varied the activities are.) But you would just need to use the Light Blue series if you are looking for a main math program.

Hoping you get an adviser who is on top of things and will be a help.