Thank you all for your replies. I'm going to be checking into all of these. I am wondering if anyone has used the University of Nebraska? They have a class on expository writing that looks interesting. Thanks! Laurie

Could anyone recommend an online writing course for my 9th grader? He has always been a very reluctant writer, so he really needs to start at square one. My price range is around $200 a semester. Thanks! Laurie

Luann, that article brought tears to my eyes. I am living so much of that right now with my oldest becoming a senior. Someone once said the days are long, but the years are short. It's important to keep in mind. Thanks for all the suggestions and support. I feel my batteries starting to recharge. :) Laurie

Elizabeth, I like the way you think! :) I will give my husband your prescription for a cure for what ails me. LOL LuvnMySvn, I think "Things We Wish We'd Known" sounds like just what I need to read right now. I will check it out. Thanks! Teachin'Mine, no matter how long we've been homeschooling, we all need someone to help prop us up sometimes. I appreciate the words of wisdom! Laurie

Just wanted to post a follow up on this. We used the Tindall and Shi book and the REA test prep book, and my daughter scored a 72 on the US History I CLEP exam. We are pleased!

Wapiti, that post was a thing of beauty! Just the kind of details I am looking for! And I had not seen AoPS before, and it looks very good! The very first sample I saw (in pre-algebra) really looked like something my son would enjoy. You are really helping me formulate a plan for him, which I appreciate. He is my third child, but the first one to show any aptitude for math. :) And ditto what boscopup said, if you please. :)

You're right, wapiti, about the differences in the two programs. I worry a bit about the fact that Saxon doesn't encourage more creative thinking with math. I used Right Start with this child, so he's good at mental math, and I don't want him to lose that skill. Saxon's benefit to me is that it covers all the fundamentals that will appear on tests and gives him plenty of practice (although, again, I worry about burn-out). I'm trying to find a happy medium and get him well prepared for high school math. We won't use Saxon in high school- it will have to be something self-teaching like TT or Video Text. For him, probably Video Text. Nmoira, I like the supplement idea, but Saxon has so much work, I don't think I could add more to it. I would have to use something else and supplement with Nurk. I also like Math Mammoth, so those two together might be an option. But does MM need supplementing? It looked pretty good on its own to me. Heck, I'm all over the place when it comes to math. Maybe I should just ask what is a good program for a mathy kid? Thanks, Laurie

If time and money were no option, what materials would you use for your children? Your goal would be to instill a love of learning and a depth of knowledge in key fields (math, science, language), rather than a superficial knowledge in a broad range of fields or test-readiness. Laurie

I've heard that you need Apologia Biology and Human Anatomy to be prepared for the CLEP Biology test. But that might be assuming that one did no other studying apart from those two books. We always use a CLEP study guide to prepare (but haven't done the Biology test and probably won't since she'll have enough science credits without it). Laurie

My 11th grader went to take it this morning. She seemed pretty prepared, but she's taken the PSAT the past two years, so that was a huge help. Here's to hoping for high scores for everyone! Laurie

Thank you, ladies! That was exactly the kind of detail I needed (not long winded at all! :) ) I was worried that it might be too much for me to take on, but it sounds do-able. I'm going to give it a shot in the fall! Thanks again! Laurie

I'm entering my 14th year of homeschooling and have really lost the thread. My kids will be in 12th, 9th, 6th, 2nd, and Pre-K next year and I need to get my motivation back and remember why I'm doing this! Does anyone have any suggestions for inspirational reading? I have tons of books on different homeschooling methods, but I need something that inspires me to get my kids to love learning again. Thanks, Laurie

I recently contacted the Bright Futures folks because my daughter is thinking of taking a gap year after graduation. BF said they would "hold" the scholarship for one year after graduation. I think that would also enable your daughter to go to Europe for a year. As we get closer, I want to verify the timing of that, though. And get it in writing! Laurie

I'm trying to decide between using Nurk's Math or Saxon 76 for my son next year. He did Saxon 65 this year and has sailed right through it. I have both books, so that's no factor. I worry about him getting burned out with Saxon's drilling, but there's only one level of Nurk, so I don't know how that would affect him if he did Nurk for a year, then went back to Saxon. Thoughts? Laurie

Thanks, Andrea! I'll check it out! Laurie

I have been reading a lot about the philosophy of Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, but I still don't have a clear picture of how this is implemented (and can't find more than one example, and that for the youngest grades). Would someone who has used this program mind giving me a "day in the life" sort of explanation? I would like to know how you actually use this book, particularly for the third volume. Many thanks! Laurie

Got this from TT regarding an update for Algebra I: If you bought a new complete set of either Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1 before 2011, or if you bought and still own a used set of either product, you may exchange that set for a matching 2.0 complete set for $92.45 (check or money order please, and be sure the payment is in US dollars). Also, we will pay the cost of shipping the new version to you, but we cannot reimburse for the cost of returning the old. How do I go about getting my 2.0 version? Simply return all of your old CDs, the CD holders, the textbook, and the answer key along with a note containing a return shipping address and phone number (with area code) to Teaching Textbooks’ headquarters (see address below). ALL the product parts mentioned above must be included in your package. We cannot swap lone 1.0 textbooks for 2.0 textbooks or lone CD sets for 2.0 CD sets. The offer is for complete sets only. When does the offer expire? The offer officially expires on May 15, 2012. If you have any questions, please call our toll-free number at 1-866-867-6284. We’re glad to help. Ship old CDs, CD holders, textbook, and answer key along with a return address and phone number (with area code) to: Teaching Textbooks 2.0 Exchange P.O. Box 16310 Oklahoma City, OK 73113

Thank you for the replies. I appreciate the feedback. I hadn't realized that TT had made any updates. Our Alg I is fairly new, but must have been before the changes (2004 copyright). I think I will contact them and see if they offer an update! Thanks all! Laurie

Hi all, I am trying to choose between using TT Algebra 1 and II for my 9th grader next year, or letting him go to a co-op that uses MUS Algebra I. I know from past experience that I can't teach high school math anymore, so our program has to be either self-teaching or taught by a teacher. I fully agree with the complaints that TT is behind (although I would rather say that it moves very slowly and thoroughly, so it just takes longer), which is why he would complete I and II in a year (he has already done the first third of Alg I this year.) We decided to use Saxon Alg 1/2 this year instead to cover some pre-algebra topics that he needed more review in. He has understood the concepts just fine in Saxon Alg 1/2, but he regularly makes C's and D's on his lessons because he doesn't pay attention to the details (what the question is asking, copying the problem wrong, forgetting negative signs, that sort of thing). This is one thing that makes me lean towards TT, as it really breaks things down into such small bites that it would be hard to get too far off track. I haven't taught with MUS myself, but I get the feeling that it is also a little light, and I wouldn't have the option of working ahead in that book as he would be taking it with a class. Thoughts or suggestions are welcome! Thanks, Laurie

My daughter just finished using the beginner level of Breaking the Spanish Barrier, which we bought as a supplement for Rosetta Stone Spanish III. The material in BSB was excellent- in fact, I can guarantee that it is far beyond a level one course, as my dd took Spanish I at a community college and they didn't even touch most of what was in the book. For transcript purposes, can anyone tell me what they would call the beginner level of this book? I would say it is at least Spa. II, but I am thinking that somewhere out there is a list of what is traditionally covered (verb tenses, etc.) for each level of foreign language, so that I can get an accurate gage. Many thanks! Laurie

Thanks for the tips. Right now I've got them using Write Source's graded skills books which cover the areas I'm interested in, but the problem is that they refer a great deal to the text books, which I don't have. I'll check out the Evan Moor books for sure. The video course looked neat, but a little too expensive for me right now. My oldest has gone through all of AG. It does a good bit of capitalization and punctuation by the end, but my younger kids are the ones who need it most and they won't get through AG for many more years. The AG mechanics book wasn't enough to cement it for my guys. Thanks! Laurie

Nakia, we have used Analytical Grammar and Rod and Staff. Both are very good. As you know, R & S is very thorough, but the things we didn't like are that it's a bit dry and you have to write everything out on paper (no workbooks). Also, my oldest didn't not enjoy the "thous" and "thees" that accompany the religious material in the text. Analytical Grammar is a bit pricier, but the book lasts you three years. The kids don't love it, but they like that it's only a few weeks a year that they have to go through before it's done. It is excellent for diagramming skills. They also like that it's a workbook format so they don't have to write everything out by hand. I think it does a very thorough job of teaching grammar in a very efficient way. We will continue to use this each year. The short coming with this program is that it doesn't focus enough on capitalization and punctuation (for us, anyway). There is a mechanics supplement that will cover that, but my kids were tired of the AG format and are protesting using any more AG this year. So I am also looking at Hake Grammar. It seems to include more punctuation and capitalization than most programs and doesn't look too heavy (since it's coming on the heels of AG, we need something a little less dense) but is still thorough. Of course, that is just where our needs are. This might not apply to you. I would like to hear other's opinions on Hake Grammar myself. In short, between AG and R&S, I personally prefer AG. Good luck with your hunt! Laurie

I've used a variety of grammar programs over the years, including Easy Grammar and most recently Analytical Grammar. My kids can diagram up a storm, but they still test poorly in capitalization and punctuation. I would like to try a grammar program that spent a good bit of time on those topics. I like the looks of Saxon Grammar; it seems to do more than most with these topics and doesn't look too parent-intensive (a definite must.) Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks! Laurie

I decided to retitle this since I don't think my previous title was drawing any takers.:001_smile: I am not one for doing a lot of formal science before high school, but this year I bought my 8th grader a standard text and it's not going well. I am thinking I should let him have one more year of fun before we hit the textbooks hard in high school. However, I do want to cover science in a thorough manner. I would like to hand him a list of interesting books on a variety of scientific subjects and let him read them and see what sorts of things strike his fancy. My eldest daughter read "Science Matters" as recommended by Andrew Campbell and enjoyed that. I just want to expand on that idea. What interesting books have you read on anything science related that you might recommend for an 8th grader? I was thinking about "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" for starters, just to give you an idea of the kind of thing I'm looking for. Thanks, Laurie

I am not one for doing a lot of formal science before high school, but this year I bought my 8th grader a standard text and it's not going well. I am thinking I should let him have one more year of fun before we hit the textbooks hard in high school. However, I do want to cover science in a thorough manner. I would like to hand him a list of interesting books on a variety of scientific subjects and let him read them and see what sorts of things strike his fancy. My eldest daughter read "Science Matters" as recommended by Andrew Campbell and enjoyed that. I just want to expand on that idea. What interesting books have you read on anything science related that you might recommend for an 8th grader? I was thinking about "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" for starters, just to give you an idea of the kind of thing I'm looking for. Thanks, Laurie