I would first try changing the batteries. Our rental house is equipped with fire alarms that are wired to the main board but also run on batteries. If you pull the batteries out it will still beep to say batteries are dead. After putting in fresh batteries we had to hold the button down for a good 30 sec. before it reset and stopped the beeping. I would also recall the property manager, this is his job. Tell him the beeping needs to stop ASAP.

This is my dd, reading and writing (not spelling) she took off running but everything else she is on level.

My middle son used ACE Algebra because he just could not grasp it from BJU. He did well and it was enough to pass the GED and ASVAB tests but I would not consider it for a student college bound. The goal for this son (due to many many problems) was to just get the credit for Algebra and ACE did that.

newcomers get a bad rap but I personally have never had a problem selling to them. I have in fact had problems with a few who have had over 1000 posts before. Post count does not = integrity as a buyer. If the contact you are having with a potential buyer is giving you qualms then I would not sell to them no matter the post count.

Since you don't have to have physical evidence of school work and his age/grade, I would not worry about it now. Later you might like for him to work one or two of the problems in his notebook so he can look back and see how he did a problem.

Abeka Phonics BJU K and 1st grade Language Wordsmith Apprentice Children Just Like Me BJU Math (Elementary) Nature Studies (this out shines any curriculum out there in cost, ease, and education) Library Copier/printer Vintage Readers (1960 or before) Apologia Science We just found AOPS and BA but it is top of my math list now.

:iagree: Love sock knitting. It is so addicting. Usually I splurge on sock yarn, the silk blends feel so lovely on your feet, this is my one indulgence.

:thumbup: First trail we took gave us 8 different mushrooms (some shelf some stalk and a puff ball). Dd noticed spider webs along the trail and we were able to look at several different webs and spiders. The rest of the day will be spent looking these things up in field guides and drawing our finds in our books.

ACE Paces or Alpha Omega LifePacs are open and go and cheap. TOPS science Apologia Elemental Science

:iagree:

Today is our mushroom hunt. Hopefully we will be successful on the first trail we hit but I am prepared to walk, walk, walk for science. This and reading books will be the only thing on our list for the day because I need to get my driver's license changed(new state and a brush with the police yesterday has made this urgent) and we all need cold weather gear (low 30 temps predicted for the weekend) so we will hit the mall. I do plan on doing some math fun with the new snow gear once we get it but that plan is still forming.

When we used a curriculum with more workbooks this is what I did. Had tabs in the binder for each day of the week with all the workpages in it plus anything else needed for the day:writing paper, map work, drawing paper, list of books needed to read . The weeks schedule was put in the front. All supplies (pencil colors, glue, books, science stuff) was kept in a basket. Each week I did this and it really helped keep things organized and running smooth.

I don't have a problem with them, they are harmless. As for the marketing, I am able to control myself and think for myself when making a purchase, so I am not swayed by a company "pushing" their stuff. Disney is not the only one who does this.

Yes and no. There is also language included in the cores now, but you can skip it if you want. An activity cd is available for the lower cores but I am not sure what is on it.

:iagree: Don't forget ebay. I have purchased cores there extremely cheap. I have also used paperback swap to get books, but I only look for books there that cost more then $8. This is a great way to find expensive books for future cores. I put all the $8 or more SL books into my wish list and over the years they have been trickling in.

For the Elementary yrs (K-6th) the Math is teacher intensive. It is a solid math program. I have used it for 20yrs and even though I have tried other math programs I always go back to BJU for elementary math. The pre-algebra and algebra books are also excellent, especially since they have redone them. These are written so the student can do them solo but the teacher's manual is recommended because the problems are worked out in there. They are currently redoing the Algebra 2, Geometry (this one might be out already), and pre-calculus books which is good because there were many problems with them.

Theme for this week is spiders and it is just in time. Our yard has been invaded. Large webs are appearing all over the place and they are full of bugs. Plan is for the kids to identify the different spiders, take pics and make a booklet. Dd will do a lap book about spiders, I have all the stuff cut and ready on the theme table. Ds tried to capture a web on paper but it messed up, he is determined though. I am trying to convince ds to capture a few spiders so we can weigh and measure them but he thinks I'm nuts...we will see. Spiders are also the theme of our English lessons. Monday we reviewed action verbs so she had to choose action verbs to say how a spider moves. Today she is to look at a list of topics on spiders I have given her and she is to decide what chapters they belong to. I am getting some great ideas out of The Mailbox magazines. We are also mushroom hunting for biology labs ds has for this week so lots of hiking planned. These will be drawn first in our nature journals (we have an ongoing mushroom study). Ds just started working on a writing project. He does a lot with his legos, setting up full blown adventures and things so he decided to write out his stories. He was going to try making a movie with them but his equipment is not good enough right now. We watched Dante's Peak this weekend, so now everyone is interested in volcanoes. I got some books on volcanoes at the library yesterday and a few have experiments we want to try. Tonight we are going to watch a NG DVD on Volcanoes. Dinner time conversation this week is on what each of us has learned on our own about volcanoes...this is making everyone do some research so they are not left out, and adds a challenge to find the neatest tid bits about them too. Competition is a great motivator in this family. I am noticing both children are happier in their work, taking more pride, and having more free time since they are finishing sooner. The free time has not been wasted either. Both have used it to come up with some great creative projects. *sigh...wish I did the relaxed way of schooling with my older boys, I feel like they missed out on something great.

Do you enjoy your child being sick? Is it fun? Then why spread all they junk to others? Maybe someone your child spread the cold to is now going to miss a once in a lifetime event? What if it sends someone to the hospital? What if the cold you and your family have could have been prevented by someone staying home while being sick? Do you feel thankful to the person who spread the cold germ to you and yours? Sorry but no matter the event it is not worth spreading your sickness just so your child can have a great day. It is selfish.

If the teacher's guides are used as intended then they are the true meat of BJU for the Elementary grades. Reading might be the exception although it will give you the questions needed to ask for reading, not just regurgitating type questions but thinking questions. Also they have skill days that are discussed in the tm and not on the workpages.

I'm sorry, but when it gets to the point people in the United States cannot wear certain colors because a few have made the area a war zone then something beyond the level of city management needs to be done. People cannot live normally there because of the gangs. To me, this is a form of terrorism.

I don't know how the other AOPS math books are, but in the Algebra book I am constantly seeing them remind the student to not memorize. They want them to understand them only.

But a full set of Beast Academy for the year would be just as much or more then BJU. BA is great though but I do not feel like it is a complete curriculum, more of a addition. Have you looked on the for sale board, Ebay or other sites used curriculum is for sale? I have always bought the TM this way pretty cheap. I do not purchase the manipulatives...these can be printed if need be. I have been thinking of leaving BJU but after looking around, I am pretty sure I will stick with them. Worth the money.

:iagree:

According to my ds(lego fanatic) it is best to get a set, the sets have cool pieces. Tubs have basic blocks. With a set you first have fun building with the directions but then you can take the pieces and mix them with other sets to give you more building options.

I think the best thing for a reluctant writer is to have him write weekly, It does not have to be formal writing pieces. The goal is to get him comfortable with writing. You could tag team write with him, you write a sentence, he writes one and so on to the end. Give him the beginning and have him finish. Use a picture and have him write what either what happened before, after, or just the story behind the pic. List some questions about a topic and have him answer them in paragraph form. There are endless ideas out there to get him writing. Before he writes, give him a goal...today we are working on more descriptive sentences or we are working on improving your sentence order or punctuation...things like that. Then when you go over the work look for the goal and talk with him about how he met the goal or not...do not discuss the other problems, just correct them. If you notice a common problem in his writing then make that a goal on the next piece. Then have him rewrite. Once his confidence is up you can move to more formal pieces.