I think most of a pre-algebra course is review of basic math. We did Lial's BCM for pre-algebra, now we are doing Video Text Algebra and the first section is considered pre-algebra. We are on lesson 17 and so far it has all been review of basic math. So my recomendation would be don't hold your child back for another year, just do a good pre-algebra program and you should get plenty of review of basic math.

My daughter started piano at 8 and violin at 11. In piano she was excellent and won some local competitions . Her experience on the piano was a big plus with learning the violin. She excelled on the violin as well and was always chosen to be 1st chair in the orchestras that she participated in. Today she is in college and is getting a minor in music. She has also learned organ and giutar as a young adult. Her thoughts are that training on one instrument has made learning the others much easier. The negative part of learning multiply instruments she feels is that if she had only focused on one instrument she may have become exceptional on it, which is what you need in order to receive music scholarships, at least at the University that she is attending. However, she loves both violin and piano so much and cannot picture her life without either one. They both have given her great opportunities, and a lot of joy. I don't have experience with Suzuki so I'm not sure about the ear training part of your question. I also not sure about starting both at 9, but I think the fact that she is asking to do both and she is there anyway are both big pluses.

We used this when my daughter was 8 http://www.goodtyping.com It is free and there is a demo you can look at before registering. After all 27 lessons are mastered you can choose to pay for additional lessons. We found this unnecessary. My 8 yr old son needed more fun and so we used dance mat with him. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing He is 9 now and still using it. He has not progressed as rapidly as my daughter did but is making steady progress. I think 8-9 is the perfect age to start. It helps take the frustration out of rewriting writing assignments which start to get much longer at this age.

I'm trying to figure this out too. I want to supplement Apologia General Science 7, Middle Ages/Renaissance History,and my daughter's Spanish class. Please help me so I don't waste my money.

Home do I get a full screen on discovery streaming. Thanks

My daughter gets all of hers from half.com

The assignment in Level 6A lesson 2 is to do an underground scene. The finished pictures shown are all different scenes- under the sea, under a house, under a city, etc. Lesson 5, Enlarged Food Posters, show different foods used in each finish piece. From what I've seen in Level 6 the assignments are pretty open ended.

We are using level 6. I've previewed six of the 18 modules and we've completed two. I have been very impressed with it and my children are enjoying it more then when they took expensive art lessons. My children are ages 9 and 11. One awesome tip I received was to read aloud while my kids work on the assignment. This has actually worked out great and I feel like art will get done this year because I can get two things accomplished at once. It's not cheap but I'm hoping it will have good resale value.

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My children are 11 and 9 yrs old. Has anyone started this with children this old. If so did you start at the beginning? Have any of you noticed an improvement in writing since using this program?

I'm thinking of using History Odyssey's Middle Ages Level 2 but haven't made up my mind yet. I'd love to hear all options that are out there as well.

I don't think this one was metioned yet: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Elementsgames.htm My kids have memorized the most common ones using this. We also have started using The Elements as mention before. We have the game Elemento but really don't think it teaches anything at all about the elements or periodic table.

We did Singapore Math up through 5B then BCM.

We just did the 1 mile loop hike to Blackrock Summit. It is around Milepost 85 on the Blueridge Parkway. My kids loved climbing to the top of the black rocks and the view was awsome. According to the sign at the beginning of the trail, it is "an easy hike with outstanding views and interesting geology. The trail loops around the summit of Blackrock, an eroding mountain of talus comprised of Hampton quartzite. To reach the top of Blackrock one must leave the trail and scramble over broken rocks. The summit elevation is 3,092 feet. Blackrock owes it’s appearance to rock tripe." Check out this website http://potomacappalachian.org/ for cabins along the Appalachian trail. Some rustic some very nice but all for very reasonable prices. And here's a homeschool website with reviews of the cabins and Blackrock Summit along with other outdoor info for VA. http://www.trailz.org/ We have enjoyed camping at Sherando Lake in the past and we also loved Lurray Caverns. Have fun.

Just another thought. What if you did fundamentals this year or BCM and next year did Video Text - It covers Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1 and 2 in about two years. That way she would not lose a whole year on pre-algebra.

Thanks for the picture. I've been following the organization threads and toiling around with different ideas. BTW, what's a slim case clipboard?

Thanks for the list Lori D. I wish I had had it a few years ago. My son liked the Magic Tree House books and The Littles series after reading the "Stepped" readers. Does anyone have recommendations for good books after these? He wants to read Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings type books but they are too far of a jump in reading level. This book has a lot of research on pros for delaying reading: http://www.amazon.com/Better-Late-Than-Early-Education/dp/0883490498 I read it years ago but didn't follow it, just because homeschooling is so much less work when your kids are able to read.

I didn't get much response from the high school board so I thought I'd ask here. We have been using BCM this year. My dd just finished chapter 6. Here are some questions I've had lately: 1. Do you let your kids use calculators with the problems that have the calculator symbol. I didn't let my daughter use one until this last chapter. It was really slowing her down not to use it. 2. Do you have your kids memorize all formulas? My daughter had trouble keeping all of the formulas straight in chapter 6 (percents). I let her copy the formulas she couldn't remember on a card to use for the chapter test. How important is it that she memorize these? 3. I'm using BCM for Pre-Algebra. What exactly is covered in most Pre-Algebra texts and how does it compare to BCM. Does my daughter need to complete all of chapter 9 (Basic Algebra) before starting Algebra in the fall. I've been looking through some Table of Contents for Algebra Texts and it looks like much of this will be repeated. Is that typical to teach the concepts both years? It doesn't look like we will finish the BCM this year if we go at the pace we are going. Are there sections I could skip? Could I have my dd do fewer problems (She does all odd right now) My dd has made A's on all chapter tests so far. These are the chapters we have left- Measurement, Geometry, Basic Algebra, Statistics.