I'm not opposed to switching things that are not working. Is this the only thing that she doesn't like? My DS is doing Exploration Education this year, it's a physical science course. He really loves it and it's pretty affordable considering that it comes with everything. Can you sell the one you have?

I think that skiing is a great way to get his buy-in, but honestly I think you need to decide what is best for him and tell him--gently--that this is what you are going to try and take it from there. We tell our kids all the time that life is not the SAME. They are different kids, have different needs, and they can just forget the expectation that everything should be equal and the same. So in your situation, I would find a homeschool ski club (we are doing this one this year and are very excited!), another activity or two that he will like, curriculum that he won't hate, and a schedule that will be appealing compared to the school schedule. I would not try to convince him as if he has a choice, but would tell him all the positives and really emphasize the negatives of the other scenarios. Especially since he will not be homeschooled forever, he can look forward to high school and make the best of his time at home.

Does he have a lot of opportunity for sports through the Catholic school? If they offer sports, can you pay a fee for him to do that? Maybe they can offer you an "independent learning" option and pay for extracurriculars. Religion aside, I would not be ok with the chromebook learning platform. Just no way. And, I'm sorry, but my kids do not get the final say in their schooling. I take their opinions into consideration but they do NOT get to decide. It really sounds like the best option for your family is to homeschool and get the sports in another way.

My DD is doing CLE 7. If she reads and understands the new content, I don't need to help her. Then throughout the very thorough review, she does it all independently unless she gets stuck and forgets something. The new content is in such small bites that she has really been doing great on her own.

You can try giving him a really small pencil like a golf pencil or a pencil that has been sharpened way down and see if that makes a difference.

This list and the details about each book is FABULOUS. Thank you!

Thanks so much, these are really helpful! We've done a lot of Sonlight books as read alouds but I'm sure it would help to consult their lists again. She really doesn't like audiobooks. She actually loves to read, I just have to be careful about the level of challenge. Older or archaic language is not the right fit right now.

These are GREAT suggestions, thank you! She did read Wonder but not the others.

I need some easier literature for my DD for 7th grade. Her reading and comprehension level regressed due to an illness and hasn't fully bounced back. This is what I had chosen for her for this year: The Hobbit (started it, and it was too hard), Lad: A Dog (We are reading that together now as shared reading. It's going really well, but it would be too wordy for her to read on her own), Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women. I want to revisit these in 8th grade and give her literature that is enjoyable and that she can read independently this year. We are studying 1815-Present for history. I am going to have her read Number the Stars in the spring. I was also thinking of Esperenza Rising. We have done a ton of literature from MP and VP lists and it would all be too much to list here. Last year in 6th grade she read Soul Surfer, The Witch of Blackbird Pond (a little challenging but she did it), Sarah Witcher's Story, and By the Great Hornspoon. I wasn't planning to relate all her literature this year to history but those kinds of recommendations would be helpful, too.

Timez Attack got my kids to memorize their multiplication facts up to the 10's painlessly and in 2 weeks. But I don't think it is available anymore. Reflex Math was excellent as well and that went to the 12's. I have found Prodigy to be terrible for drilling. Maybe I haven't figured out how to assign things properly, but they mix in so many more types of problems and I can't see how to just isolate drilling what needs to be drilled.

Lessons don’t have to be expensive. We found a private barn that charges $25/lesson which is a steal, and we are in a very high cost of living area. Now if it is the drive that is a problem, then I’m not sure what to say except that maybe it could be a special summer thing. My DD became obsessed with surfing last year. She read Bethany Hamilton’s biography and watched the movie and decided she wanted to be a surfer. Well we live almost an hour and a half from the beach. All year last year she said she wanted to learn to surf. DH was willing to take her to try it so they did a little beach trip and daddy-daughter surfing lesson. She LOVED it. I wish it was something we could give her opportunities to practice but it’s just not possible on a regular basis. But next summer we are going to try to do a beach trip where she could surf every day just for the trip. All that to say, maybe he could go to a horse camp for a week in the summer or a day camp that does riding. Maybe there are places relatively close that offer family trail rides? I will admit that the therapeutic aspect of riding is really amazing, I’ve seen it in both my kids now!

It's important to figure out what's going on before switching programs. If you suspect a learning disability, have her evaluated as soon as possible so that you know what you are dealing with and can make an informed decision regarding her needs.

I guess I figured it was pre-pre-algebra because she should have been exposed to it all along but wasn't. Her fifth grade year was a total wash because she was extremely ill. Up to that point we had been using Singapore. I spent the summer after 5th grade catching her up on fractions and decimals. For sixth grade, last year, I put her in Math Lessons for a Living Education which was an excellent review of all fraction and decimal work, percents, long division, multi-digit multiplication. But only at the very end of the book did it mention variables and integers. Yeah this is the thing. She will easily solve those problems but when I tell her the you have to do the same thing to both sides and really that is what you are already doing, she says it doesn't make any sense. Same thing with combining like terms. It is the abstract nature of this that she gets stuck with. I bought the entire Dragonbox set. If that doesn't work, I will look into HOE.

Logic of English — super strong foundation for spelling Timez Attack (may not be available anymore) and Reflex Math — got both kids to thoroughly memorize multiplication facts in weeks

Ok, dragon box looks awesome but it’s a little pricey and I think I’d have to buy it separately for both kids’ laptops (windows.) Hands on equations has an app that’s really cheap—has anyone used that?

I switched my DD to CLE math for 7th grade. Her computation is very good--multiplication facts and long division are solid, as is her ability to perform operations with fractions and decimals. The thing she is really struggling with is just a very basic understanding of variables, combining like terms, and simplifying expressions. Is there a video that I can use to make this click for her? We watched some Kahn Academy but it is still not clicking. Here are examples of what she is struggling with: 2x + 5 + x - 3 7x + 28 = 84 I have said things like, the end goal is to get the variable by itself so that you know what it equals. When you do one thing to one side, do the same thing to the other side. You need to "combine like terms" which means group together variables and numbers in groups that are the same. These concepts are SO abstract to her. I have used Number Rock videos in the past that made everything click, but they don't have anything related to algebra. Is there something out there that I can show her or some way of explaining this that I am missing, or does she just need to keep practicing and it will all eventually click?

If you want pre-made notebooking pages, check out https://notebookingpages.com/about-us I haven't used it but they do have quite a bit. Go to the library for every unit and pull books of all levels. Maybe your 12yo and 10yo can read selections from some of the books you've already planned, and add some picture books for the 8yo. You might have already planned to do this, but you can add MaryAnn Kohl's Global Art for art projects from around the world and I'm sure there is a good cookbook for recipes from around the world. Reading, note booking, and one project a week.

My kids are 12 and 10 and this year I made the switch from lots of read alouds to only ONE. This is because it became a constant struggle to keep them focused last year and I felt totally disrespected by the fooling around, coloring pages/markers everywhere, and interruptions. We have had many wonderful years of literature rich learning, but now it's time for them to take more ownership of their day. No more "mommy reads everything while we fool around." I put them in VP self-paced history, and separated them for science. They are continuing to do their own literature readings and some related copywork and comprehension activities. We are doing one family read aloud at a time this year, sometimes connected to history and sometimes not. Math is what it is. I found through trial and error last year that I needed to separate them but still give them variety in what they were doing everyday, so that it wasn't ALL workbooks or ALL led by me. I'm helping them with whatever they need and overseeing their science experiments, but I'm not doing their work for them. It has only been one week but I'm so much happier. They are doing great, too. So in your situation, is there a way to take what you have already planned and modify it for each child? Give them age appropriate books to read and notebook about, so that you aren't reading everything. Pick ONE read aloud for the family. Maybe there is an online program they could try to break up the day. (I am not big on doing the entire school day in front of a screen, but one or two subjects can give them more ownership and take a little off your plate.) I'm not too familiar with what is out there for world geography as far as filling an entire year, but I'm sure it can be done. Best of luck!

Thanks everyone. We are tabling it for now. I wish I hadn't put so much work into planning for it!

I can see how that would help, but I still think the language is very challenging for her. She loves to read and does not need a bunch of projects to stay engaged. So I'm still not sure if we should wait or keep going.

We have a literature guide, Garlic Press Discovering Literature. There is a list of vocabulary and definitions for every chapter which is very helpful. I think she wants to be able to understand it without thinking too hard. I don't want to take away all challenge but I want her to her able to understand and enjoy it.

My 12yo started reading The Hobbit yesterday. She was so excited to read it but the language is really challenging for her. We've read a lot of classic literature as read alouds but not as much for independent reading. She doesn't want to read it now and I'm not sure how to proceed. Read it with her, or table it for now since she's barely into it yet? FWIW, she's always been a strong reader, but in 5th grade she had viral triggered encephalitis which caused academic regression. She has mostly bounced back, but I think she is still behind where she would be if that had not happened.

I can only remember one that we dropped—Ginger Pye. I thought it was the worst, most boring read-aloud ever! Most other books we have generally loved. I would definitely drop a book if we hated it, but push through if I felt it had merit. FWIW, we loved The Year of Miss Agnes.

I'm coming from the opposite perspective but I also wish there were more science options. I want engaging video lessons and pre-made kits and a lab book. Like Mystery Science for older kids with all the experiment materials in a box that I can buy. As far as all the "neutral" curricula, I think that those companies are trying to please everyone by not excluding either the secular or Christian homeschoolers, but in doing that they are actually not pleasing the majority.

I've never heard of Strayer Upton. I switched my kids to Singapore from RS around 2nd grade.