I don't suppose anyone has an image of the inside of the NARS planner they could send me? My daughter wants something particular inside.... if you have an image, could you pretty please email it to me? sueforsythe at verizon dot net. I sooooooooooo appreciate it! Sue

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/extras/1_2a4_homeschooled.html Check out this link on what Stanford asks of homeschool students... I thought it was quite interesting! Sue

I agree - ALEKS as supplement only. There are no word problems of any depth whatsoever, but it's a great review of techniques and alogrithms. SAT math can be so peculiar anyway I think you need to specifically prep for it with an SAT program. Just my 2 cents!

My 7th grade 12 yo dd flew through Foerster's Alg 1... as a double check at the end of the book, she did the ALEKS algebra 1 course. There were just a few things she didn't know and she finished it in less than a month. I, too, worried she wasn't doing enough to really get it, but it looks like it sunk in! Sue

We have the whole set (actually I'm about to post them on the For Sale board), and the kids have loved them! They're colorful, have a couple of activity pages, and hold their attention. There's a sample you can look through on their website, www.zoobooks.com HTH! Sue

My two cents: Latin grammar is MUCH harder than Spanish - way more complicated! Spanish grammar is a relief in comparison (well, there are lots of pesky verb tenses). HOWEVER! You don't actually have to SPEAK Latin to anyone, to understand when they speak fast, to come up with the right thing to say on the spot, to get the subtleties of idioms, etc. So I think it's much harder to be FLUENT in a spoken language, no matter how simple the grammar is. I find Latin more of a logic puzzle than anything else....

Do you think it's at all possible to do a fantasy story instead of an Adventure story? My dd will willingly write fantast, but not adventure a al Treasure Island... maybe a fantasy adventure?? Sue

Great, I'll try it! Thanks :) Sue

Thanks! I'd LOVE the half-price code if you could find it! My kids will want something on the computer for the summer :) Sue

Johns Hopkins CTY has this 6 CD set for sale for $150... has anyone used it or heard tell if it's any good? This is WAY too much $$ unless it's spectacular! We're in need of new educational computer games... Thanks, Sue http://cty.jhu.edu/cde/cove/

Search the boards; there have been lots of posts lately. My quick summary: Not a stand-alone math course, GREAT for review or identifying "gaps." We use it each year after the regular curric is done.... Sue

Hmm, I just got over 50 and still am not able to post. Is there something I need to do? Sue

Check used textbook sites like Follett's if you can't find the TEs elsewhere: http://www.fes.follett.com/ There's almost always a cheaper way than new! I've always like the TEs for these books. I pick and choose through the experiments, looking for the ones that add the most value with a minimum of exotic equipment. Sue

For me, it's a height issue. My daughter is taller than many grown women, so though she's 12, she can sit up front... Sue

I guess I'll add mine! I have a 12 dd and a 10ds, and we're in our 6th year of hs'ing here in NH! How time flies. I'm too anal to be much of anything but a scheduled, curricumum-ed type, though I try to encourage them to finish early and pursue their own interests. We use Singapore, Foerster's Algebra, Science Explorer, Latin Prep (finished with Latin for Americans), Fix-its, SPelling Power and Spell Doctor, cobbled together history, Grammar Key... and lots of other stuff here and there! In my spare time, I teach community college classes (statistics, mostly), ride my bike, draw, and practice Spanish. Thanks to all who post here regularly and are so helpful! Sue

ALEKS does this when you sign up for a course, but it's $20 per month. Sorry, that's the only one I know of! Sue

We have always used the Scoring High books as test prep before the test. There's a little booklet you can order from Bayside School Services that lists topics covered in each test each year, including the science and social studies... Sue

We went through mapping the us by heart.... we did only the mapping and memorizing capitals. It was a great experience - none of us believed in the beginning that we could draw the US by heart! But it wasn't that great a "geography" experience. You'd need to add other resources to it. Sue

My 7th dd is doing classes through online sources: home2teach, bravewriter.... she is much more careful and calm when writing for others! I'm still not totally satisfied with the courses, but she's only taken a few so far... Sue

After trying Latin Primer and Latin for Children, I'm sold on Latin Prep! It's just the right combo of fun and rigor, it's parts to whole, and has a small amount of vocab to memorize, which is vital for my 10yo. I just reorder the chants the "american" way! Sue

My daughter finished 6b, did ALEKS pre-algebra (which took her about 2 months), then into Foerster's Alg 1. She's sailed through, but then somehow she always does! Sue

I like jacobs, but we are going to try our virtual charter school here in NH. Don't know how proof heavy it is... maybe I will have to supplement! Sue

I was a Witch of Blackbird Pond girl, too... then I found Piers Anthony :) Sue

We have a "school room," and sometimes we actually stay there! We end up in the kitchen, on the sofa, in their rooms, outside.... there's always a stack of books to get back to the school room ;) SUe

My dd is a very young 7th grader - on the cut off date! She's doing great in all ways - no concerns at all for me. She's "ahead" academically in some things. Socially, she's fine, etc, etc. My ds is a young 5th grader (Aug bday). He's small, less mature, less interested in school, etc...I still haven't decided what grade he really is "in." It doesn't matter at home, but I tell him not to get to attached to the label "5th." His buddies are all in 5th, so it could be a problem! So it depends on the kid, in the end, when you have to make them fit somewhere in the SYSTEM! Sue