We have done all of these: Around the World in 80 Days - Loved this one. Adventurous, exotic locations, lots of mystery. Several movie versions to compare/contrast afterward. Heidi - Awesome! Highly recommended. Fantastic character discussion, suspense, happy ending. Again, we watched several movie versions afterward and compared/contrasted. Each was very different from the other and each took its own license with the plot. Holes - Not really a fan. Don't think this would be as fun to read aloud as a more classic book. Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Short. Kids were expecting more suspense, but still a good classic. Little Women - Love! Great character studies and relationships. Peter Pan - Another favorite. High adventure from a kid's point of view. Parents seemed a little lame. Swiss Family Robinson - Classic. Lots of discussions about inventions. Also lots of discussion surrounding the wholesale killing of animals for no apparent reason. Tale of Despereaux - Short. A little dark. Treasure Island - Big hit. Good character studies and description. Mystery. The Wheel on the School - One of our favorites!! Lots of positive themes to discuss, adventure, relationships, geography discussions, nature, etc. Wind in the Willows - Good classic, but somewhat hard to read due to dialect.

Same EXACT thing happened with my son. A little more than halfway through Algebra 1, he took a high school placement test for math and tested into Geometry. I questioned the result and explained the situation, but the head of the math department advised me to have him take Geometry and then complete Algebra 1 the following summer prior to starting Algebra 2. She felt that that would actually help him in Algebra 2, since everything would be fresh. So, if you didn't want to work the two concurrently, you could take that path Just a thought!

I need some help working through this. My daughter's co-op class is going to read The Outsiders, A Separate Peace and The Curious Incident of a Dog at Night-Time. In pre-reading them, I am concerned about the appropriateness of each of them (in different ways) for a young 7th grade girl. They all contain violence and mature social situations and themes, and all all about teenaged boys. The profanity is an issue as well. It seems to me that they would all be more appropriate to older teens. Any thoughts?

Thanks for your replies. The WWS combined looks like a great solution. I haven't looked at Lively Art of Writing, so will research that. Forgot about Lost Tools of Writing, so I'll look at that too. Great suggestions!

My 8th grader is going to a private high school next year. He is a prolific creative writer, and has done subject writing and basic grammar, but no formal writing program. I am looking for a writing curriculum or a list of topics/skills (i.e. essays, research papers, etc.) that I can put together to create a complete writing program for this year that will prepare him for high school. Any ideas?

Ds 13 is halfway through Teaching Textbooks Pre Algebra and will be finished by October. He will technically be in 8th grade in the Fall. He can slide right into an Algebra I text at home, or he can take a Pre Algebra class that is using Art of Problem Solving. I am not sure which route to go. The AoPS class would give him a sound foundation for Algebra I in 9th, but then he would not have time to take Calculus before he graduates. If he takes Algebra I in 8th, he could take Calc senior year, but may not have as firm a grasp on Algebra poor to Geometry. He will be going to a brick and mortar high school in 9th. What would you do?

Our local library has all of the school district's textbooks in the reference section. It's nice to be able to look at them in person. You might check with your library to see if they do the same. Robyn

How do you teach health topics/information to your middle schooler? What do you cover? Do you use a curriculum or particular book? I have an upcoming 6th grader and feel like I need to address a list of topics like drugs/alcohol, basic first aid, nutrition etc. and am looking for ideas from those who may have done it already. Thanks!

Thanks everyone--great suggestions! I am busy checking them all out!

I'd like to see them too! Thanks! magistrak@gmail.com

Do these go together? Too much for a 3rd grader? Thanks for your thoughts!

Looking for suggestion for Geography for dc 8 & 10 who have just had basic oceans/continents so far. I looked at Galloping the Globe--too young? Also Trail Guide to Word Geography. I'd like to incorporate mapping, country study, and basic geography concepts. What would you do?

So you would both use WWE with a 5th grader instead of WWS? I'll look into Hake. Thanks!

Ds10 took Latin at a co-op last year and did very well. They used Canon Press Latin Primer 1. A lot of the other kids had trouble with the fast pace of the curriculum, and they were going to switch to Latin for Children for this year. Since he would have been using LfC B, I ordered LfC A for dd8. Now, the co-op has canceled the class so I will be teaching Latin at home. Now I'm unsure whether to go with LfC or choose something else. Should I just go with Latin Primer 2? I think LP1 would be too much for my younger, though, and I'd really like to use the same curriculum for both. I have looked at so many programs, I am overwhelmed. Does anyone have experience with Canon Press Latin Primer, and what would you recommend to follow it? Thank you!

I am trying to decide what to use for grammar and writing for my upcoming 5th grader. I have read that Rod and Staff English is very thorough in grammar and affordable, but it looks somewhat dry. I like the visual qualities and layout of BJU, and I like the writing assignments melded in, but wonder if it is as rigorous. Finally, I love the content and style of WWS, but we have not done WWE, although we have dabbled in it and do narration regularly. We would need a grammar course also. We did FLL last year. So what would you do? Thanks!