I hear you!!! It is rather daunting, isn't it! Best to take is slowly, digesting a bit at a time!

This looks like an interesting online (free?) Japanese course, broadcast by Georgia Public TV... maybe that would be useful? Enjoy your time in Japan! http://www.gpb.org/irasshai

Yes, I like his style quite a bit-- he is one of the lecturers for the History of United States series. Very funny and yet informative!

What website did you find? I'm looking for one for next year, ninth grade...

A great visual supplement is Hippocampus, American Government. Their mini lessons are very well done and informative. http://www.hippocampus.org/?select-browse-topics-sequential

I'm teaching from it for the second time right now. To do our Saxon lesson, we simply read the lesson part together and do the examples (without looking at the answers) together, then the student does the practice problems and problem set independently. Then I circle wrong answers, and the student does them again. Every fifth lesson is a test, I believe. What kind of lesson plans were you looking for? If the student feels very challenged by Saxon's explanation, you could sign up for Hot Math online videos ($29/year) and simply watch the one targeted to that topic. Might help... http://hotmath.com/help/videos/index-college.html

Last time I looked, Walmart carried them. I'm sure they were as cheap as you could get... back in the footware section.

I think it would be great! Certainly a fun project to try out. That is really a neat idea!

Since you're still "thinking" about getting a tattoo (and you've gotten a lot of support for going ahead with it), I'll play the devil's advocate and urge you to think through whether this is something you want to do. Maybe write up a list of the pro's and con's in making this decision... For myself, and many other (older?) people, a tattoo is a definite turn-off, because it often represents a rebellious and uncivilized point-of-view. We try to teach our children to emulate the best of our culture, the highest ideals, the most laudable goals in life-- and somehow, tattoos don't really fit that way of life. Of course, you may disagree. Just something to consider! Best of luck with your decision!

There are a lot of free grammar books (online PDF's) at this site from Learning Express. You might want to check them out! http://www.learnatest.com/LearningExpressEbooks/home.cfm?CFID=7308466&CFTOKEN=ccaa9352718a299c-6EAE5A3C-E7FF-20D7-B49C58D80B7EC686 P.S. This website sometimes comes up normally, and sometimes asks for a library pass code... why is that I wonder? You might want to file/copy a book and keep it on your computer if you are not sure whether you can have free access to it later.

I know, it's terrible! Last week we helped my ds get a biology text for his summer camp, and yes, it was $135 used. Amazing! Of course, I didn't think to check before hand to get it cheaper, so we were stuck. And since it is Campbell: Biology, I'm sure I could have nabbed a less-expensive edition! But the worst part was that the camp kindly gave us a 20% discount coupon, so I was happy enough, until I saw that it did not apply to textbooks... grrrrr. So of course I wanted to use my Barnes & Noble home educator discount-- nope, not accepted! How about my Barnes & Noble Members card; can't I at least get 10% off? No, sorry, even though it is a Barnes & Noble, they don't accept the Members discount card either. Grrrrrrrrrrr!

I think that table manners should be taught with the same emphasis and perseverence as any other fundamental skill we teach kids! Absolutely, late elementary children should be using a napkin, closing their mouths when chewing, properly holding utentils, eating only after the adults have been seated and a grace said, not getting up from the table, not using their fingers to touch food (except finger-food, of course!), and listening and speaking in an appropriate manner. I just visited my ds at CTY summer camp yesterday, and we ate with him at the end of the day in the school cafeteria, and it is really terrible how some kids hold their forks-- by the fist, downward, stabbing a food on the plate and stuffing their mouths. Incredible! And these are young teens! I think that eating in a civilized manner, even with young children beginning with pudding all over their faces, is an important skill that will either open or shut doors on them throughout their life. You can get etiquette videos at the library, and of course, remind children when they make mistakes. That's how we taught our kids, at least!

Oooooh, I think I win this game! We have bronze age pottery handle dating from 2500BC that my son found in an archeological dig in Turkey. Now that's pretty old!

Back in the olden days, in New York State where I grew up, the ninth grade science class was Earth Science. You had a Regents exam at the end of the year. It looks like they still offer that course and exam-- might be a way to organize your geology study! http://regentsprep.org/Regents/earthsci/earthsci.cfm http://www.eram.k12.ny.us/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=2149 http://external.oneonta.edu/mentor/NYGEOTCHR.html

Jane, here is a link to that discussion on the College Confidential message board. Sounds like what you reported! Wow, that really changed the amount of students who received a 1. Interesting discussion too about whether the college-level biology course is typically one or two semesters at most schools. Hmmm, I'm still trying to figure out if the AP exam tests competency for a one or two semester intro biology course... do you have any insight here? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/542421-college-board-changes-scoring-biology-possibly-others.html

Here's another list to test reading level: Reading Words - Decoding Have your child read and pronounce correctly each letter or word starting with "A", the first 8 "words" are letters, then progress from left to right. When your child misses 5 words in a row, or is frustrated, then stop. Next, add the number of words using the number in brackets to help you, which keeps a tally of how many words your child has read up to that row. As you can see this scale goes all the way up to college level. This test only assesses decoding (reading words); it does not assess reading comprehension or spelling. Example: If your child reads all the way up to "quality" but misses the next 5 or 6 words then they would have a score of 44. A score of 44 = 4.4 grade level or 4th grade and fourth month. A B O P E R T H [8] to see cat milk red tree big book [16] was city eat him animal letter then himself [24] how deep spell between weather lip block awake [32] size board felt chin tray approve cliff stalk [40] split huge plot quality escape urge collapse grieve [48] abuse residence quarantine contagious glutton exhaust imply image [56] contemporary theory threshold participate ethics desolate eliminate triumph [64] tranquility humidity contemptuous alcove humiliate conspiracy aeronautic predilection [72] emphasis municipal rescinded luxurious unanimous intrigue protuberance audacious [80] benign prevalence repugnant peculiarity rudimentary pugilist mitosis bibliography [88] anomaly decisive mosaic deteriorate spurious irascible expunge coercion [96] discretionary enigmatic regime centrifugal itinerary abysmal soliloquize inchoate [104] oligarchy exigencies mnemonic ingratiating covetousness aborigines emaciated seismograph [112] pseudonym usurp idiosyncrasy schism misogyny desuetude exophthalmic succinct [120] longevity regimes vehemence regicidal evanescence heinous omniscience conduit [128]

Here is one list: The San Diego Quick Assessment The list in which a student misses no more than one of the ten words is the level at which he/she can read independently. Two errors indicate his/her instructional level. Three or more errors identify the level at which reading material will be too difficult for him/her. 1 road live thank when bigger how always night spring today 2 our please myself town early send wide believe quietly carefully 3 city middle moment frightened exclaimed several lonely drew since straight 4 decided served amazed silent wrecked improved certainly entered realized interrupted 5 successful business develop considered discussed behaved splendid acquainted escaped squirming 6 bridge commercial abolish trucker apparatus elementary comment necessity gallery relativity 7 amber dominion sundry capillary impetuous blight wrest enumerate daunted condescent 8 capacious limitation pretext intrigue delusion immaculate ascent acrid binocular embankment 9 conscientious isolation molecule ritual momentous vulnerable kinship conservatism jaunty inventive 10 zany jerking nausea gratuitous linear inept legality aspen prevaricate barometer 11 galore rotunda capitalism amnesty risible exonerate superannuate luxuriate piebald crunch

That's such a hard question! We are also wondering if it is a good idea to update kitchen and baths on our house, which is only 15 years old but has not been updated since. I was thinking of adding granite counters in the kitchen at least but then I read that they often contain high levels of radon (!!) so maybe not a good idea!

The WTM recommends the Vocabulary from Classical Roots series in high school (I think I'm right saying that), and that is a great series that teaches the vocabulary of Lating and Greek words, but you could require spelling mastery of the word lists as well. It is a very nice workbook series. http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/catalog/series.asp?seriesonly=2252M

They are excellent for eighth grade, in my opinion. The lectures show a great enthusiasm for all the many and varied disciplines of science, and includes a wealth of interesting details. The teacher is very eloquent and engaging. This series was quite a hit for us at that age. Highly recommended!

Funny student answers-- some of these are quite funny! I like the calculus one that gets worse and worse.. http://www.jimmyr.com/blog/Funny_Student_Exam_Answers_91_2007.php

A best-seller is Myers: Exploring Psychology, 7/e, which you can purchase as an ebook for $42/year. It has been an industry leader for many years now... http://www.ebooks.bfwpub.com/ You can also purchase older editions fairly easily through Amazon.com and places like that... http://www.amazon.com/Myers-Exploring-Psychology-6th-Sixth/dp/B001AF9SDY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216839048&sr=8-2

Way to go!!! That's great that your ds did so well (two classes as well!). And I'm glad to hear that you recommend the PA Homeschoolers class. Certainly did seem to prepare your ds well! Congrats!

Wow! Great price! We just both one for almost full-fare... too bad! Thanks for posting.

We've used the courses for listening enrichment, but they do come with a booklet (Algebra I) and a recommended text (Joy of Science). We watched both of those courses in their entirety and really enjoyed them. They are very nice-- the Joy of Science is incredibly broad and very interesting, and the Algebra I offered some nice new ways to look at problems, using math manipulative and calculators and such. Both were a hit at our house!