This is what we're going for as well. I appreciate your advice and personal input. I want teens to be able to have fun and talk about books with other teens. We're in an age where our culture is pushing them away from reading, so any encouragement is welcome. I also don't want to make this look like more school work. There will be a project or two but I want them to be involved and excited about coming. As far as having it at Barnes and Noble, is there a meeting room or are they meeting within the store? I was just wondering about meeting and location dynamics and how that affects the group.

My 2nd child going into 8th grade. That happened really quickly. English: Not sure yet Math: CLE Math 600-700 Science: Guest Hollow Botany (finish it anyway) and NaturExplorers by Our Journey Westward History: I don't have a clue Fine Arts: Art/drawing classes at a co-op violin lessons Archery Club (possibly)

Forgive me if this topic has been presented before but I made a search and come up with NOTHING. I want to start a book club for tweens and teens in the fall but I need some help with planning. I have never attended a book club ever so I am at a bit of a disadvantage. I love books and have a desire to help teens connect through books. This started because we are part of a large homeschool group and while there are plenty of opportunities for teens to socialize my introverted daughter is having a hard time turning her acquaintance relationships to friend relationships. She has always loved reading before and this year I saw her personal reading take a nosedive (I blame the cell phone and myself) but she is excited at the thought of connecting with others over books and jump starting her reading life again. Now that you have that history in mind, I need help and guidance. I have the whole summer to prepare and I plan to use it wisely. I would love some information on starting a book club, fun activity ideas and book topics. Really, I need any help I can get. I have never really worked with a group of teens and I know this is a bit out of my comfort zone but I am willing to try, not just for my daughter but other tweens/teens who need this outlet. Also.... is it possible to combine such a large age group and still have a great time and connect with each other? I was thinking Grades 7-12 or 8-12 but is that too ambitious? I also have a rising 8th grader who is also interested in joining in. PLEASE help. I want to make this happen.

For my dd14 next year: English 2: HSLDA Academy and possibly Continued IEW Intensive C through a local homeschool class Math: Finish CLE Algebra 1 and Geometry through a local homeschool class Social Studies: "World History 2" History Revealed: Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries and World Empires, World Missions and World Wars Science: Experience Astronomy- Advanced Fine Arts: Piano 2 (local lessons) Foreign Language: Japanese 1 through CLRC or WTMA (not sure yet) Elective 1: Career Exploration with 7 Sisters Homeschool Elective 2: Finish Computer Savvy with Compuscholar Physical Education: Ballroom Dancing and gym History Club BETA Club Homeschool Archery Club (not 100% about this) I didn't realize how busy her workload was until I typed this up!!

I have some experience with the Guest Hollow Botany course. I am using it with a middle school age child (she's only doing the assignments within her ability) but this could definitely work for high school. I think it's rigorous enough. There are A LOT of books for it though but not all are completely necessary. Some books are used for only 1-3 weeks and some through out year. It's a balancing act to figure out which to buy and which to borrow but it's worth it to keep my cost down. GH Botany is also good for a more natural child or as an option for a non-math-heavy science

You can absolutely start simple and inexpensive. There are so many ways to go about it. This suggestion is cheap and really great! You could also buy a book with all the spelling lists that you could ever need like Spelling Power or Natural Speller. What I like to do with my dd10 is use a spelling list from Natural Speller and write words on a 4x6 index card and paper clip it to her weekly activity page in a wide ruled notebook. I make up the activities on the weekend (takes me about 10 minutes) and she can complete them in about 10 minutes every day. Just to give you a sampling of what you can do: * Write each word (1 or 2 times) * Write a sentence with each word * Make a word search puzzle * ABC order * Write the definition * Match the word to the synonym/antonym * Have her type the words on a WORD document and paste it to the page * Separate the nouns from the verbs * Add prefixes and suffixes * Separate syllables I know this is more for an older child but this is just to open up the possibilities that you can do with this simple format. OR you can take that same list and apply it to Spelling City. Kids who like doing their work on the computer appreciate this option. You could choose from the free spelling programs from this list. Check out my spelling pintrest board of spelling activities. I am devoted to making homeschooling cheap and fun. My oldest dd uses Spelling Workout. It's a workbook, it's boring and dull but she loves it. It goes along with her workbooky, get-r-done attitude. Oh well, it works. You have to use what works with each child.

Just found this tucked away on another forum thread. This 8th-12th grade Literature and Composition curricula was developed by another Hive member: Wordly Wise

Totally agree! Anything with a lot of reproducible material needs to be digital. My printer is as slow as Christmas when it comes to making scanned copies. It's so agonizingly painful that if I already have the physical copy I would go ahead and buy the digital too for easy printing. So yes, sometimes it is better to have digital copies of curriculum. Thanks for the reminder. That gives me something else to think about.

Double post. Sorry

I have looked at this sale every year and always decide against buying anything but this year there are some interesting offerings. I'm actually contemplating purchasing the upper grades bundle #1 and #2 and possibly the elementary #4 bundle. Last year's sale really sucked so it's great to see that they finally have better options. However! I'm really torn because I find it hard to actually USE digital curriculum. It's not the same looking at it on my tablet or desktop when I can just quickly thumb through the pages in a physical book. ::sigh:: Plus if I decide that its not right for us I can't just sell a digital copy. What to do, what to do.

Four pages! Whoo hoo! I've been on the lookout for freebies to add to this thread. Most of the resources are for middle school and high school The Amazing Handwriting Worksheet Generator- Create worksheets with three fonts: print, cursive and d'nealian. Not curriculum but a great resource for handwriting practice and copywork. Harmony Arts a Home- I found separate free resources. Great resource for a high school fine arts credit! Grade 9- Music Appreciation Grade 10- Music Appreciation Grade 11- Music Appreciation Grade 12- Music Appreciation Grade 12- Art Appreciation Agriculture in the classroom- California Ag in the Classroom and Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom because it's important for kids to know where their food comes from, right? Plus it counts as science. Science News for Students- great for those science geek kids. Hippo Campus- similar to Khan Academy but not as extensive. Actuarial Foundation- Math and personal financing for grades 4-12. The personal finance is definitely for high school and adults. Money Talks- University of California developed this for high school and college students. Discusses personal finance, business sense, entrepreneurship and more. ETA: Vocabulary Word Study for ACT and SAT prep. Very visual

Are you specifically looking for phonics games or to enhance reading through games? Also....are you willing to put together games like file folder games? I'm just trying to get a better idea of what you're looking for.

Free Homeschool High School. This site doesn't have textbooks like Classes Without Books but the links do correspond to some quality material put out by Khan Academy, school teachers, government agencies and more. Click the subject you'd like to view at the top menu. Not complicated at all. http://freehomeschoolhighschool.weebly.com/

Classes Without Books Homeschool courses for middle school to high school in all subjects and even a few electives. Can't attest for the quality of all the courses but I like some of these for outlines. The link is a list of all their courses and textbooks. Some courses use the CK12 textbooks (a previously listed free curriculum) but others use their own written texts. http://classeswithoutbooks.com/homeschool-classes.htm

::sigh:: No, my library system doesn't have anything attached to Overdrive or Hoopla. Mississippi doesn't seem to care about their libraries like other states. This could be a reason why we're the bottom in academic achievement and quality. I have checked many times because I've heard many good things about both services. Thank you, ladies, for your suggestions. I will put in a request for the services with the main office though. You never know!