I have just started using it with my oldest, age almost 14, who is basically a good speller. I wanted to do dictation with her but could never find anything hard enough...she is so good at dictation. But recently I noticed during our national testing she didn't know how to spell a few words she should have, and it really is only lack of exposure. She would be happy doing a workbook but it would be another thing to add to our days so I am trying Spelling Wisdom. I have bought the 4th book for her, which is supposedly above her level,(for 9th -11th grade) but it is perfect and finally I have some great dictations which actually challenge her, although I have had to start half way through the book to find the level of difficulty which stretches her. The literature selections are really wonderful and they are carefully chosen to contain appropriate spelling words for each level. I think it is fairly self evident what it is....a dictation program to cover spelling, as Charlotte Mason proposed....but its no more than that, either.

I voted Charlotte Mason because that is where I am heading, but I actually consider CM as one of many branches of Classical, rather than a completely separate type, which is why it works so well with neoClassical. I have been very WTM influenced, Latin Centred influenced, and influenced by many specific curriculum like CW at times. I respect the people who express their own flavour of Classical and I appreciate their influence on me. In the end, I digest everything I am attracted to, integrate what works for me, and move on. I am not loyal to anything but my own sense of what works best for us. At the moment, I am really relishing aspects of CM that have always attracted me but I have neglected in the past, like prioritising creative free time, nature study, keeping lessons a reasonable length, art and music appreciation.....and I am using AO and HEO as my main support. I don't want to go the way of just making my kids work more and more so that they can do well at university- I want our lives to be rich and fun, with plenty of time for following personal interests, so that the teenage years are a time of them getting to know themselves, as well as academic progress. I don't want these years to be a grind.

Homeschooling is pretty much what I consider my job, and probably a large part of my identity too. I do like to share my passion for homeschooling with people and yes it does often come up in conversation fairly quickly, partly because if I am meeting someone new and we are chatting and getting to know each other, it is useful to mention the "big" things because they colour pretty much everything else. Homeschooling is a significant reason why we have a big house, why I dont work much, and its also how I spend a lot of my time. However, I have plenty of time nowadays to do other things. For a long time I was obsessed with homeschooling, but now it just feels like my job, I feel pretty happy and stable with what we are doing, and I am not much of a curriculum junkie anymore :) So, my interests are my spiritual life, and that includes lots of reading and also attending a yearly retreat, some weekend retreats, some evening things at times. That is my real me time, and my husband supports that and my kids are used to me disappearing for those things, adn their dad taking over meals etc (you know, pizza those nights). But I also read lots of other things, I am passionate about health, I go through phases of being passionate about cooking and diet, I have great friends who I have periodic times with, and the thing that seems to be coming up strongly in my life is singing and playing synthesizer in two separate bands. One is related to my husbands work, the other is completely separate, both are spiritually based. Sometimes in the last year, when homeschooling has settled down more and my focus there is more relaxed, I have thought about taking on more work, or even going to university. However my hsuband discourages this and I know he is right. At this time in my life, he supports us, we have a great lifestlye, I am fed and nourished both within my family and with a significant life outside my family, so to take on "more" would end up being "too much" rather quickly and i would get stressed, which would feed back negatively on my family. So, if I wasnt homeschooling, yes, there are other passions I could follow, I do have other interests, but this is a season and it feels such a blessing to have such a happy and relaxed lifestlye....it feels like it would be just greedy to go "more, more, more" at this point.,...so I am very grateful for what I have, which is more than enough. Ultimately I have sacrificed a career- or a career I though I was going to have, as a naturopath- to do this, and that feels fine, but I do have friends my age who are going to university to get the career they never had. Or, they are now earning a lot of money because they go their degrees and are working.....and there is a slight twinge every now and then. But, the sacrifice feels so worth it for the life my kids are having, and the family life we have, and the freedom.

AG is a stand alone program, not a review program. You can switch whenever you like :) There are several worksheets for each level. If my dd masters a couple of them, she can skip one before doing the test. So if AG is covering work your child has already covered in R&S you could move faster through AG. The point of AG is that you don't have to spend all year doing intensive grammar. R&S is kind of the opposite to that :) R&S is thorough and complete , except it also includes writing. AG is a thorough and complete grammar program. I cant myself see the point of using AG after R&S as review. Just do one or the other whenever you want.

94% here.

I am using AG over 3 years, but instead of 30-40 minutes daily, I spreadit out over much longer than 10 weeks, making it about 10 minutes a day over almost all year. Then, no reinforcement books are needed. We did take a term off though, but dd just picked up where we left off, no problems.

We did this last year, and after the first couple of months I didn't use the Student Book. YOu definitely need the TM though, thats where all the meat of the program is. It depends if you want them to do the program independently and fill out worksheets or not. If you do, you need the student book. We however found our way, after trying all of it at first, to spending half an hour a day on the couch together either reading LOTR or doing the work in the TM orally together- the discussions, the comprehension questions. We dropped the vocab after a while but we did it orally too for quite a while. My kids were 11 and 12/13 when we did this....at the youngest end of the spectrum....but the way we did it kept it interesting and stopped it becoming a chore, which was what I really wanted to avoid.

I guess it all depends on your priorities. That sort of schedule would burn me and my kids out. I understand most people here are highly academically driven, and have ambitions for their children to go to college, often to get scholarships etc So that is going to reflect in your highschool childrens' schedules. My goals are different, so my schedules look different. I realised I was going to burn my kids out, they had no love of learning, and I was burned out, so I have changed over to more charlotte mason ideas. I prioritise free time daily, even for my 9th grader. I prioritise physical activity, and I am trying to educate for life, rather than for university, so I make time for the fun stuff. Obviously "short lessons" as in 20 minutes is not going to work for highschoolers, but I have started stopping my daughter after an hour of maths, and it has taken a huge weight from her shoulders and we move through the day much easier. I kind of work backwards, and work out hwo much time I want to do school and fit it all in. Sometimes the kids have homework, but thats only if their schedule is acutally disturbed for some reason, or if they are being unusually slack. I want my kids to have good memories of their childhood and homeschooling, and I endeavour to keep our academic work within reasonable hours, because its only a part of our lives, not the driving focus.

When my now dh and I were first going out, I was a young thing (22 or so) and he was 35. He told me he knew how to cut hair, no worries, plenty of experience. So, I let him at my blonde curls. Wow did he cop it when he told me after he started that I was the first! I made him stop right there, lop sided, and take me to a hairdresser. He is wicked like that. :001_smile:

You ladies are inspiring! I notice several of you are doing algebra- is this to get ahead/keep ahead of your children? I have found just this year I am hitting a wall with my dd in her algebra (she is almost 14, year 9 here in Australia). I have been amazed that up until now I have been able to get her through- not that she has needed much help- just through my memory of highschool maths, but now, ugh, its getting hard. I cant just glance at her work and explain it to her anymore. I have to go back and read it all myself- can take a long time. I'm not sure I have the dedication to learn it with her though. I am thinking more of earning more money so I can pay someone else to, when I just can't do it any more!

I intend to use Ambleside's Year 7 for our Middle Ages year next year, adjusting and tweaking here and there. I have always wanted to try Ambleside and it just seems a good fit for us for the next year.

Truthfully even now homeschooling two kids, I probably do have 2 hours I could spend on self education if I so chose :) And in a way, I do choose.....I read and read, but not in a structured way, I read a lot of non fiction, but I just get drawn to the next book. I go through stages of really getting into cooking and health (just going through a raw food detox phase at the moment.) In the past I have taken cooking lessons. I play and sing in two bands, part time, and I am always learning to improve my musical abilities, and have just booked myself for singing lessons- I am so excited about that! I have taken art classes in the past. I learn new things on the computer all the time. Life feels like an ongoing learning experience for me, but I never make a chore out of it. I just move toward what I love to do.

I find it all fascinating and I can imagine my now almost 14yo accelerating herself through school if she had been started with a package curriculum at a young age. I am certainly in no position to say its not a valid option for many people. But as mumof7 says, its a rare child able to write a master's thesis in highschool. That's where the WTM "stages of development" comes in, even if it is a somewhat contrived structure of developmental stages, it is somewhat accurate, too.....it takes maturity and integration and life experience, to some extent, to have a) motivation and b) ability to perform, to analyse, to think at that higher level. Even though "that higher level" may be a lower level, at least in some areas, than it was 150 years ago (when I understand being fluent in Greek and Latin translations- including from English - was a pre-requisite to university). Its going to be a possibility for some students though, and I must admit I am slightly envious...but our system here in Australia is different, too. Not sure if it would work here.

I think people somehow link dirt, in their minds, with some sort of immorality. As if being dirty on the outside means you are dirty on the inside. I personally don't think it works like that :) Its not an issue I am going to get very upset about, personally. Some sweat and dirt means they have been living their lives well, playing, having fun, being kids. My daughter (a girly girl who also loves Scouts and other traditionally boy activities) naturally showers daily. Twice, if allowed. She wets or conditions her botticelli curls daily (a curly girl thing). My son wouldnt shower unless asked. Sometimes I have to remember to ask him to wash his hair because it gets a bit smelly. It was only recently (the last year or so, he is 12) I didnt have to turn the shower on for him and help him wash his hair though. I figure by the time he wants to impress girls, he will get the personal hygeine thing together pretty well. We don't use soap(except shampoo on our hair). Rarely, anyway- theres some on the sink for washing dirty hands, but none in the shower. . We have a hemp mitt in the shower for scrubbing dirty knees or faces. Soap is overrated, and it dries the skin. It is about habits. If you want them to form the habit of self hygeine, you probably need to form the habit of getting them in the shower daily, and not leave it up to them, since they have little self motivation.

Dh and I have strong opinions about this one too. Ds (maybe 10yrs old at the time?) asked if he could play and after briefly checking into it, we said yes. Within a short time, ds was severely addicted...showing strong signs of addiction, couldn't stop thinking and talking about Runescape, wouldnt eat, completely obsessed. (We figure this is our kid with the addictive personality :) ) So, after a few months it got banned, along with any other ONLINE games along the same lines. His sister was banned too, but it wasn't so addictive for her. A few months ago, ds's street friends- boys all a bit younger than him- got into Runescape. We still wouldn't allow ds to play it at home, but we realised he was playing it to some extent at other kids' homes, and we didn't want to say he couldn't because we had no way of knowing if he was or not, IYKWIM, which put him in the position of easily being able to lie to us, not something we wanted to encourage. So we didn't say much, and watched what happened. Within a short while, the other parents had banned their kids from Runescape too. Ds had told them why he was banned from it. The boys all became incredibly obsessed, mean to each other, ds would come home in tears- he had shared his username/password and they were just horrible to him over it. The parents (3 sets) banned it. All was restored to peace in our street community :) There are so many great games on CDRom, we just buy them. it wont be the same for every kid, mine is obviously obsessive and addictive by nature, but I have seen it do horrible things to young boys, so tread carefully. You can always ban it. Another friend's teenage son got into Runescape, and when she went out in the evenings for work, she would take the cables for the computer, disconnect the internet, change the passwords...all sorts of things....incredibly, this kid overcame them all, cracked passwords, bought new cables and hid them, in order to get onto Runescape while she was out. Something about that game, I tell ya.

Since its not actually good for them in any way I can think of (apart from the fact it is a liquid) I think my attitude would be more "well, it wont do much harm if its part of an overall healthy diet". Since Americans (and Australians) are not famous for their "overall healthy diets", its probably not a habit I would encourage at such an early age. The more years they are caffiene free, and the more years they have to develop healthy habits, the better. But, as one thing, not so bad....as one of many bad habits? Not my preference. Caffeine is addictive- its just that everyone is addicted, so it seems ok.

It is good to remember this is a Middle School program though, for ages 11 and up....it wasn't designed for 3rd or 4th graders. I wouldn't call it a tough program for the intended age group, at all- I have seen quite a few Latin programs. Latin Prep goes far further, grammatically speaking, by around chapter 4 of Book 1! However, I do understand, if you have little Latin, or if you havent done the first book yourself from the beginning,it can be intimidating to be plunged into such long translations. I know the first Cambridge book really well now, but i haven't really familiarised myself beyond the first few chapters of Book 2, because my dd had a teacher. I am feeling a bit intimidated myself, but we will manage because dd has jsut finished book 3 (with the online etutor) and will be able to help us :001_smile:

My husband is more down to earth than me. I don't think he has ever read a marriage book, or even a self help book, wheras I have read dozens over the years. He does have a deep insight into human nature, and psychology, though. There have been times I wish he would read one, or change in some way....he has always been open to me discussing ideas with him and we have made changes over the years, such as how we handle money together. However, my husband has never really seen our marriage in terms of needing fixing, changing, improving...he just doesn't see it like that. Sometimes I have seen it in those terms- I do think that is a female tendency. But in the end, the only person I can change is myself, so after many years of futilely trying to change my husband, I have learned to accept him and change myself, and things are much more peaceful. If I want something from him....I ask for it. He either gives it or he doesn't.

I just wasn't attracted to scary books. I had a more philosophical bent, reading things like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, J. Krishnamurti, and Simone de Bauvoir. But, even though we had lots of books I loved in highschool- P&P, Jane Eyre, Tess of the Durbavilles- we had to read The Odyssey and I remember completely floundering with that book- tiny print, thick book- we had so little support- just expected to read it- no overview, no movie, no discussion till after we had read it. Talk about thrown in the deep end. I read about 2 pages and gave up- it just made no sense at all to me.

I tried typing programs with my kids but they really, really disliked them all- I tried several. Yet both type well just through practice. So do I and I never "learned " to type. Our accuracy could be improved- we all have to go back and correct errors- but if accuracy is good...speed just increases with practice anyway.

Progesterone cream is usually a 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off thing (2 weeks off starting on the first day of your period). But you can take it all the time...if you need to. I do 3 weeks on, 1 week off, but I take a tiny amount. If you are over 40, progesterone cream can be helpful...not if you are younger, usually...and it is best to get a saliva test. I didnt though...and the cream made such a big difference. I can tell if I take too much though. Progesterone cream is something that you need to find your own way with, to find the doseage that feels good for you. If I take whats on the bottle, I cant stay awake during the day. So I only take it at night, and only a small dose, which I increase in the few days before my period. You have to find what works for you. It has a calming effect. Chaste Tree should be taken as soon as you get up in the morning. I am not sure why exactly, it's got to do with the pituitary though. You can take that all the time, or stop for your period. I have taken it for long periods, then stopped. The progesterone cream regulates my cycle though, so I don't tend to need chaste tree any more. I agree with the good oils suggestions. Udo's is good. All in all, I don't mind experimenting with myself, but I would do your research so you know what you are doing.

I see this happening too with my dd especially, although both kids have taken to pop music strongly. So I kind of diffuse that issue by allowing them to play pop music when we drive around, and I am learning a lot, and they teach me the lyrics and we sing at the top of our voices. I actually missed out on that part of my development- I had very little interest in pop music as a teen- so maybe i am making up for it now, just enjoying it...enjoying the catchy tunes, the silly words. We talk about how many of the singers sing songs of victimness and unhappiness rather than uplifting, but they just think thats mum being all mum-like and giving them a bit of a lecture- they don't really care. They do acknowledge it though. I am not sure that the sexuality is such a big issue with my kids. They don't watch commercial tv, they don't watch rock videos often- occasionally on You Tube. Its more the actual music than the visual element. I must admit I have been quite surprised at when and how they actually get to hear the lyrics of these songs. It's taken me a while to realise how much time they do actually listen to the radio and online music...they often have earphones in while doing their email. They are fairly inconspicuous, so I don't mind too much. I really don't like the music on at home though...I really like silence. It is interesting though, how this suddenly comes up. It has taken me by surprise, and in my kids' case, i think it is something they talk about with their peers.

I was always attracted to AO but couldn't get over the history thing either. I really like the 4 year history cycle, myself. My two kids are easy to combine in the one year (only 17 months between them) but I didn't want to abandon SOTW and where we were in the cycle. So I can relate to the frustration of AO not being quite right. But now I am at a place where I can fit perfectly into AO/HEO....or rather, AO/HEO happens to fit with what I want to do. In the end, I always just do what I want to do, and adapt. I would combine your two older ones and have your5yo do Year 0 or Year 1- not a lot of work. Or, Simply Charlotte Mason looks good.

12 and 13yos, bedtime is 8pm, but they can read after that. last night my son read till 9.30, and then he slept in this morning- he realyl needs to be asleep by 9pm to be able to get 10 hours. They get up at 7pm usually so that we can start school at 8am. Otherwise our out of the house activities cut into our school days too much. I have been slack about bedtime and just started cracking down again. My kids need a good 10 hours sleep. If you work out how much sleep they need (about 10 hours at that age, but you can work it out by seeing how much they sleep naturally, without being disturbed), then you just make sure they get that, if it works for you to have them stay up that late. It doesn't work for me- I want a couple of hours in the evening kid free.

My name is Peela, I have two kids, ages almost 14, and 12, girl and boy. Hubbie works from home, here in Australia. We have a great lifestlye, love it here, grateful to be able to homeschool. We are secular. I have always been drawn to the Classical end of the homeschool spectrum, but I have been constantly shifting and evolving over the 5 years we have homeschooled. I don't adhere to any one way of doing things- I am eclectic and have no loyalty to anyone but my own inclinations. I have always strived to simplify and keep the essential in mind. I have been a curriculum junkie, but I am glad I have seen a lot of what is out there. It's less interesting to me than it used to be. Nowadays I am enraptured by Charlotte Mason ideas, and AO/HEO. I am determined not to burn my kids out academically, to keep educating them how I want to, to have a literature based education, and to give them a good foundation. I try to keep our schoolwork hours down and their lives interesting and broad. They are such lucky kids, with blessed lives. Dd13/14 is heavily involved in Scouts and that seems to be the dominating social force in her life. I do have a life outside homeschooling nowadays :001_smile: as I am in two music bands. I sing and play keyboards. We play spiritual music from around the world, pretty upbeat. Although not Christian, dh and I are both deeply spiritual. My other interests are walking (alone, usually), knitting socks, reading, and I am considered a computer addict by my family, although I don't miss it if I am away from it for camping or whatever. :001_smile: I have been on these boards, on and off, for about 4 years. I like the new format because I find it less addictive and time wasting :001_smile: