I downloaded and watched your sample lessons of Math Without Borders program just as a comparison to other programs we have used and audited. 1. Are the Math Without Borders video lessons the same as the ones you do for Forester??? Or are these two separate products? 2. Do your video lessons contain full out demonstrations of solutions to ALL the problems or do you demonstrate the concept with an example problem only. This feature is why so many of us nonmath moms like Teaching Textbooks.

Chris, don't feel too bad. My ds scored just over 1000 on crit & math on his first try. And this is with tutoring once a week by a high school senior who got nearly perfect SAT scores (but who also didn't do very well his SAT the first time). On the college confidential site lots of kids who'd taken the SAT were commenting that their scores dropped and that the June SAT was harder. So this was a particularly tough one and ds's tutor heard the same from his classmates at school. On the other hand ds scored a 10 on his essay which is a big relief ...this is the same kid who stared for a week or two at a blank piece of paper:blink:, unable to write an essay and this has gone on for years. He also did fairly well with writing section (580), but said he had never ever seen those vocabulary words that were on the June SAT. I think ABeka Grammar helped with the sentence improvements. But at least he will have 21-24 college credits by end of senior year like your ds's. I think colleges will see beyond the SAT's when then see how well our kids have done in college. BTW, the kids on college conf. site said that a program called Direct Hits Vocabulary had the most SAT words on the June test. I know ABeka Grammar helped ds with the writing section, although he usually got all the problems correct in the Official blue book. I know Rocket Review was great for essay writing. Two weeks before the SAT test DS's DVD drive in his laptop died just as he was starting Chalkdust SAT Math, so I guess I will have him go through that this summer. Critical Reading takes lots of practice, doing them over and over again and looking for patterns. That was our tutor's advice. The first time he took the SAT he got in low 500's, but after MUCH practice he ended up getting in mid 700's. So don't give up.

I have a November birthday, so I graduated and went off to live in a dorm in Boston at 17. I also moved to NYC on my own at 19 which was definitely scarey. But it wasn't too bad ... and I am female. On the other hand, my ds has a late September birthday, and we put him in a pre-one class (against the teacher's advice) that they used to have at the school. This comes after kindergarden and before 1st grade and they had to have fall birthdays to be in the class. I haven't read the other posts yet, but maybe he could work part-time and go to college part-time until the following year. Or, could he do a gap year and travel?

And in the end, you rode off into the sunset, happily ever after? :auto: Sounds like you had to pay for the good stuff with the bad. I'm jealous that you have a new car. My wagon has 140,000 miles and the check engine light is always on. Enjoy your new van!

My ds has done Scouts and is getting ready to complete his project for Eagle rank. Since he was 7 (with cub scouts) he has done the Scout Food Drive going door to door, selling candy bars at the grocery store (the money went to a needy family during the holidays), and stocking shelves at the Food Bank. Through the Lions Club he has helped my husband direct traffic for a road race (over 3,000 runners) which also raised money to help needy families. I would like him to volunteer next at the hospital or at a local soup kitchen. It changes your perspective on everything.

I very quickly breezed through your blog and wrongly got the impression that you were unschooling your children.:blushing:..(who BTW look just like mine). I actually think unschooling can work great with extremely self-directed children. This was not said in a negative, judgemental way...please don't take it that way. I actually think it is reassuring that you were homeschooled and have decided to homeschool your children. Hope the tone that was conveyed was a helpful one, not a lecturing one.

As plaid dad has said, the visual and auditory noise in some environments creates chaos that overstimulates some kids. Unlike the sparse classrooms of the past, today's classrooms are cluttered with posters, full bins holding every temptation, round tables w/students facing each other (as opposed to separate desks facing the teacher), and you name it...it's on the wall. Lots of noise coming from other rooms, outside, hallways. Think about it, many years ago kids stayed home with their mothers (or fathers) until they were 5 or 6. Now kids are put in groups as infants or toddlers in daycare or preschool. My ds started to calm down after about a year of homeschooling (age 7/8). BUT, we did keep TV to a minimum, make sure he got lots of exercise, and he really needed structure and routine. I know you are an unschooler, but some kids thrive on the predictability of a schedule/routine...just knowing what comes next seems to calm them down. Otherwise, they tend to get nervous and a little panicky and they feel they need to exert control over their environment. We also found that contingencies (OK, bribes!LOL) help them cooperate..."after you finish X, then you get to do Y." With ds, we also had to limit group activities and make sure there was a place he could go to just let loose and be as physical as he wanted, but also a special daily quiet time/place too. I can remember the cub scout meetings were no picnic, with most of the boys having a problem being quite, sitting, and listening. So I am sure you boy(s) have plenty of company.

Favorite Math: Saxon Math drills (early elementary) Singapore Math (late elementary) Teaching Textbooks (geometry) Lial Intermediate Algebra Favorite English: Abeka Grammar (middle school) - ds thought SAT sentence correction section "easy" Writing Step-By-Step (early middle school for 5 paragraph essay) Writeshop (late middle school) Sequential Spelling (late middle school) - helped dysgraphic nonspeller to spell Progeny Press, Masterprose, & PinkMonkey online (lit guides) Wordly Wise 3000 (middle school, high school) whole novels instead of anthologies Favorite History: Cornerstone history books & biographies (elementary) Hakim's History of US (middle school) PA Homeschoolers AP classes (high school) Least Favorites: Apologia Chemistry (but it may have been because of the subject) Saxon Math (high school)

I walked from the parking lot with one of the proctors. I told him my son has 10 pencils, a pencil sharpener, TI-83, water bottles and snacks in a large ziplock bag. Can he bring all this in? He said "he can bring in 100 pencils if he wants." ...and that anything they can't leave at their desk they can put on the teacher's desk in the front of the room. Now the instructions from the college board said to bring in 2 pencils, so I assumed that was a rule. I guess these are just guidelines.

My son took the SAT last Saturday. The day before the test I told my son to go into the store and pick out some trail mix (he came out with Nutrigrain bars, Yuk). Trail mix is recommended when the Boy Scouts do their annual trek to the top of a New Hampshire mountain. Like the Snickers bar, it has nuts (protein), but also dried fruit (glucose), just a lot healthier than the Snickers bar which could be too sweet (w/high fructose corn syrup) on a nervous stomach which could make you thirsty. I have read lots of studies that say the brain works best on glucose. But I have never heard about the cinnamon theory...hmmm...I think I will try this as my memory is slowly turning mush. If cinnamon regulates blood sugar levels, this makes sense as far as consistency is concerned. No energy spikes or crashes=endurance. LOL, I am so glad I was not the only one worried about the rest rooms and nervous stomachs. In fact, I kept it to myself for fear I would be accused of being an obsessive-compulsive, overprotective mom.

Thank you for that valuable information. Do you think Conceptual Physics is advanced (i.e. thorough) enough when compared to what seniors in ps are taking, especially since they are required to have completed or be taking precalc or calculus? Is it thorough enough for a student wanting to major in computer engineering??? I remember seeing experiments right in the textbook? Are these experiments as user friendly if self-teaching (by the student) as Apologia? Have you tried Thinkwell Physics? To everyone else...has anyone tried PA Homeschoolers AP Physics or ApexLearning AP Physics? Can a student keep up if taking precal concurrently? Opinions about Thinkwell Physics?

Now, McConnellboys...if I was psychic, would I be asking for the answer?LOL Mary, I love the kinetic books website. It looks interesting, graphic, and there are different levels including AP Physics. I am very familiar with Conceptual Physics, and unfortunately, sold every imaginable publication that goes with Conceptual Physics text earlier in the year (even the overhead transparencies) that came with the set. CP looks great, I just didn't think it was meant for high school seniors because 9th graders are using it in a nearby private school and they are taking it concurrently with Algebra II.

I know about Saxon, Thinkwell (which looks good), and Apologia. Wondering what else is good for physics.

I did a little checking online and these prompts might be of help to your dc this week: http://tengrrl.com/tens/018.shtml

DS did Apologia chem this year through the Potter's School, and we used a Ph.d. candidate from our local university who charged only $15/hr. I suppose if you live near a university you could use Apologia w/o the aide of an online school and just hire a tutor. Or you could always try the other way and go through an online school. I have never had chemistry (half the year I was working at a hectic job, quit in December), so your ds may be able to tackle this with online or tutorial support.

I hadn't thought about residency requirement. We are in New England, completely out of the region. Would U of Indiana be able to give accredited to a homeschooled student from out of state transferring credits for 9th through 11th???

I am wondering because ds will be senior next year. If he needs a cover school we would need the cover school to cover the past three years. Most of that has been: 9th gr - full time parochial school; 10th & 11th: AP thru PA Homeschoolers & University + CC courses. But math and english done at home for 10th & 11th; Would Chemistry through nonaccredited Potter's School be accepted or should it be covered? Geesh! I am also wondering if Clonora and Indiana U (high school program) could cover for the previous 3 years and if they are NCAA recognized. I would think Indiana would be, but who knows.

JannTX...your dd might be better off reading a drama/play because the print is separated by more white space and you definitely want the print to be a larger font size. I grew up with eye muscle problems (they also call this saccadic dyslexia, but I don't know if they were accurate back in the 60's). I would read horizontally across a line to about the half way point, then drop straight down and finish reading across the line under that (over and over and over again). Very frustrating. The good news is that eye muscle exercises do work as I no longer have that problem. My ds is not the most enthusiastic reader, but he loved Old Man and the Sea and To Kill a Mockingbird. He gives the impression of being a reluctant reader, but that is because he likes to read different types of books (biographies, contemporary and science fiction) that do not necessarily fall within the realm of required school reading. If your dd would prefer reading a biography and is thinking of pre-med, she might want to read The Miracle Worker (this is the only one that comes to mind). If she likes mystery, find an Agatha Christie novel. Or, to give her a summer break, let her read something more contemporary (and girlie) such as The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants. I know someone here mentioned the play... The Importance of Being Earnest...we are reading that now and a little humor helps a reluctant reader. Then we are finishing up the junior yr with another play...Our Town. Hope this is helping to give you some ideas. Lynn

Winners over the years (not all this year): Lial Intermediate Algebra Teaching Textbooks Geometry Progeny Press lit guides (for essay questions only) Masterprose lit guides (Perfection Learning) WriteShop (a good starting point...add on longer assignments) Sequential Spelling (a last resort) Wordly Wise 3000 APUSH w/PA Homeschoolers (for the organization of class and the curriculum) Wouldn't recommend: Apologia Chemistry (may be more the subject than the curriculum) Vocabulary Plus for the New SAT by Prestwick (ds liked it, but it had few potential SAT words in it) Writing Strands (if they have to think too hard about how to write, it will paralyze them) HOT Words for the SAT (how do you test someone when all the words in the chapter have the same meaning?) Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda (what I wished we had used or for future use): Smarr Literature Guides Thinkwell/Larson/Chalkdust next year for Precalc and Physics? (w/a tutor as this nonmathy mom is not taking any chances) Vocabulary for the College Bound more PA Homeschool AP classes Latin - dh had 4 years Latin; ds always wanted to learn but was too busy with French!

We used the Adult version which helped immensely, but we didn't see the results right away. We tried many different spelling programs when he was younger, but he always relied on his great visual and auditory memory to remember the spellings just long enough to get 100's on his tests. Then he would be totally clueless the next day and not be able to spell one word. We finally tried the Adult Sequential Spelling in 7th grade, and I can remember his commenting that he was getting it, that it made more sense to him how they start with on three letter word and build from there. But it wasn't until 9th that he started to spell almost everything correctly. Some of this may be due to lots of writing assignments that gave him practice along with spell check and some may have been his conversing for hours with friends over the internet (for all to see the mispellings - humiliating, more at stake?). But he is dysgraphic so we still have other challenges (even after Handwriting Without Tears)..he capitalizes letters randomly, often in the middle of a word (whether handwritten or typed), doesn't appear to see the spaces or lines on a paper, and it is VERY difficult to read his writing. He's been to occupational therapists, behavioral opticians, even a hand surgeon all to no avail. He is taking the SAT tomorrow and can write a very good 5 paragraph essay in 20 minutes (complete w/lit & history examples, transitions, & constant thesis restatements:thumbup: a big accomplishment for him), but today at 17 1/2 we are doing handwriting practice (printing not cursive) so the poor SAT essay grader can decipher his hieroglyphics:001_huh:. I know your frustration. However, every boy (usually its a boy) who has this weakness is usually incredibly talented with technical/computer stuff. My ds's CISCO professor at CC said the same thing. His students are incredibly gifted with computers, but refused to take notes because they are not good at any aspect of writing.

Patricia...I called the university and spoke to one of the associate deans of the university regarding credits earned by matriculated college students vs. nonmatriculated dual enrolled high school students. She was very unsure as to whether an unmatriculated, dual enrolled high school student's CC credits would put him over the eligibility limit. She said I would have to ask the Dean of Admissions next week. So the jury is still out. Ms. Riding Hood and Caroline....you are correct. PA Homeschoolers responded that I shouldn't worry about the credits earned through AP classes because colleges do not automatically give college credits. As Caroline stated, just don't send the scores. Thanks to all, this was very helpful...just need to call the Dean on Monday.

I am in RI and was told by an admissions representation of our local state university that if the applicant doesn't have an umbrella school (she mentioned NARS and American School), then the applicant has to take up to 5 SAT II's. The public and private school applicants have to take 0 SAT II's. On the other hand, she did say that if the homeschooled applicant took classes and has transcripts from other schools regardless of accreditation of that school (for example, Potter's or CC), then no umbrella school is necessary. If we homeschool next year, I am definitely using an umbrella school...why make ds go through all that testing? There are several homeschoolers on full scholarship at this school and most did not use an umbrella school, but they did have to take 2 or 3 SATII's. One of the other state colleges in RI requires GED even if the applicant was covered by an umbrella school and did full dual enrollment. But this college has always been the teacher's college, producing many of the unionized public school teachers. DS has done dual enrollment but we had to get "permission" and form signed by the superintendent every semester to take specific courses.

Many online schools that offer AP classes issue a statement that all students have to take the test. My problem is that ds can only take 1 more college course or he will have gone over the 21 college credit limit making him a transfer student. The admissions officer at our local university urged us NOT to let him go over that 21 college credit limit as he will be competing for admissions with applicants who have associates degrees from other colleges and who may have more life/work experience in the field in which they will major. He will also be ineligible for the universities big scholarship...and we know many homeschoolers and nonhomeschoolers who are recipients of that full scholarship. So we do NOT want to jeopardize that by going over 21 credits. So if my son homeschools his senior year he can only take one college course, but I want him to take highly rigorous classes and AP classes seem to fit that description. Is it possible to take online AP classes and not take the test? He took one AP class a couple of years ago but because of his dysgraphia did not feel ready to tackle the 2 essays required in the 25 mins required. I don't want to be dishonest going into a course knowing full well we won't be taking the test. Can he take the test and not have the credit forwarded? Any other rigorous courses out there online that aren't AP?

About a year ago a local homeschooled girl enrolled at the public high school for her senior year. She had been homeschooled her entire life, never set foot in a school. They gave her placement tests, she did well, and she graduated with the class. However, I am not sure if she had been using an umbrella school for her previous work (1-11) or doing lots of college courses. There are only about 4 homeschool families in my small town, so I was surprised when I read this in the newspaper as she was the same age as my ds, yet I had no knowledge of her family whatsoever. I also don't know if she was granted full credit for all her coursework. I am not aware of anyone else in my state (RI) having done this. My ds was going to go to the public school for his senior year next year as a precedent has already been set at this school. He was looking forward to going to the public high school to get a noncontroversial diploma and just having the high school experience for a year. But now we are waiting to hear whether the State Regents Board will require a test to graduate (will know by Thurs or Fri). This is a test that almost half the students in the state did horribly on when they took it as juniors...they would not have been allowed to graduate. The test probably does not match up well with the curriculum they are using in the public schools. Presently to graduate, seniors already have to present a lengthy senior project to a panel of community judges (requiring an 18 pg report, many hours of related field work with a mentor, a finished product, etc.) AND present a portfolio of 4 years of work. If they add the Regents (NECAP)test, ds will be receiving a homeschool transcript, taking a class or two at Harvard Extension, and not going to the public high school. You'd think they were going for a Phd. and not a diploma.