We are using Kolbe Academy for 7th grade. Do you know that you can swap out the history for whatever suits you? We use a secular history spine. But I have found it helpful to have some Catholic history books on hand so that we can examine different points of view. We did not start homeschooling until 6th grade, so I am no help in choosing specific resources - sorry.

I am ready for an update :) We will enroll in Kolbe Academy again. Math: AoPS Algebra Literature: Windows to the World Movies as Literature (just a few of the movies) Jabberwocky: Poetry Studies for Junior High Art of Argument? Still working on the reading list, but I have narrowed it down. Grammar: Rod and Staff 7 Vocab: Finish Caesar's English 2 + Sadlier Oxford Writing: Homegrown w/o a curriculum. More accurately, a mashup of many curricula. History: K12 Human Odyssey Volume 2 + Joy Hakim U.S. History on audiobook Geography: IGSCE + Map drills Current Events: CNN Student News, Connect the Thoughts World Problems, Model UN Science: Integrated, with an emphasis on chemistry. Latin: Outsourced. Latin for the New Millennium through the Harvey Center for Learning Danish: Continue w/ tutor. German: We are going to begin German. Using what, I do not know yet. Religion: The Bible and Its Influence + Youcat Art: Still pondering this one. Music: Continue piano and ABRSM music theory. It is heavy on history/geography/current events and foreign language, but these are his favorite subjects.

(x post) I also posted this on the high school board. I would like to know more about hschooling high school in the Triad area. We are currently overseas, but the Triad is our stateside home. It is quite possible that we will move back there during DS's high school years. We know and love the Triad, but we did not homeschool when we were there before. DS might not want to homeschool high school- we don't know yet. Anyway, I would like to know more about the extracurriculars, social opportunities and local course possibilities for high school from a homeschool POV. What kind of cool stuff have your kids participated in? Please feel free to PM me :)

I would like to get a feel for what it is like to homeschool high school in the Triad area of NC. That is our stateside home, we might move back there during DS's high school years. I am trying to get a feel for extracurriculars, social activities and course options from a homeschool POV. The Triad is "home" for me, but we did not consider homeschooling when we were there before. Please feel free to PM me. I am hoping to discover some exciting possibilities:) (ETA: xposted on the networking board)

This agrees with what I am finding. I investigated UNCG ischool, but was told that it is not open to homeschoolers.

And I have found this on the FAQ page a a reason for O-MUN: Many students simply don't have access to MUN in their school curriculum or in their town/city. So... I will rephrase my question. Has anyone used O-MUN? I am intrigued.

Has anyone looked into this? I just found it online the other day. They even have a Jr. Program for middle school. I can't tell by the website if it is open to homeschoolers, but I plan to contact the organization with the question. Online Model United Nations

Now that I have ADULT children, I really make an effort to find some overlapping interests with these young adults. I don't want our conversations to hinge on family gossip. Or worse, me reminding (nagging) them to take care of something.

We probably talk TOO much, but maybe it runs in the family, lol. My middle son chose a university with very small classes. All of his courses require tons of discussion, and he thrives on the intense level of interaction. I am just thinking out loud now. Can't a student who thrives on discussion still be an independent learner? I don't see the two notions as mutually exclusive.

Farenheit 451. Hated it.

With apologies to the OP, I am following the NC info carefully. NC is our stateside home, and I don't know when we will end up back there. Obviously, it varies quite a bit by county (?). I looked at the dual enrollment policy for our CC and it said that only math and science courses were free for dual enrollment.

Oh, I should have also said that I see nothing in your post that you should feel guilty about. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with adding a bit more discussion if your gut (not guilt) is telling you to do so.

Great topic! I just (re) listened to SWB's talk about moving toward independence, and have been thinking about this recently. I struggle with the opposite reaction. By high school we are only supposed to talk to each other once a week? Is that supposed to be my goal? My college student kid interacts with his professors more than that! I think some of it is personality driven. Some students want to be left alone, and some want to talk. For next year, I am contemplating moving us toward the model of being (and talking) together in the morning and being on our own in the afternoon. Finding that balance is tricky :)

I am just finishing this book, and I had no previous Latin experience. I have really enjoyed it. I did dip into Henle a bit along the way so that I could get a faster overview of the grammar.

My conundrum is that I want to do 20th century history and lit in 9th. Then combine Greece and Rome into a single year in 10th. And I want to pick my own math. But if DS wants or needs to transfer to the private school , Kolbe's credits are acceptable because of their accreditation.

Wow, y'all are awesome. You have given me such great ideas. Our not-so-small wrinkle is that we may have to return to the states sometime before DS graduates from high school. I am just trying to figure out whether we should even try to return before he starts 9th grade or not. Perhaps I should state the obvious - our 13 year old will not decide whether or not his family should make a transatlantic move. But there is some wiggle room; enough to make it worth taking his input into account. Having raised two teenagers already, I know that life is smoother if the child has bought into his educational situation. (edited for clarity)

We used Kolbe Academy this year, and (if we homeschool high school) I would like to continue with Kolbe through high school. But the more I think about course planning, the more I think that we will end up deviating from Kolbe's courses. Given that you can only get the Core (K) or Honors (H) designation on your transcript if you closely follow a Kolbe course, would a Kolbe transcript devoid of (K) and (H) designations make it appear that the student had not taken the most rigorous course load available to the student? Looking at a sample transcript, I see that the key for such codes will appear on the transcript.

If your eighth grader was given a choice about whether or not to homeschool for high school, how did you help your child make the decision? I would imagine that the choice is easy for some kids, but that is not the case here. Any words of wisdom to help guide the child through this process?! (We are finishing up 7th grade right now. We have talked about this, but I have not pushed the issue. I will have to push the issue in early 8th grade, however.)

Eight year survivor here. Double mastectomy, reconstruction and chemo. For the basket, I suggest a pretty journal and perhaps some nice pens.

The party was today and it went quite well. Yesterday, DS baked brownies, then I baked lasagna, and then I baked a cake. I burnt the cake and had to bake another one. Grrr! I also made vegetarian chili yesterday for the crockpot. DH made coleslaw and sliders. We got fresh peas (in the shell) from the market and set out a big bowl of those. We managed to use the grill, the crockpot and the oven. It was too much food, but several guests were unable to attend. We ended up with 12 people, and everyone had at least one friend - so it was fine. And I won't have to cook for a few days. I even managed to teach DS something about event planning, We made checklists for what needed to be done one week before, two days before, etc. And we had perfect weather ! Thanks so much your input.

I have been thinking of you, Luanne. Chemo is tough. I frequently watched really long, classic movies.

My son will be taking Latin 1 in the fall through the Harvey Center. While I can't yet comment on the course, I will comment that Beth has been very helpful and responsive to multiple emails. She really went out of her way to help me decide if this would be the best course for my son.

I am glad to see that IB is beginning to offer online courses, but not really because of homeschooling. My hope is that this avenue will make it easier for kids to switch from one IB school to another. Considering that IB was supposedly created for those international kids who move around a lot, switching from one IB school to another is complicated - unless the new school's offerings match up with the previous school's course load. My middle son finished an IB program last year. I am considering the same program for the younger, but I have great concerns over what would happen if we made a mid-stream move. While I am a fan of the IB program, I have to agree with Laura that it would feel straight-jacket-like in our homeschool.

FINALLY! He a silver, up from a bronze last year :)