We currently use the Math Drills iPad App and play Multiplication War ala Lets's Play Math website. It's been somewhat tedious trying to memorize multiplication facts but, DD8 is very motivated to do Algebra and knows that she has to get through this hump to go forward. We tried other "fun" things but they were not sticking.

My 7th grader is back in school (her request and on a trial period) after being home for 5/6th grade. We were VERY relaxed at home last year and she was allowed pursue her interests. At school, the only thing she has had to adjust to is the math due to the fact that we didn't follow the ps s&s and that she's rather poke her eyes out than do math. She is exceeding expectations in everything else, both academic and extra curricular. Among the things we did in our homeschool last year: lots of audiobooks and classic read alouds (dd was into everything Jane Austen), watched movie versions of classics, made her own audiobooks, performed in both of our coop's theatre productions, creative writing projects, STOW, TC lectures, documentaries, cooking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, museum visits, field trips to historic sites, poetry tea time, local theater productions, piano lessons, Khan Academy, LoF, interest-led projects, fashion drawing and art, and other things I just can't think of right now. Today, DD had play practice (the highlight of her day) after school today and is still trying to get homework done, which IMHO is a complete waste of time! She has yet to practice on the piano, that to which last year she devoted countless hours! FYI-I did begin to doubt and freak out about my ability to provide her with access to an adequate education at home. I can undoubtedly now say, after only three full weeks of school, that the grass is definitely not greener and that yes, I can definitely provide much more than what she's getting there, custom tailored to her individual needs and interests.

My dd read: The Egypt Game Tales of Ancient Egypt The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt The Awful Egyptians (Horrible Histories) Although, not Ancient Egypt, she is currently reading the Roman Mysteries and loves, loves them! My libraries carries many of the books in this series.

To the OP... FWIW, my dd12 is a science HATER!!!! I mean, she really, really, really dislikes it with a passion!!!!!!! She was in ps from Pre-K-Gr.5. The way science is taught in school has turned her off completely. I didn't help matters much when I outsourced science our fist year of homeschooling. The class was advanced, and although it was pretty tough, she pulled through in the end and did well. However, she was turned off by the textbook approach. This past year we've been very relaxed with science but I'm getting itchy to more science with her. I've found the following information in these threads very helpful. Maybe there's something for you too: science...again....someone shoot me now For those of you who did interest-led science in the younger years..questions! Good luck.

:iagree: too. This is our first run through STOW as my girls also had limited history in the ps before coming home. My DDs really, really enjoy STOW and I make no excuses about using it for my will be 7th grader. I've attempted to use the other recommended spines (K12HO, WAT series) but dd balks at them and will not retain the information. We have had a great time using STOW and we have all learned a lot!! Naturally, my 7th grader will also read lots of historical fiction and non-fiction books from the library, timeline, do map work, writing projects (as we did this year), outlining, creative projects, watch documentaries, field trips, etc...

Very interesting thread! Thank you for sharing your experiences. Looking ahead to the high school years, I know I will have to defer to an independent program for my dd12 who will be in 7th grade in the fall. I lack the skill-set necessary to teach higher level math. Our option at this point is to go with a video/computer based math program. Tutoring can get very expensive. DD is highly auditory in her learning style. It has been a constant struggle trying to explain concepts in a way that she can understand. We took a relaxed/eclectic homeschooling approach this year with dd going through the Khan Academy Pre-Algebra playlist. She was cruising along until she hit a block with the Algebra Playlist and we decided to take a break from Khan and math altogether to regroup. After researching other math curricula, we settled on LoF because of it's language based approach. Currently, she has 12 lessons left to go in LoF Fractions (she needed the extra practice). LoF has been working fine but I don't feel confident being dd's main math teacher (yes, LoF is supposed to be done independently but we do have to stop and discuss). I've been poring over the TT website today and ignoring the claims lacking rigor, I really like what I see. I need a program dd will be able to do independently while gaining confidence in her math skills. She tolerates math because it is expected. She wouldn't give a flying pig if she never had to do a single problem again! Funny thing is, I was just like her!! Only now in my adulthood am I even able to consider opening myself up to relearning math. She is such a dear.....sweet, patient, and kind kid. She is accelerated in the Language Arts department, will read for hours and hours, loves costumes and the theatre (both as a performer and a spectator) but math is NOT her strong suit. Maybe TT will help her get it done without too much struggle or frustration. Well, anyway, long story short.....after looking both at TT7 and Pre-Algebra, I settled on and ordered TT7. The plan is for dd to work on it the rest of the summer, accelerating it as others have mentioned by giving the quizzes until they become a challenge, then moving onto TT Pre-Algebra and doing math year round. Hope this helps us.

To the OP, I strongly recommend Khan Academy for review. My soon to be 7th grader is reviewing with LoF Fractions/Decimals/Percents before doing LoF Pre-algebra in the fall. I will be using KA as a supplement as well as the Key to.......series. HTH

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My girls and I do our handwork, mostly crochet ( although I've been hand spinning newspaper into yarn as of late), while we listen to our audiobooks. We do our narrations and discussions after our "readings" and both girls have excellent recall. I myself find I can concentrate better when my mind is focused on the handwork. Lately I've taken to listening to an audiobook while cooking or cleaning to reduce the tedium that can creep up while doing these activities. FYI-My dd12 has been inspired to record herself and make her own audiobooks.

My dd, just turned 12, has also responded really well to our relaxed writing approach. Last year she mostly wrote across the curriculum per WTM/SWB but after our "school" time she had little energy and/or time for creative writing. This year dd has begun a novel set in 19th century England, completed a presentation board on 20th century American fashion, compiled an ancient Mediterranean cookbook, blogs a few times a week, writes letters to fictional characters fashioned after our read alouds or her independent reading, creates reenactments from our read alouds, writes plays, records her own readings from Jane Austen novels (will soon start on Charles Dickens) which she hopes to submit on YouTube soon, etc. We are currently listening to an audio recording of Little Women (dd8's choice reading) and we've begun to compare/contrast it with Pride and Prejudice. I suspect some great writing will come out of these discussions. Not everything we do leads to pencil/paper output but overall I do believe it will lead to solid writing down the line. We like to play with language and this makes things fun and interesting for us. I am comfortable letting go to let my girls take over. ETA: FWIW, I do have Bravewriter and Write Source on hand for when I think I will need guidance. I really like the idea of the Bravewriter Lifestyle and think my girls would do well with this approach. Best wishes in whatever you choose.

To the OP, I don't know how old your dc is but FWIW, last year my my dd7 (at the time) did not respond well to our writing curriculum. I feel the curriculum took a lot out of the writing love for her. Before curricula, dd wrote about something almost everyday...lists, notes, letters, lesson plans (she pretends to be teacher all the time), stories, comics, reports, mini books, etc. This year, she asked that we don't do the same curricula. At first I hesitated but I am glad I agreed. As a result, her love of writing has returned without ceremony (no pleading or prodding from me) and in full force. For the past week or so, dd (now 8) and her big sister have been writing with quill and ink sets we got from Michaels, exchanging letters inspired by and styled after Pride and Prejudice prose. Here's a sample letter: 4/15/1812 Dear Mr. Collins, Mr. Collins, we shall be coming to Kings Cross in a fortnight and we hope you will be ready for we would not want to come to your home at an improper time. that is it for now and goodbye! Love, Mrs. Hurst Ok, the sample is uncorrected, but this gives an idea of writing that dd does at will when no one is looking. I am so happy I decided to get out of her way. I wouldn't say that we unschool writing because although my girls do spend a great deal of time with pen and paper in hand we do collaborate on output for their varied projects. As with anything else, they will have periods of time when they don't write much too but it does even out over time. Overall, I am satisfied with their progress. ETA: Oh, and yes, I do think that letting dd just write is sufficient.

What has worked in our home is exposure to quality literature, using context clues, and and everyday conversation. My girls are often found saying, "if you mean to say xyz.....why don't you just say xyz." No matter....I can guarantee that they will use the vocabulary themselves in their every day speech and almost always in their daily creative play. FWIW-we are currently listening to and audio version of Pride and Prejudice with dd11 and dd8 with great success. They think Jane Austen was a very smart lady :lol:. The word perseverance has taken on a whole new way of pronouncing in our home lately...per-sehveh-rance. LOL ETA: I just went through some of the previous responses and this is very similar to what we do in out home:

Rosie, Thanks for your suggestion on the P&P audio. For the past few weeks my dd's and I have looked forward to the start of our day with P&P. We listen to a couple of chapter every morning while crocheting. We chose the Elizabeth Klett version because my girls get a kick out of the switching back and forth from American English to British English. They are often found in dramatic play acting as British royalty. Currently my dd11 is working on her own audio version (complete with accent) of Sense and Sensibility. She plans to work on Jane Eyre next! How fun!!! Cassie

FWIW-dd8 used the first two and part of the cursive HWOT books. As a result, dd has beautiful handwriting (IMO). I give credit to HWOT for a wonderful start. She is currently working through DIY cursive copywork.

Warning.....this is not a public service announcement and I am not under the employment of Khan Academy..... After slogging through MM (great program, not a great fit) at the beginning of the "school" year and after much pleading from dd11 to switch to something else, we finally settled on Khan Academy...with the caveat that she would work on it while while we researched and settled on a better fitting program. FF to the present....dd is still using KA and is currently working through the pre-algebra playlist. KA has been nearly perfect!!! I give it sole credit in helping to restore dd's math confidence. The frustration, drudgery, and careless errors are all nearly gone. The immediate feedback keeps dd highly motivated to work carefully through the program. She commends Sal for taking the time to explain things in a way that she can really understand. One HUGE faux pas on my part is not taking into consideration dd's learning style. She is highly auditory and and visual. It's crazy scary how much she retains this way. This should have been my first clue that there was something wrong in the way we were doing math before, a once abhorred subject area. She now thinks math is fun and even when there's a concept that kicking her in the you know what (something that would bring her to tears often) she tries and tries until she gets it. The look of glee and accomplishment in her face is priceless. We will continue with KA for the long haul.

I've not read all the responses but I wanted to add that my dd11 who also has high interest in fashion/costume design. One thing I've been thinking to help her with her interest is to call up the fashion design school and ask if they'd be willing to have her sit in on a semester's worth of classes. We live in NJ but we'd travel to NYC's Fashion Institute of Technology. I know that FIT does offer summer intensives to high school students. Maybe there's a school close enough that your daughter can go to?

My girls just began piano instruction in September. They are progressing very well and their teacher and I attribute that to their daily practice. She sees their potential and has recommended that both of my girls, ages 11 & 8, build their practice to an hour each day. The little one practices about 45 minutes now (but I will soon have to split her practice time into two sessions) and her older sister is up to about 1 hour 15 minutes. Because they see that practice leads directly to more and more success, they are highly motivated to put in the time.

FWIW-I am using Khan Academy with my 6th grader. This is our second year homeschooling and before that my dd was in public school since Pre-K. She was doing ok on math at school and only understood how to apply it using rote methods. I wanted her to learn how to think mathematically. Enter SM . It didn't really work for her as it made too many logical leaps for her to understand so we canned it and turned to Math Mammoth. MM worked well for a while but she was making waaaayyyy to many calculation errors. This year, factoring in that dd is a highly auditory learner, we turned to Khan Academy as a place holder until I could evaluate some other math programs. Khan Academy has been a miracle worker. Since switching, dd expresses a love for math she's never admitted to before. She watches/listens to a video and does twenty problem sets for each video (self imposed). Her attention to detail has increased exponentially because she is motivated to get the problem sets right the first time. Otherwise, she knows she will be set back and will have to do more. Her calculation errors have almost vanished seemingly overnight. In my book, full focus and attention to detail doing twenty problems beats 30 or 40 problems done with inattention (as she'd been doing with MM before). She considers Khan a challenge and I was floored the other day when she told me that "math is a lot of fun now." For this child, nothing could have been sweeter sounding. One thing I've come to realize is that I am ok with a broad sweep/introduction of math concepts. What's more important to me for dd is that she enjoy what was once laborious subject. She is steadily gaining confidence in her abilities and deems herself good at math now.....something she has never thought before. For a child with strong creative leanings, a healthy attitude towards math makes a big difference!

My girl just turned 8 yesterday and it's been like this since we pulled her out of ps last year. For the most part I've let her run with it because I've seen how imposing myself on her can really slowed her down. She wants at it all on her own without my input or interpretation of material. She needs to be able to think and live with her ideas for a while before coming to me. At first, We fought thooth and nail until We came up with a deal; when she needs help, she is to come and ask. Otherwise, she goes with the flow and comes to me when she has questions and/ or is ready ti discuss ideas. At eight years old, she exercises logic more than I've ever seen in a child. I check up on her and ask her questions whenever I am unclear about her process. She will gladly explain anything so long as I am not trying to teach her. I've had to meet her where she is because I found myself getting in her way. Above all, trust has come to play a major role in my approach to educating this child. She may not have known who Geroge Washington was until a recently (from her current obsession with Liberty's Kids), but she can name almost anything you would ever need to know about periodic table! This child would have withered away in public school.

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree: This is what we've been doing this year and it's working out very well.

Check to see if your library offeres a program. My girls learned to play chess this summer during a six week program at our library. Then they taught me. We play a game of chess nearly every day.

As a native speaker, I grew up my whole life saying, "naranja" and still do. I do agree with the pp who said that both words are correct.

My dd11 is gorgeous; elegant, almost regal looking. My dd8 is cute, cute, cute. They are both beautiful but I am their momma and I do tend to be biased!!!

:iagree: and I especially connected with the bolded. Since ditching a schedule in favor of observation, discussion and the help of a trusty journal to help keep interests, musings, thoughts, and ideas in place, I began to realize that my girls already have strong leanings. The only thing required of me is to be in the moment right along with them, observe, listen, answer questions, ask questions, and show a genuine interest in their interests. Within those interests, a myriad of skills can be taught organically. For example, there is no way to get around reading, writing, research skills, and organization when you've decided to write a play based on Roman history, study the fashion trends of the 20th century, and create a cookbook based on ancient cuisines (dd11's current interests). When a child's interest has been piqued, they will be more willing to learn any skill objective necessary to carry them through.

:iagree::iagree::iagree: As evidenced by all the curricula we have that is currently going unused, I'm starting to think the same way too!