We did the 4 year history cycle in 2-5th, too, and then did a year of world cultures and geography for 6th (using BYL level 7), unit studies on history topics that interested them in 7th, and are planning Big History Project for 8th this coming year.

We finished 7th grade and took a summer break a little over halfway though Forester's, and they've both sailed through. They had the same math programs through elementary up until pre-algebra. I can't imagine that their different pre-algebra programs would make a difference past this point? But I guess we'll see!

Difference in preparation meaning was one more or less prepared for algebra 1? No. They both went into pre-algebra with strong elementary math skills, and both did great with their individual pre-a programs. Pros/cons were what you'd hear about any level of AOPS and MM. AOPS is great for challenge and out of the box thinking & approaches to problem solving, but light on practice. He could have done more practice in alcumus, but it was light on what they required, and convincing him to go back and do more to shore up skills was an uphill battle. AOPS tested his frustration tolerance from time to time, and we had more math meltdowns from him than from his sister, despite them both being very strong math students. Pros for MM include price and ease of use. It's thorough. No frills. She excelled with it, and went into algebra well prepared with less drama than I got from her brother.

I homeschool twins. One did pre-algebra with AOPS, and one used Math Mammoth 7. We're now in Forester's for Algebra 1 and they're both doing beautifully. I don't think AOPS was magical for pre-algebra, especially if you've got a bunch of other options that you would be happy with.

I used SM K-2 and then dabbled in other things through upper elementary just because we wanted some change. We had had a good experience with SM, so no complaints. We used some Beast Academy and some Math Mammoth. All 3 focused on helping my kids understand concepts and served them well. They are now excelling in Algebra 1. Do what makes sense for your family. SM is not a gold standard.

We drove a 2007 Sienna until 2017 and it was fantastic. Super happy, never any maintenance problems, loved it. When we got ready to replace it, I drove every minivan on the market. There were two clear front runners--the Odyssey and the (at that time, brand new) Chrysler Pacifica. I wanted the Pacifica, my husband wanted the Honda. We drove both multiple times, had hours of discussion and debate, and in the end, bought the Odyssey. I don't think there was a wrong choice, and I'm very happy with my van, but I still look wistfully at Pacificas when I see them around town. Our Odyssey has been pretty good. More recalls than I would have liked, but all minor stuff that has been easily fixed. Otherwise no maintenance issues, and we're taking it on its 3rd cross country road trip this summer.

We went in early June 2019 and got 3 inches of snow our first day in Yellowstone! We started with 3 days/2 nights in Grand Teton NP, which I wouldn't miss! It's my favorite NP we've visited so far. Then we drove up into Yellowstone through the south entrance. We explored around Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring (definitely take the hike up to see that one from above), and areas around there the first day and then stayed in a lodge at Grant Village. The 2nd day we drove around and did some hikes and stops around the lake and then on up to Canyon Village where we stayed 2 nights. The 3rd day we explored around the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and then stayed back in Canyon Village. The 4th day we drove up to Mammoth and saw things on the north end of the park and then left though the north entrance. So we didn't see it ALL, but I felt like we saw most of the major attractions, tons of wildlife, etc. I loved staying in the park. Everything in Yellowstone is so spread out. You can spend hours in the car. I'd hate to spend that extra time driving into and out of the park every day. That said, you're probably too late for in the park accommodations for this summer. It was a wonderful trip, though! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Math Mammoth 7 was PERFECT for pre-A before doing Forester's Alg 1 this year for us.

Boy/girl twins. Math: finish Forester's Algebra 1. We're starting 8th grade about halfway through. I don't know if we'll start geometry after Christmas next year or do some one-semester filler class to put us on track to start 9th grade with geometry. I'm not worrying about that until mid-fall. ELA: Brave Writer Boomerangs, The Writing Revolution to write across the curriculum. Easy Grammar, MCT vocabulary of literature. Big History Project plus additional science & history reading (TBD, list making in progress) for both history and science (non-lab). The writing projects from BHP will be a big part of our ELA, too. Foreign language: ASL for her, Spanish for him. Looking at live online classes, still deciding which ones. Various other things including theater for her, taekwondo for him, music lessons (piano for both, also guitar for her), scouts for him, etc.

Right?! I have one that goes to school and two that homeschool. I bought a used math book last weekend for the kid-in-school so that when school is inevitably canceled, I'll have math for him. I can pretty easily fold him into everything else the siblings are doing. And there's no way the homeschoolers are going to have no school for weeks on end if we're all in this house together. The show must go on!

Glad to see this confirmed as a good resource. It just arrived last night in from Amazon after I saw many, many references to it in a big stickied thread about writing without curriculum. I've not gotten a chance to look through it yet. Your approach sounds very practical to me. I'm going to look at Hake. Thanks!

I have twins in 6th grade. One is a STRONG writer, one is an average writer. This year and last, we used IEW (themed books). Before that we did some MCT and some Brave Writer. All that to say, we've been a little random, but I still feel like we're on track and making adequate progress with writing going into middle school. I can't decide what to do next year, though. I feel like another year in IEW would feel stagnant. They've got a pretty good handle on those 7 or so units and formats. My inclination is to just assign writing across the curriculum next year using IEW style formats, but I'm just not sure I'd be consistent with that. That was my problem with MCT and BW and why I started IEW in the first place, for MY accountability. If you were in my shoes with my kids, looking toward 7th grade, what writing would you use? And if you'd forgo writing curriculum and just assign writing across the curriculum, any tips or tricks for making that approach stick and actually get done? Thanks in advance!

I wish we could! I mean, we *could* but because of my other son that doesn't homeschool being on a regular 9 month school year schedule, it makes it harder to be consistent with homeschool work through the summer. We gave up when we put my oldest in school. We're embracing the summers off with travel, camps, etc. They're only 11, though. Things could change.

This is a good to know! Good to know about Derek Owens! What started this mini-panic this morning was my SIL telling me that her daughter, who is 2 years older than my kids, is loving her Dr D's pre-A and they're planning to continue using his classes for Algebra 1 next year. I went to his website, saw that all of his classes run Sept-May and thought, "Crap. Have I gotten myself into a bind?! We're very unlikely to be ready for Algebra 1 in September of this year, and are likely to be beyond ready for it by September of next year." I'm feeling reassured, though. Thanks!

That all makes perfect sense, And I appreciate the admonition not to rush to make things fit nicely. We do have lots of time. I need to keep reminding myself of that!