Simple science kits in ziplocks, pocket microscope, old electronics to take apart & explore, snap circuits, pool noodles & duct tape (really), Pinterest has tons of ideas- maybe you would want to scroll through some with the boys & see what interests them.

Notgrass

I'm looking for a good schedule as well. It doesn't have to be "Sonlight style," but the way it is laid out is VERY confusing to me.

Just an added thought. I was an Honor graduate from high, which was based solely on grade-point. Some classes were harder than others, but honestly ALL of school came fairly easily for me. Some people just "Get" school better than others and can do harder work with less effort. I personally have two students on opposite ends of the spectrum. One needs much easier material and still doesn't always do too well. The other is very self-motivated and understands much more difficult material with little effort. Though, I want her to do her best and not be lazy, we need to also not punish brighter students if they can do upper level material with less effort. Sometimes receiving honors is very motivating. Some students need that. I do not believe they should be given when not deserved, though. I am just referring to students doing more advanced work, but that may not need to spend as much time or effort on it as others might need.

We are planning a move also. I have found quite a few states that actually "Require" or at least suggest Physical Science, so I think it would be perfectly fine. Then if you needed you could do like others stated and transfer credits.

My son had trouble with the ASVAB but scored even lower than your son on the IOWA when he was younger. Keep in mind he has a lot of time to practice/ study. The main areas to focus on are math, vocabulary, and auto/shop/ electrical. He can get in with a 31, I think. He can't choose his MOS with that score but he can "Squeeze" in. He should also learn to enjoy running. There are quite a few online study sites that are free. Just do a search. The ASVAB is the same for all branches I think, so he could go to the Army website for study materials and still enlist in the Marines. Also, remember that he may change his mind a million times before he reaches 18. Mine is 20 and still can't seem to decide what to do with his life. You may also let him know that the Army is larger and therefore has a wider array of job titles. (And, the soldiers in my family are "As military as they come.")

I've been thinking about Biblical twin names lately. Some I've thought of recently: Joshua and John Daniel and David Matthew and Caleb Sarah and Seth Isaac and Isaiah Rachel and Rebekah I've really thought combining a Biblical name with a family name for each would be nice.

I think I would die from heart failure!

There have been so many good points that I don't want to restate them; however I would like to point out something else. I drive a school bus for a local high school. (9th-12th grade) As many others mentioned, this school offers both AP and IB classes, as well as professional classes such as Med Pro. What I would like to point out is that looks can be deceiving. Yes...the school pushes kids from middle school up to take more advanced classes; however this is almost ALL children. Meaning those who can't handle it just fail or do very poorly. Many kids I have talked to end up taking remediation to make up for not being able to pass end of course tests. (Even the bright kids) In addition, the grading scale is easier than when I was in school. When I was in school you had to score 95% or higher to receive an A. (I was an honor graduate, btw) At this school, the grading scale is now 90% or above is an A. Many of the teachers also give tons of extra credit, grade on a curve, or otherwise manipulate things to bring kids grades up. There are good teachers, but many struggle to teach well because there are so many behavior problems disrupting class. I could go on, but you get the point. Yes, your husband's opinion is valid. But, before making a rash decision, I would check into all your options: Dual enrollment in college while still at home, finding a good homeschool co-op that offers classes you can't or won't cover at home, some private schools will allow you to receive accredidation through them while homeschooling, etc. Also, check into colleges and/ or career paths your child may be interested in and see how they view homeschool diplomas. Sometimes it just means using an accredited curriculum. Research before deciding. My prayers are with you.

Just want to encourage ALL parents out there...What is best for one is not best for another...and what is best today may not be best in 3 years. I hope we can all take heart knowing we are trying to do what is best for each one of our children. NO curriculum is perfect. (As is no parent or child) Living books, textbooks, workbooks, no books...They are all approaches and resources to help us on our journey. I hope you will ALL be blessed and encouraged today! (No matter what philosophy of education you have)

You might also check out simple schooling and/or Janice Van Cleave books.

After 10 years of crazy curriculum buying, I would say wait until you are actually ready to use it. Things can change A LOT in a few months. If your child is not ready for it, I would wait. You could always discuss with your husband setting the money aside specifically for the curriculum purchase at a later date. However, you may also want to consider this...If it's a graded version and your child isn't ready for the next level...should you maybe rethink dropping down a level? Without knowing what it is, it's a little hard to give specific advice. But, I do hope you can find peace in whatever decision you make.

I have used WP, MFW ECC, parts of Sonlight, and HOD. By far HOD has been the easiest to implement. It has fun activities which are quick and easy. Everything for the day is contained on 2 pages and there is no going to 3 different craft books and gathering supplies, etc. MFW ECC was ok, but the book basket wasn't working for us and the worksheets were way to hard for my youngest. I see they've added some new books, which is probably nice though. The book selections for WP and Sonlight are great, but WP had way too many choices for the box checker in me. I felt as if everything needed to be done, soooo not much actually got done. Sonlight has way too many read alouds for me. All that said, I believe they are ALL great programs. It really depends on your style. Personally speaking, after years of trying everything under the sun, HOD is a very refreshing open-and-go program which is substantially more full than it appears. The activities/ experiments are so easy to do. EVERYTHING is scheduled for you, but if you prefer to use a few different things such as your LA/ math it is very easy to do. However, each person who answers will probably have a different opinion. So, ultimately you will have to truly look at yourself and what you realistically will do. God bless your decision making.

What a great selection of resources already named! You might check out Heart of Dakota as well.

You might check out some other math programs such as: Singapore Math U See miquon etc

Heart of Dakota! hands on, but easy to implement Truly open and go, no weird stuff to find Much more "Meat" than it appears on the surface

I do not have time for a lengthy response. But, you may want to check out the Message Board on www.heartofdakota.com. They promote dictation over traditional spelling lists and I know it has been discussed there.

HOD might be your best best. It starts with American History. After, 10 years (and MANY curriculums) is has become my favorite. However, I would also say that your kids are SO young, you really shouldn't worry. You might be just as happy reading short historical books such as the Cornerstone of Freedom books and then if you like, having them draw a picture or do an activity to help retain the info. Start searching yard sales and used book sales for history picture books to line your shelves with. Even my older kids (and myself) have learned a lot from these type books. (I would check out HOD again...I didn't use the earlier guides, but I did use Bigger this year and it has been a breath of fresh air...and quite meatier than it appears)

I LOVE this book! WinterPromise schedules it in for Jr or Sr high (Don't remember which) My son didn't finish it, because he was overloaded with other things, so I decided to drop some of his history, (His favorite to learn on his own time.) I would say get your hands on it to see if it is the right fit for your child. It has been one of my favorites for myself. (Easy read, great history book for a history illiterate like me) I would think it would be great combined with biographies and historical fiction books from the time period.

You should really read the message board at HOD...lots of moms combine. We have always combined, at least for history, but alas my oldest is a sr. so my baby (11) is doing everything on her own this year. This is our 1st year with HOD, but will definitley be using it again. We plan to use CTC next year. I have tweaked some because she was an older child using Bigger (I wanted her to do Amer. History this year). We've added things here and there where we've wanted and skipped things we didn't need. We have also been using a different Language Arts and doing math at a faster pace. Even with all these differences, this is a great program! Next year I plan to follow the language arts more closely...more narrating and a possible switch to Rod & Staff (Still undecided there). Will be using the writing as well. We won't use the science as it would be too much "Review" for my animal pro. However, will use the guide pretty much as written next year, substituting science for something she hasn't covered so extensively already. By the way, HOD has left us plenty of time to read other history books. So, adding to your "Buffet" isn't hard.

I agree HOD is great! And, the personal attention Carrie gives is unheard of. (and,we are only using part of it) Well, worth the money

Forgot to mention, I am leaning toward skipping Preparing & moving her into CTC, substituting the science, because she has studied animals for years on her own and we've done a lot of human body stuff. I am also considering using the reading portion (and possibly some of the activities) in MOH I We did use some of MOH 2 last year and really enjoyed it.

My youngest is in the boat your oldest in in only I'm no longer needing to combine as my oldest is a sr. this year. This is our first year that we have not combined anything (except some family devotions) . We have always done some history, science, and Bible together. My 6th grader is also doing Bigger this year and I am looking at next year. We chose Bigger not to combine, but because I really wanted her to do Early American history and I felt drawn to HOD. We have truly "Tweaked" it because of her age/ablity level, but it has been so relaxing. I am terrible with boxed curriculums never finishing, always adding in other stuff, etc. That is what I love about HOD, I can use the meat, skip the rest and add anything else we want. We tried the extensions, but weren't thrilled with these particular choices, so have been using the history adding in books we already own (Which is plenty-many are from WP and Sonlight) , Native Amerian pages from WP, and anyting that may naturally stem from our reading. The science is way too light for her, but I have had her do ALL the readings and only the activities we need. I have added in extra stuff pertaining to the subject, suchas Hme Science Birds during the John Audubon section and some other Homes Science stuff. (Ony because ths is what I already owned and it was a good fit) She is very science oriented so adding to science is no problem with he. She doesn't care for history/geography so having it all aid out in a simple format has been wonderful. (Though I haven't been happy with the mapping portion). We usually cover the poetry in one day and only do Day 1 & 5 of Bible, plus copying the verse. Then she uses Dangerous Devotions on her own. Again, a resource we already owned and is working well. We add in any other Bible readings as I feel led. We use our own copywork/ dictation/ spelling as the ones in Bigger are WAY below her. We also do our own thing for Language Arts and Math. She is using Singapore, but playing catch-up and doing many more pages a day than would be scheduled in any of the manuals. I must mention, I drive a school bus and my husband is military out of state, so I travel a lot, so it has been nice not being overwhelmed by a cumbersome curriculum. Finally to your question, I saw on HOD's message board the other day that a lady was doing Preparing and replaced the spine with MOH and was loving it, so that may be another option. Or, what I think would be easiest if you believe Preparing will be a great fit for your youngers, stick with it adding for your oldest as follows: History - extra readers pertaining to time period, extra writing, allow her to make her own "projects" (essays, posters, notebook, models, etc) displaying what she has learned. Allowing her the freedom to choose her own mediums, etc. This will he bring her delight as well as independence and higher thinking. While freeing you up to help the others. You could also add in extra mapping. Science-Apologia General Science (as you stated) or any other level appropriate curriculum. (I'm still debating over this one as well-Mine is NOT a textbook girl, though when my son was younger he did this text and she loved joining in on the experimets. We may have to do a more hands-on program) Bible-Do the readings together as a family. Maybe she cold come up with something to help/ or quiz the youngers. Then have her do an independent study &/or short teen/ family devotion style book with you. Or you may look into some type of purity study the two of you could do. I know...too many choices. I would go to the Heart of Dakota board as well. There are many combining. Good luck

You don't need anyhting extra with the Early Bird K books. We LOVED them, btw. As far as the textbooks with the other levels, I think that truly depends on you. I am a "Math" person and have found that I haven't needed the textbooks so far. But, others do, so I think you would need to decide that when you get there. Also, Saxon K was great for us at ages 3-4. I didn't use their scripted lessons, rather I looked at the concept that was to be covered and made sure my daughter understood it. This was a great springboard for her.

A laid back combo of Alpha-Phonics, Explode the Code and the Nora Gaydos phonics books get my vote. The Nora Gaydos books come in sets of 10 held in a magnetic case. Each book is accompanied by corresponding stickers the child can place in the book when they have read it independently. (Great motivator) I never read these to my child (As my children can memorize a book word for word). Instead I used them as motivators, because they are VERY simple. They are similar to BOB books, but are in color and silly. Book 1 of set 1 concentrates on soft a sound examples Page 1 A cat Page 2 A fat cat Page 3 A tan fat cat Page 4 A tan fat cat ran. etc. I think they are approximately 10 pages long (If I remember correctly) That may not be exact (It's been a while since we read them, but you get the picture. Each set progresses with more difficult phonics. With that said, maybe you would rather use something like Happy Phonics.(all games) It is put out by Love to Learn. Maybe just playing games for awhile would be a nice switch. We just played a few and it really got my daughter more interested. If all else fails...take a break. Everything looks better after giving birth! lol Another few months isn't going to make that big of difference in the whole scheme of things. Blessings!!!!!