I was born in Kokomo, IN. (Mom still lives in the same house. Not much wandering in our family, I guess!) Went to school for one year in Nashville, TN. Moved back to Kokomo. Moved to Indianapolis, IN to finish school and stayed to teach for five years. Got married in Indy. Moved to Sanford, FL with dh (16 years). Moved back to Indy 4+ years ago. I like it here!

If the Chemistry is anything like the 7th grade LifePac science my dd used in her private school...no wonder you're having problems! I found it to be full of holes and very frustrating. I'd switch curriculums. You've probably gotten enough information to be able to work quickly through something else. Apologia is meant to be self-teaching.

Walmart carries a large pencil/supply box. I'm not sure if they have them all the time or just a school supply time.

So, I skimmed the title and thought it said "How does YOUR memory work?" Not so well. Apparently I can't remember how to read! :-)

Band, juggling club, speech club, yoyo club and Star Wars minis are some of the things my older ds likes to do.

I forced my dd to shave her arms when she was 12ish...she really, really needed to shave. (Unless you like that dark, hairy underarm look. Not the look I'm going for.) We repeated the experience when she had really dark, hairy legs. OK during the winter...not cool on the beach! (We lived in Florida at the time.) DD simply didn't want to grow up. She was in denial for almost a year when she started her cycle (at 10). [We won't talk about the gross things I found in the dirty clothes!] Shaving was just another "I don't want to grow up" thing for her. She actually cried when she turned 10...because she wanted to stay a kid.

Just chiming in to say that I use the SMARR lists to guide our literature. I purchased the Intro to Lit guides, but ds wasn't all that interested in doing the basic comprehension work. I do like the works covered, for the most part, so I've printed up the lists and make my own writing/discussion assignments.

Why do you participate in a co-op? It provides some social outlet for my children...and it's a great support system for me. Our group is small and will cap at 25 families. Right now, we have 18 families. How often does the co-op meet? Classes for the kids are twice a month during the school "year." We have a monthly Mother's Meeting (read 10% business and 90% fellowship/snacks). There's also a monthly field trip for the kids. What subjects are offered? It varies because it depends on the families want and what the moms are willing to teach. This year we've done a Challenger Mission (which we accomplished by inviting other non-member homeschoolers to participate) and Finance Park (a Junior Achievement program). Next year we plan to do drama in the spring. In the past we've done science, art, music... We try to do things that require a group or that are just more fun in a group. We don't generally do academic subjects (no algebra or chemistry!). What are the biggest advantages for you? We love the support of the families. It's a great group of moms, and I've made wonderful friendships. Our neighborhood has no kids; our church doesn't have a lot of activities; this is the group that forms the basis for our kids' fellowship. What are the disadvantages? The only disadvantage has nothing to do with the way the group runs or what it offers. I'm the current director, and have been for going on 4 years, and it can be a big time thief. I consider it a service project, though, and feel it's worth what I put into it. How did your co-op get started? It started about 7 years ago. A good friend, who had homeschooled 15 years and been involved in lots of groups, wanted a group that personified the best in what she'd seen in other groups. GRACE (Generations Reared Around Christ's Example) was born out of that.

My son moved into Singapore in 5th grade. Previously he had been in a private school, and if I remember correctly, they used Horizons Math. He tested into 4A in Singapore, which really surprised me as he had always scored extremely high on the math sections of the SAT. Anyway, he did 4 A/B in 5th grade and continued the series till he finished 6 A/B. (then jumped to Algebra) We didn't supplement with anything or really have any problems making the switch. Sometimes it took a little thinking to figure *how* a problem was processed. He did most of the work independently...

Janna, you need one of these :grouphug: I'm praying for you, your dh and family.

I wouldn't be happy with video game afternoon at school. It's one thing to play a board game where many kids participate in the game...most video games aren't organized that way. And who's going to approve the games???? I will put in a word about movies in school. Many years ago, when I was teaching 8th grade LA, my kids would often talk about the movies they were seeing in the theaters. Mostly I was appalled at what these kids were allowed to see. (Like The Terminator--so now that seems mild, at the time it was just not for kids!) So I decided they needed to see some good movies and with my principal's approval, I had a movie series. I don't remember all the titles, but I know I showed: Hello Dolly, Ben Hur, Gone With the Wind and Oliver. We talked about the themes, how music was used to portray themes (particularly in Ben Hur), whether or not a book had been accurately represented through the movie...things like that. We watched in short segments (maybe 30 minutes depending on the movie) rather than taking an entire period. Then we contrasted what we had seen with contemporary movies...what was good, what wasn't so good. It was fun watching them discover something other than junk--sort of like discovering literature instead of romance novels. (Nothing wrong with romance novels or junk movies, but there's **more** and that was the point I wanted them to get.)

Actually, no, she's not science oriented at all! :lol:

This is one of my favorites! Place roast in crockpot. Pour one envelope dry onion soup mix, one can of cream of mushroom soup and 16 oz of Pepsi over the roast. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours. Serve over rice. (Everyone raves about this roast, and it's super tender when cooked this way. You can't taste the cola.)

:svengo: I love this one! Unfortunately this :banghead: is how the day seems to be going!

My dc did Adv. Bio before Chem. Not a problem here...

We stuck with R&S through 8th grade...it's a thorough program and if you complete the 8th grade text, you've done enough grammar. My dc were able to drop grammar in hs and concentrate on lit and writing. I've not really looked at other programs much because I like R&S so well. If it's working for you, I'd stick with it through 8th grade and call grammar "done"!

You're there for him now and working to find answers. Don't look back or beat yourself up! Praying here for your family. (((Jean)))

Beautifully said!

DH is very supportive but does nothing in terms of actual schooling. If I decided tomorrow to quit homeschooling (fat chance!), he'd say, "great, when are you getting a job??"

I have a membership to both. They are about the same distance from my home (actually I can be at 2 Sam's in about 20 minutes!) but my travels take me by Sam's more often--I have to make a special trip to hit Costco. BUT, I love the quality at Costco and they do have items Sam's doesn't carry. If anyone in your family wears glasses, their optical department can't be beat. I feel that it's worth the cost of the memberships at both places. I split the Costco one with a friend, so it's not that much.

I think a lot depends on the school. That certainly was one of the questions I asked when dd was applying. DD received a great scholarship from the school she now attends...this was awarded based on her SAT scores and transcript. (about 1/3 tuition) I know several homeschoolers who have attended U of Indy and received great academic scholarships. Some of those scholarships stated some sort of class ranking but they ignore that for homeschoolers. U of Indy is very homeschool friendly!

Actually, in IN we're required to notify the DoE **if** asked by the state superintendent (sp???). So far, he hasn't phoned me to ask! Otherwise, we have to keep attendance records for the required 180 days...but I've never had to show them to anyone.

I have a Masters in Elementary Education and the short answer is...no, I don't think it's helped me be a better homeschooler. If anything, I've had a hard time breaking out of the "school" mentality and into "learning" mentality. I'm not so sure my degree actually made me a good classroom teacher, either. I think I learned more by actual experience in the classroom than from the coursework. It's been 20 years since I've taught in the public schools, and things have changed tremendously. Even though I have a lifetime teaching license in the state of IN, to actually teach again I would have to take some refresher courses. (Mostly to learn how the game is currently being played in the ps!) Given the state of public schools, I don't plan to teach again...

We watch way more TV than we probably should... We record a lot of stuff on the DVR, though, and skip the commercials. (Especially good in the evenings when Victoria Secret commercials are on every other minute...not what I want my 17 yr old ds concentrating on!) DD watches a lot of Turner Classic Movies and BBC stuff. My boys love Mythbusters and Survivor Man (or whatever that show is). Little ds still loves PBS kids shows and learns a lot from them. (Word World is fun!)

Praying here for healing and peace.