Awesome idea! I'm giving my 6th grade son the catalog right now! I had been trying to come up with some type of unit study for him to get him more engaged, This sounds great. I just received an email from them for free shipping on orders over $99 until 7/15. Here's the code: PSHIP714 Thanks!

Thank you for helping me think through this. I just ordered Voyagers 6 (student only) for $10 on Amazon. I'll see how it goes while we continue to discuss/edit grammar in the writing he does across the curriculum. I have 3 different Killgallon books that I tried with both my 13 years old and 11 year old; neither one liked it, but I may revisit it again in the future (or with my youngest).

Looking at the sample of MCT Grammar Voyage, it appears to move quickly from grammar term to term with just one or two examples. Does the student need to remember what everything is called and definitions? My son's writing is OK, not sophisticated, but he rarely makes grammar errors (despite not being able to name the parts of speech or rules). I'm guessing it's because he is a strong reader. He has been using IEW writing for two years and is able to correctly incorporate the dress ups and sentence openers. The problem seems to be grammar in isolation. I read the review of Learning Grammar through writing and I love the idea of marking a paper with the rule number for the child to look up and fix the error on his own. I worry that if there are barely any errors (due to non-complex writing), will that be enough? Alte Veste, does that book assign writing which would stretch the child to use more advanced phrasing or more sophisticated sentences? TY to all who are helping! I certainly won't worry about the teacher guide for ViE now.

I'm considering using Voyages in English 6 for my DS11 next year. He hasn't retained much with GWG and I'm thinking maybe Voyages will be more engaging. For those who use Voyages, is the teacher guide necessary, helpful, or a waste of money? Also if anyone has experience with a different grammar program for a child who doesn't seem to have a memory for grammar terms, but is otherwise a good student, I'm all ears.

You could also look at Moving Beyond the Page.

Help is key! I usually wait until I have two loads ready to hang/fold/put away and call the kids to help. Goes much faster!

If she's interested in computers, my kids just started this free HTML coding class. And there is another session starting in May. http://www.forthuntparent.com/academy/HTMLFrontPage.cfm?invite=6345&CFID=599851&CFTOKEN=9a8271e25fe8a4b4-DD87498E-D04A-D457-627201265454591F

Did you (or anyone else here) use the DVDs? I'm on the fence with whether or not to add them to my cart. I'll have three children going through the program, so if I hear they are good, it will likely be worth my money.

As a coffee lover, I would not drink decaf or those little instant coffee packets under any circumstance, but it's really no big deal if it's a free church activity. Depending on the activity, I often bring my travel mug full of coffee when heading out after dinner to something like my son's cub scout pack meeting. I think most people who love coffee would opt for water or tea over instant coffee.

My emotions are almost as volatile as my DD13's are! I was so anxious about planning for 8th grade, that I felt the need to sketch out a tentative plan all the way through the end of high school. After re-listening to SWB's audio lecture, The Well-Prepared student, for the third time, I registered my DD for an online literature class through Kolbe. She highly recommends trying an online class before high school. I had actually been watching the course descriptions for a while now, waiting for them to add the list of novels. The list was published today. Unfortunately my DD was not happy that she had already read two of them, but that course still seemed like the best online fit for her. So if anyone else is interested, Kolbe's JH lit class description is up and registration is open. I'm not sure how quickly those classes fill, but it states on the Kolbe site that class size is limited to 20. I needed to register before I chickened out! My DD has only taken extra-curricula type classes at our co-op with moms she knows. This is entering a new world for her. I'd love any advice on how much I should oversee or help with time management vs letting her be completely responsible.

Sadlier's Vocabulary Workshop. We've used both the elementary levels (green, orange, blue) and levels A&B. My youngest found green quite easy last year (she's an avid reader) and skipped to blue this year in 3rd grade. My son in 5th grade is using orange level (which is lower) and that is the right level for him. Be aware that there is a sizable jump in difficulty from the blue level to level A.

I need to have some accountability today, so I don't waste away the day with my DH and DS out of town. -school half day (until 12:30) -put laundry away -gather & scan tax documents -organize basement craft area **disaster zone -buy materials for co-op class -vacuum

HI! I'd like to rejoin the challenge this year. I didn't post much last year, but I enjoyed reading these weekly threads. All of you ladies have such wonderful recommendations! Last year was the first year I ever kept track of my reading. I logged 33 books, hoping to inch closer to 52 this year. I'm in the middle of reading Ann Leary's The Good House. I like the voice of Hildy, the main character. Leary is slowly revealing her traits through interactions with other colorful characters in the historical, upscale Massachusetts town. 2014 so far... 4. The Good House 3. Killing Jesus 2. I am Malala 1. Inferno

I've done the same thing...too.many.times.

My DD is also a dancer and very small. She wore a pad today to dance tonight. All of the older girls all wear dance shorts over their leotard. Would that be allowed for your daughter? ETA I've asked her the last two months (she just started) if she wanted to try tampons...the answer is always no.

My DD12 and I really like the program so far. We are almost done with 7A. I say we b/c I do most of the lessons with her. Since I've been away from Algebra for many years and have two more kids coming up behind her, I want to work through every lesson myself. The explanations/teaching is all directed to the student is very straightforward and clear. Discovery method would not go over well with this student. Within the teaching section are examples and TryIt problems. Following that are the Exercise problems, which increase in difficulty. Normally my DD will work through every other problem in the first two sections of the text called Basic Practice and Further Practice. If she has difficulty we review the Examples and she can work through the ones she skipped, otherwise she moves on to the Math@Work and BrainWorks problems. I love that every problem has a fully worked out solution in the Teaching Notes and Solutions Manual. We are looking forward to starting the first of the geometry chapters after Christmas break.

I'm hoping this shift will eliminate my struggle over what to officially call my DCs math courses as we are really liking Singapore's integrated program. My oldest is in their new CC correlated 7A. We like the presentation and the application problems. Looking ahead, 7B (which we'll begin at the end of January) covers mostly geometry problems. It certainly seems advanced for 7th grade math, but since we have been following the SM sequence (with LoF) it's a good fit for us.

I second Moving Beyond the Page. Visit their site to check out the samples. My DD8 is a strong reader (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe level) and is enjoying the age 8-10 level. You can buy just one guide this year to try it now to see if it would be a good fit for next year. Each guide covers three weeks of language arts. All comprehension questions have answers for the parent.

Done!

We made one last week using that same ratio, except my directions called for boiling water and stirring between adding spoonfuls. We also let it sit overnight, undisturbed, on a fairly cool counter. We waited a full 24 hours before taking it out.

We're liking HO Ancients level 2! The only tweak I made was eliminating TSOM; we're reading sections of Human Odyssey in its place. Both kids like it too. It's DD12s favorite subject, partly b/c we work on it together. DS 10 hates all the writing, but he needs it.

Singapore.

Instead of doing searches for gluten free recipes, you can search paleo which would typically not contain soy or potatoes. Every once in a while, i'll make gluten free pancakes using King Arthurs multi purpose gluten free flour. My kids love them.

Have you looked at Moving Beyond the Page?

I agree. There are many doctors out there who are completely uninformed in the area of nutrition. It is likely that your numbers increased from combining the new habits you picked up (coconut oil and more eggs) with old habits like eating grains and sugar. My DH was able to lower his bad cholesterol by a lot (he was on meds) and increase his good cholesterol by switching to more healthy fats --he eats four eggs a day-- balanced with protein and vegetables while at the same time giving up grains and sugar. Bottom line, we believe the experts who find that most of the body's problems are related to processed food products (especially "healthy" whole grains).