We've been using it since about 4th grade and really enjoy it. It can get monotonous so we try to set aside one day a week for non-MUS math work, but the concepts are presented in such a way that they're never overwhelming. I also really like the emphasis on the whole child - they see it, build it, write it, and teach it back to the parent when they feel they've learned it. It doesn't matter how many practice pages they do or don't do or how much they play with the blocks before they move on. I would start your 3rd grader wherever he needs to be started. We started with Gamma to build up multiplication confidence and then moved forward from there.

Wish I could help! We're muddling our way through history this year, too. I have HO as a spine, books from Sonlight's reading lists, and Jackdaws to round it all out - not to mention all the rest of the things we've picked up from here and there. Do you have "Teaching What Really Happened"? It's by the same guy who wrote Lies My Teacher Told Me. There's a lot of good advice in there for especially this age on how to teach history without being hung up on having to know it all.

I got a Kindle when they were on Woot and I love it. The font size is adjustable and the e-ink is easy on the eyes. So far I've downloaded several of the books my oldest will be using this year (classics, Van Loon's Story of Mankind) and favorites I read as a kid and I haven't spent a penny for them yet.

We really like Digging For The Truth. There's so much information that it helps to springboard family discussions about the 'could-haves' or 'what-ifs'.

We had the same problem. When ds came home he hated math, thought he was no good at it. So when we began that year I started ds on math concepts he already knew. He slowly regained the confidence he needed to move on and sped through the next two books in the series to get ahead of grade level. I also had him teach me the concepts after he finished each lesson, with me playing stupid and having him break it allllllll down completely. He loved it, but it also made him very aware of what he was doing and why.

I don't know the back story here, but I wanted to say a :iagree: to those above. At 19, your son has the freedom of the adult and the personal responsibility of a child. He needs to be pushed in one direction or the other. Whatever rules and conditions you decide, WRITE IT DOWN. Put it in a contract, with a due date, and hold fast to it. It's too easy to make threats or conditions and forget about them or have things mis-remembered. It's much harder when those words are placed on the refrigerator door. And you have to be willing to do what it takes - if he doesn't see the counselor or finish school, are you willing to kick him out when he makes that choice?

We use it. It has its pros and cons. We like it well enough and will be using Physics II this year. Pros: Short lessons modeled on the Charlotte Mason approach. The notebooking can be done a variety of ways. We've done pictures, lapbooks, summaries..depending on his age and how interested he was. The internet links from Usborne are wonderful add-ons to the lesson. Cons: The science kits are terrible. I stopped buying them and supplement with other kits instead. It's sad because that was one reason why we chose Noeo when we started years ago - the all inclusive kits meant I didn't have to try to hunt down odd items in a foreign country. The way the guides are written leave a lot to be desired, though. There's no room for thinking. It presents the question and then immediately the answer, even though the guides are written for the one doing the experiment.