We'll be using the AP edition of The American Pageant, 15th edition for our AP US History course, which I'll be teaching at home. So far, we've bought the student textbook, the DBQ Practice book to accompany it, and the student Guidebook to accompany it. I am having a very difficult time finding an answer key or Teacher's Edition of the Guidebook, which contains 414 pages full of review questions for the text. Apparently, earlier editions of the Guidebook had the answers included - but this edition does not. I bought the latest edition (published this year) because I wanted DS to have the most up-to-date preparation for the AP exam. He hopes to major in history and eventually teach in a college setting. His knowledge of history already far exceeds mine, so I don't think I'll be able to correct his answers to the questions in the Guidebook without help. I did buy a Teacher's Resource DVD that contains some testing materials, along with some other helpful resources. It does not contain answers to the Guidebook questions, though. Any suggestions would be appreciated. These are expensive books, and I will have to return the Guidebook if I can't find a way to use it.

If you haven't already covered any of Mark Twain's work, you definitely would want to do so. We studied both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn for that time period, in addition to The Last of the Mohicans and Uncle Tom's Cabin.

BJU Press World History has clear coverage, as well as a book of activities to accompany the text, chapter reviews and tests.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think the immersion approach software doesn't suit my son's learning style all that well, though. We tried Rosetta Stone but didn't feel like he was retaining enough information. Maybe RS would work better for a language other than German? Not sure. I appreciate the input, though!

Has anyone on the board used the Living Language program from Random House? We are looking at the Platinum Edition German, specifically. I'd appreciate hearing any pros and cons for this program. I like the fact that it has a book, audio CDs and an online component all rolled into one, but I have not heard of anyone using this for a homeschool class.

We are using Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius, 2nd ed., (64 lessons with projects) and Make: Electronics. We ordered the parts needed from Mouser Electronics. It looked like so much fun that DH and DS started the course this summer, rather than wait until fall. They are really enjoying it!

"The Incredible Human Machine" from National Geographic (we watched it on Netflix) might make a good addition to your course. It provides an interesting introduction to human anatomy and has some good health tips, as well.

I have just about decided to go with a writing course from WriteAtHome for my DS this coming year. They offer 8-week workshops, as well as year-long courses. The workshops are $149 each, and you can choose from a pretty wide variety of topics. We did NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago with a co-op, and it was a fun way to get my son writing. It is designed to have the kids (and adults, too) write a novel during the month of November, but the material provided, which taught the kids how to write, could be used any time of the year.

We used "Can-Do Cursive" from Handwriting Without Tears. My DS found it quick and easy to learn. Although we covered it when he was in upper elementary grades, I keep it around to refer to even now that he is in HS.

I have this video, and we used it briefly at the beginning of this school year. I'm probably not the best one to ask about Holt Biology, though, because we switched to Campbell's Biology: Exploring Life about two months after we began the year (DS had difficulty with the text of Holt and much preferred the style of writing in Campbell's). Basically, the video gives an illustrated lab manual for each of the experiments it features. The coverage of each lab is about 5 minutes, and at least 1 minute of that time is spent on cautions (which all appear to be the same). It does have some good coverage of student dissections and illustrates a few lab techniques. It would not take the place of actually doing the lab yourself, by any means. For each lab, you are told a list of needed supplies, the objectives of the lab, how long the lab should take (50-60 minutes for dissections, for example), and an explanation of a few terms. It is aimed at the student, and questions raised (like "what do you see here?") are not answered on the video. I think it assumes that the teacher will answer these questions or check over the student's answers. It does show the format for data tables on which the students should record findings. The labs featured on the video are for the following: cell biology - 6 labs genetics - 5 labs evolution - 3 labs ecology - 4 labs diversity - 4 labs plants - 5 labs invertebrates - 5 labs vertebrates - 5 labs human biology - 7 labs If you need any additional details, let me know, and I'll look at the video again and let you know what I find. Overall, I think it could supplement a student lab guide but would not take its place. I think it would probably be worth the cost if you plan to do the Holt labs.

Check out German is Fun, book 1 from AMSCO. You'll need the Teacher's Edition, as well. We did not use the Audio CDs, but they might be a good supplement.

What is the T4L history program? I've not heard of it. I think your schedule looks good for 9th grade for an Aspie student, although I wonder if you have a little too much going on for language arts for one year? You may have trouble fitting all of that into 50 minutes per day for the credit. Maybe you could fold the movies as literature and the movies for history together? Just a thought, and of course you know your own child best. I know some kids are certainly willing to spend more than 50 minutes per day on a subject. If you need to reduce the daily time spent on classwork, you could also look at only doing a half credit of foreign language per year, rather than a whole credit. What a great decision you have made to homeschool your son! I know he is already benefiting from the less-stressful environment. Good luck in the next year.

After a good deal of deliberation (and reading some of the same posts you are talking about), we're planning to use BJU's Geometry program with their DVDs. I share your hesitations about teaching high school math, and my DS also disliked Saxon when we tried it. I'm hoping that the DVDs will help my son learn the subject with minimal input from me. I'm not familiar with the Dr. Callahan videos and can't comment on them. Have you thought about working with a local math tutor, though? If your son really likes Jacobs, having someone else available to answer questions and grade tests might allow him to stick with that series.

Having your son create a project for your district History Day competition next year is a great way to incorporate writing, and doing a science fair project is a great way to get in some math (and science, obviously). His artistic skills would definitely be an asset in both of these, and he could pick the topics from what interests him. Even if his entries don't win, he'll still learn a lot and have a great sense of accomplishment. Links for History Day and Intel Science & Engineering Fair. Both sites have links to search for the fairs near you.

We've used World Civilizations, Vol. I to 1700 by Adler and Pouwels this year. It's a college text and much more in-depth than a lot of HS material. It's been a good choice for my son. Great illustrations and maps throughout, as well.

We have not made what I would call a study of King Arthur, but we are reading some on the subject as part of a medieval literature study this year. DS and I have really enjoyed reading Geoffrey of Monmouth's Histories of the Kings of Britain. It is considered a primary source for the Arthurian legend, and I highly recommend it to anyone studying Arthur. The version we are using is published by Forgotten Books and was translated by Sebastian Evans. It contains the old-English language, which has been really fun to read.

McKay's in Chattanooga is definitely worth a visit, although it could be a little dull for smaller children. You could also check out the ARK Center on Lee Hwy in Chattanooga, run by Family Christian Academy. They carry homeschooling supplies and books, although you might want to call first to be sure they have things that interest you. The Creative Discovery Museum would be a great choice for a bunch of kids - you would do well to bring another adult along to help keep an eye on them, though. The CDM is full of colorful, hands-on exhibits, and children tend to scatter as soon as they walk in the door!

It sounds like you have a high-energy dog that needs some guidance in behavior. Have you enrolled her in obedience classes yet? She's at a great age for that, and she needs to learn some basic commands ("off" and "leave it," for example). Practice these commands at home, and have your children practice them with her, as well, so that she doesn't "forget" the commands when she's playing with your children. If you have a dog park nearby, try taking her there a few times a week so that she can wear off some energy with other dogs, rather than with your children. She'll probably be a lot calmer around your children if she is regularly getting interaction with other dogs and getting more structured interaction with the family through obedience classes. In my experience, most dogs only become calmer naturally when they are much older. To have her behave in a more child-friendly manner, she needs training.

Jane Austen's books were written during that time and seem to take place at the time they were written, as far as I can tell. Tolstoy's War and Peace takes place during that time, although it was written in a later period.

We the People by Thomas Patterson is an easily-readable college text that we are using for this. The latest edition came out in 2010 and is pretty expensive new, but you can buy the 2008 edition for less than $5 from Alibris or Abe books.

We're not Catholic but are using Kolbe's Literature of Christendom course plan this year. We like it so far. We also used science course plans from Kolbe in the elementary grades. I've found their course plans to be adaptable and easy to use. We have not actually enrolled with Kolbe for any course. Instead, I've bought the course plan and the books that the plan calls for and just taught the course myself.

I'd recommend getting the TM for the labs if you do the labs in the book. The TM contains a lot of additional material that makes many (but not all) of the labs do-able at home. In retrospect, though, I think we should have used a labpaq instead of trying to do the labs in the book. Unless you are doing the labs in the book with a group, the cost of supplies will likely add up to more than the cost of a labpaq.

I use it liberally when cooking chicken breasts. I saute them in olive oil with plenty of turmeric added. Very tasty!

I'm not in FL, but we also order from Breadbecker's co-op. We last ordered a 45 lb (6 gal) bucket of organic hard white wheatberries, and the total price was $43, so .96 per lb. That includes a bucket, though, and you can order without the bucket to save money. Here's a link to their prices (you do get a discount when ordering through a co-op).

Look up info on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It often can be very effectively treated with small doses of anti-depressants. Make that appt with the psychiatrist, if you can - preferably a child psychiatrist. Good luck, and hang in there!