Even HSLDA has a niche. I do not subscribe but I do appreciate that they are there.

Thank-you. I will be picking this up for next year.:)

We liked the phonetic zoo here as well. My daughter was completely independent with the program and she enjoyed doing it which was a dream for me. She was an awful speller when she began and now when I need to know how to spell a word I ask her because she is so much better than I am.:001_huh:

You may want to do dreambox.com over the summer. It is fun(ish) and conceptual so that would help the nuts and bolts understanding aspect. My kids also like whizz.com. It is more of a conventional program so I have found that the two of them together give a good foundation. We also add in the xtramath for the mastery of the facts.

We have the same sort of thing in BC and every year I evaluate wether I want to go registered (off the grid) or enrolled (ALE type program). I usually choose the enrolled option because I find that it is best for my children- not for the money, but for the accountability. I chafe at enrollment every year and I really dislike reporting but I NEED it. I am not naturally organized (and that is not to say that I haven't tried to be... repeatedly). There are some that are militant about the evils of enrollment. I have heard it and attended the HSLDA meetings but in the end I need to choose what is best for my family. Let's support those who do choose to educate their children at home not group and colour sort them in order to discriminate. Please?

I tend to really like Hebrew names and it seems that most of them end in the 'ah" sound. Consequently 3 of my kids names rhyme.

It is a beautiful name and the only people that ever know the meaning of names are expecting moms with baby name books in their hands.

Thank-you! This is exactly the information that I was looking for. Did you buy extra components because you have multiple kids using different parts of the program?

:hurray: Why eat eachother up when there is such a long line already.:lol: A silly story: When I first started homeschooling I thought that the only good math curriculum in the whole world was Math-U-See and that if anyone wasn't using it they were missing out. Well, for some reason my oldest got waayy behind in Math (mostly because she hated it). I wasn't sure what to do so I talked to the MUS rep who told me that MUS was the only good curriculum out there and that any child using another Math curriculum would never understand Math. I wasn't palnning on switching but because she really rubbed me the wrong way I switched- to TT *gasp* (said I would NEVER do that!).. Well it was the best thing I ever did! I know that my story is a bit silly but, really, unschooler, classical schooler- whatever kind of schooler, the outcomes are sometimes not predictable. Choose the schooling curriculum that resonates with your child and choose the schooling method that nutures your child. They are all unique. I just love this youtube video and usually send it out on our homeschool email tree once a year:

I like Julia but it means "bearded'. This is why we didn't go with it for our last girl.

I haven't read all the posts so if my post is a repeat, sorry. Take vitamin D3. Doctors are infamous about not having much understanding about absorbability. D3 absorbs better. You can take high doses 5,000 daily is common and I seem to remember Mercola recommending 12,000 to 24,000 but you should do a double check on that one. I do know some that take 12,000 IU for acute conditions. I have also heard that vit D deficiency is epidemic. The other epidemic of our time is EFA (essential fatty acids) deficiency. I would add some Nordic Naturals cod liver oil capsules to the regimen because fish oil is (in my opinion) the best source of EFA and Nordic Naturals is a clean product. You WILL feel better soon. Vitamin D is crucial.:grouphug:

What age/skill level would the curriculum best suit? How long/day does it take to go through the daily work? Your experiences and any input would be very appreciated!!

Could he volunteer at AWANA? You would be able to drop him off at the same time that you are dropping your daughter off. My oldest volunteers at AWANA as a leader in training and she is that kind of teenager too. You know, the one that doesn't want to leave the house and needs a great big push to do anything. My husband and I also volunteer so that does make it less scary for her as well.

my daughter realized that she needed to do some catching up in order to be at a certain place by grade 10-11 so she was the one that turned on the afterburners. Some days she does only one lesson or even none on the odd day but then other days she does a lot. I don't ask her every day but I make sure to record what she has done at the end of each week. This way I keep tabs on her without stifling her motivation. I think recording it is a way of acknowledgeing the work that she has put in for that particular week.

It would be good to ask the doctor if there is any dietary therapies (he probably won't have a clue). And I highly recommend seeing a naturopath as well. You would not believe all the grief we saved just by trying a few thing that are off the radar of allopathic medicine.

My daughter was quite behind and so this year she did TT6, TT7 and she is now working on TT pre-algebra. This worked out because she was motivated to do it herself (not just me pushing her up the hill from behind). I am glad that I started her on the TT6 and then had her do the TT7 as well (she placed between the 6 and 7 book on the test) because I wanted her to have success and I wanted her to have as much reinforcement as possible. She did find some things challenging at the end of the TT7 book so it is good that she worked through them and I'm sure she will re-visit these concepts in the pre-algebra book. I am not sure about the Lials because we have never used it but I am going to be watching this thread. Great questions! :bigear:

I used Horizons K for my first and I hated it. This was a long time ago but if I think back I remember being upset that all the Math was done on a number line and when the number line is no longer there the student is ??? The following year I made my daughter do math u see primer. I also eventually fell out of love with math u see and now my grade K-2 use dreambox and math whizz along with some pencil and paper reinforcement.

I don't unschool but I do resonate with parts of the philosophy. I read the Teenage Liberation Handbook and implemeted some of the ideas in the book and that is what pulled my oldest out of the dislike of school to now taking charge of her education. From what I can see unschooling is a bit hard to pin down because everybody does it a little differently but I think the core of the philosophy is to make learning a life long journey and not just a box to check off at the end of the day. I think that unschoolers still perform dull tasks and some of those most likely include changing diapers, washing dishes and scrubbing tiolets. Life does have undesirable tasks but unschoolers believe that learning should not be one of those undesirable tasks. I worry sometimes that I am "teaching" my son to hate writing. I am inclined to give him a little more time to mature and somehow get him and his friends to mail letters to each other or perhaps let him have a garage sale and have him write the signs for the neighbourhood. You could give unschooling a try, you may switch back after a year or you may love it. I would think that the experience (however long or short it may be) would enrich both you and your children.

I am also a fan of AG. I think it is worth every penny but I do understand that it doesn't click with everyone. My friend didn't make it through the first chapter. Hmmm... maybe she will sell it to you for a good price. I'll ask her if you want. Let me know (She has the teacher and student manuals as well as the reinforcement and review book).

I loved Analytical Grammar. This is one that you actually have to work through with your child but if your child has these types of grammar inclinations this is an excellent curriculum. My daughter loved Sonlight Core H-year 2 of 2 year history. This was our first experience with Sonlight and it was great for my older child but wasn't great for my 3rd grader (the science). I think what made it so wonderful is that she really loved it and was able to do it all on her own (which is also why I loved it). Though I do consider it to be weak on the writing component.

Hi Lisa, I was looking at the Physical Science Advanced and was wondering how much time it took your kids to do per week? Do your children tend to be the sciencey type or not really? Where did you hear about it? I would be interseted in anything else you would have to say about your experience with this curriculum.:bigear: Thank-you!

Could you finish TT7 this year (one or 2 lessons/day- however it works out for the day, just go with the flow). Next year (whenever that begins) do TT pre-algebra and TT algebra. This way the concepts would be reinforced and your son would have more time to soak up the info (though more physical work as well). My daugther was behind in Math (really behind) so this year she has done TT6, TT7 and TT pre algebra because I felt it was important to make sure she had all the teaching she could get as well as the reinforcement that comes at the beginning of each book. Next year she will do the next 2 books in the series (if all goes as planned).

What a breath of fresh air. I will confess my third grader is on week 5 in Sonlight Science. We won't finish it or even do week 6 because there are better things to do and I don't think that a third grader will die academically if he doesn't finish his Science. I think I saw him reading the Science books for pleasure and in my opinion that is far better than reading out of obligation. Writing...don't even get me started.:confused: My oldest was behind in Math (she is in grade 9) and this year we found a Math program that she enjoys and understands so she has completed 2 years of Math this year and is on her third year so miracles do happen. You never know. There are a lot of years to do more school but the time seems so short to love and nuture my children before they move out. Funny how that is. I really try to focus on what is important and academics is not my first priority (I think it is somewhere around third).

I will do that. Interestingly, this thread has made me realize that I don't like making mistakes and when I do I really have a hard time owning up. This just reinforces my theory perhaps I am the source of the majority of my kids struggles without even knowing it.:confused: I'll have to work on that one.

Thank-you. He is like a first born because there is a large age spread between him and his older sister. I was a first born and I went the underachiever route for the exact reason that you said- if it can't be perfect I won't do it. I guess the apple....:001_huh: