I'm with Mirabillis on this one. I'd like to hear about the classes you wouldn't recommend.

I'll deviate from the majority and suggest that you have your son write his words using different colored pencils for each syllable. un - be - liev - a - ble DD11's weakest subject is spelling and this year, she's scored 100% every Friday. We use Spelling Workout, and DD11 writes her words once every day. We do spent a good bit of time on Mondays going over the words and syllables. She's even done really well with the review sections in the workbook. Her recall is so much better. This is, by far, her best year. Plus, it's fun for her to pick different colored pencils. The only downside....it takes much longer to finish spelling each day.

I'd also like to hear more about WTMA biology and daily time commitment. Anyone else?

Thanks, Roadrunner, for the tip on FundaFunda Academy's biology. I just emailed Dr. Dana for some more info.

DerekSurfs, I agree with you and others who mentioned that this class may not be a good fit for many young, middle level students. Our 11 year old certainly won't be ready for several years. Math skills need to be strong, as well as critical thinking. Our older daughter is definitely more mature and very focused on her school and learning.

We're still going strong with Mrs Jetta. Our daughter completed the egg drop project and loved, loved, loved it. She dropped her egg contraption 20 ft off our tile roof! Now if someone could just give me a lead on a biology class similar to Clover Creek physics, then I'd be egg-static!

I will second Online Classes for Groovy Kids. Our daughter (11) is taking Cacao and the Rainforest and loves it! Ms Amanda's curriculum is very well done, structured, and fun. It is far more comprehensive than I anticipated and we're thrilled. We plan to take another class in the spring semester.

We second Clover Creek physics; it's a favorite! We also enjoy: American Sign Language (CurrClick); Mr. D Math; and Sterling Academy. For middle level, we're loving Online Classes for Groovy Kids.

I'll second Science by the Grade. These workbooks have helped prepare our girls for standardized testing each year, because they cover the basic topics quickly and without fuss.

DD13: Loves: Clover Creek Physics Mr D Math Algebra II ASL II (CurrClick, Ms Marie) Psychology (Sterling Academy) Just ok: History/Geography (Sterling Academy) DD11: Loves: Winston Grammar Mr D Math Pre-Algebra Chocolate and the Rainforest (Online Classes for Groovy Kids....definitely not a fluff class! Awesome class.) BrainPop Likes: Spelling Workout Wordly Wise Explore South America (workbook) Science by the Grade Dislikes: Joy Hakim US history book (A)

Each year we come up with a crafty idea to display daily notes of thanks for something or someone. Perhaps our favorite was the year we found a rather large, dead maple tree limb, arrange it (and other limbs) in a pumpkin type container. Bought foam leaf shapes at the dollar store and each day we all wrote a special note on a leaf and hung it on the "tree". Our arrangement greeted guests throughout October and November. This brings back such special memories....we may do it again!

Also added to my Amazon cart! Thanks.

This is our DD13's favorite class. It's the first subject she tackles each day. However, it is a challenging, high school level class. It's not one of those classes where you can do a little work and "check the box." I would not put our 11 year old in the class, as there's no way she's prepared for the critical thinking needed to do well. Our 11 year old could certainly remember definitions and handle the labs, however, the math problems require a higher level. Plus, the tests are closed book. In addition, we supplement the daily workload with videos (Derek Owens, Crash Course, Khan Academy and Georgia Public Broadcasting). These extras are reinforcing the concepts learned in the live online class and textbook. I will have no trouble giving our daughter a high school credit for this class and would recommend it for any student in high school.

I also wanted to give an update on our Clover Creek physics class. DD13 has found the class challenging yet rewarding. DD is structured and organized, so she is comforted with the weekly emails and morning messages. Our daughter works 45 to 90 minutes depending on the daily workload. Jetta has put a ton of time into this course and it shows. We've taken a fair amount of online classes, and I've found Jetta's to be among the best - in terms of content, instruction and support.

Our daughter is currently taking ASL 102 at Currclick. She adores Ms Marie. I'm very pleased as well. Our local college uses the Signing Naturally book and dvds, which is exactly what Ms Marie requires students to purchase. I like knowing the book is used on a college level. Our daughter, who is rather shy, comes alive during ASL and her video homework assignment. We've enjoyed watching her learn this new language.

Our 13 year old daughter just started Clover Creek Physics and loves it! Other online options for our girls: Mr D. Math (Mr. D is outstanding!) and Ms Marie Hutt (American Sign Language, through CurrClick, another fabulous online class).

We're using Exploring South America workbook from Carson Dellosa as a base and have added in FACES magazines from SA, Chocolate: Riches from the Rainforest, some lapbook pieces, books from The Adventurous Mailbox, other country books, and documentaries.

We've used currclick.com for several live online classes. Instructors clearly outline upfront if the class is faith based. The girls loved the swashbuckler class and almost a dozen other classes with 4 Little Penguins. Science Jim. And our oldest is taking sign language (ASL Academy) this summer and is learning a ton. The class is very organized, structured - definitely a high school level course. She'll be taking ASL 2 this upcoming school year. A few years ago they took a music appreciation class from Musical Thoughts - a faith based instructor but worked just fine for our secular family. It was a quality program. We have an orientation later this week for Groovy Kid's chocolate class....can't wait! We plan to use Sterling Academy for a few high school credit classes this year, along with Clover Creek (physics) and our favorite online math, mrdmath.com. Love Mr D!

We tried Mr Powell's free American History class on outschool.org this past week, and the girls (ages 13 and 10) both enjoyed it. We've signed up for all of his free programs, and are considering Mr. Powell's curriculum for this school year. I'm just not sure it's in the budget.

Yesterday our DD13 competed in a Brain Bowl memory competition in Tampa. It was organized by David Farrow, Guinness Book of World Record holder in memory - davefarrow.com. He gave the students several tips for memorizing information, lists and numbers. You can search youtube for videos outlining his techniques.

T4L has a special going on now. $12 for a month. I've felt the same way about this curriculum, but I'm buying it tonight so we can have a full month to review it. I think the deal expires tomorrow. How about elearningk12.com? Prices range from $10 to $20 per month. mrdmath.com - excellent

We've participated in postcard swaps before and the girls enjoyed hearing from families in the states and internationally. Please add us to the list.

From the sounds of it, this class has been such a success. Did Jetta offer guidelines for submitting lab reports?

This thread provided great reading, as we're considering Oak Creek Physics for our daughter this upcoming school year. I'd love to hear your thoughts a year later. Thanks so much.

MOSDOS. It is a secular program and covers a wide range of literary reads. This is a program our family looks forward to tackling every day.