Our girls (3rd and 5th grades) loved Science Jim last spring. We took the online class and truly enjoyed the class, pdf textbook and homework assignments. The girls learned a ton and would definitely be interested in taking another Science Jim class.

Forgot to mention: Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein.

Here are the ones the girls have read over and over...most are books in a series: Kitten Club; Kitten Magic; Penderwicks; Moffats; Main Street; Emily Windsnap; The Family Tree; When the Butterflies Came; Nancy Drew; The One and Only Ivan; all Roald Dahl; Marty McGuire; Pippi Longstocking.

We used Mosdos this year and plan to use it again. I would probably look for used books next time, but if your budget can support it, it's worth the money. Our girls (5th and 3rd) enjoyed the stories and the emphasis on character. Often times they would ask me to read more than the day's scheduled lesson. The teacher edition was a huge help for me, but many of you could probably do just as well without it. The questions and guidance kept me focused and stimulated great conversation. I liked having a ton of material and options to pick and choose what I felt worked best for us. I'm not familiar with Jane Ervin's book but I'm sure others will chime in.

We have teatime at least every other week. We bake something special (or just pull something out of the freezer from a previous TeaTime Tuesday), get out the good china, and either read poetry, or play a geography game. The one wall in our dining room is covered with an 8 ft x 12 ft world map, so I'll give each girl a laser pointer and call out the names of different countries. It gets a little competitive for a quiet teatime activity, but it's always the way they want to end our hour together.

Thanks for your comment. Doesn't sound like WG is a good fit for us. I may look into a writing tutor.

I'm looking at both as well. I may try time4writing this summer and see how it goes. Thanks so much.

I'm looking at this program as well. I hope someone offers a review for us.

I appreciate the suggestion. A dance mom tonight suggestion I contact a local college to see if a student would be interested. Thanks.

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Our 8 1/2 year old is hounding me for an online writing class. She wants to write something, send it in to a teacher and received feedback. Any suggestions out there?

I'm wondering about Home2Teach as well. Any updates?

I found writeguide.com the other day while searching for an online writing class. I'd look at Time4Writing and Bravewriter, and wanted something less expensive. I found writeguide.com but couldn't find anyone who had used their services. Has anyone used this company for creative writing classes? If so, how was your experience?

We are taking a class with Science Jim (physics) and so far so good. It's an hour class but the first 10 minutes or so are full of chat room "hellos", Science Jim getting organized for the class, and going over homework. We are one of the few families completing homework and our girls get extra attention from Science Jim because of it. This makes the first 10 minutes far more acceptable to me. Otherwise, the class has been excellent. Great demonstrations, simple textbook to read and homework which includes hands on experiments with materials we've had at home. We plan to sign up for another class with Science Jim.

We are in a similar position. Our 8 year old is doing great with Intermediate 3 and I'm not sure where to head for 4th grade. I'd love to hear from someone who has been in our shoes.

We have penpals with cousins out-of-state and homeschool friends that we don't see on a regular basis.

We are also not currently in a co-op. However, we practice presentations at home. For example, book reports. I have the girls write their book reports, practice reading, and then I tape them. I then send these videos to relatives. The girls liked being video taped, because they can "start over" if they don't speak clearly. They always want the final taping to be perfect. We've also presented their work to grandparents. They haven't memorized pieces, but have read their own work.

We've used Gill, because that's what our sailing coach recommended. However, we are in Tampa, Florida so conditions are not similar! G.ood luck

100% commando for me. Especially for working out and running. That extra layer never felt comfortable.

We moved to Florida 5 years ago and just spent 3 days in St Augustine...it was not enough. The girls wanted to stay a few more nights! Tremendous amount of historical activities in the area. The Tampa area offers activities at the Tampa Bay History Center, CrackerTown(State Fair Grounds), Fort Desoto and Heritage Village (Largo). If you teamed up the history with the Florida Aquarium, Clearwater Aquarium, and local preserves you could have an amazing educational vacation. Plus, the beaches are tremendous!

We do both: ITBS and portfolio. ITBS is mainly for me to help plan for the next school year, and second, for the girls to have experience in a testing environment. You don't know what the future holds so I want them prepared. The portfolio review is all feel good. We put tons of time into the portfolio but then the girls show off their work and feel great when our evaluator leaves the house. It's a pat on the back from an outsider, but this one step is not enough for me. It costs more but I sleep better.

Literature may be the girls' favorite subject. The girls love our K12 literature, which we have used for 3 years. We do not have online access, as I borrow books from a dear friend or find them used on line. Since I combine literature for both girls (3rd and 5th grades) and the fact that we are currently at 6th grade K12, I recently added Mosdos at the 5th grade level. K12 was getting to be a bit much for our 3rd grader. Plus, I always have a read aloud in the works. Right now it's "Saving Home" as we prepare for a family educational field trip to St Augustine, Fl.

Although our state doesn't require it, we use ITBS. The prep books are excellent and the girls actually enjoy the challenge.

We are using Meet the Masters. It has a very teacher friendly format, and the girls enjoy the online lesson portion, along with the practice worksheets. The final project's instructions are very simple and easy to follow. I am not strong in the arts, but this program covers the basics well and has been given me confidence. I do supplement with a library book on the artist and have brought in....props. For example, I brought in pieces of tree bark and lava rock so the girls could see and feel the different textures before attempting to draw. And then it's even better if you can find a local museum with that particular artist's work. The girls love knowing that a field trip may be part of the lesson.

Check out Family Fun magazine this month. There is an amazing article on growing vegetables indoors "Plant an Odds and Ends Garden." We bought our yam, celery and beets today, and have a fun afternoon planned.