Hello Holly! I've just barely followed some of your posts regarding your science dilemma. Please forgive me if I repeat something another poster has written. But I cannot resist giving a plug for the BJU program...done in its prescribed way. I know you have used it and weren't that pleased...but I don't think you are going to find a better choice. BJU science can be overwhelming. I have learned to pick and choose from all that is offered. Do you know how homeschool moms call TOG a "buffet"? The BJU mid-high courses could be considered in a similar way (I cannot yet speak for the HS levels). There is no way to do every experiment, every activity, every idea in the texts. We do all the reading, study questions, applications in the back of the text (some of which we do orally), and around 2 experiments per chapter. I sat down last summer and planned out exactly what we were going to do for 180 days. I made the course fit our year. It is so worthwhile. The Life Science course was (like Elizabeth said) FABULOUS. The Earth and Space Science course is JUST AS GOOD (if not even better). And I am looking forward to finally being able to teach chem/physics next year with the Physical Science course. If you are doing Life Science this year, and you still have 7th and 8th grade to go, why don't you follow the BJU schedule and do E&S in 7th and Physical in 8th? This is what we have done. I do not regret one moment, and I do not look over the fence and see greener grass. NONE of my homeschool mom friends are as pleased with their junior high sciences as I am. This is the honest truth. I also know that the tests that come with the BJU programs are difficult. My son has found them very challenging! He is a natural math/science type of fellow, so I do not adjust the tests for him. I want him to struggle a bit...to find out what he is really about. Honestly, I might make some adjustments with the tests for my younger son (when it is his turn). One thing I learned this past weekend is that the BJU program is definitely preparing my son for his future. He took the ACT through the Duke TIP program on Saturday. The science section was "almost" doable for him because he has been trained through BJU to read diagrams and graphs and charts and make predictions from such. I haven't seen another science program that does this quite as well. Just a thought. :) Jetta

I used the TM extensively for Life Science. We didn't use the lab dvd so the TM was very helpful in setting up and completing the labs. And it has the answers! :) Also I liked having the margin notes throughout the chapters...some of these notes have really interesting information in them! For BJU science, I usually buy the student text and teacher's manual first. THEN I go through and decide IN ADVANCE what labs we are going to do (they give lots of choices...we try to do at least 1 or 2 per chapter...sometimes more). I make a list of the materials that I need to buy and then order these items individually from Home Science Tools. It is much cheaper to do this than purchase an entire kit....which may contain things that you won't use. HTH! Jetta

Hi Cynthia! I've been wondering these same questions...surely this has happened to someone on the board before! My son is scheduled to take the ACT Saturday in a rural town north of Memphis. And yes, we are supposed to have BIG snow on Wednesday (we also had quite a bit yesterday...not really forecasted...). But the latest forecasts have indicated that the temps. later in the week are going to be warmer than first thought. So I'm hoping that the roads will be clear enough by Saturday. I would assume that you live somewhere in the same vicinity (Hoggirl...Arkansas?). So maybe the same is true for you, too. I know this conversation sounds odd to those who live where snow is a norm. We go YEARS without snow. This year has been quite overwhelming to say the least! And in our rural areas, there are no salt trucks or snow plows. So the snow/ice sits on the roads for what seems like forever. Anyway, HTH! At least it will bump your post. :) Jetta

Apparently the tests are online. http://www.bjupresshomeschool.com/content/dlo-faqs-assessments Not sure how I feel about this. I also noticed that BJU has changed their pricing structure. On first glance, it appears they have increased their online price $50 per course. My 4th grade son's English course was $249 this year WITH books. Now it would be $299. http://www.bjupresshomeschool.com/content/distance-learning-compare-prices Anyway...HTH! Jetta

I agree with you about the Critical Thinking in US History. It is fabulous. But we had to drop it. There are just not enough hours in the day (or energy in my 7th grade ds) to get all the "neato" stuff done. He spends about 20-30 minutes a day on logic. Do you need the writing program AND R&S? Could you alternate days with these? I think 6 hours a day is about perfect for this age. But like the other posters have said, you have to break up the "seatwork" with more interesting things like experiments and discussions and projects. My son tackles some of his seatwork first thing in the morning (Bible, Latin, vocab, grammar, etc.); then after breakfast, we have our meeting together which takes at least an hour and a half. This meeting includes logic discussion, algebra lesson, and science discussion/experiment. Then he works independently on history, science, algebra, lit...at his own pace. He takes breaks to eat (seems to be doing a lot of this lately) and shoot hoops or get some other type of exercise. So in a nutshell, he works from about 7 a.m. to about 2 p.m. With his breaks, his actual hours of schoolwork add up to about 6. On days that he "dawdles", it might take him longer. I do let him dawdle some. Seems that his body needs it. HTH! Jetta

I'm reading this kind of late, Jean. Please update us when you can. Will be praying... Jetta

Thank you, Jean! I think I'm going to buy the latest editions of the last 2 that you listed, wrap them up, and then let my son choose which one to subscribe to. My gut feeling is the last one...he is most interested in charting and plotting and mapping and calculating the heavens...not so much the actual beauty of the night sky. Thank you for all of your information. After Christmas, I may post some questions to you about astronomy clubs. But right now, I've got too much to do! :lol: Jetta

I went through this with my son, too. The big algebra texts just seemed so intimidating when I first looked at them...there is a lot of copying and writing for a young fellow! My son completed his elementary math program about half way through 5th grade. We finished out that year using LofF books. Then for the first half of 6th grade I used a pre-algebra program (BJU) with him. We did not do the whole book...just picked topics for review or for algebra introduction. It gave him practice copying and working out of a text. THEN I started Jacobs with him during the 2nd half of 6th grade. Now in 7th, he is still working through Jacobs and doing Art of Problem Solving, too. This has been a FABULOUS combination for him. So he will spend 1.5 years on algebra. I'm so pleased that he has had the time to do this! It is worthwhile. Anyway, in retrospect, I am glad that I did not go straight into algebra with him in 5th grade. That extra year of maturity made a huge difference, imho. Of course, your fellow may be different, but this is what worked well for us. HTH! Jetta

I'm using ES Physics with my younger son. It is the perfect mix of experiments, reading, and projects for him. He only likes science when he gets to DO something...which is quite often with this program! He absolutely loves the K'nex gears set and some of the experiments from Gadgets & Gizmos have been HUGE hits. Not all of them have worked, but that has been a good learning experience, too. I make him do a bit of journaling and defining, but I write up the labs while he dictates. And he enjoys sketching the experiments. I think I might "go backwards" and use the ES Chem program next year. I don't think it would too young for him; he has not had any exposure to chemistry, yet. I could always beef it up if need be. Jetta

Jean, what about a magazine? My ds has asked for a subscription to an astronomy magazine for Christmas. Do you have a recommendation? I've looked at several...don't know which might be the best purchase long-term. Thanks! Jetta

I just bought Volume 1 for my 7th grader. We are going to start it after Christmas and spend just one semester on it. After looking over it, I think this pace can be done with a student at this age and writing ability. I'm pretty sure that I would spend a year (or more...repeating the lessons with different material) on it with younger students. For volume 1, there are 9 writing projects...each scheduled for 10 days. So if we stay on track, my ds should be able to complete it in 1 semester. Then I plan to use Volume 2 for an entire year for 8th grade (by giving him longer time for each project...again 9 projects). Although I cannot speak from experience yet, I really like the format of this writing program. For one, it is interesting and varied. In fact, this is why I purchased this program. My son is a decent writer (for his age and gender :)), but he needs practice writing lots of different kinds of projects. Also, the projects are divided into clear and specific daily assignments. He will know exactly what he is supposed to do each day. Very nice for a homeschool mom! Jetta

Thank you, Jackie! :) I just made my very first TC order. I'm excited! Jetta

I just received the new edition of Art of Argument last week...both student and teacher's books. After glancing through it, I think my son is going to enjoy it tremendously (lots of funny advertisements). Of course, I haven't read every little fine detail, but it "looks" good. We will start it after Thanksgiving. Only time will tell... I will say that I was a bit disappointed with the "improved" teacher's book. Yes, it has all of the answers to the student text and tests at the end. But it has NO teacher's helps. No planning guide, no tips for discussion, no schedule. I would have expected, at the very minimum, a suggested schedule for completing the book. I was kind of surprised... But overall, the program looks very interesting and thorough. We shall see. I have never seen The Thinking Toolbox. Jetta

Oh! I am going to show your post to my ds in just a moment. He will be thrilled to hear about your night! And maybe a bit jealous. :) Just this afternoon, he typed out a list of all the constellations that he hopes to see over a year's time period. He organized his "checklist" by season and then within each season, by north to south order. So far, he has checked 30 off his list (he started observing in August and had been keeping up with the info with pencil/paper). He has dragged me outside many a night to show me something "new" (MOM...you are going to MISS OUT!!!). My ds would probably love to have a mom who would stay out in the cold long enough to find 38 constellations with him! HeeHee... Thanks for sharing! Jetta

After looking at your links, it doesn't look like the Kolbe Bookstore dvd set comes with the Harold Jacobs teacher's guide. I would assume that the "syllabus" mentioned is written by the Callahan folks. I do see it at the Lamp Post site. The one I'm referring to in my previous post is called Elementary Algebra Teacher's Guide and is actually written by Harold R. Jacobs. It is listed for $30.95. Surely you can find it cheaper than that! :) It really doesn't seem worth that amount of $...especially if you are getting the solutions manual from Callahan and using the DVDs to give yourself teaching hints. I think I would leave it off...or find it really cheap. Also...I did not purchase the test bank. At the end of each chapter, there are two complete sets of review problems. I have my son complete Set 2 (answers in back of text) for review and then complete Set 1 for his chapter test grade. Hope I haven't muddied the waters. Jetta

Just FYI: The teacher's "guide" that comes with Jacobs is really just that...a guide for a math teacher or someone who is very familiar with algebra. The lesson prompts and ideas in it are fabulous and interesting (I use them almost daily). But most of the time the guide doesn't even give the answers to its own example problems! So just a warning...it is NOT a full TE with lots of teaching helps...just a guide to give a math teacher ideas to "hook" the students. It does have the answers (only) to 3 sets of problems. My initial thought was that you should go ahead and purchase just the texts and start studying yourself. Then if you decided you needed more help, you could purchase the DVDs. The only problem with this plan is that Jacobs starts out pretty easy! It only starts to get "troublesome" in the middle chapters. For what it's worth, I told my non-mathy friend (irl) to purchase the DVDs. I knew she would be frustrated by the lack of support in the Jacobs teacher guide. Jetta

I am not the OP. But a hearty THANK YOU for this post and these wonderful answers. I have just recently started reading threads similar to this one. I am so glad that I have! I am learning a lot...and with plenty of time for my ds to achieve some of these goals and dreams. He will definitely follow an engineering or pure science track. It is good to know what to work toward in high school. Just to put a word in, too. I was an engineering/physics major in college. And Chemistry 1 was by far my most difficult class! Definitely a "weed-out" course at my university, too. I have a feeling that I will make sure that my sons know LOTS of chem before they leave my nest! :) Jetta

I thank all of you for your help. After looking at the book more closely over the weekend, I think my son is going to really enjoy it. No endless repetition of problems in this text! LOL! We should start it Wednesday. And I'm going to take a look at those videos. Haven't had a chance, yet. Thanks again! Jetta

Hello! I have purchased the AofPS Intro to Algebra set and plan to begin it soon with my 12 yo son. I sat down earlier this afternoon and read through the introduction and first chapter to get a feel for the text. What is the best way to teach this course? Should I even teach it? Or should I give the book to my son and tell him to start working his way through it? The text seems to be written directly to the student; I think he could read and work through it on his own. However, I would miss the daily interaction with both him and the math (:)). We enjoy figuring out problems together. For those of you have completed this course, what is the best way to approach it? Any suggestions or hints for a family just starting out with the AofPS series? I really, really like what I see in this text and would like to use it to its best advantage. For what its worth, my ds has completed the first 11 chapters in Jacobs, so he has a good start in Algebra. We would probably use AofPS as a supplement unless we found it to be even more worthwhile than Jacobs. Thank you, Jetta

I used a basic pre-algebra text (BJU) with my son for the first semester of 6th grade. We only covered the lessons that provided any needed review OR that taught some fundamental algebra concepts (such as solving basic equations). Then we started Jacobs the second semester of that year. In retrospect, my son could have gone straight into Jacobs. The text does provide some review of arithmetic and introduces algebraic equations rather gently. But we are now on Chapter 12, and the text has picked up the pace quite a bit! So honestly, I am glad we spent that little bit of time using the pre-algebra text. It gave my son a few more months to mature a bit ("a bit" is a relative term! lol!). Anyway, you can certainly go straight into Jacobs with a strong math student. Just be prepared to slow down when needed. Jacobs provides LOTS of practice. My son works Sets 1, 2, and 4 of the lesson exercises. I only use Set 3 (which is almost identical to Set 2) if the need arises. I've only had to do this with 2 or 3 lessons. For what it's worth, we are also working through Life of Fred's Beginning Algebra. My son completes a chapter in Jacobs then does the corresponding chapter in Fred. This schedule has been very nice! And I use Art of Problem Solving some, too. It will take my ds 3 semesters to complete Algebra 1. He should know it well by then! HTH! Jetta

I like the Blast Off with Logic series (Logic Countdown, Logic Liftoff, and Orbiting with Logic). They are available from Rainbow Resource and are relatively inexpensive. They also have teacher ideas in the front of each book. HTH! Jetta

We are using BJU Earth/Space science right now. The astronomy section is just as difficult as the general astronomy course I took in college! And while some of the labs are quite easy (targeted to junior high), some are very complex (requiring a bit of trig to complete). And there are a LOT of labs to choose from...we usually complete around 2 labs each week. I would not hesitate to consider this course high-school worthy. If you want to beef it up even more, add in some outside reading on astronomy/geology. But honestly, I think it can stand on its own. HTH! Jetta P.S. Be sure to get the TM! :)

We are using BJU's American Republic this year (new edition). I LOVE the Activity Manual. It has original documents, speeches, poems, eyewitness accounts, etc. in it. The student is asked to respond to these and sometimes the questions are quite thought-provoking and difficult. My son has read ahead in the AM because some of the accounts are so fascinating. It also has some map work, chart/table reading, and reviews. I am VERY pleased with the AM (and the text, too). I never, never thought I would go to a textbook for history. But when our little surprise came along (baby girl), I realized I could not keep the in-depth, living books, Mom-led history going. Now I have one boy in American Republic and one in Heritage Studies 5. We don't use the teacher's manuals for these (but we do for the science). Both boys are enjoying them AND learning quite a bit. HTH! Jetta

I just read a thread about CLE math in which a poster said that her daughter learned to tell time after 7 lessons in CLE. Which Lightunit are these lessons in? My middle son is using CLE Math 4 this year (we LOVE it!), but it doesn't have any "telling time" lessons in it. He did not learn to tell time well with our former curriculum. He needs practice reading a clock quickly and to the minute. Thanks! Jetta

We are going to use BJU's Physical Science in 8th grade. I've looked at a previous edition, and it doesn't seem to be anymore difficult than the Earth & Space that we are using this year (yowza!). My son is now accustomed to the BJU style and intensity in science, so I think that their Physical Science will be a good fit. Having said that, I have not seen the most recent update of the course. But I have been very, very pleased with the new editions of Life Science and Earth/Space Science. So I'm counting on BJU for science for at least another year. So don't mark it off the list just because it is listed as a 9th grade course on the BJU scope & sequence. I'd suggest taking a serious look at it (especially since you have enjoyed the Life Science course). Hope that helps! Jetta