Thanks!

We did McHenry's Botany a little over a year ago but maybe a formal study of ecology might be in order. We did a lot of nature study in the early years and own probably 50 field guides, so we'd have to go to a more advanced level than the usual flora and fauna. I do have a master naturalist binder on the shelf... maybe I could go through that.

We started the year using a combo of Campbell Exploring Life and Hoagland Exploring the Way Life Works. Dc is finishing the Hoagland book next week. We've used the Campbell book to expand/ explore, but it's a little on the easy (boring?) side. Other options or add ins for spring? We're not quite half way through the school year, and we're unenthusiastic about another 20 weeks of just Campbell, although I'd probably use Crash Course videos. We've covered cells, evolution, and genetics pretty thoroughly. We won't do anatomy until health.

Unless you already own DIVE, Crash Course and Bozeman videos would work well. My dc has liked Crash Course for Bio. I google the topic + Crash Course. Then she reads the chapter. The humor in it might not be suitable for every family, but it is memorable.

You don't need the tests. The solutions manual is nice to have. See my post above for how we do it- ymmv. Good luck!

I hear you- but Foerster is very friendly for Mom learners too. We're about 1/2 way through Algebra 1, and use Math Without Borders. I prefer it to dd being in an online class because I can help her when she gets stuck. She's on the young side, like I think your dc is. Dd mostly uses the book, and "I" watch the videos in the mornings on the treadmill. The videos have solutions to the evens, so that's what I assign, unless dd doesn't show complete mastery, then we do everything (rarely). I do have and use the solutions manual. I work, and dd comes with me and does her school work there sometimes. I can take a moment to help her without having to come up to speed because I've already seen the solutions. As for what to schedule, if you know you are using Foerster for PreCalc, the author himself suggests moving to that book around chapter 12 of Algebra and Trig because so much of the content is the same. David Chandler suggests doing all the chapters in both, but there really is a lot of overlap. HTH

This, especially about the wedge.

Oy! That's funny. Dd was the youngest in a music camp last summer, but nobody noticed until four days or so in. Here best friend at the camp was quite a bit older, and it was fine. Musicians are pretty accepting, though. We have this sort of "whose on first" type routine when someone asks her grade. People usually laugh, but still have no idea what grade she's in.

I had no intention of not answering honestly.

Yeah, that's what I used to do and it doesn't always work, especially when it determines if the kids will meet at all. It's a little unusual of a situation, which is why I asked for a little BTDT. I answered, it went well. We shall see.

I print out my google calendar. Not only are the calendar pages pre-done, they have my events on them because I put everything on my phone. At the beginning of each semester I make sure I have everything I know on the calendar (work, games, 4H stuff, etc), then I print out the semester's worth of months and add them as a sort of flap book to the inside front cover of my bj. This was inspired by a mochi-things calendar I saw. Each week I print out the week on Sunday, write my menu on it, then copy it as a 4x6. The full size goes on the fridge and the 4 x 6 in my journal. ETA- my weekly set up takes 20 minutes, tops, unless I'm piddling around with the menu. I carry forward everything from the previous week, move my "important but not urgent sticky note", update my index and move my "this week" sticky tab. Done. Washi tape optional. I usually do dd's school planner at the same time because I've pasted copies of her weekly subject spread sheets in the back of my bj. That usually takes another 15 minutes or so.

Oddly, this is by email (long story), so I kind of have to answer rather than letting her do it. Dd has lost some friends because they aged out of things at the end of last year, and we don't get too many new not-homeschooling-for-religous reasons folks in our neck of the woods. :o)

Usually we slide by with just saying a grade, and most people take it at face value. Dc looks a little older, even though she's small-ish, and very articulate, so she passes. But what do you do when a new kid, who is older, has similar interests but hasn't met dd, asks point blank how old kiddo is? I don't want to fib, but dd really isn't her chronological age. I've flubbed this a couple times, so I thought I'd ask for input. :o)

Okay, good. I think that is just what we need.

Okay, good. I always see this described a lighter chemistry course, but maybe that's just in comparison to a dual-credit course?

I picked up a set for this text, really like it, and can see my kiddo doing well with it. Even most of the labs look do-able. If she works through all of it, including the chapters on biochemistry and organic chemistry and is assigned most of the critical thinking exercises, what would we need to add to make sure she'd be ready for a "chemistry for science majors" dual credit course and the local college as her next chemistry course? Thanks!

Hi Jetta, If I'm reading it correctly, it sounds like in addition to the pacing, the math in the section on the pH goes a little deeper in the advanced book. I do also like World of Chemistry (on my shelf) and solutions manual, but I like the concept Novare texts. I'd be all for you offering an online class using either book. :o) I would also love to hear some feedback from anyone who has used Novare.

At the base, it is basically a bound notebook with page numbers and an index. You can do it purely as lists rather than with a calendar, but I think most moms need a real calendar of some sort. I'm married to my google calendar, so everything goes there, but since I can print it, I add it to my "weekly dock", which is how I think of my 2-page spread, since it's often open on my desk. I'll make notes about weather and other fragmentary things I might want to remember, right on the calendar. As I finish my notebooks, I keep them on the shelf. I've been surprised how often I go pull them off of the shelf, for example when trying to recreate what volunteer hours dd worked and forgot to write down.... There's lots of videos around, but I take most of them with a grain of salt. If some of the videos are to be believed, some spend so much time fiddling with their notebooks that they don't actually accomplish anything. :o)

Vinyl covered composition notebook and mechanical pencils (like these) . They are lightweight, cheap and handy. I've definitely departed from the pure bullet journal version, but it's the only calendar "system" that works for me. I paste a small copy of my google calendar I print out at the beginning of each week at the top of the left-hand page and write my weekly menu on it. My lists are on the right hand page, except work, which is below the calendar. I usually write the page numbers in while I wait at music lesson or something. Like bullet journaling, I just turn the next page when I need to make a list for a project or holiday, or whatever, then add it to my index. I've had nice notebooks, but I find my composition notebook is much more practical and not as heavy. I use a generous amount of calendar stickers and washi tape as the mood strikes. I also have a sticky note that moves from page to page for my "important but not urgent list" so I don't have to keep carrying those things forward. No school in mine, though. Dd has a standard issue teacher planner, and all my lesson plans and work papers live in one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Smead-Project-Organizer-Dividers-89200/dp/B001CE8IVG/ref=sxr_rr_xsim1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2286650982&pd_rd_wg=44StD&pf_rd_r=5WYGV19JTJPSQ1V0YGDB&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B001CE8IVG&pd_rd_w=7vsAk&pf_rd_i=project+folders&pd_rd_r=2HKJ1M73RMTB1RZP6W61&ie=UTF8&qid=1480384867&sr=1 Everything fits in my purse/ bag. This is fun to read what everyone does.

Lori, thanks. I'm sorry to hear about dog. I just noticed your signature.

I'm considering Sharon Watson's Power in Your Hands (cyber Monday Sale) next year after Windows to the World that we are doing this year. Would it be too much repetition for a ninth grader-ish who is a fairly solid writer? She's done Let's Eat, Fifi and liked it as well as any grammar she's done, but I look at the samples and see a lot of things we've covered in Writing and Rhetoric, Writing with a Thesis and Windows to the World. My other thought is Writing with a Thesis (already on the shelf). We'll probably do a couple of the LL High School books along side, maybe with only half of the essays and none of the comprehension questions. Thoughts? Thanks!

We're still in Algebra 1, but I put together 1988 Dolciani 2 for a pretty reasonable price over a couple of months- text, teachers edition and solutions. My covers look like this: https://www.amazon.com/Algebra-Trig-Book-Grade-2-12730/dp/0395430542/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1479817880&sr=8-16&keywords=Dolciani We like the series, but I also have Foerster on the shelf, and pull it off when dd needs more explanation. Foerster is actually more independent for her, and I think I might take a look at it for Algebra 2. The solutions are available new, so I don't feel like I have to look quite yet. We will do Jacobs 2nd edition for Geometry and probably use ALEKS Geometry a little behind it for both algebra review and to make sure I don't miss any "modern" topics. The Teachers Guide for Jacobs 2nd edition looks very user friendly. Dolciani 2 that I linked above also is pretty much an Algebra 1 review for the first 4 chapters, and I might use that with the geometry if we need more review. I had also thought of just using those lessons from Algebra 2 for "Friday" math so she's done with the first four chapters of Algebra 2 and all of geometry at the same time. HTH

None of the Vandiver courses, but my library has 96! of the Great Courses in Hoopla under "television". Most of them are ones I wouldn't think course books would be necessary for- How to Draw, How to be a Superstar Student, some of the cooking ones, etc. I need to figure out how work some of those into our day. I think the audio would be best for the Vandiver courses. I assume a .pdf of the coursebook comes with the downloads?

They focus on mostly modern history because they've covered ancient and middle ages exhaustively in the lower grades. They spread out their history over two years because they also have a classical and Christian thread going at the same time (including things like Cicero). I think you could use their history packs a year at a time stand alone, though. They themselves do not think there is enough writing in the history, but that would be easy enough to add. HTH

How do you use them? I've looked at Great Course 4-5 times, and I just don't get them. How do people use these? We don't usually listen to or watch a lot of anything, so six hours of lectures on the Odyssey is something I'm trying to wrap my brain around. We've tried some similar ones from Modern Scholar, and they just don't hold our interest. We make it through 3-4 lectures usually, although usually we like nonfiction over fiction when we do listen to audio books. Is there an element of interaction or accountability with the Great Courses that isn't there with the Modern Scholars? Thanks for helping me think this through.