We used the Dave Ramsey High School course, plus reading "real books" (like Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?). She also is working through a basic accounting book called The Accounting Game : Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand by Darrell Mullis and Jodith Orloff. I am very happy with this book! It gently goes through the basic accounting forms (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement) using the example of a child's lemonade stand. DD has also started a T-Shirt business and she is required to produce (for me) those forms for her own business.

I say scrap P&P and assign him 2 more books -- one he'll like (so he'll read it) and one he won't like (so he'll clean without being asked). :) Seriously, there are a lot of books! Pick another one from the 1000 Good Books List (http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html). He may decide to "like" Jane Austen once he gets a girlfriend. ;)

First of all, congratulations! Jobs are a scarce commodity (at least, here in NW Ohio they are) so I'm very happy for you! I have always worked part-time -- 27 hours per week -- and homeschooled our daughter, now 17. I taught her on Mondays, Fridays and sometimes (dare I say it?) Saturdays too. She did her "seat work" the days I worked. She has turned out to be a very organized and independent learner -- and those traits were what I hoped for her. Organization and a "do it now" attitude are two keys that have made this work for us. One thing that has really helped is this: because I have a job, I am not expected to be the "chief cook and bottle-washer" at home. My dh and my dd take turns cooking on the days I work, as well as doing laundry and any other housework that may be needed during that time. Working as a team helps us all keep our sanity (well, most of the time ;)). Good luck!

Check it out on Amazon.com (they sell the same organizer). Someone posted a picture (with notes) of it in use by her 5th-grader. The reviews are pretty helpful, too. http://www.amazon.com/LockerWorks-Hanging-Locker-Organizer-Black/dp/B001977S8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310655841&sr=8-1

From Franklin Covey: http://store.franklinplanner.com/store/category/prod770060/US-LockerWorks/Hanging-Organizer-by-LockerWorks I think I can actually use this!

I read a review on this blog: http://www.momlovesbooks.com/?p=207. Although it was written over a year ago, the comments show that AOP is still having issues with this product -- and seeming not to handle them very well!

I will be offering a "Literature Night" for our local HS group in the Fall but need some (Hive) help to make it fresh and interesting for the kids. The goal is to have the child "sell" reading and a particular book/author to us. What I don't want is a bunch of display boards on tables! Any ideas?

Potok! I completely forgot about him -- I loved The Chosen (as did my DD)! I'm not sure yet, but I think I'd like to dig deeper into the works of authors we've already read (like Lewis, Shakespeare, Twain, Dumas, ... Potok!); I've no particular time period in mind. However, I'm open to any ideas. :001_smile:

Lori D, as usual you've not only provided some great advice, you've also provided me the encouragement I need to pursue this idea! Thanks for all of the links. :001_smile:

I think having the kids blog about what they're studying is a great idea andI'm going to steal (borrow?) that from you! Thanks. :001_smile:

My dd is currently working through Integrated Physics and Chemistry, which is strictly a workbook approach. She just reads the chapters, does the study sheet and takes the quizzes. She takes the test if her quiz scores for that unit don't average 85%. It is written in an engaging style that she really likes and she seems to be retaining the material. For this non-mathy child, it has been the only way she was going to make it through chemistry without hating school forever. :) I did buy a small chemistry set and we worked through the experiments together. I will be buying another one soon and possibly one with physics experiments so that I can honestly give her a lab credit.

My dd is a rising senior (yikes!) and I'm looking for something a little different for literature. We've done American lit, world lit, and lit by geographical setting. Now I'm thinking of taking 4 or 5 authors and studying their works in-depth. Have you ever done this? What was your approach? Which authors would you choose? TIA! :001_smile:

:iagree: We are using Latin Alive1 this year after doing Latina Christiana about 4 years ago. I highly recommend the teaching DVDs -- they will make your life easier!

Maybe they could work through a prep book for the Algebra CLEP exam? Or the Key To Algebra series?

I think there were some of "our" kids in this program last year, right?

Did you have your children in this program last year? How did you (and they) like it? I have a friend who's considering bringing her children this year and asked about it. Thanks! (in advance)

I always participate because it forces me to not only complete a student portfolio every year but to do it in an organized manner since many people will be looking at it! In a 3-ring binder I have pages listing the curricula used, the books read, a sample of work from every "subject" and print-outs of pictures taken throughout the school year. I know I wouldn't do this on my own -- I know this because I didn't do it until we started these Showcase Nights. :001_smile:

ITA with Lori D (nothing new there ;)). I just want to add that I am currently teaching a World Lit class using WttW and I recommend using (or at least looking at) the lesson plan found in the Files section on the IEW Families Yahoo group. It has been very helpful!

We plan on doing this next year! I will also be using Jill Pike's WttW syllabus found on the IEWFamilies Yahoo group (Files>Lessonshare). She only added 3 books along with the short stories, etc, in Windows. We will be reading 10 books plus Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

We got our copy (2 years ago) from half.com for $10. It was, I think, the 5th edition with the musical instrument (tuba?) on the cover. The answers and solutions for the exercises are in the back of the book for just the odd-numbered problems. All of the quiz/test answers are in the back of the book. I did not buy any teacher manual (if there even was one) and never missed it. We used this for pre-Algebra and my daughter really liked this book. The explanations are very clear which really helped with her retention. HTH - Laura

We only meet for a few of hours once/month and spend some of the time in teaching mode and the rest in fellowship. We have childcare for the little ones and play time for older children -- although sometimes someone volunteers to do a community service project with the olders. We really want a group that encourages the whole family to attend, but we're sure our dh's don't want to sit around a talk about potty-training, etc. :) Last year we used chapters from Educating the Wholehearted Child (by Sally Clarkson) as meeting topics. Each member of the steering committee ran one meeting. You could bring in a speaker, have a round-table, or anything else to communicate the idea to the group. That worked great but we'd like to come up with something different this year. Does anyone else have a group that tries to teach their membership about homeschooling? Thanks!

I am on the steering committee of our homeschool group and we are about to plan next year's meetings. We meet once a month from Sept - May and plan to have as many of them outside at local parks as we can. What does your group do? Do you bring speakers in? Do you have topics for your meetings? If so, how did you come up with those topics? Thanks for your input. I just don't want our group to get "stale" or not really help anybody...

Here's my opportunity to promote the book All Through The Ages by Christine Miller (read about it here: http://www.nothingnewpress.com/atta.shtml), which is only the most well-organized book list ever! This is a good investment in that it can be used K-12 (and beyond).

Do you know an attorney personally -- maybe through church? They may be able to tell you what you can do now to be proactive, so if family members try to cause any problems you can end it quickly. They may be able to tell you the "legalese" to say to them or what kind of paperwork you'll need to prevent any problems. Just an idea ... I really don't know why people look for reasons to cause problems in other people's lives. I just wouldn't have the energy to sustain that kind of venomous behavior. :001_huh: Thankfully you have a "family" here to turn to for advice and edification!

I, too, got ours for less than $10 -- at half.com