We are heading into uncharted waters with our first 9th grader. Our son has varied interests so, as someone else posted, we're going to include a wide range of material in his highschool years. He'll be busy! He loves lit, history, and science.

My ds14 is a bright student and a voracious reader. We have never used VP, but I believe Omnibus would be a great fit for him. Is Omnibus I rigorous enough for a 9th grader? I'd like to begin at the beginning of a cycle, which means Omni I or IV. Seeing that we're new to VP, Omni I seems the better choice. Your thoughts?

Julie, my thoughts were that we would definitely need to supplement with other things. Good to hear that this is what your children do with MFW. I'm looking into what else we might use from the library as a supplement. Also, it looks like lessons can be printed from the software program? I'll be checking with the library on that - and seeing if they allow this. If this is an option, ds could work on printed lesson at home.

Thanks Julie - I will definitely keep that in mind. I hope to make a decision soon. I'll be in touch when I know more about which direction we'll be going.

I am considering purchasing Ask Dr. Callahan DVD's to go along w/ the Jacobs Geometry text. I see that ADC comes w/Electronic Teacher Guide, Tests & Syllabus. My question is, are these (the guide, tests, & syllabus) used in addition to the TG & Tests for the Jacobs text "Geometry: Seeing, Doing, Understanding"? Or, are they in liue of them? Thanks to anyone who can clarify.

We have an opportunity to use RS free at our library for up to 2 hours per day. I am wondering how many days per week are recommended for working with RS Level 1 (french). If this is a program that requires daily use, then it would not be cost effective to drive across town that often (with current gas prices). Thanks for your input!

My dd5th grade is finally blossoming into an interested learner. To the standards of many, she is "behind". To me, she is "finally" showing signs of readiness to learn. Is it too "out there" to start her in level two of Writing With Ease? I purchased Level 3 and had planned to implement after Christmas. Now, I'm thinking I should order Level 2 and begin there. I did not think about finding a sample on WTM (a generous sample that really gives a good feel for the program) and ordered L3 based on a sample I saw on another website. Now that I've taken a healthy look at L2 I think she might really benefit from starting there. Your thoughts, please! :bigear: P.S. We're about to go see The Dawn Treader so I feel compelled to use the popcorn smiley. :lurk5:

My dd is a bit delayed and is, for all intents and purposes, at a 3rd to 4th grade level (she "should" be 5th grade). I have not required much in writing from her as she has simply not been ready. However, I feel she is now at a good point to begin a writing program. I really like the looks of Writing With Ease and am thinking of skipping workbook 1 and going straight into the 2nd book. Would this be detrimental at all? From the look of the samples that I've seen it seems like it would be easy to go directly into book 2. I would appreciate your input on this. Thanks!

Um. My ds might be related! In response to someone being injured in a car today, my ds, 11, said if he were rich he'd buy all the cars in the US and have them crushed.

Thanks for the feedback! I've been to the Living Math site before - I'll poke around a little deeper. Glad to hear that some of you have the same feelings or have had similar experiences. Makes jumping a little easier. I'll crosspost this as soon as I can, too. Thanks for the recommendation. Jacque

Hi Everyone, First let me say that I'm new here and am planning to follow to attempt classical ed. in the Fall with my two dc. Here's my question today: I have a dd, age 8.5 and in 2nd grade, who struggles with math. Or rather, she struggles with abstract math. We had her enrolled in a private school for K-1 and when we brought her home for 2nd grade we realized that she was not ready for abstract math. The school she'd been in was rather advanced in this area. Not being a math person myself, it's taken me most of this year to figure out that I chose the wrong math program for her learning style. She's very tactile, very visual, and prefers to move her body. I scrapped her curr. mid-year and instead we sang songs, tossed bean bags while skip counting, and played games. I've been poised and ready to purchase Rightstart Math for the Fall. However, I ran across an article from the Bluedorns which suggests not even starting formal math until age 10 or so. Likewise, I read another article online regarding a professor back in the 1930's who "experimented" with not introducing formal math to a group of children until 6th or 7th grade. Their math skills ended up being superior to their peers. Methinks this might be the approach my dd needs. It just feels like I'm suggesting a bungie jump off Hoover Dam. Yikes. So. Have any of you adopted this kind of approach? I'd sooo appreciate your thoughts on this.:blink: