Winter promise is great and requires so little prep from the teacher/parent. We have found this unit study history based program to be a great option for our family.

We love the school house rock songs for grammar and history. We also like geography songs by Larry and Kathy Troxel.

My thoughts are...if it isn't working, try something else. We use Teaching Textbooks and find the lessons very easy to understand. The material is broken into small bits with lots of repetition in the problems for practice and solutions to check out when needed.

My son is 1 1/2 yrs younger than my daughter and he has typically been very quick at math while it has not been my daughter's strong suit. It used to bother her a bit. I simply remind both that they are individuals. They don't need to compare themselves to the other becuase God made them with different strengths and abilities. I also tell them that it takes people with different strengths to make the world work. If everyone was good at math and no one was better at music, imagine how boring the world would be - and how unbalanced.

Are there any books that you would venture to say that all children should read as part of their education? My kids read a fair amount and hey have a healthy dose of historical fiction and other fiction that they choose to read. Then, we have assigned books through our curriculum. I am just wondering if there is a popular opinion about what books should definitely be included. My children are 10 (4th/5th) and 11 (6th/7th).

I agree with training 5. It seems like an awful lot. I tend to go with a simpler approach. But, if you can get it all done and your kids are up for it, that's great.

Sometimes being part of outside activities is highly over-rated and tends to wear on our ability to do other more important things well. I once had my daughter in a once weekly science class that I was paying a lot for and also driving 45 minutes each way to attend. My son was younger and there was no class for him to attend there which meant we had some time to hang out together or do other assignments so that wasn't all bad. However, though the program was fun and educational, the tole it took on all of us just to do this one class was not worth the benefit.

My kids really liked the explode the code series and I found it to be helpful in giving them a good start. I would definitely recommend it.

My 10 yr old still likes to talk out math problems but does addition in his head faster than I do sometimes. My daughter is 11 and she much prefers to read and do math silently. I think this is much more about their personality and learning types than a developmental thing.

The My America series is good and my children have enjoyed reading these. They are in the format of a journal from a child growing up in the time period so you can find these to correlate with different eras of American history. They also have journals from boys and girls so my son was excited since many of these books tend to be oriented to girls.

We use teaching textbooks which has been great for us but may not compare well with your program. One of my kids is using the CD lectures while the other is doing it in the worktext. She is doing Pre-Algebra and workly completely independently this year. My son is doing 7th and since he is working several grades ahead in math than what he is doing in other subjects, I do sit in his lesson with him for support as needed. My daughter is usully done in 30 minutes, while my son takes 45-60 minutes. On days he takes longer, she just does some independent reading or moves on to language arts assignments.

I agree with EKS. We used HWT religiously with my daughter and her handwriting is very good when she pays attention to it. My son is the younger and we were not as diligent with him since he hated to write early on (and still does sometimes). However, when he is writing, I sit beside him and correct as he goes which seems to help rather than waiting until he has completed the work and pointing out corrections.

Does anyone know if these are appropriate for middle grades? We will be studying Ancient next year and would love some similar videos and games for their level.

We really enjoy Education Exploration, too. I was sort of in the same boat before we found it. Science was not getting done and I needed something that they could go through without a lot of prep on my part. This has been a godsend.

Education Exploration has been great for us. My kids were 10 and 11 when we started it but they have 3 different levels than span multiple grades. There is no planning involved. The lessons are on the computer and can be read altogether. A set of supplies for experiments come with the program. It has been a great way to take some of the pressure off of me during the school day and the kids love to do it.

I would highly recommend a new book called "Six Ways to Keep the Good in Your Boy" by Dannah Gresh. This is a book for you, the mom, but will give you some good information about guiding your son through the tween years. Also, a great book for Dad to go through with your son is "Lintball Leo's Not-So-Stupid Questions About Your Body". This one will be fun and educational at the same time. Both are from a Christian perspective and help you promote purity while teaching the basics. In addition, there is a kit called "Passport 2 Purity" which outlines a retreat the parents can take their child on as a right of passage when they are turning from tween to teen.

We have participated in a couple of different types of co-ops. One we did in our home with two other moms and their kids. I knew these families well and they share our values and academic goals. It gave the kids a great experience of having three creative moms coming up with fun activities each week to supplement our program we were all using at home the other days a week. We still had all the freedom throughout the week to teach as we felt best for our kids. A second type of co-op we attended was centered around history and included music, art and drama, as well. My kids enjoyed going to this co-op, however I questioned how much learning was really going on because the classes were large and this severely interfered with the teachers' ability to give individual attention and be creative (like public school). Another co-op which we still attend is just for band. This is an experience I simply can not provide for my children at home by myself. In addition, the kids have time to interact with other homeschooled children there and be challenged by the teachers and other students. We have decided to keep only this type of co-op in our homeschooling experience. I feel that I am confident to teach the other subjects to my children and will only seek outside classes when there is something I can't provide adequately at home.

We started out with Winter Promise this year. We love the History and Language Arts but were not as impressed with Science (Physical Science). I felt that the science was very text book oriented which is the opposite focus from the main program. Also, the experiments did not seem to follow the material studied very closely. We switched to Education Exploration mid-year and my kids are really liking this program much better. It has short lessons that they can go through independently on the computer and then an experiment after each section of the chapter. There is a supply box that includes everything needed for these.

I pray that this boy will hear that truth that he is fearfully and wonderfully made with no neutrality involved. His heavenly father made him with a purpose that only HE can do.

I would suggest prayer first, discussion later. Pray for your response to be tempered with love and for a soft heart on your mom's part. I would probably talk to her about your feelings, though, since it will bring distance in your relationship and she is going to sense that if you are close. Maybe you could explain to her how you thought she felt about your decision to homeschool and then ask what negative feelings she might have about it. Then, you could tell her how much you could really use her support. Hopefully, this will all turn out well and you will gain a true supporter in the process.

I really enjoy playing french horn which is something I have done on and off since 6th grade (over 25 years). I used to be involved in an adult orchestra but it required me to commit to a night out each week for rehearsals. When my children became old enough to participate in a local homeschool band program, I noticed that they allow parents to participate in the classes/performances. This has been a perfect fit for me as I enjoy playing alongside talented students and sharing my experience with them. In addition, my children see me playing and practicing and are encouraged by what they will be able to do someday soon. I also love working with a local crisis pregnancy center to help educate and encourage young ladies (and young men) in the area of purity. I organize an annual father-daughter purity ball, as well as speak and conduct classes when the opportunity arises. This is something that God has placed on my heart and I am enjoying being able to inspire others to walk in His ways for them.

As a math tutor, I am not hung up on how the kids get to the right answer but the fact that they know how to get to it. He is understanding the concepts so if it is easier for him to think that way, and I think it is, I would let him continue with this. Eventually, he will drop the step he is doing in his head and just remember that 9+7=16.

We love Education Exploration. It includes a CD that you install with the lessons on it. There are experiments and activities for each section. The supplies for these are provided with the curriculum purchase. There is basically no prep and kids can work independently or you can follow along with them.

Doorposts offer some great materials for Biblical character training at home. This could be an option.

Great information... Thanks everyone for your input to this question. It wasn't mine, but I gained a lot of helpful information from it.