Noeo Chemistry III Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry Level 2. Winterpromise has a couple of programs for 7th and up. Their programs are interesting and different. Sonlight Science 6 Middle School Physics I and II from Simple Schooling. http://www.the-simple-homeschool.com/simple-schooling-science.html HTH Blessings, Laura

We're finishing our 7th year of homeschooling, and there have been several things that have caused a need for change: Adding Students - when I was teaching just one, I didn't have to think about combining. Now, with 5 students, I look for ways to combine. That eliminates some curricula that might fit me and my children, but there are still plenty of appealing choices available. My confidence in my ability to homeschool - at the beginning, when I was less confident and needed hand-holding, I needed those programs with daily schedules. I started out using Sonlight. Although I don't use it now, the programs I use are similar to Sonlight - a literature-based history program and a science program with living/high-interest books and everything-already-there science kits. However, now I use a history program with a schedule that is much more flexible/tweakable. I discovered I like to pull together my own science curriculum with several different spines and science kits I choose to go along with them. Discovering my children's learning styles - I've got at least a couple of children who need things presented very incrementally and with lots of repetition. I've switched from good curricula of my choice to other things that are a better fit for them (still good curricula, just not following my original idea of how best to present the material) Other life changes - moving overseas has placed demands on me I would not have in the US. We have made changes just to accomodate the more limited time I have to homeschool. That has meant moving from things that I really liked (RightStart Math, Classical Writing) to things my children could do more independently. I discovered - gasp! - that those independent curricula, besides giving me time for those other responsibilitiess, were also a better fit for my children. So now I look for some things that each of them can do independently. The right time - I've wanted to begin Greek and Latin with my children for several years, but due to other obligations could not include those subjects in our homeschool. This year my oldest asked to study those languages, and is doing them pretty independently. I'm still changing things - growing as a person and adapting to circumstances. My two oldest boys (in 2nd and K) are very different than their older sisters (currently in 3rd and 6th), and I'll just have to keep evaluating how well the things we choose work with them. Blessings, Laura

Explode the Code - it's helped all three of my emerging readers (2nd, K, K) to steadily improve Biblioplan - it's been wonderful for combining everyone in history. Teaching Textbooks - incremental enough for my oldest dd; my oldest ds does really well with some computer-based curricula CLE - My 3rd grader is using the Reading and LA programs. I'll be transitioning my younger ones into the Reading program next year, and the LA around 3rd grade (ETC and FLL are great fits for 1st/2nd grade). We're going to try out their 3rd grade Bible program next year. Blessings, Laura

For my oldest, who will be in 7th grade next year, we will be switching from Lightning Lit to Total Language Plus. I've been pleased with LL, but it's not quite right for her, so we'll try out TLP for a semester. For my twins, who will be in 1st grade, we'll be switching math. I really like RightStart, but it is just not a good fit for one twin. Right now, for my sanity, I need to be teaching them from the same program, so we're switching to a simple workbook, plus I've got the book "How to Teach math to your First and Second Grader". We're switching science, but that's par for the course here. Usually I get science curricula designed for 1 semester or 1 year, so I have to move onto something else after that. Next year everyone will use the first part of Considering God's Creation along with 2 Home Science Adventures kits (Astronomy and Microscopy). I'll beef it up for my oldest with Elementary Physical Science (a very nice text Calvert used to use for 7th grade) and Plato Earth and Space Science. Blessings, Laura

I have boy/girl twins age 6. We do Bible, history, and science together. For math, even though they're doing the same thing, I've found it works better to give each of them one-on-one instruction time. For LA, they'll do FLL together, but reading instruction separately. I am using the same reading program with both of them (and their older brother as well), but they're all at different levels in reading. Blessings, Laura

I have the BP map packet and SOTW AG for years 2 and 3, but not year 4. Based on those years, I think the BP mapwork is good. It's a little more advanced than the SOTW AG mapwork, but that is because it's targeted for logic stage students. With the ages of your students, I'd be inclined to use the BP maps (and the other BP products). They'll be easier to use, since you'll be following the BP schedule anyway. Is there any other resource available to you where you could get the guide to outlining? Blessings, Laura

You're doing what works! I had to do the same about two years ago. I used Time4Learning for math and language arts, then we did Bible, history, and science together. It kept my day manageable! I didn't want to at first - I wanted that one-on-one time with the different subjects - but it just wasn't possible. We've since switched to other math and LA curricula (that can still be done independently). Nothing wrong with T4L - we live overseas and our internet provider was starting to have "issues" that affected our ability to use T4L. Don't feel guilty. T4L is a good curriculum, and I think you'll find it has some elements of classical (though I would consider it more traditional in the sense that it's like a workbook or textbook online). From my experience, it meshes well with lit-based/classical history and science. Blessings, Laura

:iagree: Besides Sonlight, you might check Biblioplan for books that flesh out the SOTW history topics and for readers (there's some overlap with Sonlight, but enough difference that it could be worthwhile to check out). Blessings, Laura

JMHO, but since you're already doing Animals and their Worlds with a continent study, I wouldn't add history in this year. It is hard to add to a full program and get everything done. You're already adding one thing with the continent study (which will fit very nicely with the Animals program). I think adding history on top of that, even something very simple, would be too much. It's fine to take a year and focus on geography/cultures rather than history. Blessings, Laura

We're wrapping up our study of the Renaissance and Reformation. Here are some of the favorites of my younger children (in K, 2nd, and 3rd this year). Renaissance - we covered explorers, inventions, artists, changes in the way people thought. Most of my children children's favorites were the books about artists. Mike Venezia biographies of artists (my children liked the little cartoons scattered throughout) Katie and the Mona Lisa The Clown of God William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream by Bruce Coville William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by Bruce Coville Tudor Odours Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley Reformation The Squire and the Scroll My children loved the historical fiction by Louise Vernon. We have 7 of her books - The Beggar's Bible, The Man Who Laid the Egg, Spy for the Night Rider, Thunderstorm in the Church, The Secret Church, Night Preacher, and The Bible Smuggler. Blessings, Laura

I really have enjoyed using Biblioplan this year and just ordered Year 3 for next year. I love the changes they made, including the high school level assignments with the main program instead of as a supplement. With the new Cool History pages and parent e-book, plus the high school literature assignments, I think it has plenty for an older child. The BP readers are excellent, but my children have not done them all. The K-2 readers are wonderful read-alouds. We've done most of them. My third grader has only done a few of the 3+ readers, and my 6th grader has done about half of the 5+ readers. Sometimes she ended up reading the reader after we had done that week's study - the topic caught her interest and got her reading. Other times she was interested in a topic we hadn't covered yet, and read that reader ahead of time. Some weeks, the 3+ readers were a better fit for her. She's really enjoying history (but she already did even before we started BP). Anyway, the 5+ readers are perfect for junior high and maybe even 9th grade, IMO. Blessings, Laura

I've got plans made for next year, but only have part of my supplies for the fall. The rest of my fall supplies have been ordered, but aren't here yet. I'm waiting to order things that I won't need until spring. We're going back to the US in December, so I don't want to order and pay international shipping rates only to lug it back in our suitcases. :tongue_smilie: Blessings, Laura

Krista, :grouphug: When I was really overwhelmed, I sat down and carefully considered what subjects I had to teach, and dropped everything else. I ended up with 5 core subjects (Bible, history, science, math, language arts). I don't do anything beyond that with my younger ones. Then, I combined what subjects I could (Bible, history, and science). If you're looking at TOG, that is one option. We use Biblioplan for history. For science we've used a variety of multilevel books and kits (Magic School Bus kits, Young Scientist Kits, Story Book of Science, etc.) Next semester we'll be using Home Science Adventures (from Stratton House) combined with Considering God's Creation. The box kits (with everything already there) are wonderful for the hands-on science stuff. For math and language arts, it's a combination of independent and one-on-one, as needed. I do pick things that are easy for me and can be done at least somewhat independently by the child (we use ETC and CLE for language arts, Teaching Textbooks for math). I get my younger ones doing their language arts and I'm at the table with them - pretty much a constant rotation from one to the other. I've found it easier to do them in groups of two. My 3rd grader needs only a little help, so I can usually handle her with two others, and just rotate around. (My 6th grader wants to be independent, and studies in her room). Because my 6th grader is so independent, I schedule weekly discussion times with her, and follow up more informally on a daily basis. Like another poster, we aim for a daily rhythm. morning - dress, breakfast, brush hair and teeth, make beds 9-9:30 - start school. Bible first, followed by history or science (do these on alternate days) Break for youngers (I lay out LA and math materials) - 6th grader begins her independent work LA with youngers (I do math with my K'ers at this time also) - rotation is flexible because usually 2-3 are ready to start as soon as I lay out the things. Whoever is not ready can keep playing until someone else has finished. Teaching Textbooks for 2nd and 3rd graders (both doing TT4) Check on 6th grader Blessings, Laura

We're using A History of US next year. Like another poster mentioned, we're also using a second text to get a different viewpoint/bias. We are also using Critical Thinking in US History. Blessings, Laura

I bump everything over. I use a homemade spreadsheet. Last year I went ahead and did weekly schedules for Bible, history, and science, and left blanks for math and language arts (while we do them consistently, the pace can change from day-to-day). However, I've done a LOT of bumping, mainly because I tweaked almost all our science program and several weeks of our history program after I had done all those weekly sheets. I keep the updated weekly sheets because I want to know what we did. Next year I'll be doing it differently. I've got individual spreadsheets - one for history and one for science - with a year's plan worked out on each. I will put in the lessons week-by-week. I don't anticipate changing anything at this point (I have a good plan in place, I think); but it's time-consuming to re-enter information in the spreadsheet. That way I'll avoid most of the "bumping" I had to do this year. Blessings, Laura

I've really enjoyed using B4 with most of my children. It has worked great with 5 of my 6 dc (I just started it with my youngest who turned 3 in November). It's easy to do, giving them special time and activities at their level, and not taking a tremendous amount of time on my part. It is not academic pre-K, but more of a readiness program. I will say it didn't work as well with my oldest, mainly because she was ready for something more academic at a younger age than her siblings. Blessings, Laura

LOL. I tried using the astronomy and came to the opposite conclusion. It seemed like I kept running into comments here and there as well as the larger sections. If I remember right, there was even a section that discussed eschatology, and that was a hard one to deal with, too. I guess that the chatty style of the text, and the "tone" bothered me as much as anything, and made it hard to want to figure out how to skip stuff. OTOH, I've got CGC, which is also from a YE perspective, but I can work with it and skip what I need to. To each his own. Hope you find what you need. Blessings, Laura

My 6th grader is doing the following: Bible - 4-5x/week History (Biblioplan Year 2) - 3x/week Science (The Elements/World of Chemistry) - 3x/week Math (Teaching Textbooks) - 5x/week Language Arts - Lightning Lit 7 - 3x/week, Jump In - 2x/week, Grammar Town - 2x/week Greek - 5x/week Latin - 5x/week Blessings, Laura

How about NOEO or Winterpromise? Blessings, Laura

For your older, LOF is fun for math. For your 2nd/3rd graders - have you thought of FIAR? It can be as rigorous as you want it to be, since you choose which and how many lessons. FIAR would cover history, science, applied math, art, and a good portion of your LA (some of the assignments are quite interesting). Blessings, Laura

I have 5 children in 4 different grades (though the twins are at different levels in math and language arts, so I still have to teach 5 different levels), so I know where you're coming from. I've found what works is independent work in some subjects, and combined studies for others. My signature line has what we're using. I'd consider first what subjects you can combine all or some of your children in (generally history and science), then how best to group your children for those subjects. If you group your K, 2nd, 3rd together and your 6th and 8th together you could do Five in a Row with the younger group. The older ones could do 2 or 3 of Ellen McHenry's courses for science (or something else appropriate for logic stage), and could do history independently (separately or together; same or different courses - whatever works) If you group your K, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th together, while letting your 8th grader continue on his own track, I think the recommendation of MFW ECC is excellent. Just let your K'er follow along as she is able (SL Core K uses some of the books that ECC uses, so there are some things she would be able to do). Another option would be to use SOTW with the AG for the 3 youngest, and add in logic stage books for your 6th grader (Biblioplan has some excellent recommendations). Actually, if you use Biblioplan you could include your 8th grader - if that is something that would work for your family. If you choose to group all of them (or the 4 girls) for science, I'd pick something multi-level - like Home Science Adventures, Great Science Adventures, or Considering God's Creation. Everyone will be separate for Math and LA, so pick something that can be done independently (another poster mentioned CLE and TT, and I agree with those recommendations). I would also recommend considering Time4Learning for some or all of your girls. Personally, I find it easier to have several people sit down at once and do their independent work in workbooks. Time4Learning is good, but you have to schedule computer time if more than one person uses it (this would also apply if you have 3 doing Teaching Textbooks). I would definitely use CLE LA (and reading, too) for the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th grader. They could do either CLE math or Teaching Textbooks (many second graders can use the TT3 program that is coming out this month).. For your K'er I would recommend the Explode the Code, and a simple math workbook/program or Time4Learning. Even young ones can do ETC somewhat independently (you could do the workbook or the online program), and you need to keep the teaching of her math simple for your own sake. If you can, try to plan so you can eventually transition her into the LA and math programs your older ones are using. Blessings, Laura

Check out Biblioplan. They schedule SOTW, so you can see what they recommend for 5th-8th and high school that lines up with that week's reading of SOTW. Blessings, Laura

My 6th grader started LL7 in January. She is doing fine with it. Blessings, Laura

I think you've hit on the heart of the disagreement here. Generally speaking, Christians are not interested in taking the creation account out of Genesis. Most would say Genesis is true - that's not the question here. Rather, the argument centers on the question: What is Genesis really stating? The Hebrew word translated into "day" had several literal meanings. The words translated as "evening" and "morning" had a couple of different meanings, depending on the context. The most common use of "day", "morning", and "evening" may be the correct one, but it is appropriate to explore whether a less-common meaning might be the correct one here (or anywhere else in Scripture - it is God's Word and we want to understand it as well as possible). Therefore, people study the Hebrew grammar used in Genesis 1, the context of the rest of Genesis 1, and the broader context of other Scripture that makes statements about creation to try to figure out what God is telling us in Genesis 1. Blessings, Laura

I agree with a previous poster, who suggested Truthquest. The older guides have comments about each main topic being introduced, and "why" issues are brought up. I haven't used younger guides, but the samples I've seen have a commentary section for parents to read to their children, and get the students thinking about why each topic is important, and a little bit about why certain things led to other things. The ThinkWrite assignments may help you discuss those "why's" at your dd's level, also. Another program you might like is Beautiful Feet Early American History. Some of the books bring up "why's" of things. Blessings, Laura