We've been on both sides.... Son attended K-2 in public school, we homeschooled 3rd-5th grades. He did make friends in school as far as people to play with at recess and such, but no deep, lasting friendships. He was a bit of a square peg in a round hole. Once I brought him home, he was happy, but it took a looooong time to get that spark back of wanting to learn. Only you can decide what's best for your daughter... But if you investigate and know for sure that she won't learn much of anything the first year or two, you might want to consider whether that will cause her to become less interested in learning, and whether that's worth it. Just my thoughts... Good luck!

Farrar, that was my first thought too! Off to download, thanks for the tip, Debi!

The Athena's classes are great... One does not need to be an off the charts genius, just bright and intellectually curious. On each class description they usually give an idea of expectations and minimum reading level. DS took "Meet the Scientists" this spring... I've thought several of their others, like Biomes and Elements, also looked great and would probably be our next step. Hope that helps a bit....

Okay, I'm caught up, count me in too! Which articles in particular are you looking at first? I will register and read later when I'm on my laptop....

Following... I'd love to hear more about this for future reference. I have heard before that WWW was somewhat different from CE.

I've read far fewer than most of you, but certainly more than the six predicted by BBC! As someone else said, I read a lot, but apparently not most of the title son this list. Good summer reading ideas though!!

This is us too. DS did see the ocean some years back (side trip when we went to Disney) but that's it. We are a quite the drive even from beaches on big lakes... I don't count the ones on the "lake" at the nearby county parks! Considering a trip to Michigan this summer to maybe stay along Lake Michigan.

I clearly need to watch Jurassic Park again!

Have you read any of the Ladybug Farm books by Donna Ball? The first is A Year on Ladybug Farm: http://www.amazon.com/Year-Ladybug-Farm-Donna-Ball/dp/0425225879/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401394821&sr=1-2&keywords=ladybug+farm They're sort of very grown up chick lit, but great characters and I really enjoyed all the books. And in looking up the link for this, I discovered there was another just published!! :D

Thanks for the update, and please continue to keep us posted. And yes, son of JFS.... Despite the circumstances, congratulations on your graduation. We "Moms of the Hive" are all proud of you and our other graduates!!

I've never been fortunate enough to meet any of you IRL, though I'd love to if the opportunity arose! So no, I don't think anyone here would be able to inform you all. Would it be morbid to leave instructions for my DH: if I am ever permanently unable to post on the internet, here is a very brief list of groups you must notify. :)

I've only skimmed the thread and skipped page 2 entirely... will return to the rest later, but thoughts for now... Heather, oh my. I'm sorry you've been so ill and I'm glad you're on the mend. That sounds awful! :grouphug: Robin, thanks for the Virginia Woolf reminder... I've had Mrs. Dalloway on my Kindle for quite some time now. It keeps getting pushed down the list and I forget about it. Perhaps something to do with all the books I keep buying and adding... :leaving: Shukriyya, the book stand is fabulous. :D I'm still in my fluff weeks... I read a cozy mystery, an Amish mystery, and I am now reading "Wedding Night" by Sophie Kinsella.

I'm glad you mentioned these, I always forget about Pier One, but these are really nice!!

:iagree: Each year reviews a great deal from the previous years at this stage.

Many of us here use K12's Human Odyssey texts for middle years history. Here's a link to a new version for samples, though you can often find them used on Amazon for less: http://www.christianbook.com/the-human-odyssey-volume-1/9781931728539/pd/728534?product_redirect=1&Ntt=728534&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP It is technically a textbook, which goes against the idea of classical, I know... but it's very well done. Great tone, very complete coverage of all areas of the world, and interesting stories and biographies included. Most people ask their student to do notebooking or outlining with it, and add in literature to coordinate where possible. Just a thought if you're looking for a change of pace!! :)

Maybe some of the easier Coursera or Great Courses options, learning through video?? If you still want to do something literature based, maybe try short stories and excerpts... maybe something like Mosdos Press?

Oh, I missed this when you first posted... would love to hear an update!! :)

This is great information. We used Hake G/W 5... we did it over the better part of two years, just a couple days per week, interspersed with MCT materials. I think they're both incredibly valuable for different reasons. My son actually really enjoyed Hake, and he was able to do it quite independently. He was quite intrigued to know they had a nearly identical math program! (Although we did use a year of CLE math, which is the same general idea.) If we continue to homeschool, we'll probably use another year of Hake at some point, probably 7 or 8. I think it gives a great foundation in grammar. I admit we didn't like the writing portion quite as much... I'm not sure why. It was very straightforward and easy to use, though. And I'm definitely going to look up "Revolutionizing Education in America"... sounds like a great read!!

As a few others have said, I love the idea of the outdoors. I like being in my yard (okay, mostly on my deck) in town... we have grass, trees, and birds, but also creature comforts. And I like eating outside on a patio overlooking the lake at a couple of restaurants in the area. But I don't camp, I don't really hike, and I a bit addicted to wi-fi. :D I also love days where I don't have to leave the house, but I need a balance... I can't go, go, go every day, but if I'm home several days in a row, especially if it's nice outside, I get stir-crazy! We've tossed around the idea of an acreage. I like the idea of open space and neighbors that aren't quite as close. But we really can't be too far out of town. I mean, there are critters out there. And slow internet. And a very loooong drive to Target. :leaving:

Fun ideas! I need to add some of all yours to my list... Some things we're doing: DS has basketball and tennis day camps Playing Golf Pool time Farmer's Market outings! (These are seasonal for us, so we have to seize the day!) Lots of grilling and having dinner out on the deck Sitting around a campfire/bonfire with friends A few state history field trips, and maybe a couple other fun day trips Trying our hand at canoeing or kayaking Lots of reading, popsicles, and lounging!! :)

We've been there a few times... I've never seen a MT, but there's been a Dixie Stampede for years!! (Too bad you're not studying the Civil War instead!! ;) )

Cat, that was beautiful, and I'm so glad you posted it. I've only been here a couple years, but I wonder what I did with all my time before I found these boards! I will occasionally tell DH something about "a friend on the boards" and he knows exactly what I'm talking about. I know this is a place I can come to vent, brag, be silly, get advice, or have a delightful debate. Oh... and ask about homeschooling stuff, too!! ;) And I've learned so, so much from all of you... I admit my views on some things have been changed to a place I never thought they'd be, thanks to conversations from this group. I'm very thankful for you all. And you know... that's what makes us like a big family, isn't it?? We might disagree at the top of our lungs one day, but we'd go to the mats for one another the next. We've a special place here!

Oh my gosh... I'm so glad this thread was bumped. Rose, thanks for posting all that! Subbing so I can come back and take lots of notes... later, when it's not the middle of the night!! :D

I need to go back and read the other thread, and get up to speed... but I'm going to come back to this, because I think it sounds like a great idea!! :)

Here it varies a bit between districts. It seems that most schools offer a "standard" of 6th, 7th, 8th is prealgebra, and 9th is algebra. The accelerated sequence skips 7th grade math for prealgebra in 7th, algebra in 8th. They are still working on implementing Common Core changes in most of the districts with which I'm familiar, so it remains to be seen whether this holds beyond the next couple years. Meanwhile, my rising 6th grader is ready for prealgebra this fall, and that's factoring heavily into my decision as to whether we continue homeschooling.