Great info - thanks!!

Thank you...that makes sense!

I was the one who mentioned it in the West Point thread. I can only tell you what I learned this evening at our interview. We chose Young Marines because my son's desire has always been to enter the Army or the Marines. He really has no interest in the Air Force. The program has been around since the 70's and is similar to CAP in it's rigor and promotion system. I was quite impressed with the XO we met this evening. My son will complete boot camp in March - every weekend - and if he passes all of the requirements he will graduate into the program. He is psyched! They have tons of community service opportunities, disaster preparedness classes & certification, leadership training seminars, as well as summer camps and trips. They meet for day-long drill every other Saturday. A group of kids is about to leave to serve/participate at a conference at the UN. And my boy-man looked so handsome (and so OLD) in his uniform (and size 11 boots!!):tongue_smilie:

This is great. Thank you so, so much! I have hired a math tutor for my son and will give her your feedback. He is currently doing Algebra, and I will be sure to solidify everything...maybe adding in some more for the remainder of the year. My son is also a pretty serious fencer (forgot that in my initial post) so the sport is covered. He is hoping to enter into more competitions this year and desires to make it to Nationals next year. May I ask why SAT scores will be especially important since we are in SoCal? With him being my oldest I feel like there is so much I don't know! Thank you again for your feedback!!

Thank you! I guess at this point, since he is an 8th grader, my biggest question is what type of activities/leadership opportunities did you child participate in that were beneficial in the application process. My son is joining the Young Marines - he will be doing boot camp in March. He is also pretty active in our church's youth program, as well. What activities served your child well in building leadership skills? Also, my son is not spectacular at math. He does OK, but definitely isn't exceptional. His love is history (especially military) and writing/literature. How hard should I push him in math? I know SAT scores need to be high...I don't know. I guess I just feel like I need to step up his level of math instruction. Thoughts? Is there anything else that you think it would be important to know at this stage in the game? I really appreciate your time and willingness to answer my questions!

This is a great idea! Thank you!

We are north of L.A., but within driving distance - thank you so much for the link! I really appreciate it!

My oldest son is (and has been for a while) very interested in entering West Point upon graduation. Since he will be entering high school officially next year I feel that I need to have a real game plan. I have visited the website and checked on their admission requirements, contacted local CAP and Young Marine chapters about membership, and discussed with my son the need to show strong leadership qualities outside the home. Are there any parents here with experience having gone through the application/interview process? Any tips for someone just beginning to think about this? Thanks!

Here's my VERY rough/just beginning/definitely not set in stone schedule for next year :001_smile: History: TOG Year 1 Bible/Church History: TOG Year 1, Scripture memorization & personal study Math: BJU Alg I w/DVDs or something else? English: CW Herodotus w/ Elements of Style & vocab. taken from writing/ TOG Year 1 Literature Science: Chemistry w/lab (a class for homeschoolers given at a local college) Art: Maybe The History of Art? (Hewitt Homeschooling Resources) Foreign Language: Latin for the New Millennium II PE:Fencing Anyone have thoughts?

Yellowperch - I bought your husband's book for my military history loving son for Christmas. He is really enjoying it - he's about halfway through. Tell your dh - he's got a big fan!

We are halfway done with our first year of TOG here - Year 4 with 2 D students, one UG and one LG.

We are in agreement. I am saying that a completely secular guide, one that does not address the Christian allegory at all, would miss the point. I don't think it has to assume that the reader is Christian, or try to "convert" the reader, or expect any Biblical knowledge on the part of the reader. But it should most definitely acknowledge and explain the Christian component. Agreed?

Agreed. I guess I am assuming "secular" to be without the mention of the Christian allegory.

I'm not entirely sure if this question is addressed to me, or even if I understand you correctly. Since allegory equates objects and lessons outside the narrative with those within the narrative, it makes sense that we would discuss the Biblical parallels which the allegory explains. Therefore, we have had rich times discussing the Christ-like qualities of Aslan, why only certain people can see Him, why one child cannot know how another child's story ends, etc. Does that answer your question?

OK, I agree with you that Jesus is the Word made flesh. I read/study/memorize my Bible regularly. The reason we read Narnia and adore it? Because after much reading, discussion, and prayer we have decided that reading about magic in a fictional book is not what the Scriptures are talking about when they forbid divination, sorcery, witchcraft, and interacting with mediums. They refer to the "act". Ultimately, I feel that if God didn't want us to read about magic, He would not have included so many stories which include magic in the inspired, God-breathed OT. Pharaoh's magicians, the witch of Endor, sacrificing to Molech, etc. If it is OK to read about magic/pagan acts in the Bible and extrapolate a lesson, I believe it is OK to do the same with uninspired fiction. We discuss darkness and truth, and my children understand right and wrong in a Biblical context. I would never, ever, ever try to convince someone to do something that goes against their conscience, so I am not trying to convince you to do anything. By all means, if you feel that it is wrong, do not do it. I am merely explaining why my family has decided it is something that is OK for us to do.

:iagree: What she said! :-) I am not saying that you cannot enjoy the books from a secular viewpoint. The stories are fun and engaging. I was speaking specifically to the OP's question about a secular guide. I think it would be tough to write an entire guide and never mention the Christian allegory Lewis most definitely intended. THAT would miss the point. As 8FilltheHeart said, if you read any of Lewis' own writings about the Narnia books, it will be clear that he wrote them with Biblical teaching in mind.

Let me share a story re: a great conversation I recently had. My oldest finished Singapore 6B at the end of his 6th grade year. He is quite competent in math, but it is certainly not his love. The kid eats and breathes history and writing...and has always wanted to become a historical writer/professor. Anyhoo, I have always dreaded teaching upper level math, as I just managed to pull B's in HS, and hated every minute of it. Not wanting to pass this attitude on to my son I decided to hire a tutor for him. I know a young lady who graduated last year with a degree in astrophysics. Yep. She's a smart cookie, especially in math. She was homeschooled for her whole life and guess what? She followed a traditional math sequence in high school: Algebra I/ Geometry I/Algebra II/ Pre-Calculus. She used BJU math K-12. She was accepted at every school she applied to. She was adamant that there was no reason to race through math. She helped me to really understand that acceleration for acceleration's sake is detrimental, especially down the road. So I guess you need to ask yourself if your child is really ready and eager to move into Algebra now, or if a year or two of Pre-Algebra and other math "stuff" would be more beneficial. It's that old adage, "Just because they can, doesn't mean they should." We decided to spend 7th grade doing LoF Fractions and Decimals & Percents along with the first half of Dolciani's Pre-Algebra. This year (8th) we are completing the Dolciani and doing LoF Beginning Algebra. Next year in 9th we plan to do a rigorous Algebra I course (not sure which). I just wanted to give you a different perspective. My son could have gone on to Algebra I following 6B, but it definitely would have been the wrong choice for him. Good luck with deciding!

We have found right after our morning recess to be perfect. The kids eat their morning snack and I read aloud. Our alternative is while they ear their lunch.

:iagree: PP or Ordinary Guide are simple, straightforward choices.

Definitely keep going. We have always "folded" the new child into our SOTW studies and it has never been a problem.

:iagree: Aesop is pretty straightforward, especially if you use the workbooks. Homer was the hard one for me, Maxim and Chreia have been easier.

I think it depends on the child. I have two children (7th and 8th graders) using Apologia's General Science text this year and they are both enjoying it and learning a good deal. They are both avid readers, though, so the wordiness of the text is actually a plus for them. Is there a way you can check with your kids about which appeals to them more?

Definitely FIVE. I don't think we could possibly get everything done at this stage in 4 days.

C.S. Lewis was a very sincere and passionate Christian. His Narnia series is written from a "Scripture is Truth" perspective. I don't think a secular study would be legitimate in any way. It would miss the whole point.

Yes. I've been there. My suggestion? Find what you all enjoy learning-wise and dig into it. My kids love read-aloud time. So when I find myself in a funk, we read aloud a lot. The kids grab their Legos and we read about history, science, whatever. I just try to do the next thing. I try to enjoy my kids. Usually the funk lifts soon.