Dd's violin teacher has asked us to buy a new scale book for dd while we are back in the US for a few weeks. She currently is using a very basic one that we found here in China, but her teacher wants one with more scales. I'm looking online, but I'm overwhelmed by the choices! And I can't ask her teacher, because she is traveling right now. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good, beginning scale book? Dd is currently in the Suzuki book 2 if that helps to give a better idea of where she is at. Thanks!

Did you end up purchasing this? What did you think of it? Is there anyplace on the website that has a scope and sequence of the topics available? Thanks!

I was wondering if you, or someone else, can expand on this a bit. If he enrolls as a 9th grader this year and completes 9-10 at the private school, and the we return to homeschooling when we move back to the US in 2 years, are you saying we could call his 9th grade year at the private school 8th grade? How would that work as far as submitting transcripts to colleges? Won't the school transcripts have grade designations on them? Would it look like he was repeating a high school grade? Thanks!

Thank you everyone who shared their experience and wisdom. It is really helpful to hear how you have all handled the situation and your perspectives in hindsight. I particularly appreciate the gentle reminder that I need to relax, and take things one year at a time. We have talked to the guidance counselor at the school and are waiting to hear back from her about a few more questions we had. Hopefully, armed with the good advice here and a little more info from the school, the best thing for ds this fall will become clear. Thanks!

Thank you everyone for the replies. It is very helpful to hear all of the stories from those of you who have walked this road before. We don't know anyone IRL who has dealt with this situation, so we are kind of alone in making the decision. Hearing how you have handled the situation and how it is working out for you for dk long term, gives us a good place to start in determining what is best for ds. Thanks!

Ds has always been homeschooled, but for a variety of reasons, we are exploring the option of sending him to the private international school for the remaining 2 years we will be in China. He is currently a 7th grader, but working ahead in a number of his courses. We had a meeting with the school yesterday to discuss ways to keep ds challenged if he enrolls as an 8th grader this fall, and they suggested we consider skipping 8th grade and enrolling him as a 9th grader. Since now all of a sudden we are talking high school, we have concerns about how our decision could affect college admissions in addition to all of the maturity and emotional issues. The details are complex, but here is a quick summary of our options: 1. If he enters as an 8th grader, we have been offered a little bit of flexibility in his course load. It would slow him down a little from the current trajectory he is on would we continue to homeschool, but it is a compromise we are okay with should we decide to send him to school. Comparing enrolling him as an 8th grader versus a 9th grade at the private school, his transcript would probably look meatier with this option than if he enters 9th grade this fall because he would essentially have one more year to take higher level courses. 2. If he enters as a 9th grader, he would be taking almost all of the same classes I have planned for him next year as a homeschooling 8th grader. So he would be taking the same courses, at exactly the same age and time we currently have planned for him, but he'd be a 9th grader in the private school instead of an 8th grader at home. He would be following the "typical" 9th grade advanced track at this particular school. So he'd still have the opportunity to take some higher level courses, but wouldn't stand out as much from his peers. This is my oldest, who will only be turning 13 in June, so there are a plethora of thoughts going around in my mind as to whether this is a good idea for him or not. The first is how skipping a grade may affect him personally. His thinking level is pretty mature for his age, but his worldly knowledge and street smarts are definitely lacking. We haven't tried to shelter him, but he is emotionally sensitive and tends to shy away from ideas that threaten him (in his mind). One of the reasons we are considering sending him to school is so he can be exposed to some of these ideas while he is still living at home in a safe environment. But high school is a different ball game than 8th grade, and we are a bit worried it could be too much too fast. However, this is a Christian school in an Asian environment, so I think exposure to these issues should be a little more mild than they would be if we were back in the US (although this may be an issue when we return to the US in 2 years). Anyone have any BTDT experience they can share as a result of skipping a grade? In addition to the emotional maturity aspects, we are trying to get a better understanding of how this may affect college admissions when the time comes. He is highly motivated, and is already of the mindset that he wants to set himself up to have a shot at some of the top tier engineering schools (MIT in particular has caught his eye). We are definitely not trying to push him in that direction at this age, but we are trying to be supportive of that goal while intentionally trying to encourage him to have balance in his life. With those thoughts in mind, we are still mindful of how colleges might view the end result of the decision we are currently trying to make. Are colleges going to take into account that he completed high school at a young age (he would turn 17 the June of graduation year), even if that means his transcript might not be as academically jammed packed as other students? Or are selective schools just looking at the number of AP/Honors/SATII that were completed in high school, regardless of how and when they were completed? On a somewhat related note, we have also discussed that if he enrolled as a 9th grader this year, we may encourage him to take a gap year before entering college to allow him to age and mature. This may also give him the opportunity to pursue some of his interests that he may not have as much time for should he enter high school early, particularly pursuing a pilots license. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether this is a good idea or not? Do you typically apply to colleges and then request the gap year? Or is it better to just wait a year after high school before applying? If he grade skipped, would that have any bearing on taking a gap year? Thanks to all who read this far, and especially if you have any advice to give!

Ds has always been homeschooled, but for a variety of reasons, we are exploring the option of sending him to the private international school for the remaining 2 years we will be in China. He is currently a 7th grader, but working ahead in a number of his courses. We had a meeting with the school yesterday to discuss ways to keep ds challenged if he enrolls as an 8th grader this fall, and they suggested we consider skipping 8th grade and enrolling him as a 9th grader. Since now all of a sudden we are talking high school, we have concerns about how our decision could affect college admissions in addition to all of the maturity and emotional issues. The details are complex, but here is a quick summary of our options: 1. If he enters as an 8th grader, we have been offered a little bit of flexibility in his course load. It would slow him down a little from the current trajectory he is on would we continue to homeschool, but it is a compromise we are okay with should we decide to send him to school. Comparing enrolling him as an 8th grader versus a 9th grade at the private school, his transcript would probably look meatier with this option than if he enters 9th grade this fall because he would essentially have one more year to take higher level courses. 2. If he enters as a 9th grader, he would be taking almost all of the same classes I have planned for him next year as a homeschooling 8th grader. So he would be taking the same courses, at exactly the same age and time we currently have planned for him, but he'd be a 9th grader in the private school instead of an 8th grader at home. He would be following the "typical" 9th grade advanced track at this particular school. So he'd still have the opportunity to take some higher level courses, but wouldn't stand out as much from his peers. This is my oldest, who will only be turning 13 in June, so there are a plethora of thoughts going around in my mind as to whether this is a good idea for him or not. The first is how skipping a grade may affect him personally. His thinking level is pretty mature for his age, but his worldly knowledge and street smarts are definitely lacking. We haven't tried to shelter him, but he is emotionally sensitive and tends to shy away from ideas that threaten him (in his mind). One of the reasons we are considering sending him to school is so he can be exposed to some of these ideas while he is still living at home in a safe environment. But high school is a different ball game than 8th grade, and we are a bit worried it could be too much too fast. However, this is a Christian school in an Asian environment, so I think exposure to these issues should be a little more mild than they would be if we were back in the US (although this may be an issue when we return to the US in 2 years). Anyone have any BTDT experience they can share as a result of skipping a grade? In addition to the emotional maturity aspects, we are trying to get a better understanding of how this may affect college admissions when the time comes. He is highly motivated, and is already of the mindset that he wants to set himself up to have a shot at some of the top tier engineering schools (MIT in particular has caught his eye). We are definitely not trying to push him in that direction at this age, but we are trying to be supportive of that goal while intentionally trying to encourage him to have balance in his life. With those thoughts in mind, we are still mindful of how colleges might view the end result of the decision we are currently trying to make. Are colleges going to take into account that he completed high school at a young age (he would turn 17 the June of graduation year), even if that means his transcript might not be as academically jammed packed as other students? Or are selective schools just looking at the number of AP/Honors/SATII that were completed in high school, regardless of how and when they were completed? On a somewhat related note, we have also discussed that if he enrolled as a 9th grader this year, we may encourage him to take a gap year before entering college to allow him to age and mature. This may also give him the opportunity to pursue some of his interests that he may not have as much time for should he enter high school early, particularly pursuing a pilots license. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether this is a good idea or not? Do you typically apply to colleges and then request the gap year? Or is it better to just wait a year after high school before applying? If he grade skipped, would that have any bearing on taking a gap year? Thanks to all who read this far, and especially if you have any advice to give!

I know this has been talked about before on the boards, but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for when I did a search. My ds did Saxon Alg. I last year as a 6th grader and will be finishing the Alg II book this year as a 7th grader. Originally, we had planned for him to use the Saxon Geometry book in 8th grade, leaving our options open for him to either use the Adv. Math book at home in 9th grade or to more easily transition into a private school (by being able to show that he had clearly completed a full year of Alg I, Alg II, and Geometry) and take pre-calc as a freshman at the private school. As often happens with plans, our situation may be changing and our math plans with it. In a nutshell, we are looking at either sending him to private school this upcoming year as an 8th grader, or keeping him home entirely and no private school. So the need to set him up to potentially enter a traditional school situation as a freshman is no longer there. But I am now trying to figure out what the best math path would be if he stays at home all through high school, or what courses we need to advocate for him to take in the private school if he enters as an 8th grader. One thing ds is determined he wants to do is take Calculus as a 10th grader. In order to do so, I need some help assessing how Saxon compares to other curricula and how best to use Saxon if we remain on the homeschooling path. Any advice is appreciated, but below are a few questions that have really stood out to me. 1. Does Saxon Alg I and II cover all of the necessary material covered by other, more traditional publishers in their Alg I and II programs? And by extension, does this mean ds could easily enter into the Geometry and then pre-calc sequence taught at a traditional school? Or are there essential topics covered in Adv. Math that he needs before a traditional pre-calc course? 2. How long does it take to complete Saxon Adv. Math? I've seen some people mention spreading it out over 3-4 semesters. Is this typical? If so, we either have to skip the Saxon Geoemtry book (if he stays at home) and start the Adv. Math book this upcoming year, or try to cram the entire Adv. Math book into 1 year in order for ds to be ready for Calculus in 10th. Would a better option be to take Geometry in 8th (either Saxon or something else) and then pre-calc by a more traditional publisher? As I mentioned, any thoughts on my specific questions or any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Praying here as well.

Leslie, Thanks for taking the time to explain how you came to your decisions and the factors that were at play. I really appreciate it!

Leslie, Was there any particular reason you chose Landry over Derek Owens? Those are my top contenders for ds, and just wondering what made you pick one over the other. Thanks!

I'm interested in this too. Anyone have any feedback on this course?

Just bumping up for you because I'm interested in knowing too.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I hadn't thought about the comic/graphic novel route. That could be a good way to get him excited about he story without overwhelming him with too many words on a page. The idea of non-fiction leveled readers is also another great idea I hadn't thought to explore. And Matt Christopher was already on our list, but I hadn't heard of Dan Gutman (my own kids are going to be excited to discover this one). Thanks everyone! ETA: Oh, and Julie, great accomplishment on finishing your first foreign language book. That is definitely something to be proud of!

I am looking for book suggestions for a 12 year old boy who is learning English. He probably reads at about a 2-3 grade level, so I need something that is easy enough for him to understand but that will hold his attention and get him excited about reading. No faith-based books, probably something in the sports or adventure category. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? ETA: Also, the books can't rely too much on an understanding of American culture. Thanks!

Edited to delete because I just decided I didn't feel comfortable sharing more details on our financial situation. However, I do appreciate the input thus far, and will look into some of the options mentioned. Thanks!

Dh and I have managed to save a little money, and we are wondering what is the best way to invest it. Right now it is sitting in a savings account earning a whopping .7% interest..... it might as well be hidden under the mattress :tongue_smilie:. So what are our options to invest the money? We are leaning towards real estate(a vacation property we can use in the meantime), but don't really know much about the other options we have. I think we'd prefer to have it invested in something where we have control of when we can get it back out (I realize real estate means we'd be somewhat at the mercy of the sellers market at the time, but not in the same way if we put it in CD or bonds). Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll pass them on to dh to take a look at. Thanks!

My husband wants to do a bible study with our 2 sons, ds12 and ds9. He wanted to do his own thing, but after putting it off for 6 months, he has decided that isn't going to happen. So now he is looking for something ready made to use. Does anyone have any suggestions for a book or program they can use? Thanks!

You could check out the online classes that Teaching the Classics offer. It is a discussion class based on the TtC method that meets every few weeks. It is completely student based, and you don't need to do anything. Ds did it last year and will be doing it again this year.

I have a friend who could really use a little chocolate right now :tongue_smilie: and I want to send her some. She is a milk chocolate fan, and sometimes likes to mix it up with a little sea salt or nuts. What is your favorite brand of chocolate that I could order and send her as a special treat?

What we decided on for this upcoming year is Science Shepherd Life Science with the Logos Life Science kit. I think this should be pretty self-directed and meaty. Ds did the Logos Physical Science kit last year along side Derek Owens PS and it worked well. Some of the labs didn't line up exactly, but were still a very good addition and were done almost completely independently.

I emailed the company and got a very quick response from Mr. Stephen Hake. The 2nd edition textbook is 99% the same as the 1st, and the other 1% is nothing to worry about. The changes include corrections that they sent into Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as well as a few changes that HMH made to meet their own guidelines (but they were all approved by Hake). He said the changes to the workbooks were the addition of 3-6 writing lessons to meet some state standards. No writing lessons were taken out. Rainbow Resource said it is the 2nd edition that is backordered (not released), but you can still get the 1st edition. They said they expect the new edition to arrive the end of July or sometime in August. HTH!

Hake Grammar is backordered at Rainbow Resource because they are waiting on the new edition to be released late July or early August. Does anyone know anything about the new edition and what is changing? I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to wait for the new edition or just get the current one.

We used the Logos kit this last year and aligned it with Derek Owens. It worked well for us and I will be buying the Logos Life Science kit this year. There were a few labs that didn't line up exactly, but I still think it was a good addition.