HollyDay are you using the classes with Jann in TX or working through the Lial's text on your own after her guidance helped the selection process? I'm leaning towards Lial's for my oldest once she completes the CLE 800 books. I know we'll both need some guidance with that and I've heard good things about Jann in TX. If you've done any of her classes, could you elaborate on how they work/pros and cons?

I'd look into CLE. We've switched our older girls from Saxon because it was gnerating tears and taking them forever! My oldest is doing amazingly well with CLE now and my middle just asked if she could switch also. She was about 25 lessons into Saxon 7/6 and was miserable. She was making excellent grade and getting the answers correct, but having seen how lacking in foundation my oldest was from Saxon (she made it almost to the end of 8/7 before I broke down and let her choose another math), together with her distress at how long math takes every day, I decided to order CLE 600 for her. Part of it will be easy but when she took the placement test, it was clear she wasn't ready for 700 yet. You can download the placement test by clicking on the link for the diagnostic you need (on their website) http://www.clp.org/store/by_grade/21 If you haven't looked into it, the teacher guides are inexpensive ($9) and offer several teaching methods including additional problems to use for teaching material on a white board/chalk board for your student and alternate tests/practice worksheets you can copy. I have been SO impressed. I recently asked my oldest why she thought she seemed to be doing so much better with CLE even though it was covering the exact material she struggled with in Saxon. Without hesitating she quipped,"Because Mom, they use ENGLISH in their explanations!!" LOL ;) We are both much happier. Good luck! I know there are lots of choices out there and it can feel overwhelming. I hope you find the right fit for your kiddo! :)

We are using CLE here for my older 2 and Singapore for my 4th grade boy :) I don't prefer computer-based teaching but that's purely a preference thing! I know lots of people who love TT. Sitting at the computer for math just wouldn't be our thing in 4th grade. GL with your choice!

Yep - thank you :) Confirms the nearest one is around 70 miles away!

Thanks! I'm not sure we have a stargazing club near us - I'll keep researching but I haven't found one yet. I've been researching binoculars - any you can recommend?

Ours is arriving this week. I'm sure there isn't a huge difference, but my feeling (with a history text) is that things change in the world every year, so I really wanted the most up-to-date information available. I can upload pics later this week if no one beats me to it. ;)

My (then) 8 yo loved Switched-on-Schoolhouse Elementary French. I've also heard good things about the Skoldo program. We're currently using L'Art de Lire with all 3 kids for another year before we decide what to move onto when our oldest starts high school.

Have you checked the selection at CHoLL? http://www.classicalhouseoflearning.com/logic-stage-literature.html#EarlyModern

I've seen a couple of people post this for their science line-up this fall (and some who used it this past year). I'd love to compile a list of shared ideas, associated texts/reference materials if anyone has something to share? :)

FWIW, the Abeka language composition assignments always brought my dd to tears when she was in school ;) lol What about something like Apologia's 'Jump In!' or see if someone has a copy of IEW DVDs you can borrow? Even my reluctant writer has made peace with those programs ;)

It looks like fun and I wondered about doing it with my 6th grader after we work through Figuratively Speaking - maybe 2nd semester? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0673363872/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1373230717&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX112_SY192 Any thoughts or reviews?

Thanks for the recommendation! I think we've decided to use either the Kingfisher Encyclopedia (or a text like this Almanac you've mentioned) to have our 8th grader write up a short report for each chapter - I figure if she does some additional research into an aspect of her choosing each week, then a short (1 page) summary of her findings shouldn't be too much to require. Maybe? Lol

I'm getting ready to purchase LL8 and I realized that there are several of the books we actually own (or can easily get from our library). Can anyone tell me if the edition/version of the books matters for use with the program? For example, are there specific page numbers mentioned for actvities or exercises? I don't plan to use edited copies or abridged, just maybe not the exact copyright year/publisher. Will it make our lives more complicated?

Thanks for all the ideas! I'd never even heard the term 'Dobsonian' telescope! I'm leaning towards one of these (depending on final curriculum budget): http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00D12U1IK?qid=1372786515&sr=8-4&vs=1 OR http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000XMSNO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1372786515&sr=8-1&pi=SL75 and of course, a green laser pointer, along with some iPhone apps! A starting point for this project/purchase - yay! :)

That sounds so cool!! I'm guessing anything with GPS is out of my current price range but definitely on our wish list for a future upgrade purchase if our kids show more interest! :)

I'm leaning towards using LL8 this year as I feel our 8th grader needs an independently-guided lit program. We'll also be doing IEW- SWI B. With this in mind, I don't want to overload her with historical fiction reading, but I am aware that SOTW 3 isn't considered 'enough' for 8th grade history alone. So I'm looking for recommendations to 'beef up' the history for her. I plan to do the maps with her and thought I'd select books from either TWTM or SOTW activity guide. We do the optional tests too and I've got the newest Kingfisher for additional research and/or possible time-lining? Anything else I should add that won't overlap too heavily with our other writing and literature programs?

We also used GWG and will use it again for 8th this year. We did EG in 6th and the EG Plus book wasn't enough off step up for her. I like doing different grammar programs to be sure her skills translate to other formats.

As part of our Earth Science study next year we'll be covering Astronomy. I would like to invest in a reasonably priced (around or below $100) telescope to use for hands-on fun learning etc. Any recommendations? I have no clue when I look at Amazon or Home Science Tools which features are important! Also, I'm overwhelmed by the plethora of star chart guides, glow in the dark books etc - what would your top 1 or 2 books/guides be to use with the age range we have (4th - 8th)?

We did the reverse transition! ;) My 7th grader was struggling with Saxon 8/7 and is excelling with CLE 700 now. I'd be sure to have your student look at samples for a variety of options. Some of the best advice I received here was to let her be vested in the ultimate decision once we'd narrowed the field of options. It really helped her to feel some control and ownership over her math curriculum. I'm not a math whiz and don't plan to teach math past Algebra 1, but using the CLE teacher guides for 700-800 is doable for us. I'm still not sure where we'll go after that because I definitely want outside instruction (possibly Derek Owens) for geometry and Algebra 2! ;) Just wanted to encourage you to check the samples for CLE 700 and the guides before you make your final decision - especially if it's currently working well for all of you.

Thank you for asking this - I was debating if it was worthwhile to get the new Kingfisher that was released in January this year. I wanted an additional history resource for my 4th and 6th gr kids to look up and do further study. I was waddling between Usbourne and Kingfisher but now I see it almost doesn't matter because the principles can be applied either way. :) That said - does anyone have a plug or preference for one over the other?

We tried Pyle last year with my then 12 yo dd and it was tough for her (she is an excellent reader) so we switched to the Green (Puffin classic) version for the 5th/7th graders, and everyone listened to the Jim Weiss audio retelling in the car. Our 9 yo ds loved it so much he wanted to listen to it over and over!

We looked at Apologia last year for 7th but decided against it for 2 reasons - 1. It looked way too boring for my DD who isn't really "into" science in the first place and 2. It covered lots of anatomy, which is what we just studied in 6th. So instead we went with Rainbow and she completed the Year 1 program (physics and chemistry) with the optional quizzes/tests. It was certainly rigorous enough for us given her non-science leanings and she enjoyed the independence of it all. I was pleased because it got done and she thoroughly loved the corny tone of the book and got a giggle out of the silly way things were presented. For her, this kept science "light-hearted" which it really needed to be because the topics themselves were a stretch! I originally planned for her to complete Year 2 this year (8th) but realized she would then have a crazy imbalance of biology going into HS where she really only wants to take more (you guessd it) biology. ;) So I've opted for a year of earth science instead and selected materials we can all use - which will greatly simplify my life and I believe dd's too! We will be using Answers in Genesis: God's Design for Heaven and Earth. I might purchase the Abeka 8th grade Earth Science book too, just for some additional reading for my 8th grader if we determine this isn't deep enough for her - but I'm pretty sure it will be considering she would rather be reading literature morning, noon, and night, than studying science of any kind. ;)

We went with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of no more than 2 hours per day. No electronics allowed until after schoolwork and chores are completed. It does mean I need to be sure they've always got a good stack of library books to read, Lego to build or make sure I schedule trips to the pool or bowling alley etc in the summer since it's too hot for them to entertain themselves outside for most of June - September in the Deep South ;)

Abeka Spelling - not sure about the 'rule' each week but between 20 - 30 words tied to some theme and a minimal workbook activity.

I ordered this for my 7th grader last year and sent it back. I felt it was too much for her - while she is very bright and loves to read, there was just an overwhelming amount of 'stuff' assigned for each section. I ended up loosely using the books/lit program schedule at Classical House of Learning. I think if you wanted to include your 4th grader in a similar program to your 6th grader, it might be easier for her to tag along in something lighter, like CHoL. I know my 5th grader last year read almost all the same books as my 7th grader but there was no way I could've done HO2 with her.