I'm so sad! I didn't realize I had to redeem the code by 5/15 I thought I just had to complete my smartpoints purchase by then. :( I was trying to decide which one I wanted, and then we left for vacation. Now I'm trying to finalize everything and there is no code anymore! ACK! I emailed them, but I suspect all is lost, right? :( Phooey.

BBC Dance mat typing is a favorite but we also have Typing Instructor for kids which is around $11 on Amazon.

I don't know about downloading but they're in the back of the Activity Guide. I think you can download the student pages from PHP but not sure if the cards are part of that - and not free, obviously. Sorry, hopefully someone else will chime in!

We elected to do Physics/Chem in 7th and later realized my DD does not in fact enjoy any science other than Biology. LOL It created a dilemma with her HS science line-up (too much biology back-to-back) and I had to revise our plans. I had originally intended to do Biology in 8th (we've used The Rainbow Science program), but now we're going to do Earth/Space science for 8th and let her take 2 x biology classes in HS. It doesn't really matter, I suppose, but I'd think through how you want to do science for HS before comitting to a 7th grade science course of study. ;)

One is more formal study of grammar (Easy Grammar) and offers a more thorough explanation or concepts in addition to review (according to section/part of speech learned), optional tests, practice etc. The other is a 5 minute per day supplement (Daily Grams) that is designed to offer 180 days of "review" for 5 basic grammar concepts including punctuation, capitalization, part of speech (varies), and sentence combining. We used them together for one year, then my oldest and youngest switched to GWG + Daily Grams and my middle did another year of the EG + DG combo. We really like it. I like the 5 minute "overview" of DG but IMO it's not enough for a full grammar program. That said, since there are many who don't feel that formal grammar needs to be taught every year, I think using DG alone in that instance would be a great use of the curriculum. :)

I'm so sorry this has been such a stressful experience for your whole household. I hope someone is available to leave her with this evening so that your family can breathe and enjoy your weekend plans. I definitely think she has some MAJOR emotional issues - however, looking at the circumstances, I think it's probably a direct result of all that's gone on in her life to this point. :( So so sad for her.

We like to use a combination of GWG and MCT - however, we used Abeka in 2nd grade, so I have no recommendation for GWG 2 other than we found the 3rd grade text to work well for us.

We also use L'Art de Lire - everyone enjoys it!

Magic Schoolbus books, Apologia, DK Eyewitness books, an Usborne Encyclopedia, The Way Things Work (great pictures for a physics intro), and some Tiner books (current favorite around here is The History of Medicine). My small boy loves science and his capacity to really *enjoy* non-fiction reading amazes me - these are all books he has read and loved. :)

Just wanted to clarify that I certainly don't think you should call social services! I simply meant that I wondered if someone else HAD already and that's why he thought of needing such a letter. I think you are doing a wonderful thing caring for your friends' daughter.

Wow - that kind of document would scare me just a little. I would call and ask him why he gave it to you. Do you know who has the other kids this week? Wondering if they too have been given pieces of paper like that. I would also wonder if social services are involved.

Thanks, I think C is fine in that case. She should be ready for D in 9th if we continue with it. :)

I am also moving to Singapore Math this fall for my rising 4th grader. I used the placement test for him to decide the book we'll start with. I have a copy of 4A and it seems to have some topics he has covered before (Abeka 3) but some new ones. I do think there is some review, but if he hasn't started division or fractions, I would go with an earlier book. I think 3A is a good start - you can always back up to 2B if he seems to have difficulties. Have you given him the placement test? He might surprise you on how he does! ;) I picked up a used copy on the classifieds board before I decided for sure - I was wavering between 3B and 4A, but after I was able to review the book in person, I knew he'd do fine with 4A. For the edition - I would definitely go with the Standards one. My understanding is that it is considered the "more rigorous" of the 2 programs, has a better teacher guide (the "home instructor's guide" or HIG) and includes some additional concepts/material. Good luck! I'm hoping this is a good switch for us, but maybe someone with some "been there, done that" advice will also weigh-in. ;)

Trying to determine if I need Vocabulary Workshop B or C for my rising 8th grader. She reads a wide variety of books and has completed 8 years of Abeka spelling. I see her making silly mistakes this year (puberty brain? ;) ), but she's always been strong in spelling. I want to work on vocabulary more in 8th to help strengthen her writing skills/word choices. I was planning to order C and suddenly realized I had no idea how "rigorous" the program was (or if she'd be out of her depth in C).

The worksheets are the fill-in the blank ones - you're right! I didn't know it was just for the extra activities. ;) I would certainly love a link to share your worksheets if you plan to continue them for next year! Here are the worksheets at CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/apps/product?item_no=922503&event=ESRCN|M

Thanks! That's so great to know how well it worked for your family! :) I really think I'm leaning towards this. Have you looked at the AiG worksheets at all? They are around $7 I think and have the questions set up as fill-in the blank like you are making. Did you use the tests or quizzes?

What about IEW Fix It? I've heard good things about it. Or maybe another "editing style" program so he can see the grammar and punctuation in context? We do well here with basic structure and repetition. A combination of Easy Grammar and Daily Grams last year (6th) and this year Growing with Grammar 7 and Daily Grams have really cemented the concepts for our rising 8th grader. I'm looking at using GWG 8 along with one of the Killgallon books (Sentence composing?) because what we need to focus on in 8th is sentence structure. We'll also be using IEW SWI-B for writing. For literature, I'm considering Lightning Lit 8. You could also try Figuratively Speaking if you want to introduce the terms for literary criticism without actually doing a "program".

I actually hadn't seen this. I've looked at the AIG programs before, but missed this one. Thanks for pointing it out! We were planning to use Apologia text but if this is 1 - 8th, maybe we'll just all do this and use the Apologia text as additional reading. Hmm - things to consider! :)

Thanks, Jennifer. Can you tell me which book you used? I've been looking at the various options. :)

Abeka Earth and Space Contemplating this for 8th grade science now that I've had the revelation I can't use Rainbow Year 2 like I'd planned (since we plan to do biology again in HS early on). I'm trying to find a middle-school level earth/space science that doesn't require a science major to teach it (aka BJU) and that can be completed somewhat independently - I plan to have her join in on our Astronomy activities with the younger siblings.

I looked up some requirements and of the 2 (local) schools she mentioned, one asks for 2 years of science (with labs) and 2 years of social science, the other asks for 3 years of science (2 with labs). So either way, we're ok with 3 years. I'm sure she'll do something related to science in 12th, but at least the pressure isn't there for it to be profound. ;) We could do zoology for 8th, but I've been doing that this year with my younger 2 and they want to move on with Astronomy next year. She did have 6 years of zoology basics in the Abeka books at her previous school. In discussing it with DD, she said her preference for 8th would be biology or earth/space/geology science. I think given our trajectory, it looks like I'll forgo year 2 of Rainbow for her and try to find her a middle-school earth/space science that I can have her do quasi-independently. She'll participate in all the astronomy labs and activities we do anyway with the other 2, so that will be nice to all be studying similar topics again. Aaaand. . . I'm assuming my "quasi-independently" requirement will knock out BJU - which is a bummer because the new edition looks SO GOOD!!! :)

Ugh. I'm realizing what I should have done was flipped the Rainbow program, using the biology portion for 7th and the Chem/Physics portion for 8th. Now when I look at the TOC for Apologia Physical Science, there are some weather and earth science concepts she hasn't covered in-depth but then there are plenty of physics and chemistry topics she would not want to revisit so soon.

So for a non-math loving DD, I thought biology would be a better fit for 8th (she'll be in year 2 of prealgebra with CLE 800) but if she has to take it again in 9th, I'm leaning towards a year of earth/space/geology. Any recommendations for a program like that?

Mandy, thank you. That is very informative! It makes me wonder if 8th grade would be wasted studying middle-school biology with Rainbow, since she'll still have to take a HS Biology course in order to take her desired course of Marine Biology?! :confused1: We aren't anywhere close to figuring out schools she wants to apply to yet - I suppose I'll look up some requirements for a variety of places and go from there. I definitely thought I wasn't near this stage yet but her "rising 8th grader" status has thrown me into a bit of a panic! LOL ;)

Thanks! Can you tell me what you used for earth science/astronomy last year? I defeinitely agree on the more advanced courses. Her previous school used all Abeka Science books, which, in the younger grades, provided an "overview" of all areas of science but didn't really do more than scratch than the surface (because when you cover so much ground, I guess you can't go in-depth). She covered what I would call "intro to chemistry and physics" this year with Rainbow Science and while she did well, this just isn't her area. She is doing a second year of prealgebra with CLE in 8th - she really needed more time to soldify those concepts. I definitely think she'd prefer a few years off from physics or chemistry again until her math skills are more developed!