Thanks! I am going to get a number of them.

We don't allow it. Never have. I have no problem expecting children to do what I say in this area as in any other. As a result all of my children learn to eat everything from the beginning. I think it does them a disservice to teach them/allow them to be picky. So we don't allow it. :001_smile:

Oops. You have that wrong. Saxon is spiral and MUS is mastery.

It would be a great place to compile great links, etc.

Takes my kids a year to do each book.

Hands down Potter's School English classes. All of mine will be using them all the way through high school. My 12yo took his first one this year and most definitely was challenged, both in content as well as character (in terms of quality and quantity of work, deadlines, etc.).

If you are going to try Tps Advanced Comp in 9th why not do TPS English 2 in 8th?

Me too. I am still bitter lol. I can't stand the new catalog format with its lack of book descriptions. I cherished my SL catalog when it came mine has sat here all day next to me and I haven't even picked it up yet.

Our fave WW teacher is going back to school and won't be teaching next year (Ms. Corrin) so I'm glad to hear glowing recommendations about some of the other teachers for my daughter in a couple years.

Personally I would spend the years I did year 1 and 2 saving to buy redesigned used. from what I understand classic will be a big difference.

I always go through rodandstaffbooks.com when I order new.

My kids earn 5 minutes of Xbox or Wii for doing their school each day, 5 minutes for their chores, and a 10 minutes bonus to make an hour if they are perfect that week. The two boys get a chance to get one extra hour for a big chore/job during the week that they can play on the xbox together. They get whatever time they earned early Saturday morning. My oldest can work in Photoshop in the evening before bed at night if he gets his school and chores done as he likes to make sprite comics, etc.

We use copying not during discipline for said sin but at times when they are cheerful and receptive. So we'll have a verse become their memory work so they will copy it during school as part of memorizing it.

I've never used either (we do Rod & Staff) but Hake's has been mentioned a number of times lately up there on the Logic and Middle Grades subforum.

If it's just going to be supplemental, at that age I would just do TWTM style. Stacks of books from the library, narrating or written narrations about each part of the body and diagramming/drawing from the books. My 4th grader just diagrammed the eye last night :) As she learns about each part of the body (bones, heart, etc) cut them out with construction paper and put a body together on the wall. Or get one of the body books that come with some sort of hands on activity.

Interesting. It never occurred to me that so many would use books. My relationships with my children lend themselves to having personal discussions about these things as part of family life.

Is there any reason you can't just talk to him about the other "boy stuff"? I recently had a very awkward discussion but a necessary one with my 12yo about some "things" that happen, shouldn't happen, etc. Boy it wasn't fun but it needed to be done. It only took about fifteen minutes, maybe half an hour with discussion. You know the basics and would be much better equipped to have a discussion on your son's level based on is personality and maturity in Christ than any curriculum.

I really appreciate these AoPS threads as well. I am in an interesting place in choosing math for my son. He unfortunately had a mom who didn't dig into the amazing depths of math in choosing how and what to teach math wise his first 6 grades. Nothing in his math career has involved problem solving, etc. I just marched forward with learning basic math and that was that. Math came so easily and naturally to him and nfortunately instead of seeing a need to push him to go deeper because of his natural bent, I did the opposite almost. But in his video games, etc. he loves problem solving, he can't eat up puzzle type games fast enough. The problem this last year is that he hasn't been learning that well with the more spoon feeding type math of Saxon. When you need to do x, do y, here is a list of basic problems to do. He is bored and breezes through it and forgets the next day. So for kicks I had him to the two example chapters from AoPS Pre-Algebra. While it took a while and struggled a bit, the struggle was more from lack of training in math puzzles than ability. He did the chapter, did well, watched the video at the end and learned more in these two chapters than we have in thirty Saxon lessons. He fell in love with it and INSISTS he wants to do AoPS Pre-Algebra. He talks about it like it is fact. I read these threads and am torn about what to do. I leave unsure if he can handle it but at the same time thrilled he is for the first time excited about math. Any advice? Should I try and use it somehow as a supplement? If so, to what? How? Or should we jump in with two feet and see how it goes? Life would be so easy if I had someone to just tell me what to do. LOL. Boring, but easy. Sometimes I hate that my sweet boy is the guinea pig for my five other kids.

To be honest I was given the Rosetta Stone. I might be doing no Spanish if I hadn't been lol. But it is working quite well as an easy introduction.

If you like it, stick with it, we all get grass is greener syndrome this time of year. It is funny though because I use TOG and one reason is that I don't WANT to have to add things like literature guides and extra writing assignments to make it deep as I would like it. What one person calls flexible the other calls light. It is personal preference. And personally I find TOG to be little to no planning. It is basically open and go for me. I never quite get where people find it labor intensive. I have a number of friends that use and love MFW all the way through high school and they are rigorous homeschool families. They love it.

My oldest is in sixth grade now. What I am doing is pushing forward with Latin (First and Second Form Latin) and being strong on that in middle school as they cement grammar and vocabulary. My two middle schoolers dabble in Spanish with Rosetta Stone to get a feel for it and then they will do a full four years of Spanish in high school. Their Latin will aid in their learning Spanish. Honestly I can't handle two languages in middle school.

I'm glad you are getting help here. Just wanted to add that you posted your question in the wrong section really on the K-8 board. The Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges is where most if not all of the 8th grade type questions are answered on the K-8 board. It's up more at the top of the forum.

The majority of those who fail the 1-hour pass the 3-hour. Now I don't know how the stats are for those who have had gestational diabetes before. GD is a different animal. Even those with normal blood sugars when not pregnant can have reoccurring GD. I hope and pray it's not that way for you. Pregnancy is SO much more fun when you don't have to deal with GD.

Algebra I in 8th grade is becoming standard these days.

I will be back to actually answer lol but if you changed the title to something asking for new hser help, help with curriculum transitioning from school, etc. might get you more responses.