Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to write.

Has anyone used the Saxon Grammar and Writing program? What do you think? Does it compare to Rod and Staff? Thanks!! :confused:

I would recommend buying the DIVE cd's, if your mom doesn't feel like she can teach the material. I love math, so I am happy to re-learn these concepts, but I totally understand that other people either don't love math enough ;) or just plain don't have time! In subjects that I am not strong in, I purchase materials to assist me in teaching. I have not personally used these cds, but friends have recommended them.

My children have used Saxon since the beginning with no issues, and they are all strong math students. My 9th grader took Algebra 1 last year and will do Algebra II this year. I have found that listening to everyone's input (especially since those that strongly dislike Saxon are very vocal) was very stressful to me. SO, I called up Saxon Publishers and ended up talking with a Dr. Phillips. He explained to me that Alg. 1 has 30% of a geometry course, Alg. II has another 30%, and Advanced Math has the last 40% of a geometry course. If you follow these classes in order, then there is no reason to complete another geometry course. Also, Saxon is set up spirally. There is constant, daily practice (just like you would do if you were learning to play the piano) with each concept learned, so you never leave one topic behind to learn another. Dr. Philips also assured me that those students who faithfully complete Saxon as written (ie. not skipping lots of problems) do very well on standardized testing (SAT, ACT). I would encourage you to call Saxon Publishers yourself, or have your mom call, so you can feel encouraged about what you are studying. I do know several families that have used only Saxon and their kids went on to do well in college. I also posted a thread a while ago with this question and got many favorable responses from those who had used Saxon.

So, where can I get a list explaining what all the acronyms that you guys are throwing around mean??!! HOD, etc......

What did you do for high school?

Skip it -- she already knows the right way! I love when my younger kids have learned from their older siblings! Enjoy!

You can test your own children with the Iowa if you have a college degree. You need to have a valid teaching certificate to administer the Stanford. Just fyi!

I want to share with as many people as possible the situation at my house this school year. Despite high standardized test scores, my 11, and 9 yr. old boys were struggling with spelling and handwriting, and complaining every time I asked them to do work in these subjects. Plus, my 9 yr. old was really bright, but didn't want to read anything more difficult than Magic Tree House! In addition, my 6 yr. old daughter took TWO years to learn how to read, but was excelling in math. Both the 9 and 6 yr. olds did a lot of letter/number reversals (ie. 97 for 79, and d for b's). I thought this might all be due to their having different strengths and weaknesses, but was concerned enough that I took the 9 yr. old to a reading specialist. Turns out all three have vision problems. NOT visual acuity, they have perfect vision. But they have focusing, converging and diverging problems. I did about 3 months of vision therapy with the boys, and both have stopped complaining about school, reversing numbers, and, in addition, have vastly improved their handwriting! My daughter is now doing therapy. Please, if you have mother's intuition that there is something wrong with your child, but can't figure out what, look into sensory-motor testing. (My pediatrician told me to just get them to slow down and work more carefully!). This testing is done by a pediatric optometrist. Some things to watch for: dislike of close work, short attention span for age, lack of reading fluency, poor handwriting, turning or tilting head, closing or covering one eye, placing head close to book, excessive blinking or rubbing of eyes, losing place while reading or using marker to guide eyes, trouble finishing written, timed assignments, difficulty remembering what is read, omitting, repeating, or miscalling words or confusing similar words, persistent reversals after 2nd grade, difficulty with sequential concepts, poor eye-hand coordination, blurring vision, double vision. These can be caused by neuro-muscular problems, not neurological, and can be easily fixed!! They are also hereditary. Thanks for letting me share!

Yes, but I haven't looked at the CD much. Do you recommend using it?

I'd love to hear opinions on Omnibus I - the material, the books, etc. Thanks!:confused:

Thanks, everyone, for your help! I will have to check out the GB listing for more information on how many books you guys are reading during a school year! We do have a well-stocked library...I guess I just need to read from it more! :001_smile:

That is what I have been doing, but my kids' reading is very diverse now because of their ages, so I am having trouble continuing with that. Wow, I think that was a terrible run-on sentence, sorry! Thanks for the encouragement to do what works for my school! :001_smile:

You background is a blessing! Since I majored in Engineering, I did not take even ONE English course in college! I am thankful for good high school teachers, but it just isn't enough! :tongue_smilie: Thanks for the advice.

Mich elle, About how many books is your child reading each school year? Or do you have a set number of days/weeks for each book? Thanks!

I admire your self-discipline! Thanks for encouraging me to use my "free" time wisely! :001_smile:

I am using Omnibus this year, but only for Lit. Do you have comments on the curriculum, as I see you aren't using it this year? Thanks!

I am very impressed. About how many books is each child reading in one school year? Thanks!

Thanks for the hilarious post! It's nice to see that your kids are "flexible" with you! ha ha ha

I would also add that a friend of mine started her 9th grader in OI doing all the recommended material. It was VERY time consuming and discouraging. SHE was even spending 1.5 hrs. per day to get the reading done. Now they just pick a few essays and questions instead of trying to do it all - and the whole household is happier! Not much worse than a surly 14 yr. old boy! :)

I am doing Omnibus I with my eighth grader - only as literature. It is a very involved, and dare I say, difficult course. I was worried about starting late, since Omnibus I is for seventh grade, but I am not disappointed at all. The books are challenging, even for my great reader. I haven't followed VP from the beginning, if I had, maybe I'd feel differently. Also, I haven't seen the higher level books, but I am assuming they get more difficult. It might be challenging for your seventh grader to work so far ahead. Good Luck!! :001_smile:

Does everyone read all the literature/history books that their kids read? If not, how do you check for comprehension? If yes, how do you find the time?? :confused:

I don't use SL or TOG (I do own one year, but it was very overwhelming...just too much information formatted in a way I felt wouldn't be fully utilized without a co-op.), but I am using Omnibus I for my eighth grader this year. We are just using it for literature, not history, and have to say that the book summaries are excellent! My opinion is that it would be virtually impossible to do ALL that is recommended in the Omnibus book. (One friend tried this with her 9th grader and both ended up very discouraged. Now she does the readings, but only selected study questions and essays, and things are going much better for them!) We are using MOH II for history, but reading from ancient history because a friend recommended selecting literature books from what was covered in history the previous year. This is really working out for us! By the way, all students referenced are boys. :D

...and how's that working for you? I would think that physics would be a lot harder than physical science.

I really appreciate all the insight you have passed along!