From what I've read, this is geared more towards the upper elementary level. However, I'm considering using it with my youngest, who will be in 3rd grade in the fall. She's a good reader, a great writer, and generally pretty advanced academically. She wants to be a nurse and is fascinated by the human body. I'm not expecting her to memorize or even understand everything covered, and I imagine we'd go back through the book again in a few years. But if we just read through it casually and did some notebooking, do you think that would be overkill for a 3rd grader? Would it be better to wait a few years? Thanks! Jen

Thanks so much for your feedback. It sounds like I might be paying for a lot that I wouldn't use....and yet, TT still really appeals to me! I guess I was also thinking that it would be an easy spine for a simple overview of American history—kind of a framework that I could follow, adding books, projects, notebooking, pages, etc. Sigh.... So, if I *don't* use Time Travelers.....then what? I know I could pull something together on my own, but I'd rather not reinvent the wheel. We just finished MFW Exploration-1850, so I'm looking for something that would cover the Civil War, westward expansion, etc....right on through modern if possible. If not, I don't mind hanging out in the 1800s all year :). Next year will be the first time in eleven years that I'm only schooling one child (well, I'm schooling my other three, too, but they will all be working independently in the fall...) Jen homeschooling my four: dd (8th), ds (14 yrs w/CP and Asperger's syndrome), ds (6th), and dd (2nd)

I've been reading reviews of Homeschool in the Woods' Time Travelers Series all evening, and the main thing I'm hearing is that it is a LOT of prep work. I almost ruled it out....but I keep getting pulled back in to the website :). It just looks so good! I'm considering using the Early 19th Century and the Civil War series next year with my 3rd grade dd. I'd use it as her main history program with a bunch of library books thrown in. I don't want a ton of prep work, I don't want to do a bunch of cut and paste stuff, and I don't want to do any lapbooking. We do, however, love notebooking, reading, writing assignments, art projects, cooking, and "real" projects. I know that I can pick and choose and don't have to do it all....but I don't want to spend the money if I'm only going to use a small portion of the curriculum. Would Time Travelers be a good fit? I've also looked at History Pockets, but TT just looks so much richer! Thanks for your input...or any other suggestions! Jen homeschooling my four: dd (8th), ds (14 yrs w/CP and Asperger's syndrome), ds (6th), and dd (2nd)

Well, I've been researching all evening....and am surprised at R&S science. It actually might be what I'm looking for. I ruled it out years ago but several levels have been updated and are also in color now. I think I'd use the 6th grade book. Looking ahead, it's nothing I'd use long term...but it might be the perfect transition to more independent work. I'd still love to hear any other suggestions, though!

My younger son will be in 7th grade next year. He has some struggles with language and processing and sometimes it's hard to find curriculum that's a good fit for him. Notgrass ATB is perfect— full of interesting information and complete with quizzes, lesson reviews, etc. It's not too easy, and yet it's not over his head in terms of memorization and comprehension. I would LOVE to find a science that's similar. Dd used Apologia for 7th and 8th and I know for certain that won't work for him at all! He's used BJU in the past for science, but neither of us loved it. This year we're doing MFW so we're doing science as a group...but next year he needs the challenge of doing science independently. Any suggestions? I doesn't need to be overtly Christian, but it does have to align with Biblical principles :). Jen mom to dd (8th), ds (14, cerebral palsy and Asperger's syndrome), ds (6th), and dd (2nd)

My younger son will be in 7th grade next year. He has some struggles with language and processing and sometimes it's hard to find curriculum that's a good fit for him. Notgrass ATB is perfect— full of interesting information and complete with quizzes, lesson reviews, etc. It's not too easy, and yet it's not over his head in terms of memorization and comprehension. I would LOVE to find a science that's similar. Dd used Apologia for 7th and 8th and I know for certain that won't work for him at all! He's used BJU in the past for science, but neither of us loved it. This year we're doing MFW so we're doing science as a group...but next year he needs the challenge of doing science independently. Any suggestions? I doesn't need to be overtly Christian, but it does have to align with Biblical principles :). Jen mom to dd (8th), ds (14, cerebral palsy and Asperger's syndrome), ds (6th), and dd (2nd)

Thanks for all the great replies----just what I was hoping to hear. We'll stick with Lial's for algebra 1 and 2 (and maybe pre-calc, I have awhile before I need to decide!) and just figure out something different for geometry. That was the easiest math decision I've ever made! Now, what edition do I want for algebra 1? Is one better than another, or do I just get the most recent? Thanks! Jen

...then what is our next step? Specifically I'm wondering what edition of Lial's algebra I want next year. I'm also curious how far she can go with Lial's. Dd is not interested in a science/math field---she loves literature, history, and art and wants to be an art teacher. I'm thinking algebra 1 (9th), geometry (10th), and algebra 2 (11th.) Not sure about math in 12th. Could I use Lial's all the way through? Dd loves the layout and instruction of her Lial's pre-algebra. Are the other Lial's books similar in format? Or is there something similar that covers things better? I'd been looking at alternatives for 9th-12th, but realize that if it's not broken, I shouldn't try to fix it :) Thanks! Jen homeschooling my four: dd (8th), ds (14, cerebral palsy and Aspergers), ds (6th), and dd (2nd)

Thanks for the link....it looks helpful. I also found this thread to read http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/157884-biologynot-rigorous-please/?do=findComment&comment=1524216 . Dd really doesn't mind a textbook if we choose that route....but Apologia just has not been a great fit.

My 8th grade daughter did Apologia general science last year and is doing Apologia physical science this year. Let's just say that it has not been her strong suit. She loves nature, can name any wildflower or identify any bird by sight or call, and spends hours outside on our farm sketching and researching what she sees. She's normally a straight A student, but is barely passing Apologia. She is most likely college bound—she wants to be a writer and/or an art teacher. She's amazing at English, writing, art, painting, literature, etc. and that's how she spends most of her free time. She tolerates math :). In 7th she used BJU World Studies and hated it....too many dry facts, even though she loves history. It was killing her love of history. This year she needed an overview of American history and we stumbled upon Notgrass America the Beautiful. It's way too easy for her (she's on the upper end of the recommended age range), however, she has learned a lot and enjoys it. So, as I'm looking ahead to 9th grade science, I'm wondering if there is something similar to Notgrass history but for science. I need her to be prepared for college, and yet this is not a child who is going to be pursuing a math/science career. I'd love something that she could use 9th-12th, and it also needs to be Christian. Ideas? Thanks! Jen, homeschooling dd (8th), ds (14 yo w/CP and Aspergers), ds (6th), and dd (2nd)

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions. I'll have him check these out!

...that my dh could use in his special ed classroom (public school)? For years he's looked at the CLE that I use with our ds with special needs and says, "This is EXACTLY what I wish I could use with my students!" However, the district is not ok with him using it (he even offered to go through every page and white out or tear out any reference to Christianity.) He loves the simplicity and the concreteness of CLE (which is why it works so well with ds, 13, who has CP and NVLD.) Anything abstract (Singapore, MM, etc.) is NOT a fit for ds or for my dh's students. He also loves the repetition and that it's easy to teach multiple levels at once....he has 16 students in 9th-12th. They range from about a preK to 4th grade level in math. The only other drawback of CLE for him is that it's consumable...he couldn't afford to order new LUs every year. So I guess my question is: Is there is anything just like CLE except secular and non-consumable? Jen homeschooling dd (7th), ds (13, CP, NVLD, and Asperger's), ds (5th), and dd (1st) PS I laughed today and told dh I never imagined that I'd be posting a message on a homeschooling board for him. :)

Just found this post in a search. I'm curious what Lial users think, but no one ever answered. :bigear:

Thanks for the feedback. I think I do want to do CLE before jumping into Lial's Introductory Algebra. Has anyone made that the transition from CLE to Lial's? Or CLE to any other algebra 1 curriculum? I guess what I'm wondering is if CLE 7 would be adequate pre-algebra or if I should do 8 instead. Thoughts?

Without going into all of the gory details, I have a huge math crisis! Dd (7th) has done Singapore 3B-6B and I've been debating where to go next year. She really wants to do algebra in the fall, and agreed to do pre-algebra over the summer to make that happen. However, today just out of curiousity I gave her the Saxon placement test for 8/7 and Pre-alg....and she bombed it. I was shocked because she excells at Singapore. She's smart and--I thought--mathy. However, it appears that she hasn't been retaining much, and also had trouble doing problems when not presented in Singapore fashion. She's got conceptual down....it's on structure and procedure and formulas that she's really weak. So now I'm really stumped where to go from here. Thoughts: *CLE 8 (which might be a jump for her) and then Lials Introductory Algebra *CLE 7 (a better fit, probably) and then Lials Introductory Algebra (not even sure if CLE 7 alone would be enough preparation for algebra) I like the thoroughness of CLE, but don't like that I wouldn't use it for Algebra and beyond. It's just what I'm looking for, but I hate to have to switch again in a year. So I could also do: *Lials Pre-Alg and then Alg (we looked at BCM and it would be total and complete review...I think Pre-Alg would be a better fit) And a final Lial's question....is Lial's rigorous enough to use for Alg 1 and 2? I hear a lot of people using it lately, but not much about the results. I'm open to any suggestions beyond what I listed above, too (except Saxon or BJU).... Jen homeschooling dd (7th), ds (13, CP and Asperger's), ds (5th), and dd (1st)