I'm using Chalkdust for my 14yo and what I did is I took the small TV that we used to have in our bedroom (I hardly ever watched it) and put it in my living room. I bought a DVD player for $35 at Wal-Mart and set him up in there, because it's the quietest room in the house! I forgot to add about the Chalkdust. My son doesn't watch the DVD every day. Most of the lessons take two days to complete. He'll watch the DVD and then do half of the problems. He'll then do the other half the next day, but he doesn't watch the DVD lesson again. Some lessons are short (around 40-50 problems, especially the reviews and tests), but many of the lessons have 150 problems -- so I'll divide them in half and then split the remaining 70-75 problems over a two-day period. My 9yo is using TT Math, and that's on the computer, and my 7yo plays computer games in her free time, so the computer is sort of 'juggled' between the children. I give each child a list of school assignments and I try to split it up -- if I'm working one-on-one with one child, the other ones are doing independent work. My 7yo can only do math and handwriting without me. My 9yo can do everything on his own, except for science...and my 14yo does everything on his own. I can completely relate to the therapy demands!! I take my 7yo to speech and occupational therapy twice a week. The only other suggestion that could make is to possibly drop TOG. My children use Sonlight. My 14yo reads everything himself, even the read alouds. My 9yo reads everything but the read alouds, and we read those whenever the schedule allows -- sometimes, it's at bedtime. The same thing happens with my 7yo, but she isn't reading independently yet (I've shelved the reading program in Core 1 and we just do the read alouds -- she uses Sing Spell Read and Write for phonics). I hope this helps a little -- and that you receive lots of advice!! Good luck!

I didn't know...but my 14yo son did! He loves politics and knows lots of presidential trivia!

I used Abeka for my oldest, as she was a very visual learner. The charts and little sound cards worked very well for her. I used Alphaphonics for my second child, as he has special needs and he couldn't "hear" the difference between the short vowel sounds and Alphaphonics uses a word ladder approach (ball, call, hall, tall, wall, etc.) For my two youngest children, I've used Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. It worked very well for my 3rd child, who picks up things very quickly, and it's working wonderfully for my youngest child, who also has special needs, because she loves the songs and games.

This looks awesome!! I just ordered it to use with my boys next year (they're both going to be studying world history) Incredible!! :D

My youngest son LOVES TT Math 5!!! And he does it independently. He listens to the lectures and types all of his answers into the computer when prompted. He just loves it and he's looking forward to TT Math 6 in the fall!

This was the case with my oldest dd -- she's been taking classes at the community college for the last 5 semesters. I didn't mind driving her, at first, but as she begins to take more and more classes, driving her became more inconvenient (it's a 45-minute trip, one way). This is the first semester she's able to drive herself and it's helped our family tremendously!! I'm actually sticking to my homeschool schedule! :blushing: Our oldest son will be old enough for his learner's permit in November, but he has no desire to drive, and he doesn't plan on attending the community college until after he graduates from homeschool (so not for another 3 1/2 years), so we plan on having him get his learner's permit next year, but keeping that until he turns 18 and actually needs to drive.

My oldest will be graduating this spring also. There's a large homeschool group about 40 minutes away from us and we plan on participating in their graduation ceremony. I believe there are around 15 seniors, so it will be small, but it will be an actual ceremony, with a reception afterward. My family and the dh's family are planning on attending. Then, my MIL and 2 of my SIL's are going on a cruise to the Caribbean in late June and they're taking my daughter as a graduation present!! So I'm sure she's going to have a wonderful time.

There's nothing wrong with waiting!! My oldest dd got her learner's permit at 15 years 6 months, which is the age you're allowed to receive it in Virginia...and she drove maybe once a week with her dad or me when she first started driving...and then worked her way up from there. She really wasn't in a hurry and she wanted to make sure that she really knew what she was doing!! She just received her license about 3 weeks ago (she's 17 and 8 months). We can tell that having a learner's permit for over two years has made her a very responsible driver.

May 28th is our last day ... then we have a week of standardized testing to do and submit to the state. Then our oldest graduates from homeschooling!! We'll start up again on August 31st. I've already typed up my curriculum ideas list for next year and, for the first time in 14 years, my oldest daughter isn't on it. :crying: It's all good...just rather bittersweet!

My youngest daughter has autism and she'll turn 7 next week. She's just about to complete DK Math Made Easy Kindergarten (she loves the full color, and it's Dora the Explorer, so it's a hit here!) and then she'll move into the 1st Grade book with Diego. $10 each on Amazon.com. She's also using Singapore Earlybird math and I love it because it helps with her problem solving, which is great, but it does move very quickly. I would say that I use Singapore as a supplement to the DK Math book. My oldest son also has autism and he used Math-U-See from the Introduction level through Advanced (using the Classic curriculum) and he's now using Chalkdust Prealgebra, which also has a DVD instructor. MUS worked well with him during the elementary and middle school grades, but then it began moving too quickly and we switched. One more manipulative-based program that might work for your student is Shiller Math. I attended a demonstration at a homeschool convention last year and it looked *wonderful*, but my dd doesn't care for manipulatives. She's more visual than hands-on. Shiller Math is a program where you order set 1 (which contains 3 workbooks) and then set 2 (which contains 3 workbooks). They work through it at their own pace and then they're ready for an Algebra-level curriculum of your choice.

I've had to put aside thoughts of 'grade levels' when it comes to my oldest son and focus on content. He'll be entering the 10th grade in the fall and here's what's on his agenda: Sonlight Core Alt 7 -- I chose this because he needed a world history program and this will cover basic world history, using A Child's History of the World and the Genevieve Foster books. The reading level will be just right for him. He couldn't handle high school level literature and history texts, but this will get the job done. Phonetic Zoo Spelling Level A -- my son has dyslexia and spelling is torture for him. He's plodding through this program and doing well with it, but his 9yo brother has already passed him. IEW Student Writing Intensive Level B -- again, he's already been passed by his younger brother, but this is the first writing program that has worked for him and he's pleased with it. Biology w/ Milliken Kingdom of Life Guides -- my son needs to take Biology, but every text I've seen is a 500+ page tome and that's just NOT going to work for him! His reading level just couldn't keep up. This is a series of 5 workbooks that cover each of the 5 Kingdoms in Biology. It should do the job nicely and he'll be taking Biology at the community college, some time in the future, when he's finished his studies at home. This will be sort of an 'introductory course' for him. Chalkdust Algebra I -- Chalkdust is working very well for my son because this series has a DVD lesson for every chapter with an instructor. The DVD person will repeat every lesson, a thousand times, if my son needs him to do so without complaint and it's working for him. Is it "where he should be in 10th grade?" No, but it's where my *son* should be in 10th grade! Visual Manna's Master Drawing -- ahhh! My son's best subject is art! It's "his thing" and he loves it. So the long and the short of it is that I ask myself, "What subjects do I need to cover? What learning style / approach does he need? What course will do the job, no matter what 'grade' it might be?" I hope this helps a little!!

I'll offer my $.02 since I was just taking a ride in this boat recently!!! I would say that it depends on the type of student you have -- and they're all different!! My oldest dd uses Teaching Textbooks. She loves the computer, so it's easier for her to pop a CD in when she's stuck on a problem than to come to us for help or watch a DVD lesson (she doesn't care much for television). She's used all the levels, from Prealgebra on up -- she's currently working her way through the Precalculus text now. Does she love it? No. But, she doesn't enjoy math. (She's my history / literature gal) Does it do the job? Yes. My oldest son, however, doesn't like Teaching Textbooks. He trudged his way through the Prealgebra book last year, but retained very, very little. As soon as he popped the CD into the computer, his brain went to lunch. So I knew that I needed something else, but I wasn't sure what. I was reluctant to purchase another curriculum, when I already owned all the TT upper level texts, but I knew that TT just wasn't working for him. Then, someone posted some ISBN numbers on the K-8 Curriculum board for Chalkdust and I was able to purchase the entire Prealgebra curriculum, used, on Amazon.com for $85, and I thought, "Why not?" WOW! Does he love it! I've had the books for less than a week and he's almost finished with the first chapter. He LOVES Dr. Moseley. He's definitely a visual learner and he retains a great deal from every lesson. So we're sold on Chalkdust and he'll be able to move into the Algebra I book next year. (It's not pace I would recommend for most college students, because he'll be in the 10th grade and just starting Algebra I, but my son has autism and dyslexia. He's planning on attending the community college after completing his high school studies, so he only needs math through Algebra II. Algebra I in 10th, Geometry in 11th, and Algebra II in 12th will satisfy this requirement). And, just as an aside, my 4th grader also watches the Chalkdust DVDs! He's not ready to leave Teaching Textbooks, however, and he wants to use TT Math 6 for next year, but he's already said that he wants to use Chalkdust, too, when he's ready for Prealgebra. I would see if you can order samples -- I know there's a free CD you can order for Chalkdust. Maybe list some pros and cons and present them to your student(s). See which one they would prefer.

:lol:

Here's ours!! Sonlight Core 5 Readers Handwriting Without Tears Can Do Cursive Fix It Grammar Phonetic Zoo Spelling Level A IEW Student Writing Intensive Level B

Their hand-held games are only allowed to be used in the car or in waiting rooms! My 9yo plays his at Tae Kwon Do while he's waiting for his sister's class to finish. They also come in very handy around here because we live 30 minutes away from the nearest 'town', so a drive to Wal-Mart can take an hour, round-trip. Their system games may only be played after school and chores are completed. I don't have a time-limit on them. It hasn't really been a problem here. My children don't watch much television, if any. My youngest might watch an hour per day of Noggin. She also plays about an hour a day of computer games, but she doesn't play video games, so it's a trade-off. :)

Thanks so much!!! I've bookmarked several of the sites and I'll be doing a lot of downloading and reading!!! This is excellent! :D

I'm trying to find something for my youngest son to use for history next year. He'll be in the 5th grade. His reading, spelling, and writing abilities are at a 5th to 6th grade level, so something in the upper elementary range would be perfect for him. We used SOTW Volumes 1 through 4 from 1st through 4th grades, so he could use anything this coming year (either more study in American history or back to the ancients / middle ages in World history). I definitely need something secular, or something that could easily be modified. I've considered Sonlight Core 5, but the price tag is just :blink: -- not possible! Thanks in advance!!

Not my husband, but.... my 9yo son's best friend's dad is a land surveyor here in Virginia and he was laid off in November. He's been working odd jobs for friends and neighbors and delivering pizza to pay his bills and support his family. It's not looking good out there. :(

My 17yo begins her 5th semester at the community college tomorrow!! Her first class isn't until 12:30 though!! (She's NOT a morning person! LOL!) She'll also be waiting by the mailbox, as her first choice college is mailing out their decision letters today!!! Keep your fingers crossed!!! :D

I'm currently working through IEW TWSS/SWI-B with my two boys. I followed the directions on the IEW website and 'shot for the middle' in choosing Level B! We should complete the program by the end of this school year. Now I'm wondering where to go from here! I'm planning on using SWIC-B for my youngest son, who'll be in 5th grade next year (he's working on a 6th grade level, academically). So that's fine! My oldest son, however, will be in 10th grade. He has special needs and language arts is his weak area, but he's continually improving! Could I also use SWIC-B for him? Or should I purchase the SWIC-C for him? Can I do the Level C continuation course if I've used Level B for the 'regular course'? Or should I purchase the High School Essay Intensive or the Elegant Essay for him to use next year instead of one of the continuation courses? Or would it be better to just buy SWI-Level C for him? I definitely want him to be able to write a college-level essay, as he's planning on attending college within the next few years (most likely at the community college level). Thanks in advance!!

How exciting!!!!!! My oldest has really enjoyed taking classes at the cc!! We were both anxious as she prepared for her first semester! Now, she'll be starting her 5th semester on Tuesday and we both feel as if we're seasoned professionals! ;) Best of luck to you and your cc student! :)

13 years! .... only 11 more to go! :lol:

I agree! My 9yo went from BJU Math 3 to TT Math 5 without a problem this school year! He LOVES it!!!

I changed language arts!! I switched my 6yo's phonics workbooks from ETC (black and white) to MCP (color)...so far so good! And I'm in the process of ordering IEW for my boys. I've always wanted it, but haven't wanted to cough up the $$$, but desperate times call for desperate measures! ;) My 9yo was using LLATL Orange and my 14yo was using the Jensen's English series, but it's just not working. So, no, you're not alone!

I also have a 12th grader. I record grades for each semester. In fact, her mid-year transcript (with her fall semester grades) should be reaching her 1st choice college today -- and she should hear if she was accepted early action within the next two weeks!!!!