My first two children used Math-U-See. My third child used BJU. My youngest is using Abeka.

Just wanted to say congrats!!!!!!! And welcome to the club!!! :) I've been homeschooling for 13 years and the first day of each homeschool year is still exciting!!!

I'm so glad to know it's not just me!!!! I purchased the Weaver Curriculum, once, thinking that it would be nice to have all of my children doing something together. HAH! I never even started it!! It just looked like so much work...and I'm not a "crafty person" at all. Give me good literature and textbooks any day!!

My oldest daughter is classified as a dual enrollment student because she's under age 18, taking classes at the community college and classes in our homeschool at the same time, and hasn't yet graduated from high school.

We use the CAT tests here as well. And it's the same annual testing requirement -- all the way through high school.

We started some subjects last week, but today was our first official 'full day'. My oldest starts back at the community college on Monday.

Here's a good quiz if you're looking to find out where the candidates stand regarding numerous issues (and your own personal viewpoints) http://www.votehelp.org/

I'm also still on the fence! I don't like either one of them, to be completely honest, and I also want to see who the running mates are and to be able to watch another debate -- I had a Redskins game and the Olympics on during the Saddleback church meeting, so in my house - politics lost! :D Btw....here's a great quiz if you're looking to help on making a decision between Obama and McCain: http://www.votehelp.org/

Thanks, Gwen! I called the college today and they told me that I don't have to fill out the secondary school report after all! They do want a ... mission statement ... I suppose is the best way to describe it, telling them about our homeschool structure, etc., and to make it a cover letter to a description of her textbooks used / courses taken in 9th - 12th grades and I'm hoping that will make it a little easier to write!

Usually, you apply in the fall of your senior year. One college that my oldest was looking at, Auburn University, suggests that students apply at the end of their junior year, because housing is in short supply (the earlier you apply, the more likely it is that you'll find a dorm room). So they were suggesting that my daughter apply no later than the July following her junior year, but my dd decided that she didn't want to go to school 700 miles away from home!

We had an easy week last week....this week is our official "all curriculum is on board and we're rolling" week! :) Good luck everyone!!

For those of you who've sent a son or daughter to college...I could use help with filling out the Secondary School Report! I've filled out the information section, but I don't have a clue what to write in the recommendation section!! Does anyone have any suggestions?? What sort of things did you write about? My oldest is applying to one college - her favorite in-state school. She's decided that it's the only college she truly wants to attend and, if she doesn't get in, she's just as happy to return to the community college and get her AA degree (she's about to start her 2nd year there next week) So I only have to write one, but...I've never written a recommendation letter before, especially for my own daughter! Help!!

My 6 year old daughter has autism and severe language delay. Her language skills are at a 3 year old level. My daughter is also very bright -- she just has language delays, so I completely understand where you're coming from! :) She works best with a visual curriculum. (Abeka math, for instance) She loves color and she needs to "see" what is expected of her. As far as speech at home, there is a program out there called "Straight Talk", which is basically "speech for homeschoolers". The NAATHAN support group sells it. Another suggestion, that worked for my oldest son, who also has high functioning autism, is to pick up a set of Abeka readers (you can find these used fairly inexpensively). When he was that age, I would read the readers to him and then ask him the questions at the end of each story to improve his comprehension (he struggled with answering questions). This worked very well because, being phonetic readers for 1st and 2nd graders, they were very short, simple stories that he could follow along with easily. I hope this helps!

We survived!!! My oldest dropped her British history text, but she's taking several social science classes at the community college, so that'll make up for it. My boys are happy with everything...thankfully! I had to change my 1st grader's reading program (dropped Sonlight Core 1, Alpha Phonics, and Explode the Code for Pathway Readers first grade set with workbooks -- she loves it!!) 1 week down ... 35 to go! LOL! :D

Here are our winners and losers after week 1: 12th - Winners: Visual Manna's Master Drawing Lial's College Algebra and Trigonometry Jensen's Vocabulary Apologia Marine Biology Learnables Spanish 4 (Her community college classes start on the 25th) Loser: Fraser's The Story of Britain (*snore*) 9th - Winners: Life of Fred Beginning Algebra Apologia Biology Natural Speller Learnables Spanish 1 Smarr's Introduction to Literature Cathy Johnson's Sketching and Drawing So / So (not a loser, but not a real winner either): BJU Geography 4th - Winners: Teaching Textbooks Math 5 Apologia Zoology 1 Rod & Staff English 4 Natural Speller Wordly Wise 3000 Book 2 Handwriting Without Tears Cursive Success Story of the World Volume 4 with Sonlight Core 4 How Great Thou Art's I Can Do All Things Losers: None!! Keep your fingers crossed!! :D 1st - Winners: Pathway Readers & Workbooks Abeka Math 1 Handwriting Without Tears My Printing Book Abeka Art 1 So / So (not a loser, but not a real winner either): BJU Heritage Studies 1 BJU Science 1 Losers: Alpha Phonics Explode the Code Sonlight Core 1 (My youngest has autism and listening to loooong read alouds and learning to read phonetically had her in tears!! She loves the Pathway Readers series - so far - and I'm using shorter read alouds from books that I have here at home .. when they run out, I'll hit the library!)

My children do this! I'll pull out a curriculum to use for my youngest, and they're all crowded around, saying, "I remember doing this!!!," with nostalgic looks on their faces!! :) I was reading "Charlotte's Web" to my youngest yesterday, as a matter of fact, and before I know it, the older three are all gathered around me, listening in (even my 17 year old!!)

Every child is different!! My 8 year old begged to "do school" when he was 3. We used the Rod & Staff preschool workbook set -- which was wonderful! They were inexpensive and he could sit at the table with his sister and brother and "do school". I think the pack is around $20. We read alot of books from the library (the Sonlight catalog has some great ideas if you read the lists for the preschool / Kindergarten cores) Math was his favorite. We used BJU Kindergarten math when he was 4, so he's a grade level ahead now in math. That was a great curriculum for him! I bought the workbook new (for around $15) and found the teacher's manual used (although I rarely used it). It's a very slow and gentle book -- very colorful, with Farmer Brown and Cheddar the Mouse. He really enjoyed it.

I agree with the eclectic label!! It's the one that suits me best, too!

Saxon Kindergarten math involves no writing. It's very scripted and uses manipulatives for certain things like pattern blocks and things like that. They sell a kit of manipulatives for it, or you can just pick up what you need, as you need it, at any educational / teaching supply store. Another option is to use any math curriculum you'd like and you would do the writing (just have your child answer the questions). I did this with my oldest son, as he didn't like to write at all....he still doesn't, and he's 14! I'm using Abeka math for my 1st grader, as she's VERY visual and loves color. She used it for Kindergarten as well. I couldn't use Saxon Kindergarten math with her, even though I own it, because, with her language delays, she couldn't follow along with a scripted, oral math lesson. (Btw...if you're interested in purchasing a never-used Saxon Kindergarten math kit, send me a private message! The kit includes the meeting book and teacher's manual -- I don't have the manipulatives though! Honestly, she's my youngest child... she's already in 1st grade...I would never use it...and I'm willing to sell it cheap, especially to someone who would give it a good home! :D)

Natural Speller helped him tremendously!!!! It really did. The lists are broken down by phonetic or spelling rule, so he learns to understand why certain words are spelled as they are. With other spelling programs, it was just lists of unrelated words...and that made no sense to him. Also, the lists are fairly short, so it helps him to pay attention!

Everything is working out great for my boys!! I haven't dropped anything on their lists. My oldest (12th) dropped Fraser's The Story of Britain (British History). She said it was completely boring. She's taking Psychology and Sociology at the community college (after taking US History there last year), so she's not going to study anything history-related at home. For my 1st grader, I dropped Alpha Phonics and Explode the Code for Pathway's 1st Grade Readers -- boy, does she love it!!! (She went to public school for Kindergarten and they taught her sight reading, so she can already read many of the words in the First Steps book. She has special needs and trying to teach her how to read phonetically had her in tears ... she's thrilled with Pathway!) So far, so good!!!

Sure! For my 4th grader, I use the 4th grade lists. Most of them are fairly short. I give a spelling quiz on the 1st list and, if he doesn't miss any, then we go to the next list on the 2nd day, for example. If he misses a word, then I have him write it down properly and then add that word to the next day's list. (He's usually finished with each grade by December / January. Then, of course, there's correcting spelling in his grammar and writing assignments, etc.) My 9th grader started using Natural Speller in 6th grade and he was a terrible speller! He started with the 2nd grade list and did 2 grades each year. So in 6th, he did the 2nd and 3rd grade lists; in 7th, he did the 4th and 5th grade lists; in 8th, he did the 6th and 7th grade lists; and this year, in 9th, he's doing the last list - the 8th grade. I used the same plan as I listed above for my 4th grader: 1 list a day, with any missed words written down correctly and added to the next day's list, and then correcting any misspelled words in his regular assignments.

My youngest daughter!! She has autism and severe language delays -- so I can't have a conversation with her, as most folks can with their 6 year olds. I would love to know what she's thinking about!!

I've used Natural Speller for 3 years now (going on 4!) and it's wonderful!! It was the first spelling book / program that worked for my oldest son. I highly recommend it!

We love Apologia science here! My oldest (12th grade) is doing Marine Biology (after having used Apologia from General Science through Physics). My second (9th grade) is doing Biology (after having used Apologia Physical Science last year) My third (4th grade) is doing Zoology 1 (which is the flying creatures text). He used the Astronomy text last year and really loved it! He can't wait for next year, Zoology 2, which is swimming creatures. I think they're wonderful books!!!