Tea time jammies. With a plaid bow in my hair. Too much?:D

Where did you find the teachers guide from? I've got my dc scheduled to begin explorers-1815 in a couple of weeks, and while we did purchase the additional literature selections, I haven't figured out how I'm going to assign which-book-when throughout the course.

I also like the idea of BJU but am worried about all of the negatives that were previously expressed by some of the other Moms. I decided to start small next year and am going to have my oldest do one class from BJU using their DVD program (Life Science). I think after that, I'll be in a better position to decide if I think BJU will be a good fit for our family for more classes in the future. I have a sneaking suspiscion that I would only be drawn to one BJU class at a time, anyway, because of the amount of time each BJU lesson seems to take using the DVD option. It will be nice to "outsource" one class during our school day (and provide a refreshing change for both me and my daughter) but I think having every single class on DVD would slowly kill our love for learning.

We are CLE users here. It is thorough and gentle and I haven't found any gaps in the curriculum. I believe they have a placement test available as well. My kids love the "light units" and feel like they've accomplished something when they finish one and move on to the next one...

:lol::lol:

We're going too!! I think we're tentatively planning our trip from the 8th to the 16th... and also staying at Shades of Green!!

We are CLE users here too. Love them!!

:lurk5: I can think of quite a few recordings I would like to get my hands on. Just thought I'd give this a little bump...

:lol::lol::lol: Bwa ha ha ha

I have found that a small throw pillow to hug when coughing (to help splint the stomach) really helps with pain. Stool softener (not a laxative) helps keep the tummy moving... nothing is worse than being stopped up after abdominal surgery. Straining hurts! I'm an RN and I know some physicians can sometimes be negligent (strong words here, but in my humble opinion tylenol is not enough for pain control after an appy) when medicating for pain, especially in the pedicatric population. She's heal better and make a faster recovery if her pain is under control with a mild narcotic. She probably won't be pain free for a couple of days, your goal is comfortable enough to sleep, no tears or facial grimacing. Praying for a fast (and pain free) recovery...

We love CLE Reading here... it's so much more than reading comprehension.

I just bought the Pet Roomba from Costco a couple of months ago. It's worth its weight in gold. If it died tomorrow I would go out and buy another one. Does this help?:D

:iagree: Miss Ellie always gives the best advice.

I think you may be referring to C-diff... it's an infection in the colon caused by an overgrowth of "bad" bacteria. It's not a virus though. (I'm an RN...) Here's a link for you: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736 HTH

The Veritas Press Self Paced History actually has recommended (optional) literature that they add to each course. There are book selections for two different reading levels. Here's a link: http://reg126.imperisoft.com/ScholarsAcademy/ProgramDetail/37323732/Registration.aspx Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see the links to the different literature selections.

You've gotten some great advice and ideas, so I'll try not to repeat anything. :tongue_smilie: I just wanted to say that no matter what decision you make, it's not permanent. I don't think homeschooling as to be an all or nothing thing. There have been seasons in my family when we have homeschooled, and seasons where my children have gone to a brick and mortar school. I think there can be a lot of learning done outside of books... leave them in school if your sweet family needs a breather and it seems to be running more smoothly. Take a break, regroup and bring them back home in another year and let them concentrate on academics when they homeschool... as long as your children have a love of learning they will "get" any information they need to succeed in life. There's no right or wrong answer here... you just have to follow your heart and do what fits for your family at this moment.

Real Science for Kids (RS4K) might be a good fit for you. It was written by a lady that has a PhD in biophysical chem (I think). I've looked at it several times but am always drawn back to BJU as we prefer a Christian viewpoint with all of our studies. I do believe that RS4K presents a Christian view point but they state specifically that it can be used by secular families, so I'm not sure how the tweeking is done. Maybe someone else that's used it can chime in... You can check their webside out at: http://www.gravitaspublications.com/

I have a degree in bio-chem and am an RN... math and science are extremely important to me. We're using BJU for science all the way up... I'll have a rising 4th and 7th grader next year. I'll teach 4th myself and use the DVD option for my 7th grader (and likely every year there-after). BJU is comprehensive, thorough and rigorous... but the curriculum can still be "tweaked" to fit your family, if needed. It also meets all of the state standards, if that's important to you. There are some fabulous samples on the BJU website. It's colorful and engaging as well, but is unapologetically "Christian" in it's veiw point, in case that would be an issue for you.

I use an eclectic mix of curriculum.. Let's see... CLE 7 & 4 - Math, LA & Reading - These are really easy to plan.. it is definitely open and go and "just do the next lesson" but I go through and writie it all out in a lesson planner with the tests scheduled out. WWE4/WWS - Writing BJU 4 & 7 - Science. I'll be teaching year 4 myself and my daughter is going to use the DVD program for Life Science. There's a suggested lesson plan in the TM... I do skip most of the planned experiments and plan on having my daughter watch them on DVD. If there's one that seems especially interesting we'll order any needed lab supplies and perform the experiment at home. Social Studies - Veritas Press's online interactive history. I will also have them read the optional literature selections that go with each lesson. Bible & Spanish - I teach whatever I feel like out of the bible. Usually a topical study. And for spanish I use a combination of Visual Link and Pimsleur. None of these are hard to plan out, but I find it extremely helpful to list out assignments for the week so the kids know what will be expected of them. They'll know if they have a test on Thursday, and thus need to put in some extra study time. It's great and there are no surprises for any of us. I know some families are very successful with "just doing the next thing" but my dc would have a stroke if I did that and said, "oh yeah, you have a test today... grab your pencil."

I think it will depend on the test. I'll probably allow 2-3 minutes for each fill in the blank/matching problem and 4-5 minutes for every short answer/discussion problem. I think that would be plenty of time. BTW, I definitely agree with the student outlining the chapters and taking notes from the lectures. Very helpful.

:iagree: We will definitely be moving to Algebra I after we finish CLE7 next year... not sure if we'll use CLE's algebra or jump ship and go to Saxon... but we won't be doing CLE8. (FWIW, I did go ahead and buy CLE 810 to use this year... you can check out the scope and sequence of each light unit on line and I loved the fact that 810 covers check writing, balancing a check book, etc...)

BJU has a sale going on?? (just kidding) I jus thought I'd chime in with my 2 cents worth. I am planning on using BJU's Life Science with my 7th grader next year as well. I have definitely heard about how rigorous the course can be but after looking through the text I knew I definitely wanted to use it next year. Yes, there seems to be a lot of infomation packed into the chapters... and some of the test questions require thought. My plan is to "teach" the material as suggestion (through the DVD's with Ms Vick) but if my daughter struggles with the tests I'll make them open book with a time limit. This will hopefully help her to feel/be successful on the tests... I think there can be a lot of learning when they're looking the answers up, KWIM? Judge me if you will but at this age I'm all about open book tests for a particularly tough, rigorous course. She will have many more opportunities to work on testing/memorization skills without the book. Keep in mind this is just my plan IF she struggles with the exams... My thought is this... yes, it's a ton of information, but at this point I'm going for exposure to the material, not mastery. We'll work more on mastery when she takes biology in 9th.

Would it be possible to do all of your planning in advance? I'm a little too OCD to just open the book and do the next thing. I like to know where we are and how far we have to go at any given time in our school year. I took a week (fed the kids pop tarts for dinner), and lesson planned for the entire year next year a couple of weeks ago. (I've got a rising 7th grader and 4th grader.) It's nice because if for some reason I get sick or need to go out of town to help care for family, my DH or my parents could look in my lesson planner and know exactly what the kids need to accomplish for that particular day. It's just, I dunno, peaceful maybe??.... knowing that I have everything finished and planned out for the year.

:iagree:Very well said. It's always nice when you can inject a little humor but still put people in their place, KWIM?