I am considering putting my ds (11th gr) in an online writing class. I have looked at Time 4 Writing & Lantern English. I would love to hear from you if you've used either of these or others that you would recommend, what did you like or not like, how much time was involved. They are expensive classes and I want to figure out what would be best for him. He can write papers ok, but he sticks to the basics, he needs to learn to be more descriptive, etc. He also struggles with properly citing, and even just having a good system/method for working through the process. Writing is my weakest area, so I thought maybe an online class with grading would be the way to go. I am wanting something that teaches, not just gives assignments and grading. So, I would love to hear your experiences and recommendations. Thanks so much!

Hi ladies, I have been doing a lot of research lately on Bravewriter. I have TWJ (the older version) & am working my way through it, and it really connects with me. I have decided to go with this but am having trouble figuring out what I should be getting. I have 6 kids in grades 1st, 4th, 7th, 9th,10th, & 11th. I plan to use the Help for Highschool for the 3 oldest. I know some people just use TWJ but I really need a plan to follow, I want something that will lay out the copywork & dictation & tell me what all to point out in it (i.e. spelling, punctuation, literary elements, etc). So I'm thinking The Arrow & Partnership Writing for my 4th & 7th graders. My 7th grade ds is a very reluctant writer so I thought maybe this would be ok for him too. My confusion is in what to do with my 1st grade ds. When I look at the samples of The Wand & Jot it Down, I'm having trouble understanding what is in what. The Wand says it has copywork & dictation but the sample shows mostly phonics. I don't really need a lot of phonics because we are also going through Logic of English. I did read somewhere on a forum that the sample doesn't show well what The Wand really is. So, I don't know whether to get it or not. Jot it Down also mentions languages arts, so do they overlap? So could someone clarify for me what is the difference between The Wand & Jot it Down, and is it really worth spending that money for that age or do I just wait to start with him until next yr. Hope that makes sense. Thanks!

The co-op is using Conceptual Physics so he only needed Alg. 1 for that. I understand what you are saying & we may be better off just doing Biology this year instead of trying to stay with the same schedule as the co-op even though it would mess it up for other years too. If we do decide to try to stay on that schedule, does anyone have any other good suggestions for me other than Apologia? We did Apologia General & Physical Science & he did not like them at all.

He has completed Algebra 1.

Hi ladies, I was planning on my ds taking Physics at the local co-op & just found out that the class is full, so I'm trying to figure out my options. Our plan was to do things out of the normal order due to when they were offering classes. So, it was going to be Physics in 10th, Biology in 11th & Chemistry in 12th. I have never taken Physics or Chemistry so now I'm trying to decide if I figure out a way to do Physics this year at home so we can stay with the plan in the future or just go a totally different route. If I do Physics at home what are you suggestions for curriculum that would be possible to get through without any knowledge on my part? Also if I don't stick to the our first plan I also need suggestions for Chemistry. What about doing labs for these at home? Ds will probably go on to college or a tech school, some of his interest include mechanics (not engineering). He does not enjoy science & is an average student but easily overwhelmed. Thanks for your help!

I am needing a vocabulary program for my 8th, 9th & 10th graders. We have never done vocab or studied latin. They are all voracious readers but 10th gr. ds especially needs some specific study on this. I am wanting something that includes latin & greek roots, and prefixes & suffixes. It needs to be something pretty independent, with built in review, & not to dry if possible. I have been considering Vocabulary for the High School Student and Vocabulary from Classical Roots. I also keep seeing people mention Caesar's English which I don't know anything about, but am now curious.:) Any advice or suggestions would be wonderful! :001_smile: Thank you!

Thank you so much, that was very helpful! I think I will go ahead and get it.:001_smile:

I am trying to decide if I want to get the AG dvd's. What I am wondering is if my 7th & 8th graders could do AG independently if they have the dvd's. I have 3 younger dc that I need to be spending more time with & am looking for ways to get my older ones more independent. But, if it doesn't really make it independent than I don't want to spend the extra money. I have never used AG before so if it actually doesn't take much time to teach it myself I'd like to know that too as my budget is tight this year & I don't really want to spend for the dvd's if it's not going to make much difference. Thanks for your help!

My ds (14) would forget lots of things. I couldn't tell him a list of things to do, he would forget steps when playing a game, steps in Math processes, etc. When getting ready to go to camp I had to say "go get 5 shirts"(very specific, single step instructions), he would head to his room & sometimes still come back wondering what it was he was supposed to get. Last year at our homeschool convention we felt prompted to sit in a workshop by a company called LearningRX. As they talked spoke, what they were describing fit my son. We decided to try it. They test cognitive skills, and he was very low in the area of executive processing skills, which includes working memory, attention, & processing speed. They set up brain training exercises specific to each persons needs. Then you work with a trainer and do exercises at home, for 12 weeks. He made very noticeable progress. It was a huge help! It was an extremely intense program for both of us, but so worth it. I too was very against giving him a label, and they really stressed to him and us that while weak cognitive skills are a learning disability, they are not an intelligence indicator. I like how Dianne Craft puts it, she says they are "smart kids with a learning glitch". Diane

Thank you ladies, you've been very helpful!!

So we would be ok with not doing General Science and just doing Physical Science (if we go with Apologia)?

I have a son going into 8th grade & am trying to lay out a highschool plan. I need some recommendations for hs science curriculum. I know about Apologia, but want to know what else is a good option. He has not had much formal science, so suggestions on what would be good for this next year to lead into hs courses would be great also. I am looking for a creation based program. I am not a sciency person, so it needs to be fairly independent. He is considering a possible career in aviation. Thanks for your help!

Thank you so much ladies, this is all very helpful! Julie thanks for that detailed explaination.

Another question I have is about Foerester.... I only did a really quick search so if I look further I'm sure I'd find the answer but, is there a teacher's manual & answer key? And, being a not so mathy mom, would I have a hard time teaching this? Thanks

Thanks for all your help and advice. I will look into some of those you listed. Julie, could you compare the Math Relief to something else for me. Is it a rigourous program? Anything else you can tell me about this program & your experience with it would be helpful! Thanks!