What about a Lewis and Clark book? Laurence Pringle, Dog of Discovery (gr. 3-6, 32 pages), Laurie Myers, Lewis and Clark and Me (gr. 3-6, 64 pages), or Patricia Eubank, Seaman's Journal (grades k-3, 40 pages) are about the Lewis's Newfoundland dog, and include their journey by canoe to the ocean.

I think maybe we graze from a similar book niche. I like to read SF, and also like Georgette Heyer. For science fiction, have you read Lois McMaster Bujold yet? Her Vorkosigan books begin with Shards of Honor. For space opera, have you tried David Weber's Honor Harrington series? It begins with On Basilisk Station. For outright comedy, Terry Prachett's Going Postal or more old school, the short stories in PG Wodehouse, A Wodehouse Bestiary. These are some of my favorites that I can read over and over.

We're running behind everyone, but my dd just did lesson 2-8 today. She missed page 74 numbers 41-46 (the ones with variables too) because she didn't correctly interpret the instruction. When I said, they mean rewrite it as a fraction, like all the class exercises we just did, she got it. Hopefully your dd reached a similar epiphany as you moved on.

My favorite Indian place Siri Indian Cuisine http://www.siriindianportland.com/. Loads of gf options. Happy birthday!

I have sticker shock. My older dd just started public high school. They asked for a donation for every single class (ranging from $35 for English to $200 for Guitar, where you also have to pay $95 to rent an instrument if you don't have one), then for $500 per kid on top of the other donations, and then for a donation to the Friends of School foundation. The up front costs including one sport were $1,200.

Sorry - I am abit clueless about posting links. Try http://www dot diva-portal dot org/smash/get/diva2:4652/fulltext01 replacing the dots.

Would this article help? http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:4652/fulltext01 It's on archetypes in the Hobbit, and is fairly short, with a concise discussion of Jung.

I have used Cover Story with both my girls. It was a good fit for my older dd in 7th grade. She was a get-it-done student and not working well for me, so out-sourcing to dvd lessons and a workbook worked well. She enjoyed the creativity of making her own magazine. I thought the variety of assignment types and the level of output required prepared her well for returning to public school the following year. Dd12 used it this year at the end of 6th grade - we started in March and stopped for summer about a third of the way in. She loves creative writing and is finding the assignments too confining. We will do NaNoWriMo this coming fall, and maybe return to Cover Story in the Spring if dd12 wants to finish it. So although dd12 didn't really respond Cover Story like her sister, I am a big fan of this curriculum. Mr S is a very engaging teacher and the lessons seemed really on target for 7th grade. What does your dd think? Can you get your hands on a copy and show it to her?

We have used Logic stage Biology and Earth Science, and will use Physics this year. I really like how much is done for me as a non-sciency teacher. Having the schedule, the teacher book, the kits, and the teaching in the student book is a big help here for getting science done. What we struggle with in the program is using an encyclopedia as the primary reading. Dd 12, in particular, does not like getting her information from a DK type book. She finds the pages both too terse and too busy, too many little disconnected paragraphs. For physics I am adding the Holt Science and Technology Physics textbook as reading to help with this. Our experience has been mixed. I used Logic Biology with a 5th and a 3rd grader. We had the encyclopedia problem and it was hard for the 3rd grader (even using the recommended lower level encyclopedia), but it was a good solid program. I tried other programs but I switched to Logic Earth science last year for my 6th grader when my homemade earth science using Geology of the Pacific Northwest wasn't cutting it. Earth Science went well; I liked the coverage, the retention, and how well it was all laid out for me.

I do think RSO Chem is light for 5th grade, to be honest, but secular, non-textbook science is so hard to find in my experience. It would be great if Pandia Press had more logic stage programs out. At the moment, it's just Biology, which I have sitting on my shelf and my rising 7th grader refuses to try. She wants physics...I am dithering over Elemental Science... But back to 5th grade Chemistry - one option might be to add something like Ellen McHenry The Elements to RSO Chem or Nancy Larson. Dd 12 is enjoying The Elements this summer. I think it would be very accessible for a 5th grader.

Maybe check out feminist science fiction? The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri Tepper features a post-apocalypse matriarchal society.

We loved RSO Chemistry when my dds were 2nd and 4th. We did it twice a week; each lesson took less than 30 minutes. I read aloud the page introducing the concept, we did the experiment/demonstration, and the girls filled in the worksheet - usually a few words or simple drawings. I did find it pretty open and go - maybe because I had the kit. You do need to be on top of materials needed for the experiments. I was going to say that it might be light for your 5th grader, but dd14 just said that she found it really helpful on her science standardized testing this year (8th) in school, as she remembered from RSO how to read the periodic table.

:grouphug: I love his very intellectual picture in your avatar. I always picture him typing out your very helpful posts. I have just been really appreciating your great advice in the Book list for a rising 7th grader thread, as I work on dd 12's literature plan for this coming year. Thank you!

I've been looking at historical fiction on the Salem witch trials too for dd 12. I chose Ann Rinaldi, A Break with Charity (320 pages) but I see it has a reading level of 6.9. Of the five you list, I would recommend I Walk in Dread (Dear America). Dd 12 read about half a dozen Dear America books at 10 years old for a co-op class, and we'll be reading more this year as we dig into American history. The series works well for a fifth grade reading level, I think.

I think it's true that's it easier to go in at 6th grade when everybody's new than later. My dd 14 went back for 8th and found it hard to break in socially. My questions would be what's your transportation plan? Will you have two separate drop-offs and pick-ups? How do the two schools' calendars line up? And looking forward, if you went with the private school and stayed for high school, how small are the classes? Do they have many electives? What about sports? Just more things to ponder.

Agreeing with fourisenough that it sounds like you're doing well. But if you'd like to do more, maybe for literature and vocab you could look at Lightning Literature. We used LL7 in 7th for my older dd, who tended to work slowly. The books and short stories are commonly studied so it was easy for me to google literature guides like sparknotes to have an understanding of the themes for discussions. The workbook had comprehension questions and vocabulary for dd to do independently. It was very doable; a great introduction to the study of literature. I found it very open-and-go. I totally get worrying that you're not doing enough. I tend to worry too. It really helped me this past year to see what my older dd did in public school for 8th grade. She's in the "good" middle school for our large metro district, as it happens. They read one book per quarter as a class, (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, Lord of the Flies, To Kill A Mockingbird, and The Help) for which they did comprehension questions, and then did a project: one poster, one etching, and two scrapbook pages. They also read three books of their choice per quarter from each of 12 different types (eg historical, other culture, dystopia) and did one project per quarter on one of the books. Dd wrote two poems, did one scrapbook page, and did one bigger assignment where they had to identify 10 different uses of figurative language with examples from that quarter's chosen book. That and periodic creative writing was their entire language arts - vocab was taught as part of history. I think you're already doing much more in the way of output than dd's class did through WWS.

I've used alot of the same materials as Silvermoon. I used Wordsmith Apprentice with my creative writer in the summer between 4th and 5th grade. She whizzed through it in 8 weeks. It is a great concept. It's a slim workbook, all written to the student, if I recall correctly. I agree with Silvermoon that you would finish it quickly and could go on the Wordsmith if Wordsmith Apprentice had gone well. Perhaps take a look at Cover Story. It's a one year middle school course. I'm currently using it with my 6th grader, and this second time around still really appreciating how engaging and specific the lessons are. All the instruction is in the dvds and student workbook, and everything is broken down into bite sized chunks for the student, which makes it very doable. You end up with a cool keepsake of the year's writing in the magazine they create, filled with examples of different types of writing. Previously, my then unmotivated 7th grader used it and liked it. Cover Story was good preparation for 8th grade public school writing, because she did the same sorts of writing (mix of poems, letters, essays and creative projects) at a good level.

:iagree: Story of the World Vol 4 is 42 chapters. I would have her read a chapter 4 days a week, and she'll have been exposed to the main topics of modern history in ten and a half weeks. You can then plan an amazing ancient history year for 9th.

Dd 12, who loves dark fantasy and myth, strongly recommends the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.

My dds would strenuously disagree. I may happen to be an ex-pat Kiwi, and my resulting vowel sounds have rendered many a spelling lesson deeply challenging for my hapless American daughters. Me: "Worr-terr." Dd: "Mom, can you say it in American?" Me: "um, wah-tah?" Dd: "How many "r"s?"

I think "Bl***y ***l" is Ron's signature phrase. Favorite Brit word in our house at the moment is "jolly", as in the "the jolly dog has done it again."

Me: Oh, shoot. Dd12: You can't use that word. Me: It's a replacement word, not an actual bad word. Dd12: It's a bad word here in England. Me: Dd, where do you live? I think I might have assigned too much British literature... for the record, we live in America.

I am wondering if there is a schedule available yet? Also, what age range will the talks be targeted at? I am interested in attending, but not if the talks will mostly be focused on homeschooling elementary.

You have a lot on your plate. I wonder if you have considered some version of brick and mortar school for your ds? I had a strong-willed, not very motivated 7th grader who required a lot of hand-holding; not with the difficulty-level of the work but with the motivation to do it. Nothing really helped except sitting with her each and every lesson. She went to public school this year for 8th, and though it has not been all sunshine and roses, it has been a much better year for her - and also for the rest of the family.

I appreciate your replies. It looks like I do need to match the year of the teacher's guide and student edition that we use. It sounds like 1985 has worked well for a couple of you. The student guide has answers to the odd problems - so are the answers to the even problems in the teacher's guide? Has anyone used the Solutions Guide? Is it all the problems with each step laid out, or something different?