So I'm not just imagining things ;) I -thought- it was a recent one. But you never know, sometimes I go on a search and then leave the last window open...

We purchased the Science Mastery Program which came with all the materials for all the experiments/projects along with 2 years' subscription to e-Science. We are nearly done with all of the materials, but our 2 years has run up also. So if we upgrade to the next level of SMP we get the rest of the materials for it and another 3 years of e-Science is included. I priced out the materials and they are equal to or greater than the cost of the upgrade so the 3 years subscription is "free"....so to speak. ;) She would love to continue doing the content/projects (e.g., has asked me for the Electronics Learning Lab when we were at Radio Shack)....so... But if we are going to take another directed path (e.g., an earth science course), it may not be used as much, and it could be worth waiting to upgrade until we KNOW we need it/want it rightnow.

Great ideas and points, thank you! It really does require one to think outside the "school at home" box or "school in a box" mentality. And not fitting in the box was the whole reason we started homeschooling. But these first few years of homeschooling really involve a lot of self-education about what, exactly, constitutes science education. I know lewelma has written many times on this although I can't think of a specific thread at the moment. But the scope of what there is to learn can be overwhelming sometimes and the beacon of "For admission to this university (to apply for this scholarship, whatever....), students should have high school transcripts with ___ science credits to include ___, ___, and ___, with labs" can be so reassuring: those are boxes I can check. I like boxes and lists. *shake it off*

My kid is pretty good at math but has a temperamental relationship with it. She has zero interest right now in a math camp (competitive/training for math competitions) but the type of camp you describe, she would be all for it! So I know nothing but I'm following!

I can't find the thread where I spotted this conversation, but in it a few things were mentioned, including someone saying parents all need to read the intro to Science Matters (which I have and I'm planning to read soon), and how middle school sciences are not really true prerequisites for high school sciences. I need to hear a little more about this, please! I have a STEM kind of kid and it is my expectation that we are going to follow a relatively traditional high school sequence, starting possibly in 8th but after reading another of 8's posts, I can even relax about waiting until 9th... but so much of that will depend upon DD's interests and, more so, her drive and investment in it. So I'm trying to decide upon 7th and I'm having to shake off the tradition around here for General Science/Physical Science/Life Science as typical middle school science. We have been doing Supercharged science and most of our topics have fallen in the physical science sphere (aeronautics, electricity& robotics, lights/lasers, physics of motion, electronics, alternative energy, and a little bit of Chemistry that we can continue this summer/fall). DD likes Supercharged Science and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the hands-on learning and the self-paced video instruction that DD kind of does independently. In order to continue we will need to upgrade to the next level of the Science Mastery Program for 3 more years of subscription plus lots more fun materials. Side note: But if I envision us moving into high school sciences as early as 8th grade, I feel like we need to cover earth/space science as it seems like those topics aren't really covered at the high school levels (well, Astronomy is, but not earth science....). Thoughts?

Ah! I think they're in the same class then :) fun! I was wondering how that might work about potentially missing classes - I just realized we might run into conflicts with sports in September... I hope she likes it and decides to stay with it. We're fully on board for now but I it IS still early and we have until the beginning of the third class, from what I read. :)

Great! She's feeling confident enough that I asked if she felt like she needed to bump up to prealgebra 2 and got a clear "no thanks." She's navigating all the elements better than I probably could have and started on her homework and finished two problems before deciding she didn't want to work too far ahead. Haha. She's hooked in for sure.

Are you starting the one tonight Leav97? Yes, other than Classical Conversations this is also my DD's first major outside class (since leaving school haha). We'll be doing WWS in the fall though.

Great idea! I checked and with my free Prime shipping, I can get an equivalent or better savings on the hard copy. And it'll be here in 2 or so days :) I'm very anxious about making this commitment.

Accelerated. Gone through at a faster pace by dropping some things (skill work like handwriting or...um...IDK what else), or doing less practice (skipping every other lesson?). It's hard to come up with examples without having the material in my hand :) Thanks! I always thought older DD was the scary smart one. Looks like I'm in for another roller coaster ride..... So is there another way to access the "method" than through one of the manuals? I've seen you comment on that before. Sorry if that sounds like a silly question, I"m serious. They're linked in my mind (hence the method/manual descriptor I used).

Next class starts tonight. DD and I had to take a break from JA because....well....we weren't getting along. For a long time, I've thought that AoPS might suit DD but this was the first time it occurred to me to try a course that was a little more "review" rather than what was next up in the sequence. We've finished through about ch. 5 of Jousting Armadillos, and DD did totally fine on the "Are You Ready For" PreAlgebra 1 but when she couldn't complete the linear equations or ratios/rates on the "Do You Need This" for Pre-Algebra 1, it seems like PreAlgebra 1 might be the best choice for now. She lacks confidence and doesn't want to look like she's "flunking" so I think a class that is more review might be smarter. That's a chunk of change to build confidence BUT I also think we need to shift to an instructor that is...not me. I know, love, and get math, but I don't get teaching HER. She probably was ready for the concepts when we started homeschooling in 4th grade but I didn't have the comfort level to adapt to where she needed (what gaps remained from school, if any, and how hard to hit them) and the skill level to know how much independence to expect (I seem to consistently expect too much). I also seem to (according to her) get exasperated when she seems to forget something she knew before (usually easy concepts, and she usually goes "oh, yeah! Duh!" when she finally remembers....so it's not unreasonable expectations....). If you think I'm crazy, tell me now. I'm trying to register her on the website. I appreciate the security procedures, but I need to go figure out how my scanner works.... Edit: Oooh it also looks like I need to decide between online books, hardcopy books, or both (with a discount). If we're going with the class that starts tonight, then perhaps I need to make sure and get one of the versions with an online option...? That also leaves us with something if we drop the class before the third session for a refund....?

They seem sort of redundant but maybe I need to look at both next to each other again. My other thought was to do the older combined FLL/WWE but my thought was that it might be overkill on grammar definitions among other things especially considering that we are planning on doing CC....

Sorry for the hijack! But since I have you here, Ellie.... I already bought TATRAS and I really am happy with my writing, handwriting, and spelling plan. I just basically want to quickly cover all the phonograms with my fluent reader (2nd grader first year homeschooling next year; easily/comfortably reads at least 3rd grade level, possibly higher but she doesn't really push herself, she just reads. A lot. She took the pretest for Phonetic Zoo spelling and scored high enough to be placed in B (6th grade+) and to be recommended to also continue with testing to see if she qualified for C (high school and beyond) but I'm a little scared to, haha! So can Spalding/WRTR be compacted?

Thank you! That helps a lot! Can you compare it to TATRAS?

I was actually asking for a friend, but now I have to know for me: what constitutes a spelling notebook? So many times, students are asked to make their own spelling lists for words they don't yet know/miss. My natural spellers usually have only needed one exposure or correction for mastery....so I've avoided those types of spelling programs.

I haven't but I was planning on using BSGFAA for fun, memory work, discussion and then using CLE/R&S for more official Bible study....

So what age/reading level/whatever would Spalding be intended to be used through?

I think I'm having some hesitation because I'm afraid I might be trying to add too much. I'm still relatively new to homeschooling (this has been my second full year and next year will be my first one with my 7-year-old) and to teaching Bible in the home. We talk about it, read to them until they can read well themselves, but I haven't ever really taught it and did not grow up in a home where the Bible was taught. So I need a helping hand or three. So my intention with these choices was to have each DD (7 and 12) do their own individual study/lesson with limited review/teaching with me. Ideally, a journey through the Bible in more-or-less chronological order (plenty can be skipped as long as we get the general view). For younger DD I was going to start with CLE Bible 2, primarily based on how independent it is (and the fact that I'm planning to do CLE LA, Reading, and Math too). THere's a lot that I love about CAP's God's Great Covenant, especially the covenantal emphasis that it keeps pointing to, but...CLE looks more independent? I was trying to go through GGC with older DD because I was so impressed with the vision/direction it was going in, but it wasn't a good fit as it was too easy so we were trying to do it double- or triple-time. And we weren't really getting to it, perhaps because we weren't getting that much out of it, but it still felt like I needed to put in the presentation/delivery time and it often was left to another day. I was planning on using Rod & Staff's grades 5-7 Bible series with DD12 and starting with the beginning in grade 5 ("God Chooses a Family") for the chronological overview. I'd use CLE but I showed DD12 samples of both and she said she liked R&S MUCH better. I have a copy of a TM and it looks like it's written for classroom use, etc., but I know I see a lot of people post about how they use R&S independently. Now, I also wanted to spend some time going through some content together and particularly to focus on discussion, application, and memory work. BSGFAA REALLY seemed to fit the bill with all of that. I've looked at lots of good options but I keep coming back to it again and again, particularly because of the extent to which the manner of using it across different ages is already prescribed - but yet we are still covering the same passages, memory work, and generally application as well. Please don't say "Oh, you should just ____." Maybe some day but for right now I really need more hand-holding. So my question is, am I trying to do too much? Would we do BSGFAA every day during family/morning meeting time and only have them do Bible curriculum say twice or three times a week (I think both are easily adapted to that)?

Yes, it does! Cool!

Bumping one last time for reviews. I think I'm going to take tHe plunge. I might pick it up at our convention in a couple weeks though to save on shipping.

I've started watching to the Tatras videos and I think this might be the ticket-easy to compact/move at our own pace, nothing but phonics/reading. I really wasn't wanting a comprehensive program like LOE as much as it appeals to me in theory, because I really was hoping to go with CLE!

For roots study, how about Dynamic Literacy's Word Build?

I'm definitely leaning toward it, spelling workout is just feeling like busy work to me. Now, to buy used or to spend a little more to get the money back guarantee....this is one of the times it might be worth it... DD7 passed the placement test for A (grades 3-5; missed 9), so she qualifies for taking the placement test for B (missing less than 17; grades 6 and up), but, really?!?!?!?! But then again, with her I might just stick to our CLE LA spelling instead of adding something else in, but keep it in the wings if/until CLE isn't working any more (although I'm not sure how much CLE 2 spelling will challenge her.... And she likes a challenge...)

So when I mentioned how RR had reiterated the importance of programming (and since she was on Khan Academy anyway due to needing a JA break (or break from me)), she dug back into scratch. I have trouble letting her loose there, though, because it seems like so much of her time is spent just playing others' games.... I know that's partly my issue... because there's something she can learn from it, but perhaps it would be better if it weren't an integrity test. Plus, RR had said Python and other verbal languages would be better than the graphical UIs of Scratch and others. So, I'd love for DD to be able to start some kind of Python intro - a "course" would be preferable because I think it would help reduce the rabbit trails into watching/playing others games instead of working on her own creations that comes with a more open-ended context. But not necessarily a full-semester course, I don't think she has the attention span for that (yet, although I think she could - I think her nature could be VERY well suited to programming, especially the problem-solving attack capacity (but it has to be when she WANTS to....). It needs to be FUN. And have some degree of a tangible reward (e.g., something she can show off for her family) fairly early in the process. And a reasonably early opportunity for success. The challenge can come later once she's hooked in, KWIM?

Well, she generally didn't miss that many questions. Initially, she even commented that she liked the videos where he reviews the answers to all of the lessons, because on those occasions when she missed items, she found that he often commented something like "a lot of kids miss this problem, and here's the common error in approach/thinking that causes that....so remember....," etc. But then I think she got sloppy about watching the videos, I think because she often didn't miss many items and when she did, she generally knew why she missed it anyway (and generally it wasn't a comprehension problem). Then she complained that there were things that he assumed knowledge of but hadn't covered/explained. I reminded her that there were things she said she picked up on from listening to the answer/explanation videos but since I don't sit at-elbow, I can't vouch for how much of them she DID watch. But when it turned into a fight, we switched again. You're reminding me of additional reasons why outsourcing might be a better fit. She has specifically asked for ALEKS and I think a program like that or THinkwell might be a solution. Or not. I have held off on it because it seems like I just keep buying math programs and nothing sticks. But ALEKS seems to address her need for adaptation specifically. Right now she's motoring through Khan Academy. It seems to have some adaptation as well, but the interface/challenge/etc. setup confuses me. But it might work for finishing up pre-Algebra....