I so agree with this! Every "pin" becomes an undone chore in my mind!

Thank you! Good ideas!

They are 2001. I could get newer releases, but they are so expensive and at this point in the game spending a lot of money isn't feasible. Maybe I could check them out from the library and renew a few times.... We do have a class syllabus.

Oops! Yes that's what I meant...

I don't know if I have anything to offer...I know we all face worrisome times with our children. This could be just a phase or something that will pass. My first reaction when I think of this happening in my home is number one, is she happy? What could be making her feel so condescending or snooty towards her siblings? Does she resent them? (I'm no psychologist I'm just tossing ideas out there) Sometimes my older son (13) seems extremely bossy and overly "fatherly" towards his younger siblings, and when he doesn't know I can hear him he will say things to them I find so bizarre. I questioned him one day and earnestly asked him what made him dislike his siblings? He confessed he felt they were spoiled and no one treated him as kindly as they were treated. Which was a silly deduction but it was real to him. He gets upset they get done with their work faster than him etc. We talked things out and I explained age and stage to him and helped him feel less threatened by them and also less prone to be condescending towards them. It hasn't gone away overnight. I have to constantly remind him when that behavior rears its head-sort of a raise of the eyebrow like "ummmmm hey you know better!" If the above didnt work for me I would take more drastic measures and literally explain that certain behavior wouldn't be tolerated in our home. Of it did then certain disciplines would have to be carried out. The golden rule, respecting one another, speaking kindly one to another are all important elements of our home being peaceful. The other day, my ds13 and ds10 were arguing over Legos. It was so lame and petty I did not want to delve into it. I simply told them if try could not have the same respect for one another as they each have towards their friends that the Legos were going away. They shut up rather quickly after that. Parenting is no joke! Don't beat yourself up and do remember that this too shall pass. I hope this helps and I hope others chime in too with some tips. :)

These are excellent suggestions. Also, I have heard Weaver curriculum was designed for students doing independently when the authors wife passed away leaving him with 7 children to teach. I personally did ACE my whole school life; it definitely works. My brothers did as well and they are a doctor and lawyer now.

First of all welcome to the world of homeschooling! I can understand your concerns with your dd being an only child. My dd is also an equestrian girl so I can relate to that type of circle. It's definitely a positive thing she will become involved in her youth group-that's a big bonus. How about 4-H? Also maybe look for some homeschool group network that provides field trips or events for her to hook up with other kids. My daughter has only just begun to step out of her shell and meet others. There are also online homeschool forums or chat places you can monitor her activity for. Does the school she will be a part of provide any sort of camaraderie for their students? The positive thing is you are mindful of her needs and best interests. You will find ways to meet those needs in time! Good luck!

I agree! I went through breast cancer and treatment and still managed to homeschool through it all. It wasn't easy but we made it!

I have a dilemma. We just found out we must move and although I had not planned to stay with the charter school we are with next year, I was prepared to stick with it until the end of the school year. Now that it's a fact we are indeed moving, I am worried about how to continue my daughters 9th grade coursework. She was using Holt Earth Science and Holt World Geography-both of which are extremely outdated. (I wish I had realized this before agreeing for her to use them) How can I best go about completing these courses for credit purposes but use different curriculum? I need options as I am not very familiar with high school curriculum.

I think you have a great plan. I'm in a similar situation, we have always homeschooled but this year we tried something new by enrolling in a homeschool charter that provides a set curriculum and has some site based classes. While it has worked fine-we made the decision we are not enrolling next year due to philosophical differences. I was fine to plow through till the end of the year, but was just notified we are moving out of the county in just a few weeks. So I'm not given much choice but to pull them from the charter. I'm at peace with doing so; but now I have to figure out what curriculum to use for the remainder of the year. I have 9th, 8th, 4th and 2nd graders so quite a job ahead. For the olders I'm going to do everything I can to have them complete the same courses they were doing, the youngers I'm doing similar to what you're doing. Just hammering home key concepts with lots of focus on reading and writing. You could add some lap booking or something creative just for fun-might help him realize HSing is exciting. :)

Sorry for the empty post above.... This is hilarious....and makes me feel so much better in one hand to know I'm not in this alone, on another hand it freaks me out to think of what the future holds with 2 entering high school in fall. This year has been challenging enough-with dd being in 9th and an emotional basket case/over achiever with severe math insecurities. Ds enters 9th in fall and he is the lazy procrastinator. They are on such separate planes! I'm totally going to keep this thread handy for reference and for encouragement throughout the year. Love the potty training analogy as ds was a toughie to conquer, I guess he's gonna give me a run for my money in HS as well. And here I thought once PT was done it was all easy street?!?! 😜

You and I both!!!! My arm still hurts from cracking the whip to complete 8th! But I am enjoying reading all of these plans. They are helping me get in the groove for sure.

All of this is so very true. I've had the experience of being enrolled in cyber and you have absolutely no flexibility at all. You have to take all the coursework your state requires and have no time for anything else. Another option in my state (CA) which I think is wonderful, is homeschool charters, which give families a budget to spend on whatever secular curriculum they want. It's $2200 per student per year-which is still thousands less than what the state gets per student, but a very nice start for purchasing materials/classes. The drawback is you're once again at the mercy of the school and their regulations and requirements. I've chosen to work around it for 8 years. It hasn't always been easy, but it's worked for us. We have plenty of flexibility and choice and I've considered myself lucky to have the opportunity. The schools also have optional on site classes for enrichment and more difficult subjects. Another downfall though is becoming spoiled by having curriculum supplied. When I get big eyes for Christian publishers, (all the time) I have to play my violin for DH who doesn't see the need to spend our hard earned money if we can get it free from the school. Of course we do end up buying things we just HAVE to have, so our kids have a good mix of secular/non secular curriculum. Shoot, I got way OT, but I have to be honest and say that if finances dictated my choice to HS, it would be really really difficult but I would find a way. Where there's a will theres a way! We actually moved to another county in order to take advantage of the school we have here. Sorry for the ramble! HTH

Thank you thank you! Yes Ellie, we are in Cali! Julie...thanks so much. I agree! I just had a pep talk with my anti-math social club daughter and I told her we can do this!

I love this thread. I'm scouring through every great post on it! Be prepared for some questions from me LOL

Oops didnt mean to hit post-I was saying I haven't got very far but I do have an idea of where we are going.

This is a fabulous thread-here I was thinking in crazy for already lining out next years curriculum. Then I got on here and realized I'm not lol Ok so I'm floundering a bit because I am leaning towards using TOG and although my 10th grader to be is independent and somewhat opposes working with her siblings, it's something I want her to work on and to be willing to do at least part time. I feel it's important for the sake family unity. So would TOG yr1 satisfy for World History and Literature? I'm hoping so. Then we haven't decided on a Geometry course but she will be taking that. Possibly Kinetic Books, or LOF or a video based system. Do many people do Geometry and Algebra II in the same year? I don't see my daughter doing that successfully. Then we will need Chemistry-possibly Apologia or a video based program if I can find one. That's about as far as I've gotten, so n

Seriously ladies, I cannot thank you enough for this insight. So very helpful! Thanks a million!

I posted earlier about Geometry/Algebra courses and got some fabulous feedback so thank you all very much. I'm just needing some encouragement that the journey through high school is doable independently. I was so concerned about embarking on high school that I enrolled my kids in a homeschool charter school that provides on site math classes-they use Saxon which the kids are doing fine in, BUT in all other regards, I cannot stand the charter school. It goes completely against my philosophy of homeschooling, I am locked in a box in every other aspect and just can't continue on with them. But I am nervous about venturing out on our own-in regards to math. I did fine in math myself, I made it through college level Statistics, so I know I have it in me to be able to teach-I am just afraid I will be overwhelmed and that my students will suffer. DH isn't mathy at all. All the educating is pretty much up to me. Is anyone else in a similar situation? If so can you please share what works for you? And am I correct in assuming that "Keys to..." Are not adequate for a full years course work? As a student myself, I used them, as pre-courses to Abeka Geometry and ACE Algebra. I liked them a lot, I felt they broke things down to a level I could understand.

I really need help deciding which Algebra and Geometry courses to order for my 9th and 10th graders next year. Both need lessons given and watching videos is best. Something that can monitor their progress would be ideal as well. TT is not an option. Not rigorous enough IMO but we don't want anything too intense either. Anyone with experience with Kinetic Books? How about the D.I.V.E. CDs?

I am also with a charter in CA and have a 4th grader doing the STAR writing test. He is the same way-he gripes and groans over "stupid" assignments but loose him writing about dragons and hobbits and he's holed up for hours cranking out novels! Luckily, with all my kids, it seems when they are put under pressure to perform because "the state" is requiring it, they usually follow through fairly well. I'm nervous for him though because I still help a lot with his editing and spelling....and I know how high the standards keep rising.

Actually it's Kinetic Books

K12 offers a good online course with video lessons and grading. It's a bit pricey but worth the peace of mind. Also Kinetic Math I believe but I don't have first hand knowledge of how that works.

I can't really contribute but I love all these ideas! I have been in a similar pickle-while we love SOTW and use it, often an interest is piqued for which we have to find ways to take time and dig in. I'm there right now with my 2nd grader enthralled with Early America. So any ideas there would be great for me! I bought her an American Girl "Kaya" lap book/study guide from Currclick and I have several History Pockets. She is my youngest and I worry that the phenomenon of the youngest trailing behind the olders and all the pressures I have keeping them on task will cause me to look back with regret on her young and what should be fun filled school days.