My 2 high schoolers like a modified block schedule. Mornings are for daily work, afternoons are for blocks. They do math and Spanish and either grammar or writing or literature (or a combination of those) every day. Science seems to lend itself well to a block of time because they have a longer time period to do labs and write lab reports. They do that 2x/week for about 2.5 hours each. They also do their electives in a block. They usually do 2 half-credit electives spread out over the school year instead of 1 at a time each semester, so those are each 1x/week for 2.5 hours each. The electives they choose are not usually skill-based and they seem more "fun", so they are more likely to keep their momentum and retention is still good after a week away from them. They do history every day also because I like to watch the lectures with them and have discussions, and with my youngers to work in throughout the day, it works better with *my* schedule to do it daily. But if they had their choice, they'd do history 2x/week in a block too. My DD (7th grade) is much more structured than her brothers and strongly opposes any type of block schedule for her work. She highly enjoys checking off the boxes every single day for every single subject. Whatever, to each his own lol!

I vote for Math Mammoth too. :)

I only did an hour each day over 10 days (ITBS and CogAT) and had the older kids keep the younger ones occupied upstairs while DS tested at the kitchen table. It wasn't as quiet as I remember the test Nazis keeping us when I was in elementary school ;) but it was good enough.

Just fyi ... The worksheets and tests are a free download, you don't have to buy a CD. Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

We cover world religions and Trail Guide to World Geography over 2 years with HO 1 & 2. Then we switch to History of US concise edition for 2 years instead of using the 3rd book in the series. We do those 4 books over 2 years along with some iCivics units (these include info on government and citizenship and a few on the market and economics) and Trail Guide to US Geography. They read/outline 2 days a week, discuss with me 1 day a week, and do geography 1 day a week. But I don't see why it wouldn't work to pair the 3rd book with those other topics if that's what you want to cover. For personal finance we are planning on using Dave Ramsey's homeschool kit, but that's geared towards high school I think. For world religions we just read the information in HO, research online for more info, and discuss.

We're planning on it for next year for my 3rd grader. We plan to do all 3 Life books, 3 lessons a week. I chose it because the lessons are short and sweet and always have a hands-on demonstration or something to do. So far I like what I see as I look through the books. Appropriate depth for elementary, but not too long of a lesson before you get to the fun stuff. We also do supplementary reading from the library for science.

Regentrude says it better than I could. :) Most of my time with my high schooler is spent researching options and discussing material he's read with him and going over his writing assignments with him to look for areas of improvement. The actual nuts and bolts of "doing school" is done on his own. I will say, however, that it has surprised me that high school has taken more of my time than middle school does. I expected it to go in a progression from needing me for everything in K-2, needing me most of the time in 3-5, needing me some of the time in 6-8, and needing me almost none of the time in high school. That (so far) has held true up through 8th grade, but not so much in high school. I've found that it's not direct teaching that he needs me for, it's someone to bounce ideas off of and have meaty discussions with, things that are difficult to schedule and can sometimes take a long time. And that sometimes that seems harder for me to make time for in a busy day than, say, "teach lesson 37 in grammar". But that also could be because I have a larger age range of kids to school and care for. YMMV.

What book you decide to start with probably depends what your goals/reasons are for switching to Fix-It. I started my 8th grader with book 1 and he flew through it in just a few weeks. I plan on him finishing books 2 & 3 in 9th, then 1 book a year after that. Learning grammar concepts is not our goal, he already knows grammar well as it's own subject. It's putting grammar to work in the context of his own writing he has trouble with. So we're going through all the levels anyway as an intentional decision because I want him to really develop self-editing skills from the ground up.

After looking at sarasue's chart, I think this is the one I'm going with. Glad to hear someone else has success with it!

Thank you, that chart is great!

I've just been off googling "Femmy Cycle suction" and it looks like many other women have the same problem with the Femmy Cycle. I got it originally because I liked the idea of "no spill design" and because it looked less intimidating somehow than the other brands for a newbie, but now that I have some experience with inserting it, it looks like I should get a different brand.

OK, so on the recommendation of different threads on this board, I bought a menstrual cup and no exaggeration it has changed. my. life. Wow. It took 5 months-ish to get used to it and to learn to insert it correctly, but now I think I have the hang of it and I love it and I never want to go back to any other way. BUT ... It seems I have a short cervix. I came across this as a possibility in my research before buying and suspected I might, since I can reach my cervix easily (and I even have short stubby fingers). So I bought a Femmy Cycle since they have a "low cervix" option that is shorter than typical cups, from what I understand. But even so, after leaving the cup in all day, I find it has kind of ... sorry, here comes the way TMI ... suctioned onto and stretched and pulled my cervix so that as I remove the cup it just kind of protrudes there into my vaginal canal and hangs there like a finger. I've had 5 kids, so I guess it's stretchy? I don't know? I switched to using the cup during the day and pads at night, and by morning it's usually back to normal. At my last yearly, I told my NP about it and asked her to check my cervix for anything that looks "wrong" in there. She said she'd never really looked into menstrual cups and so doesn't know much about them but that my cervix looked fine as far as she could tell. On the one hand, I can't help but feel like this is not a good thing to be doing to my body. But on the other hand, I don't want to give up my cup. Anybody else have this issue? Would a different brand work better? Maybe not create as much suction? Please help!!! I will be in and out on the boards tonight, so I might not reply right away, but I will be back to check responses! :) Thanks!

AOPS has been great for my oldest. I wish we would have found it sooner when we were beginning his upper level math journey. But my younger ones would shrivel up and die with the discovery approach for math. Even hearing my older DS talk about how AOPS approaches math problems makes my younger DS shrink back in horror lol We used Video Text for Algebra I & II and were very very happy with it. Even my older DS used it before we found AOPS and he's been well prepared.

This is what we have and use. I enjoy reading them on my own to keep up with the kids, so that's saying something! ;)

This is a good idea, thanks!

My 3rd grader does 1 page of Handwriting without Tears, reading to herself from her history and science reading book lists for 30 minutes, an XtraMath.org lesson, a page or 2 of Building Thinking Skills, 1 Mind Benders puzzle, and typing practice for about 20 minutes. Math, history, science, grammar, and writing lessons we do together.

I don't know anything at all about that particular course, but I do know that my oldest DS did the SOS Small Business Entrepreneurship one this past year and neither one of us was particularly impressed. Too easy content, too vague assignments. It was ok as a .5 credit elective, but I probably won't be looking at SOS again. YMMV.

My son did Teen Coder Java his freshman year and after having him go through a test prep book he got a 5 on the AP exam that year, so your son might be ready for the AP sooner than you think! :) DS has considered taking other computer electives, but other programming languages he's been able to pick up with relatively little effort in just a few online tutorials, and he already messes around with Raspberry Pi and Arduino on his own, so I'm at the point now where I'm encouraging him to take other electives outside of the computing field and just do the other tech stuff in his free time. Which is basically what he was doing already lol I'm clueless when it comes to this stuff too, so I will interested to see what responses you get.

Analytical Grammar was a big hit here. My 8th grader did all 3 seasons in 1 year, so it is doable. It took minimal time from my standpoint, maybe 10 minutes or so on Monday to go over the lesson and the first few exercises with them (if you DD is already a grammar pro she might not need this) and 5 minutes each day the rest of the week to grade it with them. But it took longer for them to do all the exercises each day. It's expensive, but it looks like you have other younger kids you could use the teacher's book for.

We are not notebookers here either. It feels like busywork to my kids (and me too really). And we learn science just fine. :) We hated Apologia elementary and quit after the first lesson. We enjoyed SITB but did the bare minimum in a plain ruled notebook. We've also done Mr. Q, which alternates between reading and worksheet type busywork (my oldest DD likes those) and experiments with very high quality lab report activities. The life and earth science was good and would be appropriate for 4th grade, but I'd steer clear from the chemistry and physical science. We are trying God's Design for Science next year. No notebooks required. :) We'll see how it goes ...

His official transcript is a one page document with just course names and grades organized by year. This is a separate document I'll need to include with his applications. Hope that helps! Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

I wondered about putting "high school level" in there somewhere ... but then that seemed so obvious. But maybe that's so I can make a distinction between AP and normal high school courses? Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

Thank you for that feedback! I like that wording better. Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

I guess I was thinking by paragraph people meant just the description itself, not including the reading lists, labs, and texts info as well. And since mine were just 2-3 sentence fragments, I was worried. Whew! Now I feel better. :)

I've tried to follow guidelines people have posted, but most of you seem to say you have about a paragraph. Mine came out to much less than that. What am I missing? Geometry A year long course covering measurement, fundamental terms and postulates and theorems, triangles, other polygons, and circles. Formal geometric proofs were required for each lesson. Assessment by lesson quizzes, unit tests, and comprehensive exam. Text: Geometry: A Complete Course by Video Text Interactive English I A year long course covering literature, composition, grammar, and vocabulary. Annotation techniques, examples of literary devices, and plot structure were studied in order to critically analyze works of literature and write about them, using short stories first and then full-length novels. Assessment by weekly vocabulary and grammar exercises, class discussion of works of literature, and literary analysis essays. Reading list: “The Gift of the Magi†by O. Henry, “The Most Dangerous Game†by Richard Connell, “The Necklace†by Guy de Maupassant, “A Jury of Her Peers†by Susan Glaspell, “A Fight with a Cannon†by Victor Hugo, “The Open Window†by Saki, The Odyssey by Homer, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Texts: Windows to the World: An Introduction to Literary Analysis by Lesha Myers, Excellence in Literature: Reading & Writing through the Classics by Janice Campbell, Vocabulary from Classical Roots by Norma Fifer and Nancy Flowers (Books A and B), Analytical Grammar: The Great World Authors by R. Robin Finley and Erin M. Karl Biology I with lab A year long course covering classification, characteristics and study of Kingdoms Monera, Protista, Fungi, Animalia, and Plantate, basic biochemistry concepts, cell function and reproduction, genetics, evolution, and ecology. Assessment by lab reports (including microscope work sketches and dissections), unit tests, and semester exams. Labs completed: Using a Biological Key, Pond Life under the Microscope, Fermentation, Diffusion, Osmosis, Cell Structure, DNA Extraction, Mitosis, Greenhouse Effect, Earthworm Dissection, Crayfish Dissection, Insect Classification, Perch Dissection, Frog Dissection, pH, Flower Anatomy, Bird Embryology Texts: Exploring Creation with Biology by Dr. Jay L. Wile and Marilyn F. Durnell, Body of Evidence by David Menton, Ph.D. (DVD series) Ancient World History A year long course covering human world history from the first civilizations approx.. 4000 B.C. to the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. as well as aspects of world geography as it intersected with the different areas of the world that were studied. Particular attention was given to exploring world religions and their impact on human history. Assessment by weekly map work, class discussion, and term papers. Texts: The Mystery of History Volume I and Volume II by Linda Lacour Hobar, The Western Tradition by Annenberg Learner (online video lectures), Cultural Geography by Michael D. Matthews, Handbook of Today’s Religions by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart Spanish I A year long course covering basic Spanish vocabulary and grammar including basic needs, greetings, travel, description of characteristics, and present tense verb conjugation in both speech and written work. An emphasis was put on comprehending native speakers. Assessment by lesson quizzes and unit tests. Text: Visual Link Languages Level I Spanish Course by U.S. Institute of Languages Introduction to Logic & Rhetoric A one semester course covering informal logic and logical fallacies as well as the common topics of the argument-discovery method and how to apply them to creating logically sound arguments. Assessment by class discussion, quizzes to identify common logical fallacies in advertising, political campaigns, and other media, and composing written arguments for and against certain issues using the common topics. Text: The Art of Argument by Aaron Larsen, Joelle Hodge, and Chris Perrin, The Argument Builder by Shelly Johnson Computer Science – Java A one semester course covering features of the Java programming language, program design and OOP concepts, and algorithms. Assessment by unit quizzes and evaluation of student-created programs and projects. Achieved a score of 5 on the Computer Science A AP exam. Text: Teen Coder Java Programming by Homeschool Programming, Inc.