FaithManor- so since we live on the Gulf Coast of FL, one mile from the beach, the sodium may blow up as soon as it hits the air here? Oh, my! Nanobeads, hmm. I haven't received the book yet. I will need to hide it from ds so I can read it first. Lucky me, he's working at a camp this summer. I just have to figure out how to keep my 4 yr.-old away from all this stuff. She, like ds #1, loves science experiments. Even the middle one may want to see some of this stuff. Kids are fun. Fearless but, fun. :D Denise

I voted for Agape because it's free. If the St. Paul program isn't too much, I can do that one instead. The Great Adventure program looks far too expensive for me. If most others want to do Great Adventure, don't let my cost factor stop you. I just will have to join some other time. Thanks for looking into this for us. I hope you are beginning to feel better. I'm still praying for you. Denise

I tend to stay out of these types of threads and I certainly have not read every post. Something about this thread is really bothering me though. I think it is important for you all to know that there are many of us who don't post that much but read, re-read, take notes on and sometimes print your posts. We aren't so busy posting or answering questions because we are busy learning from all of you. Yes, I have read TWTM. I own books 1 and 2. When my oldest was in middle school, I bought TWEM and began studying it based on the recommendations of many of you here. When I first began, only TWTM 1 was out. I followed it to a t with my then first grader. We had problems. I re-read the book and found the JW says not to follow every bit of the program as written but to tweak and modify it to fit individual needs. That's where I turned to this board. My oldest had sensory issues, ADD and dyslexia. He's also gifted. I didn't know how to adapt the program to work for him until I began to read the boards. JennW - if you only knew how many times I've re-read your posts on teaching literature. Your ideas on grouping the literature in different ways, not just chronological, have really helped us. I have some of the posts printed out and in a folder that I refer to often. Nan - In another thread that you began, I just said that I had saved a post from you regarding chemistry. It's one of many of your posts that I have saved. Joan in Geneva- I've saved many of your posts for future reference too. And that goes for many other people on this board whose experience and ideas help all of us tweak and mold this classical model to fit our children. All of this is to say that I don't want you all to despair, thinking that most of us have traveled away from a rigorous, classical homeschool model. I know people in real life who read these boards but don't post. Like I said, I don't post that much because I am busy reading and learning from you all. Also, I feel a little intimidated about posting on this board. While I am considered a well-educated person by my level of schooling, I know I can't speak intelligently enough for most of the conversations on this board. So, I read, take notes and learn. Please, don't stop posting about what you are doing. If you need me to come out in support of you all more often, I will. I didn't realize that was an issue. I admire all of you and hope you will continue to post your thoughts, ideas and experiences here. Now I have to go an comb my 4-year old's wet hair before she tangles it more. Maybe this is why my brain is mush! Take care and know that you a blessing to many of us. Denise

Foerster's is expensive if you buy it new. I bought the Alg. 2 book for $2 and some change from Amazon. The shipping cost me more. The solutions manual was another story. I finally bought it new from Pearson for $45 or $47, something like that. Others on this board have said you don't really need the TE. That's good b/c it's very expensive, new or used. Try amazon, better world books or any of the other online book stores. Whatever you decide to use, I do hope it goes well. Denise

I used the teacher's manual to check answers to the syllabus and labs. Yes, the labs are lame. We did some of our own stuff, like dissecting. We also used the HHMI videos to supplement some of the chapters. For tests, I used the questions in the syllabus. They require the child to explain things so I thought that was a good test of whether he knew the material or not. Denise

He sounds pretty advanced. I'd go w/Foerster. We use it here and my ds likes the explanations and the problems. Lots of word problems. The explanations are clear and to the point. The word problems are practical use or real life problems. There is a lecture DVD that goes with it - Math Without Borders. The instructor does a good job of teaching, and again, clear and to the point. I hope this helps you. Denise

We were you 4 yrs. ago. Ds had just turned 12. We were new in a small area and no one in our neighborhood was out and about. Money was extremely tight, still is tight. Also, my dd was 8 mo. old so I couldn't give as much time to him as before. And finally, younger ds was still working out his issues w/us so was not pleasant to be around. My oldest was a bit depressed. Your son likes chess. The US Chess Federation, www.uschess.org lets you play other people online for free. There are some other sites for chess games too. Running is a great sport to begin at his age. Training for a 5k, and then running in some, is a big confidence booster. I really like the building idea too. Most boys love to build things, especially with their fathers. If he likes games, are you ok with some of the online games? The ones where he plays in a group of others online at the same time? There's a name for those but I don't remember it. If you play too, or supervise, some of those may be fun for him. Who knows, he may meet another gamer in the town where you live now. Finally, if he likes being out in the woods, the Forest Service does hire volunteer teens to work in the parks. We are thinking of this for my oldest son too. www.fs.fed.us I think that is the link for the Forest Service. I do hope things turn around for you all soon. I've been in that same situation more times than I care to remember. Take care. Denise

I'll join you. Our church in VA did Little Rock Bible Study. It was pretty good. It was in-depth and had lots of discussion questions. I'm sure there are a lot of good Bible Studies to choose from. Denise

Nan - that's funny. I just ordered this book for my oldest. I saved the link from the time you and Janice, I think, discussed it here. Ds will take chemistry in the fall and he's so excited to finally, finally get this book. He wants to blow things up, make the napalm, all the things that put fear in my heart. Thank-you to you, Janice and everyone else who recommended this book. Have fun with your son. Maybe we can compare notes on hospital trips, oh, I mean experiments. Deniseibase - thanks for the info. on the kits. I won't need one until fall so I may wait a few weeks. That may be risky but I need to research it more anyway. This should be fun! Denise

Great job Laura! You should be very proud. And, please continue to post. I enjoy hearing about the progress of your boys. Denise

Yes, you're right about this one. My oldest is dyslexic and he learns to spell through reading, not the other way around. I haven't figured out my dd yet and dyslexia runs in my family. With homeschooling, I find just when I think I know what I'm doing, what not to do and what to do right, the next child is so completely different. I feel like I'm starting all over. Anyway, thanks for making that point. Denise

Ds 15 - wants to be a physicist. He's wanted to be a physicist since 1st grade. He also toys with being a Priest. Ds 10 - has a running list of everything he wants to do. He wants to try each one for a few months each. Some of the careers on his list include bridge engineer, fireman, teacher, bus boy, cook, policeman, construction worker. dd 4 - wants to be a grocer, mommy or nun. It will be interesting to see what path they do follow. Denise

I'm glad he is still employed. Congrats on that! He is very wise to be ready to job hunt. Even if he doesn't get laid off, he may not like the environment the new VP will create. It's always a good thing to have your resume updated and ready to go. Denise

I'm sorry this is happening to you. I'll say prayers for you too. Denise

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Denise

That is vile and disgusting. What a vulgar, vulgar ad. I can't say more. Denise

Thanks Rebecca. My experience w/Alg. I is the same as yours - we only needed the Sol. Manual. I hope it's the same for Alg. II. Denise

I hope so because this is what I bought. Look at the Pearson site under the classics. They show the Alg. II book and I believe it's called Alg. and Trig. I hope someone who knows will respond to your thread. :bigear: Denise

Thank you everyone. Your input really helps. We do have Phonics Pathways. I don't remember the part of spelling 10 of the days reading words so I need to go back and read that part. I'm thinking of trying All About Spelling but, honestly, the thought of all those tiles and rules makes my head hurt. Still, if it's what my dd needs, I'll take an asprin and proceed. :D Maybe I can try Phonics Pathways first, since I have it. I apologize for not thanking you all sooner. I now have dd's sinus cold so I haven't been on here since I posted this and a question on the high school board. Anyway, your help is appreciated. Denise

It's been a long time since I was on this board. Now that my dd is 4, I will be asking for your help pretty often.:) My question is, can you teach a child to read by teaching spelling? DD knows her basic letter sounds but we've not gone over combinations and so forth. She has also been able to read a bit since 3 but she is not interested. She says she would rather look at the pictures and "read" the story by memory (mix of memory and her making it up). All of that is ok w/me. She has begun to spell words to me and point out that some words have the same letter combinations. For example, 2 fs each in Clifford and Office Max. This started me wondering, would it be a good idea to teach her to read by teaching her how to spell? It's not the way I would normally go about teaching reading but, after almost 10 yrs. of homeschooling, I'm pretty flexible. Any help you can offer will be appreciated. Thanks. Denise

For Foerster's Alg.2, can I get away w/just using the Solutions Manual? Or do I need the Teacher's Edition too? We will be using Math w/Out Borders DVD. Denise

I think you could start again. Maybe use some supplementary materials to help you understand the material better. Khan Academy has science lectures though I'm not sure if he has chemistry. Look at his site and see. Does your library have Teaching Company dvds? If so, or if you can buy one cheap, there is one called Chemistry and is taught by Frank Cardulla. He goes over the more common topics that high school students struggle with. If neither of these work, check your library for chemistry books to read. Sometimes you just need the material explained in a different way to understand it. Hang in there. You are doing a good job educating yourself. Denise

Wow! I just bought this book to use w/my oldest. Yes, I would like a copy too. I'll pm you w/my e-mail. Thanks. Denise

Magic Lens. It clear and to the point. My oldest hates grammar but he at least tolerates this one. And yes, the grammar has really stuck with him. Denise

Monopoly Clue Risk Uno Yatzee Scrabble Sorry Trouble Jenga Nine Mens Morris Operation Card Games For something a little different, Twister. Denise