Thank you all! This is very encouraging. He is improving in many areas, he is enjoying it and I just have to remember how valuable that is! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

How fast are your kids moving through pre-algebra? My son (7th grade) is enjoying it, but his progress seems slow. He loves alcumus, so I am trying to run with that and not pressure him too much. This is our 12th week of school and he is just finishing up chapter 2, which seems very behind if we are intending to finish Pre-a this year (we are, but I’d rather be slow and sure than rush through and have a weak foundation). Can I count on alcumus to ensure he has mastery? I sit with him a couple of times a week and he is fast, sloppy and not really wanting to put pen to paper much. My husband is worried and says I’m not doing enough with him. It’s a fine line with this boy, he is very sensitive to criticism and impatient with helpers. I am thinking I will have Daddy sit with him for the challenge Problems from the book, but worry that will crush my sons confidence. If you’re using this book this year, how are you progressing? Should I spend more time overseeing him?

Quick question if you've been there/ done that... Ds 12 is taking Latin 1 with Lukeion (Wheelock). I was planning to continue on with Fix-it (3) for grammar, but now I'm wondering if we can drop that due to the heavy load of this class. I think Fix-It will cover editing and such that the Latin won't. Any opinions? I don't want to overwhelm the boy more than necessary. Maybe we should just do Fix-it slowly/ half speed?

Dragon box, Prodigy, stack the states and countries, kindle, audible, scratch/ scratch jr, the human body by tiny bop, Kahn Academy, endless alphabet, google earth, the elements by Theodore grey, monument valley, skywalk, the orchestra, That is a pretty good start!

Have you seen this: http://bfbooks.com/Literature-Packs/History-Of-Horse-Pack It is not science, per-se, but it does add some extras to the literature. We've been playing with it over the summer. Take a look at the generous sample and see if it might be a fit. [emoji206] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Some things we have done (I tend to do "basket" stuff at breakfast and lunch, so I am continually scarfing my food![emoji23]) Poetryhttp://iew.com/shop/products/linguistic-development-through-poetry-memorization-teachers-manual-cds Shakespeare, get them acting it out a bit is fun : How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307951502/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_8iaAzbJZWJEF0 Music: https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/art-and-music/music-enrichment/ Opera or Composer study :Opera For Dummies https://www.amazon.com/dp/0764550101/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_hvaAzb1AEJC6J Character training: http://bfbooks.com/Teaching-Character-Study-Guide-Download-Version?sc=21&category=-121 Pretty much anything!

Was it this book: The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060936770/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_x7.zzbG6KN4BJ Or maybe Guest Hollow, or maybe it's on her list here: http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/science/otters_chemistry/chemistrybooks.html Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Who is making money? We just quit CC after three years. I tutored foundations the first year and the $ was almost negligible ($50 per week max). I subbed the following year because I was asked and last year I ended up filling in for a pregnant tutor who was worn out. Even though my class now had 9 kids vs 4, the pay was still $50, or less. I would have quit after the first year, but my kids begged for it. I felt like they bastardized IEW (a bit) and I always felt like an outsider. Kids never made any real friends, just acquaintances.

Tell me about it[emoji849] the older brother (12) hates everything he deems educational. So frustrating!

My concern was basically that he would consume all the fun now, and not want to do the Workbook when the time comes...

Thank you for quelling my fears! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My youngest (mathy 7 year old) has found my stash of BA guidebooks and I'm catching him sneaking off and reading them. Of course, I'm thrilled that he wants to read math books for fun, but I'm also concerned he will consume the fun from them and not get the content. He has read all of level 3 (we have been waiting very impatiently for 2 to get published) and now is into 4D which has probability, decimals, multiplying fractions, etc. What would you do? Should I just let him at it, or restrict it?

Private school costs here are even worse, most are $50,000 annually plus donations. They are definitely better than public schools, which are still pretty good, until high school when heroine is rampant. ☹ï¸. But, homeschooling is so SO much better than either option! Parent doesn't miss out on the child's best hours of the day, the child gets a 100% customized education, the list is long.

Two kids, one boy takes 45 minute lessons and the 7 year old takes 30 minutes. We travel a bit, so that is for about 9 months. I'm really wondering if it is worth it, though....

I think I must be spending way too much! I do have a bit of an issue and tend to buy a lot of extra curriculum in the name of "offering up an abundant feast at a moments notice". My boys are five years apart, so there hasn't been much I've been able to reuse yet, but it's coming. Someone mentioned music lessons. I know I live in an expensive area, but we spend nearly $6,000 a year for piano lessons. We have shopped around and $125 an hour is the going rate around here[emoji15] now, if they were in school, I'm not sure if they would have these extra lessons....probably, but not necessarily if there was a decent music program. They get a full musical education voice, theory, etc) via choir, and that just costs time and about $100. Once they move up the skill ladder, they earn $3-10 per service. Online classes can rack up, too!

It looks awesome with the iBook and the app, but I'm not sure what I need to get started. Has anyone managed to use this? I really think my 7th grader will like the iPad and integrated story format. I'm thinking of starting him on Unit 1. Should I just begin buying chunks of that book in iBooks? Does the ap actually do anything? *confused*

Well, if we love it and use it again next year, we have a plan[emoji106][emoji3] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks, Nixpix, I just finished cutting up the phonics cards. I, too, nearly skipped them because I have all levels of AAS. But, I always feel like everything has to match up perfectly[emoji849] they're messy, but usable! Our library has all the books except Beatinest Boy. I did find it on Amazon, I just have an aversion to paying for shipping and things not being PRime and arriving in two days. Haha they also had a kindle version for $2.99, but holding a book is nice.... Jenny is having a sale next week, so maybe I'll just order the reader. I'm a sucker for curriculum on sale...

Never mind

Update I was able to get the level 2 book to print, but only in small chunks, and excluding the cover. And then I struggled with the phonics cards. I wasted 21 sheets of yellow card stock when they printed single sided. Luckily, I had enough to try again, but they are awful to cut out! Now, it seems I need to buy the reader, and I'm having trouble finding the required book, The Beatinest Boy. [emoji19] She says the reader is optional, but instructions call for 20 minutes of reading the reader before each lesson. So, if you don't have the reader, do you just have the child read whatever? I wish I had just ordered the physical copy of everything.

Argh! How is a parent to know what her child is reading? My guy reads a lot! I would never be able to pre read even a fraction of what he consumes. I also get frustrated checking Common Sense Media for books, as they don't have many classics (The Yearling) and I rarely find any advice on a book there. I would not necessarily stop him from reading Rioridan, but I would like to know so we could bring up conversations in a meaningful way. [emoji19] For what it's worth, my 12 year old has read them all, some twice. Sneaking bisexual characters into kids books is definitely an issue.

Our piano teacher (private, very good but $$$$) is suddenly moving across the country. Both my boys (7 & 12) have been taking lessons with him for several years. The 7 yo has struggled with practicing, but generally the enjoy it. So I have continued to chauffeur them and pay the heaps of money. They are both quite musical and have vocal talent as well as natural ability with music theory. I'm pretty sure it will feel like a downgrade if we do some method other than private, individual lessons. Have you tried online lessons, or lessons via FaceTime or Skype? How does one go about finding a new piano mentor? My eldest is also interested in organ, and this instructor who is moving is an accomplished organist (was even considered for a Grammy last year). He was their associate choir director, that is how we came to him in the first place. He was offered a big promotion at another church, so here we are.... Any thoughts/ideas?

Thank you, nixpix and mother goose. That is exactly what I was thinking when I enrolled in the class. I really need to stop second guessing myself! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I thought I'd start him (the 2nd grader) at the beginning, so it's Old Testament and ancients Egypt. The 7th grader is going to do Omnibus 1 Primary Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So, this spring I was encouraging my child to look at some online class options, and he wanted history. So we wound up at Veritas Press Self-Paced. I sat with them and watched as they worked through the sample lessons. At the end, there was a quiz and it asked about which animals were on the ark. We all looked at each other and said, "nope, no dinos on the ark!" I explained that some people believe the earth is young, and they accepted that. But it kept nagging me. Then, the kids actually begged me to sign them up for the classes. We have been experiencing some high levels of resistance in the school room, so I said Ok and did it. I delayed the start date until late August, but now I'm wondering if I made the right decision. Am I going to have a horrible time explaining to them? When I thought ok, Holy Spirit told me it would be ok and we could just use any areas we disagree as a springboard for deeper conversations. Has anyone else dealt with this? And if you believe in a young earth, I truly mean no offense. [emoji120] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk