We love Saxon, too. My first homeschool purchase ever was to purchase Saxon math to after school our kids. We are homeschoolers now (first year), and I have been so pleased with both dds improvement in math. We are doing 6/5 (dd11) and algebra 1 (3rd edition) for high schooler.

Thank you so much for sending the link for the demo and the curriculum maps. I appreciate seeing the maps, too. It gives a great side by side comparison of the other programs. We'll check out TC and see how the kids like it. Thanks again!

I had never seen this math before. Thanks for sharing! Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on using it as a supplement to another program? We do K12 through a VA. Wondering if it would be too much extra work to add this on?

My dd11 loves to have me read aloud to her. She reads at or above grade level (although prefers to read below grade level when free reading.) I can read nonfiction or fiction or poetry, she really enjoys it. Also, dd15 will usually drift in to listen as well. As long as they want to listen, I will keep reading! I think the biggest pro to reading aloud (at least in our house) is that I can read books to the kids that they won't read otherwise.:-) For some reason, they just won't take my word for it that some books are really worth reading. Our read alouds are not a required part of their curriculum. They are extra books I want to read usually related to the time period they are studying. I don't know the scientific pros or cons to reading aloud to a high schooler, but it has helped my dd15 to truly enjoy all types of literature and to learn about subjects she might not otherwise have read about. Even things she didn't think she would like. Along with that we have enjoyed discussing books together as we read them aloud with the family. She is not required to listen, but she gets interested as she is usually close by while we are reading. I read everyday in the evening, before dd11 goes to bed. I have to admit that dd11 is the one that has really kept read alouds going. She absolutely loves having someone read to her. I might have stopped by now if she hadn't kept persisting.

For younger kids, I guess I consider an imaginative storybook as one not based on a historical myth or classical fairy tale or fable. I have no idea if this is accurate or not? Now from the standpoint of what dd chooses in this category at the library, I don't limit dd in her choices of storybooks. Sometimes she chooses fairy tales, etc., and we definitely get stories from other cultures that would by considered fairy tales, fables, and myths. We look for shorter stories with nice art. If it was written for an adult to read out loud to a child, I figure the reading level is high enough that dd11 will enjoy reading them without it seeming like it was written for a younger reader. (Plus, I just love storybooks with art :-) and dd11 enjoys them, too. This question is difficult to answer for older kids, and I would be curious to see what others think. Maybe fictional short stories? Great question. It really got me thinking...

We do a type of this with dd11 and dd15. I did base it off of WTM. We get a book related to science, a poetry book, a how-to craft book, some kind of U.S. history related book, a book related to ancient times (myths, etc.) and one or two imaginative books. We go to the library often. It just depends on how quickly they get through the books. Probably about once a week. These are kept in a book basket in the living room, and I schedule 30 minutes a day where they must choose something from the basket. They will frequently read or do things from the book basket for longer than 30 minutes, that's just a starting point. In addition to this they have novels they are reading, and they also read at least one chapter a day of a biography of an important person of their choice. So it is kind of a loose adaptation of the WTM model? Anyway, it works for us. The kids enjoy choosing the books and will swap with each other sometimes.

Both of my dc attend a VA, but dd11 has way more flexibility with her schedule and with how much work she completes in a day. I have tried both setting time limits and just working until dd11 is finished. When there were no limits set, it felt like she spent way too long on subjects. She is a perfectionist and some things were just taking way longer than they should have. We got through more material when I set a schedule with time limits, but dd said she felt way more stressed with the plotted out schedule and trying to make sure she was done by the end of the time scheduled. So, now we are using a list of things to get done by 2:30. She has sports three afternoons a week and then she likes to go play (we live in a neighborhood full of kids, and she likes to play when they get home from PS or when she is home from practice.) This is a huge motivator. She is responsible for getting assigned work done and managing her time. So far this is working. Whatever doesn't get done on the list becomes homework. However, I do block out an hour every evening for "homework." If everything is done for the day, then I use homework time for enrichment or study time (vocabulary flash cards, science vocabulary, etc.) or just extra pleasure reading time, logic puzzles or other quiet activity- her choice. Dd15 has set due dates for assignments and work, so she has to get it done no matter what. This has been great for her learning to prioritize and manage her time.

We also eat a no sugar, no wheat diet. Books I enjoyed, and refer to often, are "Grain Brain," "The Blood Sugar Solution," and "Wheat Belly." They all include recipes and weekly plans to get started.

We have had a lot of success with Mavis Beacon for our dd11. She enjoys it and has really improved.

My dd is in 10th grade and using K12 through a charter school. We pulled her out of the brick and mortar public school at the end of 9th grade. The K12 program has been a lot more challenging and thorough than what she was getting at her previous public school. She works diligently for about 6-8 hours/day (this includes extra time spent outside of the required classwork for studying notes, foreign language, etc.) Some days take less time, others more. During times like finals week, she puts in way more time because of studying for tests and completing projects. She has live classes to attend online for each class every week, and sometimes the teachers have the kids meet at a designated "learning center." I suppose this could be different depending on your charter school. Overall, we have been very pleased with the program. I know that the online school thing doesn't work for everybody, but right now it is working for us. We were not, however, going from a homeschool situation previously, so I can't speak to the difference/transition of going from homeschooling to an online charter. Anyway, hope this helps!

Hi, this is a test post. I've been following these forums for a long time, but this is my first post. We are homeschooling an 11 year old dd and 15 year old dd. Looking forward to joining in the conversation.