7th edition is perfect. That's what I have used. eta At 18 90 minutes of math per day is a reasonable expectation. She can decide if she needs breaks.

Ds is an English/Writing major - no physics. We rented his biology book for around $20. Rentals have lowered the price tag on college books pretty dramatically, but they are usually used books and don't include codes.

That sounds great, unless the FIT program requires college algebra. Also, most college stats classes require Algebra 2 or college algebra as a prerequisite. I'm going to assume the counselor wouldn't have put her in it if that were the case, but you might double check. You don't want her to be in a class that will be too hard for her. Ds's college accepted Stats as meeting the sole math requirement for gen ed. If the FIT program does that and she can get through stats, math may be behind her and her nemesis no more!

My kids were in high school when they read Ender's Game. It seemed young for them then, but I was probably too desensitized. I'd take Lori's word on this :).

The other books in the Giver series were such a disappointment. Move onto some of the other suggestions. There are some great books suggested here. Some of our favorites (and we all loved The Giver) were: Tuck Everlasting A Wrinkle in Time City of Ember The Ear the Eye and the Arm (love her Sea of Trolls series too, but it isn't dystopian) Ender's Game We also really liked some of the other suggestions such as: Bartimaeus, The Hunger Games, & Divergent but would consider all of them a bit older. Ender's game is in between.

This is my experience too. The worst was the CC which had tons of special editions - all loose leaf all with codes. The next is the state U which also uses quite a few binder editions and codes and our book bills are typically around $500/semester. The best has been the private U where ds goes. I don't think he's ever paid $200 for books for a semester and is typically under $100. He has never needed a code, not even for math or science classes. When books included codes (math, science, speech... I don't remember what else) the teachers all sent emails before the semester started and said the code was unnecessary and please feel free to buy used. I don't know if this is a university policy, but it seems to be standard practice. The largest class he has ever had was 25 students and the smallest was just five. With such small classes, teachers can actually grade work! While the university's tuition is higher than the state U (not much higher with the scholarship ds has), there are fewer fees and we have almost no add-on expenses (parking is free, laundry is free, bike rentals are free, everything is free). I really appreciate knowing in advance just how much attendance will cost and not being hit with a million extras.

That would be great, but how on earth do you get a syllabus for a class you aren't enrolled in? That information would be great to have, but I've never thought of it being available! As far as syllabus policies go, I love the way ds's school does it. They post an information sheet automatically in every class that contains all the things people are describing as being required but of little use. There is a semester calendar (like you need one for every class and can't look it up), the grading system, some contacts, disability policy, etc. All the information you can easily find on the Universities website, but they have to provide directly so they can't be accused of not informing the student :001_rolleyes:. Then the syllabus for each class is done by the instructor and the University seems to put no requirements on it. They are all different (although I'd say there is a template provided if the instructor chooses to use it, because many follow a standard format) and all completely customized to the class so the information is all worth reading. I think this system encourages students to read the syllabus because it isn't book length and doesn't (usually) waste their time on extraneous information.

That makes you a truly wonderful person :)

For the school ds and I attend, the system switched over so teacher's posted syllabus was available a week before classes started. One of my teachers had her syllabus up that day, the other was just a couple of days later. Ds on the other hand, had a teacher post a syllabus for a different class for one of his classes and none of the others posted at all. He had to wait until the first day of class to see it. I rate this as a minor inconvenience. The bookstore has all the books listed for each class and any time we have a question about codes needed we email the instructor. On the other hand dd bought an ebook from the University bookstore that was described as including the code, her receipt even said with code, but no code was included. She went back and the bookstore said they don't include codes with ebooks. She showed them the bookstore's own item description and the receipt and they still refused, but they did refund her even though she had already registered the ebook. It was a huge hassle and required multiple trips to the bookstore to get straightened out. She ended up getting the code for $69 from Pearson and renting the textbook from Amazon for $30 instead of paying $270 they wanted for a new book with code. I was very proud of her efforts to save me money :).

I plug mine in beside my bed. I either leave it on the bed beside my pillow or on my nightstand. I always keep my phone on silent, but I use "Do Not Disturb" from 11:00-6:00 so it will only vibrate for a call from my immediate family.

I think I started to feel better in about 3 weeks, but didn't hit my new normal for about 2 months. I've never completely lost the fog and tiredness, but I can make it through the day without a nap (most of the time) and I lost quite a bit of weight (not effortlessly, but it became possible). I test once a year and it is time again. It is possible that I need to adjust a bit :).

My kids each applied to 2 colleges, but that doesn't mean 11 is crazy. Mine knew what they wanted and where they wanted to go. They had guaranteed admissions based on their stats at the state Universities they applied to and their stats compared favorably enough that there was no doubt of admissions anywhere. Kids applying to highly selective schools would be unwise to apply to only 2!

My kids have both preferred the second type. The times down the page are less flexible. They want to record assignments and due dates, not so much where they need to be when, which is of course a habit after the first week anyway. They put in appointments, but don't have classes written in their planners.

I never see much savings either and the bookstore won't buy back. I have sold some on Ebay, but it is a bigger loss than buying a bound book would be. Our local CC used a lot of these and I'm in the hate camp. They are a nuisance, do lose pages more easily, binders are big and bulky, and cost more in the long run. I can't come up with a single positive.

No tutors, but we did do dual enrollment and a few online classes in high school. Each one had a different balance, but mostly we just homeschooled.

Of course it is still ok Laura! Good luck to you and Hobbes. I hope things go just as well for him as they did for Calvin! Not that it will be the same, but hopefully just as good in his own way.

Welcome! I hope your family's homeschool journey is as positive an experience as ours was. To answer your questions: Yes Abeka will get you through the whole year with no planning or prep and will do a good job of keeping your kids on-level. Yes, you can choose curriculum for each subject or even make your own as you gain confidence. As to what curriculum to use, there are many and all have different strengths and fit different homeschool styles, parenting styles, and kids. In order to pick, I'd suggest you start by answering the questions you've been asked above. Then go to the board that fits your kids age (K-8 curriculum board or high school board), and start searching and reading. Look at the planning threads for each grade and see what others are using, then search for those products on the board to see what people say about them and why they chose them. When something sounds interesting, go and check the price, see if you can see samples, and look for even more information. Doing this will help you choose what will fit your kids best in each subject. However, don't feel like you have to do that this year. It is fine to pick a publisher and just use that for your first year. Then when choosing for next year, you'll know what you liked and what you didn't and be able to look for products that match your family better (or stick with what you have if everyone is happy). I know families who used Abeka video all the way through whose kids are now in college, in professional school, and even one who is a doctor. There is nothing wrong with just choosing a place to start and going from there. Again, welcome and good luck on your journey!

:iagree: We did this years ago and it has been a great choice for us.

When my kids were younger, I planned by the week. As they got older and I gained experience, I planned by the month and then by the semester. It was tremendously helpful to me to have a plan that would get everything accomplished. However, I never planned on paper, I did it on the computer. Cut and paste allowed me to move things easily :). The plans were always flexible. Some things could be left behind. Some subjects (math mostly) moved at whatever pace made sure that everything was completely mastered. Content subjects like history, had no such constraints. The plan was for me. With a plan, I stayed on track. Without one, I am far too ADD to ever stay focused and accomplish anything.

My dream job would be getting paid to be a homeschool mom! Homeschooling was definitely my favorite job and I loved it, but if someone would pay me to do it so we could have afforded more travel, it would be perfect.

It doesn't matter. Since you purchased new, they will honor their 30 day return policy. Call and try before you try to resell it.

I really debated between an MLS and the MA English. It is wonderful to hear of other crazy people who started over a bit later in life and have no regrets. Thanks for the encouragement!

I have to admit I agree! I'm super excited. I'll let you know at the end of the first semester if I still feel that way. :lol:

My BS is animal science/pre-vet. That was enough to get me through homeschooling, but now that I'm done I am starting school again. This time I'm going for an MA in English Lit. I'm blaming TWTM and SWB.

You've been an inspiration Lion. I hope it goes as well for me as your college experience has for you!