My state requires we test annually in LA and math and submit the composite score to them. We will be doing the IOWA test this year. Is it possible to get a composite score from the IOWA test people if we do not take the science or social studies test (those aren't required here)? Or is it only possible to get composite scores if you take all 4 tests? In reading over the test directions, it seems DD will have to complete all four sections to get a composite score reported. If that is the case, is there a way for me to calculate composite scores for just LA and math?

My daughter is in 6th grade and just this past year, I realized how independent she really is. Our days go something like this: Math: She bangs out a lesson a day in Saxon (usually without my help); the following day, I sit with her to review any questions she has missed. Latin: I am learning with her, so we watch the video lesson together and then each work independently on our workbook and compare answers to the answer key. We quiz each other on declensions. vocab, and conjugations. Science: I assign readings for each week and then we do a lab together at the end of the week. History: Lots of reading and workbook activity, which she does on her own and then we meet at the end of the week to discuss. Essay writing on the current history topic, which we discuss as-needed during the week. French: Outsourced to a tutor. Equine Science: Assigned at the beginning of the week, and I check her work at the end of the week. Language Arts: We meet everyday to review readings, writing, vocabulary, grammar.

It's never to late to start Latin! Another vote for First Form Latin - the MP Latin program is overall terrific! However, given your daughter is in 8th grade, you may want to consider popping her into Henle I and just taking it at a slower pace until you hit 9th grade. But I think the Form series is so good, if I wanted to get her further a bit faster, I'd be inclined to work the Form Series at a slightly accelerated pace. Best of all, if you need it, MP has online classes for both the Form series and for Henle. Whichever option you choose, I think learning a language is easier if you front-load the grammar and learn that first, and I think that is especially true with Latin.

My daughter will be 12 in a few weeks and in the 7th grade next year. Same deal with her - hates to write, but is a voracious reader. We did 3 curricula this year: Write Shop I (on the slower 3 year plan), Writing With Skill I, and MCT Paragraph Town. We love MCT here and are fans of the program, but I think the writing portion is the weakest part of the program and I don't think my DD got much out of it. We will likely drop the writing component next year. I would think that the jump in writing would be a lot at after the Voyage level also. Anyway, the other two have been perfect and we will stick with those in 7th grade. Why two writing curricula, you ask? Because I think they teach different things and my DD needs both. WWSI teaches the underpinnings of the research paper, which of course, every high schooler who is college-bond will need. But Write Shop I teaches mechanics, editing, grammar, punctuation, brainstorming, etc... and that has also been helpful to her. I would think pulling back a bit on the quantity of writing might help your son, and for that, WriteShop I is great because it teaches necessary skills without requiring anything too involved. Once your son is comfortable and OK with writing, you can move on to the writing component that is with the Magic Lens. My DD gripes less about the writing now that this year, I have required lots of writing from her, but just a small bit at a time. Now that she is comfortable with that, I'll ramp it up a bit. Downside to WriteShopI: Dry as dust. Downside to WWSI: some writing days can be very time-consuming.

If he is OK with other math concepts and it's just math facts, I would put him in the fourth grade book and work simultaneously on learning math facts. My DD was very shaky on multiplication facts when she entered 4th grade, so we had to work on them at the same time. Drills every day, 2X/day, at least.

I can't offer any suggestions for Italian, but I would say to not opt for Rosetta Stone. Neither of my kids liked it, and since there is no grammar involved, if your DD gets far enough into the language, it can't be used for high school credit. I suppose some kids get some conversational pick-up from it, but it was an expensive mistake for us.

We used it this year and really liked it. The lessons are organized by week. So, a week might consist of a page of 6 questions (most can be found in the atlas) and some basic map work for the basic lesson of the week. Some people stop there. That's probably about 30-45 minutes time at the middle school level. From there, you or your child chooses as many or as few additional activities related to the lesson as they wish. Additional choices include work on culture, art, food, physical geography, political events, animal and plant life, etc... It's very adaptable to many needs.

Ellen McHenry has topics in science that are for Level 1 and Level 2 (which are for between 4-9th grade, IMO). Great curricula and my kid has enjoyed the topics of study.

I've honestly been unimpressed with the books we've gotten (Critical Thinking Book I, Building Thinking Skills - 2 different levels, and Inference Jones). They''ve busywork without much value for us.

We're in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area and there are lots of private schools that accept homeschoolers, either for class or two, or as part-time students. The Virginia Beach Friends School accepts part-timers, but it's pricey. You would have to call around or visit the private schools in your area to see what they do because they are all different. Are online classes an option for you? If so, there are lots of choices in that arena. we belong to two co-ops and neither require me to teach, but I would get a break on tuition if I did teach. But I teach at a local college part-time and am taught-out by co-op and don't teach there.

It's actually that we and apes are descended from a common ancestor that is now extinct. Subtle but crucial difference.

OK, the colleges worthy of consideration can't be the only one she's attending and the Nothing-U of her friend, right? Can you broach the idea of another university that still has great academics and encourage her to consider transferring? No college, job, house, or church is right for everyone, and maybe she needs to transfer. That said, she'll probably make a friend or two eventually and be OK.

Oh, Lord, I'm buried in homework, LOL! I just bought the DVD course from the Center for Literary Education that was recommended in one of the CiRCE-related threads (that's a summer assignment), I will also be reading through the Bible with my kids this year because I don't feel we have an adequate knowledge base from which to read the classics otherwise, I have to re-learn all my Middle Ages history along with my DD in order to be able to discuss history with her, I am learning Latin right along with my DD, and I am reading up on teaching children poetry this summer. Full credit load of self-teaching courses here! As you might guess, my husband is neglected, my house is a mess, and I don't cook from scratch as nearly as often as I once did, but by golly, we are an educated bunch! ETA: Wonderful. I just read through the entire thread after I answered and I see Rose has given me another idea for a self-class on writing! I can't keep up, AAAAAACCK!

I wanted very badly to choose the classical pronunciation for the reasons mentioned above, but opted for the ecclesiastical pronunciation because the ecclesiastical curriculum providers had what I needed: lots of support for a non-Latin-speaking teacher, DVD's and books that taught the course from a grammar-translation point of view (this was my primary criteria for the curriculum), and online courses should I need to go that route. You may be interested in the informative, if somewhat fiery, thread from this past week that discussed which pronunciation of Latin was most useful? It was on the General Education forum. I don't know why I can't copy and paste on this board anymore, otherwise, I would link it.

In addition to looking at her current math book and comparing it to other math texts out there, I would also talk with her about what her math "style" is (does she like her current math text or not? Why or why not?) , whether or not you want integrated math for high school, and then opt for a math text that really suits her. Then I would give her the placement test to be sure I put her in the right book. The reason I say give her the placement test is because, even in gifted programs, districts around here grade inflate everyone and report cards are fairy tales here.

'Cause both my kids are in love with history.

This has been my experience, as well. A few week's ago, I was at co-op and someone rolled their eyes at a lesson plan I was constructing (too organized for her apparently), the French tutor, a fellow homeschooler, scorned our Latin language lessons as a waste of time, most homeschoolers at the social co-op we attend don't know what the Great Books are, and no one understands why we are pursuing two sciences (that's where DD interest is).

This is our current biggest hassle. Not a big deal, though, in the scheme of things. My daughter enjoys activities like the school carnival and the winter program at my son's school, and if we really have an activity that my son would enjoy with his sister, I take him out of school that day and we just go for it. The hassle is more having to stop schooling my DD to pick up DS, so if we are working at the hour in the afternoon, it's mildly disruptive.

For the youngers, the Fisher-Price garage/barnyard whatever with lots of figures (my kids called them "the guys"). Both my kids played with them from about 1 to about 6, in some capacity. I think I'd also keep the Legos, the bikes, and the cabinet full of pots/pans/spoons.

Totally comfortable. In fact, my homeschooled DD has a brother who is still in public school and I take her to his daytime school events (awards ceremonies, running races, etc..). Not only, the guidance counselor at my DS's school invited my DD and I (she knew DD from her time there) to the school to participate in a "career day", where parents talk about their careers to the younger kids. I should add that we live in a very homeschool-friendly state.

I would talk to your vet about working with on behavior modification. You might not need to be home constantly to do that, or you may be able to outsource that job to someone else (oh, like maybe, a certain son). Our neighbors have a mutt like this, and she just gets lonely and needs attention from a dog walker while they are out during the day; it might be something that simple to fix. The vet may be able to advise you on that, or prescribe meds if he thinks the dog has psychological problems, or refer you to a behaviorist, if necessary. But I be the vet would have some great ideas; probably not the first time he's seen this. And if all that fails, the vet may know of a great home for the dog!

I think you could say something in a straightforward way, as long as you make it clear to your neighbor that you understand you what you are asking for is a favor. I would just assume goodwill on the part of the neighbor and approach it in a neighborly, favor-asking way. I might approach it this way: "You've got a really nice TV and I can see you've spent a ton of effort and money on it; I'm jealous! But when you watch "child-unfriendly shows", would it be possible for you to angle the TV away from our backyard as much as possible, or at least turn the volume down a bit? If you could, I'd really appreciate it because little Johnny is out in the backyard and blah, blah, blah. The shows look good to me, but I have to answer so many questions from little Johnny, I feel like Jeeves, blah, blah, blah". The neighbor might not even realize how visible and audible the shows are and might stop playing them at early hours and you might just end your problem right then and there. Even if he doesn't stop playing the shows at early hours, perhaps you can ameliorate the situation by having him turn it down or angle the TV in another way. I'd only approach if we were on good terms with the neighbors, though.

After thinking about it a while and based on my own experiences, I've come to the conclusion that people who are chronically overweight /obese need constant, lifetime medical support (much like a diabetic needs insulin, a person with hypertension needs meds, a person with MS needs whatever meds they take, etc...). Even after I've lost a substantial amount of weight, my tendency is to re-gain the weight, which is why I think overweight itself falls into the category of chronic disease that will need lifelong management (in the form of checking in with a doctor once/month to keep one on track, maybe weekly nutritional/psychiatric counseling, stuff like that).

Can you describe more about how the Paleo diet has changed your son's life?

Some evergreen shrubs/camillas in the back will keep everything from looking dead in winter. Then, put roses in front of that, dwarf azaleas in front of that. Mix in tulips, daffodils, and creeping phlox toward the front. That should be good for Atlanta and give you a height gradation and also blooms at different times of the year. Put a little herb garden on the side there, with some interesting color mixed in before the herbs come back in the summer. Everything I mentioned is perennial, so you only need keep it weeded.